There’s something iconic about a lone rider, growling down the road on a motorcycle, just them and the road, but what’s more fun is riding with a buddy, or your whole crew, the downside to this is that, unlike a road trip in a car, it’s pretty tricky to play ‘I spy’ with your mates. The Cardo Packtalk Bold is a communication system designed specifically for motorcycles that allows you to remain connected with the rest of your travel buddies.

The number of times I manage to take a wrong turn when using sat nav in the car simply by taking it too early or missing it entirely is fairly impressive, the issue is that sat navs have been designed to be both an audio and visual guide, however my phone is nearly always in the glove box, and yes I could stick a mount to the windscreen but I find that blocks my view. The Hudway Glass aims to give you a HUD (head-up display) experience in a car without the feature built in, it works by reflecting your phone screen onto a transparent surface so you can see

The Endurance Motorcycle boots are a beautifully designed pair of premium boots, available in brown or black waxed, water-repellent full-grain buffalo leather, in sizes 5 all the way up to 13 and have a stylish design that looks just as attractive on the bike as it does walking into the pub afterwards. These boots will take care of your feet in both hot and wet weather thanks to the breathable and waterproof membrane by preventing the water droplets from entering the boot but allowing water vapour to escape the boot, allowing your foot to remain dry and co

TCX are renowned in motorcycling circles for producing great value, high-quality products. I was delighted to be tasked with testing the TCX Baja mid adventure boot: these boots are designed to give motorcyclists maximum protection whilst riding, and yet to be extremely comfortable when walking.

I have been riding motorbikes for the thick end of 35 years and it is only in the last five that I have worn earplugs. I suppose there were so many years without them because at the time, so few other riders I knew wore them. I was also worried that they were dangerous, fearing that they alienate you from your surroundings by eliminating all sound. This simply isn’t true – as it turns out, you can still hear everything, but at a reduced volume.

Motorcycle jeans have made great progress in the last few years and the Furygan 01s are some of the most comfortable I have worn.

Forcefield Body Armour specialises in impact protection clothing systems for motorcycle riders, it has continued to grow since it was first launched in 2003. Forcefield focus on creating protective apparel that is as functional is it comfortable, allowing you to enjoy the ride with the peace of mind that if the worse should happen, Forcefield has got your back.

The Supertech R Boot is Alpinestars’s iconic riding boot, worn by champions both past and present, available in men's EURO sizes 42 – 46 and come in seven designs based around a combination of black, white, red, yellow and grey colour scheme. These boots use a durable and technical microfibre upper construction offering good levels of flexibility for a comfortable and natural movement, the microfibre main shell is water resistant and reduces the overall weight.

When I was a kid my family and I used to go on these holidays in this wreck of a 1970’s caravan, we had this dodgy black and white TV that never had any signal and a radio that would only work if you hung a teaspoon off the aerial. The chemical toilet was only for number ones during the night so I have memories of running across to the toilet block in the dark with a loo roll shoved up my jumper to protect it from the rain.

As our motorbike trip through Europe quickly approaches, I am gathering gear to test along the way.  Our friends at Tucano Urbano have sent us some bits to try and make the trip more comfortable in the summer heat. 

Tucano Urbano are a motorcycle accessories company based in Milan, with in-house styling and innovative R&D.

www.tucanourbano.com/gb/