Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
The motorcycle jacket has transformed into a wide variety of styles and types. There are leather and textile jackets suitable for dirt biking, cruising, racing, touring, adventure riding and more. They offer a variety of levels of weather and crash protection, and some offer style both on and off the bike. We preview coming jackets and road test current jackets for practicality, comfort, protection, cooling, warmth, fit, value and more, sorting our the good from the bad.
Australian motorcycle jacket company DriRider has edged out iconic American Harley-Davidson in the 2018 Canstar Blue customer satisfaction survey of more than 400 riders. DriRider also won the 2016 and 2015 surveys while Harley won last year. The ratings compare motorcycle jacket brands on factors including value for money, comfort/fit, protection, durability, functionality, style and overall …
The world’s first rating system for motorcycle clothing protection, MotoCAP, has been criticised for testing only 10 pairs of riding jeans and 10 leather jackets. MotoCAP was launched last week to give riders a guide to the safety standards of their gear, as well as price and comfort. Despite eight years of independent university testing …
European motorcycle clothing brand Macna will add a dry cooling vest to their range next month in plenty of time for the coming hot summer months of riding. Macna Australia spokesman Ron Grant of Link International says the dry vest will arrive in late September at $249.95 to join their current Macna wet vest at $159.95. …
A lightweight cooling vest that cools in 10 seconds has attracted 150% of its $US20,000 crowd-funding goal and is set for immediate production. The InstantCool vest would be suitable for riders in hot conditions, although it requires a power bank and ice boxes carried in a special backpack, so it’s bulky, yet weighs only 1.1kg. …
This Macna Aytee all-season touring and adventure jacket for men is simply the most technical and well designed jacket I have worn. There are almost too many technical features to mention right down to the finest detail such as soft coverings for the ends of zips so they don’t dig into your skin. You will …
A program of testing and rating the safety of motorcycle clothing available in Australia is about to go into its next phase of testing with the ratings eventually made public. The five star ratings system will be called Moto-CAP and will be a voluntary system that manufacturers can display on their gear as information for …
Have you ever noticed that your textile riding gear is not as waterproof or breathable as it used to be and doesn’t fit as well after you’ve washed it? That’s because some textile jackets, pants and gloves are made with material that needs to be washed in a certain method to prevent shrinking, stretching or …
Just as many of the old motorcycle brands are returning, so are motorcycle clothing brands such as England’s famous Goldtop brand. Motorcycle clothing brands did not exist in the post-war era, so riders used horse-riding equipment or surplus gear from the army, airforce and police. Goldtop history Goldtop was established in 1951 by Godfreys of …
BMW Motorrad will have a new boss when Markus Schramm takes over as director in May and the company has a new look in riding gear for 2018. Schramm, who will succeed Stephan Schaller, is 55 and a “passionate motorcyclist”. He has been with the BMW Group since 1991. There is no word on which …
Do you know what you should look for in a leather jacket, pants or suit? We’re not talking about style, but protection. Is cow or roo leather best? Should the gear have triple stitching? What do the EN numbers mean? What armour should it have? Do perforations make it weak? We asked Brisbane leather exert Andrew …