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Product Reviews
Six must-haves for your next road trip
With all the rallies and events going on this summer, it’s a good
bet you’ll be doing some overnight touring. The samples have been
piling up and once again it’s time for a product review column. We
won’t waste your time with the stuff that we found useless like the
deer whistles, the Otter Box for a PDA and the Scala Rider cell
phone accessory that allows you – yes folks – to talk on your cell
phone while you ride a motorcycle. Instead let’s cut to the chase
and talk about the products that reduce weight, allow you more
storage space and make your overnight trip all the better for it.
And we won't be bashful in pointing out that all the items can be
accessed via the Sound RIDER! store -
the place you go to get all the stuff you didn't know you needed for
your next motorcycle ride. Ready? Here we go!
Imagine this – you’re on the road and as soon as you stop, you
reach into your tank bag, clip a holster to your belt or riding
pants loaded with your cell phone, credit cards, Leatherman tool,
flashlight and more. At your finger tips you have everything you
need to pay for dinner, call home, cut and file your nails and
locate that new oil leak you just discovered. The Niteize Multi
Pock-Its Gear Holster holds it all for the ridiculous price of
$17.99.
 Outdoor
Research pays little attention to the motorcycle touring market,
focusing more on the back packing and mountaineering channels.
Little do they know that every time they come up with a new item
that’s durable and lightweight it just might be the next best thing
for motorcyclists. They did just that with their three sizes of gear
organizers. The small and medium size ones store registration and
insurance papers, your license and speeding tickets, credit cards,
lip balm and tubes of sun screen, lotion and prescriptions. The #3
size is big enough to be used as your shower kit with plenty of room
for shaver, soap, wash rag, nail clippers and sooo much more. They
start at just $22.00
 PacSafe
would have liked us to review this last summer when they released
this top load tail bag, and some other publications did. But we had
to go beat the hell out of it first and see what it was really made
of. After 5,000 miles including about 20% of that off-road, we’ve
come to the conclusion that if you own this tail bag, you’ll never
need anything other than it for a day ride. For starters it’s slash
proof utilizing a mesh layer woven between the interior and exterior
fabrics. Next up, it’s totally waterproof and needs no additional
rain cover. Finally, it’s very roomy with all the space you’ll need
to store whatever you’re taking on the road each day including rain
gear, spare gloves, tire repair items, first aid kit and much more.
In fact, we’ve been testing it on the back of a dualsport without
any other luggage and still have room to spare! It’s pricey at $249
but that’s a price you’ll be happy to spend when you realize it’s
the real deal. Oh – one last point – it comes with a built-in cable
that allows you to securely close the top and lock it to your bike.
Perfect for those ferry rides and stops at the restaurants along the
route.
 Okay
kids, we’re heading into the camping gear section, so if that makes
you run for the hotel room you can stop reading now. For the rest of
us who would rather contribute to our retirement accounts and sleep
comfortably under the stars, look what we have in store.
Sierra Designs has come up with an ingenious tent construction
that combines the rain fly and tent into one swath of material
instead of two. The end result is a 25% drop in weight and space of
these tents over other comparable one-, two- and three-man
competitors. Get this – the solo version weighs in at just three
pounds, the two person version is just four pounds (2-1/2 pounds
less than the el cheapo tent being offered by xyz motogear this
month) and the three-person version a mere five! The construction is
ultra-high quality and sets up fast without a fight. If you’re
traveling solo we recommend the two man version so you have some
interior storage space. Similar rule applies to two-up riders – get
the three-man version so you don’t kill each other jockeying for
space. They're not cheap ranging in price from $230 to $360,
but if you're fed up with leaky tents that rip when you trip over
them on the way back from your late night whiz walk, and pack up
too big, you might want to step up and do yourself a favor. After all - look at the money you're saving by not tucking it into
corporate hotel pockets each night.
 How
about a sleeping bag that keeps you warm into the 30s and weighs
only a pound? That’s right, OR’s Exped Hummingbird down sleeping bag
does just that. And it packs up
 small, about half the size of a
typical synthetic sleeping bag that weighs twice as much to boot.
Comes with its own built-in carrying sack that’s easy to stuff when
it’s time to head out in the morning. Keep it dry by placing
it into a
dry bag for goodness sakes.
Speaking
of losing weight and gaining space, is it time to dump your Thermarest? We think so. The OR Exped AirMat weighs in at 17 ounces
and is 20 percent the size of a standard Thermarest. But once it’s
inflated, it lofts to twice that of its orange, spongy counterpart.
It’s also half the price for just $39.99. If you need something for
colder rather than milder conditions, consider the DownMat 7 which is loaded
up with a touch of goose down for insulation and comes with its own
dry bag.
And that’s the latest from Sound RIDER! touring labs. We hope
this has helped you to gain space in your luggage, lighten your load
on the road and evolve into the ultimate sport touring road warrior.
We now return you to your regular programming. If you want any
of this stuff simply visit the
Sound RIDER! store. |
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Niteize
Multi Pock-its Gear Holster