Parts & accessories (Jan - Dec 2010)

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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;...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...