Category: Misc

Alpinestars SP Air Gloves Review

May 23, 2020 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

Below is the first part of my review for webbikeworld. The full review is available here:
https://www.webbikeworld.com/alpinestars-sp-air-gloves-review/

Introduction, and a Thank You

Spring 2020 is here and the world has certainly changed quite a bit over the past several weeks. The outbreak of COVID-19 has drastically altered the way people go about their lives all over the globe. Before getting into the review, I want to acknowledge all the vital work that is being performed every day by staff in the various industries that continue to be hard at work through this crisis.

Also, while I usually keep my webBikeWorld “world” and my “work” world separate, today I’m knocking down that wall today to give some well deserved appreciation. I want to say thank you to my colleagues and leadership at my place of work, HCA Healthcare. During the recent weeks, the clinical education team, of which I’m part, has had not only more work to do but also have to be very flexible in order to react to the rapid procedural and policy changes happening in the clinical space.

It’s been a great source of pride to be part of the HCA Center for Clinical Advancement as we work together and produce updated education materials our clinical staff needs as the situation has evolved. I also want to recognize our HCA senior leadership for their inspiring behavior during this crisis. They have truly demonstrated our mission of “Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life”.

Thank you.

So where was I? Oh yeah, a glove review 🙂

With warmer weather finally arriving, I wanted to find a new pair of summer weight gloves for 2020. I believe for most people, choosing a pair of gloves isn’t a difficult or lengthy task. For me, this means a lot of searching and comparisons can occur over several days or even weeks. However, in this case, it only took a few days to narrow down my choice.

The reasonable amount of research time is partly due to the fact I wanted to find a summer/hot weather glove that offers a full gauntlet and good protective features. The gauntlet aspect really limits the number of options for a hot weather glove so in a short time I landed on the subject of this review.

Let’s dig in.

Multiple Crashes in SuperSport Race 1 Yesterday

September 23, 2018 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

I mentioned yesterday that the Supersport race had to be restated twice due to crashes. I understand this morning that everyone involved is “OK” at this point which we’re all grateful for considering what it looked like right in front of my position on the track. The photos speak for themselves.

The Importance of Suspension Setup

June 7, 2018 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

One of the first things I do when I get a new or new to me motorcycle cycle is evaluate and adjust the suspension. I will also tell anyone who will listen to do the same. So how is it that I’ve had my Ninja 1000 for two years and somehow completely forgot to do this? I can’t say.

I can say that less than an hour in the garage with a friend, a socket wrench, and a spanner saved my relationship with my Ninja “thou”. I had been preparing for some time to sit down with the Ninja and say “We need to talk”, but now we’re getting along swimmingly. So what led to this near breakup and how exactly was it saved? Read on, friends…

Teasers for Spring Reviews

March 7, 2018 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

A great little strip of asphalt called Fairview-Kingston Springs Rd. Short but sweet!

I just realized how badly MotorcycleWords.com has been neglected by me over the past couple of months. Seeing as the weather has been less than “motorcycle-friendly” in my part of the country it is likely not surprising. Still, that’s no excuse for the emptiness and quiet that has descended on my humble little blog. So to get things warmed back up I thought I’d share some info on upcoming products I have in for review for webBikeWorld.com as well as some teasers for things on the way.

First up, I have one of the new Elipsol Air jackets from Pilot Motosport in house for review. This addition to Pilot’s lineup is a mashup of adventure styling and mesh airflow. I really like the styling of this jacket and in addition to light grey, dark grey, and Hi-Viz colors, they have a new “Sand” color which I totally dig. I’ve managed two short rides with it during the brief periods when it was warm enough but Spring is on the way and this review will be hitting wBW soon.

Sitting on the shelf waiting for warmer temps is a pair of riding jeans from Trilobite out of the Czech Republic. Their TON-UP riding jeans take a different approach than other riding jeans I’ve reviewed in the past as they do not have a separate lining for abrasion resistance. Instead, the denim used in the jeans is made from UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) thread making it not only very durable but also much lighter than typical motorcycle specific jeans. The material is also very cool against the skin so I’ve been patiently waiting for Spring to show up so I can give these a full test.

Finally, after about 6,500 miles on my Continental Road Attack 2 EVO’s, I’ll be replacing them soon with a set of Continental’s new Road Attack 3‘s so I’ll be posting up an initial review soon as well as a “post-mortem” on the EVO’s. (Hint, the EVO’s were fantastic)

In news not related to my wBW reviews, I’ve got a more installments of my “Risky Business” series of riding skills articles coming for 2018. I also am looking forward to announcing a new riding skills course that will (hopefully) be available later this year from a highly skilled motorcycle riding coach/instructor I’m lucky to be friends with. I’ll be posting up news about that as it gets closer to launch. If this is something you might be interested in attending please let em know so I can let you know when this is available.

MotoAmerica Plans Big Changes for 2018

September 17, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 1 Comment

Big changes are coming to the MotoAmerica racing series for next year! They have announced there will be changes to its class structure for the 2018 season with the addition of three new classes and the rethinking of two others.

First, what is going away: The 2018 season will see the demise of Superstock 1000 and Superstock 600 with those two classes no longer incorporated into the Motul Superbike and Supersport classes. The Motul Superbike class will be just that beginning in 2018, Superbikes only. The official explanation given for this change is help fans avoid confusion with regard to what rider is racing in a given class. It is a valid point – with the Superstock bikes being run at the same time as the premier class, there often just isn’t a great degree of separation between them. Not having two classes on the track at the same time makes sense. The Stock 1000 class becomes the feeder to Superbike, giving riders a chance to gain experience on the liter class machines.
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Some Unfortunate Spills from Saturday

September 17, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

Saturday’s 600 and 1000cc races resulted in some unfortunate crashes. In the 600 class Shane Richardson (26) and Max Fernandez (128) collided in turn 5 resulting in both riders going off the track. Max comes off his bike pretty early on while Shane seems somehow to come out of and then land (nearly) back in his seat during the slide off the track. Both riders escaped receiving major injuries. The somewhat blurry sequence of images below gives you an idea.

In the second lap of the 1000cc race for the afternoon, Sylvain Barrier (28) had highside going into turn 5. You can see below where his rear tire is heavily loaded up and the front looks very light. The next frame shows the bike tossing Barrier into the air to eventually land just ahead of his machine in the grass and gravel. Sylvain stayed down after coming to a stop in the gravel trap and was taken away on a backboard in the ambulance. We understand this morning that he is already back here at the track and he might have a fracture in the foot. Hopefully that is the extent of his injuries as from my angle it looked like it could have been a lot worse.

The above crash brought the race to a stop but the drama didn’t stop there. The second start of the race had David Anthony (25) and Josh Hayes (4) both having crashes with Anthony’s bike reaching the airwall after the first turn and promptly catching on fire. I understand that the fuel pump may have kept pumping and sprayed fuel spreading the fire in the space including onto the airwall catching it on fire as well. Bother riders escaped any serious injury but the stopped the race again and set us up for a third start.

From the third start the race proceeded to the end with Roger Hayden (95) taking the win followed by Matthew Scholtz (11) and Josh Herrin (2) in second and third respectively. Toni Elias (24) managed a fourth place finish despite an off in Turn 5. Looking at the sequence of images below you can see his left foot hanging off free from the peg. His foot can be seen nearly dragging the ground and then he goes into a low-side carrying him into the gravel trap. Elias is quickly back up on his bike and is soon back on the track to make his fourth place finish.

Risky Business – Being Seen

August 1, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

In my previous installment of Risky Business, I looked at being vigilant and acutely aware of the hazards when riding on the street. This time let’s take a look from the other perspective, making yourself visible to other vehicles on the streets with you.

How often have you heard someone involved in an crash say “I never saw the other driver, rider, etc”. More often that you would think, this is actually a true statement. The driver may have actually been looking right at motorcycle and their brain never registered the bike as an object to avoid or be concerned with.

Drivers can get used to just looking for cars and other hazards on the road. Let’s face it, motorcycles just aren’t as plentiful on the roads as cars and trucks. It’s hard for some motorcyclists to understand this but as riders, we often take note of other bikes. Being on a bike seems to make us “tuned in” to see other bikes where drivers of cars simply aren’t.

So what can one do as a rider to mitigate this phenomenon? Let’s learn how to be seen. The following are some ways to improve your visibility on the road.

6th Annual Fallen Soldiers March – 07/29

July 19, 2017 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

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Photos from the 12th Annual Vintage Festival

October 8, 2016 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

I like spending time inside the track at Barber when I’m here, but during the vintage festival there’s always excellent opportunities to get photos of cool, awesome, and sometimes just whack motorcycles. The vintage festival is a melting pot of motorcycle enthusiasts ranging from cruiser riders, sport bike enthusiasts, vintage experts, off road and trial riders, and just everything motorcycle. Take a few hours to walk the paddock, the swap meet, and the fan zone and you’re bound to see something you’ve never seen before (or maybe never wanted to see). Hit the continue reading link to see more photos from our first day here at the vintage festival.
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One of Ten | A Teaser

October 8, 2016 / Brandon Jackson / 0 Comments

Sears Dreadnoght - Bill Kurtz Kevin and I had the very unique opportunity to see and hear a 1913 Sears Dreadnought Deluxe motorcycle this morning here at he Barber Motorsports Park this morning. This weekend Barber is hosting their 12th annual Vintage Festival and while there are plenty of “old” motorcycles around the facility and grounds right now, this particular bike is a living piece of history.

It is estimated that there are only ten of these bikes in existence at this time with one of them currently residing at the Guggenheim. For this weekend at least, we know where a second of those ten are. As we walked the paddock this we came around the corner facing the BMW Motorcycles of Atlanta tent. Out front we saw Bill Kurtz, a master technician and vintage specialist for the dealership with the Dreadnought already started and running.

Kevin was keen to find out more about the bike, which at the time we had no idea what a treasure it was, so he walked over to discover more about the Dreadnought and Bill. We had a great conversation with Bill and Kevin is busy writing up his thoughts to be published here later this weekend. We have some video footage of our time with Bill too but it was very loud in the paddock so we’ll see what we can make out. In the mean time here are a couple of photos of the machine and the man in question.