Performance Wear Comparo: Silver Eagle Outfitters vs UnderArmour

I've been wearing UnderArmour under my leathers for about 2 years now and swear by them. I was turned on to this type gear during my first track days at Barber Motorsports Park when I noticed virtually ALL the racers were wearing either the shirts, the pants, or both or some similar brand under their leathers. I tried them and was spoiled from day one. In essence, besides the fact that they will keep you cool when it's hot.. and warm when it's cold, they making getting in and out of your leathers 1000% easier. Your leathers just glide right off you. According to their advertising spiel..." UA METAL™ technology maximizes moisture transport, pushing sweat to the fabric's surface, where evaporation pulls it from the body. "

UnderArmour is NOT cheap! I think I paid almost $55 for my first "Full Metal" longsleeve shirt directly from their website and about $50 from a local outlet store for a second shirt about a year ago. Is UnderArmour worth it? IMHO.. yes it is. While the material will NOT keep you exactly COOL.. it will take the edge off a hot day. and while they won't keep you exactly WARM.. it will take the edge off a cold day. I'd guess I have mine on about 80% of the time I'm on my bike.

Apparently other people are figuring out the benefits of this material as there are now a plethora of companies advertising similar gear and Silver Eagle Outfitters is one of them. You may have seen their ads in BMWON magazine. Silver Eagle's apparel is made of "Hydroweave", a composite fabric that promotes evaporative cooling. Sounds good to me. FYI.. In early December I asked for and received a Mock Turtleneck Long-Sleeve Microfiber Loose-Fit Tee from cofounder Nancy Keen. Their clothing, featuring what they call "TempraDry" technology, is slightly different in a variety of ways when compared to UnderArmour. First..the Silver Eagle long sleeve shirt costs about 1/2 as much as the UA clocking in at under $25. Secondly...the Silver Eagle shirt fits loosely rather than the "painted on" lycra-like fit of the UnderArmour. To be honest I was kinda disappointed when I first opened it up.. It looked just like any sport shirt you could pick up at JC Penny. The Silver Eagle sizing baffled me as well. According to their charts, my 44 chest would require a size Large which I ordered but it was waaay too big. Keep that in mind when ordering. I ended up sending the Lg back and swapped it for a Med which, IMHO was still too big to be effective.

As for comparison... BOTH products feel good on the skin... both are silky soft. One thing to keep in mind when buying UnderArmour.. You MUST be in good shape to wear it.. If you are fat er.. gravitationally challenged.. forget it. The UnderArmour feels more like spandex and fits like a Power Ranger or dive suit... It's TIGHT almost like a girdle. In contrast... the Silver Eagle product is loose fitting. Your size may actually dictate which brand you choose. FYI.. I have tested the UnderArmour in hell-like temps (103 degrees) and they absolutely kept me cooler. For THIS comparo I did NOT get to test the Silver Eagle product in HOT weather, but I suspect they would work well but NOT as good as the UnderArmour due to the loose fit. However, I did test BOTH in cold weather over a period of 2 weeks in temps ranging between 30-55 degrees underneath a Kilimanjaro jacket wearing a long-sleeve cotton tee over the test products.

My personal opinion? The more expensive UnderArmour is easily a better product hands down. It feels expensive and it is.. It feels superior and it is. It works better than the less expensive Silver Eagle product which, while soft, feels like any sport shirt you can pick up at Target. . Again.. it all comes down to your body type and what you are looking for in underclothing. If you are overweight, the Silver Eagle might be a nice option. If you are fit and trim... the UnderArmour simply rocks.. and for the hefty price.. it should.

You can contact Silver Eagle Outfitters at 888.672.6963 or their website is www.CoolingApparel.com You can buy UnderArmour directly from their website at http://www.underarmour.com/ or in some of the finer sporting good stores.

Flip-Up Helmet Comparo!! Nolan N-102 N-Com vs HJC Symax

I have been wearing an HJC Symax for the last 5 years. Why? It's one of the best flip-ups on the market. Comfy, attractive, relatively cheap, and quieter than most full face non-flip helmets. I've owned 3 of them with nary a complaint with the fit or quality. Every time it's time for a new helmet I go look at my options and ultimately end up buying another.. They are that good.

Recently I read a customer satisfaction survey comparing all the helmets on the market and my trusty Symax was rated # 25th out of the top 50 helmets while the Nolan N-102 rated # 2!!! Hmmm.. As I was wanting a second helmet to match one of my leather suits.. I hinted to my lovely wife, Amber that I wouldn't mind getting a Nolan from Santa and sure enough... on Christmas eve I had one in my grubby lil' hands.

Before hand, I went and tried on some Nolans to figure out the sizing. The HJC's are pretty accurate in their size charts and apparently.. so are the Nolans. My perfectly formed head requires a MED in both brands.

The Nolan N-102 N-Com allows for Nolan's N-COM blue-tooth communication system but I did NOT order this feature so I won't even comment on that aspect of this helmet.. only the basics.

Finish: The Nolan wins here. It simply exudes class. The material looks like it's more expensive. The interior's material looks like it'll last longer than the HJC, but that's just a gut feeling. The outer finish has a shine that would blind Stevie Wonder.

Fit & Comfort: The Symax wins here. Both are plush, but the Symax is down right luxurious. Both have removable, washable liners. Both have air guards. Both have firm pouting young breasts. It's a treat to wear either.

Noise Level: Another close category, but I'll give the edge to the Nolan. I'd guesstamate that it's about 15% quieter than the Symax.

Weight: Another close category, but this time the Symax edges out the Nolan. Usually, the major downside of wearing a flip-up helmet is the weight. A heavy helmet will make your neck tired and your penis shorter even after short rides. It's a tradeoff for the convenience of the flip feature. The HJC Symax weighs in at 3lb/13oz while the Nolan comes in at a close 3lbs/14.8oz.. Virtually a dead-heat.

Ease of Use in Daily Mortal Life: Honestly.. these helmets are equally easy to live with. Both offer one-hand flip-up operation. Venting is about the same. Comfort is about the same. Weight is about the same. The Nolan has the built-in flip up tinted visor which I do NOT particularly care for and will probably remove sooner or later. Sure, having this feature makes carrying 2 shields around a PITA of the past, but there are also downsides. As you are looking through multiple pieces of plastic, optics aren't as good as a single shield and if you are also looking through sunglasses, it can be down right distracting when the late day sun is already producing shadows. However..the clear Nolan shield has excellent optical clarity.. just not the tinted flip-down piece. Also.. at "loose your license" speeds you don't want that tinted section flipped up.. trust me.. but.. back on the plus side... the Nolan has a quick-release helmet strap for easy off/on convenience which the Symax does not. I LOVE these quick release straps. All helmets should have them, dammit! The Nolan offers better peripheral vision which is a big plus..Visually, my wife prefers the Nolan and I'd tend to agree with her. It "looks" smaller although I didn't measure.

Cost: Believe it or not.. Even the price of these lids is almost the same. Santa purchased my solid color Nolan N-102 N-Com from www.imotorcycle.store.com for $239 and that included shipping from the North Pole. I usually buy my HJC Symax from www.motorcycle-superstore.com for about $225 without shipping. That's puts them on even ground as far as your wallet is concerned.

Bottom line.. These are two damn fine helmets. I have them both.. I love them both. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd probably lean ever so slightly towards the Nolan simply because it has the quick-release chin strap.. In every other way I'd have zero preference. Ain't that somethin'?

1. Recently, in one of my cheesy newsletters, I casually mentioned that there are two types of riders out there... "Those who will crash.. and those who already have". My thinking is...it's virtually inevitable that sooner or later you're gonna go down.. Well somebody contacted me after reading this and went off on me saying that I was irresponsible for putting that in print and I should NEVER say these things as

A. It will scare off potential riders and
B. It's simply not true...

So... what's the truth? Was I being irresponsible? or was this guy just a moron living in a fantasy world? To find out, I recently started a poll at the #1 BMW chat site in the world..www.I-BMW.com under the title..Crash Poll!! Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?.. asking the masses about their illustrious riding history. How else are we gonna find out exactly what's going on in the real world?

1. Here's the latest on our upcoming R1200RT Stealth Backrest...FYI.. The project is running behind, but we're making progress.. I want this one to be "visually" first class.. Not cutting any corners so I'm NOT putting pressure on the machinists..I had a second prototype in my hands just before Christmas and after fitting to a local R1200RT I decided I wanted a simpler mounting method. My original design would have required the RT owner to remove the rear factory rack to install the Stealth bracketry. That would have taken at least 1-1.5 hours and a few beers. I brainstormed and came up with a new mounting method that would allow the customer to bolt our bracket on in about 30 seconds.. one bolt. Cool, huh.

As of today, 2/1/07 my machinists are working up the new mounting idea and I should have a 3rd prototype in about a week. Also.. My guys have figured out how to slightly "curve" the bracket to fit more closely with the slightly curved BMW rack.. This should make the entire unit look sleeker.

The only bad news I have.. (besides the delays) is that the price of stainless steel has gone through the roof.. We had to raise the price of ALL our backrests last week for this very reason. At this point, I have ZERO idea what production RT pieces will cost... I'm as clueless as Mike Tyson at a Mensa gathering. That's about all I can tell you now.. except.. there's a good chance it'll also fit the new K1200GT. Wouldn't that be cool! E mail me if you want added to our project status notification list.

Blue Ridge Parkway K12 Rally 2007: May 17th - 20th, 2007 (Contributed by our good buddy, Sir Tim Hudspeth aka CBNFVR over at www.I-BMW.com )

Where: Peaks of Otter Lodge, Blue Ridge Pkwy mp 86, Virginia
When: May 17th thru 20th, 2007 (Thur – Sun)
This is the weekend after Mother's Day, before Memorial Day, and well after the Georgia Mtn Rally.
Call Peaks of Otter Lodge for reservations @ 1.540.586.1081 • 1.800.542.5927 • Fax 1.540.586.4420
Note: Specify one bed or two. !! Blue Ridge Parkway info and maps can be found here and here

Don’t know what BRPR is? It is us. Real people, riding and laughing for three days. Rain or shine. If you don’t have a good time,.sell the bike. FYI.. I'm already booked!

Alternate Lodging (info only) :
Super 8 – Bedford
Days Inn – Bedford

35th Annual BMW RA International Rally: June 7th-10th, 2007

We just got the official word.. The 2007 RA International Rally will be held here in Asheville, North Carolina on June 7-10th. The location is set for the Biltmore Estate .