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Gear and Apparel

Motorcycle Jeans

I just sent my favorite cordura jeans down to Wayne Boyer at Motorport.  Every time I deal with him, he blows my mind.  No matter how high my expectations, he exceeds them. I just wanted a little futzing with the jeans, and leather to deal with a hot exhaust that tends to melt the inside of the right leg. Wayne called, and we talked.  He said that there have been a few instances of too wide jean bottoms riding up in a get off, with resulting road rash.  Solution?  We (meaning he) is p... Read more

BMW NP Body Armor

I finally got a hands on demonstration of the BMW version of D3O body armor, which BMW calls NP.   I happened to be near CAL Moto in Mountain View, a great shop run by enthusiasts Kari Prager and Mike Meissner. They carry a lot of the BMW product line, and I got a hands on demonstration of the BMW version of this high tech product. Before getting into the details, let me say a few words about the BMW version of this material.  BMW's version is substantially thicker, and looks aÂ... Read more

Triumph Jacket Reported Similar to Gang Jacket

Motorcycle News UK is reporting that this Triumph jacket looks quite similar to the gang logo used by the Outlaws. A Motorcycle News reader suggests that wearing the jacket could be dangerous if the Outlaws took offense. In this time when many providers of motorcycle and motorcycle fashion wear are looking to existing designs for graphics, it would be a good idea to at least understand the issues involved. Now that Triumph is aware of the risk involved with this design, what would t... Read more

Shark Helmet Scores in Sharp Ratings

It's about time to look at a new lid.  As a long time Arai, and occasional Shoei, user, I have looked at some of the innovative safety features of Shark helmets from time to time.  Here is the Shark RS2 Duhamel Model: Readers of this blog know that I have also been a fan of the UK's Sharp program, where helmets are rated from one to five stars.  This is designed to allow riders to simply purchase five star helmets, with a good chance that they are buying the safest helmets available. ... Read more

Waterproof, Breathable, Leather

More and more motorcyclists are turning to Kevlar, Keprotec, Cordura, and other fabrics and less and less are wearing leather. Comfort, cost, weight, and many other reasons are behind this shift.  One of the drawbacks of leather is that most leather is not waterproofed.  Wet leather is a potential problem. Gore-Tex has announced a solution to the problem of wet leather.  Or a partial solution, at any rate. Few things are as memorably uncomfortable as wet, clammy, cold leather when ri... Read more

Kushitani Zylon Jeans

I take my share of ribbing about my seeming addiction to Kevlar riding gear, so I was interested to learn that Kushitani has jeans with 3% "Zylon" woven in. "Zylon" is a material made in Japan and used in body armor.  I am just starting to learn about this material, so I don't know about the softness, feel, and so forth.  I do know that it is reasonably resistant to weather temperature extremes. Kushitani claims that, although Zylon is seven times a strong as Kevlar, their jeans are twic... Read more

Motoport Jeans and Kevlar Motorcycle Shirt Part Two

I am sorry it took so long for me to get a review under way, but the Jeans needed an adjustment, so there was a little delay in getting enough bike time for a report. Every single thing they say about these jeans is true.  They are, indeed, the most comfortable pants I have ever worn on the bike, regular denim included, regardless of brand or weight.  They just feel great.  Even better than the "favorite" jeans I sent down for Motorport to copy. It takes a little while for the lightweig... Read more