Motorcycle Mechanics

Welcome to our motorcycle mechanics section.

Motorcycle Gear Reviews: Crash Tested

FortNine Crash Test is a series where we destroy motorcycle riding gear to see how safe it really is. Each episode will be a testing ground for various piece of riding gear. From helmets to boots, we cover it all. The lab is divided into 5 sections : - SeaWorld for waterproofing. - Rambo's Corner for puncture strength. - The Batting Cage & Golf Town are for impact protection. - Burn Unit is for heat resistance and to simply put sh*t on fire.

Best Motorcycle Tires

Discover our best-in-class picks for all riding styles. We typically want our motorcycle tires to do a simple job - stick to the road, stick to the bike. But it’s actually more complicated than staying “rubber side down.” Your motorcycle contains millions of engineering hours and hundreds of horsepower, and they count for nothing unless you can put them to the pavement! So let’s take a closer look at our treads. RyanF9 is your no-nonsense expert. He counts down our favourite tires of the year and explains why we choose to ride on them.

Holiday Gift Guide of 2016

Finding the perfect gift can be somewhat of a challenge during the holiday season,especially if one of your loved ones is a motorcyclists. What should you get them? What will they like?Well RyanF9 has a few ideas that is going to help you narrow down your search on his Holiday Gift Guide.

Motorcycle Reviews

We put to the test a hand full of motorcycles in our latest bike reviews. From beginner riders to the most experienced rider, we got you covered with specs, great visuals and most importantly our honest opinion on who those bikes are made for.

Best Motorcycle Life Hacks

Regular household items can be a life saver in times of need. With a little bit of imagination and resourcefulness you can find good use to those items. RyanF9 shares with us his Top Motorcycle Life Hacks using a bit of everything already laying around at home.

Best Motorcycle Pants of 2016

Finding the right riding pant can be a task of it's own. They come in many shape and form as well as style and price points. Many questions do come to mind like. How comfortable are they? Are they well padded? Are they well ventilated? How is the fit? Those are a few questions we ask ourselves. We selected a few of our favorite riding pants to give you a kick start on finding the right ones.

Best Motorcycle Helmets

Motorcycling is all about sensation. Smell the burnt gasoline. Hear the rushing wind. See the road curving beneath your tires. All these soul-stirring sensations have to go through your helmet first. So choosing the right lid is crucial for your riding pleasure. There's also a little thing called safety, too. RyanF9 is our resident expert on motorcycle helmets. His favourite models are perfect starting points for any prospective buyer.

Best Motorcycle Jackets of 2017

Get fitted with the finest riding jackets available today. You know the old adage: Dress for the slide, not for the ride. We like to dress for both around here. Crash protection is certainly important, but nobody wants to ride around looking like the Michelin Man. Especially during a hot Canadian summer. Fortunately riding jackets get better every year. And we have a favourite model for every climate, function, style and safety level. Here are our staff picks for this season's motorcycle jackets.

Best Motorcycle Boots of 2017

This is our A-list of riding footwear. Motorcycle boots are a crucial piece of equipment. You brake and shift with your feet on the majority of bikes. At the same time, the tiny contact point between boot and foot peg is pivotal for controlling your riding position. Your feet are up to the task. The trick is keeping them comfortable, dry, ventilated, warm and protected on the job. That’s where the perfect motorcycle boot comes in. In our opinion, these are the best choices for this riding season.

Best Motorcycle Gloves of 2017

"Fits like a glove" isn't always good enough. Yes, most motorcycle gloves will be comfortable for the ride and protective for the slide. But we can do a little better than that! If you want to choose an exceptional motorcycle glove, start by considering your riding style and the unique needs that go with it. Our no-nonsense videos count down FortNine’s top picks for each of these riding segments.

Best Motorcycle Luggage of 2017

Pack your bike like a pro! Motorcycle luggage is a not-so-optional extra. It doesn’t matter if you’re embarking on a multi-day camping trip or packing tennis shoes to the gym. Anyone who wants to ride with cargo needs motorcycle luggage. But before you make a quick decision, check out these short video guides! Ryan has agonized over his top choices, so you don’t have to. Any of these staff-picks will make a formidable piece of luggage. Maybe one of them is the right choice for you!

Best Motocross and Off-Road Gear of 2017

braap, Braaap, BRAAAAAP. We love that sound. But before hearing it, we always suit up with a complete motocross kit. Bumps, scrapes and tumbles are a regular occurrence while off-roading, so it makes sense to dress accordingly. Here are our favourite pieces of dirt-worthy gear.

Best Motorcycle Accessories

From covers to communication systems, check out these top picks! Accessorizing your bike and gear is a great way to freshen up your ride. Most of us can't afford to buy a new motorcycle or helmet every season. But throwing a new cover on the old girl - or sticking a comm system to the side of your trusty bucket - does wonders for keeping things interesting.

Top-5 Lists

What are the five things RyanF9 never rides without? What are the best moto gifts for less than $50? Perhaps you'd like to know about our favourite helmets under $200? Or five super-simple ways to modify your bike? Whether you asked for it or not, this section has the answers to questions like this!

Motorcycle Suspension Guide

Smooth out those wrinkles in the road! The nice people at Harley, Kawasaki and Triumph have spent countless hours and lots of cash ensuring their motorcycles possess beautifully balanced suspension systems. That said, motorcycle manufacturers are in the business to make money, so it’s unlikely that your stock bike is gonna come with every state-of-the-art piece of tech and high-end equipment that’s out there. And that’s great news for us, because it means there's lots of room to play around with improving our bikes! But be warned: a motorcycle’s suspension is the beating heart of safety and stability. Make sure you do your homework on this one. Your ass is quite literally on the line.

Motorcycle Boot Guide

Want to start your search on the right foot? We've seen riders in everything from high heels to moccasins. Performance motorcycle footwear, this is not. But pointing out the bad choices is easy! We’re here to learn how to make a good one. Once upon a time, finding motorcycle boots required accurate foot measurements and a healthy cow. To be honest, that's hard to mess up. But today’s cornucopia of high-tech designs makes the issue more complex. Specialized riding footwear is better than ever before. But it's also harder than ever to choose wisely. We've broken our lesson into bite-sized pieces. Chew on them for a while and you’ll be ready to make an expert decision!

Motorcycle Handlebar Guide

Let's get a handle on our bars. Think your chopper will look cool with a tall set of ape hangers? It probably will! Trying to find a cure for that nagging shoulder ache? Bars can help! Navigate through our buying and installation guide, and let us steer you in the right direction.

Motorcycle Luggage Guide

Get the perfect gear, and get packing. Motorcycles are certainly rubbish when it comes to cargo space. On stock bikes, the vast majority of riders will be limited to what they can stuff in their pockets. And whether you’re packing camping gear to South America or bringing a pencil case to the office, a few jacket pouches aren't going to cut it. So if you want to travel with something sizable, then you need motorcycle luggage. But choosing the best luggage for you is more difficult. This guide has everything you need to make an expert decision.

Motorcycle Jacket and Pant Guide

Here's the low-down on suiting up. Squids aside, a motorcycle jacket and pant will be part of your essential equipment. As in, when the sun is blisteringly hot and spontaneous combustion finally makes sense to you, you’ll don purpose-built motorcycle clothing nonetheless. We salute that. This guide is for people like you - people who resolve to dress for the ride, as well as the crash. You know that riding safe starts with dressing safe. And as always, we don’t want to bore you with a lengthy discussion of stretch fabrics and polymer plastics (which are awesome, by the way). Use the side menu to skip ahead to whichever bits are important to you.

Motorcycle Exhaust Guide

These are the ins and outs of your pipes. Replacing a stock exhaust will be many riders' first – and only – foray into motorcycle mods. But why are aftermarket exhausts so popular? And what makes a $300 tin can better than something Ducati cooked up? There are good answers to these questions. And you can find them here.

Motorcycle Winter Storage Guide

Sleep well, my precious. Fall signals the end of another awesome riding season and, if you’re a fair-weather rider, thoughts turn to winter storage. The subject of motorcycle storage is a bit contentious. Almost every rider has an opinion on the "right" way to put a bike away. We researched the subject for a few days, then compiled the most relevant information here.

Motorcycle Chain Guide

Find your weakest link here. If you’re new to motorcycles that are driven by a chain, that sticky mass of links, rollers, pins and rivets may look pretty daunting. But in reality, getting to grips with your chain - and learning how to do the required maintenance - isn't hard. And even when your chain finally gives up the ghost, replacing it with a brand spanking new one is a job that the home mechanic can easily undertake. A couple hours, some basic tools and this handy guide is all you need!

Motorcycle Oil Guide

Oil is black gold to a motorcyclist. It does a seriously tough job: hot as hell in a cramped environment, high pressure, dirty and - when it's all burnt out - we just flush it away. Refer to our comprehensive guide for everything you need to know about oil. Topics covered here include how to choose your engine's best friend, when to change it and how to understand those pesky numbers.

Motorcycle Windshield Guide

Not every motorcycle comes with a windshield, but just about every motorcycle rider has wished for a windshield at some point. A drop of rain to the eye, an extra-cold blast of wind or a bug-splattered tooth can bring about such feelings. A windshield might not be the prettiest addition to your motorcycle, but there’s no denying that it can help you stay in the saddle longer. Plus you'll have the stamina to ride further on each trip, and keep rolling all the way into winter's icy grip. Let's go from A to Z on purchasing a windshield for your ride.

Motorcycle Helmet Guide

Here's a brainy discussion on protecting your head. The most important piece of safety equipment for a motorcyclist is their brain. The second most important piece - their helmet. Of course, lids are more than protective. They're comfortable, tactical, stylish, technologically advanced and - like it or not - legally required. There's so much to know about motorcycle helmets; we could go on for days. The scope of this guide, however, is seven short sections. In them you'll find everything that we consider to be "essential knowledge."

Heated Gear Guide

Let’s face it, if you’re waiting for the perfect day to ride in Canada – not too wet, hot, cold or windy - you might be waiting a while. But with the right gear, you can take matters into your own hands. Electronically-heated equipment is a great way to regulate your body temperature.

Motorcycle Tire Guide

Here's some wisdom for choosing new treads. Thousands of engineering hours and hundreds of horsepower count for nothing unless you can put them to the ground. And since motorcycles have half the tires that cars have, we should be twice as conscientious about choosing the right ones. With this guide, making a wise decision is going to be easy. Even before we begin, you could read the recommendation in your owner's manual and find a tire with matching codes. But isn't it better to understand what those codes actually mean? And to anticipate how they will translate into an epic ride? That's the goal of this guide.

Motorcycle Communication System Guide

Wanna chat? First we're going to need a comm system. For all of their monumental benefits, communication systems are hard to get into. They can be utterly confusing when it comes to what they do, what they’re compatible with, and which helmets can use them. To top it all off, communication companies seem to choose their product names randomly from a bingo bag: SMH-10, MCS2, G9X, etc. We’re here to help with the confusion. Read through this whole guide, or use the menu below to skip the parts that bore you. This is motorcycle school after all – not real school!