The 25th Military History Carnival is up at The Edge of the American West.

We still need more hosts for the Autumn, so please consider volunteering for one of the months remaining this year. The Edge of the American West has performed above and beyond the call of duty in keeping the MHC alive, so let's help out and keep it up.

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The Telegraph has a good article on Philipa Gregory and her writing on the War of the Roses from the female perspective in the form of the Red Queen, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Beaufort was the mother of Henry VII. Gregory gives a good summary of her writing style and research techniques.

Technorati Tags: none War of the Roses military history fiction writing

I've often thought about writing and article on road trip planning, but never get around to it. Therefore, in the absence of my initiative, here is an article over at Clutch and Chrome on the subject.

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Just read an interesting interview with Rick Atkinson over at Armchair General. I liked his take on David Petraeus and the time he spent with the 101st in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. I also liked his anecdote of James Gavin's quote on “two o’clock in the morning courage.”

Technorati Tags: none military history historiography Rick Atkinson Petraeus James Gavin

The Military History Carnival April 2010 edition is up at The Edge of the American West.

Thanks to David for hosting again. The May 2010 edition will be hosted by Rene Tyree at Wig-Wags, so please send any nominations for post to her. We still need hosts for June 2010, so please don't be shy and volunteer!

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Clutch and Chrome has Motorcycle To Do List: Ten things Ten Months . I especially like eight (test ride a different bike) and ten (ride further). My record for riding long is Kaunas, Lithuania to Hampshire, England from noon on a Sunday til 2AM on the Tuesday. Stops only for food, fuel, and a ferry.

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Clutch and Chrome has a thoughtful article on the origins of the Outlaw Biker theme. I like the WLA pic.

Technorati Tags: World War 2 World War II WW2 WWI

I found Sport Adventure through ADV rider. It is very interesting company that will take you on green lane tours in various regions (Pyrenees, Normandie, Lozere, Morvan) of France.
I'd love to try that sometime. It looks like most of the trips are for true trailies, but there is one for big trailies in the Pyrenees. Maybe el gato negro is up for a little mud?

Technorati Tags: France Lozere Morvan Napoleonic Wars Normandy Pyrenees

I've always made gloves stink. I guess I am just one of those guys that sweat a lot, but when I have worn leather gloves in summer riding conditions for too long, they just smell.

Of course, I'm also very cost conscious and have resisted buying another pair of gloves that are made only for summer riding. My friends over at Riders Discount took pity on me and sent me a pair of Fieldsheer Mach 6.0 Mesh gloves.

I've never been a fan of short gloves, mainly because the ones I have had have been really tight to the point of cutting off circulation to my fingers on long rides. However, the Fieldsheer Mach 6.0s are very comfortable. They fit snugly, but don't bind and the padded, goat-skin palms feel very good on the KTM's handle-grips. I have not had a long ride with them yet, but two hours in the saddle did not produce any hand fatigue. I'm hoping the padded palms will reduce some vibration too.

As for their defining feature of breathe-a-bility, they rock. There are air vents that channel air through the glove, not just let it in through the mesh, so they should make a really cool glove in the summer.

Finally, these gloves don't skimp on protection either. The knuckle protectors will fend off the rogue branch or two as well as keeping your hands cool on the wooded gravels tracks we find around battlefields.

The Fieldsheer Mesh glove will not replace a good pair of all leather gloves, especially in the rain. However, for those hot, dry days when you just want to ride in comfort, sticking a pair of these in your tank bag is a good idea.

As with all of my gear, I try to give long term updates as well an initial review, so check back here for more info on how these gloves are performing.

Thanks again to the good folks at Riders Discount.

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David Silbey will be hosting the April 2010 Military History Carnival at the Edge of the American West blog.

You can submit entries here.

Please help us to continue the MHC in 2010 by passing this notice around to the history aggregators and anyone else who will help drum up support.

Also, if anyone else would like to host an edition from June 2010 onwards, please let me know.

The May 2010 MHC will be hosted a Wig-Wags. Please email Rene Tyree at;
reviews *at* wig-wags *dot* com

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Lucky over at the Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour list the things he carries when he rides. Good list. I think a lot about what I carry when I go on long trips, but not so much when riding around home. Lucky makes me think twice about that.
Go over for the list, stay for the pizza reviews.

Technorati Tags: American Civil War

Great source of Civil War maps over at the Library of Congress map site.
check out the 1898 version of the Gettysburg Battlefield.
Hat tip; Wig-Wags.
BTW, Wig-Wags will be hosting the May 2010 Military history Carnival.

Technorati Tags: US Civil War

Several of you have emailed me about touring helmets and asked what I thought about modular, or 'flip-up', helmets. I've never owned one. The reason was that whenever I tried them on, they felt 'plastic-y' and loose around the jaw. My hearing ai'nt the greatest to start with, after years on tanks, so I try to keep what I've got by using ear plugs and good, tight fitting helmets. However, my good readers have asked, so I felt it was my duty to try to answer! I decided to try the Shoei Multitec in Matte Black. I've heard that Shoei was obsessive about lowering wind noise with aerodynamics, so I hoped this would be a good marriage.

The conventional wisdom is that all motorcyclists are Arai heads or Shoei heads. To date, I've been an Arai head. I don't know when I started, but I've always liked the fit of the Arais. My last two lids were the Arai Condor (Vector) and the Arai Tour-X (XD). Both are good helmets and I can recommend them. However, when the good folks at Jafrum invited me to review a helmet for them, I decided to go over to the other side just to see what it was like.

Location - Hampshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire, England
Weather - Spring! 12C (54F) degrees C and cloudy, but no rain.

Shoei claim to have created a market changing helmet that combines the convenience of a modular helmet with the safety and aero-dynamics of a full face helmet. Indeed, I have wanted a flip-up for a while as it makes it easy at the ferries, border crossings, and riding in low speed environments when it is hot. However, I also wanted the helmet to be good on the open road too. For those of you who are regular readers, this is the Battlefield Biker riding profile. Big rides to distant lands, but then detailed surveys of battlefields at low speed.

First things first. The Shoei is a good looking helmet, especially in the matte black colour scheme. It is wider and rounder than my Arais, but I assume this is to improve the aerodynamics? It fits well and snug at the cheeks. Shoei gets big kudos from me by including an eyeglass channel that allows the helemt to fit snugly, but doesn't wedge the arms of my glasses into my skull. There is a ridge on the back of the helmet which is the spoiler, I supppose. Good wide vision from the visor and an anti-fog lip above the tip of the nose.

When I put the helmet on fully, the face element clicks into place confidently. The button for pulling the the face up is intuitively situated and seems natural to grab, even with gloves on. So far, so good. Time for a ride.

Walking out the door, I get to do something that I can never do with a full face helmet. I get to kiss each of my three little girls with my helmet on. They think this is hilarious, so I get to do it over and over again. Thank God for small pleasures! One last kiss for Mummy and I'm off. She seems happy that I have a new, quality helmet. She has been asking me how old the X-tour is for a while. I ride out of my village at 30 mph and the face plate up. I feel a little goober-ish for having my face showing, but it feels nice to be staring a Spring ride in the face as I make my way out of town. The Shoei is quiet on the ears even with the face plate up. Nice.

Leaving town, I reach up to pull the face plate down whilst accelerating. Easy. The face plate comes down and locks in place quickly and assuredly. As I get up to... uhm... highway speeds, the Shoei is nice and steady. No buffeting or loud noise around the joints. It is louder than a closed face helmet, but not nearly as loud as I had expected. The helmet feels light compared to my Arai X-Tour. The Shoei has a very neutral sit on my head with no notice-able lift when I perform lane-change looks. Overall, the helmet is as good as any full face helmet I've worn at speed.

I roll off the motorway and back onto a country road through multiple small towns. I test raising the face plate multiple times and it is just as easy as the first time. No sticking or fumbling for the button. It seems to be so intuitive that it is hard to miss the button when you reach for it. Good design.

So we know it is nice to be able to flip up the face plate for air, kissing, and filling fuel tanks, but what about battlefield touring? I really like the fact that I can take pictures without taking my helmet off and speak to a camera for my videos. These are things that made me consider buying a modular helmet in the past, but I could never get over the 'flimsiness' of the (admittedly cheaper) helmets I had tried. Therein lies the only rub I can find with this helmet. At circa $450.00 (£300.00), the Shoei Multitec is expensive, but I can only assume that it takes this kind of price to make a modular helmet this good. I paid more for my Tour-X and less for the Condor, but they are different things. I'm not sure I would have bought this helmet before trying it extensively, but I can say now that I would. I might choke on the price, but helmets are just one of those things that you get what you pay for, I guess. The five year Shoei warranty helps too.

There you have it, intrepid bikers, the Shoei Multitec modular helmet is quality, but at a hefty price. I'd be interested to hear if you've found one as good at a lower price.

I've since seen this review over at Thunder Press. Seems like Michael Mihalevich agrees. I also like his statement of helmet and seat belt law issue.

Technorati Tags: flip up flip-up helmet Jafrum Modular Multitec none Shoei

The 22nd edition of the Military History Carnival is up at Thompson Werk.
Many thanks to Rob for a great job.
H-War and The Edge of the American West will host the April version of the Military History Carnival, so feel free to mail submissions hwar $at$ comcast $dot$ net

Technorati Tags: American Civil War

The BBC reports, "Nearly 15,000 motorcyclists are due to converge on Wootton Bassett to honour the people of the Wiltshire town - and the soldiers killed in Afghanistan."
It is good to see this type of biker coalition form in the UK. The Patriot Guard Riders in the USA have been doing it for a while. Estimates are of £75,000 being raised for Afghan Heroes.
Even if you can't make the ride, consider donating to Afghan Heroes, here.

Technorati Tags: American Civil War

Short summary of Harley Davidson motorcycles and their production for the US and British Military.

I still want a WLA, but am of the wrong disposition for such a machine. In other words, I like comfortable bikes that run like the clappers and start every time I push the button. One of my favourite coffee table motorcycle books is Pat Ware's MILITARY HARLEY-DAVIDSON.

Technorati Tags: World War 1 World War 2 World War I World War II WW1 WW2 WWI WWII

The Times reveals the deception plot that fooled the Germans to General Bernard Montgomery's whereabouts on the eve of D-day. A washed up Australian actor, Clifton James, who bore a close resemblance to the General was selected to go to Gibraltar to deceive a known Spanish spy for the Germans.

We're taking a tour to the D-Day beaches, if anyone is interested.

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1944 D-Day deception France Normandy ruse spies Swiss Normandy World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII

I have been debating buying an all-weather textile riding suit for a while. I wanted something for the winter and summer that I could just slip on over my street clothes and ride. I've been told by many that the Aerostich suit is excellent, but the high price tag had put me off. I use a lot of BMW kit as it always wears well and uses quality materials, but it also was topping out at close to $800. Alpinestars makes the Drystar at a more reasonable price, but I was a little concerned about it being hot in the summer. I had read a couple of pieces on the Joe Rocket Survivor suit, but was not sure. The price was far better, but I had questions about Joe Rocket quality. I did like their Big Air™ ventilation system, though, so I was leaning that way. With the big touring season coming up (D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge), I was faced with a decision point.
With perfect timing, the good folks at Riders Discount offered me a chance to review the Joe Rocket Survivor Suit. It has had two good runs already in the nasty environment known as an English February. I will review the suit in detail here and then update the performance over a longer period. Check back here for updates on the performance of the suit.

Short version; If you are considering a riding suit with appropriate protection, comfort, and a good fit, but choke back tears when you see the price, this could be the suit for you.

Long version;
Location - Hampshire, UK - Motorway, A roads, B roads, single track, Green lane.
Bike - 2006 KTM 950 Adventure (el gato negro)
Conditions - on/off rain and sleet. Temperature, 1-6C (34-43F). February 2010


Fit, Finish, and Construction - I put the suit, with the winter insert, on over street clothes of trekking trousers and a short sleeve T shirt. The X- Large suit is heavy. When you pick it up, you know it is a proper riding suit. I'm a 6' 2" (1.88cm), 210 pound (95 kilo), 45 year old male with the appropriate middle age proportions and the suit fits snugly as a riding suit should. That means if you are thin, it may be a little loose or if you are heavier than me, a little tight. Joe Rocket provides sizing advice here. Sure Fit™ adjustment points are well placed along the legs, waist and arms too. The part of riding suits or riding trousers I always fear is a short leg, but the Survivor suit has a nice long leg that stays down over my BMW Santiago boots. It also has long zippers on the outside of the leg to allow easy fitting over boots. The weathertight zips, snaps and pockets all work easily and seem firm. The suit is stiff right out of the package, but should loosen up with break in. The only down side to the fit and finish is a little too much branding for my taste. Joe Rocket has the "Rocket" name as patches on both shoulders, in day-glo yellow on the breast pocket and in reflective lettering across the shoulder blades (although this is already peeling off and I may help it along).


Warmth, Weather Protection, and Riding Comfort - Joe Rocket claims '100% WATERPROOF' and on my two 1 hour rides, it was. I had intermittent rain on one ride and pretty constant rain and sleet on the other. No leaks and perfectly dry when I took it off. The real test will be when I'm in a long tour situation and a full day of rain which is when most waterproof products normally come up short. However, for now, I report faithfully that this was as good as I have ever experienced and I have ridden a lot in the rain in recent years (Hello, Norway!). The really surprising thing was the warmth that I experienced with just street clothes and the winter insert. Absolutely toasty. I think the snug fit really helps with this. Again a long ride in the cold and rain might require more, but I would be happy travelling with just an extra pair of thermals and maybe a vest in the english winter, so that says a lot. The suit was also very comfortable in the saddle. It was well proportioned in the seat to allow movement and no tugging on the sholuders. The trouser legs were long and did not ride up the leg. Crucially, it was not slippery in the saddle either, which is a thing I hate worse than anything. The left leg pockets are a little weird looking, but they held my wallet and keys safely and that is what pockets are supposed to do. The suit uses the Joe Rocket Big Air™ ventilation system, which I hope will work well in the summer, but was not tested in these rides for obvious reasons. I honestly cannot find much fault with the suit when it comes to being warm, dry and comfortable, so I won't. Good piece of kit.


Impact and Abrasion protection - As a father, I am more and more concerned about remaining safe as I ride, so I look for proper touring protection kit these days. I'm not a track guy, nor a sports bike rider, so I don't need that kind of protection, but I do want something that will give me a good chance of meeting the road and surviving it. Joe Rocket uses Rock Tex™ 600 for the outer layer with double layers on the shoulders, elbows and knees. It also has CE armour on the shoulders, elbows and knees. It also comes with a back pad that can be replaced with a CE back pad if you so require. (good discussion on that topic here) Thankfully, I've not had the occasion to test these qualities, but my non-expert eye rates them as good or better than my current Hein Gericke Trousers and Jacket. Importantly, the Battlefield Bikette liked the solidness of the protection and was quite happy that I was taking protection more seriously. Finally, the suit also has a melt resistant material on lower leg area which I will be keen to test on the KTM in the summer. The right side exhaust on the KTM absolutely scorches my leg in the heat, so hopefully this will provide some respite as well as not melting. I'll report back in July or August.


Conclusion for the initial review - Reasonable, neutral looks, even if it is a little too "Rocket-ish". Good weather protection and fit. Reasonable protection. Great value against its competitors. Check back for updates as I put the suit through its paces in London commuting, European touring, and the occasional green lane or battlefield farm track.

Technorati Tags: Hampshire Joe Rocket none Riders Discount single suit Survivor

Thompson Werk will be hosting the next Military History Carnival at his MH site on the 15th of March 2010. Please contact him at http://www.thompsonwerk.com/contact/ or at robert at thompsonwerk dot com

This is the 3rd of 2010 and we are also looking for more hosts. Any volunteers?

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The 21st Military History Carnival is up over at Air Minded. As Brett Holman says, 'a round-up of the best military history blogging of the last month'.

Head on over and take a look. If you like it, please consider hosting it next month.

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I review stuff sometimes and I'll be reviewing some touring stuff from Riders Discount soon. Anyway, RD seems like a nice bunch of folks and seem to be trying very hard to provide a good quick website, good kit, good prices, and good service. Therefore, I'm happy to pass on to Battlefield Biker readers that you can win a helmet valued at up to $500 (~£300 for those of us in Blighty) to celebrate Riders Discount's impending 10,000th Facebook fan.

The winner gets to choose any helmet in RD's inventory (which includes HJC, Arai and Shoei) up to a $500 retail value. To enter, you simply need to fill out the entry form at http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/22123

The form is also on RD's main Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/ridersdiscount

Get on over there and get you some.

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According to the Wall Street Journal, NBA player Žydrunas Ilgauskas is a big time military history buff as well. I wonder if he is into motorcycling too? He'd be big on a bike, but Shaq, likes his customized bikes.
I see Žydrunas Ilgauskas is from Kaunas, Lithuania. I stayed overnight there when I did my Norbalt 5,000 trip. Nice town.

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The Re-invigorated Military History Carnival will be hosted byAirminded. Send your postings by email (bholman at airminded dot org), by web (here or here) or by twitter (@Airminded or tagged #mhc21)


Also anyone waned to host future version of the MHC, please let me know through my contact form.

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I just talked to Peter Avard at MSL Tours. The 2010 MSL/Battlefield Biker tours are filling up. The brochure has only been out for a little over a month and we are half full already!
Better get over there and book up! Go. Go on! You know you want to!
D-Day 4-7 June 2010
Battle of the Bulge 1-4 May 2010

Technorati Tags: World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII

Check out this list of 12 motorcycle safety myths.
Number 10 is splitting lanes and the safety therin. I knew it!

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George C. Scott made it famous, but apparently not nearly profane enough. Here is an interesting take on the use of profanity by Patton and what it meant to the men of the Third Army in WWII.
Enjoy

Technorati Tags: 1944 Breakout World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII

I've used video cameras of varying quality on my site, (here, here and here), but I've been thinking hard about doing it more. The Go Pro HD examples found here have got me seriously considering their camera. Some of this stuff is heart-stopping in its quality. I've always dreamed of being able to re-create a cavalry charge on the bike as part of a ride. Maybe this is where it begins? Looks like my friends at Riders Discount are carrying if you order by phone or email. See the Facebook entry for the detail; http://www.facebook.com/ridersdiscount

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Battlefield Biker is proud to announce that it is continuing its partnership with MSL Tours in 2010.


We will be reprising our incredibly successful Battle of the Bulge tour that saw more than 40 bikers enjoy the riding and the history of the Belgian and Luxembourgish Ardennes last year. Check here for the details.


Additionally, we are launching a new tour this year of the Normandy beaches where we will be visiting the battle sites of Operation Overlord / D-Day landings. I've toured this area many times and it is truly a tour not to be missed in your lifetime. You can see a short video of me and the D-Day beaches here. The detail of the tour can be found here.


We are incredibly excited about these tours and we have already had several bookings on each tour, so don't miss out. Book early and make 2010 the year you get in a great ride and see some great historical sites!

Technorati Tags: World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII

Battlefield Biker and MSL Tours continue our partnership by repeating our highly popular Battle of the Bulge tour. From the 1st through the 4th of May, we will be heading back to the beautiful Ardennes to experience great history and great riding. See the tour details below for all of the details, booking form, and Terms and Conditions. Right click on the images to download them with the "save as" command. Go here to find the tour on MSL Tours website.
We will also be running our brand new D-Day / Operation Overlord tour from the 4th to the 7th of June 2010. Click here for more details on that tour.
I hope to see you there!

Technorati Tags: Ardennes Battle of the Bulge Christmas Wacht am Rhein World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII

Battlefield Biker and MSL Tours continue our partnership by announcing a new tour this year. From the 4th through the 7th of June, we will be running a tour of the Normandy beaches. See the tour details below for all of the details, booking form, and Terms and Conditions. Right click on the images to download them with the "save as" command. Go here to find the tour on MSL Tours website.
We will also be running our highly popular Battle of the Bulge tour from the 1st to the 4th of May. Click here for more details on that tour.
I hope to see you there!

Technorati Tags: D-Day Normandy Swiss Normandy World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII