Right off the bat I have a confession to make: Alpinestars has discontinued the Hellcat denim jeans being reviewed here. That said, the Hellcat is still available new via online retailers. It’s also become one of my favorite pieces of riding apparel, so I feel compelled to tell you why. If you’re the type to wait and buy closeout items of discontinued stock, then this review is for you.

Our Garmin Virb XE action camera is quite the world traveler. In our possession since its introduction last year, our Virb XE has been put to task aboard Honda’s exotic RC213V-S on Portugal’s GP racetrack in Estoril, as well as in the Karoo region of South Africa during another Honda launch, the Africa Twin. While in South Africa the Garmin went fishing (waterproof to 50 meters) on a great white shark diving expedition. So far, it’s proven to be a durable, dependable unit capable of not only recording excellent video, but also acquiring data with its G-Metrix system.

If I were looking for ultimate foot and ankle protection while riding, a full racing boot would be the way to go. When it comes to racing, engineers and designers are constantly looking for ways to prevent injury to the all-important foot and ankle during high-speed get-offs like you’d see in racing. Fortunately, that kind of protection translates well to the street, too.

Riders on the European side of the pond are probably more familiar with the Swiss manufacturer iXS Motorcycle Fashion Apparel than those in the American market. However, don’t let the word fashion in the company name fool you. iXS produces motorcycle gear ranging from technical undergarments to race-ready one-piece leathers and everything in between. Since the company is looking to expand its presence stateside, the timing was perfect to sample part of the iXS vintage line of leather jackets. To my eye, the Flagstaff looked to provide an ideal balance between retro styling and real-world protection.

Part of our jobs as editors at a motorcycle-focused publication is to model a variety of riding gear for our readers, as it gives visibility to a wider variety of gear than you might have access to at a local motorcycle dealership. So, while displaying a variety of gear options is part of our job, you’ll also discover, if you look closely, that every MO staffer has their favorite items that show up in more photos than others. In my case, for the better part of a year, you would have seen quite a few appearances of the Troy Lee Designs Apex Pro Glove.

We’ve ridden the Indian Chieftain a few times, and we’ve always been fond of its engine and power delivery. Still, the semi-secret, unofficial MO Motto is “More is more.” So, when the Indian PR folks asked us which model Chieftain Dark Horse we wanted to take home to cuddle up with, a stocker or one that had been blessed with the complete listing from the factory performance catalog, you can probably guess our answer. Then toss in the fact that, with the exception of the model-specific exhaust, all of these modifications could be made to any Thunder Stroke 111 engine, and we saw the opportunity to share our bounty with our readers.

If you wear the same pair of pants for weeks, months or maybe even years without washing them, they become so saturated with the oils from your skin that they become a whole other kind of material, one that has unique waterproof characteristics. The downside is your pants also develop a unique smell that’s familiar to you if you use the free internet terminals in a big-city library, where a guy is searching for evidence that the government agency beaming radio signals into his brain also kidnapped the keyboard player from the early-’80s funk group Dazz Band and replaced him with a robot.*

Riders who prefer wearing tinted shields on their helmets instead of sunglasses tucked inside them are painfully aware of the conundrum: How do we handle the switch to a clear shield after dark?

Since 1979 Metzeler has produced only motorcycle tires. This singular focus has yielded significant firsts. In 1978, the company created the first tubeless motorcycle tire. The first tire with transversal grooves rolled out of the Metzeler factory in 1982, and the first mass-production tire with a Kevlar belt came out a year later. The first rear tire with a 0° steel belt came in 1992, and four years later, the first set or radial tires with 0° steel belts was released in the form of the Metzeler ME Z4. The march continued in 2008 with the patent of Interact technology for the Roadtec Z6 Interact. Now, Metzeler has released the heir to the popular Roadtec Z8 Interact throne, the Metzeler Roadtec 01.

While Dunlop was in town to show off its new Elite 4, it went ahead and dropped its new Adventure bike tire on us too: The new Trailsmart replaces the long-running Trailmax TR91.

There are only three things you really need to know about the all-new Dunlop Elite 4, sayeth Dunlop: mileage, mileage, and more mileage. According to a test performed by an independent lab in March of 2016, with 130/70R18 and 180/60R16 Dunlop Elite 4 tires on a 2007 Honda Gold Wing, you could cross the U.S.A. six times before needing to replace your tires. Correct, up to 18,000 miles.

Come on, admit it, you’ve wondered what it would be like to be a pro racer. You know, with your custom-fit leathers replaced if they develop any unseemly abrasions or the rack of helmets – all with interiors sculpted to your exact head dimensions – so that you never have to suffer the indignity of donning a sweaty lid during practice. Well, Shoei is offering the chance for average riders to bring their current generation Shoei to select events in 2016 and experience the luxury of having a helmet custom-fit to the nooks and crannies of their noggins. And…wait for this…it will be free for now. Pretty cool, eh?

In our Beginner-Ish Sportbike Shootout, the KTM entry got beat up about its brakes. When compared to the CBR300, the Ninja 300, and the YZF-R3 , the poor RC390’s binders, well, just didn’t compare. Of course, this sparked discussions about whether the ByBre brakes were inferior to the components that its parent, Brembo, both designs and manufactures. Well, thanks to Scandinavian Brake Systems (SBS), we’ve had the opportunity to test this theory with a set of SBS 877RS pads. For this test, we’ve enlisted a 390 Duke, which shares its single 300mm disc and 4-piston, radial-mount caliper with the RC390, as our test mule.

As part of my job, I wear tons of motorcycle boots both on bikes and walking around at events or on daylong photo shoots. These Rev’It Regent H2O are the first boots in my 20 years of testing gear that have made the transition to becoming part of my everyday streetwear – boots that I choose to put on even when I’m not planning on riding.

Most people don’t think too much about the sunglasses they wear when riding motorcycle. They cover my eyes? Check. They look good? Check. Then I’m good to go. Uh, no.

What it is, really, is a street-going knobby for big, heavy adventure bikes, which are all the rage lately in case you hadn’t noticed. The leader of that dusty, BMW R1200GS-riding pack has for years been the Continental TKC80, which Michelin had squarely in its sights with the new Anakee Wild, as well as your Metzeler Karoo 3 and Heidenau K60 Scout. The Anakee Wild (not to be confused with the Anakee 3) cleans all their clocks, according to Michelin (as well as being good at cleaning itself in mud).

Don’t know about you, but when I think about the latest, greatest hot sticky tires for sportbikes, I don’t think “Continental” first, and the new Conti Sport Attack 3 isn’t really designed to change that. Probably that’s because Continental isn’t really associated with racing like Bridgestone, Pirelli, Dunlop, not in the U.S. at least. The new Sport Attack 3 is a sportbike tire designed for street use, for long life, for good but not ultimate grip, and in the case of this tire, increased wet traction.

Okay, raise your hand if you’ve ever whiled away an evening watching those ubiquitous Russian dash-cam videos. They can be, quite literally, a train wreck from which we simply can’t avert our eyes. Well, technology is making it possible to take people’s selective (and biased) memories out of the blame assessment process for motorcycle accidents, too. Or, maybe, you just want to post your hero videos from your latest ride or track day for your friends to view online. (Just make sure it doesn’t become fodder for your entry into the Darwin Awards.) Either way, the Innovv K1 Motorcycle Camera offers a reasonably priced, permanently mounted camera/DVR system available for motorcyclists.

When it comes to one-piece riding suits for the streets, Aerostich has been the benchmark others have strived to equal. Anecdotally speaking, I see more Aerostich suits on the road than I do any other brand. Ironically, I never quite meshed with the ‘Stich suit I had in the past as it restricted my leg movement while riding. Shame, since I really wanted to like the suit as the concept behind it is solid.

Comfortable shoes. It’s the foremost important aspect of enjoying any large consumer or trade show. Comfortable Shoe Editor, Troy Siahaan, and I had this conversation last November when attending media day at Long Beach IMS. We both rode to the show, but whereas he brought sneakers to change into, I arrived in a new pair of Bates Adrenaline riding boots and put them to the ultimate comfort test by wearing them all day during the show. Four months, a parade’s worth of walking miles, and thousands of riding miles later, I’m here to report the Bates Adrenaline boots are, unequivocally, the most comfortable riding boots I’ve ever owned.

Intelligent Cranium Helmets is developing a prototype helmet with more electronic functionality than any other smart helmet available or imagined. The iC-R features twin full-color heads-up displays, twin rear-facing cameras, a LiDAR rear collision alert system, an electronically tinting visor, built-in Bluetooth communications, phone connectivity, and a solar panel to help power all this equipment. Can a helmet with this much future tech be realized with current batteries? Get approved by DOT, Snell or ECE? ICH says yes, and that the company can do it for a retail price less than $1,600. According to the most recent update (1/6/2016) on the company’s website, ICH has entered into development agreements with:

Retailing for $1,099.95, the Dainese Veloster one-piece perforated suit is an affordable alternative to the more expensive offerings in Dainese’s closet. For sure, you’re sacrificing some of the features and benefits of the high-end suits, but primary protection remains as does comfort. Best thing, the Veloster is of the “In” boot variety, meaning, instead of stuffing bulky leathers inside your boots, the Velosters are designed to be worn over the boot.

Our apologies to our friends on the east coast who actually do experience a winter, but here in Southern California, where the MO gang call home, the weather lately has been nothing short of perfect. Hot, even. Save for a couple rain showers here and there, El Nino has hardly made a dent in increasing our water levels and it’s come nowhere close to causing homeowners to cash in their flood insurance. In the long run this doesn’t help California’s drought problem, but in the short term at least we can go ride. And with the moderately high temps during the day cooling down dramatically once the sun goes down, a three-season jacket is the thing to have.

We’ve all had that sinking feeling as our motorcycle starts to sputter unexpectedly, triggering a quick glance to the fuel gauge or low fuel light. Have you ever noticed how much quicker a bike seems to slow down when it runs out of gas compared to when you just chop the throttle? It probably has something to do with the complete lack of control you have over the throttle at this moment. Still, even in the best of circumstances, running out of gas on a bike is a pain. You’ll either have to push the bike if a station is in sight or go get a container of gas.

The idea behind the Headwave TĀG is turning your helmet into a giant, wearable speaker – a “Concert Capsule” as Headwave likes to call it. Does it work? Absolutely. Does it work well? Not really… at least not yet.

Today, Black Brand launched its line of motorcycle gear aimed squarely at the V-Twin/Cruiser market, and you might be wondering why you should care. Well, when developing the line the folks behind Black Brand did their due diligence and found what they think is a huge hole in the cruiser gear market. Anyone on the cruiser scene is aware of the 800-pound gorilla of the V-Twin world, and the Harley team does a pretty good job of dominating its corner of the market with well-made clothing with its name emblazoned all over it.

The best way to demonstrate the features and benefits of Shoei’s raciest new helmet, the X-Fourteen, is at speed on a racetrack. So, while East coast residents were trying to avoid snow-shoveling-induced heart attacks, those of us residing on the West end were enjoying perfect trackday weather at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. There were some rumblings that the long, banked, NASCAR straight at Auto Club Speedway would have been a better venue for high-speed, aerodynamic testing of the X-Fourteen, but besides that long, banked straight, the Fontucky track sucks.

When I’m looking for an all-purpose motorcycle boot, I have a few key requirements. First, it needs armor to protect my feet in a tumble or slide. Second, since my travels take me through temperatures from the low 40s to over 100 F, they should be three-season comfortable – breathability is important here. Waterproofness for rain/shine riding is a must, too. Finally, a general-purpose motorcycle boot should be nondescript, making it just as appropriate off the bike as on while blending in with any style street motorcycle. The TCX Touring Classic / AirTech EVO Gore-Tex boot achieves all of these requirements, making them part of my regular riding gear.

Back in the timeline of my motorcycle sales career, I managed to piss off the Arai rep who serviced the dealership I worked for by ordering an AGV helmet after having already ordered an Arai through him. A young racer named Valentino Rossi was rampaging the 125cc GP class, and his helmet design was one of the coolest I’d ever seen. The AGV didn’t fit as good as the Arai and I had to pay full-pop instead of the bro deal the Arai rep was giving me, but I wanted Rossi’s design that bad. Years later, returning from San Francisco’s Halloween festivities to where my T595
Triumph Daytona was parked on some side street, I arrived to find my beloved Rossi AGV cut from the bike, only a dangling D-ring left to prove it once existed. I still hate whoever that guy was.

What’s the first thing motorcyclists look for when modifying their bike? More power. So, when we got an email claiming a 1 to 4 horsepower increase from Sprint Filter air cleaners, we decided to check it out. Our test mule would be my beloved 2003 Yamaha R6 that is still – as far as the fuel and exhaust systems are concerned – basically stock. (In the interest of full disclosure, it does have a set of Factory Pro Velocity Stacks that I’d forgotten about until I opened the airbox.) What better way to finally get my 13-year-old 600 to the dyno to see how it compares to current generation sporting hardware?

It took a while to fully test Held’s Race-Tex gloves because we’ve been waiting for an opportunity to wear them in the rain. When the rain finally arrived, not only did the Race-Tex gloves prove to be impenetrable to falling water from the sky but also, as a follow-up test, to the direct torrent of water from the kitchen faucet. The Gore-Tex lining did its job of maintaining a dry interior while also keeping claminess to a minimum due to its breathability. Sometimes, name brands such as Gore-Tex are worth the extra cost of ownership.

For quite a while, I’ve been looking for a two-piece leather riding suit for use on sporting street rides that could also double as track leathers in a pinch. Yes, a one-piece suit could work, but in the world away from the track, I’ve found them to be more than a little inconvenient. (Think bathrooms and restaurants.) Two-piece leathers offer almost the same level of protection while adding the versatility of wearing the jacket with riding jeans or simply taking off the jacket when stopping at a roadside cafe. So, the Rev’It Replica Jacket and GT-R Pants caught my eye.

You don’t see many Davida helmets around, not this side of the pond anyway. When I got the word I’d be off to ride the all-new Triumph Street Twin, first of the new Bonnevilles, it felt like the right time to sample one. Davida has been at it for more than 30 years on the Wirral (Peninsula) in the U.K., cranking out helmets the old-fashioned way.

I’ve always been a fan of motorcycle tank bags. From within a month of my first bike purchase, I’ve had a tank bag for my bike. In fact, before I became a motojournalist, my tank bag was pretty much part of my motorcycle, only being removed for washing and track days. Twenty-five years ago, all tank bags were strapped on to their respective mounts, making them less convenient for folks who owned more than one bike. Along came magnetic tank bags, and the tank bag was revolutionized. So, naturally, the bike manufacturers countered with fuel cells below the seat and plastic “tanks” containing the airbox.

For 2015 Alpinestars officially labeled its new Pikes Drystar jacket as sport-touring apparel. But what is sport-touring? Is it riding fast on a saddlebag-equipped Suzuki V-Strom 1000 in the above photo, or is it spending a long weekend aboard a Kawasaki Z1000 (luggage options available) in the photo below? My mind’s eye says the Pikes jacket is appropriate for either, and looks good doing both.

The Setgo Jump Jet is a bi-fold “dual-mode” messenger bag providing a minimalist approach to both conspicuity and capacity. In other words, the Jump Jet is the perfect carrying companion for those who don’t carry much.

If Richard La Plante wanted to build a perfect customer for his “ear movie,” the podcast/ radio play/audiobook Hog Fever, he would probably look a lot like me – middle-aged, neurotic, and a passionate lover of riding who also enjoys listening to podcasts and audiobooks in his spare time. I don’t know if that describes you, but if it does, you should read this.

With our heads in the moto-sand, we were unaware lithium jump starters existed until Weego’s motorcycle-specific press release arrived. Now on our radar, the Weego piqued both our interest and disbelief. A smartphone-sized device that can turn over, not only a dead motorcycle, but also automotive engines up to 4.6L! Nah … really?

MO readers know that electronics are changing motorcycling at a blinding pace – and I’m not even referring to the technology that the OEMs are building into the current generation of motorcycles. Today, your typical rider has a smartphone that can act as a GPS. Sooner or later, many riders will want to be able to hear those turn-by-turn directions while they ride. Then it’s a pleasantly slippery slope from earbuds to Bluetooth communicators to action cameras to who knows what’s next. The problem is that most of these gadgets run on batteries. And batteries need to be charged. That’s where the Goal Zero Venture 30 Solar Recharging Kit shines.

I’ve been looking for a brown leather jacket for a while, but nothing had quite tickled my fancy. While I liked the feature set, particularly the full perforation of the Dainese Street Rider jacket John Burns recently tested, I felt it was a little too sporty in the styling for my purposes. I wanted something that would look at home on a modern classic or cruiser as it would on a sporty bike. So, when I stumbled on the AGV Sport Element Vintage Jacket during some clandestine surfing on family movie night (a.k.a. dad suffers through yet another kid-friendly rom-com), I was pretty stoked. It had the right combination of classic yet modern style I craved. My only real hesitation was whether the arm and shoulder vents could make up for the lack of perforation in the SoCal heat.

A week or two ago I sang the praises of one of my favorite jackets, this Dainese Street Rider. Today, it’s time to confess my love for the jeans that complete the ensemble. I’ve had these Bonneville jeans for six months now, and they’ve become not just my favorite motorcycle riding jeans but my favorite jeans period. For me, I guess that’s almost the same thing; thanks to the hot summer we’ve been having that’s only now segueing into a hot winter. I only put on pants when I’m going somewhere on a motorcycle. (The rest of the time it’s the Spongebob boxers or the Speedo.)

If you’re already a fan of grand prix motorcycle racing, Hitting the Apex will transport you from the stands inside the garages and beyond, occasionally into the living rooms of the riders themselves. Any sports documentary capable of doing that must be deemed a success.

The Shorai LFX lithium-iron battery in my trusty R1 (trusty mostly because of the battery) first took up residence there in early 2010, when I toiled at a competing publication. At the time, Shorai was a new player in the battery business, had some teething problems, and walked back its claim that its batteries could last ten years (mostly because they were so new, there was no way to back that up).

One of the problems with having such vast facilities here at the MO Media Publishing Center for World Domination and Pizza Delivery Service is that, every once in a while, something gets mislabeled and improperly filed by our Automated Product Testing Storage and Retrieval Processor. Such is the case with the Lockstraps products we’re reviewing here. Tucked away in the back, behind some crates of recycled megapixels and spare terabytes, we found a mysterious analog box in the strictly digital section of our warehouse.

Here’s a first-world problem for you: You’re out riding a new road only to realize you’re lost. You’ve got somewhere to be and now, not only will you be late but you also don’t know where you’re going. Luckily, you brought a GPS and your cell phone is fully charged (or, if you’re really fancy, your phone is your GPS). But having to take your glove off to use the touchscreen is annoying. What do you do?

If you’ve been reading or watching MO sportbike reviews/videos in the last three years, you’ve certainly witnessed me wearing Rev’It Stingray leathers – the white with red and black highlights color scheme is both attractive and hard to miss. The Stingray has been my go-to one-piece leather suit for so long I’m loathe to retire it, but I was informed that earlier this year Rev’It discontinued this particular style. So, before I get too far behind current fashions, it’s time give my Stingray a farewell salute.

I was smitten with the Dainese Street Rider jacket as soon as I saw it on Guy Martin on the cover of a Brit bike magazine last spring, and when a press release pimping it showed up in my inbox from Dainese shortly thereafter, I took it as a sign that the gods wanted me to have one. You should stop reading right now if $679.95 is too much for a jacket; I hate to admit I’ve become a terrible 1%-er when it comes to things like this.

To build a better anything, removing the weakest link is a great place to begin. That’s exactly what Alpinestars did with its new-for-2016 SuperTouring Gore-Tex boot. To improve the boot’s weatherability the zipper was taken out of the equation. With no entry point, fording a fairly deep water crossing is about the only way your tootsies are gonna get wet inside these boots.

Riding jeans are not the rarity they used to be. When the idea was first developed, simply lining good old denim jeans with a layer of Kevlar was novel and counted as additional protection. Today, just about every motorcycle gear manufacturer has their own riding jeans with many offering varied levels of protection. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the riding jean reviews we’ve done in the last year or so:

Nope, the blue helmet pictured is the C3 Pro, which German helmet maker Schuberth has been making since 2013. We got to attend a fun little media gathering last night for Schuberth’s all-new E1 Adventure helmet, which Schuberth wants you to know all about. What they don’t want are any images of it released to the public yet. We’ll play along as if everything’s perfectly normal.

Either you have one or you don’t. If you don’t, you’ll know the moment you try to find a set of off-the-rack leathers to fit your custom-sized body. Manufacturers have a tough job when designing mass-produced riding gear, and nowhere is it more apparent than in one-piece racing leathers.

No, sorry, replica Lorenzo leathers are not part of Alpinestars’ 2016 apparel collection, but the company is inextricably linked to the sport by protecting many of its participants. Many safety developments available to the public originate from knowledge gained at the track. And the above photo is much tastier than a logo or a studio shot of a new jacket.

It didn’t take long for my initial excitement over having a decent-sized garage turn into my other primary emotion: Never satisfied. Looking at my 52-year-old garage floor makes you wonder what people have been doing in here? Or maybe it’s just the nature of cement or concrete, or whatever it is? Parts of it look like powerful acid was spilled on it, other parts like a massive oil spill (I’ve been known to add two quarts of fresh oil to the Chevelle myself, in my dad’s garage, before realizing as my feet began to slither that the sump plug had not been replaced): Other parts look like bonfires had been used by native peoples for cooking since antiquity, who knows?

In case you haven’t heard by now, I crashed in the middle of our 2015 Literbike Track Shootout. Well, to put it more accurately, I was taken out by another rider. If you missed it, jump to the 0:41 mark of our accompanying video to see exactly what happened. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to be wearing proper gear, including the Alpinestars GP-Pro leather suit, which took the brunt of the damage, but I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to write this review, as putting any piece of protective gear through the ultimate test really, well, sucks.

Sena has been on a tear, lately. The Bluetooth communication company threw down the gauntlet with the release of the Sena 20S Motorcycle Bluetooth Communication System, bringing class-leading features and ease-of-use to the helmet communicator market. Then, back in December, Sena jumped into the action-camera fray with its Prism Bluetooth Action Camera featuring a unique Bluetooth audio recording capability. It might seem logical to sit back and let these two products gather market share. Instead, Sena has released a product that combines many of the key features of the 20S and Prism into one package that checks in at $349 – significantly less than the 20S/Prism combo, even with the recently lowered Prism price.

Italy is a beacon of motorsports, and that also holds true in terms of motorcycle race apparel. Alpinestars and Dainese are the two most prominent Italian apparel companies, but Spidi is another compelling player in the market. World-championship riders wearing Spidi leathers include Marco Melandri, Scott Redding, Leon Camier and Ayrton Badovini. (Not to be confused with Sidi, which is a different Italian company that makes footwear for motorcyclists.)

The wait is almost over. Introduced in 2011 to European consumers, it took another 4.5 years for the D|air technology to reach our shores. Early adopters can pre-order D|air Racing suits now with an expected arrival date sometime in September.

I have a love/hate relationship with this thing. For several days I hated it as I tried and failed to get its two prongs to slip gracefully and simultaneously into my old R1’s frame hole (for the upper rear engine mount) and swingarm pivot hole. The stand itself is universal, but comes with a specific side plate to fit your bike. The side plate’s very adjustable, but adjust though I might, I couldn’t get the two prongs lined up quite right to just roll the stand up to my bike and slide in effortlessly (like they do it in the video).

Got my Sena bluetooth communicator on and synced to my iPhone, the destination address entered into Waze, and KCRW streaming for my listening pleasure. I pull away from the garage and moments later everything stops transmitting during the switch from Wi-Fi to LTE. Damnit! Pull over, take off the gloves and re-sync. Not a hard task, but an aggravation. An aggravation I no longer suffer because of Nanotips, a liquid touchscreen solution you can apply to almost any material.

With the AGV AX-8 EVO Naked, the Italian helmet brand is bringing a new look to the street market, one that caters to what it calls “new road-riders generation.” The AX-8 EVO’s shape appears round and featureless, and its ventilation ports are minimal. Its eyeport, however, is huge, and its chinbar tapers sharply from the cheeks to the chin, very similar to a dual-sport or off-road helmet. This isn’t a coincidence; when looking for inspiration for a new sport-touring oriented street helmet, AGV turned to its AX-8 DUAL EVO lid. Essentially, the Naked version strips the visor from the off-road helmet and calls it a day. A simple approach, but the result is this contemporary and modern-looking helmet.