With not a lot of riding occurring right now, I’ve been busy on my video editing suite digging through hours of past footage from my daily riding in and around London and have now finished the second episode in my filtering tips series. In this video, I discuss gaps and junctions, what you need to look out for and how to filter in a smarter and safer manner.
Much is common sense, but you may still learn something new. Nonetheless, I hope you find this video interesting and useful. Do comment with your thoughts and other filtering experiences you’ve had.
The Sixth Sense Skills series of videos were one of my first moto-vlogging projects that spanned several years of my early riding. Each short video presented a particular incident or encounter on the road, inviting viewers to predict how things will unfold. Part mini-game and part training video to provoke thoughts around your own riding. This video is a compilation of the best clips from the series. Enjoy!
You’ll notice many of the video segments are several years old and the progression of my riding from beginner to somewhat more experienced. Not all of my riding back then was the most exemplary, I’m sure you can identify how you could ride better! But then, getting you the viewer to think about how you would ride in these scenarios is exactly what I intended.
My wife and I just hit our 15-year wedding anniversary, a bit crazy really. With all the current lockdown restrictions, it wasn’t really feasible to travel and stay away anywhere, so we kept it fairly low key. Taking advantage of the kids at school (remember those days?!) we took off on bikes for a quick ride into the Essex countryside for a decent pub lunch. Here’s a brief video of the mini-adventure – enjoy!
I also managed to try out some new kit for this video: the new GoPro Hero 9 (all chin-mounted footage) and a DJI Osmo 3 for more stable phone camera footage off the bikes. The difference between the Hero 9 and my old Drift Ghost X is huge! Although I miss the long battery life of the Ghost X; 4+ hours versus just over 1 hour on the Hero 9.
This year it certainly won’t be happy and definitely not merry, so just have A Christmas.
Stay safe, follow the best scientific advice, scrutinise the politics and look after those you can. It’s cold, dark and bleak out there and the weather isn’t much better either. Optimism is in short supply, each day seems worse than the last. But hang in there, keep in touch with friends, family and loved ones, we’re all in this together. Hopefully, 2021 will bring some better times.
The problem with reviewing cold-weather motorcycle gear is you actually need some cold weather. This Autumn it’s been strangely mild in the South East of England. I’m starting this review in mid-November, it’s blue skies, sunny and I have the conservatory doors wide open. I don’t know if this is climate change, but as beautiful a day as it is, it doesn’t make this Exotogg review very easy…
The Exotogg body warmer is not your usual cold-weather layer, it’s essentially an inflatable gilet/vest that you don under your bike jacket, which you then inflate with three or four puffs of breath, whereupon it’ll form a nice layer of air that will keep you warm. If you get too hot, you simply open the valve and squeeze the air out. The idea being you inflate or deflate it as and when needed, easy-peasy.
Using a layer of air to insulate against the cold is however a tried and tested method to maintaining warmth. Materials like fleece, down and wool all trap a layer of air to keep your body warm. So, the science behind the Exotogg vest is sound, but what advantages down it have over traditional layers?
It’s that time of year again, marketing departments have gone mental, your mailbox has been spammed with tonnes of offers and you’re getting overwhelmed with so many offers. So who is offering the best deals and biggest discounts on motorcycle gear?
15% off with discount code BLACKWEEK15 (expires 30th Nov). FC-Moto operates from Germany in the EU, so no VAT/Duty upon import until we Brexit in the new year… You’ll need to pay postage on returns, but the offer discounted return postage labels to help here.
Lots of discounts on motorcycle and motocross gear (kids motocross clothing included), especially on lesser-known brands like Shox, Black and Agrius. Ghost Bikes also run daily specials discounts and will match and beat competitor prices by 25%!
For many, wintertime is when bikes are garaged away and in storage until the warmer spring weather. Even many who would normally ride year-round are facing the no riding blues from various lockdowns in place to tackle the covid pandemic. I’m personally in this category as I’m now working from home permanently. So, what can a die-hard biker do to while away the dark and miserable winter months? Read on for some suggestions on winter motorcycle entertainment.
→ Additionally, there’s a lot of stuff mentioned here that would make great biker gifts and motorcycle Christmas presents or stocking fillers. So, take note if you know a biker and are stuck for gift ideas.
I have wanted a Triumph since I was a teenager, which is a long time ago now. I used to knock about with some bikers who had old Bonnies and I have loved the aesthetic, the slim lines, the torquey twin-engine and its ability to negotiate those country twisty roads which we all love. The old Brit engineering with the oil-bearing frame and the total loss oil system? Not so much.
The Triumph Street Twin encapsulates the best of both worlds. It is a bike which captures what is so attractive about the older Bonnies, the tidy lines with the attractive tank that flows straight into the comfy seat, the neat twin engine with bags of torque which sits tidily underneath and that lovely thud as it runs. It does so with the reliability of a modern bike which I view as essential – it starts without complaint on cold and damp mornings, it is smooth and intuitive when ridden.
It was that time of year again, another 12 months passed and my Yamaha FZ6 was due a motorcycle MOT check. The past MOT extension for the Covid lockdown now passed and not reinstated for this second UK lockdown, it was necessary to pop the bike to the local test station to get the bike checked over. All very mundane and trivial, bike passed swimmingly with no advisories. But, your motorcycle MOT check time is like an anniversary or a birthday for a bike and a time to look back at the miles ridden.
In the last 12 months, I’ve only managed to do 5k miles on the FZ6, not much at all really and indicative of this year. With no regularly commuting since the first March lockdown, there’s only been a handful of leisure rides and a brief tour around Wales. It’s all been too much work and not much play, quite depressing really.
Before you can get a driver’s permit, you need to pass a US DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) written test. The best way to prepare for this written test is to take an online DMV theoretical test. However, a practice test is not for the sole purpose of preparing for the test. It comes with other benefits as well.
One important benefit of taking practice tests is that you get to know the rules and laws related to driving and road safety. You acquire theoretical knowledge regarding driving safely and abiding by road signs and other rules. All these lessons will help you become a safe rider.