Rent one of more than 2,000 privately-owned motorcycles nationwide with Twisted Road, with its all-new website and newly added supplemental insurance options. A rental bike through Twisted Road doesn’t have restricted mileage and is billed as a flat, per-day charge. Both owner and renter are verified via the local DMV, and rentals include $100,000 in free liability protection with the option to increase up to $1 million, as well as up to $25,000 in damage protection.
Now adventure and dual-sport riders can enjoy the convenience of a Transitions photochromic shield, with the CNS-2 Transitions shield for the Shoei Hornet X2 ADV/dual-sport helmet. The CNS-2 shield detects UV light and heat, and automatically and constantly adjusts for the optimum tint to match ambient light conditions. Then when the sun goes down, it transitions back to clear so you won’t have to worry about carrying a spare shield or sunglasses again!
ADV and enduro apparel specialist Klim has redesigned its Carlsbad jacket ($599.99) and pant ($499.99), making them even better at their ADV touring mission. New fabrics, more abrasion protection, upgraded CE level 2 D3O LP2 Pro armor in the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and back, improved pocket designs and better ventilation combine with existing features like a Gore-Tex shell and Spot/GPS tracker chest pocket to set a new standard at this price point.
Continental has introduced an easy way to upgrade your TKC 70-equipped ADV bike’s off-road capability with the new TKC 70 Rocks rear tire. It’s designed to be combined with the standard TKC 70 front, with the Rocks’ more aggressive tread pattern aiding performance off-road yet maintaining the road performance and quiet ride of the TKC 70. Handmade in Germany, the TKC 70 Rocks is available in five sizes to fit 17- and 18-inch rear wheels; see your dealer for pricing details.
Sidi’s Aria is a men’s touring boot made of Cordura nylon, TPU and Technomicro, with a breathable, waterproof Gore-Tex membrane and a nonslip sole. Its nylon composite inner sole has a removable arch support pad, and protection includes a heel cup, a toe cup, a shin plate, internal ankle ball pads, a toe shift pad and double stitching in all high-stress areas. Velcro and zipper closure system with an elastic panel ensures bind-free zipping and a secure fit. Available in European sizes 41-48 for $249.99.
Warm & Safe Cyber Hot Seat installed on a KTM 790 Adventure.
Heated seats are something of a luxury item on motorcycles (though more and more common in passenger vehicles), and not all of us can afford or want to add an aftermarket heated seat to our bike(s) if not originally equipped. Enter the Cyber Hot Seat from Warm & Safe, a heated seat pad designed to fit just about any motorcycle or scooter. Installation on our KTM 790 Adventure test bike was fairly straightforward, and accessing the battery terminals on the KTM to attach the pigtail was the toughest part — certainly not the fault of Warm & Safe. The pad itself attaches with hook-and-loop straps that run under the seat; the power cable that plugs into the pigtail runs off the right front strap. Once strapped on, I was concerned that the pad would slip around, especially when mounting/dismounting, but the grippy print on the underside kept it firmly in place.
There are three heat levels (plus off), controlled with a big button built into the front center of the pad; it lights up red (high), white (medium) and blue (low) in that order to indicate heat level. The first time I tried the pad I was wearing regular nylon riding pants and the medium setting was plenty hot. But when it’s really cold out I bundle up, so one particularly brisk morning I suited up in denim jeans and the thickest, heaviest-duty piece of riding apparel I own: an Aerostich Roadcrafter 3 suit. Even with those two layers between my skin and the pad, it only took about a minute before I felt the heat of the high setting, and turned it down to medium after a while because it was so warm.
Whether turned on or off, the Cyber Hot Seat is useful as an extra cushioning layer and I didn’t find the inner heating elements to be uncomfortable; in fact I couldn’t really feel them. One important note, however, is that unless you are installing the pad onto a switched circuit in a fuse block, it’s important to remember to turn the pad off when you park, lest you come back to a dead battery. (The Cyber Hot Seat draws 1.3A and 18W at 13.8V.) It comes with the 12V battery pigtail; a 12V cigarette adaptor, 12V Euro plug adaptor, 7.4V battery, 7.4V adaptor cable and other accessories are also available. Suggested retail is $149.95, but as of print time for this review it’s been on-sale online for $99.95.
For more information, call (702) 357-8664 or visit warmnsafe.com.
If you’ve got an older sportbike with 16-inch rims, your tire choices nowadays are rather limited. Yet the right tire can make all the difference in your bike’s handling and safety — in fact, your tires are one of the most important parts of your motorcycle. For that reason, if I’m going to splurge, tires are one place I do it.
Not that these high-quality hoops from Bridgestone are expensive. In fact, they can be found online for about $80-$90 for the front and about $100 for the rear. But they offer proven performance from one of the top tire manufacturers in the world.
My 1985 Honda Nighthawk 700S project bike had a decent set of tires on it when I got it, but they were date-stamped 2016 and I wasn’t terribly happy with their performance when I was sport riding in the canyons. So I ordered up a set of Bridgestone Battlax BT-45s.
Bridgestone describes these bias-ply tires as being designed for mid-sized sport-touring bikes and older sportbikes, so they offer a good balance of tread longevity, grip in a wide range of conditions and sticky sport riding capability. Once scrubbed in, I found them to be very quiet, with a nice rounded profile that offered a neutral feel and easy turn-in, and grip for days. They complement my Nighthawk’s raked-out geometry nicely, giving it a sporting feel that the original designers in the ’80s probably wished they could achieve with the tires of that era.
BT-45s on a 1985 Honda Nighthawk.
Bridgestone offers the BT-45s in a wide range of sizes from 16 to 21 inches in the front, and 16 to 18 inches in the rear, to fit just about any small-to-midsize sport tourer or older sportbike like mine.
The best part is, Bridgestone is not forgetting those of us with older bikes. In the works for release soon is an updated Battlax BT-46 tire, and we can’t wait to try it out next!
Remember when there were only two kinds of motorcycle boots, street and dirt? Things have changed a lot since then, since specialization has crept into boot making just as thoroughly as motorcycle making. It is still possible to find a boot that does more than one job, however, with Sidi’s Performer Gore-Tex boots a solid case in point. Though it’s “only” a road boot, the PGTs can be used for touring, sport touring, aggressive sport riding and even the occasional track day, thanks to a design that incorporates the most important elements needed for each type of riding.
For starters, the PGT uppers are constructed of a full-grain microfiber material that looks just like leather but is stronger, softer, breaks in faster, lasts longer, is easier to clean, does not fade or run, isn’t affected by water or sweat like leather and is even sustainable. Whew! Science…. This is lined with Teflon-treated mesh and anti-abrasion Cambrelle in the foot area for comfort, to wick away water and sweat and prevent mold and odors. In between a Gore-Tex membrane ensures the boots are highly breathable and waterproof. Overall the combination makes the PGTs quite comfortable for touring and walking despite looking so serious.
That serious look results from the ample protection built-in to the PGTs. The boots are double-stitched throughout, and have fully encapsulated heel cups, inner and outer ankle protective caps, front calf and shin deflector plates and malleolus external plastic guards over the instep. Replaceable nylon toe scuff pads for the serious corner carvers are bolt-on vs. hook-and-loop for strength and durability, and both boots have polymer shift pads over the toes.
Mesh panels on the front and back of the boots allow for some airflow (if you wear them over leathers or pants), and the full-length inside zippers with Velcro closures snug the boots down well enough on your calf that they can be worn under most pants as well. Soles are dual compound with a short heel that I have found just fine for short walks, with some basic tread that helps on slippery surfaces, though I’d stop short of hiking in these boots. My pair leaked a drop or two in the dunk test — through the scuff plate bolt holes I suspect — but were completely waterproof in the two deluges in which I wore them. Overall the Sidi Performer Gore-Tex boots are a great choice for road riders who want one pair of boots that will cover all the bases. They come in black in men’s sizes 7.5-12.5 for $289.99.
For more information, call (619) 401-4100 or visit motonation.com.
Motorcycle touring, especially of the adventure-ish sort that involves highly variable temperatures, precipitation and riding conditions, is best done with reliably protective apparel, and Aether’s Divide Jacket and Pants fit the bill. Aether (pronounced “ee-ther”) is a small, high-end apparel company based in Los Angeles that makes men’s and women’s gear for motorcycling, snow sports and other activities.
For several cold, windy and occasionally wet weeks, I wore Aether’s top-of-the-line Divide suit on a daily basis. The outer shell is made of premium Gore-Tex Pro fabric, a three-layer sandwich of abrasion-resistant nylon on the outside, a breathable, waterproof Gore-Tex membrane in the middle and a highly breathable Gore Micro Grid Backer lining on the inside. All seams are sealed, all zippers are waterproof and there are double layers of nylon fabric in impact areas as well as leather panels on the inner legs to reduce wear during stand-up riding. Lining the jacket and pants is stretchy athletic mesh that promotes internal airflow, and there’s adjustable D3O CE Level 1 armor on the shoulders, elbows, chest, knees and hips and a CE Level 2 back protector.
The Divide suit does an excellent job of keeping out rain and wind, but it offers limited ventilation; the only vents are located under the armpits and down both sides of the back, with none on the pants. I was able to open the underarm vents while sitting on a bike, but I struggled to close them again without assistance. On cold days, you’ll need to add your own insulated mid layers.
Style, fit, feel and attention to detail are commensurate with the Divide’s premium price tag. The more I wore it the more I appreciated the Divide’s high-quality design and construction, from snaps to stitching to zippers. There are many clever details, such as the thumb holes under the jacket’s outer snaps that make them easy to close with one hand; soft lamb leather around the collar with an adjustable neck gaiter to keep out water and wind; wind cuffs at the wrists and bottom of the jacket; extra-wide belt loops on the pants; and zippered gussets up the back of the calf that allow them to fit over large ADV/MX boots. There are various adjustment straps to dial in fit and plenty of pockets, too — four external pockets on the jacket and six on the pants, all of them with waterproof zippers, plus a small internal pocket on the jacket.
The Divide Jacket is available in Storm, Dark Discovery Green (shown) and Blue Streak in men’s sizes XS-XXL for $995. The Divide Pants are available in Storm or Jet Black (shown) in men’s sizes XS-XXL for $695.
For more information, call (323) 992-3988 or visit aetherapparel.com.
Look good and stay dry and comfortable in the new Powells-ST jacket from iXS. This full-featured touring jacket features a polyester shell with 2-layer solto-TEX waterproof membrane, a removable thermal liner and six vents, and it includes CE level 1 shoulder, elbow and back armor. The Powells-ST is available in a variety of colors in men’s sizes S-9XL (some sizes limited in color) and women’s sizes S-6XL (some sizes limited in color) for $279.95.
