Heated Gear for Adventure Riding

by WorldCrosser Admin | Sep 22, 2017 | ADV Gear, ADV Riding Gear

When considering heated gear for you overland motorcycle trips, you need to take into consideration the type of weather you may encounter and your threshold for cold. Some rider like a full heated jacket, arms and all, while other feel that is overkill and cumbersome. Many rider opt for middle ground and use a heated vest – this is probably the most popular heated item sold for riders.

Now some of you rich fancy folk have heated grips, so no need for heated gloves for you. But some of us don’t have all those bell and whistles, so an alternative to buying and installing heated grips, you can simply get some heated glove. If you are taking this router, then you should get the full heated jacket and they “daisy” chain on to the jacket for power/heat.

If going to Alaska, you may want the whole setup- gloves, jacket, pants, socks and insoles. You can get it all but it will add up in cost.

Gerbing, Firstgear, Tour Master and Mobile Warming are some of the big names in heated riding gear, and CycleGear has their own line of heated motorcycle gear as well under the Sedici name.

Adventure Motorcycle Dry Bag you wouldn’t typically consider.

by WorldCrosser Admin | Jan 24, 2017 | ADV Camping Gear, ADV Gear, ADV Product Review, ADV Riding Gear, Adventure Tech, Explore

I needed a dry bag for an adventure motorcycle camping trip I was taking, and really liked a few bags from Twisted Throttle, Giant Loop and few others, but they all seemed pretty expensive for what they were– waterproof dry bag. So while picking up some camping supplies at Cabela’s I ran across a perfect bag that works well and was super inexpensive so I decided to share this info. It is not a motorcycle dry bag per se, it is actually a boat bag, but serves the same purpose, waterproof, easy to access, has outside mesh pocket that came in handy on my trips. I am able to strap it through the handles so that worked well. It also has a reflective logo on it, which is always a bonus when riding.

I have used it on a few trips and one trip in particular it saw a ton of rain and kept my clothes nice and dry. Overall it is a great bag and at a very reasonable price and worth consideration. If this bag had a few more straps or handles for additonals options of securing to my bike, that would have been great, but wasn’t a deal breaker and a coule bungees hold in nice and secure.

The bag I am talking about is Mustad Dry Carryall bag, they have them in a few different sizes too. I am sure they sell them in many places as they are fishing hook company that distributes to many reatilers, but overall this bag may make a great dry bag packing solution for your riding adventures.

Here is link to the “ADV” dry bag at Cabelas.

Let me know what you would like to see in an affordable dry bag for your bike. Feedback

Sedici Heated Vest from CycleGear Review

by WorldCrosser Admin | Jul 17, 2016 | ADV Gear, ADV Product Review, ADV Riding Gear, Adventure Tech

The Sedici “HotWired” heated vest from CycleGear is an affordable heated motorcycle vest that is worth consideration.

My experience is fair with this vest, I tried on the XL size and it seemed very short in the front. I realize when I am riding my legs will be bent bring the vest lower to abdomin, but it looked short. I am 6’1 and around 200 pounds. I then tried on the 2XL and that fit much better in length. So I bought it on sale for $99, normally $139, and it came with a “free” controller, which I think it should, but they sell it separately for $60!

Installing the connector to the bike’s battery and then plugging in the controller, was a simple task. Now it was time for testing out this baby, I used it couple times, and it worked fair but not overly impressed with the heat output, I must say. After some investigation, I realized the issue was that the vest was not tight enough up against me so I was not real snuggly and warm when it got cold late at night. There is a draw string on it to tighten bottom to stop air from getting under the vest, so I did that but it still wasn’t tight to my body and was below my expectations.

After a week or so, I went back to the CycleGear store and figured I am not a 2XL guy and would try the shorter length XL size hoping it would be a little tighter or more snug on my torso, but it seemed to be the exact same diameter or snugness, just shorter in length. So I ended up keeping the XXL size. The salesperson suggested I take it to a tailor and get the elastic sides hemmed in. Which would probably work, but I am a busy person and haven’t had the drive to investigate that yet and I wouldn’t want an internal wire in the vest to get sewed over and cut in the process rendering my new vest unusable, which would just be my luck. ; )

Don’t get me wrong, the vest is not horrible, it does the job but it definitely has room for improvement and could do the job better with better design or some straps or something to keep it snug

Also there are a few setting for temp on the controller, but I have never taken off high, as it never felt too warm for me, probably because it is not snug as I mentioned. It is on high or off for me. Maybe once I get it snug on my torso the levels of heat may come into play and I’ll update this post, but for now the heat settings are useless.

The big benefit is the vest is priced fairly, especially if you get it on sale, but all in all the Sedici Heated Vest leaves me wanting more from it.

Thanks for reading and ride safe and warm!

Cyclegear – Sedici Maximo Waterproof Adventure Motorcycle Boots

by WorldCrosser Admin | Oct 24, 2015 | ADV Gear, ADV Riding Gear

Sedici Maximo Adventure Boots – Product Review

Right Adventure Boot – Cyclegear’s Sedici Maximo

I bought these boots from Cyclegear, which I believe is the exclusive reseller for Sedici brand. Here are the benefits that Cyclegear touts on their website:

Features and Benefits

Full grain leather upper
Oil resistant molded rubber gripper sole
Stepped heel for riding and walking comfort
100% waterproof and breathable HIPORA lining
Reinforced shin and ankle protection
Thermo-set molded heel counter
Reflective upper heel panel
Molded rubber gear change patch
Stretch panels for maximum comfort
Locking multi-point fastening adjusters for a customizable fit
Hook and loop calf adjustment
Padded upper cuff for ultimate comfort

Left Adventure Boot- Sedici Maximo

For the positives first: I really like the size of them, meaning they are not too tall like motocross boots or too short. These motorcycle boots have two easy to use latches or fasteners that work well to get comfortable snug fit. They fit my feet pretty well and that is big for me as many shoes just don’t jive with my unique size and shaped feet. They are waterproof, look pretty cool and they are at an affordable price point. I think I paid a little over a hundred dollars, although their site is currently selling them for $149. but still a good deal either way.

Adventure motorcycle boot insole after only half season of light use.

Now for the negatives: I have read that they are not all leather, just the upper part- they do say that in the features but one would think they were all leather except the rubber sole- this is not the case. A little marketing spinning going on here. The sole, on my pair at least, seem to have faded or is light black color and doesn’t look great- I’m aware it not a fashion show but wouldn’t mind the sole matching and not looking faded. I don’t know if I got them that way, but it’s not that big of deal but thought it is worth mentioning. Take a look at pics (click on them to see them larger) to see what I am talking about. I pretty much just ride in these boots, maybe walk into a store to get something, but not a whole lot of walking in these to say the least, with that said the insole has already came apart so I had to buy a new pair of insoles for the boots, no big deal but they shouldn’t have gone to crap that soon. I have not even had them for a full season of riding.

Hopefully this gives you some insight into these boots, overall I am glad I bought them and think they are decent value. Time will tell if I still feel this way.

Here is link to their product’s page

Good luck with adventure boot shopping and I hoep the product review has helped- thanks for reading!

Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet Headset

by WorldCrosser Admin | Aug 31, 2015 | ADV Gear, ADV Product Review, ADV Riding Gear

Bluetooth for Adventure Motorcycle riding is becoming standard.

So you want to listen to Pandora, and talk to you friends while riding, oh not to mention voice navigation for Waze or whichever GPS app you fancy on your iPhone or Android. Well you are in need of a bluetooth headset for your helmet and today we are discussing the Sena SMH10.

This bluetooth helmet headset installs with a bracket or with an adhesive mount, both worked very well it just depends on the thickness of your helmet. It links up easy with your phone or other Bluetooth device by pressing the two buttons simultaneously. I am amazed at how long this device can hold a charge, it is wonderful in that respect. Also,you can always plug it in and charge while riding your bike, assuming you have a power outlet on your bike. I never have had the need since this device holds a charge so well, but I still keep my cable handy for the day I just may need it.

It has good sound, although I do wish it could go a little louder. Talking back and forth with your buddies works well too. The one downside to the SMH10 is that if you are listening to music and connected to a friend, the music stops and friend talks, it is not smooth transition or overlay from one to the other. You almost need to decide if you want to talk or listen to music. Sena recognized this limitation and have put a fix in the 20S model. For me this is not worth additional $100 for this feature but for some it may be worth the extra cash.

Couple tips:

Use the foam pads to bring speakers closer to your ears
When you first get it it is wise to charge fully and then let go all the way down, then do the same thing again. Maybe this is why mine holds a charge so long.
Make sure your headset is running the latest firmware – Click here to see latest version available from Sena. I have heard of people having issues with other models, but these were older ones when technology was not as good. But overall I highly recommend this unit and use it all the time.
Be careful of which one you buy! I wish Sena’s site or resellers would explain a simple difference between two unique models of the same model number – SMH10 – One has boom type mic that is connected to unit itself – this is used for open face helmets. the other one goes inside the helmet and is for Full face helmets. I know one person who bought the wrong one. It should be better defined on their packaging as it is easy to over look. Take a look at pics below to see what I’m talking about and make sure you get correct one for your helmet.

The Sena SMH10 is good companion for Adventure motorcycle riders as it does it’s job very well. For the price point I think it is fair, there are cheaper products out there but not sure if quality is the same. As technology improves maybe there will be better alternative at this price point but for now I think this is best bang fo your buck. With that said, if money is a non-issue I may suggest or opt for the SMH20, but this post is about the SMH10 and it is a good value and product for Adventure riders.

If you think you may be in the market for this helmet headset, please be so kind as to support WorldCrosser by clicking through Amazon banner below to check out the product. It does not cost you a penny more if you click through, but can help us continue to provide reviews like this one.