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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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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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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Interesting new battlefield find of Roman artifacts in northern Germany that indicates that the Romans were still active in the area two and a half centuries later than conventional wisdom had posited.
Sounds like the opening of Gladiator was near spot on!

Technorati Tags: 200s none motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Sorry to all of my loyal readers (yes both of you). I have not been posting much new lately, but it has been for good reason. I recently started a Master of Arts in the History of Warfare in the War Studies department at King's College London.

I am thoroughly enjoying it, but the reading and writing schedule has not left much time for Battlefield Biker lately. I hope to get better soon and even post some of my assignments here, especially book reviews. We'll see if Battlefield Biker readers are more or less forgiving than my professors.

I've got 2 professors of serious professional reputations and am soaking up their expertise. Alan James is teaching my core History of Warfare module and my Imperialism module. Andrew Lambert is teaching my Navies and Seapower module. Each module is a combination of lectures, seminars and writing. Their is a heavy emphasis on the research and historiography which is one of the main reasons I decided to go to King's.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for Battlefield Biker, but was running up against my own limitations in research and writing skills, so I decided to take this MA to improve both.

Stick with me and I promise to post some new stuff.

Technorati Tags: Historiography History of Warfare King's College London London none

I've spoken to South London Motorrad and they have confirmed to me that they have a F 800 GS in stock right now. I've attached a picture I took of a F800GS, but the one South London Motorrad has is the grey and black colour scheme.


Get down there and get while the getting is good!

Technorati Tags: BMW F 800 GS Caterham F800 GS F800GS none

Interesting article in The Times about the War of the Roses battle of Towton. It is still the bloodiest battle on English soil ever. Interesting information on the re-enactors and amateur historians too.
It is not far from Marston Moor if you want to make a day of it.

Technorati Tags: 1400s 1460s 1461 29 29th A1M B1217 Ferrybridge-to-Tadcaster road Lancastrians M1 March none War of the Roses Yorkists motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history

As I do here occasionally, I have a posting from a guest blogger. This one is from uShip.com's Alyssa Moskowitz. uShip.com is a marketplace for shippers to bid for your shipping needs. They ship all kinds of stuff, but for these purposes, we're talking about motorcycle shipping.
I've agreed to let uShip.com do this, because I've never shipped a bike, but know some of my readers are looking for this type of info. Without further ado, here's Alyssa.

If you are a fan of touring all the great battle sites of history, there are likely few places you have always wanted to visit but could not due to the great amount of time it would take to travel there and back. Shipping your motorcycle, even just one way, can save you a lot of time and allow you to fit in more stops on your journey. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your bike before shipping it:

Remove Extra Items

Your carrier should provide insurance when shipping your motorcycle, but this does not cover accessories or other things being stored in the bike. Be sure to remove anything that is not a part of the bike itself, including any loose parts, since they will not be covered by insurance if they are lost, stolen, or damaged.

Check for Damage

Make sure to take a detailed inventory of any existing damage on the bike before sending it with the carrier. Clean the bike first to make it easier to see any imperfections. Taking pictures of the bike from several different angles, including detailed shots of any cosmetic damage, is a good way to document scratches or dings. This way, if any damage occurs during shipping, you can prove that they were not there before in case of a dispute.

Bike Preparations

Some companies will require that you empty or drain your fuel tank and disconnect the battery prior to transporting it. Check your carrier’s policies ahead of time to make pick-up run more smoothly. Also be sure your tires are fully inflated and fix any leaks.

Have a great time touring and ride safe!

Technorati Tags: cross continent long haul none overseas shipping uShip world wide motorcycle touring motorcycles Sunapee New Hampshire battlefields military history motorcycle shipping

Chris Brooks posts some nice pictures of his tour through the Battle of the Bulge area. I assume this are pictures from an earlier trip, because if there is that much snow in Belgium in June 2008, Al Gore needs to call his office.

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Intro

I haven't often written about my own military experience on this site, but the next version of the Military History Carnival gives me good reason to do so. MHC edition 14 is about contested boundaries, so I thought I would brush off the memories and write a post about my time on the old east/west German/Czech border during the Cold War. Fittingly, 14 May is the anniversary of the signing of the Warsaw pact in 1955.

I got posted to Germany in June of 1988 with the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment (2ACR) and the border was the reason I had requested the posting. It was one of only a few places in the Army at that time that had a real readiness rating to keep things fixed and running as if the balloon might go up at any time (Korea being the other main one). 2ACR had a long lineage of distinguished service going back to the Seminole Indian Wars in 1836 and they had retained that strong history after World War II by assuming the front line against the Russians and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. A lot more of 2ACR's history can be found here. http://www.2scr.army.mil/#history

When discussing my border service, it is important to point out that I am speaking of the frontier border of West Germany and not the border in Berlin. Everyone assumes you mean Berlin when you speak of the Cold War border, but the frontier border was the long border between NATO member, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany), and the Warsaw Pact members of Czechoslakia and the German Democratic Republic (DDR or East Germany). Even more specifically, the 2ACR was responsible for the Bavarian (FRG state) border from Austria to a point near Bad Konigshofen, west of Coburg, FRG. In Germany (east and west), the border followed the historical borders of Bavaria with Saxony and Thuringia. The border with the then Czechoslavakia (modern day Czech Republic), Bavaria bordered the Karlovy Vary, Plzen and South Bohemia regions. The 11th ACR had the next, northern, stretch of the Thuringia border with Bavaria and Hesse until it met the British sector in the far North.

Border Sectors

Source; http://www.history.army.mil/documents/BorderOps/ch6.htm

Significance

The reason this area was so important to NATO in the Cold war was that the Fulda Gap in 11ACR sector and, to a lesser degree, the Meiningen and Hof Gaps in the 2ACR sector provided the most likely avenues of approach for a Soviet thrust into West Germany. NATO believed it could win a drawn out conventional war, but feared a deep Soviet thrust into the FRG that would so rattle the NATO allies that it could not be overcome. Therefore, the thin line of hyper-alert cavalry regiments along the most likely avenues of approach seemed to provide the best chance of detecting potential Soviet movements and moving quickly enough to stem the tide. Those of us who manned this border often, only half-jokingly, referred to ourselves as the world's most effective speed bumps.

The Physical Border and Its Make-Up

The border when I was there had quietened down from its worst times of the 1940s through the 1970s. Events such as the Berlin airlift, the 1st Russian nuclear weapon, the space race, the Berlin Wall and Vietnam kept NATO and the Warsaw Pact faced off at high alert. However, there were still sectors of heavily mined fence zones until the early 80s. Particularly gruesome were the automatically triggered "shotgun" mines that were placed at different heights on the fence and had a 25 meter blast radius. Even until the end of 1989, the fences and walls were formidable obstacles to civilians trying to escape. And, if there was any doubt what the border was designed for, one need only look at who built the fences and what they were designed to do.

Source; http://www.history.army.mil/documents/BorderOps/ch6.htm

US Cavalry Patrols

We had variable schedules and tiered configurations for patrolling the border in the 2ACR sector. At any given time, a Troop (company) from each of the 3 ground Squadrons (battalions) would occupy a border camp(s) in their assigned portion along the whole Regiment's sector. Each camp had a camp duty officer (usually one of the Troops platoon leaders) who was responsible for all operations in that camp's area of operations. Each camp would be on 3 levels of readiness. 1st, several patrols a day, usually led by Sergeants, would keep up a presence on the border. 2nd, a reaction force would be ready to roll extra patrols or the whole reaction platoon and its armored vehicles to a border section within 15 minutes. 3rd, the whole troop could muster and be ready to move within an hour.
During my time there, it was not common to have major issues on the border, but each patrol would normally spot our opposite number on the ground on the other side of the border. Of course, the towers were usually manned. We sometimes saw Russians, but normally we saw East German troops.
The patrols were conducted in HMMWVs (Hummers) or Mercedes 300 series SUVs normally, but also on foot inserted by trucks or helicopters. In the winter, it was not unheard of to patrol on nordic skis. Additionally, the 2ACR's 4th Squadron of helicopters, kept up a routine of over-flights along the border.

High Tension Events

Very occasionally, we would have an event that would warrant a heightened state of alert. Some of these would be a Soviet aircraft tracking or pacing a Regimental aircraft which was considered aggressive. Other issues, would be observed alerts on the other side of the border or the most anticipated of all events, an International Border Crossing (IBC). About once a quarter, some east German would make it across the heavily fortified area and make it to freedom. These were normally co-ordianted through family members in West Germany and the FRG agencies (Zoll, Grenze Polizei or Bundesgrenzshutz (BGS)). The Regiment never caught an IBC whilst I was there, but there were always stories of some old Sergeant somewhere who had helped an IBC across the border back in the 60s or 70s.

Results

We won! Eventually. Which is the only good news. I was on the border, the day it fell. That afternoon, I went out to the road crossing to see the spectacle. There were miles of Trabants lining up to enter West Germany. In the years following the fall of the eastern bloc, I've had occasion to speak to East Germans, but mostly Czechs and Poles. They had a very hard life during the time I was enjoying all of the western treats a kid from Kentucky gets in the 60s, 70s and 80s. I wish we had won a lot earlier. I have now also travelled extensively through Poland, East Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltic states. They are still recovering a sense of self and creating lives that they can be happy with. If you are ever tempted to say they had it better in some areas than we in the West did, I suggest you go and talk to a few more of them.... you're sample size may be limited.
I am very proud of my service on the border and I hope we continue to look back on it with pride for many generations. Take the ride below and get a feel for the place before time swallows up the last vestiges of what it was like.

Ride Recommendation

Check out this 240 kilometer ride which simulates pretty closely one of the 2ACR's mounted patrols in the Hof sector in 1988. The ride in the Frankenwald Park is particularly nice for bikers. There are so many places to stop, I can't even begin to mention them. Just go and enjoy!

View Larger Map

Book and Map Recommendation

Technorati Tags: 1 1948 1989 1990 1st 9 9th Border Cold War Germany Grenze May none November motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history carnival

World Rider is in Nairobi now. I've been following Allan Karl's adventures for a couple of years now and he mixes good writing with great photography. All I can say is 5 words.... "I want to do that!"

Technorati Tags: none motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history

There's a new carnival in town. It's a carnival about motorcycles over at Raven's Rides. Check it out at;

http://www.ravensrides.com/introducingthe-motorcycle-carnival

h/t Lucky
.

Technorati Tags: April May 20 1937 none motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history carnival

Battlefield Biker has teamed up with one of the most respected names in European motorcycle touring, Motorcycle Sport & Leisure Tours. We are in the process of developing tours for Europe in 2009 and, hopefully, the US of A.

The Battlefield Biker is proud to have linked up with such a well known and professional tour company and Peter Avard of MSL Tours is looking forward to reaching a whole new crowd of historical battlefield enthusiasts.

We will have a test ride in August / September of 2008 to the D-Day beaches. Please let me know at my contact page if you are interested in participating in the test.

Stay tuned to find out more.

_

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.... I've always had my suspicions.
This article seems to confirm it.
More here.
Und hier.
Et ici.
Y aqui.
En hier.

Technorati Tags: 18 2008 April easterly winds euro whiff Euro-whiff manure none pong smell sulphur whiffy poopoo Euro-whiff euro whiff euro whiff

A good article in US News and World Report about the much discussed issue (in military history circles, at least) of the future, or lack thereof, of military history in the academy.

I agree with Citino at the end of the story .... military history will be written or told and it will be lapped up with great enthusiasm. The only question is whether academia will get a say or not.... and that is up to the academy itsdamnself.

Technorati Tags: Carol Reardon history John Lynn none professor Robert Citino university Wayne Lee motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history

The Washington Post has a good obituary of Vice Admiral Ron Dick. Dick was a retired RAF officer that moved to the US and became a renowned military historian as well.

Technorati Tags: none Pilot Ron Dick Vice Air Marshal motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history

Here's a good summary by Spencer Ackerman of the intellectual fight amongst US Army officers over Counter Insurgency. The argument is remarkable for 2 reasons. First, an Army that can be at such odds over the very nature of its purpose and still remain VERY capable is a source of pride to me. Second, the argument over Generals ( as a class of performers ) and their performance is long overdue. When was the last time we "fired" a General?

Technorati Tags: 2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 David Petraeus Gian Gentile H R McMaster John Nagl none Paul Yingling Peter Mansoor Ray Odierno

I rode over to Bahnstormer in the rain today to see their launch event of the F 800 GS and the new F 650 GS. Any other motorcycle launch party might have been bust with the rain, but not in Britain and not with a bunch of Gelände/Straße heads keen on seeing the new F 800 GS. That's what I like about British and GS bikers.... rain, muddy roads, farm tracks, green lanes ... no problem.

Bahnstormer is located ( Lower Farringdon, Hampshire, near Alton ) where the old SPC BMW used to be, but Bahnstormer is a far more professional looking operation.

I am scheduled to test ride both on Monday afternoon, so I hope to have the review up soon thereafter.

Technorati Tags: A272 A31 A32 B3046 B3047 Bahnstormer BMW F 800 GS F 650 GS none motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history

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The good folks over at MCN do some great videos and this one is a perfect summation of the age old question for big dualie fans... BMW or KTM? With Adam Child & Angus Faquhar. Well done, Gentlemen, and why didn't I get an invite?

This one is about the KTM 990 Adventure, but I turned that bike down in favour of a year-old KTM 950 Adventure, because it was just a little less beastly to handle in traffic which I need to do regularly. I'm not sure if they have changed it, but the fuel-injected 990 that I test rode last year was jerky to point of being dangerous to someone of my skills. I know it is a great bike in the hands of experienced off-road riders, but I found it almost getting away from me each time I hit a pothole or speed bump. I liked everything else about the bike, so I opted for the carb'ed 950 Adventure and have loved it.

Technorati Tags: Adam Child Angus Faquhar BMW R1200 GS Cairngorms KTM 950 Adventure KTM 990 Adventure none Scotland motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields film video

Lucky, over at The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour has posted "Ten Ways Motorcycling Improves Your Life". I call them the "Top 10," because there are many more.
For all of you historians who read this blog, but don't ride, you don't know what you are missing. Try it, I bet you will like it.
My favorite is number 9, Stompy Boots. Besides motorcycle riders, only Dressage riders wear cooler boots, but who wants to do something called Dressage?

Technorati Tags: Boots none motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

BMW Motorrad USA is giving away a new BMW F800 GS to one lucky person in the Unstoppable Sweepstakes.
They'll be giving it away at their Unstoppable Open House live webcast at 4 PM EST on March 8th, 2008.
I just signed up, so the rest of you poor suckers don't have a chance.

Technorati Tags: BMW F 800 GS F800 GS Motorrad none Sweepstakes

Here is a full run down of the new BMW F 800 GS at webBikeWorld for all of you gearheads.
I am sorely tempted by this bike. As I have said before, they made me wait too long, so I bought the KTM 950 Adventure, but maybe the wife won't notice if I sell my old BMW F650 GS and replace it with the F800 GS? The F650 GS has given me 28,000 care-free miles and the TKC 80 Continental rear tyre (reviewed here and updated here) has made it a dream around battlefields and farm tracks whilst still providing reasonable handling on London commutes.
Any offers?

My 2001 BMW F650 GS after 28,000 miles.

Technorati Tags: BMW BMW F 800 GS BMW F800 GS F 800 GS F650 GS F650GS F800 GS none

Sierra BMW has posted videos on YouTube of the new BMW F800 GS in action. I'm kind of not sure about it. I was hoping for something a little beefier looking, if not heavy. I was too optimistic about what BMW could accomplish, I guess. Given the R1200 GS has a much bigger engine and shaft drive and is only slightly heavier, I had hoped for a mini 1200 Adventure, but really got a slightly bulked up 650 GS. I waited for a long time to see if the 800 GS would come out to replace my 2001 BMW F 650 GS, but finally succumbed to the butt-ugly charms of this bike ...

my KTM 950 Adventure

The F 800 GS still intrigues me and I will definitely take a test ride when it hits my local dealer, but I don't think it will pull me away from el gato negro.

Technorati Tags: BMW F 800 GS F 650 GS KTM 950 Adventure none Triumph Tiger

The Military History Carnival 8th Edition Is Up. Gary Smailes is hosting this month.

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