Motorcycle Gear Reviews
This section includes motorcycle gear reviews with testing conducted by Rider magazine editors. Gear reviews include apparel, parts & accessories, helmets, electronics and tires. If you are looking for a certain type of gear, use our browse by type option to see one gear category at a time.
The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing (Book Review)
Rider Magazine
November 23, 2011
Writing about riding isn’t easy. Choosing and stringing together words to describe the visceral experiences and deeply felt passions of motorcycling, not to mention the essence of the mechanical contraptions that transport and transform the lives of men and women in profound ways, is difficult. I struggle... Read more »
Oakley Split Jacket Transitions SolFX Sunglasses Review
Rider Magazine
November 17, 2011
To wear, or not to wear, that is the question. Sunglasses or not? According to research by N3L Optics, 79% of motorcyclists wear sunglasses when outdoors, so presumably lots of us wear them while riding. Sunglasses serve the obvious function of reducing bright light and glare, but they also protect peepers... Read more »
Beyond the Border: Riding Solo in Mexico (DVD Review)
Rider Magazine
November 17, 2011
My brother, a friend and I have been talking about a trip to Mexico’s Copper Canyon for over a year. We’ve read Copper Canyon threads on ADVrider, past tour reviews in Rider as well as “Motorcycle Journeys through Texas and Northern Mexico” by Neal Davis and “God’s Middle Finger: Into... Read more »
Cee Bailey’s Custom Seats Product Review
Jerry Smith
November 12, 2011
[This Cee Bailey’s Custom Seats Product Review was originally published in the November 2011 issue of Rider magazine] If you ever needed proof that many factory motorcycle seats were designed more with styling in mind than comfort, just look at the number of companies selling aftermarket seats. If... Read more »
Aerostich Roadcrafter Light Suit Product Review
Rider Magazine
November 11, 2011
[This Aerostich Roadcrafter Light Suit Product Review was originally published in the November 2011 issue of Rider magazine] Whenever I try “light” versions of products, such as light beer, lo-cal salad dressing and fat-free cookies, I usually find them tasteless and unsatisfying. I’d rather have... Read more »
Mustang Road Companion Bag Product Review
Bill Stermer
November 11, 2011
[This Mustang Road Companion Bag Product Review was originally published in the November 2011 issue of Rider magazine] Motorcycle luggage has certainly evolved, especially in the direction of versatility. If you’re like me, you never seem to have enough packing space on tour, and then when you’ve... Read more »
Washington Backcountry Discovery Route DVD and Map
Rider Magazine
October 11, 2011
We the Moto-People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect network of roads less traveled, to enjoy ourselves for mile after mile, to savor the majesty of purple mountains, waves of grain and the fruited plain, owe a debt of gratitude to our forebears, those who explored, trail-blazed and... Read more »
Hydrapak Big Sur Hydration Backpack Review
Greg Drevenstedt
September 30, 2011
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to test out the Hydrapak Big Sur hydration backpack than an epic, three-day, 900-mile motorcycle trip with an old friend, up California’s renowned Highway 1 to Big Sur and beyond, on rugged, foggy coastal roads, through dense, mind-bending redwood forests,... Read more »
Cortech Piuma Jacket Review
Rider Magazine
September 14, 2011
[This Cortech Piuma Jacket gear review was originally published in the July 2011 issue of Rider magazine] Piuma Road, extending a mere 6.5 miles from end to end, from its junction with Malibu Canyon Road until it merges with Rambla Pacifico Street, is one of the most celebrated motorcycling roads in... Read more »
SW Motech Crashbars and Skid Plate Review
Jerry Smith
September 14, 2011
[This SW Motech Crashbars and Skid Plate gear review was originally published in the July 2011 issue of Rider] Adventure tourers like Suzuki’s 650 V-Strom are the SUVs of the two-wheeled world. Like their hulking four-wheeled cousins, they’re amenable to occasional off-road forays, but better suited... Read more »
