Archive for 2015

How I made my Yamaha FJR1300 corner easier

Whilst many people overseas seem ok with the way their Yamaha FJR300 corners, riding on tight narrow roads here I wanted to quicken the steering if possible. My motorcycle is 2014 FJR1300A and coming from smaller bikes prior it always felt slow to turn in and wanted to understeer in […]

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Wonderful Autumn motorcycle tour – part two

Having reached not quite the bottom of Kyushu but certainly the point on my route from Tokyo south where I needed to turnaround I took some time to enjoy the sunset and reflect on what had been one of the best weeks riding I have had in a long time. […]

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Wonderful Japan autumn tour

Japan is such a varied country. I have just completed one of the most scenic motorcycle tours I have ever ridden. If you have a moment take a look at some of the sights on my 14 day journey exploring autumn in rural Japan.   My plan was to ride […]

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A visit to Yamaha Japan

There currently is a late burst of near summer weather. So I went for a ride to visit Yamaha in Shizuoka. Mostly highway but I detoured a couple of times to try my luck at two highly rated Mt Fuji view locations to break it up. I would not call […]

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Tohoku Motorcycle Tour.

Despite some discomfort from my previous broken collar bone I am heading out to ride north. Day one Kanagawa to Fukushima A typhoon has just pass through so I am not sure how bad the roads will be but I decide to take the express way for most of today […]

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Nolan N43 helmet liner replacement

A small update here while I am not riding. I decided to look for a new helmet but despite being in Japan am not taken with any of the jet style helmets on the shelf here. The Arai and Shoei are comfortable but lack venting compared to my Nolan N43 […]

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Motorcycling around Ireland

I had been set to start this ride a couple months ago then broke my collar bone in a fall on some stairs. The doctor said no riding for 6 months but I was having none of that and did a test ride on my FJR and decided I would […]

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Alpinestars Andes tourer pants review

I updated my previous cool to cold weather Alpinestars ST-5 Drystar pants to the new Andes Tourer drystar pants. So far however I have not found them very good. The pants have a permeant rain liner in adventure styling. Alpinestars use a material they call Drystar but in my experience […]

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Don’t damage your hearing

The importance of being earnest wearing ear plugs cannot be overstated. I used to be one of the guys who scoffed at the idea and claimed they were uncomfortable or I could not bear to ride with them. Then came the day I knew I had damaged my hearing. Here […]

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TCX Explorer Evo GT boots review

I had been ready to embark on a extended tour overseas (prior to breaking my collar bone) heading to cold and wet places like Scandinavia so decided to invest in a set of waterproof boots which I thought would also be pretty handy for tours here in Japan. Prior to […]

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Alpinestars Andes jacket review

Earlier in the year I went looking for something suitable for 3 season touring for future ride plans and by chance I came across the Andes jacket from Alpinestars in my local store. Foreign brands are not common here and local jackets are too short in the arms so I […]

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Noto Peninsular Japan motorcycle tour

I have not been able to do much motorcycle riding in Japan this year. The weather has been cold with rain for months. Last year was apparently an odd one with low rainfall but this one seems wet so far. Seems in Japan there normally is no dry season. Basically […]

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