Last fall we planned a big dual sport ride with the Africa Twin, but taking a brand new motorcycle off-road comes with risks. Dropping one usually isn’t cheap. So why not spend a little extra and protect your ride? We turned to Moto Machines, the Hepco & Becker distributor in the USA for 3 essential […]

British-based Kriega has been in the business of producing top-shelf luggage for motorbikes and riders alike since 2000. With the Duo-28 Saddlebags, the expectation for a well-designed product was already set. The saddlebags are billed as having a universal fit to modern retro-styled bikes, and as these would be finding a home on a 2015 […]

With so much great gear on the market, finding the perfect gift for your favorite rider can seem impossible. That’s why we’ve come up with a short list of some our most-used and loved items—everything from useful stocking stuffers to great reading to life-saving gear. Sliders Kevlar Riding Jeans from Competition Accessories Available for men and women, […]

The Latest from SW-MOTECH – The next generation of adventure oriented motorcycle luggage from SW-MOTECH has now arrived on our shores. The TraX Adventure series is an upgrade over the previous EVO line of side cases. According to SW-MOTECH engineers the new bags are stronger, more durable, easier to carry off the bike, and offer […]

Load it Up Right! – One of my favorite television shows as a child (and I realize this hints at my age) was The Beverly Hillbillies. The opening shot was of the Clampett clan driving down a palm-lined boulevard in Beverly Hills; an ancient flatbed truck piled high with possessions dangling from every spare inch […]

Universal Soft Luggage from Dowco – Dowco has been making motorcycle luggage (among other recreational industries) for a long time, and the expertise shows. Upon arrival, even the shipping boxes in which the bags come are solid and good-looking. When we put our eyes and hands on these three types of bags (tankbag, tailbag, and […]

One of the biggest challenges facing motorcycle campers is simply finding enough room on the bike for all of the gear they wish to take. This problem is even more pronounced when camping two-up. Close to twice the gear crammed into less space can spell trouble if one is not careful. My wife always wins […]

As those of us who ride know, motorcycles and cars are completely different animals. Each can be tamed, but the bikes tend to bite harder. We, the operators, have the final say on the safety of our machines prior to a ride. Without all the steel, belts, and bags of a car, motorcyclists are more […]

Is Suzuki’s new V-Strom 1000 an adventure bike, standard, or a bit of both? It doesn’t matter what you call it, so long as you outfit this two-wheeled chameleon with some quality accessories and rack up the miles. Hard luggage is a great place to start when personalizing your bike, and among Hepco & Becker’s […]

Rugged simplicity is what sets the Kawasaki KLR 650 apart from its fuel-injected, sensor-laden adventure bike brethren. When selecting luggage for my KLR, it only made sense to outfit the bike with luggage that followed the same design principles. The Happy Trails Teton series of panniers does just that. The KLR 650 panniers are constructed […]

Deciding what to take on a multiday motorcycle trip can be as important as deciding where to go. Taking too little or the wrong items can pose certain risks and taking too much can make the daily loading and unloading a hassle. Less seasoned moto-tourists typically take too much, possibly because they have not yet […]

“How am I going to tour on this thing?” I think to myself, as I look at the single seat 2015 Indian Scout. The bike has no pillon, no rack, and no means to mount a tailpack or saddlebags. To be honest, I know exactly what I was thinking…“OMG that thing is HAWT. I wanna […]

Luggage. Motorcyclists may struggle with this aspect of the sport more than any other. Retaining the nimble, minimalist aspect of our bikes while still packing what we need for a trip is a true conundrum. I ride a BMW R 1200 GS—a motorcycle incarnation that is often fitted with more luggage than a United Airlines […]

If you’ve ever gone on an international tour, you know the value of being able to use the same luggage on your motorcycle as you did on the flight. Traveling by airplane with your motorcycle gear isn’t an easy task. Bulky items like riding jackets, boots, and pants, as well as your helmet leave you […]

A topcase can be a wonderful, practical addition to a motorcycle, though they come with a few inherent drawbacks. The first of these is aesthetics. Even the best looking topcases generally only detract from the overall style of your machine. The second is in performance. With their mounting point high off the ground and to […]