Dual sport riding is a great compromise in the motorcycling world. It is growing in popularity for a number of reasons. Dual sport motorcycles can perform reasonably well in both dirt and street situations. However, this dual nature can create some interesting gear conundrums for ...

The Icon Men's Accelerant leather jacket is simply a quality piece of riding apparel. Icon has a reputation for being a company that appeals to the young and trendy segment of the riding community. Some of their gear is, in my opinion, a little "over the top" ...

Mt. Kilimanjaro is an extreme mountain environment in Tanzania. The Firstgear Men's Kilimanjaro Waterproof Jacket is a jacket designed for extreme motorcycling conditions. If you spend much time around touring and adventure motorcyclists, certain jackets tend to come up in conversation. Premium and extremely pricey jackets like ...

Having lived in Arizona for over 4 decades, I know a little something about heat. Having been a motorcyclist for almost as long, I know a little something about hot weather gear. I don't know if Joe Rocket invented the armored mesh jacket, but they are at least ...

Leather is protective, heavy, and expensive. Cordura textile is versatile, waterproof, and relatively affordable. An increasing number of quality motorcycle jackets are mating these two materials with very positive results. By placing leather in the impact-prone zones of the jacket, like the forearms and shoulders, the ...

Big names in scooter boot manufacturing come largely from Italy, these days. Gaerne's made a good name for themselves in the mid-price range. I first heard of these back in the '90s from a friend who has enough money to buy whatever he likes, but chose a pair ...

Personally, I'm not into the whole "fear and intimidation" aspect in a lot of today's motorcycling gear. I have never donned flames, bones, or skulls. However, I am a realist, and I know this is a marketable aspect of our sport.

Icon's Men's Skull Leather Motorcycle Jacket plays ...

Riding to work at this time of year has its appeals. You tough out the cold morning, the street still untouched by the warming massage of all those particles of light, and you receive your afternoon reward of a beautiful fall ride past fields and fauna. These are, at least, my circumstances.

Tour Master ...

Every now and then, when I need to dodge out of the way of a motorist talking on the phone, reading directions, eating, or all three at the same time, I wonder if I bear some responsibility for their obliviousness. Perhaps a really loud outfit would have prevented my nimble show ...

The necessary evil of rain gear has come into its season. Sure, there are summer torrents, but a hearty rider can grit her teeth and tough it out 'til the next stop. In these cold days, the wet leads to a chill that extracts all the joy from a ride ...

Alpinestars' C-1 Windstopper gloves caught my eye for the very reason they shouldn't have. They are surprisingly humble, coming from their otherwise ostentatious Alpinestars roots. There's nothing showy or striking about the C-1. I dare say they look generic, but Alpinestars has not overlooked their function.

Constructed of thick Windstopper nylon for insulation, ...

Armored coats always make me feel like Ralphie's little brother in "A Christmas Story," wrapped head to toe for weather, holding my arms straight out at my sides, and only then realizing I have to go to the bathroom. But armored coats, once you get used to the feel ...

Because I ride, I get a lot of questions about biker culture. It's as if people think there's some kind of handbook that comes with the bike about being a big bad biker babe. One of these questions was about vests and why they're so popular in the riding ...

Snow is coming. You can smell it in the air. This morning I stepped out into my driveway to find a thin frost over everything. It feels sterile and unwelcoming. It is also a harbinger of much time to be spent in a car. Enough lamentation -- I'm not off the ...

These days, nothing is tailored to fit. You get a pair of new shoes that feel good, wear them for a day, and you end up with sore feet until you break them in --them being the shoes or the feet, take your pick. The same goes for motocross armor. It ...

As it is the most obvious drawback, I'm going to address the ugly first. Icon's Hooligan 2 gloves are not pretty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but nothing coming through my retinas is being translated as stylish. I think it's the big, 1990s-style cartoon lettering on the knuckles ...

Oh wee little Icon riding gloves, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Don't worry, I'm not about to whip out the ol' poetry on you, but I do have a soft spot for these gloves. They are much like my old, beaten-down riding standby pair. Leather on ...

I ride in a full face helmet, a leather jacket replete with armor, leather gloves, leather boots, and jeans. I keep saying that I'll buy chaps later, but I wouldn't ride until I got my coat. I obviously rank my legs lower than my arms in more than just the spacial ...

I have seen Harley stickers on Cadillacs and undefined motorcycle decals on everything from laptops to shotguns. If you should see one of these evidences of a fellow rider, you can feel comfortable inquiring about their bike. Heck, they're probably itching to tell someone about it that hasn't heard their stories a ...

Much of the time, the manufacturers of riding gear are trying to satisfy the needs and the wants of riders. A compromise is struck between safety and style. This is not even remotely the case with this reflective vest by Amanet. Safety is really the only factor of concern with this ...

When a manufacturer says their leather is "distressed," they mean that it looks like you've put the miles on it when you haven't. To get that look on some modern leather, after it's been softened and treated, you have to buy it. The way old leather used to scuff was because ...

People buy Fox Racing products based on the name, because the name is known for quality. Fox's Dirtpaw glove, which is updated constantly so make sure you're looking at the 2009 model, is their low-end beat-me-up glove.

Constructed of tough vented synthetics, the Dirtpaw won't let sweat disturb your hold. The palm ...

Cruising along, it's nice to put your feet up, but that headwind can push your pant legs up, leaving your skin exposed to all kinds of hazards. Even if you don't get hit by a rock, the force of the air can chap your shins something awful. ...

Ah, simplicity. So much in the riding world is about flash and flair, but I've always preferred that my apparel be straightforward, and there is nothing more straightforward than a pair of short black gloves.

Alpinestars SMX-2 gloves offer function over frills. More akin to a chopped-down pair of motocross gloves, these are ...

Top-of-the-line, $80 gloves are great if you get them as a gift from some rich uncle, but for most of us that's not going to happen. Don't get me wrong; high-end equipment is an investment and provides a lot of protection for motocross riders who need it. If you ride pro or ...

The streetbike community is overrun, drowning in a deluge of textile jackets. Don't get me wrong; there are companies, like Icon, that make some great leathers for the street rider. There is, however, a particular style to this kind of jacket, and manufacturers will charge you an arm and a leg ...

I had a bad habit of wearing my regular shoes and non-riding boots on the bike. This has resulted in melted soles, split toes, and more wear and tear than the shoe manufactures anticipated. I thought I was saving money by not investing in a riding boot, but instead ...

Sometimes you look at a product and you don't have to give two thoughts about its purpose. River Road's Basic leather motorcycle jacket is just that: a basic motorcycle jacket. You look at it and you know that it's cut and designed for riding because it looks like the jackets ...

August went out with a heat wave here, but now that September has arrived, it's been cool. This is not the best weather for me to be thinking about a mesh textile jacket, but last month, stuck in traffic with the heat beating down on me, I gave some serious consideration ...

I like green. I like jackets. This is a green jacket. Two things I like! And, you get it through the American Motorcyclists Association, so a portion of what you spend goes back into defending your rights as a motorcyclist. Not a bad deal and a ...

Where I live, riding year-round is out of the question due to iced-over roads, but there are other lands where the bold-blooded can ride all year. Sounds like a mythological fantasy land to me up in the northlands, but it's very likely you live in such a place.

If the frigid ...

Like any sport, motocross riders develop their gear preferences over the lifetime of their career. Some decide they want more impact protection, some less. Some find stiffer retention systems to their liking, others prefer increased flexibility. It's a matter of riding style and comfort. Alpinestars refers to their Tech 3 as a boot ...

Finding a decent pair of gloves can be hard for me. I have small hands. Adult small gloves often have fingers that are still too long, and kids glove's fingers are too short. Caught between these worlds, I've found that the very thing more riders don't like about Alpinestars' SP-X gloves is my ...

Anyone who knows me knows that I like versatility. I'm terrible at making the big decisions because I always want to make the "right" one. Any product that can assure me it will accommodate me during a sudden snowstorm in a desert has my vote. Maybe the AGV Sport Evolution/Rally ...

It is a little-known fact, among those who don't keep or ride horses or cattle, that roping gloves are for the right hand only. Roping gloves are all right-hand gloves. So should you ever find yourself riding through northern California during an unseasonably cold June and discover that you are ...

Racing suits are cool. They remind me of superhero suits. You just need a cape. But aside of the cool factor and the fact that you look like a space man ripping down the highway, racing suits offer a level of safety and comfort that is hard to ...

Alpinestars' riding boots are great, everyone knows that, but most of them are nothing I would ever buy. I don't ride motocross, and I don't race. I like to keep my gear at a reasonable level, but not to the extent of paranoia. I'm not alone in this perspective, and Alpinestars' ...

Alpinestars has a much greater reputation in motocross and sport riding than they do in the cruiser world. I am not suggesting in any way that their quality is not recognized, but long haul riders tend to be a suspicious and diverse lot. Having a look at the Ridge boots, I ...

My brother-in-law just bought his third riding jacket. Third. He has a leather, a textile, and now another textile that has "Kawasaki" written on it. Each of these serve a purpose to deal with specific riding conditions, including that riding condition where people are looking at you and wondering what brand ...

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Different scenes call for costume changes. If you don't believe it, think back to your last job interview. I don't know about you, but I wore a suit. I dress up for a night out and dress ...

Alpinestars SP-1 gloves, if and when you own them, will never be your only pair of gloves. These are not made for a light ride down to your friend's barbeque. For that, you will have to look elsewhere. But these gloves are designed specifically to protect your hands in hazardous conditions.

Tightly-sewn leather ...

Racing boots have an entirely different set of hazards than motocross or street boots. There is, of course, an obvious necessity for all of them to resist abrasion, impact, and heat, but applying the right tool for the right job can give you an advantage on the track. Alpinestars Supertech R sport ...

I don't know if it's coincidence or just luck, but Honda always seems to know what I like: simple, strong, and easy on the eye. The Honda CBR textile jacket is all of these. It is even sold in my colors: black and white.

The cut is a traditional taper, which complements ...

No one wants to admit it, but folks who ride light on the personal protection gear are usually doing it for style. Some will claim tradition, but they are only functioning within the style of that tradition, and therefore it still falls down to looking good. Today, where there's so much ...

Motocross riders who have been around the track know exactly what these are: these are Alpinestars' Tech 8 boots. Well known and well worn, many riders stick with these when it comes time to get a new pair of boots. There are numerous reasons why these have developed such a loyal following in ...

Leave your favorite jeans and your chaps laying around together too long with some Barry White playing, and you just might end up with something akin to River Road's 5-pocket pants. These combine the best features of chaps with the convenience and styling of jeans.

Designed for women riders, these pants ...

About 3 years ago some of us rode from Portland, Oregon to Reno, Nevada, in June. Although it was late June, we hit the craziest weather you can think of. In every tiny little town we stopped, people said, "Sure is crazy weather fer this time of year". ...

At Xelement they make a variety of leather apparel items as well as saddlebags. New for their lineup is the Cruiser Premium Vented jacket. It's called a vented jacket because the two upper zippers are actually vents, and there's a matching pair of zippered vents on the lower ...

Just because you're not riding, that doesn't mean you're not thinking about it. You can't very well wear your Alpinestars riding gear everywhere you go unless you want one of those clever nicknames that are handed out to the downtown crazies. You can, however, wear the Alpinestars fleece hoody just ...

I don't care what your opinion is about personal protection gear for the daily ride, but riding motocross is different. You're going to lose some skin when you're not wearing the right apparel. Never going down means you're not trying hard enough. It's an expected (and nearly required) hazard of the sport.

Some ...