Products

Riding gear has largely been divided into two primary areas, dirt and street gear. Recent years, with the increase in popularity of adventure touring, we’ve seen touring suits morph into something that also accommodates off-roading. While that’s fine for that market, what about dual sport riders whose primary focus is beyond the pavement, but they’d like some protection on the necessary evils between trails? REV’IT! has answered this question with its DIRT Series of off-road gear. I took my recent conversion to dual-sport riding as an opportunity to check out some of the Dutch manufacturer’s gear. After I rode with it locally for a while on my KLX300, I decided to see if it had the chops for some adventure touring on our 2,000 mile middleweight adventure-touring Showdown from Sturgis to Los Angeles. The rest is history.

Showdown: 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 Vs. Yamaha Ténéré 700

Motorcycling airbags systems have now been in development for upward of 30 years. Companies like Alpinestars and Dainese have brought products to market, revised them, updated them, and developed new airbag systems to cover a broad range of motorcycling such as track riding, commuting, and off-road riding. We’ve seen these systems go from being integrated into specific garments, to standalone units that can be worn universally (with proper fitment). Now, we even have subscription-based systems that offer a lower barrier to entry price-wise than initially available.

Here at MO, we’ve done our best to cover the cutting edge of this technology as new products and airbags emerge. Heck, our own Troy Siahaan has proven himself time and time again to be a most excellent crash test dummy and because of this, he won’t be caught on two wheels without an airbag between him and impending doom. Do yourself a favor and read through Troy’s copious crash tested articles for first hand experience of airbag deployments. Due to his experience, I couldn’t think of a better person to lend a few keystrokes to this article.

Before we get into the five airbag systems we were able to test, we want to address the lack of a major player in the biz. We contacted Helite, which initially showed interest in being involved, but was then later unresponsive. Helite makes a range of airbag products from vests and jackets, to airbag backpacks, and now, airbag riding pants. All of the company’s current product line relies on mechanical tethers to the motorcycle which, when pulled, opens a CO2 cartridge which then deploys the airbag. There are other interesting features to Helite products and we are disappointed to have not been able to include them in this buyer’s guide.

While we know there are other companies out there, these were the latest products we were able to have on hand to review.

With all that said, let’s take a look at how airbags from the other major players stack up.

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

If the Google machine dropped you directly on this page without seeing the introduction to MO’s Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide, and you are confused as to what’s going on, you should click here to read the introduction and the full listing of jeans. If you’re the adventurous type who just wants to jump to our individual reviews of 34 pairs of jeans, the Table of Contents below will only give you a direct link to jeans on this page. So, we still recommend that you go to the introduction. There’s a lot of good info to cover.

MO Tested: Massive Riding Jeans Buyer’s Guide – Introduction

Pity the poor fool who’s got nothing to do for a week or two but roll around on his motorcycle – no job, no cares, no particular place to be. And if you’re fortunate enough to have all those things working in your favor, chances are you’re carrying around quite a bit of loot in the saddlebags and trunk of your Goldwing, Ultra Glide or big BMW K-bike – possibly even an accomplice. What you want on all of those bikes are tires that stick to the pavement, wet or dry, upright or dragging peg, carry a heavy load safely, and preferably wear like iron. Is that too much to ask?

Motorcycle carriers that mount to your vehicle’s hitch can prove to be incredibly convenient for all manner of reasons. The biggest reason being that it will allow you to carry a motorcycle with a vehicle that could not otherwise. Maybe you’re not willing to give up the convenience of your SUV just to haul a motorcycle now and then, or maybe you just like the idea of being able to stow the carrier when you’re not using it. Maybe you hate trucks?

There is a wide range of hitch-mounted carriers on the market. You’ll want to make sure you’re buying one that is well-made, especially if you plan on putting a street bike’s worth of heft on it. You’ll also want to be sure your vehicle can withstand the weight of the carrier and motorcycle. Even the two-wheeler you plan to use it for should be considered. For example, scooters have a serious rear weight bias. If you get a carrier only rated for the weight of your scooter, and most of that weight is being held on one side, you’re gonna have a bad time. With all things considered, let’s take a look at the best goldang motorcycle hitch carriers available today.

Adventure motorcycle helmets blend the features of on-road and off-road helmets, providing adventure riders with versatility that mirrors the capabilities of their machines in the great outdoors. Manufacturers of all kinds have entered the ADV helmet market, offering riders a wide array of options. To simplify your decision, we've compiled our top three picks of the best adventure motorcycle helmets, based on our extensive review and testing process, along with feedback from trusted enthusiasts and fellow journalists. When it comes to safety, we do our best to avoid recommending budget options, so below you'll find three picks that we believe are very similar in performance quality. As a result, these recommendations are listed in no particular order, and choosing the right one for you will largely depend on personal preference in terms of style and fitment.

Adding a motorcycle GPS to your riding repertoire can expand your horizons beyond your imagination. There are products on the market to suit every rider’s needs, whether off-road, on-road, or adventure. All the units covered here are specific motorcycle GPS products or units otherwise lend themselves very well to use on a bike. Your typical automotive GPS units aren’t built to the same standard as motorcycle GPS units and the often harsh environments we find ourselves in. While it’s important to compare features of the units themselves, two key elements to maximizing the benefit of motorcycle GPS units are the mapping products available and the computer or mobile device user interface. As you get deeper into this technology, you will find yourself spending more time on your mobile device or computer laying out your next ride, exploring with Google Earth, and ultimately, downloading and editing tracks you’ve actually recorded on the ground. Choosing a motorcycle GPS with the type of maps you want and the pre- and post-ride user environment are key considerations before purchasing a specific unit.

Saying that these moto-minded bits of tech have come a long way since their inception would be an understatement. Some of these units do much more than just point you in the right direction like syncing via Bluetooth to your helmet, phone and even to accessory tire pressure monitors. As they say (maybe too often), it’s a good time to be a motorcyclist.

Here’s Motorcycle.com’s list of the best motorcycle GPS units.

The job of a sportbike tire is a tough one. Considering the performance – and variety – of today’s modern sporting machines, an ideal tire needs to be able to warm up quickly, offer good grip in both wet and dry conditions, transfer feedback to the rider, and provide good handling capabilities. Thankfully, all the major tire companies work tirelessly to improve their tires to meet these demands. Of course, longevity is a concern as well, but compared to a sport-touring tire a sportbike tire won’t quite measure up with all the other duties it has to perform.

Here, we’ve gathered seven different tires that are great at handling it all. We’ve focused on street-based tires, since that’s where the majority of sportbike riders spend their time, although all of the tires here are more than capable of handling the occasional trackday or two. If you’re the serious trackday/racing type, we’ll have a separate guide for you coming soon.

Right, the MO staff has spent the last nine months exhaustively testing every chain lube on the market in all possible climatic conditions, over thousands of miles, to bring you this, the most authoritative work on motorcycle chain lubes ever assembled. Just kidding.

What kind of chain lube to use is right up there with what kind of oil. Earlier we learned that WD-40 is probably not the way to go, but you know we’ll get mail even about that. We also learned at the same time, that even though they’re sealed, O- and X-ring chains do still require lubrication to keep those seals pliable, so that they keep the internal lubrication inside and dirt and debris out. It’s all about the seals. Just make sure whatever you use says O-ring compatible. We can’t really tell you which lube is best, but we can tell you which lubricants lots of people swear by. In the end, it probably doesn’t matter which lube you use as long as you use lube.

(PS: We’re talking modern sealed chains, not the non O-ring type that people used to put on TZ250s and maybe still do on Moto3 motorcycles to “free up” horsepower.)

Touring connotes long days in the saddle, and that means long days with your head inside your helmet. Fit, then, is going to be of utmost importance when it comes to selecting a touring helmet. A helmet that gives you a hot spot might not be a huge deal when you’re only wearing it for 45 minutes. Over the course of days, though, like an annoying travel companion, an ill-fitting helmet will grow to be a thing you loathe.

Traveling to a brick and mortar store to try helmets on is the best thing you can do, and if that’s not possible then finding an online retailer with a generous return policy is the next best way to go. When you try a helmet on, keep it on for a while too. Minor annoyances that grow large over time can take a while to show themselves.

Anyway, there are hundreds of possibilities, but here we scratch the surface with eight of the best motorcycle touring helmets we’ve either sampled, or that come highly recommended from trusted sources.

Some of our favorite best touring helmets are modulars, or flip-front helmets, so see also Best Modular Helmets.

Tires – they’re quite possibly the single most important part of any motorcycle, regardless of the type of riding discipline. They’re the one thing – okay, two things – that you ideally ever want coming into contact with the ground while riding a motorcycle (knee and elbow dragging don’t count). Speaking of contact, you only get but a couple square inches of rubber per tire ever touching the ground at any given moment, and on top of that, your tires have to contend with an ever-changing multitude of forces and conditions all while fighting for traction, so you definitely want to choose a tire that’s going to suit your riding style and needs as closely as possible.

The sport-touring tire segment is an interesting one because the goal is to blend supersport corner-carving grip and performance with mile-munching cruiser type wear and longevity – two opposite sides of the spectrum. Sport touring bikes like the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT and Kawasaki H2 SX (and many others) deliver horsepower numbers well north of 150 that can decimate the life of a tire. Additionally, tire life is obviously also heavily dependent on how hard you twist the throttle, and how often. So this begs the question: How much cornering grip are you willing to sacrifice in favor of a long-lasting tire you won’t have to change each season, and how often will you be tilting the horizon vs. riding in a straight line?

Fortunately, tire technology is advancing each year and manufacturers like those listed below have offerings that compromise very little side grip and performance in favor of centerline longevity. These are our picks for best sport-touring tires.

If there’s a piece of apparel most associated with motorcycling, it’s undoubtedly the leather motorcycle jacket. The leather jacket is part of our uniform, but even non-riders search the bins for cowhide when it’s time to dress up for Halloween, or down for any occasion that calls for cool. No matter what you ride, the best leather motorcycle jackets are versatile enough to look at home nearly anywhere, and on nearly anything. A premium leather jacket will never go out of style, and the more you wear a quality one, the more comfortable it will feel – there’s just something about leather that other materials can’t match. Bountiful and ubiquitous, with seemingly endless options to choose from, it would be impossible for us to feature every single jacket out there. So here we’ve gathered a small sampling of the best leather motorcycle jackets the market has to offer, listed in alphabetical order.