Idea for thin, lightweight hip armor

I prefer having knee AND hip armor in my riding pants, always. Most hip protectors are rather thick and uncomfortable. But Dainese created 2 products that I think work really well as hip protectors.  One of which is clearly designed by Dainese as a Hip Protector (pictured above). They're smaller, about 3in wide by 5in tall and designed to fit specifically into their riding jean models that offer hip protector pockets.

But the other armor they make with the same lightweight, strong material are Dainese Pro Shape Knee Protectors for their riding jeans:

Both of these protectors are CE Certified and are Level 1. I put the knee protectors in my Gear 2's hip armor pockets! They're comfortable, light and I don't even know they're there.  Each pair costs less than $40, definitely a worthy investment.

Cool Motorcycle? Travel Bag

This travel bag seems like something many of us could use while on a cross country road trip! Or somewhere like that? 

This isn't a motorcycle specific bag, but something that's available from BoingBoing's online store.

It might look like this bag is huge but it's only 16" x 6"! What a great idea, a bag that rolls up that you can throw over your shoulder or strap to your seat if you're riding with it. It's not waterproof enough to ride through a thunderstorm but I'm sure you could find a waterproof bag for it somehow. I probably wouldn't use it for riding, but would use it as an overnight bag or weekend bag. Or if you have big cases or luggage, this could fit inside and be convenient to hold your most useful items.

For $45, I think it's a pretty cool idea. Read more about this nifty bag here.

Can't Ride, So I'll Shop. Shoei RF-1200 Photochromic Faceshield.

Just another faceshield? Something like that. For those of you who wear fancy transition lens glasses, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. 

This Transitions lens is ready for my Shoei RF-1200 and in fact will only fit the RF-1200 since the shields are different on Shoei's other helmet models. It's also Pinlock ready, so that means you can transfer your clear Pinlock insert right into this faceshield (which should've come with your RF-1200, btw. If it didn't you need to call your shop/dealer/website asap).   Once you've done that, you now have a fog free transition lens!

I haven't worn a dark faceshield on my helmet in over 10 years because I love my Maui Jim sunglasses so much. I'm not sure if this shield will permanently replace using them while riding but I'm hoping that they will. It's such a convenient idea, right?

I'm hoping it doesn't annoy me, and I'm really hoping I don't miss my sunglasses. I am used to having polarized lenses, so we'll see. From my understanding, the Transition lens properties aren't as quick to react as one might think. For example, if you're riding on a twisty road with trees like this:

The lens will not transition instantly back and forth. It can't react that quickly. (If I'm wrong about this, please please post a comment with your own experience). I believe it'll maintain a light smoke color for the duration of the road. I'm also told that when the sky is cloudy or overcast, it also maintains a light smoke tint. I'm a little worried about that because my sunglasses do a phenomenal job of making things easier to see when it's gray out.

It's not cheap at $152.99 (Revzilla), but the technology might be worth paying for if you don't want to change faceshields constantly or carry your fancy sunglasses while you ride.

Fingers crossed, hopefully it'll warm up briefly for me to take Goldie out and test whether or not I'll be keeping this fancy faceshield.

*sigh*

Sena SMH10R Firmware Update

 

Attention all Sena fans, firmware updates were announced for many of it's products this past month. My beloved SMH10R was one of them.

If you need to update the firmware, you'll have to plug your Sena in with the charging cable, then connect it to your pc or mac. Links to the Device Manager software and instructions are at the bottom of the press release page.

Happy Bluetoothing!