Let’s talk radar.  I don’t know a lot of people who use radar detectors on motorcycles, but for long distance adventures it’s a MUST-have in many states…  If you’re not a regular radar detector user, it seems like there’s a lot to know and a lot of contradictory advice out there – so here’s a little primer on the basics if you’re curious…

Regular radar: Radar detectors DO detect the presence of police radar when it’s on. Most cheapo units today read all three (X K and Ka band) frequencies that are used out there… But if the police radar gun is ON you, and you happen to be speeding, then having that expensive detector doesn’t help you any.  Fortunately radar detectors can “see” radar guns before you’re actually in range.  So as the police car reads the speed of vehicles ahead of you, your radar detector can tell you that there’s a speed trap ahead.  (Advantage: radar detector).

POP and “instant-on” radar: In order to not to be detected by radar detectors, some police cars are equipped with POP radar.  These devices stay in “standby” mode not emitting any radar signals until a car is in range, and when the officer presses a button it uses a very short burst of radar to read the vehicle’s speed.  The short burst of radar is so minute that cheapo radar detectors won’t be able to read it.  And even the higher priced radar detectors (Valentine and Escort) can sometimes miss it.  Instant-on radar is the same idea, the radar gun stays in standby until someone hits the button to make an instantaneous reading… So as radar reads the speeds of vehicles ahead of you, you have a good chance that you’ll be notified by your radar detector. (Advantage: Highway Patrol).

LIDAR: Laser speed detectors work just the way radar guns do, only instead of sending out a radio signal, it sends out a thin beam of light.  The advantage is that it can precisely pinpoint the speed of one vehicle even as it’s alongside others.  Another advantage is that because it’s a thin (laser) beam of light, it’s more difficult to detect unless YOUR vehicle is being directly targeted.  Newer radar detectors DO detect laser, but they only work when you are being directly targeted.  So what’s the point?  Many serious long-distance travelers use a two pronged approach to dealing with LIDAR.  First they use “stealth” devices in the form of laser jammers (some of which are probably illegal in some states) and special polish to make it more difficult for laser to get a reading.  Second, they use laser ready radar detectors…  The stealth devices don’t actually make the vehicle’s speed unreadable, they just give you a little more time to be able to adjust your speed. (Advantage: Highway Police).

Social Networking: the newest way to deal with speed traps looks like the future of radar detectors.  In the old days drivers would flash their highbeams to oncoming cars if they were approaching a speed trap around the corner (this saved me a bunch of times on the Saw Mill).  Today smartphone users can download a free app like Trapster - where users can make notes of speed traps in real time.  Recently, the high end radar detector company Escort is applying the same idea with their newest detectors…  When you pass police radar, it automatically updates other Escort users who are the using the app and headed in the same direction.  Brilliant! (Advantage: Smartphone user).

Do you NEED a radar detector on your bike? Probably not.  And detector or no, you always need to ride safely and at safe speeds… But if you regularly ride long distances, the combination of increased ticket charges (and surcharges – one speeding ticket in NY can easily cost you over $1000 plus points) and increased ticket quotas (yeah, we all know they have them) – a good detector (plus smartphone) might be a decent investment around here.

Related posts:

1. DIY radar mount for your sportbike…
2. Beware of overreacting police…
3. The problem with police (NYPD edition)…

If these two videos don’t make you want to wear gear when you ride, then you probably need to watch them again a few more times.  Not that street riding is all that crazy (as the first video implies).  It’s usually fairly tame 98% of the time, but every now and then traffic can get tricky.  Check out the second video from the same folks after the jump… Warning – the second video is not for the squeamish!

Scooter riders tend to think they’re exempt from the dangers of motorcycling. And although you don’t need the full leathers riding sportbikers wear in the canyons, you always need some basic coverage (jacket, boots, gloves) of different kinds depending on the type of roads you’ll be riding.

And scooter riders have even less reason not-to-wear gear – because unlike motorcyclists, your ride has a buit-in storage space to keep your jacket and gloves after you park.

Anyway – enough of that. Ride safe!

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1. Reasons to Gear-Up
2. What to do with old gear?
3. Minimalist Gear

If you don’t abuse your engine, and ride (or drive) in moderate climates, the oil in your engine is good for much longer than the recommended oil change interval.  But at the same time – if you’re hard on your engine – or you’re using cheap oil – or there’s dirt getting into your engine (or something) – then you need to change your oil much sooner than the recommended oil change interval.  So here’s the question: how do you know when to change the oil?  I know a lot of weekend riders are downright anal about changing the oil on their bikes – but my daily commuter doesn’t have that luxury…  So as I get closer to the oil change mileage amidst a lot of rainy day commutes and late hours at work – I often wonder how much do I REALLY need to go get this done?  Well the people at Lubricheck have come up with a solution!  Now you can change your oil when your oil needs changing (what a concept!).

For a $30 pledge, you can help bring this product to market, and get your own oil quality sensor through KickStarter.com… You pledge your amount through Amazon.com checkout – so if you’re comfortable using Amazon, this is right up your alley.  And you’re only charged the amount at the launch date.  As of today there are twenty-some days to go… So check it out.

Yes – this may qualify as the dullest video I’ve ever reposted – but I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time. I don’t understand why it’s taken so long for a product like this to come out!

Related posts:

1. Ten Minute Oil Change
2. How to change a tire…
3. A Change of Scenery

What’s the most useful bit of protection (other than a helmet) in a high speed crash?  Abrasion resistant clothing.  Which is why long before motorcycle gear was made of leather long before anyone thought to add armor pads and back protectors.  But what’s the most useful bit of protection in a low speed crash? For a low side on a local road over oil or gravel?  Abrasion resistance isn’t as important because of the low speed, but what bit of kit can help make a low speed spill relatively harmless?  My bet is on elbow armor.

The fastest part of a low speed spill is the vertical descent as your front wheel slips and you head toward the ground.  Unlike high speed low sides, you start off further from the ground and so you actually hit the ground harder than if you were going faster.  And the part of your body to hit the ground first is probably your elbow (unless you’re sticking your knee out).

Fortunately elbow armor is fairly unobtrusive and can be worn on the body or sewn into the lining of older motorcycle leather.  You can even wear it without a jacket (if you’re okay with the post apocalyptic gladiator look), making it good for medium speed rides on sweltering New York days…of which we’ve had a few this summer.  So that whether it’s hot slippery asphalt, or the side of a cab, your elbows will be ready.

Where can I get me some? It always pays to shop around online, so these links are just for reference: you can find armor worn on the body made by Fieldsheer, Alpinestars, Icon, and Dainese.  Cheers!

Related posts:

1. Minimalist Gear
2. Low Down on Leg Protection
3. Let’s Talk Motorcycle Jackets

There’s a clumsy acronym, ATGATT,  for people who wear “all the gear, all the time”:  Not just a helmet, but protective pants, boots, fully armored jacket, etc.  Now if that’s you, good for you (seriously, not sarcastically)!  The difference between going down and getting back up, and getting an ambulance ride depends on your protective gear.  BUT… even I think ATGATT isn’t quite practical for the city.  There’s a Staples fifteen blocks away from me…and it doesn’t make sense to go ATGATT for little errands like that.  Especially since there’s a stop light every couple of blocks, and especially since NY summers can reach temperatures close to the surface of the sun.  But no matter how close you’re commuting, there is one piece of gear (other than a helmet) that you ABSOLUTELY need all the time…gloves.

Unless you work in a hospital or a funeral home, you probably don’t realize just how soft human skin is.  It’s weaker than two sheets of copy paper… Slide a dull kitchen knife over copy paper – then slide the same knife over your hand (on second thought don’t!) and one will be a bloody mess, and the other just fine.

A few years back I was walking home when I slipped and nearly fell (on some wet bird poop – go figure!). But as I fell I managed to reach out and grab a metal fence just in time.  I didn’t hit the ground and I wasn’t even walking quickly, but when I looked at my hand the fence had cut through one of my fingers to the bone.  The fence wasn’t sharp, it was just a regular fence, and yet the skin on my finger wasn’t able to handle the sudden pressure.

That fall happened going 0.02 mph, what do you suppose a minor accident going 10mph might do to your hands?  What’s more, hands are incredibly complicated and difficult to reconstruct surgically.  And if you ever do have a minor accident while riding, your hands will be among the first things to hit the ground.

So dude… wear your gloves. Even basic no-frill  leather riding gloves can mean the difference between having ten fingers or being called stumpy the rest of your life.

Related posts:

1. Braking tip: Unintended acceleration…
2. Managing heat is a skill…
3. Quick Tips for conquering ice and snow…

The GoPro camera setup is an excellent low(er) end helmet and bike camera system.  But when I first laid eyes on it the thing that impressed me was how useful the suction cup mount could be for other things.  Like as a GPS mount I could move from bike to bike to car without installing anything permanent on the bikes.  It takes less than a minute to install the suction cup mount securely, or I can switch out the GPS and clip on the camera…

Although the suction mount is sturdy and has never fallen off on me, I tie a shoelace around the mount and clip it to my keys with a small carabiner…that way I don’t have to worry about my bargain basement GPS (I paid under $100) flying off while on the highway.

The viewing angle is adjustable, as you can see in the pictures below.  I usually put it down flat on top of the tree so glare can make most screens hard to see in direct sunlight.

If you’re used to using a GPS in a car, it’s not the same while riding a bike. You need to look ahead more on a bike, so there’s literally no good time to look down at a GPS while moving (in my opinion). But if you’re going someplace new and difficult to find, pulling over looking at your directions and a map…then you can replace all that with a simple GPS setup.  I usually don’t turn on the GPS until I’m off the highway and riding through stop and go; and I don’t look at the GPS unless I’m stopped in a safe place or waiting at a stop light.

I haven’t wired mine up to run off the motorcycle’s battery yet… I’d probably just stick with the cigarette lighter adapter – or attach an adapter to plug into my battery tender wires (like this).

The main benefit of this setup is that you can move the whole GPS (plus the mount) from bike to bike (or bike to car). If you only use your GPS on your bike, I think THIS is a better idea…or you could go with a RAM mount like a regular adventure tourer.

Although, with the suction cup mount, you don’t have to install anything permanent on your bike, you do however have to attach a permanent mount on the back of your GPS.  For my TomTom, that meant putting the GoPro mount right where the regular car attachment would go so that it would no longer fit the car mount.  This is fine with me, but it’s something to consider if you have a pricey GPS unit.  Also, most automobile GPS units are not water proof.  I just put plastic wrap over it…but once again if you have an expensive GPS, you might not want to risk it.

If you don’t have the GoPro camera system, you can buy both the suction cup, and grab bag of mounts separately.  Have any other uses for the GoPro mounts?  A better way to mount your GPS?  Share the wealth.  Cheers!

Related posts:

1. Inexpensive Onboard Video
2. DIY radar mount for your sportbike…
3. Best diy gps mount…

Every now and then the thought occurs, “It would be really convenient to be able to talk to passengers, other riders, or get GPS directions while wearing my helmet…” Here the Sena and Scala Rider G4 are part of the newer generation of Bluetooth helmet systems. I don’t run across people who use them, so I appreciate seeing this little video just to get a sense of the size of these things. They seem clunky to me, like the CB radio versions of the past. It makes sense that the people who I usually see wearing these are people with clunky bikes, large cruisers with trunk space I could park a scooter in.

If you really want Bluetooth, but don’t want the (slightly) bulky attachments, you can always go the built-in route. Dainese, Vemar, O Neal all have nice helmets with BT built in.  Or if you can wear in-ear headphones, and mainly want to get GPS directoins with your helmet on, you can wear any helmet you like with this non-motorcycle specific BT device.

Should you really be having phone conversations while riding? Of course not.  But imagine being able to tour the twisties with a passenger and say, “lean left…” “hard right coming up.”  Or ride with a couple of other riders and say, “watch out there’s gravel on the turn” or “Let’s pull over I need a restroom break!”  Aha.  See?  Practical eh?  Just don’t give your boss your cell phone number.

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1. Quick helmet tip…
2. Time for an open faced helmet?
3. SHARP Helmet Ratings

I’m usually fine keeping my phone in the (underseat) “trunk” but what do you do when you’re going someplace new and have to pull over and check Google Maps, or the directions in an email?  The people at iBike Rider think you should strap it to your wrist inspector gadget style.

It’s handy, and it’s waterproof.  What I like about this is you don’t have to use it with your phone, you can put your EZPass in there or GPS, or handwritten directions.  If you do use your iPhone, the touchscreen still works through the plastic, but you will need to pull over and remove a glove…  Or you can use a sausage – no kidding!  But I digress.

This case is a tad pricey at $57.43.  But anything iphone tends to be pricey.  You can buy it from SoEasyGPS.  Or, if you don’t care so much about it being waterproof, or you’re not sure if you’ll like using it, there are a lot of cheaper alternatives…like this one that you can buy wherever they sell iPhone cases.  Cheers!  If any of you have tried this out let us know what you think!

Related posts:

1. How to use your iphone GPS while riding…
2. iPhone lap timing…
3. BT for your helmet?

This is straight out of the movie Dune…if you move slowly the material will bend and give, but try to move it quickly and it won’t let you.  Great for snowboarding gear, and even better for motorcycles… The US military even uses it to stop bullets!  So where can I get my hands on some d3o body armor?  Right now the only way is to buy gear with the armor installed: Armadillo, or FirstGear.

Now I haven’t seen the stuff first hand, and I’m not in the market for any gear (although I like the Armadillo parka) – have any of you bought gear recently with d3o?  I’m interested to know if you feel a difference wearing it.

Related posts:

1. Minimalist Gear
2. Low Down on Leg Protection
3. Let’s Talk Motorcycle Jackets

The backpack: It’s arguably the easiest and most natural way to carry a moderate amount of gear on your motorcycle.  Motorcycle luggage, panniers and top cases may be best everywhere else (and still great for storing gloves and jackets and helmets) but they are less convenient for transporting your everyday stuff when parking on city streets.  But doesn’t the bag get heavy? You generally don’t feel the weight of the bag when you’re riding, and you don’t lose any time installing or uninstalling anything.

So how can you improve on a humble backpack? I’ve seen these jetpack looking bags from Axio, but wasn’t sure if they looked silly or cool.  I’m still undecided.  But when I needed a better way to transport my laptop I picked up a new but discontinued Axio Forza model for $49.99 on this website.  Although I wasn’t sure about the bag, I figured if I didn’t like it I could either return it or sell it on Ebay.

The hard shell is made of polycarbonate plastic like a lot of motorcycle helmets; strong and lighter than fiberglass.  And although nothing could protect your laptop in a catastrophic crash, it should add quite a bit more protection over a soft backpack in the event of tip over.  The straps are comfortable and the back side is made of a breathable mesh with hard ridges to keep air circulating between your back and the pack.

The bag comes with some standard amenities like a cell phone pouch (that just barely fits my square old school blackberry), a waterproof rubber hole for sticking headphone cords through in case you want to listen to your ipod, an extra strap in case you want to carry it as a shoulder bag, and a rain cover…well, in case it rains. Correction, turns out the rain cover is really one of those cloth bags to put the bag in…the way purses come with cloth bags (I still don’t understand that).  And the shoulder strap is really an extra waist belt strap – not really necessary for riding, but maybe useful if you want to take your using the bag for snowboarding. [funny, I didn't bother to try those things out till just now.]

So is a hard backpack for you? Only if you can live with the space age styling. Newer models come with aero-humps (in case you decide to ride a race wearing your bag?) and flashier colors and graphics… but I only shop at the bargain bin when it comes to these things.  Mr. Bond, your jet pack is ready.

For further reading:

• If you’re interested in Axio bags, click here…
• And along those lines here are some reviews from people who actually know how to review stuff.
• Don’t like the hard bags but still want something different for your laptop?  Check out these super stealth neoprene laptop bags.
• Just plain bored?  Click here.

Related posts:

1. GPS on a Scooter?
2. And yet somehow still cool…
3. Where to Buy Motorcycle Gear Online