Bill Muneio

Ok so works been slow and it’s been raining a lot lately. In order to stay sane I’ve been looking for a creative outlet. After designing a logo to put on t-shirts for one of our local riding club I started to play around with other designs. With a little research I discovered a whole sub culture of t-shirts artists. I had no idea how evolved this has become I mean I played around with designing t-shirts back in high school, learning how to screen print etc. But it’s gotten so sophisticated theses days. Anyways I created about a half dozen designs and had a blast so there will be more. Here’s some samples and I even set up a store called Placebo Tees. (shamless plug, did I mention work was slow?).

Placebo Tees Store

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by Jeff Cobb as written for Motorcycle.com

It’s ironic that while our machines are practically one step removed from Star Wars technology, the culture surrounding their use is one step removed from the Wild West.

The American approach to safety for motorcyclists and scooterists – that is, our attitudes and practices – is essentially a world of anything goes; each person must choose amidst a culture fraught with mixed messages and conflicting agendas.

Helmet? No helmet? Full face? Half helmet? Head-to-toe gear? Leather jacket and jeans? Shorts and T-shirt? A little training? A lot? None?

In 2007 (latest data available), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of on-road motorcycles registered topped 7.1 million. But while fatalities among other roadway users have declined – particularly auto drivers, which in 2008 recorded the fewest deaths in 47 years – NHTSA contends that motorcyclist fatalities have increased steadily for the past 10 years even when factored for increased registrations.

This is further contrasted to the fact that in nearly every other human endeavor today, people are clamoring for – and basically getting – more and more safety.

You have air bags and other safety devices in cars, protection from pesticides in foods, safety in children’s toys to the point of being ludicrous, such as the lead ban, safety on walkways for shoppers and restaurant-goers, heck, even campaigns to promote safe sex…

But when it comes to powered two wheelers, there are no universally agreed upon standards. None.

Today about 21 states require full-time helmet use and most require eye protection. Other than that, if you want to tour the country on your turbo Hayabusa in a Speedo (or realistically, jeans, T-shirt, no helmet), have at it. Or, if you want to wear head-to-toe armored gear, you can do that too.

Try exercising the first option in Germany.

In America, we call it freedom. And just to be clear: Freedom is great. We all love freedom, and this is no pitch to remove our rights as riders.

But this country’s founders said freedom is a social contract assuming some responsibilities on citizens. One price of freedom is people must agree to do their best to exercise good judgment and do what’s best to improve their quality of life, which is what freedom is supposed to be for. Self-restraint and wise personal choices are supposed to be in place if external laws are not.

These kinds of arguments are what justified our extremely free country in the first place.

As it is, the U.S. is unlike other countries with nationally mandated standards for rider safety. Here each state decides what if any gear is appropriate.

This is what We the People have chosen. But in spite of this, injuries and deaths continue to increase, and a lot of people shake their heads in disbelief.

When I asked Andrea Nalesso, sales marketing manager for Dainese, which country has the least regard for motorcycle safety, he said it’s “very much the U.S., which is the worst among the countries that I know.” In the phone interview, which took place from Indianapolis a year ago, he added, “The United States is the country with the least awareness about safety.”

Nalesso – an Italian who happened to be in the States that week helping Valentino Rossi as his safety gear supplier – travels the world and he’s in the business, so he has some perspective. Nor is he the only person with this view. Many others say the same.

About the only safety measure America has pushed that Germany has not is artificially low speed limits. By catering to the lowest common denominator, this minimizes competence required to get on (and stay on) the road.

Germany also has tiered licensing, which requires you to qualify to ride a big bike, but this will likely never happen here, as long as every state is doing its own thing.

As it is, in the absence of clear standards, motorcyclists and scooterists generally agree that we cannot really agree on much of anything. What we have are different camps, each with their own innate sensibility of acceptable safe practices.

There are extremes too, each pushing opposite agendas. On one hand, you have the ATGATT crowd (all the gear all the time) – usually racers, ex-racers, safety instructors, marketers selling safety gear and services, and others who believe gear is your only protection in a nasty get-off.

On the other extreme are the motorcyclists’ rights organizations, or MROs. These groups – while also made up from experienced riders – have a different take on things.

Since 1975, they have successfully employed grassroots efforts leading to nationwide lobbying techniques to wage campaigns advocating libertarian ideals for riders. They can sometimes come across as the new American patriots.

Their most active advocates have made it a mission of writing editorials, creating fact sheets and assembling statistics to show state legislators and other decision makers why helmet laws should be not universally mandatory for those of adult age (usually 18 or 21).

On the far fringe of this group, some go beyond the neutral message of “let those who ride decide,” and suggest or state outright that crashing with a helmet could be more dangerous than without a helmet.

Yes, there are some who’d like to prove a helmet is often an anti-safety device and are very energetic and determined to do so (and this is putting it politely).

Citing anecdotes and some statistics, such far from center evangelists say helmets could cause a basal skull fracture, or neck snap due to whiplash, or could impair hearing or visibility.

To help preserve our freedoms, arguments against helmet laws have been presented by bikers, who have been known to roar their bikes (some believe loud pipes save lives, after all) to the capitol building to share the information with legislators pending a helmet law repeal vote.

But these folks are not against safety. They just don’t agree – and that is their right – that the helmet is such a major issue. They would much rather talk about avoiding the crashes in the first place.

And that particular argument does have a lot of merit. Drivers are often way too distracted as they send text messages, fiddle with food or makeup, argue with kids as they try to help each child load his or her personal DVD player. What is more, larger, taller vehicles make for nasty body slams, and four-wheel vehicles on average are now bigger than ever…

So absolutely, a large number of motorists are unwitting vehicular homicides waiting to happen. But does that mean a helmet is still not a better bet?

Why would enlightened free citizens even need a law to force them to be safe? Sure, “let those who ride decide.” To whom it applies: How about voluntarily deciding to gear up?

There’s a reason why every powersports race sanctioning body in the U.S. mandates helmets (and full gear) for racers.

There’s a reason why American football players wear a helmet – and full pads. Now granted, football is a contact sport where you are guaranteed to collide.

In motorcycling, you hope you will not make contact. But if you did, how would you want to be dressed?

In any case, what ever your situation, it is a gamble. And like gambling, it’s fun to win, but not fun to lose. If you ever found yourself with multiple fractures, it might change your feelings about your level of risk tolerance.

Which brings us to another topic: Inherent risk.

Motorcycles are a carryover from a time when everyone faced greater risk. In 1899, when motorcycles were in their infancy, we had far less effective healthcare and medicine, and no insurance. Our lives were altogether less secure and there was practically no one you could sue.

And while in nearly every other arena security has since improved, motorcycles can only be so safe. Honda, BMW, and others are experimenting with airbags and improved ABS, but you’ll probably never see a crash cage on a motorcycle.

This is the risk you accept. This is reality. You are a 21st century person enjoying a 21st century version of a 19th century experience.

And for some risk takers, the perverse or interesting thing – you decide – is that it’s a blast to get away with flirting with disaster. Researchers have found brain chemistry for die-hard risk takers (such as dopamine levels) is amped up while taking chances, and they live for the rush.

In contrast, there is another element in society that does not quite see it the way we do: those in favor of safety legislation.

Some are known to ask: If a rider splats himself on the highway, racks up huge medical bills, and becomes dependent on the state, why should society have to pay?

And, they ask, is it fair that individual rights take precedence over the rights of the many? If a rider was breaking the law when he went down, that is all the more egregious to people of this mindset.

These people do not look at motorcyclists as enlightened citizens enjoying their rights as free men and women. They see the effects of some adults acting like adolescents, not taking all reasonable precautions. They see an unruly group that needs to be controlled.

Their arguments take on further legitimacy because they mirror the reasoning that’s already been used to push other safety legislation – such as seatbelt usage – into existence.

The back and forth rhetoric gets a fresh rehash every time a local rider dies without a helmet, and some editorialist spouts off about how stupid riders are for not using one.

If a big enough splash happens, it has been known to help tip the scales, such as when Gary Busey suffered brain damage in 1988, and in 1992 California went back to being a helmet state.

Today, the debate has become a public relations battle, and the holy grail of rights is to go without a helmet, particularly by MRO advocates in front of lawmakers. And frankly, I mostly agree with the MROs; a person should have the right, as long as they do not cost other people.

To me, the real question however is what is smart? What level of risk are you willing to take, and have you thought it all the way through? If carrying a passenger, have you explained it to him or her so they can make informed decisions?

Motorcycling is often a pursuit of passion, not always guided by strictly rational, logical thinking. A lot of riders will not bother with gear simply because it seems too expensive, too hot, too inconvenient, or not in style with their crowd.

And this lackadaisical attitude doesn’t just apply to safety gear and helmets, but also to training.

Getting properly trained, taking refresher courses, or at least proactively doing your own practice drills is a great idea. Simply riding does not prepare you as well for accident avoidance.

But, objectively speaking, how can we really know what’s safer? Is there any science behind these opinions?

Some research has been done. About 10 years ago, the Europeans did the comprehensive MAIDS study, and there is the 1981 “Hurt Report” (Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures).

This year, even though Harry Hurt says his findings are still basically valid, the first American “motorcycle crash causation study” since 1981 was intended to begin forensically examining 900 motorcycle accidents over a three-year period.

To fund the study, in 2006 Congress promised a whopping $2.5 million. In 2007, the motorcycle community came up with their part of the deal pledging $3 million. And by the time it was ready to start, costs were estimated at $8-10 million. So it has gone nowhere.

The per-American expenditure to shed further light on saving lives – at a time when motorcyclist numbers were peaking along with their incidences of death and injury – was astonishingly low.

In their defense, some say the feds – which in any case found billions to bail out corrupt insurance industry execs and mismanaged businesses – offered too little only because the motorcycle community underestimated the costs.

Further the motorcycle community “stakeholders” had within its ranks those not exactly gushing with enthusiasm. There were some who, A) said they doubted the study could get quality data, and B) did not want to see more data confirming ideas that could threaten their lifestyle – such as findings that a full-face helmet (as Hurt already demonstrated) was absolutely a better idea.

So where do things stand today? The U.S. culture of motorcycle safety, while seeing some terrific innovations in gear and training, exists in a largely unregulated environment where some riders disagree with and contradict other riders regarding best safe practices.

But while it may be like the Wild West, if you get trained, continue to train throughout your motorcycling career, wear the best gear you can, honestly assess your risk – and use your freedom wisely – you can be like the hero who wins the gunfight, instead of one of the hapless characters who gets shot down.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Jeff Cobb is the editor and publisher of Motorcycle Safety News.

GoPro’s excellent Hero Wide just got a whole lot better!

Read More

GoPro Official Site

Summary
The Caberg Sintesi is comfortable and it has modern styling and many interesting features. It can be worn with the rotating visor down or up and it meets the ECE 22.05 safety standard for use in both positions. The helmet is very heavy, however, and our example also has a few minor quality issues.

Click here to read the full review

From The BMW MOA “ride and tour/camping”
by Tom Bowman

It takes just one night to get it right!

Fred rode up in front of Ernie’s garage and shut off the engine. Ernie was tying an army surplus duffel bag across the back of his bike with a length of nylon rope. A pair of leather saddle bags were strapped across the back of the seat, and a sleeping bag was lashed to a rack on the rear fender. Fred swung his leg over the rubberized “dry bags” containing his clothes, strapped to the seat, as he got off.

“Hey, Freddie, my man! Ready to go?” Ernie grinned as he walked over to Fred’s bike looking over the gear. “Yo: what’s these?” he said, looking at the dry bags… “Zip Lock baggies? Hey, you ready to go, or what?”

Fred had been looking forward to this initiation into motorcycle camping. Ernie had teased him at work with stories of rallies and weekends on the bike until his head was spinning, and this Saturday’s club ride up to the state park would be ideal to start. Fred had gone to the big camping store out by the mall and spent nearly two hours talking to sunburned clerks in sturdy cleated-sole shoes that looked like people from the pages of “Out of Africa.” He’d scanned a dozen books on camping and scoped aisles crammed with lighter-than-air-pots, complete meals that came in a bag (just add water and heat), tiny stoves to heat them with, and gadgets that filtered water. He crawled into tents that nearly set themselves up on command and snuggled into sleeping bags fit for Antarctica. At the end of the visit, he had a basket full of books on camping and a dozen food bars with different names and flavors ranging from “Mountain Berries” to “Gorp” and a lot to think about.

After Fred soaked up the basic ideas he went back. The clerks listened carefully to his needs, envious that he wouldn’t be lugging the stuff around on his back, and when he got his new gear home he set it up in the backyard to try out. He first tried out the bag and pad in the tent, greatly amusing his busybody neighbors. His dog woke him up nosing the mosquito netting and whining. Then he figured out how to pack it all so it would fit on the bike and wouldn’t fall off. He rode around the block to check it, and when he got to Ernie’s house and shut off the engine Saturday morning, he was as ready as he was going to get.

Ernie finally got all his gear tied on and they took off. The ride up was pleasant, a nice wind-down to the week at work, save for having to stop to collect Ernie’s sleeping bag from the road shoulder. When they reached the campground, Ernie pulled in to the first empty space and began to unload. One of Fred’s books had mentioned that a level site without rocks or roots made for an easier setup, but Ernie was already unloading. Fred began to unpack and spread his tent when he noticed that there was a large depression in the middle of the spot and moved his tent a few feet to get on ground with a little “crown” so that if there was rain it wouldn’t collect under him. He also positioned the tent door so that it was in the “lee” of the wind. Ernie was complaining about all the sites near the stream at the edge of the meadow being taken, but Fred had read that the cold night air collected in the hollows, and figured it would be warmer up here on the rise. He carefully positioned the tent so his sleeping bag would be mostly level, with his head up slightly higher than his feet, and “swept” the area of sticks and rocks. That was when he noticed the ant hill right behind Ernie’s tent.

Ernie was puffing red-faced into an inflatable air mattress as Fred went up to the campground tap to fill his packable water bag. He came back and unpacked the tiny stove, got it going, and in a few minutes was heating prepackaged Noodles Casino. Shortly, Ernie came over with a can of his favorite beverage in hand and remarked; “Hey, I got some Vienna sausage if you get hungry later.” Fred just shook his head: he’d tried out the ready-to-make meals for himself at home and was looking forward to it. As the sun went down, Fred set up the tent vestibule that gave him a place to store wet boots or gear and made sure that his flashlight was where he could find it when the sun went down. Shortly after Fred finished eating, Ernie returned from the camp store with an armload of firewood and proceeded to build a fire in the ready-made pit provided.
The smoke drifted downwind and promptly filled Ernie’s tent, but he didn’t seem to notice. As the sun went down over the tall pines, they talked avidly about bikes and camping and stuff like that with the other club members until it was time for bed. Fred could hear Ernie coughing and fumbling in the tent as he zipped up his sleeping bag.
Near morning, he was roused by the sound of rain hitting the tent and was glad he’d taken a second to cover his bike before retiring. He quickly went back to sleep and awoke just as the rain ended. As he opened the tent door and rain fly flap, he saw Ernie standing forlornly looking at the small lake surrounding his tent.

“Morning, Ernie. How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Pretty bad, man,” he replied, scratching at the ant bites. “The air mattress wouldn’t stay up, I kept sliding down in the corner of the tent, and everything’s wet,” Ernie said in a low voice.

“Bummer,” Fred said.

Some homework and his willingness to listen to the voice of experience made for a trouble-free first outing for Fred. His equipment had kept the rain off and allowed him to rest and rise refreshed, and his site selection and consideration of all the elements that made up the campsite had allowed for avoidance of some common mistakes:

• a rough, inclined tent surface that might be uncomfortable or pest-infested
• low areas in which rainfall may collect
• prevailing wind that may carry smoke or insects into one’s tent
• a site in a “hollow” in which cold night air can collect and chill
• gear that can fail at an inopportune time, or be non-repairable
• awkward or hard-to-transport gear, or unnecessarily-complicated gear

The many tips and tricks available through knowledgeable camping stores, experienced campers, or growing Internet sources make it possible to learn from the experience of thousands of campers to the best effect. With just a little homework, one can become knowledgeable very quickly and have a great, trouble-free motorcycle camping experience.

See ya at the campground!

To see the article in it’s original context and for other related articles go here: http://www.bmwmoa.org/ridetour/camping

Agree or disagree with an item posted on my blog? Spot an inaccuracy?  Have your voice heard! I welcome all readers to leave comments or suggestions.

By Richard Pierce

There I was on a customized BSA 650 racing bike skidding sideways at more than 40 MPH through a full yellow light at a busy intersection and wondering if not having my rear wheel directly behind me meant I was about to automatically take a spill. It was my first year as a rider and there was nobody to ask if a big bike could be maneuvered successfully through a skid like that. Well, obviously, it could and I managed to hold the bike through the skid and not destroy myself after all.

From that intersection began more than 25 years of appreciating and applying survival rules and strategies for serious riders of large motorcycles. Make no bones about it, your life is on the line every moment you are on a motorcycle. That’s why riding is so special. It can humble you at any moment. That’s why you should move up to the biggest bike you can handle as soon as possible. Bigger bike, bigger brakes! Bigger bike, bigger acceleration — bigger chance to get away quicker from trouble. Bigger bikes are safer bikes.

Here are what I consider to be the most important rules to ride more safely:

Watch Out! — Intersections are extremely dangerous. Intersections are the most dangerous objects you encounter in everyday riding. Never trust a clear intersection if there are buildings blocking your view to the left. Any 4 wheeler traveling at 40 MPH or more is still out of sight during the first few seconds after the light turns green and, worst of all, if he has already decided to run the light, he is actually accelerating as he enters and occupies the intersection. If you collide, you can be seriously injured or worse.

Rule #1: NEVER jump a green light! If you are lined up first to make a left turn at a busy intersection, do not jump the arrow. Take your sweet time. A delay of only 3 or 4 seconds can save you and your bike. Always take an aggressively defensive posture with all 4 wheelers. All 4 wheelers are extremely dangerous. Assume that they can’t see you. Don’t trust their turn signals. Watch the wheels of all parked 4 wheelers for movement as they are prone to pull out without warning. On the highway, try to not let them pass you. You should move a little faster than they do and pass them instead.

Rule #2: Above all remember, drivers won’t see you and they don’t care. Assume all 4 wheelers have low-skill-level drivers. Never underestimate the risk factors that cars represent to riders. Drivers have not studied safe driving strategies. They do not realize that a 3500 pound automobile is several magnitudes more dangerous than a fully loaded and cocked handgun. Drivers do not concentrate on driving when they are behind the wheel. They make phone calls and think about work. They look at maps and even read books. They often take their eyes off the road for a wide variety of reasons.

Rule #3: Expect the unexpected from all of the 4 wheelers. Believe it or not, up to 80% of your power to stop resides in your front brakes. In fact, the rear brakes are often referred to as “trailing” brakes used only to keep the bike in trim during normal braking. They should be “feathered” only. You should squeeze the front brakes with authority and not worry about going over the handlebars, you won’t. It is also suggested that you hold on to the bike with your knees whenever you are executing any maneuver beyond casual cruising, like turns and heavy braking. It will help you “stay” with your bike in an emergency. Hold on to your bike. Ride it as long as you can.

Rule #4: Your ability to stop is almost entirely in your right hand. Don’t under use it. Don’t throw your weight around. You can’t control the direction of a large frame motorcycle correctly by throwing your weight from side to side as you can with a small bike like a 250 cc or even a 400 cc machine. In drastic situations, such as severe avoidance or heavy braking, a working knowledge of counter steering can save your life.

The good news is that you are already using this technique unconsciously so it is easy to master it once it has been explained. The term “counter steering” gets its name from the fact that moving the handlebar of a two wheeler at speed seems to act backwards from what the untrained rider might expect. If you push the right handlebar forward just a fraction of an inch the motorcycle will dive to the right not the left. Push the left handlebar forward and the bike dips sharply to the left. What is really happening with the change of the handlebar position is a change in the attack angle of the front tire. As it moves up the side wall, the bike is forced to travel in the corresponding direction. Try practicing to get a feel of just how little correction is needed to change the direction of travel. Just a touch will amaze you. It is a powerful steering technique.

Rule #5: Big bikes are controlled best by counter steering the handlebars. Focus on the moment. Don’t let your mind wander. Don’t think about anything not related to exactly what is happening at each moment of your ride. Be totally alert to your surroundings as if your life depends on it. It does. Take heart, one of the reasons that people never tire of riding is because they must focus on it entirely while they are doing it and the fact that their very life is on the line.

Rule #6: Be Here Now

Selecting your gear

Always make sure you are riding in a gear that will allow you to accelerate sharply at the slightest provocation, because being able to accelerate faster than any 4 wheeler is one of your main defensive advantages. Getting caught at 30 miles an hour in 4th gear slowing down for a light makes you a sitting duck if evasive maneuvers become necessary.

Rule #7: Down shift as you slow down so you can zoom away at all times.

Corollary: All turns should be made in 2nd gear and your RPMs should never be allowed to dip below 2000.

Controlling lane placement

Take a good look at a well travelled highway traffic lane and you will immediately notice a ribbon of discolorization running down the middle. That’s oil, dirt and grease deposited by the cars. Don’t ride on it! Ride where the car’s tires ride; either to the left or right of the center. This is especially important during the first half hour of rainfall as the water brings up the oily deposits to a very slippery state.

On two lane country-type roads choose the right side as far away from oncoming traffic as possible. On three lane highways, choose the left side of the fast lane where possible and NEVER ride on the entrance (right) lane any longer than necessary.

Corollary: When crossing steel mesh bridges, choose the extreme left or right side and cross the span diagonally at an angle to the mesh. This will limit vibration and wobbling and remember to not fight the wobble — it is normal to wobble a little even using the diagonal strategy.

Dealing with a possible fall

They say there are two kinds of riders. The ones who have fallen and the ones who are going to fall. If that’s true, then knowing what you can do if and when you do fall is valuable information. Based on that please observe the following:

You won’t feel yourself falling. It’s instantaneous.  If you can stay with your bike, stay with it. If you find yourself skidding without your bike stay with it without trying to slow yourself down. Keep your arms and legs elevated. Try to position yourself so that your legs are leading the skid and keep your eyes open so that you can hopefully use your legs and knees to cushion anything you might bump into before to come to a complete stop. Please note that skidding is preferable to rolling because rolling is conducive to broken bones. There is little you can do to protect yourself in a roll except to use your arms to form a barrel shape and hold it rigidly until you lose enough energy to attempt to stop.  When you stop, don’t try to get up unless you are still in danger from other vehicles. You may be injured more than you can know. Stay down and wait for help.

Rule #8: Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.  You may never fall, but don’t count on it. Be prepared mentally and physically. Dress for the worst situation imaginable. Dress for a fall. That means leather gloves. Leather jacket and pants or, at least, jeans. Real leather boots, a SNELL rated helmet with chin protection and some form of eye protection like shatterproof glasses or Lexan eye shield.

Rule #9: Riding on the back of someone else’s motorcycle. In two words, DO NOT! After more than 25 years of riding, I can’t think of a worse place to be than on the back of someone else’s bike. All of the danger and none of the control. Sheer folly and life threateningly stupid.

Rule #10: Don’t ride on the back of anyone else’s motorcycle, ever. You bear all the risks with none of the controls. Even a sport bike handles like mush when there is someone up on the back.

Final thought

Getting lost: Be advised, getting lost on a bike ups the danger quotient to all situations. Your mentality is burdened by factors to be considered because you are lost. Be more careful than ever as these factors make your mind work on more problems simultaneously.

Richard E Pierce is a long-time Livingston resident, President of the Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club, and long-time motorcycle safety advocate and rider.

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To see atrticle in it’s original content go here: http://thealternativepress.com/column.asp?COL=guest&ID=689

How to Travel Light on 2 Wheels and Take Just What You Need
By Daryl Makk

27 days is how long I lived on 2 wheels in temperatures that ranged from 100F down to 48 degrees F. All I had is what I carried on my motorcycle. Yes one must limit certain creature comforts but with all the high tech and lightweight gear out there it is easier than you think.

First you must consider how you will carry your stuff safely and secure from the elements. Remember that water resistant lasts for a very short time at highway speeds. Plastic garbage bags will shred at highway speeds so ensure you have proper storage bags made for biking.

Many sport touring bikes come with hard cases, or panniers, built on either at the factory or after market ones that can be added. These are hard shell saddle bags that often can be removed and carried like suitcases into a tent or, if you treat yourself, a motel. (Save motels for when the weather turns really nasty)

There are also many soft sided saddle bags, tail bags and tank bags available to hold your gear. Tank bags are great for items you need to reach easily and, if stuffed with soft items, like rain gear and such, can make a good rest to lay on while droning down the highway. This will relieve stress on the wrists.

As you know, weather conditions will dictate what clothing and gear you will wear. From cold and wet to hot and dry. What ever riding gear you choose the most important thing to remember when packing is that it ALL has to fit in your luggage except for the bare riding essentials. Nothing will cause more grief than to hit warmer weather and stopping to peel off layers only to find you have no room for them on your bike. Pack as though you were going to leave in 100 degree weather and stow all your extra layers on board. If it all fits when you are wearing the minimum riding gear you have done it right. A little extra space allows you to pick up a few souvenirs.

3 more pages Read more >>

Fieldsheer Iceberg Cooling Vest Review
by Bill Muneio

There seems to be two camps when it comes to temperature extremes: those that would rather it be too cold and those that would rather it be too hot. I fall into the too cold category; the theory being that you can always add more layers to stay warm, where as if it’s too hot, well, you’re screwed. On one extremely hot summer day at the end of a 2 week ride, this was put to a test and cemented my position. We were heading from Colorado back home to Santa Barbara, via Las Vegas for the night. When we arrived in Vegas, the temp was 106° and we were exhausted. Upon checking in to the motel, I immediately immersed myself in the swimming pool. I experienced just how uncomfortable and dangerous the heat can be. After that trip, I began my quest to find a means of keeping cool in extreme heat conditions. Typically, I don’t ride in those conditions but lets face it, hot days are inevitable in the summer and cant be avoided unless you limit your riding to a few months out of the year at least here in the west.

There are lots of different cooling vests available utilizing a variety of technologies. I did not want to make a huge investment in gear for conditions I seldom ride in but still wanted to have the option available. After doing some research, I purchased the Fieldsheer Iceberg Cooling Vest.

The Fieldsheer Iceberg Cooling Vest uses a special polymer material that absorbs moisture, then slowly releases it in the form of a gas.  This process, (also known as “evaporation”) creates a cooling effect that is put to good use in helping to keep us comfortable during hot weather riding, or even for just hanging-out in hot weather. The Fieldsheer Vest is tailored for wearing under motorcycle jackets, with a shorter back that will fit under most jacket styles. To really be effective,  a jacket with lots of ventilation/mesh is best; otherwise, you will feel awfully sticky and wet. Airflow is imperative for the evaporative cooling effect to take place.  The vest has a plastic front zipper with a metal pull. The sides of the Fieldsheer vest are made from 6″ wide elastic; this helps the vest fit comfortably and close to the body. This fit is important for the optimal evaporative effect. The vest is available in sizes from small to 4x large.

When dry, the Fieldsheer vest is very light and can provide some wind protection and a bit of warmth.  This means that the Fieldsheer vest could be worn out in the morning under a mesh jacket, and then as the day heats up, it can be hydrated and used for cooling. I recommend soaking the vest in cool water for 15-20 minutes for best results; however, you can soak it for less time especially if you’ll be re-soaking it while on the road. By gently wringing it, you eliminate the excess water, or on really hot days you may want to skip the wringing part.

The Fieldsheer vest does feels a bit damp underneath your jacket, but the liner prevents that “soaking wet” feeling.  It’s nice to be cool without also feeling like a wet dog. I soak mine in the sink before a ride and then store it in a jumbo sized Ziplock until I need it. You could also throw it in the fridge after soaking if you plan that far ahead or soak it in ice water for the maximum chill factor.

The Fieldsheer vest’s cooling effect is most noticable when moving; although it can also be felt as soon as you put it on.  I don’t really notice feeling the wetness, but I do notice the cooling factor.  Depending on how hot it is, it seems to last one to two hours. It’s not a air-conditioning type chill , but a subtle cooling (on the back, chest and stomach) that makes riding more bearable during those miserably hot days.

Summary: At $45 dollars the Fieldsheer Iceberg Vest is a worthwhile investment and a sensible addition to your hot-weather riding get up.

Motorcycle Jackets at Motorcycle Superstore
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Odyssey Bags & Top Box

108 liter Jesse Odyssey Bags and 45 liter Top Box provides significantly more storage than stock BMW bags.
The Top Box mounts onto the Jesse Rear Compartment, which itself holds 6 liters.
The Top Box makes a decent backrest for the pillion, and the extra space it affords makes 2-up travel and camping a bit more doable.

In keeping with this year’s theme of comfortable motorcycle camping, it’s important to note that comfort does assume one important capability: carrying all the stuff that makes you comfortable. As a Jesse aluminum bags owner for over 5 years, the new Odyssey product line came immediately to mind for a new product review. This test covers the bags designed to fit the oilhead GS models, however, almost everything here can also be said about the bags for the airhead GS bikes as well. And stay tuned for announcements about models for the F650 and other BMW models. Al Jesse has been very busy over the winter!

Say what you want about them – beautiful/ugly, functional/funky, boxy/big – in my mind, the primary benefit of Jesse Luggage Systems’ aluminum bags is the ability to carry a lot of stuff without compromising the handling dynamics of your motorcycle.

A key benefit of Jesse bags is that they fit closely to the bike and place the weight as low as possible.
This allows them to hold more while actually being narrower than the BMW factory luggage.
Note: the Top Box latch shown is pre-production. Shipping units will use the same latches as the boxes

The reason for this is a well-rationed design that keeps the weight of your gear as close as possible to the bike’s centerline and as low as possible without affecting cornering clearance. Jesse’s new products carry on this tradition, and feature a number of evolutionary improvements that make your life as a motorcycle tourist much easier.

To read the entire article go here:
BMW Motorcycle Owners of America | Jesse Luggage Systems.