The 2 things that seem to have improved my bike the most are a pair of gel cycling shorts and some decent ear plugs. Should have done this before I got new shocks etc!!I I can now ride a few hundred miles without too much arse ache and the whole bike seems to feel better with some new Bollsen ear plugs in. I've been using some custom made UlimateEar plugs for the last 10 years but these standard Bollsen ones are definitely better. Much less wind noise and makes the engine seem almost smoother somehow.
Totally agree. I have found armoured jeans and earplugs have also made difference to my riding enjoyment. My Sena 50S also allows me to talk to friends and listen to some good tunes along a ride.
Gotta say I always liked the look of textile trousers but having armoured jeans makes the ride soo much more enjoyable and comfortable but recently getting leathers as helped even more. My best improvement is tied between new tyres and heavier fork springs
+1 for ear plugs. I find the cheap foam ones work best for me. I love my Sat Nav. I can plan a nice ride out and then just let the Sat Nav direct me. Have it set up with my Nolan N-Com headset so get speed limit and camera alerts as well. Has probably saved me a few point on my license
Cycling gear has a few uses when motor biking. I use one of the tech fabric jerseys under my leather jacket in the summer, keeps me from sweating to death without having to buy another jacket for summer. The jersey isn’t one of the clown ones, I gave those up ages ago. I only mountain bike now and my gear looks like some nice tshirts but better tech fabric, and the shorts look like nice casual shorts with pockets. No Lycra clown anymore
If we're talking Bike gear improvements, I'd go flip helmet with good ventilation and sun visor, armoured undershorts which I can wear under any of my riding gear and, obviously, the correct bad weather gear. For "Bike" improvements it'd be things like better suspension components where necessary, tyres that suit the bike and your riding style, a decent bubble screen for wind protection and the Airhawk seat for serious mile crunching. 30 years ago it would have been performance tweaks/noisy exhaust, tarty one piece leathers with cringe worthy colour schemes and a post card sized number plate!!
They are expensive, not sure what moto+ are, didn't see any option like that? They are a variation on the double mushroom shape, I've tried similar ones before that didn't stay in place, but these work really well so far. Also, much more effective than my custom molded ones which seems odd. If they don't work don't blame me, you must have strange ears!
They are expensive, not sure what moto+ are, didn't see any option like that? They are a variation on the double mushroom shape, I've tried similar ones before that didn't stay in place, but these work really well so far. Also, much more effective than my custom molded ones which seems odd. If they don't work don't blame me, you must have strange ears!
Not wanting to teach anyone to suck eggs but here is a video to show how to fit ear plugs correctly, I've seen plenty of examples of ones just randomly pushed in
I have heated grips on all my bikes. I'm lucky all their seats are relatively comfortable, I couldn't do with a plank for a seat these days.
Funny thing seats. I bought a Yamaha Tracer two years ago. After riding it for about twenty miles or so my arse started to get a bit sore. After forty miles it got really bad so I ordered a genuine Yamaha Comfort seat. Oh how I looked forward to the sheer luxury of my new comfort seat. It came. I put it on. I went for a ride. I still got a sore arse after twenty miles. I still got a really sore arse after forty miles. But the funny thing is, as i've persevered with it, I can now do sixty miles or more before it gets a little uncomfortable. Still not great but better. I've got used to it more.
Agree on seats. Never had a bike that kept the original seat. Upholstery always been necessary. Years ago as I bought a BMW K100 RT, I thought that the bike was made for travelling. The seat was just awful. The confort seat was the minimum upgrade for a decent riding comfort. On my current Sprint ST 1050, the seat reshape was necessary, not for the rider, for the pilon.
The newer Triumphs mesh seats from about 2018+ are brilliant. I swapped from my Africa Twin (2016) which was awful, to a Tiger 1200 (2018) and it was a godsend, fantastically comfortable seat. I used to use a gel pad and Moto-Skiveez together but use neither now. Moto-Skiveez are quite good and they don't look like you have shit your pants.
Actually what I want is the 180 degree flip helmet but without the sun visor . I wear specs that darken in sunlight so drop down visors are a total waste and usually compromise the helmet structure in some way. I currently wear a Shark Evoline 3 but I hate the sunvisor mechanism with its' slit in the top of the helmet. I have looked at the Roof Boxxer helmets on line which don't appear to have a sunvisor. Anybody have any experience of those ?
Fit and comfort are as important as anything. Pointless having a helmet with the highest safety rating if it's uncomfortable. Have you tried a Shoei Neotec 2? I've just changed to one from the Schuberth C3 Pro, similar in price but in a diferent league IMO. The "weak" spot on a flip is the hinge and latching mechanism and the Shoei scores well. If all you're concerned with is the highest possible safety rating then go for a helmet with racing accreditation.
