cmm
Tested
£299.
Riding kitriddenin, tools
twirled&tyres tested
RICHAATLANTIC JACKET AND TROUSERS
Agrand isalot to spendonkit an dthe first
surprise here washow light the jacket and
trousers were compared to myoldstuff.
The star of the showisthe Gore-Tex
laminate outerlayer, which stops water
enteringthe inner layers of the garment. This
is ahugebenefitover kit with inner
waterproof layers: not onlydoyou stay dry,
but thegarments don’t getheavywhen they
are sodden with water and the waterproof
membrane doesn’tmake you allsweaty.
Stayingwarm or coolis easy, too.For the
cold days,there areremovablethermal layers
in both the jacket andtrousers. And for
summer,thereare twoventsint he chest,
and anoutlet in the back.
Both garments featureD3Oarmour,which
is niceandsoft allowing free movement,but
providesplenty ofprotection in case ofaspill.
The back protector isCE-approved to Level
1asstandard, butfor an extra£40 youcanget amorerobus tLevel 2protector:shame
it’snot standard.
There aresomenice touches.All the zips
are chunky andhighquality, with li ttletoggles
attached to helpuse themeven with your
gloveson.Then there areVelcroadjusters in
the arms andwaist togetthe fit right, and
removablebraces for the trousers.The jacket
liner is removable andcan beworn as a
jacket whenyou’re offthe bi ke –that’s one
less item topackwhen touring.There are
also twozips to choosefromwhen attaching
the jacket to the trousers.One is short,the
other long, so you can decide how much air
you wantto let in.
So,expensivepieces of kit,but if yo uwant
to have the peaceofmind thatyou can head
out on your bikenomatter what the weather
is doing, it’smoney well spent.
MikkoNieminen
http://www.nevis.uk.comSHARK SPARTAN HELMET
This is my secondSpartan andItested my
last Spartan helmet thoroughly–bouncing
down theTarmac beforeclatteringhead
first intoakerb shoulder.Ibroke my
collarbone,but the lidlooked aftermy
head admirably.
So,when Shark unveiledaselectionof
newdesigns for the Spartan,Ijumpedat
the opportunity to getmy headin another
one.Basically, the Spartan is Shark’s
do-it-all, middle-of-the-range helmet,
carefullybalancing cost withquality,price
with performance.
Firstly,the levelofcomfort offered by
the Spartan is second-to-none for me.It’s
snug, butnottoo snug, and at no point
haveIfoundthe helmet digginginto
my head.
The Spartan offersanice,wide fieldof
vision–and while we’re on thesubjectof
its visor, it’sso, so easy to remove and
replace.All you’vegot todo is pull the
visorfirmly from eachsidetotakeitout,
and then push it firmlyback in to replace
it. It ’s probably theeasiestsystemI’ve
encountered. I’ve also fittedmySpartan
withaPinlock anti-mist lensinsert t ohelp
preventagainstfogging when theweather’snot sogood–and it really does
the job.
There’salsoabuilt-in internal dropdown
visorfor when the sun’s outinf ull force.I
know they’re notfor everyone, but if you’re
outall da yinchanging conditions,the
ability to simple slideasun visor into place
while you’re stillonthe move isextremely
useful. Shark has alsoput so me time and
effort intoensuring the optically challenged
among us are catered for, withits ‘Easy
Fit’ system ensuringthe armsof yo ur
glasses aren’t forced painfullyagai nst
the sides of your head.
The Spar tan’sventilation
system is top notch, too.Open
themup,and youcan feel the
air circulating around the lid,
helping you to staycool.
When theweathe rtakesa
turn, simplyclose thevents
and you’ll be warm andwell
protected.
In essence,Shark’s
Spartan helmet is a
seriously capable bit of kit
–particularlyfor the
money.It’ll cope witheverythingfrom wet and windy to near
stifling sunshine.Icrashed in one,and
then gotmyself another–surely that’s
the greatest complimentIcan pay.
Be sure to try one out for size though,
as sometimesthe fit varies from rider
to rider.
Ross Mowbray
http://www.nevis.uk.com£ 649
£ 419
12 / classic motorcyclemechanics