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 ...

Pure sport riders require a sticky tire and generally have relatively little concern for mileage. Pure touring riders have exactly the opposite mindset. Stuck in the middle is the sport-tourer. Just like the label suggests, the sport-touring motorcyclist desires the best of both worlds.

I have been sport ...

As an avid dual sport rider, I have always felt the choice of helmet for this kind of riding is a bit of a conundrum. Should I wear a full-on dirt helmet and goggles? Sometimes this is the perfect set up -- especially in slower, dustier off-road ...

Air, fuel, oil, spark, and hate; these are the things that make a motorcycle run. The last one is up to interpretation, but I've found you have to hate it just a little or it will abuse you. Everything must be in the right balance.

Racing requires exertion. Air intake is important, ...

The Suomy Vandal Bayliss Limited is Suomy's new entry-level helmet designed for sport riders, sport tourers, and "urban riders", whatever that might mean. The Vandal features the same features found in Soumy's top-shelf premium helmets such as an ultra-luxurious liner with special "anti-nap" fabric the provides comfort, durability and hypoallergenic qualities. ...

Big bikes are made for big trips. They are the stalwart machines of the road, that carry you in comfort for hundreds of miles per day. Vance and Hines, known far and wide for their excellent exhaust systems for all models of machine, have developed the Monster Oval ...

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' ...

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 ...

The short, fat tanks of many modern sport bikes have advantages for performance. More weight on the front tire, greater fuel capacity, and a tighter riding position are all consequences of the design. Unfortunately, most tank bags don't share this contemporary styling.

Chase Harper's 650 Sportbike tank bag has been designed ...

The tread down the center of my tire is nearly gone, yet I keep taking little trips here and there. I really need to stop doing this. If you are also running on some old tires, you need to stop as well. There are some great options for tires out there that ...

Air currents aren't like projectiles; you don't have to block everywhere you don't want the wind to hit you. Diverting the currents of air around your body is more effective and can be done with less material. Puig's racing screens demonstrate this in action.

Puig, located in Spain, was founded 45 years ago by ...

Lately I feel as though I'm on an invisible tether. My tires are getting too worn for me to feel confident on a long trip. They have failed the penny test, and I know I should have replaced them a couple hundred miles ago. I've been doing some research, and there are ...

A cover is a nice addition for a bike's overall care and maintenance, even if you keep yours in a garage. But if your motorcycle is often outside, or if you tour frequently, this H-D Super Shield will do a good job of protecting it from those elements of decay. Think ...

Your spirit may be indomitable, but you're body is still made of tearable flesh and breakable bones. The corporeal form is never going to be as tough as your mind, but you can help it to withstand the hazards of track, trail and road with SixSixOne's Assault pressure suit.

Although it has ...

Vance and Hines has been around for exactly 30 years now, and clearly intend to continue their tradition of quality and innovative products for street and racing. The founders of the company (and their progeny) are in fact active, winning racers themselves with their own NHRA motorcycle team.

The slip-on SS2-R was ...

Joe Rocket's Meteor boots are some of the best looking, most understated riding boots I've seen in a while. These are full function street or cruiser boots with molded plastic side protection and a reinforced, padded shin panel.

Reflective patches on the heels will give upcoming motorists two more chances to ...

Lets face it: sport bikes are awesome because they are essentially full-blown race bikes and racing is awesome. While that is true, the fact of the matter is that not everyone races and most people actually just use their sport bike for regular street riding. If you've ever taken a long trip on ...

Your endurance as a rider is vital when you tour. Hitting the road with your destination 600 miles away takes preparation if you don't want to be too tired at the end of your trip to do much more than sleep, and that cuts into your bar time. A proper windscreen on ...

My thought process while test-riding a Shadow with a stock seat last year: "This seat is kind of hard, but it seems alright. This is starting to get uncomfortable. Maybe if I shift my weight it will help. I think my leg is asleep. I think both of my ...

I don't know how everyone is going to take this, but I've always thought of the modern Harley-Davidson like the modern Cadillac. They're well-engineered luxury machines, and the company provides a million little features and extras for comfort. Any kind of accessory, whether for function or fun, can be found for your ...

Harley-Davidson touring bikes aren't known for handling prowess in the esses, and in fact they've sometimes been described as having a hinge in the middle. It can be disconcerting to go into a turn while your bike's back end meanders about, seemingly of its own whim and accord. But then, touring ...

There's little that can gum up the works like suffocating your bike. Not only will a bad or cheap air filter keep your bike from breathing, but I've known air filters that break up and send bits of junk into the engine. If you're lucky, a few oil changes will fix that, but ...

The Acerbis Cyclops headlight and floodlight was designed by the indecisive. They couldn't decide if they wanted to make a headlight for street bikes, off-road bikes, or racing. Then they couldn't decide for what conditions their light would be optimized. So, they did what any rational indecisive person would do: they made it ...

I have four bags on my bike: a fork bag, a saddlebag on each side, and a tail bag. My saddlebags are my main storage area because the others are small, but if I had the Nelson-Rigg CL-200 tail pack, I could really clean up the look of my bike.

The ...

Typically the last things you think about on your motorcycle are the switches. At least until they stop working, or begin to work intermittently, or become damaged in a crash. You might even decide to replace them, just because you can, if they've become faded and oxidized over time. You know ...

EBC makes brake discs, shoes, and pads for vehicles of every description. So it's a logical next step for them to produce motorcycle clutch kits as clutches also use friction; although in this case the friction is used to engage power to a wheel as opposed to stopping a wheel. Often, ...

Out on the road we see a lot, certainly far more than we could in a temperature-controlled box of glass and steel. Riding is a full-sense experience. Passing dunes, you can see the sun glint off the quartz and smell the hot sand.

You can't capture the whole experience, but ...

My favorite bike, in terms of performance, was a 500 Vulcan. This thing was candy-apple red, sat too tall for me, had 6 gears, and was an animal. It embraced corners like a love machine and it was perfectly balanced. I rode it to rallys and I out-rode just about ...

A compass and extra socks used to be enough to get me through a long trip. Somewhere along the line I decided I wanted to know where I was going and have a few creature comforts, like toothpaste.

Fieldsheer's Access tank bag has enough room for the basics and a waterproof, ...

You're coming home at night on your Suzuki GSXR600 (or other racing bike of your preference) and rain starts pounding down in drops the size of kittens. Through the water on your visor, you see the blood-rush red of brake lights ahead of you. A lot of complicated procedures pass through a biker's ...

A clean air filter improves the performance of your motorcycle overall and K&N is the name in air filters. As with any deluxe product you will pay more, and in the case of K&N you pay quite a bit more, but here's why it's worth it:

K&N makes air filters for ...

Does your heavyweight stock fender offend her? Slim it up with this fender eliminator kit from Competition Werkes. Their all stainless steel kits give you options for moving the turn signals up and in, relocating the license plate, and moving the license plate light as well. The company is located ...

The BT020 by itself, naked without a stripe, made a fair impression on the sport/touring world when it was released. Designed for that market, it is now the original equipment on a fair number of bikes from BMWs to Triumphs, and models from each of the Big Four are ...

As any motocross racer will tell you, getting a good start makes winning a race a whole lot easier. It's not rocket science when you think about it. If you start in front of, rather than behind 20 other guys, that's just fewer racers you have to get past to get ...

Preventing Junior from breaking his head doesn't necessarily mean you have to break the bank too. The Fox V1 Youth Motocross helmet is an entry-level dome protector with a lot of big boy and big price tag features.

Fox is without a doubt at the top of the motocross gear industry and ...

If you are the proud owner of, say, a 20-year-old Honda CR500R, then you will have to replace a part here or there. When you find yourself in the market for a new silencer, it would serve you well to buy something that baffles the growl and increases performance.

FMF Racing's PowerCore silencer ...

Tire pressure is one of the most critical yet often most overlooked maintenance issues on a motorcycle. Your tires are the only things on your bike that actually touch the road so it would seem wise to take care of them. Considering changes in your tire pressure can dramatically affect ...

There's lots of competition in the exhaust systems business these days. Those still in the fray mostly all produce high- quality products, and Two Brothers Racing is right in there with the rest of the best. They build exhaust systems for off-road, street, racing, and even quads.

This package ...

One ready market is the so-called fender eliminator for sport bikes. A fender eliminator, for the uninitiated, is usually a condensed and stylized rendition of the stock rear fender; a.k.a. the hang-down assembly, a.k.a. that mess below the back end of your sport bike that holds your taillight, license plate, and ...

I was helping a friend buy a used bike. We looked at a nimble Suzuki street bike (this was a while ago and I've forgotten the model) that was going for cheap because it had a sordid past. At some point the speedometer had been cracked off of it. I took ...

Galfer Brakes, of Spain, has been in business since 1947. They build friction devices primarily for bicycles, motorcycles, and quads, and are currently expanding production into automobiles as well. Additionally, they manufacture stainless steel brake lines and nicely machined wave rotors. Known for thoughtful innovation and a ...

These Alpinestars riding pants are made of thick polyester, grade 1200-denier and 600-denier. Denier refers to the thickness of the fabric. 1200-denier is thicker. To give you some perspective, excellent luggage is often made out of 1200-denier fabric.

The pants are sewn with multiple main seams to resist tearing and they include ...

Ideally you don't want to be riding in snow. It's unpredictable, it's slippery, it's hard to gauge depth, and it's cold! But, for you die-hard riders who just WILL get out there no matter what the weatherman says, or for long-distance trips where you are liable to go ...

Back in the old days-uh, the early 1980's and deeper-most front suspension was essentially a pogo-stick. Mush down, bounce up-hey, it was better than mush-down-clunk-up which described many 1960's front-ends. Obviously, the newer the bike the more sophisticated the suspension. On older bikes, and indeed the majority of the applications ...

The Suzuki GSXR1300 Hayabusa is touted as the world's fastest motorcycle. Puig Racing's smoke-colored double height replacement screen is designed to displace wind at race speeds and cut down on buffeting dramatically. This particular model fits 2008's and 2009's, and will work on other makes and models besides the Suzuki Hayabusa as ...

The 2008 or 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250 are popular choices for those riders new to the motorcycle world. Learning to ride a motorcycle though is just that: a learning process. There are few things that suck more than laying down your new Ninja and scuffing up or cracking the nice shiny fairing. ...

Like most people out there, you probably paid a lot for your bike and aren't too interested in having it, or all your custom accessories stolen. That's where Scorpio's new SR-i900 Motorcycle Alarm system comes in.

This system, and what it's capable of, is more like something out of the future than ...

Icon is known for making products that are flashy, classy, and tough to boot. Plus, their lineups always come in a wide variety of color schemes, graphics, and materials. These gloves are no exception. They come in five different colors, all of which can mix-and-match with other Icon ...

If Lexus could manufacture gloves, they'd come up with something like this. The analogy fits since these gloves are the top-of-the-line. And they're also not cheap.

These men's gloves are built with their own DC-heating unit, producing 15 watts of heat at 12.8 Volts per glove. But Firstgear recommends buying the ...

Firstgear's Babe leather jacket makes a motorcycle jacket look classy. It's not your typical black leather jacket that you wear to the office, that's for sure, but it's not rough around the edges either. The Babe jacket is definitely made for riding.

It's made from premium heavyweight 1.1-1.2mm drum-dyed leather as well ...