Products

The REV’IT! Stratum GTX is the Dutch brand’s newest adventure travel kit and has been positioned by the company as its “halo product.” The jacket and pants feature a modular design meant to tackle the wide variety of scenarios one might experience on a proper adventure. Essentially, what we have here is a Gore-Tex outer shell and an inner mesh jacket and pants with armor built in, but there’s plenty more to talk about.

If you don’t understand, we can’t explain it to you. But you know who you are. It’s not a universal rule, but for many, many motorcycle riders, it’s Harley or nothing. For many of them, the best Harley helmet has to continue the theme that often but not always includes the leather vest, the chained wallet and the tattoos. For even more Harley riders, a good helmet is a good helmet. In truth, everybody’s skull is basically the same shape, on the outside anyway, so the best motorcycle helmets for Harley riders are still great helmets no matter what you ride. But there are definitely variations that make some of them the best motorcycle helmets for Harley riders. And away we go…

UPDATED Oct. 10, 2023: Amazon Prime Big Day Deals are here, with deals running Oct. 10 and 11 for Prime members. We’ll have the best motorcycle-related deals we can find right here as they become available.

Prime Day is finally here! We look forward to finding the best motorcycle deals out there in this consumer shopping spree. First launched in 2015, this sales event has become a huge bonanza for shoppers who don’t want to wait until Black Friday to buy things for themselves or others.

While, honestly, the number of motorcycle-specific deals pale in comparison to that of the general consumer products. We’ll be searching out the deals that might appeal to motorcyclists, like ourselves. Tools are one area that we expect to find some smoking deals – or Lightning Deals in Amazon parlance. These short-term price drops are usually a significant percentage. So, check back here often throughout the event. We’ll always have the newest deals at the top of the page.

Summer, as in hot weather. So hot it’s tempting to take the car instead of the bike and turn up the AC. Don’t fall into that trap. From there it’s a short trip to sloth and gluttony, followed shortly by despair. It’s always going to be tough to stay cool when you’re stopped, but once rolling, the miracle of convective cooling means you can remain reasonably chill even when the temperature starts climbing into triple digits – if you’ve got the right gear. The key is being able to adjust the airflow around your body, staying hydrated, and using your built-in cooling system to convect heat away from yourself. Here’s a quick sampler of the right stuff.

Beat the Heat: Riding Gear for Hot Weather

Motorcyclists love to tell stories about things that happened while they were riding. Having video evidence to back it up makes the stories even more fun. Who would believe you if you said that, as you were hard on the brakes from 160+ mph into Turn 2 at Laguna Seca, a ground squirrel ran across the track in front of you and the $100,000 Ducati Superleggera you were piloting? Well, Troy was able to document Mister Squizzles’ near-fatal dash, thanks to his helmet cam, and put an end to our disbelief. (See the proof here.)

Heroics aside, traveling by motorcycle is even more fun when you can capture the important moments of your trip while you’re actually riding. Group rides can be relived later. Track day lean angles can impress your buddies. Then there are the workday road warriors who commute via bike through the concrete canyons of their local city. They need the moto-equivalent of a dash cam to keep tabs on the other road users who are often paying more attention to their breakfast burrito than the other vehicles around them.

You just need to choose the right action camera, and you’ve got a ton of options. There are helmet cams, 360 cams, and even permanently mounted dash cams for commuters to use in case of a mishap. No matter what you want to record, there is a camera to handle that task. So, we’ve chosen what we think are the best motorcycle cameras around. Let us know in the comments if you have a personal favorite that isn’t mentioned here.

Astute readers are probably wondering why Motorcycle.com is publishing a First Ride of a bike that’s not coming to the States this model year. Our reasoning is that, thanks to the sleuthing of Dennis Chung, we suspect the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ will be coming to the U.S. in 2024. (Read about it here.) So, we thought our fellow MOrons might be as interested as we are in how well the new technology incorporated into the GT+ performs. We hope you enjoy this taste of what it has to offer. –EB

Yamaha’s highly acclaimed Tracer 9 GT sports tourer was launched back in 2021 during the pandemic and, unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to throw a leg over the new model. However, everyone I spoke to who had ridden the GT rated it very highly, so I had high expectations of the new 2023 Tracer 9 GT+, which gains a huge dollop of whizzy new tech plus some smart updates.

Remember in the bad old days when we had to tape directions to our bike’s gas tank? Well, smartphones have become an essential part of riding, and fewer and fewer of us can find ways to leave them behind when we go on our rides, particularly since you can track and share your rides with your buddies. However, playing music and running turn-by-turn directions can drain your phone’s battery. Naturally, we need a way to feed it while out on the road. While some phone mounts have built-in wireless charging, the vast majority are just a means of securing your phone to your motorcycle. So, here is our current list of the best motorcycle phone chargers we know of. If you have a favorite that’s not listed, let us know in the comments.

Best Motorcycle Phone Mounts

You’ll find these chargers lumped into two basic categories. One gets hard-wired into your bike’s electrical system, while the second is an adapter that plugs into your 12V socket on the bike. Either way, they then convert the power to 5V and deliver it via the cable that is appropriate for your phone. When it comes to installing your phone charger, we highly recommend that you use a switched circuit because they will otherwise place a constant small load on your motorcycle battery that could run it dry during storage.

–We’re constantly on the look for great deals on motorcycle gear. We’ll be updating this post each week with the latest sales on gear and accessories, so keep checking here for new deals.

HEY! Did you know you could help support us MOrons by buying stuff at Revzilla? It’s true. Whenever you click on over there after seeing a thing here, we get a piece of the pie. It’s a win/win situation – especially when the thing is on sale. You get a deal on what you needed anyway. We get to keep eating. Here are a few of this week’s retail therapy opportunities.

Modern motorcycle batteries have gotten so good that we largely don’t think about them until the sad day that we thumb the button and hear the starter struggle to get our Big Twin to crank through the compression stroke – or even worse, hear the dreaded click-click of a dead battery. Like it or not, batteries are consumable items on a motorcycle, and without proper care, can die on us at the most inconvenient times. So, if you suspect that your battery is getting ready to give up the ghost, we’re here to help you find a new battery to keep you headed down the highway.

Crashing sucks, but getting hurt because you weren’t wearing the right gear stings just a little bit more. You all know to wear your helmets, jackets, pants, gloves, and boots – but what are you wearing under all that? If you’re not wearing at least a back protector then you’re missing out on a relatively inexpensive piece of kit that can make a big difference. Add in a chest protector, and you have two components that can further absorb some of the impact energy of hitting the ground before your body does.

If you aren’t familiar, back and chest protectors are basically plastic exoskeletons with multi-density, impact-absorbing padding. Back protectors look similar to an armadillo’s shell, with numerous layers that articulate with the movement of your back, but also are difficult to hyperextend or bend backward. Chest protectors are basically trapezoidal pads that rest between your jacket and chest.

Here, we’ve compiled a list of back and chest protectors you might want to consider before your next ride. While these products are highly rated, they are just a sample of what’s out there. Before we begin, it’s worth mentioning that, if you have the means, we recommend wearing an airbag vest instead of a back and chest protector. The level of protection from an airbag is far superior. We made an airbag buyer’s guide to show you what options are currently on the market if you’re interested. Can’t pop for an airbag right now? No problem. Here’s the next best thing.

The first step in getting more performance out of an engine is to let it breathe easier, and if there’s one thing Harley-Davidson owners like, it’s the distinctive sound of their V-Twin rumbling beneath them. Achieving that sound and performance requires replacing a combination of parts, mainly the stock air cleaner and exhaust.

Here, we’re going to focus on the first part of that equation: a Stage 1 air cleaner (also known as an air intake). A Stage 1 air cleaner typically is best for an otherwise stock Harley with no internal modifications done to the engine. Once you start modifying your engine in search of maximum power, then moving to higher stage components might be in order – but that’s beyond the scope of this list.

Below, we’ve listed some top air cleaners for Harley-Davidsons. Since there are so many types of Harley engines spanning back through the years, it’s best to take advantage of the model finder in the links below to see if there is something applicable for your bike. The selection below is far from exhaustive, as there are tons of models that aren’t on this list. This is more of a representation of what’s available on the market. From round elements to conical, there are a plethora of different designs to suit nearly everyone’s tastes.

Look back at any review of a Harley-Davidson touring model (and any other model than the Pan America), and there’s a good chance you’ll find a sentence or two about Harley’s weird choices when it comes to suspension. Specifically, the rear shock(s). It seems as though, in order to bring the seat height as low as possible, Harley has sacrificed ride quality in the back by putting on a shock with hardly any suspension travel. Sure it works, but it doesn’t do the human spine any favors.

Fortunately, the aftermarket is littered with shock options to dramatically improve the ride back there. The aftermarket also has several different fork improvements, but that’s a topic for another time. Depending on your budget we’ve got options here from mild to wild, with basic damping improvements, to full adjustability to suit your exact style.

Riders of a certain age can remember when tank pads first gained wide popularity, moving from being little more than stickers guarding the interface between the abrasive zippers of riding gear and the delicate paint of the gas tank. The genesis of intricate pad designs was the advent of the high-backed tanks that appeared during the height of the sportbike wars, which required the rider to spoon their bodies around the tank’s curves. However, it wasn’t long before those early bits of plastic sprouted wings and grippier materials that wrapped around the sides of the tank to allow the rider to maintain better contact and control of the bike with their inboard knee while cornering. Today, the best motorcycle tank pads offer both style and function.

A quick search around the web will net you a swath of tank pads that range from little more than decorative thongs to highly-intricate, model-specific traction devices. There’s no one-style-fits-all, and like tattoos, many riders use them to express their individual flair. What we have collected below is a grouping of some of the most interesting and/or functional designs we’ve discovered. With so many variations of tank pad out there, this listing can hardly be definitive, so pipe up in the comments if we’ve missed your favorite.

What makes for a “best motorcycle tent”? Typically, it’s going to boil down to weight and size. The smaller you can pack down your tent, the more room you’ll have for necessary items like your Nanopresso espresso maker, or your high heels. Because backpacking and camping are such big business, motorcyclists can benefit from companies making lightweight, small camping setups, too. Here, we’ll take a look at a handful of options that stow well on a motorcycle and let you take your two-wheeled steed into the great outdoors for a night under the stars.

Here we go again; another trip around the sun done and dusted. As we enter the 2023 Christmas buying season, there’s one tradition that highlights the times. No, not the consumption of mass quantities of turkey. Rather, we’re here to honor Black Friday in its many forms. Time to get out your credit card and shop for those holiday deals.

On this page, we’ll be tracking some of the best Black Friday deals for motorcycle gear here, so keep checking this space for updates.