Pirelli Rosso II

My OEM tires finally reached the end of their lives- at 6927 miles. They did their job well and lasted, I think,  longer than most sport oriented rubber but were at a point where they had a nice flat spot (thanks to some long rides on straight roads) and the wear bars were almost gone. 

I wanted to stay with the Pirelli's since they have always performed well for me.  So after  reading some reviews and hearing good things about the Rosso II, I decided to go with them.  I put about 50 miles or so on them today.  They feel very planted, seem to warm up quickly and ride well - but I am also taking it super easy given the break in time of the new tire.  Will update when I have a few more miles on them.

They look like any other tire, but here are some pics.

Review: Bell Star helmet

I got a new helmet. It was time for one given, my Scorpion is almost five years old. The Arai is about three years old, but with the side shield cover issue, you never know when it will go out of commission (it broke again, third time in three years); plus I only have a clear shield for it given how complicated it is to change the face shield and I don't want to risk breaking anything else on it.

After looking around at a few helmets, decided to try out the Bell Star. It had received some good reviews and I really liked the Cerwinskie design, so decided to go for it. It is now a welcome addition to the garage.  First impressions, it is very nicely made, the quality of the liner, paint, carbon fiber are all excellent. It also comes in a very nice fully lined helmet bag which is a plus. In the couple of short rides I have done, it fits me well, much lighter than my Scorpion (carbon fiber probably has something to do with that), my ear bud speakers fit nicely as there are some cut outs for ears built into the liner. Ventilation flows air well, so expect that this will keep me cool during the summer rides.  The bad, it is loud - not terribly, but I would say at the same level as the Arai, but again, wearing ear buds or plugs, it should not be too bothersome.

As to the face shield, it comes with a clear shield.  I got the transitions shield to go along with it, which changes depending on the ambient light.  I have not had a chance to ride in the sun with this shield but it did well with overcast but bright skies.  Lets see how dark it gets with the sun out.

Here are some pics.

Review: Ducati Performance Rear Tail bag for Monster 696/796/1100

I have been looking for a decent tail bag for my monster and after looking at a few options, decided to go with the Ducati Performance (DP), rear tail bag, as it is designed for the bike and from the pictures I saw on the web, seemed to fit well with the bike.  I was not able to go check it out in-person at the dealership, but went ahead and ordered it.

I also could not find any decent reviews on this bag, like how much it would carry (other than that it had a capacity of 18L, which to me means absolutely nothing!), would it fit a laptop, an ipad, a camera etc.  Also if it would fit with the passenger grab bars installed on the bike.  So with that in mind, some thoughts on the bag and pictures.

What comes in the box? - actually there is no box, the bag included the base, which goes on the seat, a rain cover and a strap to make the bag into a backpack. Oh, and some useless instructions.

Finish:  A little disappointing for the price, which can range from $250 to $280, depending on the dealer.  I needed it urgently, so paid in the middle.  Back to finish, it had threads hanging in a few places (see pic), the zipper seems  cheap (the expansion zipper stuck a little), but lets see if it lasts. The inside of the bag has sort of a cardboard piece which helps hold its shape. Overall,  it is made of nylonishy, type of material. It does have some reflective material on the bag which looks good. The shape, if it holds it fits nicely with the bike.  The finish of the base seems better than the bag itself.

Fit: The base goes on the back of the seat and the holes on it line up with the two screws that hold in the seat cover.  Had to struggle a bit to get it all to line up, but overall it fit well.  It was also super easy to zip/ upzip the bag from the base.  Still concerned about the zipper, when the bag is full, as that is the only thing holding the bag to the base - no other supporting straps.

What can you fit in it? A laptop (10 inch netbook) or an ipad will not lie flat in the base of the bag, however, once you fill it up halfway you can lay it flat about mid-way.  In terms of other things, with the bag extended, I was able to fit in 3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of sweat pants (the thin kind), pair of flip flops, 3 pairs of socks, a netbook, a charger and some toiletries - with a little room to spare.  So from the looks of it, you can pack enough for a couple of days in here.

What about the base? The base has two little pockets on the side.  These are zippered with a velcro flap covering it. Pockets are good enough for a cell phone, little camera, etc.  With the passenger grab bars installed, your use of these pockets is limited.

So overall, the bag looks decent, seems like it will carry enough, but lets see how long it will last.  I'm still not sure if it is worth the high price.