Gear Reviews

Reviews

TA Moto Reviews:

In this section we will tell you about all the great gear that we have, review various motorcycles, tell you the best roads to take, all the great places to eat along the way, and the best places to get a great nights sleep.

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TA Moto Reviews

Product Review (please keep it 300 words or less)

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Product Name and Description

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Scorpion EXO-700 Helmet - www.scorpionusa.com - by Tim P

I have never been a big fan of flashy helmets. But I am willing to make an exception on this one. The Exo-700 series from Scorpion is one of the best (if not the best) helmets I have ever had the pleasure of placing on my head. These helmets are also some of the best looking on the market. It has a wide face shield so your viewing area doesn't seem like it is cut off on the sides like other full face helmets do. It is a little heavier than some but the weight really isn't noticeable when you are off and riding down the road.

The helmet is very comfortable when you have it on. It almost feels like it is supposed to be there. The light and soft liner is definitely one of the highlights of the helmet.

The sizing on the Scorpion helmets are a little on the small side. I am usually an XL, and I had to go with a 2XL.Scorpion USA does much of the design and development at its California headquarters, but the helmets are manufactured in China. The company's philosophy is to give big-brand features at a Chinese price.

The venting on this helmet is extraordinary compared to the higher priced helmets. Usually you would flip a vent open here and there and not really notice if it was doing anything. On the Exo 700 when you open one of it's many vents, you will notice a huge difference. When they are all open it is like someone turned on the air conditioning.

The face shield is very easy to get on and off, and there all all kinds of colors to choose from online. Almost everything is replaceable on the Exo 700, the face shields, the inner liner, the cheek pads, the vent covers, the face shield twist grips, etc.

Pros - It is pretty clear the pros of the helmet are listed above. The main one being the price and functionality. The fact that you can customize it to make it match any bike, jacket or style doesn't hurt it either.

Cons - The only issues that I have ever had with this helmet is that the face shields never seem to totally seal when the face shield is down. I don't really notice it much when I am riding but in very heavy rains, water tends to leak down from the top side of the shield to the bottom of the shield. It causes the inside of the shield to get wet. It isn't that big of a deal but it gets annoying when you have to stop to wipe off the inside of your helmet! This has only happened a few times, one time in a major thunderstorm between Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio.

I am giving it four stars out of five for it's continued function and comfort. I highly recommend the Scorpion brand as a whole. Yeah you could go spend your money on a Shoei or a Nolan, but remember this... The Scorpion Exo-700 has all the same features and options that the big name helmets do, but gets the job done at under $200.

Caberg V2 Helmet - www.caberg-helm.com - by Tim M

I purchased this helmet from Ireland before they were imported to the US. It was one of the first helmets to feature a slide down internal sun shield.

At first, the internal padding is very tight. It took quite a while to break in and conform. It also seems that if the helmet sits for a long time in between rides, the foam will expand back to the original volume.

The internal shield works great but it is a few millimeters short for my taste. It is curved enough to clear a set of small eye glasses. The external shield is crystal clear with no obvious warping.

The venting system doesn't seem to be all that useful in hot weather. With all three vents (2x top, 1x front) there isn't a lot of air flow. I normally counter this by cracking open the shield to the first notch.

Comfort is great on the helmet and the visibility is standard. The only drawback is the weight, it's a fairly hefty helmet and you'll feel it. This is mainly due to Caberg only using one shell size for all of the helmets. This means, my XS is externally, the same as an XL. The shell is designed very well, I have very little "air lift" while riding.

This is an British ACU Gold Star rated helmet. Technically, this helmet is not legal to wear on the road in the US. The safety standards are equal to both the DOT and SNELL. Personally, I prefer a DOT helmet since tests have shown that softer helmets transfer fewer Gs to the wearers precious melon.

Overall, I like this helmet for cooler temps but I'm spoiled by the internal sun shield. So, I'll tough it out on the hot days.

Aerostich Combat Touring Boots (Sidi) - www.aerostich.com - by Andrew

I've had my pair of Combat Touring Boots for several years now, and the more I wear them the more they impress me. I've worn mine for thousands of miles all over the US and Canada, raced with them at Bonneville and Maxton (yes, they passed the safety inspection), and seen them outlast who-knows-how-many pairs of supposedly waterproof touring boots that my friends have tried. I've had my pair of Combat Touring Boots for several years now, and the more I wear them the more they impress me.

I've worn mine for thousands of miles all over the US and Canada, raced with them at Bonneville and Maxton (yes, they passed the safety inspection), and seen them outlast who-knows-how-many pairs of supposedly waterproof touring boots that my friends have tried.

The CBTs strength lies in their straightforward, rugged construction. No special liners, graphics, or gimmicks here, just heavy duty construction made with a lot of common sense. It's an all-leather boot, so it takes time to break in and does require periodic maintenance via re-polishing and reapplying waterproofing on the stitching, but the small investment in time pays off great dividends.

Though not listed as a waterproof boot, I've ridden through all-day soakers and come away with a slightly damp sock at worst. That means a lot when you hate stopping to put on rain gear as much as I do! The version I bought came with a treaded sole, and they're perfectly comfortable to walk around in for moderate periods of time.

They're incredibly comfortable and insulating while on the bike; good in just about any temp. CBTs aren't cheap - a new pair will run you just over $300, but they'll far outlast just about any other riding boot out there and are well worth the investment.

Plus, you just feel kinda badass when you wear them, and what's not to love about that?

Alpinestars SMX-4 Sport/Touring Boots - www.alpinestars.com - by Tim P

Our recent trip to Montreal was the first real "Trip" I have taken these boots on. They really were comfortable the entire trip. At first glance, one would think that these are Racing Boots. That is not the case. They are made for sport riding and long distance touring. This is also the first product I have ever owned by Alpinestars.

The boots are very flexible when you have them on while at the same time they feel as if they would provide a great deal of protection if you were to go sliding across the highway at 80mph. Getting in and out of these babies is very simple and only takes a few seconds. They have an extra wide Velcro flap, in unison with an offset rear elastic mounted zipper.

The air vents at the shin, calf, heel and forefoot do a great job of letting air through to cool your feet but they claim that the vents are supposed to be water tight. I can tell you that in normal moderate rain this is true, but in heavy downpours, don't be surprised if your feet are a little wet. Not soaked, just wet.

I have wore these boots in everything from 35 degrees to sunny hot summer riding without a single issue. Off the bike they are very comfy and the stitching and finish hold up well and once they are broke in, they feel a lot like a comfy pair of sneakers.

The SMX-4's are by far the best pair of riding boots I have ever worn. I will not hesitate to buy another pair when these wear out.

Plus, they also come standard with interchangeable toe sliders for those of you who like to lean a bit too far into the twisties.

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Scorpion EXO Stinger Gloves - www.scorpionusa.com - by Tim P

I firmly believe in the Scorpion Brand. A few months ago I bought the Stinger Gloves to replace some First Gear Mesh gloves that I had completely worn out in only a few hundred miles.

At an average cost of around $45.00 or so, the Stinger's can't be beat.

They are fairly thick for mesh gloves, which leads me to believe that they offer much protection to my hands. The mesh material is very thick and almost un-noticeable until you get out on the open highway. They let just enough air through to cool your hands on a hot day or to dry your fingers if there is a little pop up rainshower.

The gloves look great with all the other scorpion gear and I see absolutely no signs of wear up to this point after thousands of miles and many, many rainy rides.

Two Thumbs Up. (well five if we stick to the "out of 5" system).

Cortech Scarab Winter Gloves - www.tourmaster.com - by Tim M

These feature 100 grams of 3M Thinuslate insulation and HiPora waterproofing. The gloves kept my hands fairly warm on a long ride in the mid 30s.

Once it dropped into the mid 20s and factor in highway speeds, I really needed heated grips.

The fit is standard with most other brands. From a protection stand point, I'm very confident these would hold up well in a get-off.

The palm padding and insulation are thick but still leave enough dexterity to use all the controls.

The only negative comment I have is regarding how well they breath. The HiPora membrane doesn't let moisture out of the gloves very well. Wearing them in anything in the 50s and warmer, will cause a good amount of sweat to build up. Thankfully, the dry quickly once you take them off.

Overall, a great glove at a great price.

Marsee 10L Corona Mount (BMW) - www.marseeproducts.com - by Tim P

When I first bought my BMW, it came with a BMW brand tank bag. I really liked the look of the bag and the way the bag was mounted to the bike. But that was in the beginning.

Everything was fine and dandy until I took a trip to Montreal, Quebec and I rode in the rain for 4 days. When I got to Montreal everything inside the bag was wet and the bag itself (even with the raincover on) started to mold. Talk about a bad time to not be able to use your tank bag.

Immediately following that trip, I decided that I would purchase another sort of bag that is in fact water proof and would protect my goodies if I were ever to get stuck in another monsoon.

As always, I did my normal research online prior to purchasing anything. I found a few sites mentioning a company called "Marsee" that had some nice tank bags. I was unable to find many reviews about the bags, but I did like the look of them. I looked on the Marsee site and read everything there was to read about them. I found out that there was a dealer right in my hometown (Racer Parts Wholesale) that sold the Marsee Products to I figured a closer look was in order. I drove down there the next day to check them out.

The bags themselves are very well made and I really liked the look of them on my bike. They have a bunch of options (or Add-ons) and you can pretty much do anything with them. I was worried once I picked out the bag that I liked (the 10L) of how it would then connect to my bike and how easy it would be to remove, etc.

This was not an issue with a little help from the "Corona Mount". The mounting "disc" mounts right to your gas tank bolts (longer bolts are included) and the tank bag just swivels on and off and is held in place by magnets. Genius. I have never been happier with a piece of luggage on a motorcycle in my entire riding career.

I have since put about 15,ooo miles on the bag and I am still as happy with it as I was the day I got it. I highly recommend this bag.

And as for the rain... I have been through every type of weather with this thing and have yet to open it up and find a drop of water.

Scorpion EXO-900 "Transformer" Helmet - www.scorpionusa.com - by Tim P

I have worn a Scorpion EXO-700 full-face helmet as my daily helmet for years now. So naturally when I decided to get another helmet I figured the Exo Series was the way to go. I did some research and came up with the Exo 900 "transformer Helmet". Man was this thing is cool... or so I thought.

I had seen on in person once, but never tried it on and for some reason decided to order it online without doing so. It’s a pretty heavy helmet, but it didn't feel heavy when you were wearing it. I did like the a lot of the features like the adjustable air bladder to custom fit it, and the overall comfort of it.

it seemed perfect.

The fit was snug, but comfortable, and it had all the features of the Exo 700 I was so used to. The difference is you have the option of removing the face shield and replacing it with a visor to make it a 3/4 helmet, and the Exo 700 isn't modular.

What I didn’t notice, until I actually used it on a trip, was that the ear section on both sides has no padding around the top and rear of the ear. So, the cartilage of your ear sits directly against the hard foam of the helmet impact shell. After about 30 minutes, turning or moving your head becomes painful, as your ears get constantly crushed against the helmet shell.

After a while of riding this got a little uncomfortable. Another thing that I noticed from day one is though the helmet seems very well made, that there is a large gap between the visor and the shell of the helmet. This let in a large amount of air (and rain) while riding. It would dry my eyes out from time to time.

In closing, I want to mention that I do still own the helmet and probably will forever, I have always been impressed with the Scorpion Brand and will not let a few things about 1 item cause me to not buy anything from them in the future. I will always stand behind them, and recommend them to anyone from a daily rider to a long distance tourer.

And heck, in the price range of $200 I would almost bet you to find a better overall deal. But don't quote me on that one.