With the holidays approaching, everyone is looking to buy gifts for the riders in their life. So here are four pieces of inexpensive moto gear that I would actually make use of, and would love to make use of.
Motorcycle Replacement Face Shields
Number four – replacement face shield. This one is for the Icon Variant helmet, because that’s the lid that I wear. But if you’re buying for your mother or brother or grandfather, just figure out what kind of helmet they have and buy the shield to match.
These guys retail right around 50 bucks, and that’s pretty much par for the course.
Stock face shields are surprisingly shitty, in my experience. They scratch up easily, the tinting peels off, the fog-proofing wears away over time. So odds are, whoever you’re buying a gift for, they’ll probably need one of these.
Even if their current face shield is perfect, every rider likes to have variety. One way for me to spice up my helmet – on the cheap – is to just to change the shield around.
I normally use clear shields because I ride at night a lot. But yellow and rose tints are good in clouds and fog, so that’s handy for adventurers who ride at altitude. Tinted or smoky shields are excellent in bright conditions. And mirrored or blackout shields are perfect for looking like a total badass. They’re dangerous in tunnels mind you, but hey … fashion is pain.
Stop & Go Portable Mini Air Compressor
Number three is the Stop & Go Portable Mini Air Compressor.
This thing is incredible . I was riding with a buddy of mine this summer – and he had one of these – I went home and saw that it costs 45 bucks, so I ordered it right away.
Every time I transition to riding dirt, I drop my tires by about 15psi. And with the Stop & Go, I don’t have to tiptoe back home at the end of the day on half-flat rubber. I can just hook this onto my bike – with the gator clips right to the battery, or this 12V plug attachment, screw the valve onto my tire, and then push the button.
My one complaint is that the Stop & Go is really loud! It also takes a long time to fill a tire, especially the rear one!
The other thing is that the gauge reads too high while the compressor is running, so I typically have to subtract 4 or 5 psi from what I see on here.
So it’s not a perfectly refined piece of equipment. But I love how small it is, I love that it comes with two different needles for blowing up soccer balls or air mattresses or whatever, and I love that it has a little light to help you use it at night.
The Stop & Go isn’t the sexiest of Christmas gifts, but I do use this thing more than anything else in my kit.
Saddlemen Large Cruis'n Sissy Bar Bag
Number two is the Saddlemen Large Cruis’n Sissy Bar Bag and rather ironically, I chose it because it’s small .
Nobody gets motorcycle luggage as a gift. Because A- it’s hard to tell if it’ll fit on a given motorcycle, especially if the bike isn’t yours. And B- it’s expensive.
But the Large Cruis’n Sissy Bar Bag is so small that it’ll fit on pretty much any bike with a sissy bar and – even better – it only costs around 50 bucks.
To mount it, undo this Velcro strap, wrap it around the sissy bar, and it’s job done. Just in case your secret Santa has a telephone pole on the back of their bike, Saddlemen included this Velcro extender for some extra width.
Opening it up, we undo this toy padlock, which is totally useless so I’ll probably do my giftee the favour of throwing that away. Then I twist the tab and pull the Velcro … and there’s the inside. I measure it about 11 inches wide, 9.5 inches high and 4.5 inches deep, with two mesh pouches on either side.
It’s a nice little bit of storage space that comes with big style. And besides, no one gets motorcycle luggage for Christmas so if you want to blow away your favourite cruiser with a gift … give them this.
100 Percent iTrack Gloves
And finally, my number one moto gift under 50 bucks … is the 100% iTrack glove. This only costs 35 dollars but when I’m riding off-road or motocross, it’s probably the first glove I’ll reach for.
Of course everyone wants to give something cool and fun as a present. And the 100% iTrack is definitely cool and fun.
The brand epitomizes the style of 1980s, golden-age motocross. Once upon a time, the 100% logo was sewn into legendary jerseys and stickered onto award-winning bikes. And even today, the iTrack carries that heritage very well. Out of all the lightweight, summer gloves out there … this looks the most like something a factory rider would wear. And I love that.
What makes the iTrack special is how minimal it is. No armouring, no Velcro closure, nothing. Just pull it on and go for a rip. There’s some silicone printing on the two lever fingers, and because the glove is so thin, touch sensitivity on the controls is perfect. The Stretch Suede palm, Twill Span top hand and trek dry finger gussets won’t do much for abrasion resistance. But they’re super comfy and breathable.
So the iTrack is not a safe glove, and it won’t last a very long time. But it’s something that mom would never buy for me and that makes it cool.