Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle product review’

Product Review: Viking Cycle Tactical Half Finger Textile Motorcycle Gloves

Posted: October 27, 2019 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, motorcycle safety, Product Reviews
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Representatives of Viking Cycle reached out to me and asked if I were willing to perform a review of one of their products. I asked them if they were willing to take the review that the product deserved would they still be interested? The answer to that question was yes so here you go, a review of one of their motorcycle gloves!

The Viking Cycle Tactical Half Finger Textile Motorcycle Gloves are, in my opinion, pretty darn nice even if the name is crazy long. I have never used fingerless gloves so I was pleasantly surprised how well they felt. And the fact that you can fasten your helmet with gloves on was a cool bonus.

I have used these gloves while riding my motorcycle this past summer at times when the temperature was over 100F and in the rain. The ventilation of the gloves was excellent, at no time did I think of how hot my hands were, which if you are not thinking about something like this means it is working. Nor did the die leak out of the gloves due to sweat or rain.z2

The little air vents on the fingers forced air into and under the armored knuckles. The armor feels substantial and while I did not have an occasion to test their ability to protect my hand, I think it would do well.

After 500 miles I took a close look at the wear and tear on the Viking Cycle Tactical Half Finger Textile Motorcycle Gloves. The elastic was not stretched out, all the stitching was in good order and there was no undo wear anywhere.

For $20 US, at the 500-mile mark, I must give these gloves 5 stars. They work as advertised and have held up well. I could find no fault in the Viking Cycle Tactical Half Finger Textile Motorcycle Gloves. Once I get somewhere near 1500 miles on these gloves, I will provide you with a long-term review.

5 star

 

Some links to Viking Motorcycle products:

Viking Cycle USA, https://www.vikingcycle.com/collections/womens-motorcycle-jackets)

Viking Cycle UK, https://uk.vikingcycle.com/collections/mens-motorcycle-jackets
Viking Cycle AU, https://au.vikingcycle.com/collections/mens-motorcycle-gloves
Motorcyclehouse UK, https://www.motorcyclehouse.co.uk/leather-motorcycle-jackets-for-men.htm

Motorcyclehouse AU, https://www.motorcyclehouse.com.au/motorcycle-saddlebags-panniers.htm

Viking Bags USA, https://www.vikingbags.com/dirt-bike-luggage-bags

Motorcycle Product Review: Update on the Bone Dry Motorcycle Seat Cover Review

Posted: July 14, 2017 in motorcycle touring, Product Reviews
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Ijustwant2ride.com

It all just rolls up into itself, quite neat!

In an earlier post, I discussed and reviewed the Bone Dry Motorcycle Seat Cover, you  This is an update to that initial product review.

We have been using the Bone Dry Motorcycle Seat Cover for over a year.  It has been used not only to keep the seat dry from rain/dew but also to keep the seat from frying our behinds on hot sunny days.

This year during our motorcycle vacation the seat cover got more then it’s fair share of use and abuse.  If you viewed the blog posts of our vacation, you will quickly find out that it rained on us A LOT.  The Bone Dry Seat Cover lived up to its sales’ pitch, if the seat was dry when we put the cover on it was dry when we took it off.

After a year of use I stand by my initial review 100%.  This product is worth your money. It has held its color, stitching is still in good shape and it still keeps the seat of the motorcycle dry. Below is a video of me removing the seat cover after a night of multiple storms

 

Motorcycle Book Review: Bathroom Book of Motorcycle Trivia

Posted: December 11, 2016 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle news, Product Reviews
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I had high hopes for the Bathroom Book of Motorcycle Trivia by Mark Gardiner.  The description of book on Amazon led me to believe that this would be a fun book.  I also thought that it might even provide me with some “pearls of wisdom” for my hosting duties on DawgHouse Motorcycle Radio show.

Mr. Gardiner started out strong with nuggets from the early days of motorcycling, early racing knowledge, Isle of Mann trivia and some just “fun” stuff.  Yet, half way through this book you could almost “feel” a change to content as you read each “days” trivia.

My biggest complaint is this….  I AM SICK AND TIRED OF GETTING FEED POLITICAL VIEWS IN PLACES WHERE THEY SHOULD NOT BE!!!!!!!!!!

This book is one of those places where political views are not warranted. Mr. Gardiner added political droppings such as painting Che Guevara as something other than the massive racist, bigoted, mass murder that he was to titling one item “Cover it up like a Republican congressmen caught with a trannie hooker (that one was about covering your motorcycle when storing it).

Tie those items into his other narratives like Daytona Bike Week is now Spring Break from the old folks home and “I don’t expect a room devoted to Davidson trannies” after someone told him that Arthur Davidson liked to wear his wife’s clothes. I hope you are getting my point…This was supposed to be a book on motorcycle trivia not a tool to inject the author’s personal/ political basis.

Based on the political twists and the fact that there was a lot of lists (The Ultimate 10 Honda Collection or example) masquerading as trivia I can only give this book 2 out of 5 stars.  Do not buy this book, if you really want to read it, go to your local library.

2stars

Motorcycle Product Review: 5000 Miles on the Night Dragon Motorcycle Tires

Posted: October 16, 2016 in Motorcycle news, motorcycle touring, Product Reviews
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wp_20161015_09_51_15_proA few months ago I bought Pirelli Night Dragons for the Harley Davidson Ultra Limited.  We have run these tires all summer, just over 5000 miles.  They have been run through the mountains (including the Tail of the Dragon), in the rain and the hot concreate of the interstate highways in mid-summer.  So how did they fair to date?

Very nicely, is how they performed!  In the mountains I could feel the grip as we rolled though the twisties. On the rainy days I never felt that we had any slippage and the high temps never seem a problem either.  In comparison to the Harley Davison OEM tires I can already state I prefer the Pirelli’s.  That preference is not due to the grip in the mountains but due to their performance in the wet. I truly felt more in control in wet conditions with the Night Dragon’s v. the OEM tires.

So far, tire wear seems to be on par with the OEM, but with only about 5000 miles on the tires it is a bit early to tell.  At about 10,000 miles I will have a better handle on this particular issue.

Soooooo, I cannot give these tires a grade yet and most likely won’t until it is time to replace them.  But, I can say if you are not comfortable with the wet weather performance of the OEM tire you can truly consider the Night Dragons.

Motorcycle Product Review: Bone Dry Seat Covers

Posted: July 30, 2016 in Motorcycle, Product Reviews
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Ijustwant2ride.com

I bought a Bone Dry Motorcycle Seat Cover for our 2014 Harley Davidson Ultra Limited just prior to our nearly 3700 mile vacation.  The impetuous for this purchase is the fact that it always rains on us when we ride and we do not really enjoy putting our butts on wet seats, especially after a good night’s sleep. We also knew that a hot seat, after stopping for lunch, can be a real pain in the butt.

I looked at several different manufactures and no one product jumped out more than another except for Bone Dry.  Their product comes in different colors other then all black and that is why I purchased their product.  We have a blue bike and the blue striped cover matched, simple as that.

In operation the cover worked as expected. The Bone Dry Motorcycle Seat Cover kept our seats dry through several storms and keep the seat cool in the hot sun.

CONS

Now there are a some drawbacks that would apply to any cover of this type.  The first drawback is that in the deep south of the United States there is a LOT of humidity. There was always some condensation under the cover, especially after a thunderstorm. This was expected so no big deal.

The second drawback was what to do with a wet seat cover after a storm or early morning condensation.  Our solution was to “spin” dry the cover a much as possible before stowing.

Lastly, just like most covers of this nature, Bone Dry makes the seat covers in generic sizes.  I am sure that their covers for a pre-2014 Harley would be perfect fit, but Harley Davidson slightly changed the seats on the “Rushmore” bikes.  This change forces the cover to be tightly stretched to fit the seat.

PROS

The cover looks great on the bike!

The cover folds into itself for storage, no need for a separate case to loose.

Made in the USA.

It worked.

The ONLY reason I am giving it 4 and not 5 stars is that we had to stretch the cover to fit our seat more than I would like.  Over time, I really think that the stitching will become strained because of the difference in the pre/post 2014 seat sizes. But, I am willing to bet that this is an issue with many, if not all other covers  so this should not restrict you from buying the Bone Dry Motorcycle Seat Cover.  If you are in the market for a motorcycle seat cover, I suggest you consider Bone Dry.

4 out 5 stars

Motorcycle Product Review: ProGuards Crashbar Protectors

Posted: May 12, 2015 in Motorcycle, Product Reviews
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I was asked by “Rude Biker Chick” if I would be willing to review a motorcycle product for an associate of hers.  Being the gadget guy I am, of course I could.

A few weeks later a package from Pensacola, FL arrived. ProGuards had sent me a set of their “Original Crashbar Protectors” to check out. ijustwant2ride.comAccording to the packaging and their website ProGuards are:

“sleeves made of black polypropylene that fit over motorcycle crash bars, engine guards, and highway bars. They’re designed to protect against scratches and scrapes during a fall. ProGuards are easily removable and inexpensive. They’re perfect for beginning riders and recommended for motorcycle instruction classes.”

Designed for the standard 1 to 1 ¼ inch crashbars (or engine guard as Harley prefers), I had no issues getting them on the crash bars of my 2008 Heritage Softail Classic, they went on with a gentle rap from my fist.  Now as soon as they were one I had a concern, as you can see in the picture the guards have a little “pointy” top to them and I thought that, at speed, they might whistle. A quick ride with the wife to dinner ameliorated that concern, no noise at any speed (well at least to 75MPH)!

I did have a mounting issue on my 2014 Ultra Limited BUT it was not due to the product.  The fitment issue is due to my height and length of legs. The distance between the lower fairing mount and where I have my highway pegs mounted prevented the ProGuard covers from fitting onto the crash bars.  Now this would be of no big consequence as I would only need to trim about an inch from the bottom.

I was perplexed by the little set of covers designed for the rear saddlebag protection. Both covers had a little circular “tab” attached that I could not readily deduce the purpose. After much thought I decided to get the answer and call Priscilla at ProGuards. Turns out those little tabs are part of the manufacturing process and they left it attached to the guards as an aid to separate the small guard from the large guard. The little tabs can be cut off with no impact to the product. I did feel a little less smart at the end of the call. LOL 🙂

So what do I think about the ProGuards Crashbar Protectors? I think that they will do exactly what they are designed to do. They will protect your crashbars from scuffs and scrapes for those inadvertent occasions you forget to put the kickstand down before you get off the bike. J Because they do what they state they will do, are reasonably priced ($25 or $30) and do not really detract from the appearance of the bike I give them 5 out of 5 starts. Also, the fact that Priscilla answered the phone on the second ring and did not laugh to hard was a big plus.

Now I need to decide whether to trim the covers to fit the Ultra Limited or put them on the Heritage. I think I will go with the Heritage to cover up some… hummm…  scuffs.

5 star

 

 

Motorcycle Product Review: adventure POCKETS’ motoPOCKET Side Case

Posted: August 11, 2014 in Motorcycle, motorcycle touring, Product Reviews
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Ijustwant2ride.comA while back I was asked by the folks from adventure POCKETS to perform a product review.  I accepted the invitation to review their motoPOCKET Side Case product.

 

If you have not noticed, I do give my thoughts on books, TV shows and other motorcycle related product and accessories.  I tell you guys just what I think about X for good and bad.  I do this for things I review unsolicited and will have the same attitude for solicited reviews.

 

In this case the product that they asked me to look at was pretty darn good.  I installed it on my “Army Bike” the 2008 Heritage Softail Classic. The motoPocket Side Case by adventure Pockets is “Made in the USA” of study, heavy duty nylon. Its construction and feel leads me to think that it will hold up for years of service.  It is designed to hold your small things (glasses, paperwork, flashlight, etc.) in a convenient spot and not rattling around the bottom of the saddlebag.  It is primarily aimed at placement in the lid of saddlebag but I have “non-typical” bags and mounted it to the outside wall of the saddlebag.

 

Installation of the bag was simple, yet was also what separated it from other products of this nature that I have used.  The bag comes with heavy duty Velcro strips that you attach to the saddlebag; it also comes with a heavy duty squeegee.  That squeegee is used to help you apply the Velcro strips to the bag and squeeze out air bubbles at the same time.  No other product of this nature that I have used, to include Kuryakin, Harley Davidson and Saddleman, have provided a tool to help you apply the Velcro.  This was also a Homer Simpson “DOH” moment when I realized I should have used some form of squeegee in the past!

 

After letting the adhesive cure for 24 hours I attached the bag and filled it with some of my junk. Sure enough, as soon as I attempted to shut the saddlebag lid I realized I need to move the bag down and to the rear.  This was the first test of the bag as often times the Velcro, attached to the saddlebag, will come off when you attempt to adjust the placement.  Well, the Side Case did not pull the Velcro from the saddlebag, first test passed.

 

The second test for me is, “does the adhesive hold in high temperatures?”  With this test so far so good, but we have not had any super-hot days post installation.  My best guess is that the temperature has been no higher than the high 80’s or low 90’s (F), so no really hot days to test the commitment of the glue to its job.  If there is any failure of the adhesive I will update this review and let you know. (Just FYI, I consider glue failure to be worth at least 1-2 stars)

 

This is not a complicated device; it does exactly what it was designed to do…hold your stuff.  I feel it is well made of quality material and compares better than with similar products I have used in the past.  In particular the inclusion of the squeegee is a “brilliant” move; I will be putting that little piece of plastic into my tool drawer for the future.

 

I recommend you take a look at this product if you are in the market for simple storage organization in your saddlebag.  I have debated whether to give this bag 4 or 5 stars.  It does everything it is designed to do well but I think that a couple of elastic loops to hold a few items in place would put it over the top.  In the end I am giving it 5 stars as it does exactly what it should and comes with that dang squeegee!

5star