AIRHAWK Motorcycle Seat Cushions
In the next 45-60 days, we are planning a 7 day trip so long hours in the saddle will be the norm, and… my bike’s seat is as hard as a rock. While it’s great for day rides, I tend to walk 
funny after a long day. However, because I’m young and stubborn I can’t part with my “gunfighter” seat that looks great on the bike. But still, planning this long trip got me to thinking. There are several alternatives that would work well for my purpose; something that allows me to keeps the good looks, but easily adds comfort when needed. The seat alternative I am trying is the Airhawk Seat Pad and it comes in four different sizes; small, medium, large, and Jumbo.
This thing is COMFORTABLE!
After my first ride, I didn’t expect to be writing praises in this review. I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. The Airhawk’s instructions were followed, but I floated around like crazy. 
While their inflation suggestions made the seat comfortable to sit on, it made me uneasy because I didn’t feel in control and planted to the motorcycle.
Then my dad told me to deflate the cushion some – until my butt just started hitting the stock seat. Boy, what a difference less air makes, at least for me. Turns out, I had the thing way over-inflated and that’s what was causing all my problems. My second trip with the pad was a night-and-day difference from the first – a smooth, comfortable ride that at no time made me feel disconnect
ed from my bike and the ride.
A ride using the Airhawk Motorcycle Seat Cushion is easily exponentially more comfortable than your stock (or even aftermarket) seat alone. You can use the straps to fasten it to your seat or just lay it on top. Either way, it is easy to remove for that “leaner” look or for security purposes. Just remember to play with the inflation level a bit before forming your opinion on Airhawk’s comfort.
To sum it up, now I’m looking forward to our trip that I don’t have to worry about tweaking a couple sensitive pressure points!
Adaptiv TPX Radar Detector Console
Radar Detector Review
Like a lot of riders, I pay more attention to the road and to what other people are doing than how fast I’m going. This can obviously lead to some trouble should the authorities catch you scooting around with no regard to the posted speed. My tendency towards the upper end of the speedometer is what led me to test the Adaptiv TPX Radar Detector.
I’ve been using the Adaptiv detector for about a month now – this includes the busy streets of Dallas as well as the highways getting out of town. I feel comfortable saying the TPX helped me avoid two definite tickets. Now, I use all sorts of methods to watch out for speed traps (never running full speed over a hill, watching brake lights, etc.), but for those times when you’re not quite as diligent a radar detector wakes you up!
When considering items like this for my bike, I want something easy to mount, easy to hook-up, and easy to use. Adaptiv addressed all three of my concerns. The unit will mount to just about any kind of universal accessory – for example Ram Mount or Techmount. The controls are simple and buttons large for ease of use even with gloves.
As far as motorcycle radar detectors go, this “made for the outdoors” radar detector is a bargain-priced unit, though performance-wise, it is seems every bit as capable as the more expensive units.
They tell me this system detects all radar and laser bands used by law enforcement agencies by providing 360 degree protection for both radar and laser. Think I’ll just trust them on that one. Adaptiv expands its usefulness by offering a TPX Wireless Headset accessory for audio alerts as well as an Automotive Mount Kit so you can use the TPX unit in a car.
A few dealers are including a Free Visual Alert unit with each TPX Radar Detector sold. In my opinion this is a “must have” accessory so this offer saves you $40 up front. It’s a nice addition because the bright LED lamp array works as a fail safe warning during those times when the rider can't hear the audio alert. You can’t miss the light and it easily mounts on handlebars or on top of instruments or fairings.
As expensive as tickets are, the prevention of one ticket will come very close to paying for one of Adaptiv’s TPX Radar Detectors. If you’re anything like me, you’d much rather spend money on a gadget for your bike than pay for a ticket. To sum it up, it’s a great radar detector for the money.
Wiseco Fuel Management Controller Review
Because I’m surrounded by carburetors in my garage, I had to head to my grandfather’s house for this test to play with his Kawasaki 900 Vulcan while he wasn’t around. Why all this effort? This product really caught my interest. So here goes:
Since I hadn’t ridden his bike in a while, the first thing I did was ride around for a while to remember how it felt pre-Wiseco Kawasaki mod – it still exhibited the lean behav
ior I had experienced earlier. After the quick trip, I read the instructions and plugged-in the Wiseco Fuel Management Controller. Once plugged-in, I took it for another ride to see what this gadget would tell me. My grandfather recently installed a set of Cobra PowerPro 2-into-1 pipes and an aftermarket air filter so a slight hesitation was expected when accelerating. Sure enough, when it happened, the indicator displayed yellow lights, indicating that the yellow mode (acceleration) needed adjustment.
I pulled over and slightly increased the fuel flow with a few button pushes and was on my way again. To my surprise, the hesitation disappeared! Well, I take that back. I wasn’t surprised that it fixed the problem – I was surprised at how easy it was. Anyway, I adjusted it a little more and felt some nice horsepower gains.
Once I got back to his house, I lowered the settings some because he’s a bit of a stickler when it comes to messing with his gas mileage. “Old school” I guess, mileage over performance – directly opposite me! Again, the operation involved just a few button presses and it was back to my first adjustment setting.
Overall, it’s a nice unit that allows a quick and easy adjustment to your fuel/air ratio and smooth out minor engine issues without a dyno or laptop – with great results! To me, the piece of Velcro they offer for mounting does cut it as I prefer more protection. However, Wiseco does over a universal rubber mounting case that works with any of the Wiseco fuel management controllers that looks ideal for the job.
Bottom line? Great unit, easy to understand instructions, quick install and great results.
Shark Evoline Series II Helmet Review
Before every road trip I go on, I’m left with a dilemma – do I take my full or open face helmet? Well, thanks to Shark, I won’t have to even think about it again. The company has developed the Evoline Series 2, the most versatile motorcycle helmet available, by far.
Prior to this, my only exposure to the Evoline was seeing it at a show a little over a year ago. Now that I’ve had some hands-on time with Shark’s updated and improved Evoline Series 2, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on it.
Besides the 2-in-1 aspect of the helmet, the other feature that sold me on the helmet was the internally rotating sun visor with UV400 protection. Sunglasses are always a pain to wear with a helmet, both literally and figuratively. Thankfully, the drop-down sun visor is large enough to make sunglasses unnecessary. Apparently the size of the visor was an issue with the first series, so Shark made it larger in the Series 2 and it works well.
Other upgrades include improving the helmet’s seals to make it more water-resistant and an improved liner. I’m not normally one who focuses on things like the liner in a helmet, but I have to say that the Evoline Series 2 has one of the nicest liners that have ever protected my noggin. Flawless.
The rest of the components live up to the quality of the main features. Everything on it seems to move smoothly and feel solid. I remember having some trouble playing with the Series 1 face shield and rotating visor but that was not an issue with the Series 2. The components involved when changing from full to open face move easily and lock in precisely.
Shark has made a quality product here and I’m impressed. This helmet is a definite recommendation.
Kendon Stand-Up/Fold-Up Trailers
Like a lot of people, I’m short on room at my house. That’s why, after looking at trailers for my motorcycle for years, I was thrilled to see a trailer I could fold up in the garage while leaving enough space for my wife’s car.
So what did I find? The Kendon Fold-up Trailer. Let’s look at the feature that separates this trailer from other haulers. The tail section of these trailers folds over and the entire unit stands up on three large casters built into the rear. When stood upright on its casters, the trailer measures only 6.5 feet high and 2 feet deep and takes up the same amount of room as my ping pong table when folded-up against the wall.
The trailer is light-weight and sturdy and has a large lower deck and long ramp for easy loading. The Kendon can handle up to 1000 pounds of cruisers, sport bikes, dirt bikes, and ATVs and after some hands-on time, I can believe it. The ramps and front-wheel chocks made loading my Vulcan a breeze while the various tie-down points made sure everything was secure for th
e ride. The Kendon is available in Single, Dual, or Triple bike configurations.
The ride itself was smooth and stable behind the truck. Even when towing the one bike on the dual rail trailer, it never hinted at wanting to flip or roll and the larger wheels made for a smooth pull. One of the only drawbacks is that the trailer’s a bit noisy when being pulled empty due to the folding tail section.
This bike trailer is a sturdy, space-saving hauling solution that I highly recommend.
Categories
- ATV/UTV
- Batteries Chargers & Testers
- Communications
- Electronics
- Fuel & Air
- General
- Helmets
- Industry News
- Lighting & Hardware
- Luggage
- Tires
- Trailers & Accessories
- Windshields
Fitment Guides & Manuals
Get Connected
