2010
Kit review: KTM tank bag
31 December 2010 by
KTM tank bag, £104.94 Mark Holmes Miles covered/time: 2000/one month Save £££ on motorcycle luggage in the MCN Shop What’s good? This bag is tailor-made for the Duke 690, so...
Product review: PJB Untouchable lock and two-metre chain
21 December 2010 by
PJB Untouchable lock and two-metre chain, 189.99 Time used: Seven months What’s good? I bought this after noticing someone had interfered with my home security arrangements for a brand new Yamaha...
Product review: Muc-Off detailing brush
21 December 2010 by
Muc-Off detailing brush, £3.99 (£3.99 on MCN shop) Times used: seven months What’s good? It came free with a Muc-Off cleaning kit. I was impressed at first as it appears to be quite solid and...
Product review: Silkolene Fuchs Wash Off motorcycle cleaner
21 December 2010 by
Silkolene Fuchs Wash Off motorcycle cleaner, £6.99 Time used: Four full-on, deep washes (four weeks) What’s good? It doesn’t corrode exposed aluminium. That may not sound like the most important...
Product review: Original Buff
16 December 2010 by
Original Buff, £10.95 Miles covered/time: 15,000/two years What’s good? It’s hard to write about Buff without using superlatives, but I’m going to give it a go… They’re brilliant (damn – failed). If...
Product review: Oxford 28-piece underseat toolkit
16 December 2010 by
Oxford 28-piece underseat toolkit, £11.99 Miles covered/time: 15,000/two years What’s good? Slim enough to fit under most seats, this kit comes with a decent range of tools that you’ll need in an...
DVD review: The Enduro at Erzberg: Rise of the Young Guns
16 December 2010 by
The Enduro at Erzberg: Rise of the Young Guns DVD, £17.61 Time owned: Three years What’s good? No matter how many times I watch this, I’ll never be able to get my head round what guys like Tom Sagar,...
Product review: Autoglym metal polish
07 December 2010 by
Autoglym metal polish [£5.99] Time used: Several months, several localised – yet vigorous – scrubs What’s good? If you’re a summer rider or only take your bike out when the weather’s fine, then...
Product review: Flick the Beast VHS
07 December 2010 by
Flick the Beast, Kevin Schwantz VHS, £10.99 from online retailers Time owned: 20 years What’s good: I used to watch this video religiously between the ages of three and five. This video, coupled with...
Product review: Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather
07 December 2010 by
Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather, £2.99 (60ml) Miles covered/time: 800/two weeks What’s good? This new wax has performed three important jobs on my prized Lewis Leathers boots. Save cash on...
Product review: Muc-Off Visor cleaner and microfibre cloth
07 December 2010 by
Muc-Off Visor cleaner and microfibre cloth, £9.99 Time used: Four months What’s good? Autumn sees me riding into direct sunshine in the morning and back into low-angle sunshine in the evening – my...
Kit Review: Spada Lunar jacket
01 December 2010 by
Spada Lunar jacket, £109.99 Compare and buy motorcycle jackets in the MCN Shop Miles covered/time: 2000/two months What's good? It¹s very warm indeed, which is great for such an affordable jacket.
Kit Review: Oxford Moldex earplugs
01 December 2010 by
Oxford Moldex earplugs £1.99 Compare and buy earplugs in the MCN Shop Miles covered/time: 15,000 miles/two years What's good? For the price, these are probably the best piece of motorcycling...
Kit Review: Harley-Davidson tail pack
01 December 2010 by
Harley-Davidson tail pack, £159.13 Save £££ on motorcycle luggage in the MCN Shop Miles covered/time: 3000 miles/six months What's good? This official Harley bag is specifically designed for the...
Product review: Kriega R20 rucksack
26 November 2010 by
Kriega R20 rucksack, £65 Miles covered/time: 15,000/four years What’s good? The build quality, the fact it’s just about big enough to cram my stuff in for a day at work and it stays comfortable over...
Product review: Kriega R25 rucksack
15 November 2010 by
Kriega R25 rucksack, £89 Miles covered/time: 30,000/four years What’s good? I love Kriega gear and of the kit I have, this is the one that has seen the most mileage because it’s so adaptable. You can...
Product review: Acumen AcuTrac
15 November 2010 by
Acumen AcuTrac, from £349.99 Miles covered/time: 1500/three months What’s good? The tracker unit itself is small and discreet, so it’s fairly easy to secrete on your bike (we’ve not photographed the...
Product review: TomTom Urban Rider satnav
05 November 2010 by
TomTom Urban Rider satnav, £249 Miles covered/time: 1400/two weeks What’s good? For me, the luxury of having some of the thinking and planning of a journey done for me. This version also lets you know...
Product review: R&G Superbike Outdoor Cover
05 November 2010 by
R&G Superbike Outdoor Cover, £39.99 Time used: one month What’s good? Like most decent bike covers it’s waterproof, has air vents to whisk away trapped moisture and will cover your motorcycle from...
Product review: Airhawk seat
05 November 2010 by
Airhawk seat, £159 Miles covered/time: 1200/one month What’s good? This is probably the most effective motorcycle product I’ve ever tested. Before fitting it, my KTM Duke test bike became a pain in...
Book review: Modern Motorcycle Technology
28 October 2010 by
Modern Motorcycle Technology, £17.99 What’s good? Ever wondered what a 3D map of a fuel injection system looks like? Or perhaps puzzled over how a gearbox works? Then this is the book for you. Despite...
Kit review: TomTom Rider Europe
21 October 2010 by
TomTom Rider Europe, £244.31 Miles covered: 3000 miles across the UK, Belgium, Ibiza, Sicily, France, Spain and Italy, in and on various bikes and cars. What’s good? Being electrically-illiterate I...
Kit review: Oxford Lifetime X40 Expander Tank Bag
21 October 2010 by
Oxford Lifetime X40 Expander Tank Bag, £94.99 Miles covered/time: 500/two weeks What’s good? It’s a magnetic tank bag, it’s fairly large, and can expand to become larger. It’s very tall when fully...
Bike part review: Moto Master Flame disc
06 October 2010 by
Moto Master Flame disc, £200 (approx) Miles covered/time: Five months/eight race meetings What’s good? Stopping power, put simply. This saw blade-like rotor is the recommended brand to suit the SBS carbon racing pads in my TZR250 (a similar set-up is used by some World Supersport teams), and between the two parts I can stick my race bike on its nose hard, late and with confidence. Get the best...
Motorcycle luggage review: 24 litre Ortlieb Rack Pack
06 October 2010 by
24-litre Ortlieb Rack Pack, £46.80 Miles covered/time: 2157/one week (Austria and back) What’s good? This might just be the perfect tail pack. At under £50 the Ortlieb Rack Pack is incredibly good...
Product review: S-Doc 100 paint and plastic polish
01 October 2010 by
S-Doc 100 paint and plastic polish (220ml), £10.32 Time owned: Four months What’s good? A little of this polish goes a long way. It’s safe to use on metal (painted or otherwise) and plastics (ditto) –...
Product review: Motul RBF660 brake fluid
01 October 2010 by
Motul RBF660 brake fluid, around £18 Miles covered/time: Six race meetings What’s good? I hammer the brakes on my race bike, as you might expect. The caliper, pads, disc and master cylinder are all...
S-Doc100 visor and helmet cleaner
22 September 2010 by
S-Doc100 visor and helmet cleaner, £12.95 Time used: One month What’s good? It’s extremely easy to use. Spray on. Wipe off. Done. The microfiber cloth comes in handy for other things such as...
Part Review: EBC brake discs
22 September 2010 by
EBC brake discs, £112 each Miles covered/time: 1000/four months What’s good? Brake lights used to induce breathless panic as I rode my ageing knacker of a Kawasaki GPZ550. Two warped discs created the...
Product review: Muc-Off Bike Spray
22 September 2010 by
Muc-Off Bike Spray, £5.99 Time used: Three months What’s good? Spray it onto your bike after a wash and it leaves a ‘non-sticky protective film’. In real life it makes your bike sort of slimy...
Triumph Magnetic Tank Bag (20-30 litre)
21 September 2010 by
Triumph Magnetic Tank Bag (20-30 litre), £99.99 Miles covered/time: 3700 miles/two months What’s good? The ease of use. Three solid magnets slap down on the fuel tank and hold it securely in place,...
Kit review: Mack’s Pillow Soft earplugs
17 September 2010 by
Mack’s Pillow Soft earplugs, £4.29 for two pairs Miles covered/time: 500/one week What's good? I'm always up for trying something different from the norm otherwise life would be truly static...
Book review: 100 years of Motorcycles
10 September 2010 by
100 years of Motorcycles, £14.99 What’s good? 100 years of motorcycling documented in just 300 photos is a tough task. It’s a task made even tougher when you’ve got the many thousands of images in...
Backpack review: KTM Epic
10 September 2010 by
KTM Epic backpack £63.35 Miles covered/time: 11,000/nine months What’s good? Made exclusively by Ogio for KTM, this rucksack has stood the test of winter, spring, something akin to summer and around...
Product review: Oxford heated vest
03 September 2010 by
Oxford heated vest, £79.99 Miles covered: 3000 miles/six months What's good? Personally I find riding involves enough faffing with kit without also having to plug yourself in. Power leads from...
Product review: Infinit Solar backpack
03 September 2010 by
Infinit Solar backpack, £89.99 Miles covered/time: 500/one month What's good? It's a rucksack with a solar panel and a battery in it so you can charge your phone/iPod or sat nav on the move. It comes...