Marampa Motor

Earlier in the year I went looking for a replacement for my winter jacket as well as something suitable for 3 season touring for future ride plans and read numerous reviews then tried on many jackets before quite by chance I came across the Andes jacket from Alpinestars. Being in Japan I initially thought first I should try the local Japanese brand rider apparel. I looked at Kushitani who here

They say our hands are often the least well protected body part when riding. Not sure where they get their data from. I suppose that is referring to summer and riders with light weight gloves or no gloves, winter you would imagine that does not apply. Used to be difficult to find good summer gloves but really so many choices these days. That said many are quite flimsy and would offer little to

If you have ever done some riding in street shoes then you will know they will soon be marked by the gear shifter when you shift up. Ok not the best footwear for riding however there are times when you are not going to have your boots and riding gear at hand such as travelling light and rent a small bike to explore the area or maybe even just riding short distance at home to shop in afternoon. I

Possibly the most in depth review of the current series three Yamaha FJR1300 which covers 2013 up to 2016 with only minor changes. I have now completed a few tours and (40,000km as of October 2016) on a 2014 FJR1300 and feel able to give a detailed review of the bike and talk about some its strengths and weaknesses. I feel the bikes character has never really been fully explored in the other

Back online after having to replace my laptop. Only so much I can do on an iPad so glad to have a proper computer again. At the risk of sounding like a Held Gloves fanboy � the Held RainStar gloves are truly the best gloves I have ever used and exceeded my expectations by a large margin. I have gone through a number of gloves, more than most people because I have that dermatitis issue. I need

I was going to get out for a ride today but just did not feel up to it. First of all I want to post an update on two items. Dainese Guanto X-ILE gloves. Following on from my previous review all I can say is - very disappointed in these. The way the fingers are stitched means they end up being uncomfortable after 1/2 a day as the seam rubs against the area between your fingers. Look great but

I hit the road early today and despite being one of the coldest weekends this year I was not cold at all having learned a few tricks to ensure I keep warm. Starting at the base layer I wear a thermal shirt rather than a regular t-shirt. I use merino ones which are pricey here but not too bad if you buy from New Zealand and much better than the regular polyester ones. Besides holding the body

Updated 25.06.2011 - Further update Feb 2012. Yes I ended up buying one of these from BikeBiz, half price seemed too good a deal. So now I seemingly have 3 helmets however none are without problems. I retired my old Shark RSR1 to back up duty after the fall in Japan. The Nolan N43 is a great summer helmet, it flows so much air, but it is not as good in winter due to fogging and is a little

Updated 23.05.2011 (and 2014) I own both of these and having tried both to ease cramp on long rides I want to share my experience. Both are small devices that affix to the throttle grip to sort of allow you to hold the throttle open by your palm/wrist so you can release your grip around the throttle and stretch your fingers for a bit. Both when installed need to be angled slightly higher than

A down side to my new exhaust system was they were unable to find a way to keep the centre stand. I probably would never have looked at one of these roller stands if I had not enjoyed the centre stand on the CB so much when cleaning the rear wheel and lubing the chain. I do still own a race stand which has been on loan to my mate for the last couple of years. Not so easy to operate those things

Update on a few items. I took the CB1100 back to the exhaust shop yesterday to have the quieter baffles installed and some minor adjustments. The chrome plated headers are showing some heat discolouring already so I hope this will be limited to the area around the mounting to the engine block. The mufflers are also to get their final polish which was not previously done. Still very happy with

Revised 16.04.2011 and 25.06.2011. Also see updates below. Further update - I stopped using silicon type molded ear plugs and change to "no roll" type foam ear plugs which I find superior. You know I love ear plugs for riding. Besides saving you from hearing loss they greatly reduce rider fatigue. Like most people I never used to wear ear plugs however I noticed sometimes ringing in my ears

See my updates below - these are not recommended. One of the things I decided to do after my spill in the Japanese alps was to change out my summer gloves from O�Neil Moto-X items to items with greater protection. I wanted a glove that offered genuine high protection in a summer glove. After reading some reviews I went with the Dainese Guanto gloves hoping to get a higher quality product with

I am back to a motorcycle with a chain. I will miss the clean and quiet belt drive of my Buell however the CB1100 does have a centre stand and that makes a world of difference to chain maintenance. It must be a very long time since I owned a motorcycle with a centre stand. Cleaning the rear wheel is a cinch and same for cleaning and lubing the chain. I sourced one of these chain brushes in

I have had this in the cupboard unused for about 12 months. It was listed in an online clearance sale for $29 with free post and usually retails nearer to one hundred so I decided to buy it and put aside. The Buell had a plastic tank so it could not take a magnetic tank bag however since it already had panniers fitted this wasn�t a problem. I was then going to use it on the Euro tour but

I currently have in the cupboard a variety of unsuitable riding boots. One pair are simple walking boots/shoes with little protection and which I have already stopped using. Another pair are also short height boots/shoes from Alpinestars that after a days riding bite into my arch no matter what I do with them. The final pair are mid height waterproof items from Joe Rocket. Purchased for my Euro