2010
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...
Motorcycle gear review: Pro-Bolt Progauge bolt measure tool
24 August 2010 by
Pro-Bolt Progauge bolt measure tool £4.99 Time used: Six months What’s good? When you’ve amassed several tins of bolts (new and used) over the years it’s good to sort them into sizes and store them in...
Motorcycle gear review: Gaffer tape
24 August 2010 by
Gaffer tape, £5.99 Miles covered/time: 5000/18 months What’s good? This tape has fixed a zip, repaired a pannier, protected a fairing, waterproofed a leaking glove, secured an indicator, sealed a...
Product review: Meguiars cleaning/detailing kit
20 August 2010 by
Meguiars cleaning/detailing kit, £49.95 Time used: Two months What’s good? It contains most things I could’ve possibly wanted for cleaning my R1200GS, all in one box. Save £££s on motorcycle...
Product review: Petzl Tikka headtorch
20 August 2010 by
Petzl Tikka headtorch, £32.50 Time used: Seven months. What's good? This ridiculously useful workshop accessory has so many uses it beggars belief. Initially, and most importantly, it allows you to...
Product review: Triumph magnetic tankbag
10 August 2010 by
Triumph magnetic tankbag (20-30 litre), £99.99 Miles covered/time: 3700/two months What’s good? The ease of use. Three solid magnets slap down on the fuel tank and hold it securely in place, and you...
Product review: Arai helmet holdall
10 August 2010 by
Arai helmet holdall, £39.99 Time used: four years What’s good? Almost everything. Simple rugged nylon construction (in either unlined, like mine – at £39.99, or fur-lined at £49.99), classic styling;...
It’s speedway - but not as we know it.
10 August 2010 by
Speedway. First out of the gate wins. God, I hate that cliché. It’s true you don’t get much overtaking when you set four, brakeless, methanol-burning 500cc race bikes off around a 350 metre oval dirt...
Product review: Silkolene Chain Cleaner
06 August 2010 by
Silkolene Chain Cleaner, £8.49 Time used: Two years What’s good? Cleaning and maintaining your drive chain is a filthy, thankless task – and tends to be one that tends to get pushed a long way down...
Tent review: Coleman Phad X3
06 August 2010 by
Coleman Phad X3 tent from £135 (amazon.co.uk) Time used: Five months What’s good? Small tents tend to either be expensive, over-technical and developed for mountain types or heavy, disposable and...
Product review: Dr Optic visor cleaner
27 July 2010 by
Dr Optic visor cleaner, £1.99 for 24 wipes or £3.99 for an 18ml spray bottle Miles covered/time: 400/one month What’s good? This new visor cleaner is extremely portable and true to its claim to...
Product review: Scott Voltage Cruiser II goggles
23 July 2010 by
Scott Voltage Cruiser II goggles, £45.50 Miles covered/time: 400/one month What’s good? Have you seen them? Just like the 50s-style bike I ride, these marvels of eyewear (and, come to think of it,...
Kit review: DustOff heavy-duty large waterproof cover
07 July 2010 by
DustOff heavy-duty large waterproof cover, £39 Time owned: Six months What's good? I've got a heavy-duty Motrax cover which is very good except, after three years, I noticed its...
Kit review: Go Pro HD Camera
01 July 2010 by
Go Pro HD Camera, £299.99 Miles covered/time: Countless road tests/six months. What’s good? This onboard HD camera is an essential part of my filming equipment. The video resolution really is of...
Book review: American Dream Bikes
01 July 2010 by
When I heard Alan Cathcart’s latest book was called American Dream Bikes it conjured guys like Cole Foster, Shinya Kimura, and US-domiciled Brit Russ Mitchell, the master craftsmen of the custom bike...
Kit review: Ortlieb Zip City bag
24 June 2010 by
Ortlieb Zip City bag, £66 Miles covered/time: 400/one month What’s good? It brings back fond memories of my childhood paper-round, is as waterproof as a duck and has enough room to accommodate all my...
Kit review: Alpinestars Range Pack
17 June 2010 by
Alpinestars Range Pack, £119.95 Miles covered: 5000 miles/five months What’s good? As a road tester riding bikes all the time and travelling around the world to launches (I know, it’s a tough job…) I...
Cleaner review: S-Doc 100 Motorcycle Gel
03 June 2010 by
S-Doc 100 Motorcycle Gel, £16.20 Liam Marsden Time owned: One year What’s good? There are hundreds of bike cleaners on the market all offering something different and...
Trouser review: Sartso ‘Dark Grey’ Killer Kevlar jeans
28 May 2010 by
Sartso ‘Dark Grey’ Killer Kevlar jeans, £124.95 Miles covered/time: 400/one month What’s good? The simple fact that these are decent, every day usable jeans that I can wear both on and off bike with...
Product review: S-Doc 100 Chain Cleaner
28 May 2010 by
S-Doc 100 Chain Cleaner (300ml), £9.38 Time owned: Four months What’s good? The single most common criticism thrown in S-Doc’s direction is that their gel cleaner is terribly expensive for the amount...
Product review: Harley Davidson Legendary Performance eyewear
28 May 2010 by
Harley Davidson Legendary Performance eyewear, £46.39 Miles covered/time: 500 miles/one month What’s good? Wrap around shades and a piss pot lid have become the official headwear of the Harley rider...
Product review: Babooni Twister
18 May 2010 by
Babooni Twister, £8 Miles covered/time: 6000/eight months What’s good? This little quirky design is the ideal pouch for all types of bits and bobs. I use mine for spare change – it’s incredibly handy...
Luggage review: Lidl B-Square 32-litre Magnetic Tank Bag
18 May 2010 by
Lidl B-Square 32-litre Magnetic Tank Bag, £19.99 Miles covered: 5000/two years What’s good? It’s everything you could reasonably expect from a tank bag at a very reasonable price. Save money on tank...
Kit review: Rok Straps flat luggage straps
11 May 2010 by
Rok Straps flat luggage straps, £19.99 (twin pack) Miles covered/time: 800 miles/one month What’s good? It’s a great feeling when you arrive somewhere and that extra bag you had to carry because you...
Satnav review: Garmin Oregon 400T
07 May 2010 by
Garmin Oregon 400T, £399 Miles covered/time: 400 trail miles/two months What’s good? If you want to navigate green lanes, there are very few options open to you apart from a waterproof map case and...
Review: Full bodywork restoration and re-spray
28 April 2010 by
Full bodywork restoration and re-spray, £400 Miles covered/time: 5000/three years What’s good? Just look at the quality. This well-worn Kawasaki AR125 now looks like it’s come from a time capsule.
Product review: Wunderlich Micro Flooter auxiliary lights
28 April 2010 by
Wunderlich Micro Flooter auxiliary lights £175.75 Miles covered/time: 7500 miles/six months What’s good? I had these Wunderlich lights bolted to my BMW K1300R last year and they were brilliant in both...
Product review: HiMountain Mission 10
28 April 2010 by
HiMountain Mission 10, around £35 for similar rucksacks Miles covered/time: 3000 miles/three years What’s good? This rucksack/hydration pack is perfect for a day’s riding or for keeping you hydrated...
Product review: Oxford ChillOut turtleneck
21 April 2010 by
Oxford ChillOut turtleneck, £15.99 (£12.99 in MCN shop) Miles covered: 2000/one year What’s good? I wouldn’t be without this when it’s really cold and I’m not sure what I did before I got it. Save...
Product review: Garmin Quest GPS
21 April 2010 by
Garmin Quest GPS, approx £50 on eBay Miles covered/time: 5000/three years What’s good? The Quest GPS is small, waterproof, intuitive to use and has a working battery life of over 24hours, it also...
Product review: Muc-off Bike Spray
21 April 2010 by
Muc-off Bike Spray 500ml, £5.99 Used for: Six months What’s good? My crash-repaired VFR has had a tough life and has some ropey home-brewed paint (applied by a previous owner) but this spray manages...
Product review: Wunderlich Power-SportErgo handlebars
13 April 2010 by
Wunderlich Power-SportErgo handlebars, £485.74 Miles covered/time: 7500 miles/six months What’s good? This adjustable set of yokes and handlebars transformed a BMW K1300R from merely comfortable to...
Product review: Swarfega Jizer
13 April 2010 by
Swarfega Jizer, £4.99 Time used: Three months What’s good? Completely forgot I had this until a recent garage sort-out unearthed it – and it’s proved invaluable for de-greasing my Bonneville’s engine...
Product review: Swarfega Orange
08 April 2010 by
Swarfega Orange, £4.49 Time owned: Three months What’s good? This renowned hand cleaner shifts oil, grease and general dirt from grubby hands – ideal for avoiding crud-encrusted washing-up liquid...
Product review: Oxford Monster lock/chain
08 April 2010 by
Oxford Monster lock/chain, £85.54 on MCN Shop Time owned: Eight years What’s good? I’ve had this lock for the best part of a decade and it’s deterred thieves on at least two occasions. Save cash on...
Product review: Motrax Deluxe Bike Cover
08 April 2010 by
Motrax Deluxe Bike Cover, £39.99 (£35.99 on MCN shop) Time owned: Three years What’s good? Plenty of bike covers aren’t up to the job and become threadbare and prone to tears after just months in the...