Mic's Adventure

The Motorcycle Adventures and Projects of Mic

Archive for category Rider Review

Rider Review: Jackets – Belstaff Discovery

Aug 10

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Belstaff Discovery w/ BMG Ezeon Pants

Belstaff Discovery w/ BMG Ezeon Pants

Continuing on with my “Rider Reviews” we are going to take a look at the Belstaff Discovery Jacket.

This jacket, although discontinued by Belstaff, is now produced by a spinoff company by the name of British Motorcycle Gear, so while this Jacket is unable to be purchased, the jacket is still manufactured to the same Belstaff standards under a new name, on the same original equipment.

This Jacket Review was originally planned to write a first impressions review of this jacket at 1000 miles.  But that passed, and I figured “Well, I’ll write a review at 3000″ and then that passed and I was like, ok, how about after I get back from my trip? And that is where we are now. With now nearly 13k miles on this jacket since I have owned it, here we are.

So lets take a quick look at the manufactures information.

Manufacture: BMG
Manufactures URL: http://britishmotorcyclegear.com
Product URL: http://britishmotorcyclegear.com/discovery-jacket.asp
MSRP: $379.00 Read the rest of this entry »

Preview of the Ducati 1200S Multistrada

May 13

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The Ducati MTS 1200S Multistrada

The Ducati MTS 1200S Multistrada

I was expecting today to end like any other work day. Off from work, coffee with a friend of mine, off to my favorite local Motorsports store, and home to work on some other project.

In fact, I had planned my day just so, to leave from work, grab coffee, hit Eastside Motosports/Ducati Bellevue, and head home to pull the front forks on my XT if time permitted and replace the seals.

Everything was going as planned until I pulled up to Ducati Bellevue.

Out from the store came the Parts Manager Zach Gordon and one of there Sales Associates, Don Beck.

As I stood there, removing my gloves and helmet, they asked if I was busy the rest of the afternoon.

Me, who always considers busy to be something when you’ve made arrangements with others, answered back that I had nothing going on.

With that, Don asks if I want to head up to the mountains and take some pictures.

“Oh What?”, I ask.

“Of That”, Don responds while pointing at the Brand New Ducati Multistrada.

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Rider Review: Boots – Alpinestars Effex Goretex Boot

Mar 30

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Alpinestars Effex Goretex Boot

Alpinestars Effex Goretex Boot

In all of my years of riding, the one piece of equipment that I have come to respect the most for being waterproof, has always been the boots.

If there is one thing I hate when riding, it is wet feet. I hate wet feet in general. I do not like to walk around when my shoes are wet inside, and I do not like an uncomfortable ride when my feet are wet.

Ever since I was young, I could deal with wet clothes, wet gloves, but never wet feet.

With riding year round, and in all types of weather, the boots seem to take the biggest beating when it comes to the elements of all my gear. Directly exposed to whatever the front tire kicks up from the road, the boots take a constant barrage of tiny impacts of small rocks, sand, water, etc.

Even after the rain stops, the boots need to continue to provide the water protection that you require when the remaining water from the roadway gets kicked up, covering your boots in a road grime of dirt, oil, and moisture.

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Rider Review: Helmets – Arai (Profile)

Feb 11

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Arai Profile - Carr Freedom Edition

Arai Profile - Carr Freedom Edition

I decided with spring just around the corner, and that time of year when Motorcyclists tend to start buying new gear, that I should probably get around to a Helmet Review.

Like many people, I have multiple helmets. Each one fits its own purpose, each one a different manufacture.

The range in cost of my helmets is anywhere from $150 paid, to $700 paid. So it becomes a surprise when people ask me, which one do I trust the most, and I respond with “All of them”.

The truth is, I’ve seen all of these helmets in action. One of them, I have seen personally one to many times in action, and I am thankful it did its job, as watching one of your best friends hit the pavement, head first at over 55 miles per hour, is one of those events you wish upon nobody.  The fact is, we wear helmets for this very reasoning, and without getting in to deep into the politics around whether or not we should be given the choice to wear them on our own free will, I myself would most likely always wear one while on a city street.  I have personally seen some strange situations happen at speeds less than 10 miles per hour, hell, I’ve been involved in those same situations.  And smacking your head hurts, regardless if you are seriously injured or not!

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Rider Review: Rainsuits – Tour Master Defender 2-Piece Rainsuit

Jan 30

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Tour Master 2-piece Rainsuit

Tour Master Defender 2-piece Rainsuit

Welcome to another installment of Rider Review, I’m Mic and I’ll be your host.

Today we have another Tour Master Product. In fact, the last of the Tour Master/Cortech Products for awhile. I promise.

It does seem I have a lot of Tour Master products, but the main reason is, it was easily available, and it just always seemed to fit the bill.

However, this is actually the first Tour Master product I purchased, and it now has been a couple year since I have purchased it.

I hope the review is a good representation of my feelings about this product, because I feel everyone needs a rainsuit for riding, cause eventually you’ll get stuck in a downpour you were not expecting.

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Rider Review: Pants – Tour Master Overpant

Jan 17

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Tour Master Overpant

Welcome to my second installment of “Rider Review”.

Today we are going to take a look at the Tour Master Overpant.

Product Information:

Manufacture: Tour Master
Item Name: Overpant
Item Category: Riding Gear – Pants
Manufactures Website: http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/catalog/Overpant-p-274_4.html
MSRP: $129.99
In The Wild: $116.99 – $130

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Rider Review: Gloves – Cortech Scarab Winter Glove

Jan 12

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Cortech Scarab Winter Glove

Welcome to my first installment of Rider Review!

I found it rather poetic, that the first review I am typing up be about gloves, those little pieces of gear we use to protect our hands from the elements that we travel through on route to our destinations.

So with that, lets take a look at how I hope to follow through with the Rider Review format in the future.

My plan is to not just write a review, have you read it, and that be it. So much happens between the time you read this, and the end of the life of a product. So many untold stories about the item, that I feel that a review is not complete until it is laid to rest at the bottom of the recycle bin or where ever it may rest. So with this thought, I plan on making this a “Running Review” of sorts.

The breakdown is simple. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ingenuity in the Pacific Northwest

Nov 12

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Palouse Falls, Washington

Palouse Falls, Washington

The Pacific Northwest is in my opinion, one of the greatest area’s of land mass in the world. Very few area’s in the world compare to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, nor do they offer the diversity, nor environments that the Pacific Northwest does.

No matter where you live here, no matter where you go. There is always something magical near by.

Whether it be the Olympic Rain Forest of Western Washington, the Crater Lake of South Central Oregon, or the massive Hell’s Canyon in Idaho, there is something near, and something in between any destination that is sure to surprise you.

And just as well with our diverse geology, we have just as diverse of weather.

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