As it’s chuffin cold (kinda obvious really when you consider it’s winter ;)) and, according to the weather ‘experts’, going to get worse again š¦ I thought I’d do a few posts highlighting heated bike gear.. So armed with Google I set about searching for a few bits and pieces and came across heated glove liners.
These on the face of it seem to beĀ a damn good idea!Ā They’re heated liners (obviously) which go inside your existing gloves and according to the bumf will keep your pinkys lovely and warm, while the world around you freezes it’s bits off.
Here’s a bit more info from Heated Motorcycle Clothing, a site which appears to be dedicated to keeping freezing riders warm š
Heats 4 fingers directly. Ambient heat surrounds the Gloveliner, warms the thumb, fills the glove.
Main Features:
* Wear your own SKI, BIKE, RIDING etc. gloves on top*.
* Washable – because heat-element is separate from fabric.
* 3.7V Rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries – choice of two types: with and without on/off switch.
* Flexible heat-element slides in and out of finger-pockets.
* Super-elasticated fabric – three sizes available (M,L,XL).
* Batteries last 3 to 4 hours used continuously.
* Safe to use.
* Modular design so you can replace all the bits separately (see further below).
* One colour: black.
* Initial charging time around 4-8 hrs, then 5 hours.
So far so good, you can wear them inside your existing gloves, you can recharge them overnight and they should last 3-4 hours when used continually.Ā Perfect for most commutes in to work for most people š
Here’s a bit more information about whats included in the price..
Your Order will include:
* 1 pair of black Gloveliners.
* 2 rechargeable batteries.
* One pair of windproof, waterproof General Purpose Gloves.
* 2 flexible heat elements, cable, jacks.
* 1 battery charger with 2 jacks.
This next bit is kinda important, unless you don’t mind having smelly hands š
Wash Easily – It is important to be able to wash fabric properly without fear of damaging electrical circuitry – let’s face it – textiles get smelly next to the skin and most gloveliners we’ve seen (and previously sold) have elements contained within the fabric. Not now. Ours are completely separate. (cool wash by hand recommended and leave to dry).
And some extra information about accessories you can also buy to go with them.
At time of purchase you can add accessories as back-up. For example you may wish to buy extra batteries to charge up and carry with you on a long journey. Or a couple of spare heating elements in case the dog chews one. How about 2 extra pairs of liners so you always have a clean pair available? Or simply return to the site later and buy any bit separately (see next products).
And they post all over the place š
Delivery to: UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark. France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
and the price for these….. Ā£98.99!
Not that bad really, not when you consider how much a pair of heated gloves costs or how cold your hands and fingers can get without any way to warm your hands over the winter.Ā There’s nothing worse than hands so cold that they feel like they’re burning, and hands so cold that you’re incapable of doing anything for almost half an hour when you get to work while you ‘defrost’ them.Ā Been there, got the t-shirt and don’t want to do it again š¦
Being located where it is, it has brilliant access and apparently has excellent parking facilities.Ā I shall have to pop down there sometime soon and have a nose round š
Here’s an online copy of their latest catalogue, just in case you fancy a nose.. (well, Christmas is just round the corner!!!)
Oh and talking of Christmas, they even do a Christmas Wish List you can print off and give to those closest to you š
Now don’t get me wrong, I know there are fewer people taking their bike test since the new one was bought out but I do have issues with the way this is being reported.Ā Here is the article as it’s being reported online on the Motorcycle News website.
A crisis hitting the number of people taking the motorcycle test is even deeper than previously feared, latest figures show.
Eighteen months after a new Europe-wide test was introduced, the number of people taking it was still barely half the former level.
When bookings dropped drastically following the changeover last year, the Driving Standards Agency said it was temporary and demand would āsettle at usual levels again in 2010/11ā.
But new DSA figures point to a long-term decline.
In the 16 months leading up to theĀ introduction ofĀ the new exam in April 2009, 130,498 people took the old test, a rate of 8156 a month.
But in the 18 months following the changeover, only 73,508 people completed the new test, 4083 a month and almost half the earlier rate.
The Government is conducting a review of the test, which was originally intended to reach conclusions by autumn.
Roads minister Mike Penning said: āThe review of the motorcycle test is a top priority for me because I want to make sure that we have a test which prepares bikers properly for the road.
āWe have been working with the motorcycle training industry and others to make sure that we are taking all views into account and we will report on findings as soon as possible.ā
My problem is in the way these figures are being presented (sorry MCN).
As a lot of you know, the new test was originally scheduled to start in September 2008 but, because of bungling incompetance, so few of the new test centres were ready for use, the implementation of the test was put back about 6 months.Ā In the lead up to September 2008 thousands upon thousands of people decided to get their bike licence under the old test regime and so booked lessons and their test.Ā I should know,Ā I was one of them!!!Ā I took one look at the new test and thought “S*d that!!!”
During 2008, riding schools all over the country were inundated with trainees learning to ride, which definately skews the figures somewhat, as in a normal riding year fewer people would be taking their test.Ā Then the test was put back 6 months so that more of the new test centres could be made ready, and those who thought they had missed the original deadline were given a life line and once again the riding schools were booked solid, even though it was winter
According to the DSAĀ some 130,498 people took their test in the 18 months leading up to the change of test.Ā I’m pretty damn certain a sizeable number of those were riders who wanted to take the old style test and not the new one.
Now, since the new test started 18 months ago the DSA say that just 73,508 people have taken it, a drop of almost 50% on the previous figures.
BUT…… Seeing as the figures from September 2007 until April 2009 are hardly indicative of the number of people taking their bike test during a ‘normal’ 16 month period, I don’t see how they can be reliably compared with those from May 2009 up until late 2010.
Unless of course you’re attempting to make things look worse than they are š
As ya know one of the GREAT things about Motorcycle Live is being able to sit on bikes and try them out for size so I did!!!!!!
Here I am on the Ninja š
As you can see I was able to totally flat foot on both sides when sitting on it.Ā I found it felt quite slim as well!Ā All well and good when you’re only 5′ 3″ tall!!!
Next up is me on the CBR600.Ā Sat on this one I was only able to get the balls of both feet on the floor which quite surprised me considering how I felt on the Fireblade!
Here I am on the Fireblade šĀ I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I could get both feet flat on the floor on the Blade.Ā I wasn’t expecting it to be as small as it is, gawd knows how big blokes manage to ride it comfortable. I felt like it fitted me like a glove!
After the Urban Tiger colour scheme I personally think the HRC colours are the next best.Ā I just loved that bike and after riding my ’95 Fireblade it felt so tiny.Ā I may just have to look out for one inaĀ few years time š
The photo which makes me giggle the most is the next one!Ā I’m only little ( 5′ 3″!!!) and have said for almost 2 years that I’d love a crosser of some sort but being as little as I am I reckon I’ll have a few issues!Ā Yer I know that riding crossers off road is different than riding on the street but you still have to stop sometime without falling over, and therein lies my problem.Ā The crossers I saw at the show seemed to have seat heights that were mostly about the level of my waist š¦
I’m on NewEnough.Com‘s mailing list even though I live here in the UK and was wondering how the cost of buying something from them and getting it shipped here to the UK would pan out.. So I’ve just checked and these are my findings with one style of ladies jacket.
The jacket in question is this one..Ā Click on the photos to be taken to their website
Joe Rocket Yamaha Branded Gear Women’s Luv Textile Jacket
Here are the specs on it..
HitenaĀ® textile shell
C.E. rated protectors in shoulders and elbows
Removable spine pad with pocket for optional C.E. spine protector
Variable Flowā¢ ventilation system
Removable insulated vest liner
Sure Fitā¢ adjustable waistband
8ā zipper for pant attachment
Reflective stripe
Official licensed YamahaĀ® product
The retail price for the jacket is $229.99 but it’s on sale at $149.99 at the moment which works out at about Ā£98!Ā ($/Ā£ conversion rates will of course be subject to change) Shipping to the UK would be $59.58 (Ā£38.81) which isn’t bad considering what’s being sent.Ā So for approximately Ā£140 you can get one shipped here.
Why am I doing this?Ā Well, I like to be an individual and not have the same gear as anyone else, and condsidering Joe Rocket gear is barely sold in the UK what better way of standing out from the crowd than wearing something which isn’t seen about much here..
There’s one other consideration for me though….. I rather like that jacket š
Well, even after my Ebay selling experience in April I was still determined to sell my BabyBlade and buy a bigger bike, so with no small amount of trepidation back on Ebay she went. The watchers soon mounted up again and bidding was swift, especially towards the end of the auction. She once again made reserve so I was happy with the price.
This time though the buyer actually wanted her and promptly paid the deposit I wanted and plans were soon made for her to come and collect her. I actually breathed a sigh of relief at this point and on the 22nd May my 400 went home with her new owner.Ā I must admit to being quite cut up about seeing her go, but I felt it was for the best and she was going to a lady rider who had just passed her test and, like me when I bought her, fell in love with her in her photos and decided that this was the bike she wanted…
Once she was gone the hunt for a replacement bike was promptly restarted. I’d kinda given up looking for a new bike after the last sale fell through as I was getting annoyed about the whole thing.
As I previously said I was looking for a 600cc – 750cc bike with fairings to take me to and from work all year round.. While I love my Fireblade, the last part of my journey to work is round some very small country lanes and to be honest the Blade isn’t really the best bike for this kind of road, she like to have her legs stretched on bigger ones. I had a hunt round and kinda decided I wanted a ZZR600. It ticked the boxes, well most of them and seeing as it was going to be my daily ride that was good enough for me.Ā Ā So the hunt started in ernest to find one.
1997 ZZR600
The only thing with them was I wasn’t particularly keen on the tail section, it just looks wrong in my opinion but as it was to be a daily bad weather bike I thought I could put up with it.. If the worst came to the worst I could always do a few mods and change it.
Then one evening while I was trawling Ebay and Bike Trader (To me there is nothing better than bike shopping š ) I came across one of these…….. And promptly fell in love!
Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat
I swiftly changed all my search parameters on the interweb and the hunt was on..Ā I reckoned I had up to about Ā£1500 to buy one with, what with the proceeds of the BabyBlade sale and the cash I would be able to add to the pot and this meant I should be able to buy summat pretty good with my money š
On the same evening I sold my BabyBlade this popped up on Ebay šĀ manufactured in 1997, imported to the UK in 2002, less than 20,000 on the clock and had a whole shed load of money spent in the last year or so on things like a complete new stainless exhaust system, new tyres, new pads, chain and sprockets, etc.
1997 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat
I immediately sent a message to the owner asking about a buy it now price, we talked on the phone and one was agreed, with the proviso that if the bike wasn’t as it was described I would not be buying it.. The following weekend saw us driving to Portsmouth with the cash and after seeing the bike said money was handed over and she was mine š
Right from the first ride I knew I had picked the right bike for me š While she is a little higher than my Blade with her tweaked seat, and a little heavier, I very soon got used to her.Ā The higher bars make her so much better to ride into work and she’s seriously comfortable and as for how well she goes.. Lets just say she is more than capable of making the run to and from work an absolute pleasure š
Here she is, still on the truck after getting home in the rain.
'Cat On A Truck
And here she is once she’d been scrubbed and polished š
One of the most common questions asked by girls who are new to biking is “What bike will I be able to ride?”Ā Well, after seeing it asked a few times on girls biking forums, I asked the girls which bikes they were riding now and what they had owned in the past, what adjustments if any had been made and if they wore boots which added to their height.
I collated the information I recieved and here is a list of bikes that girls are riding right now.
This list is not intended as a definitive guide as to what bike to buy for your height, but shows the kinds of bikes girls are riding about on.
I know that there are other considerations such as leg length, what boots you wear, etc., which also affect which bikes you can ride but I will cover them in other posts.
Under 5ā
Honda CB400T –
Honda CBR400RR –
Honda CBR600F (4′ 11″ Owner) – Professionally lowered by DRS of Hull, Boots altered to add height
Kawasaki ZXR400 – Suspension lowered
Kawasaki ER6 (4′ 10″ Owner) – Hagon Shock fitted which lowers bike by 2.5 inches, plus wears Daytona Ladystars
Suzuki GSF400 Bandit –
Yamaha R6 2004 –
5ā Ducati Hypermotard – Suspension lowered, ride height adjuster on lowest setting
Honda CBR600F –
Honda CBR600RR –
Kawasaki GPZ500 –
Kawasaki Ninja 250 (08) – Some foam sculpted out of the seat and on ball of left foot/tip toe of right foot
Suzuki GSX 600F – No adjustment but couldnāt flat foot
Suzuki GSX-R600 K8 – lowered
Suzuki GSX-R600 K6 – – no adjusment but on balls of feet/tiptoes
Suzuki GSXR1000 K6 – Suspension lowered, forks dropped slightly
Suzuki SV650S –
Yamaha R6 (2002)- No adjustment but couldnāt flat foot
5ā1ā
Kawasaki Ninja – Suspension lowered and on tip toes
5’2 BMW F650GS – No adjustment but on balls of the feet
Honda CBF125 (09) – No adjustment and on tip toes
Honda CBR125 (08) – No adjustment but comfortably on balls of both feet
Honda CBR400RRN – No adjustment
Honda CBR 600 F – Hyperpro lowering kit, front forks dropped.
Honda Shadow 750
Kawasaki 750 Zephyr
Kawasaki ZXR400 – No adjustment
Kawasaki ZZR600
Suzuki 400 Bandit
Suzuki GSX-R600 K6
Suzuki SV650S
Suzuki SV650 – Lowered but feet still not flat on the floor
Yamaha Virago 535 – No adjustment and both feet flat on floor
5ā3ā BMW R1200 ST
Ducati 749s – No adjustment
Ducati Monster 695 – No adjustment and on balls of feet
Honda CBR400RR – No adjustment
Honda CBR600 RR (07) – Hyperpro lowering kit and wearing Daytona Ladystar boots and on balls of both feet
Honda CBR900 (95) – Seat carved a bit to lower it, standard shock setting and now pretty much flat footed
Honda CBR 929 RRY Fireblade – No adjustment, but only one flat foot
Kawasaki ER5 – Lowered suspension, carved out seat
Kawasaki ER6-N (2009)
Suzuki GS500F
Suzuki SV650 – No adjustment but on balls of feet
Suzuki SV650S – Suspension and forks lowered, but still on balls of feet
Yamaha FZS600
Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat – lowered
Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat – No adjustment, on balls of both feet or flat foot on one side
Yamaha R6 – Lowered
5’4ā
BMW F650GS
BMW F650GS (08) – Lower seat and Daytona Ladystar boots and owner virtually flat foot on both sides
Ducati Hypermotard 1100S (08) – Lowering link and forks lowered, seat sculpted and wears Daytona Ladystars.Ā On balls of both feet.
Ducati S2R 800 (05) – Seat lowered and on balls of both feet
Honda CBR125 (09) – No adjustment but on balls of the feet
Honda RVF 400 – No adjustment
Honda CBR 600 – No adjustment
Honda CBR600fx – Bike lowered, can almost flat foot.
Honda CBR600fx – No adjustment but on balls of feet
Honda Transalp – Seat lowered
Kawasaki ER5 – No adjustment but on balls of the feet
Kawasaki ER6f – No adjustment, almost flat foot
Suzuki Bandit 400 – No adjustment
Suzuki Bandit 600 – Suspension lowered
Suzuki GSR600 – No adjustment but on tip toes
Suzuki GSR600 – No Adjustment
Suzuki VZ800 Marauder – No adjustment
Suzuki XF650 Freewind – Bike lowered
Truimph Speed Triple – No adjustment but on balls of the feet
Yamaha Diversion 600
5ā5ā
Cagiva 1000
Ducati Monster 620sie – No adjustment and both feet flat on floor
Honda CBR1000 (2008) – no adjustment, one flat foot or both toes on floor
Honda VFR400 NC30 – No adjustment
Kawasaki GPZ500s – No adjustment and feet flat on floor
Kawasaki Z1000 – No adjustment, but on balls of both feet
Kawasaki ZX6R (G1) – Seat lowered
Moto Guzzi Breva 750
Suzuki Bandit 400V – No adjustment
Suzuki GS500 – No adjustment
Suzuki SV650 – No adjustment
Triumph Street Triple
Yamaha Fazer 600 – No Adjustment
5ā6ā
Honda CB600F Hornet
Honda CB1000R – No adjustment
Honda Hornet 900 – No adjustment and both feet flat on floor
Honda VFR700, 07
Kawasaki ER6 – No adjustment
Kawasaki ZX6R – No adjustment and both feet flat on floor
Suzuki GS500F – No adjustment and feet flat on floor
Suzuki SV650 – No adjustment and both feet flat on floor
Yamaha Fazer 600 – No adjustment but cant flat foot
5’7″
CCMR30 – bought already lowered, same as VFR400
Honda Hornet 900 – balls of both feet, or one foot flat the other ‘balancing’
Honda VFR400 – had space between self and bike!
Honda VFR800 – balls of both feet, or one foot flat the other ‘balancing’
KTM Duke – balls of both feet, or one foot flat the other ‘balancing’
Suzuki Bandit 1250GT – one foot flat, the other almost flat
Triumph Sprint ST – balls of both feet, or one foot flat the other ‘balancing’
Triumph Tiger – tip toes or one foot flat the other flailing!
Yamaha FZ1 – one foot flat, the other almost flat
5ā8 and over
Ducati Monster 620
Ducati 916 Monster
Honda CBR 600F
Honda CBR954 Streetfighter
Honda XRV750 Africa Twin
Kawasaki GPZ 500s – No adjustment
Kawasaki Z500
Suzuki GSXR750 Special
Suzuki SV650
Triumph Street Triple
Also take a look at these posts for more information which may help you in your choice of motorcycle
as well as the following list of posts which cover, by motorcycle brand, the ride height adjustment kits available, so that more options are opened up for you when choosing a motorbike.
Posted by Raven 
Blade Rider 