Arai is a fascinating company, with roots tracing back to 1900. In the early years, Arai manufactured sun hats and caps for public and military use, evolving in to industrial safety headwear in the ‘30s, leading them into motorcycle helmets in 1950.
The Goldwing is Honda’s touring flagship. First introduced as a naked 1000cc machine in 1975, It has always represented the ultimate in two-wheeled travel. creating an enduring and unrivalled reputation for luxury, quality and comfort.
Recently, I was invited to a media day by Kymco where we were offered the chance to spend the day riding some of their scooters.
You probably haven’t heard of Kymco, who are they?
Founded in 1964, KYMCO became one of Honda’s overseas manufacturing facilities. In the UK Kymco has been little more than an afterthought. For years, the petrol product (ATV & 2 wheeled) was looked after by Masco. In 2017 Masco closed its doors, leaving Kymco with a bit of an issue.
If you ride all year round, you will no doubt have your riding gear well-sorted. There's nothing worse than being wet, freezing and cold but you still have miles to go.
This year I made the return to Shark.
For the past few years, I've bounced around helmet brands, mostly wearing an AGV flip front. However, 2022 saw the return to Shark.
These days I generally ride in jeans and a jacket. I find it comfortable and like the way it looks and with modern technology being employed, it still provides good protection.
I’ve used a few brands and styles of jeans but am currently wearing Furygan K11 X Kevlar Jeans and loving them.
In recent times I've taken to wearing more casual riding gear. Riding in casual gear is more comfortable than race boots and full leathers but still offers good levels of protection.
Ducati’s Diavel has been with us for over 10 years now.
In those 10 years I'venever ridden one, it's a bike that hasn't particularly caught my eye much, but I recently had the chance to have the new 1260 S on test so I thought I’d give it a go and see what all the fuss was about. All of the reviews I read have praised the Diavel so I must be missing out, let's see what it's all about.
Energica are an electric motorcycle manufacturer.
Ducati’s Scrambler is cool. Ducati designed it to be cool, creating a Scrambler sub-brand in the Ducati lineup from its introduction in 2015. Scrambler is a lifestyle choice, more than just a motorcycle. “Ducati Scrambler is the essence of motorcycling and a world filled with freedom, joy and self-expression.”
