112 | JULY 2019
YOUR SAY
LETTERS
Email [email protected]
Write to us RiDE, MediaHouse,
Lynchwood, PeterboroughPE26EA
Havingrecentlychangedfroma Versys 1000 toa
Z1000SX,thewindnoisefrommyShoeiNeotecwas
unbearableanda newhelmetwasdue.Exceptfor
Schuberth,I’dfailedtofindanyreferencesfrom
helmet manufacturers as to how loud the noise inside
my helmet will be for a given speed. So, I decided to
go ahead and buy a Schuberth S2.
Sadly, the shape of the helmet was unsuitable for
me on my bike, as it twisted in the airflow. But
fortunately,theretailerI’dboughtit fromlivesinthe
realworldand,asthehelmethadonlybeenona
shorttrip,theykindly
allowedmeto
exchangeit.I was
lucky;it couldjust
have easilygonetheotherway,andI’d bestuckwith
a £300,unsuitablehelmet.
Allofwhichhasmewonderingwhyhelmet
manufacturersdon’tprovideroadtestmodelstotheir
primary retailers. It can’tbethevalueofthehelmet,
aswehavefounda waytoprovideroadtestswith
motorcyclescostingthousandsofpounds.It can’tbe
wearandtearasmostretailershavehelmetsintheir
shopsforpeopletotryon.
Asa helmetisthemostvitalpieceofsafety
equipmentwewear,must fitcorrectlyandbesuitable
forthebikeyouareriding,whyareweaskedto
spendanywhereuptoseveralhundredpoundson
somethingthatwecan’ttryoutontheroad?
DaveAyres
‘AHornet’sbetter
thana CB650F!’
I wasinterestedtoreadyour
comparisonbetweenthelatest
HondaCB650RandtheHornet.
Idid30, 000 milesona Hornet
which,witha Giviscreen,was
almosttheperfectall-rounder.Its
onlyrealfaultwasthetinytankthat
LETTER OF THE MONTH
‘Why can’t we road-test helmets?’
‘Whatdidyousay?Pardon...?’
Thanksforthearticleonearplugs,I saythishaving just changed from green to
candy colouredHowardLeightearplugs.I thinkit’s important for people to
understandthedBscalemeansthatjust3dbisa doubling of the sound intensity
butis notperceivedasdouble.Perceptionoccurs at 10dB.
This is indirectly referred to in the
article but is well worth clarifying
andlabouring. This is from an old ‘un
withhearing reduction —
itreally is no fun.
Stephen Drane
RYou’re correct that 10dB ‘sounds’
twiceas loud while 6dB represents
doublethe Sound Pressure Level we
weremeasuring.
THESTARLETTERWINSAPAIROF
DUCHINNIEUROPABOOTSWORTH£89.99
CE-certifiedformotorcycleuse,thesefull-grainleatherbootshavea
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thekeycollection.co.uk
madelongjourneysfrustrating.
WhenI firsttestedtheCB650I was
soimpressedwiththeflexibilityof
theengine,presumablybecauseof
thegreatertorqueatlowerrevs,that
I hadtotryit againondifferent
roads.That’swhenI foundwhere
Hondahavespoiledit,becauseit is
awfulonmotorways.I nowrealise
thisisbecause,asyoupointout,the
topfivegearshavebeenshortened.
Unfortunately,I havetomunch
motorwaymilestogettothebest
roadsbutontheCB650,a steady
70mphispurgatory.Higherspeeds
arebetterbutthatalsomeanshigher
revs,whichtiremeout.Thus,the
newbikeisnowherenearasgoodan
all-rounderastheHornet.If only
Honda hadmadethatsixthgeara
proper overdrive.
Mike Johnson
‘I’m happythatmy
17-year-oldkidis
a biker’
By the timeyoureadthis,mysonwill
be on the roadaboardhisHonda
CB125F. Isit meordoesanyoneelse
have full confidencetha
precious cargowillbea
on our roads?
The trainingnowaday
comprehensive;theclothingis
superbly protective;thebikesare
very user-friendlyandtoday’skids
seem to besomuchmore switched
on and grown-upthaneverbefore!
I know thereareplentyofrisks
with owners of the four-wheeled tin
