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tourer

ARMR Moto Kumaji Motorcycle Jacket

November 2, 2017

Hey, everyone! I feel like it’s time for yours truly to get a new motorbike jacket. The Agrius Orion I currently have has done very well but with winter and heavier weathers on the way I feel like my tired old jacket could use a break. I only spent £57.99 on my Orion, so I’m looking to invest a bit more in my new jacket with a budget of up to £160.

I’ll be commuting to work in my new jacket, so it has to be long-lasting, comfortable and able to handle any kind of weather that I may have to ride through. Here where I live that can be anything from the loveliest, warmest, most sunny day ever to freezing temperatures and soggy downpours depending on the season.

But it -is- going to be a jacket for work. So I don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount on because it could be subject to less-than-gentle treatment in the form of being hastily put on in dusty environments and such. Which is why I limited my budget to about £160, I don’t want to spend £300+ on a jacket like my Rev’It Masaru that I’d rather only use on nice days for social rides.

And looking through our ARMR Moto selection- I may have found the perfect jacket. The ARMR Moto Kumaji Motorcycle Jacket is only £10 over my budget at £169.99 and has a load of features that make it perfect for a commuter like myself so I don’t even feel that extra £10 sting.

The outer shell is made from a 600D Polytech fabric, a protective material made with Polyester- a common material in motorcycle garments for it’s toughness and abrasion resistance. It’s light and it’s flexible so you can move quite freely in it but it’ll save your skin if the time comes. It also features ARMR Moto’s TLS- Triple Lock Seam Technology- it’s ARMR’s way of triple stitching seams to ensure that they’re rip-proof and will be able to handle the strain in an accident.

As well as being protective on the outside, this jacket has an awesome amount of protective potential for the inside too. The jacket comes with a CE approved back protector which is a rare thing to be included, most jackets don’t have one as standard. There’s also CE approved shoulder armour and CE the approved elbow armour has adjustable height positions so you can get in it the right place just for you. It’s even compatible with ARMR Moto’s Hexagon Chest Shield A9115 [If you can get your hands on one]. There’s even kidney protection in this jacket, another level of protection that most jackets don’t bother with.

So this jacket can take the punishment- but can it handle the weather? It probably won’t surprise you that I’m about to tell you that- yes, it can, this jacket has just as much weather versatility as it does protection. To protect you from the wet and rain, this jacket has a DRY TEK Waterproof membrane that keeps water out while still being breathable. The Storm Flap beneath the main front zip also helps to keep rain out. Usually that zip is a bit of a natural problem area when it comes to waterproofing a jacket but the storm flap in this jacket acts as a gutter to catch any water trying to get through and guide it out of the jacket. Even the two external pockets on the front are waterproof which a lot of other jackets don’t bother with, so you won’t have to stuff your phone and wallet into the same stash-pocket inside the jacket.

To see you through the colder weather comfortably, the inside of the jacket has a detachable Double Quilted Thermo Liner. This liner will keep you plenty warm when the weather hits the lower temperatures and can even be taken out to help you deal with the warmer weather.

The jacket comes with a bit more protection though. Sort of. The best way to protect you from an accident is to keep you from getting into one in the first place, so the ARMR Moto Kumaji has Scotchlite and Vision Tech Reflective panels integrated into the jacket’s design and increase your chances of being seen by other road users. To increase your chances of this even further- the jacket also comes in a Hi-Vis colour that I’m quite partial to myself- It’ll be much better for when the winter comes and the days get shorter and darker.

It’s a really well-thought-out jacket. Everything from the protection and weatherproofing to the extra stuff like the Exact Fit System and link zipper for joining the jacket to a pair of ARMR Moto Trousers, it’s all designed for a biker that rides often, for long periods or both. Perfect for a commuter that rides to work on the day-to-day, so much so that RIDE Magazine even recommend it. The ARMR Moto Kumaji Motorcycle Jacket has definitely made the short list of potential jackets that I’ll be considering next pay day.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Until next time!

-MattW at Ghostbikes.com

The LS2 FF399 Valiant Motorcycle Helmet

September 2, 2017

Hello, everyone! I’ve not done many blog entries on LS2 helmets so what I saw this one pop up on my potential to do list, I got quite excited. Its also a chance for me to cover a flip-front helmet, another thing I don’t often take a look at. But this one is an exception as the mechanism and way that the front of the helmet flips up is quite cool and it actually works, compared to other models that have similar flip methods but failed horribly. The LS2 FF399 Valiant Single Mono Flip Front Motorcycle Helmet may very well become quite popular among the tour bikers and flip-fans so I’ve decided to take a closer look at it and see if I could help that status along.

The shell of the helmet is made from a KPA- a Kinetic Polymer Alloy. Just like you can make an alloy by mixing different metals to make something stronger, the same can be done for Polymers. This particular blend of Polymers is designed to give the best protection for a helmet that it can with it’s excellent properties in force dispersion. In an impact the nature of the shell material is to spread the force over a wider area to lessen the damage in any one area instead of cracking. It’s the first line of defense in an impact, so this shell is made of some pretty cool and advanced stuff.

With it being a flip-front with all the features that it has- this helmet weighs around 1700g which really isn’t bad considering everything in this helmet. The flip mechanism allows the chin bar to flip right the way over, 180 degrees to provide tour bikers and open-face fans with a comfortable lid with the best possible visibility. It even looks cool in both full-face and flip mode. There have been other helmets that have used the same idea like the Shark Evo One but the mechanism for getting the chin bar back over the face was tricky and would have been almost impossible to work quickly or safely while riding. It was more “Choose how you want the helmet for this ride.” and you were stuck with it that way until you could stop and change it. But the mechanism for the Valiant is far faster and much more thought-out.

Many people are like me when it comes to flip front helmets- put off by the weaker protection in the chin bar and would rather go for a full-face lid for the safety. Well, this helmet may actually be the exception for me from even that standpoint because the LS2 Valiant has been certified as both an open face and a full face helmet. That makes me feel a whole lot safer and like I can trust the chin-bar to hold up and protect the lower half of my face if it comes to it.

Aside from these features, the rest is nothing uncommon but it still has a lot of cool little extras. The Valiant has an easy to operate internal sun visor for quick transitions from sunny outdoors to dark tunnels and such. The visor its self is scratch, UV and fog resistant to keep your vision clear and look after your eyes and is even Pinlock ready, so just install it and have yourself the ultimate fog-free ride.

Inside the helmet is a multi-density EPS liner to absorb impact forces inside the helmet and look after your noggin and it also has a removable comfort padding so that its easily washable. The Valiant has some space around the ears for aftermarket speakers and is compatible with the Linkin Ride Pal 3 Bluetooth system, another plus for tour bikers.

Really, this helmet was designed for tour bikers. The flip front option makes filling the bike up with more juice easier [because some places don’t like us leaving our lids on]. The comms compatibility for keeping in touch with your pillion or family. The washable padding because it’s going to be worn for long periods of time at once. Sun visor for the bright days, fog resistance and Pinlock for the cold days and well ventilated for the hot days. LS2 really did think of everything a biker could need and tour bikers demand the best and most out of what they need from a helmet. And rightly so. If you’re riding on long journey you need safety, you need comfort and versatility. You need the best and that’s what LS2 have delivered many times over. But while it’s my personal favourite flip front helmet so far, Ghostbikes.com has plenty of other flip front helmets to choose from. So if the Valiant isn’t for you, we’re sure to have something else that’s more your style.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Until next time!

-MattW at Ghostbikes.com

The Alpinestars M56 DryStar Leather Motorcycle Gloves

June 2, 2017

Hey, everyone! This is gonna be another blog entry about a pair of gloves but this time they’re from Alpinestars! Alpine Stars are still quite new to me, I’ve not been here long enough to have seen them in here before. I’ve only ever covered a pair of Alpinestars boots before, so getting my hands on the opportunity to cover some of their gloves is quite a nice change.

Alpinestars are one of those big brand names like Rev’It or Sidi that everyone knows and some even swear by them. While their stuff has a price tag worthy of a big name, they’ve usually got some great features worth talking about to justify them. And the Alpinestars M56 DryStar Leather Motorcycle Gloves are no different, as expected, they’ve got a lot in them to talk about.

The M56 DryStars are designed as a touring glove. They’ve been constructed for comfort in mind and versatility in function but they’ve borrowed a little bit from their Sport oriented siblings. They’re made out of a tough but flexible premium Leather using a multi-panel chassis for the best levels of comfort, toughness and abrasion resistance. Its even got rubber reinforcements on the thumb and palm to give you a better grip and toughen up the seams. So you can feel safe and assured that your skin is in capable hands [I’m sorry] and that the gloves themselves will hold up in the event of an accident.

Beneath the leather shell is the DryStar® membrane. Its a lining that is 100% waterproof so they should keep your hands nice and dry if the weather gets unpleasant. Its one of the many features that make this glove so versatile and usable in different weather conditions. If you are caught in the rain, as well as keeping your hands dry, the M56 DryStar gloves also have a TPR visor wipe. Its mostly for getting muck and splattered bugs off your visor but they always make me think of windscreen wipers and window cleaners.

Digging deeper into the glove, beyond the DryStar waterproof lining is yet another lining but this one is for both warmth and comfort. The gloves feature Primaloft® thermal insulation, perfect for keeping your hands warm and for braving harsher riding conditions. For added comfort and flexibility, the first two fingers feature accordion stretch material to give them just a bit more flexing room and finer control over your clutch and front brake.

There’s added protection all over this glove. The knuckle armour is made from a hard copolymer, a really tough and abrasion resistant plastic that’ll keep your knuckles safe in an impact or slide. You may have noticed something going on with the last two fingers as well, a bridge of material connecting them. This is one of those concepts borrowed from racing gloves- The bridge of material keeps the little finger from rolling and separating in an impact, potentially reducing injuries such as the little finger becoming dislocated or worse.

There’s additional EVA padding reinforcements on the hand, thumb, finger tops and bottom of the palm that provide provide extra abrasion resistance and also help to improve the fit a bit. There’s a bit more to this glove but this covers all the really important bits. There are added extras such as reflective detailing and a cuff that is designed to go over jacket sleeves to seal out the elements. But the gauntlet of the glove does look like is could still be tucked under a sleeve, I know some people look for that when they’re out for some new hand protection.

Over all I have to say I really like these gloves. While £109.99 seems like a steep price tag, it’s more than justified by the reliable brand behind them and all the features and materials in these gloves dedicated to keeping your hands and fingers protected. We’ve recently got more Alpinestars stuff in, so this won’t be the last of me covering items from our Alpinestars Range

Thanks for reading, everyone! Until next time!

-MattW at Ghostbikes.com

Road Trip Part 3 – Security

May 9, 2017

Hey there! Welcome to Part 3 of my Road Trip Blog Series where I reveal my plans for a future trip of my own and how I’m going to solve the questions I’ve been asking myself about it. In this part I’ll be covering third thing that I think [worry] about- Security.

While bikers going out on a proper tour likely won’t leave their bike alone for long except to sleep- I’ll be entrusting the security of my bike to the hotel’s car park. That is to say I do not trust the hotel’s car park. At all. Not that I don’t expect they haven’t taken as many security measures as they can, it’s just never going to be enough on it’s own for me to peacefully sleep at night. While I’m out and about all day and while I sleep my bike will be unattended, in unfamiliar territory and I won’t be able to keep an eye on it for many hours of the day for five days. Yes- I have thought about this way too much. So I have to take precautions so that I can feel as though I have done as much as I can and will be able to sleep without keeping an ear open. All so I’m able to enjoy the time off. So what can I do?

Tactic 1 – Get your hands on the biggest, meanest chain and lock you can find like the Oxford Hardcore 1.5m XL Motorbike Chain and Lock. More often than not- the sight of a fat chain and hefty padlock will be enough to deter any wannabe thieves. Most of them want it to be easy- a quick snatch with little hassle, so a chain that looks like it means business will usually put most of them off. However- the chain alone will not do. You need to be able to use that chain to secure the bike to something else like a lamp post, a rail or a friend’s bike if nothing else. Otherwise all it takes is two people [maybe just one for a small bike] and they can just throw it in the back of a van and drive off in a matter of seconds. So it’s all about making things difficult for them to the point it no longer becomes worth their time.

Tactic 2 – Opt for a locking method that’ll make a lot of noise, like the Oxford Screamer Alarmed Disc Lock. People who will want to steal your bike don’t really want attention, so something that makes a lot of noise and gives them more than they bargained for will hopefully cause them to give up pretty quickly. Or if you’re like me and you’re going to use the big chain -and- the loud disc lock together, you’ve got a backup just in case they figure a way around your first line of defense. Just don’t forget you put it on your bike before you go trying to ride off.

Tactic 3 – If your bike doesn’t have one of it’s own, maybe consider getting an alarm system for the bike it’s self. Not only will it give you a little peace of mind knowing your bike has an in built theft deterrent but your insurance costs may even go down a little bit if you’re using an approved and tested brand of theft protection.

Tactic 4 – Another one that I’ll be using when I go on my trip. It’s simple and won’t cost you anything extra unless you have to pay to park wherever you are; park the bike under a camera. If you’re leaving your bike in a car park like I will be, chances are there’s going to be a camera somewhere. So even if the worst does happen, your first two or three precautions fail and your bike is taken, you’ve a better chance of the police finding who did it and catching them.

Beyond that there’s little more you can do. You’ve taken all of the precautions you can and at that point there’s no point in worrying anymore. Might as well enjoy your time, relax and hope you get a room that has a window with a view.. Of your bike.

Thanks for reading Part 3 of my Road Trip Blog Series everybody! In the next part, on a less worrying and stressful theme, I’ll be talking about gear. Specifically worn gear and what to look for in what you want to wear.

Until next time!

– MattW at Ghostbikes.com

Road Trip Part 2: Navigation

May 3, 2017

Hello again, everyone. This here is Part 2 of my Road Trip Blog Series. So, in Part 1 I already wrote about luggage because “how am I going to carry everything?” is the first thing I asked myself about my own little road trip. Part 2 is about the second thing I ask myself. Well- It’s more like the second, third and fourth things. “How do I get there? What if I get lost? Is there an easy route?” etc. So Part 2 is going to focus on navigation.

There are a few things I’ll do to keep myself from getting lost on longer trips. But my trip in a couple of months will be the longest distance I’ve ever gone by myself though, so I hope the little tricks I’ve taught myself can help me. And maybe they can help you too.

My first little trick starts off pretty obvious- Find a map. It can be a paper one if you really want but in this day and age- almost everyone more or less has instant access to a map right in their pocket on a mobile phone. But personally I like to have a sit down at a computer so that the map is nice and big for detailed studying. Then, I find where I am and where I want to go- pretty easy if you have Google Maps and the addresses. So here’s where trick one kicks in- Find the furthest place in the direction you’re going that you are familiar with. This might seems pretty silly but it does help. It might even take you on a slight detour from where you’re supposed to be going but it at least means you don’t have to remember all the lefts and rights to get to that point. You can simply head to a place you [or a travelling companion] already know and then your adventure begins from there.

Another trick I’ve used is sling-shooting myself around roundabouts. Not literally, mind you. I use Google Maps to plot a route and I try to incorporate as many straight shots as I can from one roundabout to another. This way the journey is easy to remember using numbers. Get to round about- exit 2. Straight on to the next roundabout, exit 3 and so on. Not such a big deal if you can use the motorway, you can just follow signs and remember exits. But if you’re on L plates or going a route out of the way from a motorway, I’ve found this trick quite effective. The only downside to the journey’s convenience is how boring it can get if you can’t work in any nice bendy roads with a view.

But! I want to enjoy my trip. Not have to remember turns or count the exits on roundabouts. So trick three is the most obvious of them all and the one I’ll be using on my own travels. A Sat-Nav, GPS however you refer to it- you just can’t beat it. Sure, it’ll try to drive you through a private field every once in a while but nothing is perfect. In my trip I don’t really want to fork out for a whole sat-nav, so I’m going to use my phone and the sat-nav app I have on it. So what will I need?

Something to hold my phone. It has to be held somewhere securely and somewhere I can see it without taking my eyes off the road for more than a quick moment. So I can either attach it to my handlebars with the Givi S953B Universal Handlebar Sat Nav Bag, which would keep my means of navigation close to my speedometer and clocks since I can easily see there. Or I can try a small tank bag that has a map holder such as the Oxford M2R Motorcycle Mini Tank Bag. If your phone has a good battery life, the Givi Sat Nav Holder will probably suffice. But my personal choice is going to be the Oxford Mini Tank Bag.

I’ve chosen the Mini Tank Bag because my phone’s battery isn’t great. So that small bit of extra space in the tank bag will also give me all the of easily accessible storage I need to stash a power bank for my phone without having to wire in sockets to my bike’s power supply. It’ll also give me a little bit of room to stash some small tools for emergency situations, some wipes on-hand to clean the splattered bugs off my visor and any other small but potentially useful nicknacks.

So there’s a few little tips on navigation and how to find your way around. I know they’re pretty obvious to most people but some can find a longer journey that takes them further from home a bit daunting and let fear or nerves cause them to forget that getting around isn’t as hard as it seems. A big journey can definitely look and feel like a big challenge. But here’s one last tip for if you get lost- Don’t panic. If anything- enjoy it, you get to ride in a place you’ve never been before. Just keep an eye out for signs with directions to a place you recognise and follow them as best you can until you either know where you are again or can find a safe place to pull over and review the map.

And that’s Part 2 of the Road Trip Blog Series! In Part 3 I’ll be revealing how I’m just a little bit paranoid and talking about security while the bike is unattended. Thanks for reading, all! Do any of you have any tips for navigating and getting around? If so, please leave a comment and let us know your secret!

Until next time!

– MattW at Ghostbikes.com

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