Ahead of a trio of rides in SE Asia next year I decided to get a new pair of riding jeans. I’ve owned a couple pairs of rider jeans over the years. Alpinestar and Draggin items, neither of which I liked because they were not comfortable on the bike and […]
Read MoreTested or reviewed
Just simple words about things I have purchased and bikes I have rented but honest reviews not fake bullshit that fills YouTube.
Ten days with a Yamaha XT660R
I had never really noticed this motorcycle before, but after riding one in Turkey I now see quite a few people in those overlander groups on Facebook have them set up as ‘traveler’ bikes and along with the venerable KLR650 are a popular choice for riders on budget doing extended […]
Read MoreMotorcycle Messengers 2 – Short stories collection.
I always try to have a few books to read when I do one of my motorcycle tours. Being a cheap charlie I’m usually on LCC flights with no entertainment system, but even on regular airlines I can scroll through all the movies and not find anything I would watch. […]
Read MoreAlpinestars Atom gloves
I went looking for new summer gloves in Japan and despite 100’s on display in the motorcycle superstore Naps I came away with something from a familiar brand Alpinestars which I later regretted. In Japan there are loads of motorcycle accessory brands I am not familiar with. Some are reputable […]
Read MoreFive years with the Yamaha FJR1300
My neighbour always tells me I have seen so much of Japan, which is true, but there remains more here to explore on the remote back roads and so I am pausing to consider if I need to change motorcycles to reach these places and indeed if I want to […]
Read MoreHonda CB500X
I have completed three tours of Thailand on the CB500X yet never got around to writing a review of the bike. Honda builds the CB500X in Thailand and it is a common model in the rental fleets in Chiang Mai, often the cheapest option in a big bike which is […]
Read MoreFour days with the Yamaha MT-07
There has been much written about the Yamaha MT-07 already but having enjoyed four days touring on this bike I shall add a few thoughts all the same. What struck me first is how compact the bike is, it felt like a toy compared to my QE2 size touring bike. […]
Read MoreTourmaster Cold-Tex 3.0 Gloves
Whilst I try to avoid riding in the coldest weather, Spring or Autumn in Japan can see me out in low teens or single digit temperatures. In that weather none of my existing gloves are up to the task. I turn on my heated grips which are a great assist […]
Read MoreSeven days on a Harley Davidson Street 750
I rode a Harley Davidson Street 750 in Oman and UAE for 7 days. This is a small review.I am not going to talk specifications, you can read that in the press release type articles published everywhere. Also I chose to rent a Street 750 purely based on it being […]
Read MoreTen days with the BMW G310
I rode a BMW G310 from Johannesburg to Cape Town for a 10 day tour (link here). This is a small honest report on how I found the bike.Not going to rehash all the specs, heaps of press release type ‘reviews’ already published.Let me first say I chose the bike […]
Read MoreNikwax glove and Gore-tex jacket waterproof treatments
After repeatedly getting wet recently I have come to the conclusion Gore-tex rider gear totally loses its water resistance over time.. Yes I probably am the last person to realise this, I usually am with many things. My experience has been that the gear works exceptionally well the first ride […]
Read MoreNon Roll Earplug update
A long time ago I did a earplug shootout where I got two sample packs of different earplugs from the USA earplug superstore. Comparing two dozen different style and makes I came to like the Howard Leight Pilot best. This is a non roll foam ear plug, the design solving […]
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