Motorcycle Gear Reviews

I recently got the opportunity to test Shift's Streetfighter jacket. It is a bit different than most jackets out in the market since it uses both textile material and leather to combine the best of both worlds.

Motorcycle boots are a key component of protection while riding. They protect you against the wind, rain, hot exhaust and the pavement if you are unfortunate enough to crash. I've heard horror stories of riders tennis shoes flying off in a crash and then the rider grinds their feet against the rough asphalt. I love my feet, they get me around quite well and I don't want anything to happen to them. I regularly ride with motorcycle racing boots so I was eager to see how these new Shift Street Shoes stacked up against them.

The following a a Motorcycle jacket review by the BBM user Sangria7.

I am very new to the motorcycle riding community, and as a new rider it is very important for me to have good riding gear. Unfortunately, I have found that a lot of reviews on storefront websites are not detailed enough for my taste. At the same time, I heavily rely on these same reviews on whether or not to purchase a particular item.

The summers in California can get pretty hot especially when you are riding a motorcycle. Some riders choose to ride around in shorts and a T-shirt instead of any protective motorcycle gear. Just a couple weeks ago a coworker of mine who regularly rides around in normal clothes crashed his motorcycle at around 40 mph. That medium speed crash has put him out of work for a month, broken a leg and given him some nasty road rash on his legs, chest and arms. To avoid a fate similar to his I always wear my gear even if it is hot out, and this SHIFT Airborne jacket has made that much more pleasant.

The great folks at www.RidersDiscount.com provided me with the FS-10 helmet by HJC to review. I have been dying to try this helmet ever since I saw it online. It has features that few other helmets have and the price is lower than even the most inexpensive Shoei helmet.

The piece of gear I received for testing was the Mens Safety Green Airglide 2 Jacket. The first things I noticed when I took it out of the box were, "Wow this seems like a good quality jacket," quickly followed by, "Wow, this is... bright!"
The jacket is made out of Cordura and covered in 3M Scotchlight reflective material. I already have a bright green Kawasaki motorcycle, but when you place this jacket next to it, my bike appears to be a deep shade of forest green. To be honest I was a little apprehensive about wearing something so bright since I normally ride in a black helmet, black leather jacket, black overpants, black gloves, and black motorcycle boots (notice a theme?). After a little debate I figured that I should give it a shot, besides whats the worst that could happen?

Shoei is a name synonymous with quality helmets and for good reason: they make some of the best helmets out there; used by professional racers and everyday commuters alike. My first (and current) helmet was a Shoei TZ-R and it has served me well throughout my years of riding. When the opportunity arose to test out the new Shoei RF-1000 I was very excited to see what improvements were made over my TZ-R.

Many first time motorcyclists are stunned by the amount of gear they should be wearing if they want to protect against the variety of potential injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. The pavement is not very forgiving, and one of the most common traumas motorcyclists receive is road rash. Road rash happens when the rough pavement grinds off layers of skin, muscle, and if you skid fast and far enough, bone. Even with the threat of road rash, a lot of new riders do not want to wear leather pants or textile overpants when riding.

Although I love my Chrome Messenger Bag, I found that sometimes I just don’t want something on my back when I am riding my motorcycle, especially if I am carrying something heavy or something that needs to be transported horizontally (like food!). I looked around for an inexpensive but good quality solution and came across the Cortech Tailbag.

For a long time my only riding jacket was a First Gear Mesh jacket, and it held up pretty well in all weather conditions. After trying on my friends leather jacket and seeing how much more protection it offered, I decided I needed to get some leather of my own. There are a lot of brands out there to decide from: Alpinestars, Joe Rocket, Icon, Vanson, Teknic and dozens of others. While surfing various motorcycle forums I heard some really good things about Shift Racing jackets so I decided to check them out.