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Glove Reviews: Joe Rocket GPX 2.0, Joe Rocket Speedmaster 7.0 and Icon TiMax Original

I notice a lot of new riders don’t wear gloves… and I cringe.  If you think about everything your hands do for you and how different your life would be if they didn’t work right, it’s best to spend a little dough and protect them while you’re riding.  I’m not quite the gear hoarder that some of my friends are so I can’t possibly review every glove out there, but I have used a few gloves the past few years that are still currently available:  Joe Rocket GPX 2.0, Joe Rocket Speedmaster 7 and Icon TiMax (original).   I thought I’d pass on some information about them in case you happened to be considering these particular gloves for purchase.

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Shoei X11 Review

Shoei X11
Shoei X11

 

This is an updated post of my original Shoei X11 review back in April of 2006.  I’m reposting it because Shoei recently released the X11’s successor, the X12, and right now you can get an X11 for a pretty good price.  Well, a relatively good price anyway as this was Shoei’s top of the line helmet.  Anyway, here’s the review.

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The Best New Starter Bikes – 2010 Edition

2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250 - My Favorite Starter Bike
2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250

 

*Update: our 2011 list is up!   https://www.startriding.com/?p=769

The 2010 bikes are starting to roll in and it’s time to look at which ones might be better suited for those of you looking to get started.  First things first though, I always recommend getting a used bike for your first one.  Most new riders inevitably make mistakes and drop their bikes in parking lots or driveways; best to get this out of the way on a used bike instead of a shiny brand new one.  Besides, used bikes are cheaper and can be resold for almost the same price when you’re ready to upgrade.  For those of you who aren’t going to listen to my sage advice though, on to the new stuff.

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Protect Your Head: The Snell M2010 Helmet Standard

helmet

Look at the back of most full-face helmets sold in the U.S. today and you’re likely to see a SNELL logo sticker.  It means the helmet meets or exceeds the Snell Memorial Foundation’s standards for motorcycle helmets.  Here’s a snippet from their (terribly outdated) web site, www.smf.org:

In order to continuously monitor the quality of helmets being sold to the public, Snell purchases and tests samples of currently certified helmets from the marketplace. These helmets are tested only in Snell labs by Snell technicians. Should a currently certified helmet fail, the helmet manufacturer must take corrective action to Snell’s satisfaction.

In other words, if you make a helmet and want to have that Snell logo on the back so you can tell potential buyers that your helmet is Snell certified (and presumably safer than one that isn’t), your helmet has to pass Snell’s tests.  In the American motorcycling community, seeing the Snell logo on the back of a helmet is generally accepted as a good thing.

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Track Day!

I went to The Streets of Willow Springs for a track day yesterday, a twisty 1.8 mile road course at the Willow Springs Raceway complex.  For those of you new to the concept, a track day is chance to spend a day at the race track with your motorcycle.  It’s not a race though, just open track time so you can test your skills and do some speeding without getting a ticket or having to worry about SUVs crossing over into your lane.

I’m going to post a track day starter guide later for those of you thinking about testing your road racing skills; in the meantime here are some pictures from yesterday.  The first one is me; the rest are pictures I took of some of the “A group” (fast) riders.  Note how some of them position their upper bodies differently; I’ll make a note on that in my track day starter guide.

This one is me in turn 2.
Me in turn 2

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Beginner’s Guide to Motorcycle Road Racing

Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi

Post updated 10/25/09

One of the best by-products of my motorcycle hobby was becoming a huge motorcycle road racing fan – it gave me a whole new sport to follow and obsess over.  I didn’t have much interest in it until I started riding because I couldn’t relate to how difficult it really is.

It took me a little while to figure out what was what in road racing though, especially since it’s somewhat obscure here in the U.S.  It’s for this reason I decided to post a brief summary of the different road racing series for those of you just getting into it.  Have fun!

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Lane Splitting – Time Saver or Insanity?

Originally posted February 22, 2006
Updated: September 23, 2009; August 3, 2014

By Ray Kim

One of the most hotly debated topics in motorcycling is whether or not lane splitting is a good idea. To the hardened motorcycle commuters in California’s big cities, it’s a necessity and a huge time saver. To just about anyone else who’s seen it done, it’s insane.

Update August 3, 2014: The DMV and California Highway Patrol have both removed guidelines for lane splitting from their websites and printed materials, likely in an effort to distance themselves from condoning the practice (though it remains legal).

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