USED & REVIEWED

SUMMER SHARKS HUH? READ ON…

HEAD FOR THE OPEN SEA,SORRY, ROAD Shark Evoline 3 MOOV UP Mat – Price – $529.95

Here, as Martin Luther so memorably said, I stand; or rather sit on my bike, dreaming of the perfect helmet to wear while touring. Let’s see, I need an open face helmet so I can take photos without removing it. But I like a full face for inclement weather such as hail, snow or even just cold rain – and for excessive heat. If it’s convertible from one to the other, that conversion should be quick and easy. The helmet should be comfortable to put on, take off and wear – especially with specs. Of course it should be safe with universally accepted test identification, and quiet.

Last but certainly not least it should look good and stay that way for a while. Enter the Shark Evoline 3. I was heading off to America for the Bear’s Best of the West tour and Dave from Shark importers Ficeda (www.ficeda.com.au) suggested I give this helmet a try. It would, he reckoned, meet all of my requirements.

I put the helmet through what I can only describe as a baptism of fire. On the trip through the Western US, we admittedly didn’t have any real cold and only a sprinkling of rain, but we did have the kind of heat that really tests a helmet. Try more than 48 degrees for three days…

But let’s go through this in detail.

Unlike other flip-front helmets, the Evoline has Shark’s interesting and effective “storage” system for the chin bar, which flips right over your head and practically becomes part of the helmet’s shell at the back. That is what gives you the choice of open or full face;

it is very easy to make the change – you only need one hand – and it opens the visor as well. The Evoline is also easy to get on or off, and its provision for spectacle arms makes it comfortable to wear for four-eyes like me. There is one problem, at least for me with my big head. When I put the helmet on while wearing glasses, one arm always ends up being pushed down to below my ear.

I have to slide the glasses out and re-insert them, which is easy enough.

I probably don’t need to mention that a helmet from a prestigious manufacturer like Shark has all the approvals you’d ever want, and the helmet not only looks good but looks like staying that way for quite a while – how do you like the 5 year warranty?

Dave told me that the helmet has a faster opening chin bar, reduced noise and improved aerodynamics in both full face and in open face position than previous versions. I can’t comment, not having owned a Shark flip-front before, but I was certainly happy with the opening, noise and aerodynamics. The helmet does not lift even at 100mph (and don’t ask where I did that). It has been compliance tested in both open face and full face configurations.

Ventilation has also apparently been improved and works well. The helmet is made from injected thermoplastic resin, has outside anti-scratch and inside anti-fog visor treatment, an integrated sun visor and a quick release visor system. What’s more, you can pull the lining out and wash it, which is something I really appreciated after those hot days.

Ventilation has also apparently been improved and works well. The helmet is made from injected thermoplastic resin, has outside anti-scratch and inside anti-fog visor treatment, an integrated sun visor and a quick release visor system. What’s more, you can pull the lining out and wash it, which is something I really appreciated after those hot days.

In other words, top marks to the Evoline 3 MOOV UP Mat. I don’t mind rearranging my specs when I put on the helmet – I’d probably do something like that anyway.

To the best of my knowledge, Luther never rode a motorcycle but if he had, he too would have found the Shark Evoline handy – perhaps while facing the Diet of Worms? PT

HANDS LIKE A B-2
DriRider Stealth gloves Price – $89.95

Having worn my Dri Rider Rapid gloves for the last couple of years, and worn them to death, I was in desperate need of a new pair of all-round short cuff gloves. The answer turned out to be the new Dri Rider Stealth gloves.

The Stealth gloves are an all-round sports touring glove made with premium cowhide and pre-curved fingers, which basically means the leather is soft and supple from go, shaping to your hands the more you wear them, making you feel all warm and cosy on the inside at how well they fit. The leather is 100% Kevlar stitched for strength and there are perforations in the upper palm area which allow a bit of airflow. They are good for all but the coldest of cold and the hottest of hot days, but in between they have to be one of the best pair of gloves I’ve worn.

You get PU knuckle and finger protectors and the palm has Kerprotec for safety.

One of the best parts of the Stealth gloves that I love is the silk-like lining,this makes them dead easy to put on and super comfy to wear. You have a Velcro closure with plenty of adjustment available, but the best thing about the Stealth gloves is that they are exactly what I want from a pair of gloves – comfort, excellent fit, understated yet stylish and offering the level of safety that will protect my hands if the worst happens.

Priced at only $89.95 I strongly advise you to try on a pair of the DriRider Stealth gloves, because once you do, you’ll buy them. See your local bike dealer or visit www.DriRider.com.au SW

ARCTIC COOL
DriRider Coolite gloves
Price – $59.95

Once the temperatures start to really get up into the mid to high thirties and low forties I needed a new pair of plain super perforated gloves, so at the same time as I got the Stealth gloves DriRider sent me a pair of their Coolite gloves.

The Coolite is an unlined supremely soft and light pair of leather perforated gloves. They have no Velcro closure or the like, other than an elasticised wrist, so they are a little hard to get on until you get used to them, but once they are on they are super comfy and cool to wear.

The entire upper section of the gloves is perforated and allows excellent airflow. The underside (palm and fi ngers) is not perforated for safety if you should happen to slide down the road. I’ve had full perforated gloves before and always wondered what might happen if I slide on my hands – I’m guessing lots of skin abrasion would be the result, so a full leather palm is a great thing to have, and the Coolite is light enough to not need perforation on the palms.

There’s really not much more to say about the Coolite as they are a simple pair of perforated leather summer gloves (just what you want in the summer), other than to once again note how soft the leather is, I bet you will cuddle them more than once – they really are that SOFT! See your local bike dealer or visit www.DriRider.com.au SW

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