Biker Down is a nationwide programme aimed at educating bikers about what to do at the scene of a motorcycle accident. Given that we often ride in groups with friends, it’s a course that we think every rider should go through. After all, it could, in extremis, enable you to save the life of a close mate or a loved one. The course is conducted by the fire brigade in conjunction with the IAM. The three-hour, evening course is split into three modules. The first session is about what to do when you first arrive at the scene, in order to prevent another accident from occurring. The second session is about attending to the rider, and what you can do to keep him or her in a stable condition until the emergency services arrive. The last session is about defensive riding. We hope that these evenings will become a regular feature of our activity here at Motolegends. Our first one will be on the evening of Wednesday 11th December. You will need to be here on time for a 7.00 pm kick off. Now we’re going to charge £20 a head to attend. But this is largely an incentive to make sure that people do turn up. It’s an important course, and we don’t want places to be taken up by people who fleetingly think it might be fun, but who then decide on the day that the pub sounds more interesting. Of the £20, half will go to the local Air Ambulance as a charitable donation, half will come back to you in the form of a Motolegends gift card. If you’ve ever arrived at the scene of an accident, and felt useless because there was nothing you could do, this is a course you should attend. Put it like this; if you’re out on a ride with some friends and you have a bad accident, I’m sure you’d like one of your riding buddies to know what to do. To book your place, visit the website, or phone the Orderline on 01483 407500.

This Rokker Urban Racer is not a flimsy boot for moped riders. It's a heavy and solid bit of kit that's going to take a bit of time to wear in. We love the styling, but this is a boot that will look after your feet. The leather is thick. It is treated for waterproofing, but it doesn't have a membrane, so it's going to breathe. There are hard, industrial-quality protectors in the toes and heel, and there’s padded protection for the ankles. The Vibram sole is Goodyear welted, and there's a heavy-duty shank in the sole. Also available in light brown, brown, suede tan or black. We reckon the Urban Racer is just about the toughest short boot out there. After a while they will also prove to be supremely comfortable. Just take your time, and wear them in!

We don't offer every jacket that is made by Furygan. In fact, we end up selecting very few; and even fewer of their women's styles. But when we tested out the Debbie jacket, we liked it for two main reasons. The matt buffalo leather is really soft, which is vital if a women's jacket is to fit properly. The other important factor is the shape and cut; and again we thought the Debbie scored highly. This is a jacket that's easy to wear. It's comfortable and, of course, it's flattering. If you want to know all the detailed stuff about the jacket, you can find it on th website. But the key elements are as follows. You get D3O in the shoulders and elbows, and a removable thermal liner that incorporates aluminium for extra insulation. For pockets in total. A card pocket on the sleeve. Press stud and zip closure at the sleeves. A zipped gusset at the rear. The Debbie is a good-looking, proper biking jacket. And it wants for nothing in terms of its spec..

Okay, we admit it, we’re late to the party. We’ve been reviewing gear for years. Our catalogues are full of editorial stories, technical explanations, opinion pieces and head-to-head tests. And usually we send them out as email bulletins to our database of customers. But we’ve been putting off doing proper YouTube reviews because, frankly, nobody here felt particularly relaxed about being on camera. Well, a couple of months ago, we took the plunge and, as with all these things, the more you do it the less self-conscious you become. Our video reviews are not particularly polished, we have to admit, but we kind of decided that our emphasis would be on getting out there and saying the things we wanted to say. We don’t expect to get a nomination for a BAFTA; what is important to us is that we impart useful information. Nobody, let alone a company that sells stuff, is ever going to be truly impartial and objective, and the fact is that when we like something we do have a tendency to get a bit over excited; and we do like to share our thinking with our customers. But equally, if something is sub-standard or doesn’t work, we’re prepared to call it the way we see it. Most video reviewers won’t do this, but we will. No product is ever perfect, even a fantastic one, and it’s our aim to tell you what's good about something and what isn’t. We can’t see any point in hiding facts; after all you'll find out about a product’s fault eventually, and we’d rather be able to say that we told you before you made your purchase, rather than pretend we didn’t know about the problem when you come back to us. We know our approach is not always going to endear us to our suppliers; indeed we’ve already have letters of reproach from some of the brands, but we reckon that our customers will appreciate straight talking so they can make up their own minds. So, if you want to know about new products, warts and all, subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here. Our videos may not be the slickest, but if you value expertise and honesty, you might find some of our reviews interesting.

In this review, Sean talks through one of the warmest motorcycle gloves we offer; the Rukka GTX 3 Chamb glove. The glove is made from a fully water and windproof textile material with a Gore-Tex lining. There are leather reinforcements in the palm, and there’s a handy visor wipe on the left hand. Not the sexiest-looking glove we offer, but almost certainly one of the warmest.

Motorcyclists can be difficult. They can be opinionated, and they don’t always want to change their ways. They know what they like and what they don’t like. They can be very picky. All of which means that it can be incredibly difficult to buy a gift for a biker; any biker. Add to this the issues surrounding fit and comfort, and you’ll swiftly come to the conclusion that the chances of getting it right are pretty slim. It can also, it has to be said, be a bit embarrassing if you buy somebody a jacket, or a pair of gloves and he or she doesn’t like what you’ve bought. After all, it always looks a bit ungrateful if you want to swap a gift for something else. Our gift card avoids all these problems. All you have to decide is how much you want to spend; the rest is then up to the motorcyclist in your life. They can spend as long as they want trawling the website choosing the helmet with the right shade of paint to match their bike. And they can agonise for hours about which jeans they think they’re going to look coolest in. If they want to spend more, they can make the extra contribution. If they want to spend less, we’ll simply leave the balance on their card. The gift card can be used to buy online, over the phone, or here in the shop in Guildford. This honest truth is that, if you’re buying a present for a biker, you’re probably better off getting them a gift card. You can put as much or as little as you want on the card. You can order your card online, over the phone, or in the shop. With the best selection of the best motorcycling gear on the planet, there’s no biker out there who’s not going to love you just that little bit more if you give them a Motolegends gift card!

The Ghent is a rare commodity in the world of motorcycling gloves. It is a full-on winter glove with a short cuff. Normally a winter glove has a longer cuff; a summer glove will have a shorter one. But if you simply prefer riding in short gloves, the Ghent is a glove that is going to allow you to do so through the winter. For warmth, the Ghent uses both Thinsulate and Primaloft. The waterproofing comes courtesy of Gore-Tex, and in this instance the waterproof and windproof membrane is bonded to the leather to prevent the glove from wetting out. The main knuckle is covered by a D30 soft protector. The palm consists of overlaps of leather for added abrasion resistance. The back of the hand features more of a textile material that is known as Nyspan. Concertina stretch bands at the tops of the fingers allow for easier articulation. You also get small protectors on the minor finger joints. A visor wipe is built into the left, index finger. The problem with most short gloves is that the wrist closure allows cold air to pass into the hand, but the Ghent has a really nice ribbed cuff for added draft exclusion. Is this the most wintry glove on the market? No, but if you want a short, warm and waterproof glove your options are limited. If these are your criteria then, yes, the Ghent is probably the best.

In this review, Sara talks through the Halvarssons ladies Wien motorcycle jacket. The Wien is probably the most comfortable ladies drop-liner jacket we offer, and can be adjusted to fit all shapes and sizes. With its separately worn Outlast liner, this is also one of the warmest ladies motorcycle jackets in our arsenal. Sara explains all in this video review.

In this review, Sean talks through his favourite winter glove, the Eska Pilot GTX. There's a chance that you may never have heard of Eska. But Eska has been making gloves for over a hundred years. They make gloves for skiing, gloves for fashion, gloves for the police, the fire service and the military. They also make gloves for many of the better known and most respected motorcycle brands. Eska also makes a few gloves under its own name and, in our opinion, their best glove is one called the Pilot GTX. It's a leather glove with a Gore-Tex waterproof membrane and a heavy-duty Primaloft lining. You get a hard protector in the knuckles, and extra reinforcement on the palm. It's got a Gore-Tex cuff, but the feature we like the most of all is the huge visor wipe on the thumb of the left hand. It's the best we've ever used. The Pilot is one of our favourite winter gloves. It's warm, it'll keep you dry and it's beautifully put together.