Buying guides
Which one, for the riding you actually do
A hub weighs a whole family against itself. A guide takes one question instead — a figure to spend, a first helmet for someone who has never worn one, what to fit before a first winter — and answers it with a short ordered list and the reasoning that produced the order.
- Helmets
Buying your first helmet
What decides a helmet is the marking sewn to its strap and whether it fits your head. Neither is in the description, and both are on the product.
- Helmets
Riding in a helmet with glasses
Glasses, a balaclava and a helmet all want the same few centimetres at the temples. What decides it is the channel, the collar and what you wear under it.
- Jackets
Choosing a first riding jacket
A jacket is bought on its garment class and on what is in the armour pockets — not on the fabric name. Both are on a label inside it.
- Seasonal
Riding kit for hot weather
Summer kit is an argument between airflow and abrasion, and the answer is not to ride in a t-shirt. Here is what actually vents.
- Seasonal
Riding kit for cold weather
Cold on a motorcycle is wind, and the fix is layers that stop air rather than thick ones that trap it. Start with the gaps.
- Rain
Choosing rain gear that works
Waterproofing fails in three places and most listings publish one of them. Here is what to look for and which products give which.
- Boots
Riding footwear that looks ordinary
A short riding boot is judged on three things — a shift pad, an ankle cup and a cited standard. Two of them you can check by hand.
- Protection
Buying armour for empty pockets
Most riding kit ships with foam placeholders. Certified armour carries a standard, a level, a type and a size printed on it.
- Protection
Back protector or airbag vest
One is a plate with a level printed on it. The other is a device with a service schedule and a cost after every deployment.
- Electronics
Choosing an intercom
A paired chain breaks when one rider drops out; a mesh network re-routes. The right answer depends entirely on how many of you ride.
- Luggage
Carrying luggage with no rack
A sport machine with no mounting points will take soft luggage and nothing else. Here is what that buys and what it gives up.
- Luggage
Top box or panniers
Weight high and behind the axle changes how a machine steers. Weight at the sides changes how wide it is. Neither listing publishes a load limit.
- Security
Locking a motorcycle left outside
A disc lock stops it being ridden. A chain to something immovable stops it being lifted into a van, which is how bikes are actually stolen.
- Security
Locks with an independent grade
Insurers publish the grade they require. Only two certifications in this catalogue come from outside bodies — the rest are house scales.
- Electronics
Choosing a camera for riding
Resolution is the least important figure. Stabilisation, a water rating and a temperature range are what decide whether the footage exists.
- Electronics
A phone mount that protects the camera
Handlebar vibration destroys phone camera stabilisation modules. Two mounts in this catalogue publish a damping system; three do not mention it.
- Maintenance
Servicing a motorcycle at home
Oil, a filter and a plug is the whole of a basic service. Every one of them is bought on a code or a classification, not on a brand.
- Maintenance
Looking after a drive chain
Clean it, lubricate the inside, and let it flash off overnight. The lubricant must state which sealed-ring types it suits.
- Tools
Choosing a chain tool
Breaking a chain and riveting one are two different actions. Check the pitch range, the pin sizes and whether the tool rivets at all.
- Maintenance
Brake pads and fluid
Pads are bought on dimensions and friction material; fluid on a DOT grade and a boiling point. Most listings give you neither.
- Seasonal
What to buy before winter storage
The two things that ruin a stored machine are a flat battery and condensation under a cover. Both have specific answers.
- Transport
Strapping a motorcycle in a van
A strap has two ratings and only one of them is a planning figure. Four straps, soft loops, and the suspension compressed.
- Cleaning
Cleaning a motorcycle
Matt paint, carbon and powder coating are the three finishes a general degreaser ruins. Three cleaners here name the surfaces they suit.
- Tyres
Tyre pressure and punctures
A gauge has exactly one specification: its tolerance. And a plug kit works on tubeless tyres, in the tread, and nowhere else.