Once the most technical thing on a motorcycle was the indicator relay but these days, bikes are stuffed with electronic gadgets and it seems us bikers have a thirst for tech. In these guides, we run through the best aftermarket accessories; from Sat Navs, to Bluetooth headsets, lap timers to helmet cameras to keep you up to speed.
According to The Office of National Statistics, there were 41,000 motorcycles and scooters stolen between April 2017 and March 2018. That’s over 100 motorcycles stolen in the UK, every day. Sadly, just like in previous years, it’s unlikely that even 10% will be recovered and returned to their owners. However, some trackers report a recovery …
For some people, the idea of motorcycling is to get away from it all, so the thought of riding with a pillion and having them able to talk to you might sound like a nightmare. However, with modern bikes packing so much technology, the lure of connectivity has never been greater. A Bluetooth headset can …
When you’re a MotoGP rider like Valentino Rossi, lap times are everything. So it won’t come as a surprise that a MotoGP or World Superbike dashboard costs around £2,000. Factor in the additional sensors and you’re looking at around £4,000. However, it might surprise you to know that you can get almost all of the …
Table of Contents What is a Quickshifter? A quickshifter is an electronic device that allows you to change gears on a motorcycle without having to dip the clutch or roll off the throttle. They enable faster gear changes and therefore they improve the performance of a motorcycle. Most quick shifters will only enable a clutchless …
A decade ago if you wanted to make your way around Europe by bike you had two choices to help you on your way – a paper map or a dedicated sat nav. And if you didn’t have either of those, you’d be reliant on your basic butchering of the local language and some nifty …
TomTom and Garmin are the biggest players in the motorcycle GPS market. They are also renowned for their always-in-competition devices. Improperly defined as mid-range, their Rider 500 and Zumo 396 appeal to most riders. They are more affordable than their top-range counterparts but still pack a punch. The gap between these ‘budget’ sat navs and …
TomTom has a new problem on its hands; the new Zumo XT from Garmin. TomTom and Garmin are heavyweight names on the motorcycle GPS scene and now Garmin have upped the game with the XT but is it better than the 550 from TomTom? This review is designed to help you pick the best motorcycle …
Table of Contents Intro TomTom has played a bit of a blinder in releasing their new Rider 50, a feature-packed but at the same time ‘lightweight’ motorcycle sat nav at a great price. Not everyone has £400 to spend on a motorcycle GPS and the cheaper Rider 50 addresses that brilliantly. For me, one of …
Garmin has launched a new range-topping motorcycle sat nav, the Zumo XT. The TomTom vs Garmin battle has intensified! Garmin’s former top of the range Zumo 595, has been superseded by XT and in this review we’ll help you establish the differences between the two and work out which one is best for you. It’s …
A dead battery is about the most frustrating thing that can happen to you on your motorcycle. However thanks to the latest battery technology, portable motorcycle jump-starters are now smaller and more powerful than ever. They’re not only good for jump-starting bikes with dead batteries but they also double up as a powerbank, meaning you …
Dedicated motorcycle Sat Navs are bulky, expensive and complicated. You could mount your phone to your bike and use Google Maps instead but then your phone might fall off, get wrecked by the rain or you’ll get to where you’re going but your phone battery will be dead. There has to be a better option. …
If you’ve ever been out on your motorcycle and tried to describe it to others, you’ll know you can’t do it justice. You want your audience to know every tight turn and how the terrain looked and felt. An action camera gives a first-person view of all the exhilarating action and is the next best …
What is a Power Commander? A common question, especially for those new to motorcycling, is ‘What does a Power Commander do?’ A Power Commander is the name of a device, made by Dynojet, that enables you to adjust the fuelling on your motorcycle. This allows you to modify the stock settings and change the fuelling …
There are a variety of different headlight bulbs on the market, including various attachments, wattage, and colouring. Getting the correct bulbs is essential to keep your bike road legal and preventing any damage to your headlights and wiring. As every rider knows, checking your headlights is a vital part of any pre-journey check. If you’re …
You know and I know that motorcycles don’t really have a dash and yet the term ‘motorcycle dash camera’ is a thing people refer to. It’s because these onboard continuously recording cameras started off in the car world where they sat on the dashboard and recorded the journey. Now that technology has come to motorcycling …
Heated grips are a great way to make a cold ride enjoyable and a freezing cold ride bearable. They are 12v and wire into your bike’s battery. You replace your old grips with heated ones, rather than put them over the top of the existing grips. If you have half an idea of what you’re …
Tyre warmers are worth their weight in gold. They make you less likely to crash and they maximise your track time. Obviously if you are riding your road bike to a trackday, you won’t be able to bring warmers as you also need to have paddock stands to keep your wheels off the ground. However, …
TomTom and Garmin are heavyweight names on the motorcycle GPS scene. Their top of the range Rider 550 and Zumo 595, respectively, impress riders with a wealth of features. Like anything else, though, both devices come with their own advantages and drawbacks but if you’re opting for one of these GPS devices you really won’t …
Garmin is one of the biggest players in the GPS industry; whether you want to explore the unknown or discover new routes, their Zumo series has been going for almost 15 years and are some of the most popular motorcycle sat navs on offer. Garmin Zumo 595LM is their top of the range model which …
Despite the rise of smartphone GPS apps, dedicated motorcycle sat-navs are still popular among bikers. Riding a motorcycle requires control and awareness – fumbling with a smartphone to use as a GPS doesn’t cut it on today’s increasingly busy roads. A motorcycle sat nav is more compact than the standard car variety and they’re built …
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