Category: Reviews

Dainese Full Metal D-1 Gloves

I have been dying to get my hands into a set of these gloves for years. My main track gloves seem to be “salty” and becoming “crunchy”.  They aren’t torn or coming apart at the seams.  Just seeing their last days.  I’m keeping them for day cruising.  But I NEED TRACK GLOVES.

Dainese Full Metal D-1
imageWhen it comes to gloves, ya gotta go with “new”.  Used ones are hard to know how much life is left in them PLUS it’s kinda gross. Eww.

Not cheap. These are the highest quality and brand you can get. Take good care of them. They are very expen$ive.

I’m in the middle of break-in period for these gloves so it kinda hurts in the pinky (right hand) from the controls activities you need to perform on a motorcyle.  It’s getting there.

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SIDI Mag-1 Boots

So I have SIDI Vortice boots that I have been trashing (and crashing) at the track.  I’ll wear them going up Angeles Crest Hwy.  But eventually, I need to walk in them.  The soles are worn through and the toe sliders are toast.

It’s time to get new boots!image

I was so happy with the SIDI that I decided to get a newer model: SIDI Mag-1

Verrrry impressed!!  SIDI made a great boot even mo’ better.  It’s lighter, more ventilation, and I can feel the foot controls better.  It’s also more “dextrerous” and flexable but rigid.  It can wear these boots all day.

I recommend this boot.

“You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.”

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AGV GP-Tech Valentino Rossi “Elements”

Amazing helmet!  I already own an AGV GP Tech Marco Simoncelli and it’s the same fitment and function. image

One thing I notice while on the track is that it seems that I wear the helmet a bit low on the face/cheekpads. It reduces my upper field of vision, especially in high-G turns. So, I added some material to the upper liner to keep the helmet from sliding and in position. It worked!  I am between a small and x-small sizing.

I highly recommend this helmet!

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Product Review – Dainese Alien Black Pelle Leather Motorcycle Pants

Santa came over again and dropped off a pair Dainese leather pants!

I wanted something I can wear with protection for extended periods of time but without the hass$_59le of wearing my full track suit.  That suit can tire you out in about 45 minutes of riding through LA traffic. That’s because it’s made for the track!

These pants zip together with my Dainese 8-Track jacket.  So comfortable.

Five stars for Dainese again!$_57

$_58

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Gear Review – AGV GP-Tech Simoncelli Tribute

Santa came by to my place with a vengeance!  Draggin knee and all!  It’s been a tough couple years so I decided to indulge myself for this xmas.

Behold the AGV GP-Tech Marco Simoncelli tribute helmet.  This is an actual full-race helmet and not a replica.  I own an AGV K-3 that I really love and this GP-Tech is a step above.  Both excellent helmets but the details of the GP-Tech is no joke.  No wonder Simoncelli and Rossi wear them.  I absolutely love it. Thanks Santa!!

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Went back to stock clip-ons

(Jan 30th, 2011)

Yep. I did.

As one of the first to hack up my bike to install 06 comfort bars on a 1000S along with AZ_Scott and couple others, I re-installed the original clip-ons.

I think it has to do with a couple things: (1) these bikes are more ‘track’ minded and (2) I got my fat ass back into shape.

The position is really suited for the track and, when at speed, the bike responds nicely.

They look cleaner and more functional at the track.  I’m only 5’9″ and my arms aren’t long BUT I can see that the stock clip ons are the way to go.

Here’s a picture I took when I first did the mod. You can see the difference.


The left one is the ’06 clip-on at its max highest position.
The right one is the ’07 clip-on at its lowest position.
There’s a big difference.

I (re)like the original ’06 clip-ons.

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Racetech fork springs = Happiness

(Jan 28th, 2011)

I finally installed Racetech springs on my 1000S. Racetech recommended that I go with .90kg/mm (stock is .850 kg/mm) and with 10wt fork oil (stock is 7.5). I weigh 170 w/o gear. (Racetech part# FRSP S3827090)

Now I had done some tweeking to my stock forks before installing these Racetech. I had installed 25mm spacers in each fork and used 5wt fork oil.  It made a big difference over stock but I was still not quite at my goal. I have gone to several track days with this setup and it was adequate but there’s room for improvement.

The Racetech springs were slightly shorter than the stock springs by about 20mm. So I re-used the spacers I made with the Racetech springs.

Without adding oil, I re-assembled the forks and put them back on the bike with the wheel so that I can check the sag. I was close to 50mm!

Then, I added the spacers that was supplied with the Racetech kit to add some preload. It stacked up to be about 35mm high for each fork. Re-assembled the fork again, put them on the bike and measured again.

BAM! 30mm sag (bike + rider)

Added the 10wt fork oil (400cc per fork in accordance with OEM specs) and took it out for a spin.

I AM VERY HAPPY. It tracks sooo nicely. Less nose dive and takes the bumps smoothly.

With the zip-tie on the fork to see total travel, I took note that the fork is about 1.5 inches from the bottom travel. So I’m using most of my fork. I was anticipating less travel but it seems like I’m using (almost) the same amount as before. That’s a good thing!

Best $120 bucks spent.

I’m excited to take it to the track and have some fun!

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Fuel Stabilizer

The biggest known issue with the SportClassic line of Ducati motorcycles is the “spreading tank”. This is where the fuel tank, made of a plastic/fiberglass material, starts to slightly get larger when ethanol is present in gasoline. California has been using ethanol in your regular gas station fuel in order to curb vehicle emissions. However, this wrecks havoc to non-metallic fuel components like plastic or fiberglass.

The boating and marine industry has been battling to maintain the reliability of their boats by adding fuel additives in order to stop the effects of ethanol on marine fuels systems.

So I thought – why don’t I use it, too?

STA-BIL 22239 Marine Fuel Stabilizer

So far, it’s working.  It has been two days in the tank and so far. The tank has stopped spreading and is going back to its original shape, little by little. The front rubber snubs are starting to seat into the mounting cups.

Engine performance has not suffered.

‘ll be riding out in the sun over the weekend and I’ll report back on how the SoCal sun and heat affects the tank and fuel stabilizer.

Hopefully positive results.

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Fun with helmet

Instead of a ride report, I have a full-face helmet report with a bit of fun mixed in.

AGV K3 helmet

I’ve always been impressed with AGV’s line of helmets but never could bring myself to own a second high-end Italian helmet since I already own a Suomy Spec 1R Extreme – Anthracite Flowers. I have a small entourage of Scorpion EXO-400 and EXO-700 helmets that are really nice however I’ve always been craving AGVs. So I decided to go with AGV’s K3 line of helmets.

Just because this is AGV’s second-tier line of helmets, don’t let that fool you. The finish and fit of the helmet is far superior and at the same price-break as Scorpion and HJC.  Look out Scorpion and HJC – AGV is has it’s crosshairs on the $200 and lower market.

Again, the quality, fit, and finish is excellent.  Ventilation is excellent as expected from AGV.  One thing I noted was the smaller-than-usual neck roll at the back. It seems like this helmet was designed for the sportbike rider in mind. With my Ducati’s hyper-prone racing position (aka The Torture Rack), this helmet left me tons of room at the back of my neck to get into a proper racing position just like AGV’s Ti-Tech. That is a big plus!

Now that I have this excellent helmet, why would I want more? Well, the cafe racer in me was tapping on my shoulder saying “Psst. It needs a bit of flair”.

So with some checkered gas tank decals  that I had laying around, I took the stock black AGV K3 and had a little fun.

STOCK:

AND MADE THIS:

… just a litte fun while I was bored.  🙂

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