Gear- Helmets

Pouring outside, so no riding today, instead some more gear reviews. This time it’s the helmets. I have two that I end up wearing most of the time - an Arai Vector and a Scorpion EXO 400. I bought the Scorpion about three years ago and have had the Arai for a little over a year now. The Scorpion, cost me about $160 and has been a great lid. It fits well, the lining can be taken out - so when I sweat and stink it up, I can just take it out and throw it in the washer (cold water and air dry). It is also not very heavy, hardly ever any fogging on the shield and most of all, it is really stable at high speeds, i.e. no bobbing of the head due to the wind. The other really positive thing about this is how easy it is to change the shield - just twist the shield holder on the side and it pops out. That said, I usually just have the tinted shield on this one and use it when it's sunny/ when I'm not expecting to ride in the dark, etc. In the three years I have had it, I have had no issues with it, other than the snap on the strap that melted because I hung it from my foot peg and it touched the hot exhaust - so completely my fault. Now the Arai. Cost about $400. The positives - great fit; a little more comfortable than the Scorpion, but I don't know I that is good or bad - helmets are supposed to be super snug. It is very "pretty" :), paint job on it is amazing, colors just pop. Venting is good so you get good airflow, however, it can get cold when the temps drop. The negatives (or as we say in the biz world, "areas of improvement"). It would be nice if I could take the liner out; even though the shield has air vents, it does not prevent it from fogging; noticeable headshake at speed and worst of all, changing the shield is a pain (that is why I only have a clear shield on it and wear it in the evening/ cloudy days, etc.). Also, in the year and a half, the side-pods that go over the shield have broken twice, for no reason whatsoever, i.e. I was not changing shields, taking it off or anything- it just broke off - the strap also frayed bad enough that I could not snap it shut. Now that said, Arai's customer service has been amazing. They have replaced the side pod twice and fixed the strap as well (although I had to send in the helmet for that to be done), but it was all very easy, I contacted them via email, they replied within a day and fixed the problem. But should the helmet really have had these issues in the first place?!? oh well. Needless to say, of the two, I would say I end up wearing the Scorpion about 70% of the time.

Gear- Boots....

strongly believe in wearing some sort of protective gear when riding- a helmet, jacket, boots, gloves, back protector and some sort of knee/ leg armor. I've been lucky and have not had a bad crash, but when I "bit it", wearing good gear is what saved me a$$ - And having the right armor and the right fitting gear is key. I know tight fitting stuff seems like overkill or uncomfortable or you end up looking like you have just come off a race track, but when you go down, you don't want that armor moving. I'll throw up pics of what I wear with my thoughts, so starting off with shoes. I have two pairs, Sidi Vertigos (full boot)and Puma Flat v2 (half boot). I can't say enough good things about the Vertigos, they are comfortable when riding, have armor in all the right places, have an adjustable calf, so if you are wearing leathers or knee guards, etc., you can tuck them in, have couple of air vents for those hot days and just overall I think are the best riding boot out there. It is also cool that you can pretty much replace everything on the boot from the toe slider to the sole. :) In terms of daily wear, they are not designed for walking or hiking long distances. You can loosen the calf adjustment for walking, or wear them to work if you are a desk jockey but don't expect to run laps anywhere, anytime soon. The Puma's on the other hand are designed as an urban boot. I usually wear them when riding my scooter. Comfortable, but not much protection, more of a glorified high-top sneaker. They look good but I probably could have spent fifty bucks more and bought Sidi's streetburners. The pics: Sidi Vertigos Puma Flat V2.