Well, when a company who has built a reputation like Joe Rocket brings a motorcycle helmet to market, you'd expect it's going to be good and we'll tell you straight up that the RKT 101 is a winner. We'll cut them a little slack because it's their first attempt, but the RKT 101 isn't just a good first try, it's an excellent piece of work that should shame other helmet manufacturers who have been in the business, oh, shall we say 20 or 30 times longer?

At city speeds around the Willow Springs grounds, the bike is incredibly nimble, thanks to its wide bars and light curb weight of a claimed 405 pounds.

The motor oozes character, as you’d expect from a big twin with a relatively light flywheel. Acceleration from in-town speeds is instant, prodigious and addicting.

Alt-berg is a small business that started life making walking boots but as the owners are motorcyclists they soon moved into motorcycle touring boots. The boots are constructed using walking boot technology; a Skywalk dual density sole stitched into a lined upper, with insulating insoles. The motorcycle boots though have nylon reinforcement around the heel, ankle padding, side zip opening concealing a cordura bellows, shin pad, and gear change pads. A pity they use leather.

After many 'phone calls I found a supplier of Lorica and Alt-berg agreed to make me a single pair of boots. Prices were agreed, sizes tested and two weeks later (excluding delays caused by me) I had two boots (not a pair as my feet are odd sizes) ready for collection.

Helmets have really come a long way in the last few years in terms of weight and ventilation and what really struck me most about this hat is the ventilation. Even at speeds as low as 40mph I can feel my hair being blown around inside the helmet when all the vents are open. I'm sure some very complicated engineering went into making the venting system on this helmet including the spoiler thing on the back.

In the faster curves found on the roads of the Angeles National Forest, they were plenty stable. Steering speed, while a touch slower and heavier than other tires in this class, remains acceptably quick, without being twitchy or overly sensitive. With the 929 and its reputation for being a bit lively, a rider may find this to be an asset. Traction was abundant, and allowed regular scraping of the footpegs on the F4i. My 929 is setup not to scrape (on the street) and so while nothing touched down, it is not due to any performance shortage from the tires.

Most of us have been caught unprepared in wintry weather, and it made us whimper enough that we ran to procure a proper pair of mitts -- once we regained the feeling in our fingers, of course. Hands take a beating in any season, but they're especially susceptible to the harsh conditions in the winter. When temperatures drop, your extremities tend to freeze up first, potentially hampering your operation of the motorcycle's controls.

A motorcycle boot must satisfy many expectations in order to be deemed truly functional for the serious rider. For example, its sturdiness must go beyond mere support to actively protect your feet and ankles in the event of a crash.

The boot sole should be contoured to aid traction, and made from a compound that's durable yet tacky enough to grip the pavement. The ideal motorcycle boot isn't easy to find and many factors should be considered before making your purchase.

Rex Marsee has been designing motorcycle apparel and luggage for over 30 years. Before that, he raced motorcycles and was a design engineer for Harley Davidson, so he knows what the enthusiast needs from their gear in the way of features and performance. Rex fitted me up with his newest jacket from the Adventure products line and sent me on my way.