This summer I had a chance to demo several products during a ride to Wisconsin. Our ride took us through New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. One big loop, with Janesville, WI as our turnaround point. Our group encountered cold (Colorado), Wet (Wisconsin), and a TON of wind (Iowa, South Dakota). One day consisted of nothing but battling 70+ MPH crosswind gusts for 300+ miles. Strong enough to knock my bike off its side stand. I've had better days.
Out of all the products I brought, the one that surprised me was the Garmin 376c GPS. Why? Well, I honestly didn't think it would come into play as much, or that I would rely on it as I did. Often we would start out the day with a route in mind, only to change it based on the weather reports provided on the GPS screen. I also used it to change the route on the fly. We would be traveling down our set route, see weather ahead, and take evasive action. Nothing better than making a route adjustment, and watching the storm pounding the original route on your screen. The built in XM radio was also nice. Worth the cash? Absolutely. It was also nice being able to take a detour off our set route, knowing the GPS would adjust our route, and take us to our destination. There were times I just pulled onto a side road just to see what was over the next hill. Because of our GPS, we saw more of the country side, and went places many never see from the seat of a bike.
My demo apparel was the Cortech GX-Air w/leather, and the Tourmaster Flex pant. I had some reservations about leaving on this long ride with nothing but a mesh jacket to keep me warm. I've ridden in Colorado in the past, and knew our route was going to take use through the highest passes. Well, I was right. Colorado treated us to snow, ice rain, and rain. The final results? The liner kept out the wet and cold, and I was comfortable. My bike has a temperature gauge, and I watched as it registered mid 30's. Combine that with the wind-chill, I couldn't be nothing but impressed. When it got hot, the mesh did it's job. One jacket, for every condition. Made packing a no-brainer. Would I recommend it? A huge, absolutely. The Flex pant, was, well, flexible. Never had a complaint.
My main helmet for the ride was a Scorpion EXO-100 half helmet. At the time it was new to the market, and the flip-down internal visor intrigued me. While I found that the internal visor wasn't 100% optically correct, I did find it very useful, ex specially in the rain. It allowed me to use my sunglasses, keeping the rain at bay. While I wish the visor was 100% correct, I found it VERY helpful. In this price range, I think it's a very strong product. Would I use it again? I would, and feel that it's one of the top 1/2 helmets on the market.
Out of all the products I brought, the one that surprised me was the Garmin 376c GPS. Why? Well, I honestly didn't think it would come into play as much, or that I would rely on it as I did. Often we would start out the day with a route in mind, only to change it based on the weather reports provided on the GPS screen. I also used it to change the route on the fly. We would be traveling down our set route, see weather ahead, and take evasive action. Nothing better than making a route adjustment, and watching the storm pounding the original route on your screen. The built in XM radio was also nice. Worth the cash? Absolutely. It was also nice being able to take a detour off our set route, knowing the GPS would adjust our route, and take us to our destination. There were times I just pulled onto a side road just to see what was over the next hill. Because of our GPS, we saw more of the country side, and went places many never see from the seat of a bike.
My demo apparel was the Cortech GX-Air w/leather, and the Tourmaster Flex pant. I had some reservations about leaving on this long ride with nothing but a mesh jacket to keep me warm. I've ridden in Colorado in the past, and knew our route was going to take use through the highest passes. Well, I was right. Colorado treated us to snow, ice rain, and rain. The final results? The liner kept out the wet and cold, and I was comfortable. My bike has a temperature gauge, and I watched as it registered mid 30's. Combine that with the wind-chill, I couldn't be nothing but impressed. When it got hot, the mesh did it's job. One jacket, for every condition. Made packing a no-brainer. Would I recommend it? A huge, absolutely. The Flex pant, was, well, flexible. Never had a complaint.
My main helmet for the ride was a Scorpion EXO-100 half helmet. At the time it was new to the market, and the flip-down internal visor intrigued me. While I found that the internal visor wasn't 100% optically correct, I did find it very useful, ex specially in the rain. It allowed me to use my sunglasses, keeping the rain at bay. While I wish the visor was 100% correct, I found it VERY helpful. In this price range, I think it's a very strong product. Would I use it again? I would, and feel that it's one of the top 1/2 helmets on the market.Tourmaster also provided my riding boot, the Response. I typically tend to shy away from committing to a "bike" specific boot. Whether it be me, or my feet, I've yet to find one that was better than my trusty hiking boots. I like to walk around during breaks, and up until this point, all the riding boots never lived up to my expectations. The Response was a pleasant surprise. On the bike they were great, and never had a complaint off the bike. They were also water proof, which came in handy. They aren't the warmest boot out there, but my feet never got cold if I used my brain. Warm socks, on cold days, can do wonders.
