I searched for a thread on ‘the best bit of biking kit you own’, but came up with nothing. So I thought I’d start one, my reasons being entirely selfish of course… I want to get some tips.
So what is the best motorcycling accessory you own and why?
I’ll start it off by saying that my favourite bit of gear would be the Camelback I bought recently, and the heated grips (I’m expecting some ridicule over this- fire away).
With the heated grips I can ride in any weather with liner-less gloves, so I can always feel what my hands are doing. Sure my fingers still get cold from touching the brake/ clutch levers when it’s very cold, but I find I can’t feel what’s happening when I wear heavy gloves. Tried a track day once with leather/ thinsulate gloves and couldn’t tell if the throttle was fully off when braking- kept having some power on when trying to stop, so they went in the bin. And if it’s VERY cold, you can just turn them onto ‘start’- 25 watts of heating to each hand soon gets ones mitts nice and toasty! Well worth the money. If you think I’m a pussy, whatever…cold hands don’t work as well as warm ones.
The Camelback (a back pack with a bladder and a flexible drinking straw) has worked out far better than I ever could have hoped. I always get dehydrated on warm days- even if only riding for an hour or so. A few weeks back I was so bad after a quick ride to the Hill Top and back that I decided to give the Camelback a go. Tried it for the first time when doing the Arthurs/ Haast loop with a mate. The difference was incredible. I felt like I could ride all day without getting tired, my friend on a much comfier bike was knackered. Plus I didn’t get sore, even though it had been 2 months since my last ride. Normally I’d wake up the next morning and be sore but it didn’t happen this time, so I can only put it down to being properly hydrated. The pack (‘Siren’) is so small and light you don’t know it’s there, the hose is quite heavy, so doesn’t flap in the breeze at all- and it got very breezy a couple of times- and the pack doesn’t flap about or move either, even when riding in the affore mentioned strong breeze sitting up or flat on the tank. Didn’t need to make any mods to the helmet, the nozzle just sits next to my gob until I’m ready for another sip (that takes a while to get used to). The only drawback is that all those little sips add up, and you tend to need to stop for a leak more often…
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Originally Posted by alarumba
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