What's it all aboot?
It's all about the Icon Motorhead boot, which brings motocross technology to the street with top-grain leather construction, an adjustable buckle system and an "active venting system with mesh liner." For comfort, the boot has a rubber shifter pad, a steel shank and a padded over-tongue. The $180 Motorhead is available in black or white in sizes 7-13. More details can be found at www.rideicon.com or call (619) 258-5365.
Strike!
This Strike suit from Frank Thomas is a two-piece all-leather construction featuring airflow lining, perforated ventilation panels and stretch panels for comfort. The $299 jacket has a quilted, removable liner and CE-approved armor fitted in the shoulders and elbows, and the $199 pants have molded knee cups. The jacket is available in blue, fluorescent red, green, red, silver or yellow in men's sizes 38-48 and women's sizes 6-12, and the pants are available in the same colors, men's sizes 30-40 or women's 8-12. Check them out by calling Cycle Gear at (707) 747-5053 or visiting www.cyclegear.com.
Mad Max: Beyond Damper Rods
Traxxion Dynamics' drop-in damper rod kit ($250) for Suzuki SV650 forks comes with CNC-machined replacement damper rods so you don't have to drill and weld your stock parts when you install Race Tech Gold Valve cartridge emulators (which are also included in the kit). Save yourself time and trouble by calling (770) 592-3823 or visiting www.traxxion.com.
Keep yourself busy over the winter
The long-awaited 101 Sportbike Performance Projects, written by former SR staffer Evans Brasfield, is finally complete. This $30 book will take you step-by-step through projects ranging from basic maintenance to elaborate performance enhancements, all with detailed photography. Find out more by surfing to www.101sportbikeprojects.com or calling Motorbooks International at (800) 826-6600.
Be sure to make this apex
MotoGP launched its extensive apparel line at the recent Laguna Seca WSB round, and this Apex leather jacket caught our eye. The $350 jacket is made from durable cowhide with perforated panels, incorporates CE-approved shoulder and elbow protection and has an EVA foam backpad. A removable insulated liner is included, and the jacket zips to matching Apex leather pants. The jacket is available in black, blue and red in sizes S-XXXL. Find out more about MotoGP apparel by visiting your local Tucker Rocky dealer, or visit www.powersportrider.com.
Yes, that's a carbon-fiber helmet
Vemar's VSR helmet is now available with a carbon-fiber shell, and the medium size weighs in at less than three pounds. The $809.95 lid is available in sizes S-XL and features an aerodynamic design to decrease buffeting, a removable liner and cheek pads and a multitude of vents. The VSR Carbon meets DOT and ECE-22.05 standards. More information is available from Fairchild Sports at (888) 313-2510 or www.vemar-usa.com.
The tool man cometh
Once you have a set of these Craftsman Strap Wrenches, you'll wonder how you ever managed without them. A zillion uses, the traditional Craftsman lifetime warranty and only $20 for the pair? Sign us up. You can buy them online at www.craftsman.com or visit your local Sears store.
This is the geek's favorite shirt
Everyone thinks our geek is such a smart guy, but in reality he has to write everything down so he doesn't forget it. With the new horsepower formula T-shirt, he can look cool and leave his notebook at home. It's a 100 percent cotton, preshrunk Hanes Beefy-T available in black only in sizes M-XXL for $20. Order online at www.whitehorsepress.com or call (800) 531-1133 for details.
This is not a Bugs Bunny character
It's a Wileyco slip-on for a Yamaha YZF-R6, which we neglected to include in our giant October '04 slip-on test (our bad). Wileyco silencers feature stainless steel internals and end caps, are completely rebuildable and are available with carbon fiber (shown here), stainless steel or titanium skins. Get the scoop by browsing to www.wileyco-racing.com or calling (941) 331-2335.