Italian Custom Motorcycles – wBW Book Review
Italian Custom Motorcycles By: Uli Cloesen Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-845843-94-6 Publisher: Veloce Publishing Publication Date: March 2013 128 Pages. 260 Photos. 250 mm x 250 mm List Price: $39.95; £25.00 Italian customs I can understand. After all, Ducati owners have been doing it all along; Ducatis are basically made for customizing. But Italian choppers? I hadn’t …
Shoei GT Air Review
Shoei GT Air Helmet Review Shoei has been releasing helmets at a fairly rapid clip lately and the new GT Air is brand new for 2013. The GT Air is very comfortable (as long as it fits your head shape). It’s also one of the quietest full-face helmets we’ve reviewed in a variety of conditions …
BMW Café Racers – wBW Book Review
BMW Café Racers By: Uli Cloesen Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-845845-29-2 Publisher: Veloce Publishing Publication Date: February 2013 128 Pages. 205 Photos. 250 mm x 250 mm List Price: $39.95; £25.00 BMW Café Racers continues what is now a four-part series of “square” (25 cm x 25 cm) books authored by Uli Cloesen for Veloce Publishing. The first …
Rukka Lobster Gloves Review
Rukka “Lobstah” Gloves The Rukka Lobster gloves are exceptionally comfortable and very warm. The “Lobster” name comes from the three-finger design, a welcome change from “normal” winter motorcycle gloves. Many webBikeWorld readers have been looking for this style, so the Rukka Lobster gloves should be very popular. The gloves also have a Gore-Tex membrane, which makes them waterproof …
Rukka R-Star Gloves Review
Rukka “R-Star” Gloves Review The Rukka R-Star gloves are a two-for-one (or “2-in-1”) with a two-compartment liner giving you warm and extra warm. Wear them with the liner divider on the top for better heat transfer from heated grips and more protection from the elements. Or use the inner liner for more palm warmth (and more …
UClear HBC200 Review
UClear HBC200 “Force” Intercom Review The new UClear HBC200 “Force” Bluetooth intercom system uses the same “boomless” microphone design as the proven UClear HBC100 intercom (review). The UClear intercoms are unique, because they do not have the typical boom or wired microphone found on other intercom systems. This eliminates some of the wiring and complexity when …
Tork XPro X2 Speaker Review
Better Speakers and a Mini Amplifier for Helmets “Like having a concert hall in your helmet” isn’t far from the truth when describing the Tork XPro speakers. They deliver, with louder volumes than any of the stock motorcycle intercom speakers we have tried. Of course, more isn’t always better when it comes to decibels. The …
Caberg Justissimo GT Review
Caberg Justissimo GT Helmet Review The Caberg Justissimo has been in production probably longer than any other motorcycle helmet. It’s approaching a ten year anniversary and it’s still a very popular helmet. Continuous improvements and evolution through the years have kept it fresh. The current iteration, the Justissimo GT, is still one of the best-looking …
Vemar Geo Helmet Review
The Vemar “Geo” Helmet The new 2012 Vemar Geo is a new mid-range helmet. It features a “Tricomposite” shell with an angular design. The intake and exhaust vent styling also makes the Geo stand out from the crowd. The ventilation and visibility are good. And the internal sun visor has about the best coverage of …
Motorcycle Video Camera Mounts
More Motorcycle Video Camera Mounts Four more suction cup mounts that just don’t work very well for motorcycle video cameras. Someday, hopefully, someone will develop a better solution for mounting a camera on a helmet or bike. Motorcycle video camera manufacturers just don’t get it. Making a great little camera isn’t enough — if it …
Airoh J106 Review
Airoh J106 Helmet Review The Airoh J106 is a true modular motorcycle helmet that can be converted from full-face to open-face in an instant. It is dual homologated, meeting the ECE 22.05 P and J safety standards to be worn in either configuration whilst riding a motorcycle. The J106 is very light, with a thin …
KBC VR4R Carbon Fiber Helmet Review
KBC VR4R Carbon Fiber Helmet The new KBC VR4R Carbon fiber helmet is a real beauty. It’s also about the least expensive carbon fiber motorcycle helmet available today. But the design is somewhat compromised by flimsy-feeling vent hardware, which is unfortunate and something KBC needs to address. I’m not sure exactly when carbon fiber motorcycle …
Caberg Duke Review
Caberg Duke Helmet Review The Caberg Duke is new for 2012 and it replaces the popular Caberg Konda (review) and the Caberg Trip (review) before that. The helmet is comfortable and it’s quieter than average. It also has surprisingly good outward visibility. The Duke is 100% made in Italy and it continues the Caberg tradition of style, features, functionality …
AFX FX-140 Review
AFX FX-140 Helmet Review The AFX FX-140 has a unique style and a few interesting features that belie its low cost. It’s comfortable and quieter than expected, but the face shield on this example isn’t as optically clear as it should be. Colors include High-Vis Yellow and “Safety Orange”, which surely has to be the …
Vemar Storm Helmet Review
The Vemar Storm is Brewing! The new Vemar Storm has better build quality and higher-spec features that you might expect in a helmet in this price range. But some of those features are biased more towards style than function. Overall, the Storm is an impressive helmet for the money. It’s impressively quiet and comfortable and …
Vemar Attivo Review
Vemar Attivo Helmet The Vemar Attivo is new for 2012 and slots in at a lower price point than the made in Italy Vemar Jiano EVO TC (review). The styling of the Attivo is nice and the helmet has a few interesting features, but it seems a bit uninspired when compared to its big brother, the …
The Motorcycle Touring Bible
The Motorcycle Touring Bible By: Fred Rau ISBN: 978 0760 337417 Dimensions (inches): 7.8 x 9.0 Publisher: Motorbooks (2010) 224 pages, Color Photos and Illustrations Cost: $29.99 (USD) $32.99 CAD £17.99 GBP Review Date: January 2012 Good basic background on the basics of motorcycling but not really focused specifically on touring, which is both a plus and …
Vemar Jiano EVO TC Helmet Review
A Jiano Flip-up With LEDs! The Vemar Jiano EVO TC, also known as the Vemar Chimaera in Europe, is a solid-feeling helmet with a few tricks up its sleeve. It has one of the most useful internal sun visors of any helmet with this feature that we’ve tried. My feeling is that the Jiano EVO …
Replay XD1080 Review
Good Quality Video, Nice Form Factor The new Replay XD1080 video camera captures excellent quality HD video. It’s beautifully constructed with an anodized aluminum body and the kit comes with a nice selection of accessories. The camera control system uses a clever design that’s easy to use and the camera has a few nice features …
CTEK Battery Chargers
CTEK US 800 vs. CTEK US 7002 Review Bigger isn’t necessarily better. The CTEK 800 works just fine as a motorcycle battery charger, even though it’s the entry-level unit. And there’s a bonus: it’s cheaper and less complicated. Nothing wrong with the CTEK 7002, mind you, but do you really need 8 steps and up …
Drift HD Video Camera
A Smaller Version of the Drift HD The new Drift HD includes all of the features of the Drift HD170 (review) — a webBikeWorld favorite — in a smaller form factor. The Drift HD has a few added features of its own, including an updated button layout that makes it even easier to use. The live view …
HJC IS-33 vs. Fulmer 755
Modern Open Face Helmets: The HJC IS-33 vs. Fulmer 755 Time for something different: a comparison of two open-face helmets of modern design. While the HJC IS-33 may not be a direct competitor of the Fulmer 755, there is one clear winner! An email arrived, entitled “Helmet Reviews”. “Why don’t you guys have more open …
Ducati Monster Bible
Ducati Monster Bible wBW Book Review The Ducati Monster Bible by: Ian Falloon Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-845843-21-2 Publisher: Veloce Publishing, Ltd. Publication Date: July 2011 160 Pages. 25.5 x 21.5 x 2 cm List Price: $59.95 USD; £30 GBP The Ducati Monster first seeped into my consciousness back around 2001 or so. It was during a visit …
Triumph Bonneville: Portrait of a Legend
Triumph Bonneville Portrait of a Legend by: James Mann and Mick Duckworth Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-85733-017-8 Publisher: Haynes Publishing Publication Date: May 2011 256 Pages. 300 Color Photos. 7″x9″ List Price: $49.95 USD; $55.00 CAD; £30.00 The Triumph Bonneville is one of the most enduring, classic and iconic designs in all of motorcycling. The Bonneville name …
Vemar Jiano Review
The Vemar Jiano Solid but heavy, the Vemar Jiano doesn’t evolve the species. But it is reasonably priced and carries an excellent warranty. The Vemar Jiano was announced at this year’sPowersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis (article) back in February. Rick wrote a “First Look” report that generated a lot of interest from webBikeWorld visitors. The emails have been …
BMW Custom Motorcycles
Choppers, Cruisers, Bobbers, Trikes & Quads By: Uli Cloesen Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-845843-25-0 Publisher: Veloce Publishing Publication Date: April 2011 128 Pages. 270 Photos. 250 mm x 250 mm List Price: $39.95; £19.99 BMW isn’t the first brand that comes to mind when I think about custom motorcycles. Nor the second… Sure, there are plenty of …
Essential Buyer’s Guide Harley-Davidson Big Twins
The Essential Buyer’s Guide Harley-Davidson Big Twins FL, FX/Softail and Dyna Series. 1340cc, 1450cc, 1584cc 1984-2010 by: Peter Henshaw Paperback ISBN: 978-1-845843-03-8 Publisher: Veloce Publishing Publication Date: May 2011 64 pages. 195 mm x 139 mm x 4 mm List Price: $19.95 The Essential Buyer’s Guide series from Veloce Publishing now covers about 53 vehicles, …
GoPro BacPac Review
Snap-on LCD For Your GoPro The GoPro LCD BacPac brings a whole new world of functionality to the GoPro HD video camera (review). It adds a sorely missed live view, a speaker and it also provides a menu system that makes it easier to use the video camera. It’s a “must have” accessory for any GoPro …
Bell Revolver Helmet Review
Bell Adds a Flip-up to the Lineup The Bell Revolver has sharp, angular, modern styling and a few of the excellent features that characterize recent Bell helmets. It’s a solid performer and a good first effort at a flip-up for Bell and a few design tweaks might just make it the best of the bunch. …
Tachyon XC HD Video Camera
A Different Kind of HD Action Cam The Tachyon XC HD is the most disappointing video camera in this comparison because we expected a lot more from it. It’s relatively heavy at 181 grams (6-3/8 oz.) and larger than the others. The video quality, especially in bright sun, is somewhat disappointing and seems consistently underexposed …
Akuma V-1 “Ghost Rider” Motorcycle Helmet Review
The Akuma Ghost Rider We’ve brought you some very interesting, unique, hard-to-find and downright curious products in our reviews over the last 6-plus years. Finding cool motorcycle goodies is always a thrill for us and I hope it is for you, too. It isn’t very often when a motorcycle helmet hits each of those buttons; …
Tortillas to Totems
Tortillas to Totems: Sidetracked by the Unexpected By: Sam Manicom Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9556573-3-7 Publisher: Adventure Motorcycle Travel Books Publication Date: 2010 320 pages.21 x 14 x 2.4 cm List Price: $21.99 Tortillas to Totems is the fourth book of what I hope will be a continuing series by Sam Manicom. The other books in the …
365 Motorcycles You Must Ride
365 Motorcycles You Must Ride wBW Book Review 365 Motorcycles You Must Ride Author: Dain Gingerelli, J. Michaels C. Everitt Published: January 2011, 325 pages Motorbooks International ISBN: 978-0-7603-3474-4 I’ll have to admit to a few false starts with “365 Motorcycles You Must Ride”. I didn’t quite know what to make of a book that is …
Zox Genessis Review
The Zox Genessis RN2 SVS Helmet The Zox Genessis flip-up has a nice surface finish, a comfortable liner and decent face shield. But its other features and functions just aren’t quite up to par. The weight and ventilation problems also make this helmet difficult to recommend. Be sure to check out our 3D video and …
Spartan Leathers
Spartan SL-1 Gloves Review The Spartan SL-1 gloves have outstanding quality, comfort and a real-world fit. They have “box” type fingertips not always found on race-style gloves. The stitching on the Spartan SL-1 gloves has to be the best I’ve ever seen. I’m not fond of the use of real stingray hide for abrasion resistance, however. Surely there …
Vega Summit 3.0 Review
The Vega Summit Flip-Up Helmet The Vega Summit 3.0 is an evolution of the original Vega Summit flip-up. It has a comfortable liner and a secure-feeling rotating visor and the price is right. But is that enough? I’m not sure when Vega first started selling helmets. But the Vega Summit XPV was reviewed on webBikeWorld before our …
Nolan N90 Helmet Review
Nolan N90 Motorcycle Helmet Review Outstanding quality, relatively quiet, comfortable and with a few interesting safety/convenience features, the Nolan N90 is the flip-up to beat. We liked it so much, the Nolan N90 was named the webBikeWorld 2010 Flip-up Motorcycle Helmet of the Year! Nolan has been making flip-up helmets since, well, forever. So they know …