Brian: In this episode, we shout out a fresh face on the Daytona podium. We briefly ponder a highly inappropriate track bike. Then we talk about what's new in motorcycling and what we wish was new. And finally, Gear Chick Joanne Don raises Brian's track protection game to the stratosphere.

Robin: And by Brian, he means him.

Brian: Means me. Yeah. Opening announcements, news, corrections, and banter. Yeah, I've got a little bit of news here I spotted I thought was really cool. If you look on Cycle World or any of the motorcycle news, you'll see that Kayla Yakov was the first woman to be on the podium at Daytona 200. She took third to Daytona 200, and apparently it was a very competitive race, and she kicked ass at it all. She's 18.

Robin: Congratulations, Kayla.

Brian: Yeah. She's 18, started, and here's the thing, started racing dirt bikes at the age of four. I mean, good Lord. But that's what you have to do to be a competitive racer these days.

Robin: Yeah.

Brian: And the interview is a really interesting section about the hardest part of the race is you actually have so much G-force on you when you're on the banking at Daytona. You're pulling like four Gs. It's like literally hard to breathe.

Robin: Good grief.

Brian: Which is just crazy. Yeah, the suspension setups there are crazy. And she's 5'4", 130 pounds, so she's pretty small. Person but she had so her ducati had to be like she's racing a ducati panicali on the banking at daytona okay this is sure this is as badass as it gets but they had to add ballast to her ducati because she's so small like i guess there's a minimum weight for the rider and bike to make things more even yeah

Robin: Yeah. And no need to save face. Look up the word ballast. I had to look up the word ballasted before this episode to make sure I understand what you were talking about. So yeah, they had to add weight.

Brian: Yeah they had to yeah and and one of the things i thought was really interesting was that her you know in racing or whatever you need mentors you need people to help you it's not just you show up and ride and you know you you can't do better than ben spies and the ducati racing director of paolo ciabatti i think is his name is how you say it but uh those two those two guys are big, big names, and they're doing a lot. But congrats. I can't wait to see her just kick everybody's ass. It's going to be great.

Robin: Pretty cool. Good to be here to witness.

Brian: Yeah. Robin, what you got for us today?

Robin: Okay. Random songs of the minute. I'm going to give you two here.

Brian: Oh, I love it.

Robin: Okay. This is how I started my ride along the road that shall not be named. It's also how I returned on that same road that shall not be named. First one, punk rocker, Teddy Bears. That's featuring Iggy Pop. Awesome song. Just a great go that way quick tune. The other one is Dog Dribble by Get Down Services. Check it out. Enjoy. Other than that, I just, I grabbed some social media crap here that we could banter about real quick. I don't know if you watched any of these. The Facebook, well, these are both Facebook links. Hold on. I'm watching them both now to remind myself what they are. Oh, yeah. So I saw this post. I saw this reposted by Dork in the Road. And it is somebody else's post who was trying to describe some things that dealerships will do to make the deal sweeter for them. For example, when I bought my motorcycle, my GSX-8R, I had no choice but to finance. And I had no choice but to finance through their financier. None of which is true I could have just walked out or I could have gone my own way about it and said here's your money give me the damn bike but I played ball with it and then it got interesting quick and I learned a thing or two and the people that helped me out were actually pretty polite but the point is, particular gentleman on Dork in the Road's channel, Repost, discussed some of the things that he's seen about dealerships and how they will sort of make sure they can get as much meat from the bone as possible. And apparently he got called out by guess who? Dealerships.

Brian: So he was like,

Robin: Wow, you guys sure got upset about that one, huh? It's weird. None of the people who do the buying had anything to say. Only the people that do the selling had something to say about it, you know? So that, that made me laugh a little bit. The second one that I posted is a scene. I don't even know how to describe this, but a young dirt bike rider in an urban metropolitan area was riding through yards and viaducts and state county parks, things like this. And an officer took it upon himself to, he was chasing this guy down, couldn't catch up to him, ran up to another police car, jumped on the hood of the police car and said, go, go, go. The police car drove with him on the hood around multiple blocks, snuck up behind this kid and he jumps off the hood of the car while it's in motion onto the rider, tackles the kid to the ground and arrests him. And I say, kudos. That is straight up TJ Hooker shit right there that you just never get it. You're never going to see that. And that made me smile and laugh.

Brian: This is all on video?

Robin: This is on video on this.

Brian: Oh my God.

Robin: I'm selecting it in the, it's all on this video here. And it is right out of 80s action television. I'm telling you. So check that out. Really fun. I'll try to find it on YouTube and link it to our channel. Yeah, that's all I got. That's it. Nice. All right. What about you? Hey, let me ask you this. Let me ask you. Hey, did you ride today?

Brian: Today, no. Sunday, yes. Sunday, it was 73 degrees. Sunday night, it was 22 degrees and snowing. But we're going riding this weekend, and it's warming up right now. It's going to be warm. You know, it's going to be warm the rest of the week. So it's coming. It's happening. Yeah, man. We're making it happen. It's going to be cool. How about you, Robin? Did you ride today,

Robin: Asshole? I mean, I might have gone for a little cruise. You know, I might have, yeah. So I had family in town. And today, I had family in town. I had family in town. Didn't remember that they were leaving this morning, and Maggie had taken the day off. So the two of us kind of looked around and realized there was nobody there to be responsible hosts to anymore.

Brian: Nice.

Robin: Busted out the bikes, hopped right on, and bang, zoom, we were off to the races. Went to a great little cafe in Baird, New Mexico. If you look up the, I think it's A&M, M&A, I don't remember, the M&A Cafe.

Brian: I don't know.

Robin: In Baird. But yeah, good, delicious heats. Really good. Really good food. So did that and rode back. So yes, yes, I did ride today.

Brian: Yeah. Yeah. And the word ride is capitalized because that's a ride on a road that shall not be named.

Robin: Shall not be named.

Brian: That's a ride. That's a capital R ride. Yeah. That's nice.

Robin: Yeah.

Brian: Ah, congratulations, Dick. Okay.

Robin: Perfect. All right. What are we doing today? You're in charge.

Brian: All right.

Robin: Entertain me, dammit.

Brian: All right. Let's hit a listener question real quick, and then we'll get into the meat. We'll get into the meat, the gristle here. So listener questions, if you'd like us to field your questions, visit email.tro.bike in your web browser to send us a message. All right. Quick question this week. I love seeing this. This is a question from the wild, and I had to laugh, and I want to see what you have to say. Somebody named TR asks, hey, can I put straight tires on my KLR650 and do track days? Hell yeah, you can.

Robin: Yes.

Brian: I want to see that

Robin: You Now have You Officially have our permission To do so Absolutely Absolutely.

Brian: Yeah. And I, yeah, obviously you, you kind of want to be on a shorter track, but I, I don't know if I've actually seen a KLR at a track day, but I've haven't been to that many, but I, we did see like, like Matt, uh, brought a, brought a similar size, a smaller thumper to a track day and had an absolute blast. He kicked all the ass in the corners and got passed on the straights and that was fine. Everybody had fun. It was fun.

Robin: So we say do it absolutely do this absolutely.

Brian: Do it yeah road america maybe not you know you're going to be a while getting around that one

Robin: Is that a pit bike in the main straight no that's yeah so picture didn't happen though it has to yeah if you don't take the photos we won't believe that you were even intending to do so so you better prove yourself whoever you are tr yeah.

Brian: Yeah yeah and and and really the the primitive frame and forks and everything everything's primitive on a KLR and it's just hilarious fun because you're flexing, you're flying, you're working your ass off, you have endless ground clearance, you can lean that thing like you would not believe, you can do dumb shit with it and I think it's going to be fun.

Robin: I was just quoting you today laughing about how you heard somebody say, oh KLR, yeah, it's a great bike and you said you got paused you own one you own the klr and brian pauses and says no it's not it's.

Brian: Kind of the point

Robin: Yeah that's the purpose anyhow please continue all.

Brian: Right and now for 404 clutch knock found Featuring the brave questions of new writer, Angel Marie Kendall. Angel has willingly stepped into the spotlight so that other new writers might know they're not alone. Sometimes she'll interview motorcycle instructors from all over the world, and otherwise we'll just get overly verbose with our own in-house philosophical blatherings.

Robin: Blatherings.

Brian: Angel, take it away.

Angelmarie: What's up with sports cars wanting to race you? i mean jeez i don't

Robin: even know usually they're gonna lose if they need to have an ego thing just tell them cars can out corner us you're talking to a man child i still have trouble resisting i've gotten to the point now where i have the conversation the more you get to know yourself brian has no ego all of his judgment is in his laughter but me i'm a giant glass Faberge egg ego. If you know enough about yourself to make your decisions accordingly, you're golden.

Brian: That's life, the universe, and everything. I will say, Robin, there was a certain white Dodge pickup with rust falling off in Arkansas.

Angelmarie: Uh-oh.

Brian: That we had trouble keeping up with. That guy was good. He was awesome. That guy was legitimately awesome.

Robin: He was awesome.

Brian: I was like, this is hard.

Robin: His mullet and his still good tooth was like, you guys, I'll tell you what, little ghillie-cutter, you get out of... Like, he was awesome. And he drove like his tooth depended on it. It was. It's even better with the logging trucks.

Brian: That was entertaining as hell. That was entertaining. Anyway.

Robin: The logging trucks in west virginia are the the most fun i've ever had watching anybody drive anything they are faster than me and there's a lot of meth involved i'm sure but damn those boys can drive

Angelmarie: those trucks you had a hard time keeping up with the trucks they run the same

Robin: route every day they drive up to where there was a fire they take the wood away and they just they're hauling the and you can just you can enjoy every mile of it the truth is no they're not going faster than i would be but it's just so fun to watch it's.

Brian: Fun to watch something that big just

Robin: Rock on it's.

Brian: It's a stupid fun

Angelmarie: I'd love to see that yes.

Brian: All kinds of stupid fun

Angelmarie: Is that the last question that was the last question for this notion of okay

Robin: here tell me this i posted all the questions in the chat i saw that now this could get boring quick i mean i'm sorry i'm sorry let me say that right You might be bored by now. I don't wish that upon you. You've got a stack of questions there. What do you remember about this conversation?

Angelmarie: Freeways. Yes, they do feel safer. I remember picking up my bike on the first day. The guy told me, yeah, just take it home. Take the freeway. Like, what? You want me to go 75? I don't know this bike. I ended up taking the streets. Today, I understand that now. Left turn. Yes, just keep practicing my figure eights. Those slow turns. Weaving, Look at the last cone. Don't look at the cone coming up and do your turn, not before the cone, but turn early. Don't fixate. And then bump shifting dangers. Don't do it. There's possibly major damage. I'm cheap. I don't want to have to do that. So I'm going to go back and pull in that clutch and shift up properly. And then same going down too. And then went to shift, loud exhaust. Halfway through the rpn so around five six or six seven and then harley versus sport bs doesn't exist nada zilch zero no because i'm a rider not a biker i will not engage in those conversations there's no use in putting down other bikers based on what kind of bike they have group rides not ready don't do it i don't know these people i will go to the meetup meet them face-to-face, but I will not go on that ride. I'm not confident riding at night. I look like I wear all black. I need to get some reflective tape or something. Retroreflective. Auntie Joanne, thanks again. You sent me some great recommendations. And then downshifting. Sounds like it's different when I'm going into a turn and then when I'm stopping. I can hold it all the way in. I like that. I love that method. It's what I've been doing. It's what they taught in the class. So I'm going to keep doing that. But when I'm going into a turn, listen to the motor. Have to remember to slow, then take the turn. Don't slow down in the turn. Yet.

Robin: You have control over your entire canvas. Keep it as calm and serene. What are we doing for segment one?

Brian: All right, segment one. I called this one SNU with you. What's SNU? What's SNU? What's SNU with you? So basically, I wanted to, we're kind of opening up the season here in Indiana. You know, New Mexico, people are riding all over, whatever. I don't care. Screw you. But anyway, in Indiana, you know, it's kind of, we're standing at the edge of the season. And I kind of wanted to think about what's new, what's new for 2026? What's happening? What should I be paying attention to? Because, you know, I'm all about being trendy and looking good. And no, I'm not. Anyway, but so I wanted to kind of explore and celebrate some of the new ideas. It's more about new ideas rather than just new technology and whatever. So I want to talk about new ideas that kind of seem interesting or worth discussing. Again, these are in random order, pick and choose, whatever. I've got a whole list here. Let's dig in. And one of the things I'd mentioned this before, but one of the things I think is interesting is we're seeing a lot of new brands pop up. And I have no idea if they're any good or not. Like Pando Moto is making, it looks like high dollar gear, and it's stuff that actually is designed to look good. And so it's getting really popular on social media. And I, you know, is it good stuff? Is it great stuff? I don't know.

Robin: Well, a preliminary search for it, I did this before we got started, and it immediately came up on RevZilla, on MotorcycleGear.com, and they have their own website, PriorityOne, which is Pandomoto.com. That's P-A-N-D-O-M-O-T-O.com. So I started surfing around kind of checking stuff out. And from what I can tell, yeah, I mean, I wanted to ask you, are you sure it's not the algorithm telling you it's popular, but they're everywhere. So yeah, this kind of catches your attention. It looks like they're trying to make sure that we have legitimately protective, casual purpose riding wear. At least a lot of it is.

Brian: No, it's a little bit like Joanne was talking a week or two ago about, you know, finding some pants that didn't look like, you know, big, clunky, flappy motorcycle pants. They actually look good. Yeah. Pants.

Robin: Tactical riding gear.

Brian: Yeah, the little, you know, they're a little much sometimes, sure. But I like what they're doing. I like where they're going. I have never seen the gear. I don't know, you know, whatever. But I think that that's a there's a little bit of a trend there happening where and and and again joanne was talking about that too gear that doesn't look like gear you can get a hoodie with like a fake hood it doesn't flap that's actually fully armored riding gear you can get a flannel shirt that is fully armored riding gear that looks like you're just a lumberjack I mean it's hilarious

Robin: This is not intended to do any harm nor put the screws to you about it I do think that this is something that many of us don't by default have a need for because we're not as much urban riders we seek out the roads we do what we do so my comment i don't know how to say this nicer i think that it you're not behind the trend you're only just discovering it i think this is yeah this stuff's been out for quite some time going on five to six to ten years i don't know but it's been out there and it's only been improving to where now you can actually look at it and say oh yeah, this one's good, it's reputable, the reviews are in.

Brian: And yeah, more power to them, more power to get more people wearing more gear. I am all for it. I don't know if you remember, you whippersnapper, when Joe Rocket came on the market, and they're gone now, but they came on the market. They had the first mesh jackets, and now mesh is everywhere. Joe Rocket came on the market, and then Icon a little later pushed a little further, where Icon had some gear that was really out there, like some weird-looking stuff. Icon still makes some really weird-looking helmets.

Robin: I've got one right behind me. Maggie's jacket is completely mesh. It may as well be an air conditioner with armor. So, Icon jackets are great.

Brian: Yeah, and they kind of got some crap because they were building stuff. They were selling stuff that had really wild design and fashion for younger riders, and it was effective. It was working. You know, people were buying it rather than going out with a T-shirt on. They were wearing, they looked like a Stormtrooper or something, you know. Yeah. I remember, you know, the, you should get an arrow stitch and look like a grocery bag. You know, no.

Robin: You should look and talk as if you're compensating for something and yeah yeah.

Brian: So another brand if you watch itchy boots which everybody does i think right anyway if you watch itchy boots riding around the world uh whatever she's got an aero helmet a it's air o h so a i r o h helmet and they actually they're a high-end brand and they actually just came to the U.S. this year. They popped up on RevZilla and like sold out. There's some left I think but I love seeing new stuff come to the U.S. Like this so it's kind of cool. And like I noticed that at Road America last year, half the guys were wearing bison leathers. I never heard of that before, but it's like, oh, new brand. Great. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know if they're good. Don't know if they're bad, but they are selling a lot of leathers, keeping a lot of people from becoming crayons. Yeah.

Robin: Yeah. There's a, I'm looking at some of the Pando stuff specifically just in the images. And I do see some that stand out as the stereotype, the cargo pants and whatever to make it look casual and still functional and all that. But they also, they're bringing back some classic styling as well as current, new, and hip and trending styling all in one go, completely armored and abrasion resistant going down the road in the wrong way. The one that stands out, and don't laugh, the one that stands out immediately is, I think they have a multi-purpose underlayer that is PandoMoto's Commando, and there's a review on that from Motorcycle Gear Hub. But it looks good. I mean, it looks really cool. It looks quite cool. The name is perhaps semi-unfortunate, but at the same time, it's workable. It's workable. It is.

Brian: No shade. Popping around here, one I thought was really interesting. Garmin is now selling a rear-facing blind spot radar of this gadget you can add on your bike. So you put a radar sensor. It's like a little tiny gadget with a wire hanging out of it. Put it somewhere in the back of your bike, looking backward. And then you run a couple of wires up to the handlebars. And then you've got blind spot detection on your handlebars that can tell you if someone's coming up behind you or they're at your side or whatever. For 400 bucks, it's available now. And I thought that was, I was like, wow, that's kind of cool. That's a new tech. Whether I'll buy one or not, I don't know, but I thought it was pretty interesting. I think for city riders, and you wonder if they're going to like outlaw it on tracks or everybody on a track is going to get a pass sensor or something.

Robin: This is one of those things where it's not something you necessarily need to impose on a known to be alert and highly sensitive rider.

Brian: Right.

Robin: I don't necessarily want it, but I do condone it. I think it's a great additional opportunity for better, improved safety. And if that's something you feel like will help you, absolutely do it. I've got a constant swivel going by default. Like it's been ingrained into my writing childhood, which was as an adult. As a result, I don't feel like it's my thing. However, I get it. That's just cool. And I wholeheartedly support this.

Brian: Yeah. And again, I think it, you know, for people who ride a lot in urban environments, it might be, and, and overall just big picture. I really liked the idea of doing interesting things with technology to make people safer. Yeah. And I think, I think there's more we could do with that. Like, well, like cameras are a thing, you know, front and rear cameras. So you can at least untangle the aftermath. Post video on YouTube of your, no, please don't do that. Please stop doing that. Pick your turn. You pick something that you want to talk about that's a new idea.

Robin: My new idea that is not a new idea is three to five-year-old tech, whereby you have a front camera, a rear camera, TPMS, and a singular Android Auto Hub that runs all of the Android phone fixings. In a single unit purchase. These are, in my mind, the thing to buy if you're all about getting good footage. It's not about recording the accident. It's about getting a taste of a beautiful ride while also collectively keeping track of a lot of things at the same time. You are recording the ride. You are keeping track of your tire pressure, which has saved my bacon multiple times personally. My TPMS has told me when like, hey, by the way, you ain't got no tire left kind of thing. And some of the apps that you can now access using a device that is designed for a motorcycle and designed to respond to any glove. It's not about the electrical signal from a bare finger, the static charge of the human finger touching a screen. It's about compression of an item that tells the screen where it is being touched. That's my favorite new tech right now.

Brian: Yeah, and these are just starting to trickle onto the market. Like, they're real. They're not quite vaporware. They are out there. No, yeah. They're expensive.

Robin: A lot of it's SaaS. It's sort of software as a service. Here's the unit. Don't worry. It's the same software, you know? And if you have to replace it, you might replace it with some other... Knockoff version of the knockoff version, but it still does the job for as long as it exists and is using software that we all know about.

Brian: Yeah. And all the mapping and so forth. Yeah. And you mentioned TPMS and you've got TPMS on your bike. So my question is, is our TPMS systems getting better and smaller? Because some of the ones I've seen are really bulky and obtrusive. And I think yours is one of the first ones I've seen that looks like, oh, this is kind of, yeah, it's compact it's not like this big thing flopping around on your valve stem

Robin: Well you do have to check for clearance it is compact it is accessible so that's really good but even then when you put it on to the valve stem and that is where it goes is on your tires valve stem that immediately was a bit of a push some people back like nope because it is a spring-loaded mechanism that releases air and this item is compressing it, which might weaken the spring. Well, okay. But a lot of us, whenever we change our tires, we replace those anyhow. So it's sort of a consumable item that these things sacrifice no faster than any other instance would. And the trick is, I mean, these things are the size of a stack of nickels, right? They're just that thick. You do need to make sure that they don't bump into your calipers. But remember, I've told you this before. Or one of the reasons that it was time to give up the beloved Beamer beyond the fact that it had 117,000 miles on it was that I was quite done with the proprietary, if you want to deal with the TPMS, it's under the tire.

Brian: That's right. Yeah.

Robin: You switch out brand new tires and then you, battery's low on your TPMS. Thanks. You know, this kind of thing. It's like, no, I'll go modular from here on. The one we wrote about a long time ago is called FOBO. They're still available. Highly recommended.

Brian: And it basically has like a little unit on the handlebar that shows, you know, here's your tire pressure.

Robin: Oh, no, it's Bluetooth to your phone.

Brian: Okay, okay.

Robin: Any Android device or, you know, travel.

Brian: Nice. So let's talk about helmets. So, like, when you look at new helmet features and things like that and you see all these news stories, every damn year somebody's trying to put a heads-up display on a helmet. And this has been going on for 20 years. Nobody wants a HUD on their helmet, I don't think. I just, you know, nothing has really come of that. And the other thing is, you wonder if heads-up displays start ending up on helmets, what's going to happen at tracks? Are they going to say, no, get that electronics garbage off your helmet, or it's distracting, or are they going to, you know, who cares? I don't know. They may not care. Some of the helmet tech I do think is really interesting is technology. We all know about MIPS. I don't even know what it stands for anymore.

Robin: I'll look it up right now.

Brian: Motorcycle head pounding. Anyway, the idea with MIPS.

Robin: Multidirectional impact protection system.

Brian: Oh, okay. So basically the idea is that if you hit the ground with your helmet, part of what destroys the brain within the helmet is the rotation. Like the helmet catches and then rotates your skull really quickly. And so MIPS is a really simple idea that has a lot of science and testing behind it and all it amounts to is a plastic sheet between the impact layer of your helmet and the comfort layer so you've got the foam and stuff that keeps you all cozy and then you've got a little plastic sheet that lets things slip around and then you've got the the the beer cooler foam that absorbs high impact same stuff anyway whatever and like i've got a like my dual sport helmet is a mips and You know whatever i haven't crashed in it i don't i hope i don't yeah i think it's a great idea and it's proven to work and produce injury they put a lot of research into this and so the part of that that i think is interesting is that i think i don't know if anyone is actually produced mass producing a motorcycle helmet with an alternative to MIPS in it. MIPS is like a plastic sheet, while other people are putting things in bicycle helmets and hard hats and all kinds of other gear that use different shapes or they use different methods for getting that rotational slip that you need to reduce that force applied to the head. I'm sure some of this is coming to motorcycle helmets, or maybe it has already, but I couldn't really find anything that was like for sale right now. Just stuff like that and stuff like aerodynamics are getting better on helmets. Helmets are getting lighter. And there are things like, like there are cutouts for your collarbone.

Robin: Oh, wow. Yeah.

Brian: Yeah. Just more, more and more thoughtful design and helmets and things like that. I love seeing that. The one thing I have not really seen much, I've seen a little bit over the years, but not anything new, is I'd love to see more focus on customizing the fit. In getting the right fit, the most comfortable fit so it's going to be on your head and also the most effective fit so it's going to be where it needs to be if and when it's ever needed.

Robin: As I've gotten more comfortable with buying helmets, as I've become more knowledgeable about how I go about buying helmets, it doesn't change the fact that I know my head shape and I know what helmets will and won't feel right on my head. For example, I had Showies for quite some time. They were not the right fit.

Brian: Yeah.

Robin: Then I get into Rye and lo and behold I'm like oh that that is fantastic that'll.

Brian: Be $800 sir yeah

Robin: Right over time it becomes a question of like this one's plenty broken in but every time I put it on I kind of have to question this feels fantastic this feels good everything's a question now it's like apparently if I were to put on a brand new something that doesn't work it would feel like all kinds of hell and that this is what I'm reduced to tolerating at the moment because it's what I remember felt great when I bought. And remember, they do have a lifespan. You know, helmets have a limited opportunity to remain comfortable on the bike and safe before it's time to get the next one. So the Arai specifically... I cannot support your comments enough on this to know the exact fitment of a person, you know, a mold even that could be applied to something in the future. Go on with it.

Brian: Yeah, I'd love to see some technology applied to that. You know, Shoei has, or maybe they still have a service where you can go in and they'll use like little added pads to customize the fit for you. Fantastic. I think, you know, it's low tech, but it works. and then i think i don't remember who it was that had bell bell it was they had they actually had a system where they would 3d scan your skull and then oh wow cust and then custom print or mold or somehow manufacture a helmet for you but it was like can you smell this color right now yeah sir yeah but it was really really expensive going through yeah that's hardcore i'd love to see something where they can just, you know, spray some goo in there and it, I don't know. Somebody needs to figure this out because I have a head that Shoei doesn't work for, HJC doesn't work for. I had an Arise salesman near Tears. We had helmets. We had, we had helmets as far as the eye could see and nothing would work. And I walked into a cycle gear and a guy looked at me and said, here, try this AGV. And it worked. I'm like, oh my God, I found one. You're the freak. On the whole, I have such a weird head. There's there's like arms and shit coming out of it i don't know i don't know what's going on

Robin: That's the thing you're lucky though because ag me makes all the coolest graphics.

Brian: And and what color is my helmet solid white

Robin: Solid white why is that see that's something we should talk about at some point yeah food for thought for one of these episodes coming up well there's visibility and for whatever reason if you're not on a red bike and red suits with a red helmet you tend to get pulled over less if you're on a blue bike with a white helmet yeah well It's a fascinating theory.

Brian: It's a good theory. What I've heard is people, I lead a lot of rides, you lead a lot of rides. What I've heard is that that white helmet is really extremely visible. I used to have yellow or fluorescent yellow helmets, and those were very visible as well. But hardly anyone makes, everyone makes a plain white helmet, but no one, hardly anyone really makes a yellow helmet anymore.

Robin: Also, I think that that helmet stands out more because the subconscious gets so used to seeing orange fluorescent cones and construction and high-vis jackets. We have unconscious reaction to it. It's like, okay, yeah, yeah, I know what that is. But the white helmet's a little bit like, what the hell is that?

Brian: That's true. Okay. I don't want this to turn into a rant, but when you're talking about communicators and being able to put your thoughts directly into another human being's ear, who was on another motorcycle. It looks like Cardo and Senna are just it. They're like Ford or Chevy, Apple Windows, peas and carrots.

Robin: Have you bought one?

Brian: I have not bought one.

Robin: There, see, now that's important.

Brian: I'm not saying they're not great and I'm not saying they don't work. I'm just saying you have to pick a team and I hate that.

Robin: Sort of. They made it annoyingly complicated, but you can bridge them to universal mode. Which almost works, or so I've been told, as I've tried it several times with, shout out to Murray Haynes, he and I tried to make it work, and both of us were just like, yeah, whatever, let's go ride.

Brian: You know, it just didn't click. We'll just use hand signals or we'll just pull over and scream. I just think someone out there ought to be a disruptor and make a Cardna or a Sendoh that will talk to both and be, you know, that kind of thing. Even if it's, whether it's cheap or not, I don't know. But it's kind of like if you have to pull your friends and decide who you like better. Okay, you've got a Senna. I guess I'll need to get a Senna too. Or like, you know, I don't really want to talk to you. Oh, sorry, dude. I've got a Senna. You've got a Cardo. We can't talk. But yeah, supposedly there's a bridge mode reports or whatever. But yeah, I would, like, I don't know what other technology there is other than, you know, you've got voice and Bluetooth to a phone and then you're farting around with that instead of riding the motorcycle so i don't know about that but i don't know that so that you know that's something i i like i would love to see some technology happen there seems like it ought to happen somewhere in there i don't know there

Robin: May be a solution in the actual cell phone architecture and i'm not necessarily referring to cell phone signals because a lot of the roads we want to ride are anywhere that doesn't include any cell coverage however the device itself may have its merit in that it can connect to other devices if the software were to accept the handshake. I just don't know what the range is for that kind of thing. There were apps back in the day that were Bluetooth specific, but the signals that are being broadcast from a SENA or from a Cardo They must be very different. For example, today's ride with Maggie going around corners that were a wall of mountain, those corners, I could still completely hear her every word for at least a good 50 yards. And I mean, we're talking about there is a mass amount of earth between her entering the corner and me having already exited. I can't see her, but the signal's making it. So whatever they're doing, that might get into proprietary stuff, but the fact remains that maybe we can figure that out on a more universal scale for software that could actually do this.

Brian: Yeah. Someone in Shenzhen needs to get to get to work on that.

Robin: Agreed.

Brian: All right. One of the things I love to see happening constantly, and I've seen this since I started writing, was new ways to learn. And, you know, instruction, teaching, more people know how to ride more better than I've ever seen. And it just keeps getting better and better. More gooder.

Robin: More gooder.

Brian: Yeah. I need to get my English mangling. Anyway. But like when we talk with, you would think someone like Dylan Code, like, yeah, we've got it locked in. We've got it figured out. This is the program. This is what we do. And he was like, no, we change it all the time. We make it better. We make it better. We pay attention to every detail. I love that. And that's, that's, you kind of see that in motorcycling just when the stuff we talk about over dinner.

Robin: Yeah.

Brian: That constant improvement thing. I love that. And that's just, you, you see that at every level, someone like Dylan Code or, you know, Joe and Frank having beers at night and talking about, you know, what they're, what they did that day. It's always iterative. And, and that's one of the things. So I don't know if it fits the topic that well, but that's one of the things that it's one of the, it's kind of, there's always something new to learn is kind of the point.

Robin: I mean, the motorcycle's barely over 100 years old, and the concept of motorcycle safety, maybe a third of that age. So in the time that we've taken an interest in becoming not just better riders, safer riders, better informed riders, faster riders, better maneuvering riders, all these things that come with learning, the process of learning has aided in the training information that we use to create new learning environments and methods. Did that land?

Brian: I think so.

Robin: Yeah. Okay.

Brian: There's a whole, there's a whole ocean out there. We're just picking pebbles still.

Robin: Oh yeah. And it's like, if you're looking for extremely minute detail oriented writing techniques of a very specific type, there's a curriculum for it. What's new to my perspective is that finally now, if you have a variety of personalized concerns, there are a lot of curriculums that are built in a modular way so that you can have a series of established exercises that are specific to your learning needs. One of which, for example, I'm not biased about it. It's just the curriculum I know. I'm an MSF instructor, or I think I still am. We're going to have to find out. Point is that we now have what's called the RSL. Maggie's actually certified for the RSL. It's the writer's skills lab and people may approach the coaches or submit interest in a specific setup and the coaches get to pick and choose from the complete array of MSF writing exercises. So if you want to learn to corner into a decreasing radius curve, that's from the arc. If you want to. Learn to swerve better or to ride an offset weave better from the BRC2, which is the intermediate rider course. All of these things can be handpicked from their own tree, put into a bushel and brought to you in a parking lot to test. There are other providers who offer these kinds of combination packages. That hasn't been the case until I think like the past 10 years. They've probably been developing it for much longer than that. But now it's actually a real world thing that you can do. So seek it out anywhere you go. Does anybody provide a custom learning experience for your concerns? I definitely salute you on this entire stack of conversation pieces.

Brian: Nice, that was fun. Which means now we need to draw more or something. I hope you can put some music in here. Anyway, now it's time for segment two, The Armory. Brought to you by GearCheck.com. We talked about this, but after a lot of work, I finally found a leather suit for the track that fit me. I think basically they had to go tackle an adult walrus and then hollow it out and sew a suit for me. Anyway. So I ended up with a Joe Rocket suit. It was on clearance, thank goodness. But this thing is probably like I bought it two years ago and it was probably, you know, it was on clearance. So it had to be four or five years old at that point from MotorcycleGear.com. Great people there. And the armor edit is really basic stuff. And so one of the questions I asked Joanne was, how do I raise my game? Should I and where do I get? what do I look for in modernizing the elbow and shoulder and knee protection and back and chest protection in this? The leather suits are forever. The technology there hasn't changed much, but I think we can upgrade the armor and make this a better suit. Have you met Joanne?

Robin: Talk about a loaded question. Here's like 50 cannonballs and a cannon.

Brian: Oh, yeah. I'm about to sit back and get my mind exploding.

Robin: The preload is a fireworks thing.

Joanne: I have some more questions because you sent me two photos, two sets. So what's the difference?

Brian: I flipped them over. It's the same armor. I just flipped them over so you can see the back.

Joanne: Well, isn't that thoughtful? Okay. So based on the shapes, that's how I'm really, right. Because unless you want to do some actual alterations, If you're going to upgrade your armor in your suits, textile, leather, race, it doesn't really matter what the purpose is. It's all about the shape because if you don't like the armor that your manufacturer provided, as Brian is experiencing, then you have to conform to the other brands, right? So you got to figure out what other brands will fit in these pockets. But, you know, seamstresses can do pocket. Interior pocket alteration is a very simple, from my understanding, a very simple alteration. Because it's basic fabric. It's nothing technical. It's literally, it's the inside. And you don't

Brian: Really have to care what it looks like, right?

Joanne: No, not at all. That. Unless you have a personal preference. But looking at your shapes, gonna actually recommend Revit Armor. Yes, I don't work for them anymore, but their armor is phenomenal. I mean, it's really good stuff. And so based on the shapes, let's start at your limbs.

Brian: So this is the knee and shin armor. So it actually extends a little further than most armor.

Joanne: Yeah, which is good, but it's not vented. and it's not as flexible as I think you want it to be. So the one that I want you to try, and the measurements are rough, but they do match up, is I want you to try their C-Flex knee protector. And they have different sizes and different codes. So for your size, right, you're going to want to do this one and I'm going to put it in the chat. So that's knee.

Brian: Nice.

Joanne: I can't do an up arrow, but that's knees. So that's a pair for 45 bucks and they are level two, they're CE level two. So remember friends that- So I've got,

Brian: These say CE on them, but they don't say a level. So explain that a little bit. Okay, so- Just take a couple of hours.

Joanne: No, I'm not going to because actually they do a much better job than I could. Legitimately tested armor is always stamped with very specific things on the back. So the letter CE isn't enough. That doesn't actually tell you that it has motorcycle-specific certifications for impact in order to meet that level one or two achievement for protection. So what you also want to look below that is a couple of squares. It'll be a picture of a rider, like a profile, and then little boxes below it with ones and twos. Do you see that?

Brian: Yeah, I've got a little rider dude.

Joanne: A little dude, ones and twos,

Brian: Or one or two. K&L, type A, and it says one.

Joanne: Okay, so the one implies it's a level one protector. So it meets the requirements for a level one CE-rated armor product. So it absorbs a certain level of energy. So it can take a hit, a certain kind of hit. That means those are level one. Now, if you're doing track days, you pretty much want to do level two. You want to just try to get the most shock, like the most impact-resistant protection you can because you're not on the street anymore. When you're on the street, level one protection is great. It works. I've used it. I've crashed in it. I have elbows intact to prove it. Level two is a preference for the street because some people just want more, and that's okay, too. For the one that I'm recommending for you, it's level two. And here's the best thing. Have you clicked on the link to look at it?

Brian: I have. I'm looking at it. It's blue.

Joanne: It's vented. It's super vented. But here's the other cool thing. It has little cutouts on the sides so that it's going to flex way more than yours. It's going to flex.

Brian: Yeah, like this stuff here is really...

Joanne: It flexes, but not as comfortably. But also the knee cup on this is molded better around the shape of your knee. And it's going to be more comfortable in the suit. So that's what I recommend for your knee. For your elbows, you're also going to use the same technology of C-Flex, and it'll be a different shape. Well, of course, it'll be elbow shaped. And so for those, you're going to want to do, I think they actually have two elbow protectors. I think you're going to need the bigger one, and I'll put this link in. They do have a slightly shorter one, and there's a chance you might need that. So that's going to be elbow.

Brian: Yeah, here's my elbow from my stock.

Joanne: Same.

Robin: That's what they do with recycled Nerf balls.

Brian: This is like a two by four. I mean, this is, yeah, go on.

Joanne: That one should fit decently. Now, here's the thing with these new protectors is they are deeper because they actually mold around the side of your joints and they're not as flat. But I think your protectors seem to do, seem to be curved really hard too so that's why pretty deep yeah so that's why i think it'll be a good match and then for shoulder shoulder's gonna be a little tricky let me just double check your photograph for your shoulder it's a pretty like shoulder

Brian: Was uh yeah shoulder was this yeah

Joanne: I think that you probably could squeeze in the matching shoulder set and that's rv11 so it has a slightly different shape because it's more ergonomic, right? It's actually a little bit wider on one side and tapers because the way that your shoulders are shaped, right? As you go up to towards your neck, your shoulder gets narrower and then it gets wider towards your scapula, right? Your shoulder blades as it comes down towards your arm, it's actually wider. So the C-flex is great because it actually tapers out a little bit. Like it's actually shaped closer to your joint, like your shoulder area versus the armor you have is just kind of a generic turtle shape and it's supposed to be universal. And again, same with these shoulder protectors with Revit, they're vented. So way more comfortable, way more comfortable. Breathable especially if you know you are doing a track day on a hot day it'll just feel better and i've never felt the armor yeah

Brian: Yeah this is this is like solid

Joanne: It's just solid and i mean you know you know that'll give you protection like it'll give you impact protection you need and that's first and foremost important but the bonus to the c-flex and why you spend 45 is the comfort. It's to step up another level of comfort and the shape is going to do that. So I think those will be really comfortable for you. I can't remember if you have hip though. Do you have hip pockets?

Brian: I didn't even look really.

Joanne: You might. So check and see what that shape is. And then we can also check that too. For your chest protectors, because I noticed that you have split inserts, the challenge there is not a lot of people make split chest protector inserts. So that's the challenge here. And I doubt just looking at it. I've got a saw. Well, looking at your photo, is that foam?

Brian: Yeah, it's just a piece of like... Foam. Yeah, so this is...

Joanne: My worry... Yeah, I don't think you're going to find something. That's going to fit that. It's such a weird shape. They just put in some foam. So there really aren't going to be good off the shelf options for you. What I'm going to recommend instead is that, and this leads us to your back protector, is I would strongly advise against an insert. And if you're going to be using this for track days, then you need to invest in a full-length back protector. That's the point of the full-length back protector is for your track game.

Brian: So this is one you put on like a vest and then put on your suit. Right.

Joanne: Full-length and it's called full-length because it's going to cover all the way down to your tailbone and inserts don't do that unless you're wearing the wrong size. So for a lot of the big brands making a full length, they also make matching chest pieces, like a chest protection too, that can connect. And Alpine Stars and Dianese both have really good systems for that. Revit did release a new full-length back protector, I think, or they're going to, but they don't have that system. So then this is where I would mix and match and maybe do an Alpine Stars. I really like the Nucleon. I really liked it. It depends on your comfort because you're six foot tall, right?

Brian: Yeah, six foot.

Joanne: And do you have a taller torso? Do you have a long torso? or do you have a shorter torso?

Brian: My inseam's 32, so I have slightly longer torso than...

Joanne: Okay.

Brian: Yeah, see, there's hip armor in here, but it's just sewn in and it's really thin stuff.

Joanne: And it's probably foam. So if you want to upgrade that, then you'd have to cut through the lining and have someone re-sew it in. But that honestly is a very easy... I mean, you could easily have someone do that. So depending on how much room, so that's the other thing. I'm assuming that there's, you know, the same amount of space. If you do an external back protector, the downside will be that it's going to take up another couple centimeters of space from front to back. And so you have to decide whether or not you have room for that. If you don't think that you can really, that that's not something that you can do just based on how the suit fits. And if it fits so snug that you cannot accommodate extra space from your chest to your back, then that does force you into an insert choice. And in that case, that means we have to find that T-shape back protector to fit because Joe Rocket does use a very unusual shape that not a lot of, it's not as common because the shape is very, we call it a T. So what I would recommend for that.

Brian: Here's what I have in the suit right now. I can't, and it's kind of, I don't remember what brand this is, to be honest. Is there a stamp on it?

Joanne: What does it say? Is that a force field or is that a Knox?

Brian: There's a CE stamp on it, but I really cannot read it.

Joanne: I think you have an Oxford.

Brian: It could be.

Joanne: And if it fits, that's great. Yeah. And I mean, it is a level two.

Brian: It's better than this crappy piece of foam that came in the suit.

Joanne: Yeah, that might even be a level one. So that does at least get you to level two. but if you can, I would definitely recommend a full length so you get an extra few inches down your spine.

Brian: Yeah, a little more spine protection.

Joanne: All the way down to your tailbone. I just, I have not seen how that suit fits you. I don't know how much room you have. So depending on how much room to spare you have, then I would recommend the back protection based on that because there are some that are a little bit lower profile there are some that take up more space it just depends like how much space do you think you have to accommodate from the chest

Brian: Like there might be enough room in the chest basically to be entirely blunt yeah you know where it gets tight is around is around my middle okay it's tight and i have to zip it up and then once i get to my chest you know it's like it fits well It fits like it's supposed to. But I, you know, like I should have room front to back of my chest, but around my gut, around my gut, maybe not. I don't know.

Joanne: Is it fine? I mean, is the room there when you're on the bike? Okay, then I wouldn't worry about it. Yeah, very, very comfortable. Then I wouldn't worry about it because as long as the room is there for you to exhale and be comfortable on the bike, then I really wouldn't worry so much about the space otherwise. It's really irrelevant because you're not using the suit that way.

Brian: Yeah.

Joanne: Your track days are the place where you least need that comfort. Whereas on the street, yeah, we kind of want, we want it because we want it, but you don't really need it also. So in that case, I would recommend the Alpine Stars Combo. They have their Nucleon KR1 protector. Here, and I'll give you a link to that one too. And let me find the chest for you. But this is their level two, and it's really, really flexible and vented and really comfortable. It's a very comfortable back protector. Yeah, and it tapers down to the bottom, which you want. You always want the back protector to be a little wider across the top of your back, and then, you know, taper down your spine. So the shape is really good. And then their chest protector is also a nucleon.

Brian: Okay, they're separate items.

Joanne: Yes, absolutely. So, you know, because it's an optional thing, right? And I was trying to see if Alpine, if Refzilla had it, but I didn't see it. Nucleon is the line of armor for Alpine Stars, kind of their new technology where it's not plastic based. You know, back in the 90s, your only options for back protectors were plastic with foam. But now that we have technology and science and chemistry, we have these fantastic new polymer, or not polymer, but...

Robin: Netobots?

Joanne: Whatever. It's not rubber, but it feels like it, right? Compounds and materials where it just is flexible and comfortable, but it has all this shock absorption compatibility.

Robin: I wonder if it's sorbathane.

Joanne: I don't, it depends. I mean, every company has their own materials they're using. So everyone's different and proprietary. And I'm not a scientist, so I don't really know the exact name, but.

Robin: But you play one on TV.

Joanne: But they all have these properties, right, of shock absorption and comfort. And so this matching one. So this is the chest. It's the Nucleon KRC. So what's really nice about it is actually a zipper down the middle. But what's cool is the four pieces connect to the back protector. So you can actually hook it onto the back protector and then put it on as one piece and then zip up the chest.

Brian: Oh, okay.

Joanne: Yeah. So it's easier to get on.

Brian: So basically it's a little suit and then you...

Joanne: It's like it's a vest.

Brian: Squeeze it. It's like a vest and then you squeeze into your

Joanne: That you zip up the front.

Brian: So you're saying that's better than this?

Joanne: It's better than foam, yes.

Robin: For our listeners, Brian is holding up a piece of foam Swiss cheese that I've probably used for an unboxing video.

Brian: I'm holding up a kitchen sponge, basically.

Joanne: I mean, pretty much.

Robin: And then...

Joanne: And then what you can also do with that chest protector, which is cool, is because it's in a little mesh, like chest pocket of its own, you can wash it, right? So you can take the armor out, you can wash that fabric. But then if you have chest pockets in your other jackets, you could just take those separate pieces and drop them into your streetwear. So if you have an Alpine Stars street jacket or another jacket that has, like this shape is, I would say, the universal chest armor insert shape for the brands that offer chest inserts. You'll find the pockets to be shaped like that, like your lungs. So generally speaking, chest protectors have the shape of the lungs. The Nucleon is great. Super comfortable, very flexible and comfortable, vented. And yeah, it's very low profile. So we're not talking like two inches of space, you know, it's very low profile. It's very thin in the front, the back protector, because it conforms, it's not going to take up that much extra space. You know what I mean? It's not as thick, like old school back protectors were so thick in the middle and then didn't taper as much. And now they're so much more comfortable.

Brian: Yeah.

Joanne: So, yeah, I think that's going to be fine. And, like, just remember that the comfort for you will always be better once you're on that bike.

Brian: Oh, yeah.

Joanne: It's going to suck to zip it up and stand there. But you're only there for, like, five seconds, right, until you throw that leg over. So you should be okay. And, oh, we've got to tell your buddy on the right that he needs to not wear his adventure boots with his tracksuit. He needs to. We need to get him.

Robin: That was his first track day. You're going to go easy on him.

Joanne: Fair.

Brian: And that was a rented suit, I believe. Nice.

Robin: Yes. That's awesome. So he is now fully kitted out and addicted. He is.

Brian: So he's all set.

Joanne: Now, I'm going to throw out there, like, and just since we're in the topic of suits, that custom is an option. And all the big brands are, you know, well, three of the big brands are offering it, too, actually. I don't know that Alpine Stars has rolled out a program, but Dianese and Rabbit both have custom programs. So if you really want like a perfectly fitted suit with the most comfort you could possibly get, those are options too. And they do one and two, I think they're doing one and two piece, one piece for sure, but that's just another option, you know, down the line if you want to go that way.

Brian: That's awesome. Thank you, Joanne. Similar banter at higher revs can be found via the Gear Chick website or by emailing Joanne directly. That email address is help at gearchick.com. All right, Robin, it's your turn next time. I'll let you think a minute on what you want to talk about next time. That's always the hard part. When we get to the end, we're like, ah, preview.

Robin: Joanne, what would you like me to talk about next episode?

Joanne: How about aging and motorcycling?

Robin: What do you expect? You know, I edit you out every time you mention that shit. Let's help. We're old. We can't possibly have fun doing this anymore. I'm not playing that shit at all.

Joanne: Did I say that? You said that. No. Oh, I didn't say that.

Robin: Something I don't talk about in this podcast is aging because the motorcycle is one of the things that we like to use to help us stay young. So whenever I hear people mentioning like, well, I would never do that anymore. I would never do this or I would never do that. I edit it out because we want to keep the whole horizon very level with how it can be received. People will process it on their own terms. If they want to say like, that's not something I would do. That's for the listener. I don't drive that in. Here's my topic for next round. Leading loved ones.

Brian: All righty.

Robin: The mental load of prioritizing the same priorities while with someone who you prioritize with perhaps a bit of bias. This is something that I experienced today. Knocked out 160 miles with mags all the way to Baird and then wrecked some Mexican food and then slowly lumbered back onto our machines and made our way back here where you can see all kinds of rando goats, attack sheep, battle sheep. They're everywhere and it's just like do I still perform my function up front with the same, systems that I've put in place whenever I'm leading one of our group tours when it's just me and the wife or is there a little bit more careful you know any of that I think I want to revisit that a little bit I want to reflect on it as of this episode I think that my process was identical, but I know what she might consider to be her issues from her own voice. Those are going through my head. I don't have that connection with some of the customers that might sign up for one of our tours. So it's a little bit different. However, let's see how I feel about that a week from now. Let's see if I just blindly change heart and have a completely different take on it. No, of course not. It's always the same. You know, let's see who I am when I forget that I even brought this up.

Brian: Let's see where it goes. Sounds great. Let's get out of here.

Robin: Nice.

Brian: Can I read the pre-roll now?

Robin: Yes.

Brian: All right. In this episode, we shout out a fresh face on the Daytona... Damn, I can't talk. In this episode, we shout out a fresh face on the Daytona... I'll try one more time and then I'll give up. All right.

Robin: You got this.