Back when I got my Buell, I was a member of Netrider.org, an online motorcycle group and forum. One of my roles within the group was I edited the newsletter that was emailed out to every member. We would include "rider reviews" on just about anything to do with motorcycling - gear and equipment, locations and of course, bikes.
Given that my bike is currently having some work done on it today, I was given a loaner and thought it might be a nice way to revisit old times by doing a quick review on the new gear I got recently.
So, let's begin with the new gear.
First up is the Shark Speed R MXV Sauer helmet. It is considerably lighter than the old Shark I had (a Carl Foggarty replica) but due to new rules the clip mechanism on the chin strap has now been replaced by the Double D ring system. This is a little bit of a pity as the clip system worked wonderfully and meant you could do up your lid without having to remove your gloves, but the powers that be have deemed this a safer alternative. The Speed R has a very wide viewing angle (the widest of any helmet so they say) and with the few I compared it to I'd have to agree. The visor uses an allen bolt to adjust the stiffness of the visor - no ratchets or anything here, just a very smooth action. The visor is held closed by a small pin on the left hand side that the visor clicks over. It seems to hold it very tightly closed and there is no movement at high speed. When the visor is left open this is very noticable wind noise and a high pitched whistling. I tend to ride with my visor up a lot and so this can be very annoying. Like a lot of new helmets the Speed R also has the retractable sun shield built in (think of it like the dark visor that slides down into place on a fighter pilots helmet). This works really well and I've stopped wearing sunglasses under my lid.
With the visor closed the is very little wind noise and the ventilation with the chin vent open is much better than what I was used to with my old helmet. All in all, I'm very pleased with the Shark Speed R MXV Sauer helmet. Retail price is around $450 to $500.
Second on the list are the Dainese Carbon Cover gloves, so named I expect for the carbon fibre knuckle guards and inserts. Very comfortable to wear, good ventilation and typical Dainese quality. Retail price is around $130 to $140.
Lastly, the Axo Striker 9 to 5 Boots. These low cut boots wear just like a pair of shoes. My last pair of boots were Alpine Star boots that were brilliant but have finally come to the end of their life. These Axo's are quite comfortable but have taken a little getting used to. The ratchet spool and stainless steel laces system works really well (it's been used for a long time on mountain bike shoes I was told) and has now made it's way into motorcycle boots. The main reason I went with these was that I don't want to have to carry a spare pair of shoes to Uni (if I can help it), and a full boot can be quite uncomfortable to wear all day if you aren't on the bike. The fit is a little wider than I'm used to (I have quite a narrow but long foot) but this hasn't proven to be an issue - a thicker pair of socks seems to have done the trick. Retail price is around $160 to $170.
I also have an Ogio Stealth Mark 3 backpack but I've only used this once for a very short ride so far so I won't try to review that just yet, maybe in the next couple weeks once I've had a chance to give it a good going over.
And there you have it, a quick review of some new gear.
