The Versys has gone through subtle, yet significant updates that make it a more capable tourer. Besides that, it looks better too.
The Versys has gone through subtle, yet significant updates that make it a more capable tourer. Besides that, it looks better too.
Kawasaki is well known to make excellent sports and road-bikes. From an engineering perspective, the Ninja H2 and H2R present a new level of greatness. (more…)
Being seen while riding at night might make the difference between life and death, Halobelt helps you to be more visible with its strip of flexible light and we get to play with it for about a month.
If you are like me then riding at night is a normal occurrence thanks to either work or late night teh tarik sessions, mostly the second. And one of the main worries of night riding is visibility, to see and more importantly, be seen.
While most rear light on a modern bike is bright now days, still statistically we all know the more visibility we have the better the odds of being spotted and avoided.
Reflective strips or stickers helps but its a passive system whereby it needs a source of light to work and additional lighting on the bike might not be the best answer to many for various reasons from legality, electrical or warranty issues.
So here is one simple solution, the Halobelt from America. As the name suggest its a belt or a loop with a simple clip and adjustment system to fit size 0 to 46.
Half of the belt is made of a stretchable material with a reflective paint and the other half is where the magic is located. You have a 17inch long strip of what looks like a flattened fibre optic with a reflective backing and a small rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack with built in LED at one end.
You can wear it in several ways but we had it on like a trap of a sling bag across the back and on one shoulder with the light facing backwards.
The battery pack has a switch and a mini usb port for charging, the switch feels ok but the usb port covering is a bit flimsy. Oddly enough instead of stamping its Halobelt brand name on the battery pack, it says rechargeable instead.
According to the manufacturer the electrics are water resistant which is good enough for riding in wet conditions unless you plan to swim with it. We had it go through a few light to medium showers while riding and so far it still fires up whenever we turn it on.
You have three choices of colours, blue, green and yellow and these can either be illuminated in Solid mode where its constantly on or Flash mode where the LEDs will blink at a quick pace.
We found that having it lighted on solid mode is good enough in all conditions and could easily be spotted about 500meters away in pure darkness. In “bright” conditions where theres streetlights a rider with a Halobelt stands out even in heavy traffic.
The Flash mode is too much of a distraction to other road users in normal conditions and maybe more suited in an emergency situation in case of a breakdown or something.
As you can see how a rider looks with and without the Halobelt on.
While there is a circuitry to make the light blink, it doesn’t look like it has a steady light feature where it could keep the light bright all the way till the battery is flat. Instead the light will slowly dim as time goes by.
Luckily it stays bright as the battery power can last for several weeks with regular use of 30 to 40 minutes per night and its quick to recharge.
The belt weights only about 4.4ounces in total and most of the time we didn’t notice we had it on until its time to take off the riding gear.
And thats the best part for us, its a little less worry as a biker, its like having an angel right behind you while you ride.
Recommended retail price is RM150, small price to pay for added safety but better yet as for now its on offer at RM80, for more information call 01117604492
Like you (or its just us), we writers will scour magazines, books and the net to find information, loads of information and sometimes we stumble on interesting things.
I was doing some research for a future biking trip which will involve some camping when I came up to this hilarious video which is titled “Which dual sport motorcycle is right for you?”.
Basically the video shows a guy kicking his Kawasaki KLR hard enough to the point that it tips over and fall on its side. He then go on and explains that one of the main criteria to choosing a DP bike is the kick test (he has a special name for it which is too long) where you know you got the right bike when the kick wont feel as painful, comparing dropping his bike to as to dropping something like a Ducati or BMW.
Technically I agree on his drop test but not because one bike is cheaper than the other but more so that it might survive the fall in better shape or with less damage.
And it does not also imply that the Ducati Multistrada or BMW GS is not going to survive a simple drop but generally the KLR might come out in better shape because it’s lighter thus having less inertia when it hits the ground.
While there are other points to add to the tick list for the DP that is right for you, like big fuel capacity, comfortable seat, heavy carrying capability and such. The drop test survivability or how tough the bike is could be the most important as it might mean the difference between still being able to ride your bike out or walking out of the wilderness after a drop.
So there you go, watch the video and cringe at how the guy nonchalantly kicks his bike. I wont have the heart to do it to my bike, even if its as tough as a tank.
What else would you consider as must have for your DP?
If you are looking for a wear-it-all-day-long riding boots but at a very affordable price, then you might want check out the BH 4884 riding boots by local safety footwear manufacturer, Black Hammer. (more…)
From manufacturing shotguns to making race-winning motorcycles, the ingredients of the Benelli brand’s story are in many ways similar to the ones you find in the makings of a gripping soap opera. If anything, it is one that is truly Italian in nature. Today, a Chinese conglomerate called the Qianjiang Group (QJ Group) owns the brand, but Benelli bikes still retains that unique Italian flair, and this is proven with its latest offering, the Tornado 600 naked. (more…)
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