Incoming: New Mosko Moto Reckless 80L bags

Mosko Moto is about to introduce a new version of their popular 80L rack-less bag system, dubbed the Reckless 80 "Revolver v3.0".

According to Jenn from Mosko Moto, major upgrades to v3.0 over the current v2.0 (seen above; it's now sold out) are as follows:

• Adjustable leg angle to improve fit to different bike frames (hence the "Revolver" name)
• Removable dry-bag-equipped auxiliary leg pockets
• Updated Hypalon MOLLE
• Leg-holster-opening adjuster straps
• Rivet-reinforced leg holsters

Availability is expected "in the next couple of weeks", but with all the COVID-19 issues in global supply chains lately, I wouldn't be surprised if stock becomes limited or delayed.

Although I haven't used Mosko Moto products myself, I've been following the company's progress for several years and have a great deal of respect for their business philosophy and approach to design and testing. This is well-thought-out gear. Having planned to get a rack for my soon-to-arrive Tenere 700 so I could re-use my existing Wolfman and Nelson-Riggs panniers, now in the interests of saving weight and not having a repeat of a rack fitment fiasco, I'm reconsidering all my luggage. Nothing wrong with the Wolfman bags - I've lived out of them for a total of several months now. However, I never got a chance to use the Nelson-Riggs bags which I bought to get just a bit of extra space.

Here's how the Nelson-Riggs compare to the Wolfman Expedition, each mounted on my WR250R with a basic pannier rack. For offroad riding, The Mosko Moto approach should eliminate some deadweight in favor of more carrying capacity, while achieving a narrower load with more centralized mass.

  

Two wheels and taxes: How life in two worlds helps me grow in both

The accounting profession is hardly the poster child for adventure. So what could my job as a Tax Partner in a 175-year-old global professional services firm possibly have in common with my passion for cycling and adventure motorcycling?

This was the question that sprang to mind while reading some of the musings of Mike Botan on advrider.com. Posting as “Ride2ADV”, Mike is living and recounting the dream of traveling the world on motorbikes with his wife. But before that, he worked as a lawyer in contract negotiation and procurement—also a profession not broadly known for risk-taking and excitement. Then I started to think about all the riders I know, many of whom are engineers, lawyers, accountants, mechanics, software designers, and the like. What gives here? 

For one thing, I’ve observed that many of the professionals I meet in these fields thrive on establishing and maintaining control, paying meticulous attention to detail, and solving complex problems. These characteristics certainly apply to me. Although my days are spent immersed in the world of corporate advisory and income tax work, acquaintances are often surprised to learn that my education is actually in physics, engineering and English. Never even took one finance course back in school! But throughout my career, first in high-tech and then as an advisor, I’ve learned by doing and through mentorship, solving hard technical and business problems where discipline, attention to detail, and planned outcomes are vital to success. 

Action on two wheels—motor optional—ticks many similar boxes for my inner control-freak. Central to the activity is the frankly bizarre need to balance on two wheels. Sure, it’s something most of us learned to do as a kid and now take for granted. But more advanced skills are needed to adapt to the increasing challenges posed by traveling far beyond the safety of the sidewalk in front of home. There’s mastering control at speed, learning how to turn on gravel, braking and steering down a descent on a rocky trail, jumping obstacles, negotiating water crossings. Incorporating a motor  increases the possible range and speeds, but adds new challenges of route-finding, navigation, traffic, risk, and more. Then there’s full-blown adventure: packing your home on the back of your bike and setting off for days or even months of exploration with potentially vastly different terrain, culture, and language. On top of it all is learning how to be self-sufficient and efficient, from looking after your own health to that of your bike and gear. 

All of these actions require planning, attention to detail, and continual practice and learning to master them and achieve an appropriate balance in all its forms. It means continual problem-solving, especially when the complexities of a motor are added to the mix. Sure, you can just “go for a ride”—and I certainly do that myself, whether it’s challenging my Strava PR’s on my road or mountain bike, ripping winter trails on my fat bike, or finding ghost towns on my motorbike. But in each case there’s a strong aspect of mindfulness required to avoid risk, achieve the desired outcome, and ultimately have fun in pursuing my passion. 

Riding helps me build mindfulness. Mindfulness in turn sparks my creativity and drives my ability to make valuable new insights and discoveries, both personally and professionally. For me, the concept of mindfulness encapsulates the themes shared between two wheels and taxes, particularly around exploration. That is, the discipline and skills required of each domain are also key qualities of a successful pathfinder. As a professional problem-solver and advisor, my role is really to be a pathfinder charged with the responsibilities of being a leader, helping people frame their issues, finding valuable new insights, mentoring along the journey, and avoiding unreasonable risks.  

Whether two wheels or taxes, it’s all about helping to improve myself and others by finding new paths to success—often on roads less-traveled.

Yamaha Tenere 700 mods

Last fall, Yamaha trotted out its much-anticipated Tenere 700 to few select dealers across Canada, hoping to lure a few mugs who had not yet given up on ever seeing this Loch Ness Monster. $3.50 in hand, I willingly sat on it, wiped my drool off the seat, then promptly added my name to the list of mugs.

The last time I gave in to my Tenere optimism ended in tears. But, here we are: delivery of a shiny new 700 in Ceramic Ice (a.k.a. blue) confirmed by my dealer for July 1. With my Africa Twin sold this week, all I can think about now is Tenere, Tenere, Tenere. Waiting four more months--with at least two of them in riding season--is gonna be agony, but it does give me some time to research and order the various bits and pieces I'd like to bolt on to make the Tenere suit my needs the minute I et it home. And research I have, thanks to all the European owners who now had a season of riding and experimentation with the bike.

Here's a run-down of my shopping list in approximate order of priority, based on a thorough scouring of various owners forums and YouTube reports.

Seat
Several riders report that Yamaha's optional one-piece adventure seat is more comfortable than the stock two-piece seat, as well as being a little taller. Since I'm 183cm tall (just over 6'), a higher seat would certainly reduce leg strain while seated for long stretches. Comfort is personal though; I may hold off on swapping the seat until I see what Seat Concepts comes up with. I already have a Seat Concepts on my WR250R and it's a game-changer.

Some riders suggested added bar risers to go with the adventure seat, but this doesn't make much sense to me since the peg/bar height doesn't change.

Pegs
I'm running the Fastway Adventure pegs on my WR250R and will likely install either the same model or a slightly shorter variant on the Tenere. The additional peg width over stock will give my clodhoppers more room to clear the engine case (especially on the right, where riders report some contact with the clutch cover).

Shock spring
There's a lot of talk about the Tenere's suspension, with consensus being it's sprung too soft in the rear if you weigh more than about 75kg. Since I'm up around 90kg and plan to run luggage, a stiffer spring (probably around 85 N-m) is essential to avoid bottoming out. Once I've had some riding time on the bike, I'll probably take it to a shop for a professional tuning of the forks and shock, since that has previously worked magic on my WR250R, transforming it into an entirely different bike versus stock.

Worst case, I'll spring for one of the Ohlins, Touratech, or Tractive shock options designed specifically for the Tenere. This will likely mean also replacing the forks springs to maintain overall suspension balance.

Skid plate
The stock skid plate is flimsy and wouldn't stand up to the occasional log crossings and frequent baby-head sized rocks I encounter. Three options for consideration:

• Adventure-Spec. This is a well-made aluminum bash plate at a reasonable price. 

• SW Motech. Another aluminum option with nice high coverage of the exhaust. 

• AXP-Racing. This is a brand new product from an established brand. However, what sets this skid plate apart is it's made from 8mm High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), a tough plastic that's flexible, resilient, and low-friction. Moreover, AXP has thoughtfully designed the bash plate to cover the suspension linkage and the water pump, which may eliminate the need for (and costs of) separate case covers. The linked video shows a prototype without the extended protection, but the final version shown in the following screen-grab from Facebook is now supposedly in production as of February 2020.

Crash bars
I really don't like adding unnecessary weight to a bike--especially up high. Nevertheless, I know I'm going to be dropping this bike in the woods and I don't like cracking plastics, either. Fortunately there there are several crash bars options for the Tenere. Adventure-Spec's version seems to be the only one that's truly lightweight (aluminum) and minimalistic, following the company's mantra of "light is right" which resonates with me.

Rear rack
Outback Motortek makes solid gear and their Tenere rack looks good and should be available soon.

Likewise for the Adventure-Spec version, which adopts an entirely different design philosophy (Honda fitment shown here). This rack is designed to work with the Mosko Moto soft panniers, so I expect it may work with my Wolfman and Nelson-Rigg bags as well. Worst case, I sell my existing bags and go for the Mosko Motos.

Eastern Beaver PC-8
Another high quality plug-and-play product from a friendly expat Canadian living in Nagano, Japan. It allows you to easily add fused accessory circuits that are either switched with the ignition or unswitched, without having a spaghetti nightmare at your battery terminals. I'll use this to connect heated gear, auxiliary lights, GPS, and other gadgets.

Heated grips
Yamaha's OEM grips were initially reported as being very weak in their heat output, but apparently this is a result of their default settings. They can in fact be adjusted to deliver much higher settings, with no complaints from users.

Barkbusters
Had these on two bikes; they're the best protection for hands and levers.

LED turn signals
Apparently the European bikes have an option for OEM LED signals that are more flexible stalks than the 1970s incandescent blobs that Yamaha normally pulls from the parts bin. Not sure if these will be offered on North American bikes. Good aftermarket options will certainly become available.

Auxiliary lights
Riders have posted mixed reports on the OEM headlights. I'll probably add some LED flood lights mounted to the crash bars, as well as a light controller to change intensity.

The Fenix floods on my WR250R have proven to been excellent, as well as the Skene controller I wired in with a three-position switch that allows the aux lights to be turned off, to 5%, or to 50% (all three levels fully user-programmable). Note that some LED lights (e.g. certain Denali models) are not compatible with third-party dimming controllers, so do your homework before buying. My Fenix floods are no longer available, but I suspect they're a re-branded Rigid D-Series light.

Update (Feb 25, 2020) - AXP Racing skid plate
AXP informed me that as of Feb 19 they were still testing the Tenere skid plate on the track. They'll post on their Facebook page as soon as it's available. Price will be 199.17€ per unit. 

ACF-50 corrosion protection for your bike and other toys

ACF-50 is an anti-corrosion spray originally developed and certified for use in aircraft, that also works great to protect your bike's metal and electrical parts. Think of it as a Krown treatment on steroids.

This is new product for me, something I only learned about from a UK rider who'd posted a comment deep in the ADVRider forums. Expecting sticker shock, I was pleased to find that a 1-litre jug with spray bottle could be ordered from Amazon for a mere $20.

Since I already had my WR250R apart to re-shim the valves, I figured I'd disassemble it further to do a deep-clean and ACF-50 treatment. After 10 years and 42,000km of trail riding, the WRR is in great shape thanks to regular inspections, cleanings, and preventive maintenance. Nevertheless dust accumulating in deep, hidden crevices can trap moisture leading to corrosion and electrical problems. It's not always feasible to predict or fix these issues during riding season, which is where ACF-50 can help.

According to the product literature, ADF-50 penetrates deeply with corrosion inhibitors to displace water, chemically reverse corrosion, and create a thin protective film that lasts for about six months before needing reapplication. Indeed, I noticed that even a few small droplets squirted onto a surface had the remarkable ability to creep, amoeba-like, over a large area if left to spread overnight. A little bit goes a very long way - I used about 100mL to thoroughly do my whole bike (including the insides of frame tubes), wiping off excess with a rag. It sure leaves the plastics and metals looking like new.

Getting some overspray on the hot parts was inevitable, but it burned off quickly after running the bike for a few minutes.

ACF-50 also lubricates and is safe for electrical connectors. I liberally applied it to the clutch cable, EXUP cables, pivots, wiring harnesses, sensors and switches, hardware, and hoses. It'll creep into any tiny cracks that may have developed and hopefully forestall problems while lengthening service life.

The treatment also worked magic on my mountain-biking lights, which have plug-type sealed battery connectors. Over the years, the plug internals must've corroded slightly, resulting in the lights flickering out or dying altogether when the cables are jiggled. After a few squirts of ACF-50, the batteries now make solid electrical connections, running flawlessly for hours even in extreme cold and snow. This refurbishment alone saved me $200 in buying new battery packs.

There's a zillion uses for this stuff, and now I find myself applying it to tools and other items that see use in damp environments. The film it leaves will probably attract some dust, but that's going to happen anyway. Now at least there's some underlying chemical protection.

Massive growth predicted for e-bikes

Here's some fascinating research on the rise of e-bikes from Deloitte: E-bikes have made it into the list of top technology predictions for 2020. A friend at a major OEM wheel supplier to the global bike industry echoed this trend. E-bikes are getting better every year, moving from dorky niche gadgets to mainstream, sleek rides. I want one!

Even Yamaha has some interesting products in the pipeline, and has collaborated with Honda to develop standardized battery/charger systems:



Of course, e-bikes pose challenges to the traditional bike retailers and supply chains. As with electric cars, the current landscape of bike dealers and mechanics does not seem to be well-prepared to support an electric revolution. The bike controls, wiring, battery, and motor systems present new types of problems requiring new knowledge and skills to fix and new supply chains to deal with the more comprehensive overhauls and waste. If I was running a bike shop, I'd be thinking hard about how to sell and provide long-term support for technology that may become obsolete in only a few years. We need better systems in place to ensure that if you buy an e-bike today, with reasonable maintenance you can expect to get 8-15 reliable years out of it (similar to a regular mechanical bike) before the whole platform warrants replacement. The shops that figure this out will have a good business future.

If we can solve the battery/range issue, e-bikes and e-motorcycles could also radically transform our urban spaces and how we use them. For example, the current trend towards self-driving and electric cars could eventually mean that major highways become the exclusive domain of automated vehicles. Motorbikes (electric or ICE) may eventually be restricted to secondary or non-automated roadways unless someone figures out how to feasibly make a two-wheeled vehicle self-driving and safe. Taking this concept further, urban roads may end up segregated into low-speed bike lanes, traditional roads for faster motorized/licensed vehicles (cars, fast e-bikes, etc.), and restricted-access 5G-networked highways for autonomous and self-driving vehicles.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue to enjoy the freedom to ride (almost) anywhere while avoiding the 4-lanes highways because they are already not a welcome place for bikes.

ADV riding gear review

Choosing a combo of riding gear that provides armour, waterproofing, warmth, and cooling ability is notoriously difficult for "enduro touring": that combination of mostly off- or rough-road overland travel, and camping. Off-road riding tends to be at relatively low speeds and requires great flexibility, protection from sharp rocks and branches, and high cooling capacity for grinding technical terrain on hot days with low airflow. By contrast, riding on the road entails higher speeds and therefore the need for high abrasion resistance and impact protection in the event of a slide or collision with another vehicle. When you add the need for waterproofing and warmth to adapt to rapid weather and temperature changes which can occur during summer storms and in the mountains, it's a tall order to find gear that meets all the requirements in one solution.

Despite having tried a range of options from all-in-one suits to a combination of bits from different brands over 100,000 km of riding, I'm disappointed to say I haven't yet found a solution that works really well in all scenarios. Ultimately, I've settled on one set of gear for day-rides in hot weather, and another set of gear for longer trips where covering the worst anticipated conditions and reducing the weight of my packed gear takes priority over optimal hot weather performance.

The following observations are meant to help you choose riding gear that better suits your own needs.  If any gear-makers are reading this, I have a long list of design tweaks that I think could significantly improve the performance of existing options without increasing the difficulty or cost of production.

For hot weather, one option is to go full MX gear, but this can be bulky if you need to put on a jacket in a rainstorm, and the padding often doesn't offer much high-speed protection. However, the hard surfaces do allow the gear to slide on pavement, which hopefully allows the protection to maintain its integrity and position until you stop sliding.

My trail gear starts with a TekVest, which is the single best upper-body protector I've found. It's made from robust materials, including closed-cell impact foam faced with UHMW sheeting to enhance puncture and sliding resistance around my whole torso and shoulders. This is one beefy jacket that moulds to my body over time. The rib and kidney protection is the best I've found, the zippers are massive, the back pocket holds a bladder comfortably, the pockets are handy for snacks, a neck brace easily integrates with the neck hole. Although the garment is not CE-rated (probably too expensive of a process for the small manufacturer), compared to other armour I've inspected, it appears to offer protection that is far superior in every respect. It's the one piece of gear I've tried where I don't doubt it would save me from significant injury, whether falling onto rocks on a trail, or sliding down the road at highway speeds.

The drawbacks of the TekVest are its weight and bulkiness. It isn't something you can easily stuff into a side bag, or fit under every waterproof jacket (although it does fit under my Klim Carlsbad).

Under the TekVest I typically wear an Under Armour heat-gear shirt, elbow pads, and a Klim tech jersey over the pads. It's probably overkill, and this year I'll experiment with eliminating the jersey layer when using the TekVest. While tough, the jersey probably doesn't provide much abrasion resistance if you slide on the road, so wearing armour underneath with sliding surfaces is critical.

These are the Fox Titan Pro arm guards I wear with the TekVest. Having tried a few brands and models, these have decent construction quality and seemed to fit me the best, but I wouldn't say they fit great: they tend to migrate down my forearms when I'm sweating, exposing my elbows. The reason I chose these was for their combination of hard and soft armour to enhance sliding inside a jacket or jersey--not just when sliding in a get-off on the road. Alternatives I've checked out don't seem particularly confidence-inspiring, although there's a sliding option from Leatt that looks like it's worth a try.

Before getting the TekVest, I wore a Fox Titan jacket which is a popular choice. Overall protection is good. I like that the back plate is hard plastic, designed to resist hyper-flexing of the spine, and secures with a kidney belt. I don't like that the jacket doesn't integrate with a neck brace, and that the zipper and sleeve material are light and flimsy. The materials look likely to shred and allow the elbow pads to tear away during a high-speed fall. This is armour you want to wear under something else to provide a little more overall integrity.

The Dainese D-Core armoured shirt initially looked like a good option to reduce bulk and increase mobility in the arm area when wearing a riding jacket and potentially a heated jacket. It's really comfortable in a range of temperatures, but I found that the lack of back and chest armour makes it less versatile than, say, a Forcefield shirt. I'm not sure what use-case Dainese is trying to address with this shirt. Maybe it makes more sense with street gear or in touring-only applications.
 

Last year I bought this Alpine Stars armoured shirt which upgrades the Dainese concept above, with back and chest armour. This has been my go-to armour for wearing under my Klim Carlsbad jacket (with D30 inserts removed from the jacket) since it does a better job of keeping the armour in the right place, adds chest protection, and improves mobility. However, the armour is not removable, so when the garment gets stinky it can be a bit challenging to wash.

And here's my Klim Carlsbad jacket. It's generously cut and relatively light, which is good for fitting over the above armour shirts and even the TekVest, but means the built-in armour is going to move out of optimal position. I only use the built-in armour in the spring and fall, and when I also use a heated jacket (so the heat is closer to my skin).

Overall Klim has done a decent job of the jacket, but I find some of the materials (e.g. back) to be especially thin and unlikely to survive even a modest slide. The sleeve vents are a royal pain to operate, and one of the other vent pulls broke off within a year. Waterproofing is pretty good even in torrential rains except around the neck, where the collar could use some reshaping and repositioning of fasteners to ensure a better seal. Klim has since extensively modified the jacket design for 2020 and claims it now meets the new CE safety standards. (For their prices, it's about time Klim started improving the safety of their gear!) I'm intrigued by the redesign, which positions the Carlsbad more towards the Badlands end of the scale but without the weight and bulk (and cost!).

By they way, if you're looking to revitalize the DWR coating of your Klim gear, Gear Aid ReviveX works well and is the option recommended by Klim. Make sure you clean your gear first using a gentle laundry detergent (e.g. for wool) and rinse it well.

Last fall, in desperation to extend the riding season, I purchased a First Gear heated jacket with a wireless controller. The heating is fantastic and truly a worthwhile upgrade, making rides down to 10C tolerable without any other heated gear. The jacket is well made and my only complaint with it is the size of the neck hole, which seems almost big enough to squeeze through with a helmet on. Since the collar is heated, it's odd the designers would leave such a gap to allow cold air in. You can sort of fold the collar over to reduce the neck gap, but it creates an uncomfortable lump.

A large size fits nicely under the Klim Carlsbad (also large) with the armour in, and the slippery shell material facilitates arm mobility. A kidney belt in the Carlsbad is essential to hold the back pad in place, and to improve the cold weather performance of the heated jacket by pressing it close and blocking drafts from the waist.

On the hottest days I'll choose my Klim Mojave mesh pants. Combined with the TekVest, I can withstand all but the hottest days of trail and road riding. The Mojaves also have plenty of knee room for braces or pads. These are very comfortable pants that dry quickly. I swap in the hip pads from my Klim Carlsbad pants. Unfortunately, the Mojave doesn't have a tailbone pad like the Carlsbad.

Here's the Klim Carlsbad pants, with optional Klim suspenders. Maybe it's just my shoulder shape, but I could not for the life of me keep the suspenders up. I ended up making a Velcro strap to pull the suspender sides together in front. The thigh pockets are well positioned and handy, the waist height is good to resist water entry, and mobility is decent for a non-stretch material. One challenge is peeing in these pants, because the combined high waist and gusseted zipper create a significant wall to overcome. First-world problems.

Built-in one protection almost universally sucks, rarely keeping its position except when the knee is bent and seated. I've tried a few knee guards, eventually leading up to a pair of 2018 AlpineStars Fluid Carbon braces that I returned after a month of use because the padding would not remain attached. Nineteen months later, I'm still trying to sort out the warranty with the dealer... they've had my return for over a year and I'm out more than $700 for the braces.

As another solution, I've settled on the EVS Pastrana knee guards, which are super comfortable, remain in place, and provide excellent protection in a more compact form than a full brace. While braces ensure full mechanical protection for the knee joint, the compression tube design of the EVS design does provide some additional stability over just an armoured knee guard.

The EVS inner tube incorporates a silicon grip layer that does a great job of ripping out your leg hairs and chafing raw a strip around your leg, as I painfully discovered after a day of trail riding. MX thigh socks are essential to provide a little extra protection, and they also help control sweat when wearing the Carlsbad pants.

A few years ago I mused about combining features of good mountaineering gear (like soft-shell waterproof fabrics and layering) with motorcycling features (e.g. armour and fit) to come up with the ultimate all-weather suit. For instance, one of the most durable and high-performance fabrics I've worn is a four-way stretch, soft-shell material from Schoeller. Their products are absolutely abrasion- and cut-proof. Not cheap, but incredibly durable. I've experimented with jackets made from this material over my motorcycle armour and found it works really well in all conditions, but the lack of exterior sliding protection is a concern that would need to be addressed for road use.

So I was intrigued to receive a flyer from Mosko Moto recently which advertised their latest ADV riding suit system. It incorporates the layered approach I've experimented with. While I'd like to see more abrasion/sliding resistance added to areas like the elbows and shoulders, it looks like a step in the right direction.

For these components to really work together as a system, they need to fit properly and coordinate details like location of pockets and fasteners. It'll be interesting to see if more manufacturers take Mosko's approach, specializing in making only certain components and ensuring they work well, while leaving other components to other specialist manufacturers. As it is now, there's a lot of riding gear "fluff" on the market, with nondescript and mediocre designs that focus on style and don't offer any performance advantages. Within any luck, companies like Mosko Moto and Adventure Spec (which has some drool-worthy options) can continue inject a little more innovation into the industry.