Dress for the crash, not the ride. It’s an old saying in motorcycling, and while it refers to gear you put on your body, Polisport has put their own twist on it and applied these words of wisdom to armor your bike.
First, their clever swingarm protector. Chicks may dig scars, but when it comes to scars on your bike, not so much. And few things are uglier than a ragged, dinged up swingarm. If you ride in rocky places, or have an idiot sibling or buddy who is always running it in on you hard in corners, you know this first hand. Well, now there’s finally a way to protect one of the most important components on your motorcycle. Available in black, as well as factory colors, this bit of protection is easy to install and will only set you back $49.99.
Next up are radiator louvers. Sure, your bike comes stock with them, but it doesn’t take long for those flimsy sheets of white (sometimes black) plastic to start looking more beat than MySpace. Used to be the only option was to mount a set of heavy, expensive (and in some cases air blocking) metal grids up front or simply replace the OEM louvers with, well, OEM louvers. No more! Polisport now offers less expensive ($37.99 for a pair) louvers available in factory colors. According to Polisport, they also perform better. What’s not to love?
It’s never good when the parts guy at your local shop tells you to sit down before he tells you the price of the piece you need. Unfortunately that’s usually the case when you have to replace your chain guide. Yet again, Polisport to the rescue. Their high performance plastic chain guide comes in two different parts, an outer shell and an inner wear pad. The outer shell is tough and resistant to crashes, impacts, and debris, while the wear pad boasts impressive durability. Like, John McClane durability, folks. You don’t even have to remove the chain to mount this $43.99 gem either. The outer shell and wear pads are available separately too, and are available in a wide variety of colors. So long, boring and expensive chain guides! Motorcycle-Superstore.com has a wide assortment of chain guides.
And now for some armor for your feet. Let’s just cut to the chase here. It’s a fact that 100 percent of you use dirt bikes to impress 83 percent of the girls you meet 94 percent of the time. Whether it’s casually answering the door to your apartment wearing a jersey, putting a Fox sticker on your cast to make sure everyone knows you broke your wrist while getting ready to do battle in the 250 beginner class at Hangtown, or full on bouncing your bike off the rev limiter in the garage to get the attention of the girl who lives across the street (I have done all of these things), you all do it.
So why not just own it and buy a boot that can help you in your quest to look like a badass to the opposite gender? This is where the ANSR AR-1 boot comes in. In addition to having a name just one digit short of a famous assault rifle, it’s the only boot that comes equipped with the shock absorbing insole made by D30. What’s a D30 Cushioning Insole you ask? It’s a lightweight, resilient footbed that combines D30 Lite with a high performance Decell heel insert to form a package that provides comfort at varied impact energies, thanks to rate-sensitive technology. In other words, you get to tell the ladies you’re so awesome on a bike your feet require super high-tech boots. You might think that argument is a stretch, but it’s not nearly as ridiculous as sticking your four-inch seventh-place trophies on your windowsill so the neighbor girl can see them, or leaving your dirt bike in the back of your truck all day at school when you were in eleventh grade. I’ve done both of those too.
Of course, these incredibly comfortable boots are more than just a hit with the ladies. The four buckles per foot are replaceable and easy to adjust, the articulated rear ankle lets your feet move freely (see ya’ later false neutrals), and the steel shank adds a ton of support. Also the thick ankle padding is covered in vented material, which, when combined with the forefoot holes, make this one seriously breathable boot. The only bad thing is it’s only $139.95. Good for your wallet, bad for bragging to the ladies how much money you spend on gear. Yeah, I’ve done that.
You can purchase ANSR AR-1 boots at Motorcycle-Superstore.com.
To view more products in the Actually Fun Gift Guide, click here.