Product Review: Bell Revolver Helmet

I am 37 years old and for all of those years I have never worn a full face helmet. Off road I used a helmet with a chin bar. As a kid I had an old open face helmet that was my fathers (one of those metallic gold flake things that I painted flat black). On my Sporty I wore a half helm. My Sportster had a full wind shield so for under 60 m/h a half helm was fine. Over 60 the helmet would pull up and back, but the 883 motor is rigid mounted and the suspension of the Sportster made over 60 less pleasant. It was a good bike for cruising around town, but it really wasn't a high performance machine so it didn't matter what helmet, if any I wore on it.

Riding the VRSC with a half shield and a half helmet, I would not recommend much. It is fine for cross town riding, but the bike is made for speed and a half helmet is not. The bike launches from 0 to 60 in seconds. You can hit 75 m/h in second gear with out red lining it, so when I say it is made for quick take offs, I'm not exaggerating.

For Christmas I was looking around for a full face helmet to ask Santa for. I know Santa has a lot of children to pay for so I didn't want to go very expensive and I really have no experience with full face helmets so I didn't want to spend money on something I wouldn't use. I started by looking at halmets at the local dealers. I tried on at least 20 different helmets several times to see what size I liked and what functions I could afford.

After looking at the dealers I came home and looked at helmets online. I himmed and hawed for days on what to get. Eventually I ran accross a helmet on sale online that had the all the functions at $100 and it was Bell. My off road helmet was a Bell and I was satisfied with that so I asked Santa for 2, one for me and one for my side kick. http://www.bellsports.com/en_us/powersports/helmets/street/revolver

Christmas morning I was as bad as the kids. I couldn't wait to open the box that looked like a helmet was hidding inside! I had not found a Bell helmet at the local bike dealers so when I opened the box, it was the first time I had really gotten to see one in person. My first impression was "man this thing is big" but that was a comparison to my half helm and I wear a XXL, not compaired to other full face helmets I had tried on. My second impression was "this thing looks very cool".

For the price compaired to similar helmets ($100 on sale, not the $200 retail price), I give this helmet a 9 out of 10.

The helmet came in a normal helmet box and inside, it was covered in a nice red helmet bag and inside that, a foam bag. The packaging is adequate and the addition of a helmet bag was a welcome surprise. I give the packaging a 8 of 10.

The helmet comes with an instruction manual with the warranty card printed on the back. The book explains most functions properly with a few pictures for the chin strap, but I would have liked to have seen ilistrations for the other functions of the helmet. For instructions I give it a 6 of 10.

The helmet is made with a plastic shell, some moving parts are metal, and a thick padding inside. The padding is held in place with plastic snaps. For the quality of the parts I give it a 8 out of 10.

This year the weather has been warmer than usual. The snow plows had salted only once before Christmas this year and that was weeks ago. On Christma day it was in the low 40s and windy so I was able to get out and test this helmet. I didn't dress right for the weather thinking that with out chin protection, my face would be the first thing cold. After riding 30 minutes I returned home. My face was not the coldest part on me, my legs were. My overall impression on how the helmet works, I was impressed. The helmet fit nicely, I could hear my pipes with out the wind sound and it never felt like my head had a parachute attached to it like the half helm. The flip down sun shield worked easily with one hand and did not shake or rattle. I did not use the vents as it was cold out so I can not report on how well those work. I give the over all function a 8 out of 10.

For the value I am very impressed with this helmet. For $100 I can not imagine you could beat this helmet. If I had to buy it for retail price of $200, I would have to say this can compete with other helmets in that price range. Rating for the price I got mine at I give it a 9 out of 10 (if I bought it for $200 I think I would have rated it at 7 of 10 as there are a lot of helmets to choose from in that price range).

That gives a grand total of  8.00.

Here are a few more pictures of the helmet.

Removing the liner is easy.

Two levers and the lense is removed. There are other lenses that you can purchase for this helmet in other shades and colors.

A picture of the sun sgield in place.

If you would like for me to review and rate one of your products, you can contact me at budki@roadrunner.com. Please use the title "product review (product)" so I do not think it is spam.

I am very satisfied with this helmet and can not wait to put more miles on it. I would like to congradulate Bell on a fine helmet and would recomend this helmet for anyone on a budget.

Tech: Relocating The Rear Turn Signals

I had started changing the way that the rear of my bike looks like by removing the original rear license plate holder and turn signals. In an earlier post I covered installing a side mounted license plate holder. This will continue from there showing how I relocated the turn signals.

I wanted something better than the original black plastic turn signals. If I was going for the blacked out look they would have worked, but I wanted chrome so I ordered the Harley Davidson Flame turn signal kit.

The kit came with both front and rear lights as well as one electrical connector, zip ties and the metal plugs. It does not come with the mounts (the site does tell you to buy the mounts separately) and correct connector ends for the VRSC even though you can order the lights specifically for the bike (kind of odd to me that it comes with a connector for another bike). I bought the rear mounts and the proper connectors from a local Harley dealer. The connectors are not expensive but it is annoying that when looking on the HD site they do not tell you they have to be purchased or splice old wires, leaving you to make an unexpected trip to a dealer.

The lights are very nice with a small visor built in. I like the way they look.

I decided to use the existing saddle bag mount to mount the lights to. To do this I could use the square hole for the bolt, but needed a hole for the wires to feed through and a hole for the locating pin on the mounts. To do this I made a drill jig out of a piece of steel I had lying around from another project. A drill jig makes it easier to drill holes where you want them.

To make the drill jig I drilled a hole with a letter F drill so I could tap it for a 5/16-18 bolt. The locating pin on the mount is approximately .550" from the bolt hole and the wire is on the other side of the bolt hole, so I marked .550" on both sides of the taped hole on my drill jig and drilled two .280" holes. This is plenty large enough for the wires to feed through and the locating pin will fit into this hole with only a little wiggle room.

Next I bolted the drill jig onto the saddle bag mount. I placed a piece of metal between the saddle mount and the tire. If the drill breaks through and pulls the drill bit through it may pierce the tire, so better safe than sorry. I used the .280" drill bit in my low RPM hand drill and drilled the two holes. After drilling the holes I had to remove the burrs on both sides of the holes. I used a rota burr to clean the back side of the holes and a chamfer bit in a handle to clean up the outside.

When I put the turn signal on, there was a little play due to the square hole being a bit bigger than the 5/16-18 bolt. I added a large washer to the back to get a good fit and the play allowed me to adjust the two lights where I wanted them. When I tightened them down I could not move them by hand.

There are two holes in the inner fender where the original mount was. I fed the wires out through these and up to where the connectors are located.

After putting the outer fender back on and the sissy bar mount with the passenger seat, I was able to wire the connector plugs through the tail light hole in the outer fender. I had to cut a little over a foot of wire off and strip the wires before I could crimp the pins on. This isn't hard to do, but does take some care not to crush them. If you do crush then, they will not fit into the plastic connectors. Check to make sure the wire colors align before pushing the pins into the connectors all the way.

Over all, I am very happy with the way my bike looks now from the rear. the plastic license plate and turn signals are gone and now I have a chrome custom look. And I like being able to see a little more tire. I was thinking about mounting lights to the shock mounts but that doesn't look as good with this size light (in my opinion) and I'm sure I read somewhere that in NY they need to be a certain size to be "legal". Also I wanted them to be back far enough that drivers would have an easy time seeing them.

Reference Web Sites

There are a few websites out there that I gravitate to when I want to look something up or need parts or just for something to do. I am going to share some of these sites with you.

For local events (to me), jokes, etc. I can always go online to http://www.hardtales.net/. This is a free online magazine in PDF format and supports many of the local (to me) events. Just try to get through all of the jokes and don't laugh, I dare you.

For parts I like http://www.grcustoms.com/shop/Custom-V-Rod-Products/. The site has a very nice layout and many custom options for VRSC as well as other bikes. I have chatted with a couple of sales people there and they were very friendly and helpful. The black bike you see is the bike the site's owner built. The http://www.the-hog-farm.net/index.html also has parts, clothes and events listen. The store is located outside of Buffalo NY and is filled with new and used parts, bikes and clothes. http://www.chopperkitusa.com/index.htm has raked front end kits. http://www.bikerschoice.com/ has a bit of everything. http://www.custom-motorcycle-parts.com/ has some cool custom parts. http://www.directharleyparts.com/ is another place to look for parts. Custome controls and brakes at http://www.jbrake.com/. Leather at http://www.leatherworksinc.com/. J & P Cycles http://www.jpcycles.com/. Pro One http://www.pro-one.com/. Custom license plate mounts http://www.topdownproducts.com/index.html. Motorcycle Superstore http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/. More custom parts at http://www.exoticchoppers.com/vrod_parts.html. And more custom parts at http://www.harleycustom.com/. Dennis Kirk https://www.denniskirk.com/frontpage.jsp.
Kewl Metal http://www.kewlmetalstore.com/index.php?osCsid=8a72b0598afcc3e699a39798504a1d3a. Chopperworks http://www.vrod.com.au/parts.html. JC Whitney http://www.jcwhitney.com/motorcycle-parts-motorcycle-accessories/j3s2.jcwx. Drag Specialties http://www.dragspecialties.com/catalog. Body parts at http://www.exoticbodyparts.com/. Moto Hooligan air cleaners http://www.motohooliganperformance.com/.

If you are looking for custom bikes you can visit http://www.choppercityusa.com/index.html. Custom bikes and parts at http://www.rolandsands.com/. For really custom VRSC http://www.sculpturecycles.com/index.htm. More custom bikes at http://www.ratshopcustombikes.com/ratshop/en/home.aspx.

Glasses: http://www.sportrx.com/ http://www.wileyx.com/index.aspx

Forums: http://www.1130cc.com/

Wikipedia for VRSC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley-Davidson_VRSC

Product Review: Cell Buckle

Today I am doing a review of the Cell Buckle. I had been looking at different options for holding my phone/GPS on my bike. The Harley Davidson tank pouch (around $50) wouldn't work because my "tank" is aluminum. Most of the handle bar mounts seemed a little steep in price, so I decided to try the Cell Buckle ($20). http://thecellbuckle.com/

Ordering it was easy. I went to the website and ordered the unit. You need to know what size handle bar you have before you order. I have a 1" bar so I ordered the 7/8"-1" Cell Buckle. The other size is 1 1/4"-1 1/2".

The price was $20. I wasn't sure what I would get for that price, but I thought it was worth trying. For price I give a 8 of 10.

The Cell buckle came packed with plenty of packing and had the standard heat sealed plastic packaging. I give the packaging a 8 of 10.

The instructions are on the back of the packaging and the warranty is available by looking it up on their web site according to the back of the packaging. It is a basic product so it doesn't need very detailed instructions, and these are basic instructions. I give a 6 of 10 for instructions. After looking for a bit, I did not find the "warranty" page on their web site. I did find a disclaimer and the return policy. A restocking fee of 15% if the package is opened will be charged on returns. For the warranty I give it a 4 of 10.

The cell buckle is made from a flexible but hard plastic surrounded by a rubber outer layer. It comes with 2 rubber o-rings to hold it on. The materials are medium quality and it has large parting lines from the rubber over mold. I give it a 5 of 10.

Attaching it to the handle bars is relatively easy. I ordered the model listed for my 1" handle bars. When I attach it to my bars I have to stretch it out quite a bit and the o-ring has to stretch a lot. It does not fit well, but at the same time, it will not turn on my bars when I ride. The clamp that holds the phone is very easy to operate. It slides tight easily and loosens with the press of one button. In my opinion there should be a middle model between the two available models for bar size. I give installation a 4 of 10.

I have attached this to my bike about 4 times now and the rubber is showing some tearing because of the poor fitment to the handle bars. My phone does not fit well because of the windshield mounts being so close to the Cell Buckle. This is not a mark against the Cell Buckle but I have to note that if your phone or GPS hangs out like in the picture above, it increases the amount of vibration the phone does. At $20 I wasn't expecting much. This is a cheaply made Chinese product but at least they don't over charge you. It does work but leaves much to be desired. If it were of better quality, it would have a higher price so I need to take that into account when rating customer satisfaction. I do use it when I have to, but I do not leave it on when I do not need it because it looks like it doesn't fit right (because it doesn't) and it looks like a cheaply made holder. I give it a 6 of 10.

That makes a grand total of 5.83.

Here are a few more pictures of the Cell Buckle.

If you would like for me to review and rate one of your products, you can contact me at budki@roadrunner.com. Please use the title "product review (product)" so I do not think it is spam.

The Cell Buckle is a low cost solution to holding your phone or GPS on your handle bars. You can also mount it to other things like grocery carts and strollers. Not really something I would recommend for anyone with a show bike.

Syracuse Supper Swap 2012: There and Back

We just got home from the Syracuse Supper Swap and I couldn't wait to post my pictures. I brought my camera, but left it in the van so I had to use my phone. I am sorry that they are a little blurry.

Syracuse is about a three hour drive from my house. The weather was lightly snowing but the drive was fairly uneventful. This year the parking was much closer to the building that the swap is being held in. That is a good thing because it was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and windy.

The building can get pretty crowded so we just followed the lines and visited each vendor and table slowly. For me that was good because I got plenty of time to look at the used parts on display. Vendors have everything from rusty old bike parts to unopened new parts and leather, jewelry, clothes, knives, and more for sale. There are motorcycles for show and some for sale. This year there were a few camping trailers for viewing. And all of this with a live rock band on stage.

There was one vendor selling Harley products still in the box. I found braided idle and throttle lines for $10 unopened that I am looking forward to putting on my bike soon. My fiance finally got one of those magnetic bracelets she had been wanting for years. I was able to talk the guy down 15% of his asking price.

About halfway through our tour we felt hungry so we went to the food court. I had a very tasty Ruben and my fiance had a hot dog and cheddar fries. It was a little pricey, but food at these types of things usually are. After we ate we continued our tour of the second half of the building.

Food Court

The Other Side

Led Zepplin Bike

I enjoy this swap meet and would recomend it to anyone looking to get out of the house in the winter to look at some nice custom bikes and other people's used bike parts. I would say that my fiance tolerates it for me, but in reality I know she likes looking at all the biker chick out fits that you can not see in stores. Last year I took our four kids and I dare say they had a good time too. The return ride too was uneventful, but at least I had new ideas and new inspirations to think about on the ride home. And there is something special about knowing you got a deal on something. I hope you enjoy my pictures.

Syracuse Super Swap 2012

Don't forget the Syracuse Super Swap 2012 going on February 11 & 12.

Check out http://syracusesuperswap.com/ for details.

Maybe I'll see you there!

Tech: Side Mount License Plate Install

One thing I really don't like about the VRSC is the cheesy plastic license plate and turn signal combo in the rear. This is one thing I needed to change to make this bike one step closer to mine.

There are several types of side license plate mounts out there, so this may or may not help you with your own project. Hopefully it will give a good idea of what is involved.

One day on my way home I decided to stop at the Hog Farm http://www.the-hog-farm.net/. This place is a mix between custom, used and new motorcycle gear and parts. There are gas tanks from 1970s choppers, at least 1 rolling frame, American made leather wear and a work shop in the back where one can only imagine what cool bikes are being built back there. So for me it is cool just to stop in and say hello while I look through the store. On this trip I found a used Softail side mount made by Kuryakyn. Working at a machine shop I figured if the price was right I would scoop this up and make it work on my Nightrod. Well the price was right and so I took it home.

This frame does not align with the NY license plate. I had to round the corners more and slot the mounting holes to fit this frame. I will also note that the exposed parts of this are very nice, but when you take it apart, the unexposed parts are sharp and some caution should be used or you may cut yourself.

For the custom bracket to adapt this to my bike I cut out a cardboard template and from there I took some aluminum that I had and cut it out on my scroll saw. This allowed me to mount the license plate and see how it would look. From there I took some measurements and made a blue print of it to make my steel bracket. I have the 1" lowering blocks on my rear shocks so this bracket is made to work with those. I do not think this would work with the stock set up. You are welcome to use my print to make a bracket for your own bike, but if it is used to make a profit, I reserve the right to claim a %. =)

After making the bracket I mounted it and measured it for a third hole to thread the wires through (as it is a lit up license plate holder). I went to the local hardware store and bought a wire grommet and some vacuum line. I fitted the grommet in the bracket and threaded the wire through the vacuum line so that it wouldn't be exposed to the elements next to the wheel.

From there I led the wires up under the seat and followed the wire harness to the rear where the original license plate wire plug is. I ran the vacuum line where the line would rub against metal to protect it. When it met up with the wire harness I did not use the vacuum line any more. I had to visit the local Harley shop to get a plug (under $3) and crimped it on.

To get the rear seat and outer fender off takes simple tools. Metric Allen wrenches are almost all you need. If you have saddle bags, you will need a set of metric wrenches or sockets to take the mounts off. To take the rear brake light out you can use a flat head screw driver under the outer fender and press the bottom clip in. I took the outer fender off with the light still attached. The rear plate mount and turn signals are basically one unit. This will come off easily after you remove a few screws and nuts. There will be three electrical plugs you will need to disconnect the license plate and turn signal assembly. The Harley-Davidson site has PDF files that can help if you need instructions. Look up the parts and some parts will have the PDF file right there to look at.

The two plugs that are not hooked up are for my next project, relocating the rear turn signals. I am still waiting on a few parts to complete that part of my bike.

Here is a photo with the new license plate on, but the rear outer fender and seat are not on yet. If you look closely you can see snow on the floor.

I froze my fingers off using soapy water to feed the wires through the vacuum line as I used the smallest diameter I could get away with. So far I am very satisfied with it and can't wait to finish the turn signal relocation to put it back together and see the final poduct. Soon.

Product Review: Road Ready Bags

Today I am doing a review of the Road Ready Bags. Awhile back, 8 months or so, I was looking for a sissy bar bag. My father had just come back from a bike rally in PA and he had bought a sissy bar Barrel Bag from one of the vendors at the rally. I was impressed with the heavy duty canvas that was on the out side and the stiffness of the foam middle layer. So I went online and looked at the other bags they offer. http://www.roadreadybags.com/

The one I chose was a Mini Daytripper. I wanted something to replace my hard side lunch box that was going on 11 years old and would easily attach to the bike. I emailed Road Ready and asked if they would be able to add D rings to the top so I could put a shoulder strap on it for walking at rallies. They did this for me at no added cost. Bonus. The only other information they needed are the dimensions of the sissy bar and pad so they can make the custom size sleeve and straps.

The price was $52.00. Not bad for a custom fitted American made heavy duty bag. I give price a 7 out of 10.

Upon receiving the bag, it came in a box with plenty of filler. Packaging I give an 8 out of 10.

The bag came with instruction on how to care for the bag and the limited lifetime warranty. Instructions I give an 8 out of 10 and the warranty covers the bag for most issues so that gets an 8 out of 10 as well.

The bag is constructed out of heavy duty canvas with what I think is a nylon inside layer and about 1/4" of foam between. The seams are of a heavy thread too. I like the white strip along the top, as it is reflective at night. Construction and materials I give a 9 out of 10.

Attaching it to the sissy bar is relatively easy with two straps and plastic buckles (some variance with other bags). You can attach it facing the rear if you have a passenger or facing forward over the rear seat (this can be nice for bigger bags as it can become a backrest). For installation I give a 8 out of 10.

I have been using this bag every day since I bought it 8 months ago and it has not shown any signs of wear. On long rides, it will keep beverages cold with an ice pack even on very warm days. I am very happy with this product and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality American made bike bag. Customer satisfaction I give a 9 out of 10.


That makes the grand total score of 8.17. You may wonder why I did not rate the bag higher if I like it so much, I reserve 10 for products the totally blow me away.

Here are photos of my dad's barrel bag.

If you would like for me to review and rate one of your products, you can contact me at budki@roadrunner.com. Please use the title "product review (product)" so I do not think it is spam.

I would like to thank Road Ready for their quick responses to my order quetions and congradulate them on a quality Amaerican Made product.