After spending a long week riding with my Zumo, I've finally gotten around to writing this review about my experience using it. Specifically, how to use the damn thing with my macbook and import / use custom routes. Enjoy!
Replacement Knee Armor
UPDATE: This Forcefield armor is discontinued.
The other day I posted about Dainese Knee Armor that I think works well as hip armor. This time around I want to show you some killer knee protectors that you might want to upgrade with asap.
The yellow armor above is made by Forcefield. The "Net Replacement Armor" as it's called is soft, pliable and molded. It also meets the CE Level 2 Standard, which is more than most of the back/shoulder/elbow armor that comes with your gear. I've upgraded the knee armor in my Revit pants to make riding in them more comfortable.I love Forcefield because it's not as vulnerable to cold and it offers Repeat Performance Technology; which means you can use it again even if you crash on it. The Net Armor is also vented and super smushy. It hardens on impact much like a competing technology called d3o. As much as I like d3o, I prefer the shapes that Forcefield has to offer since it molds better to my petite frame.
dainese_newdrake_womens_used 4 (1)
Many of you might have Dainese riding pants, either textiles or leathers. I want to recommend this form of d3o armor from a company called Rukka (Finland). The d3o Air Knee Pads are about the same height as Dainese knee protectors but offer a full length shock absorption which the hard shell Dainese does not. The width is about the same as well.
I've recommended these to many of my customers and highly highly recommend them to upgrade any of your Dainese pants (mens and ladies). Also, these would work really well in dirt / adventure pants that might have really long pockets in the knees. The coverage is longer than the other knee armor options as well!
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PS
Of course you can find replacement back protectors, shoulders and hips with d3o and Forcefield as well.
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.
