What we dug: comfy, unobtrusive yet protective; no Frankenboot feel.What we didn't: too-smooth outer sole.
If you ever find in yourself in a situation where there'll be both bike riding and ass kicking to be done, you'll want a pair of Field Armor boots handy.
As the name implies, these kicks totally protect your feet. I was happy to have the internal, injection-molded plastic toe and heel armor-this stuff felt like steel. A leather upper means the Field Armors offers solid support and abrasion protection, plus the good-looking styling-a mix of hiking shoe and construction boot-allowed me to wear them in almost any situation. Heavy-duty nylon inserts on the upper provided some measure of ventilation at speed, too. Slipping my feet into the initially stiff boots was simple enough; they're traditional laceups. Once I knotted the reinforced laces, however, I had to lock in a midfoot buckle and strap that closed over the ties. It's a nice touch, and one that ensures the boots don't go flying off if you unexpectedly leave the bike. A ribbed panel on the forefoot gave me a solid connection with the gearshift, and a padded tongue and Achilles heel insert prevented chafing. The beefy sole provided plenty of traction. Are the Field Armor boots comfortable? Not at first-all that hard armor needs a good amount of break-in, but after that, you're golden.
What we dug: versatile styling; super-stout protection.What we didn't: break-in was a bitch.
At heart, RoadGear's MultiTasker Sport Bag is a briefcase with a nice rubber-covered carrying handle. Clip on the adjustable shoulder strap and it becomes a courier bag. If you want a more secure carry system, snap on the shoulder harness instead and carry it as a backpack. Remove the carrying straps, and only two unobtrusive attachment points for the shoulder strap remain. It's a simple idea, well executed and easy to exploit.
The base bag has a slightly trapezoidal shape, tapering from 17 inches at the top to 14 inches wide at the bottom. It's about 13 inches high. There is a perimeter zipper running down the sides and bottom that permits expansion. The main compartment swallowed a fairly thick 14-inch notebook computer (though there's no extra padding). That compartment is joined under the pleated top flap by a large pocket subdivided into one full-width and two half-width pockets. The front of the bag under the flap has an array of pockets for organizing items. The flap closes with two plastic snap-buckles, and has a zippered compartment in its face. Finally, there is a full-width compartment on the back, for a total of four large compartments.
Most of the American-made bag is constructed of Cordura with a retroflective strip across the top. The zippers all have big pulltabs that can be manipulated with heavy gloves. Though the Cordura is at least water-repellent, water can still get in through the zippers.
What we dug: adaptability.What we didn't: backpack straps flimsy.
The fact that U.S. Saddlebag manufactures all its premium leather gear in a centuries-old building in Massachusetts was reason enough for me to want to check out their goods.
I ordered up a pair of Black Flame Quick Release Cruiser saddlebags for our long-term VTX1300. The bolt-on frames ($99 extra) are bike-specific, and installing the solidly crafted stainless steel kit to the VTX's frame rails was a snap-they fit and looked like an OEM part. I then mounted the nicely styled, stout leather bags (with custom-formed high-density polyethylene backing) onto the frames and stepped back to admire the job. Fit and finish were superb, and the bags even seemed to enhance our testbike's aesthetics. The Quick-Release portion of the saddlebag utilizes an innovative yet simple design; a patented quarter-turn quick-release metal plug inside each bag engages it to the frame for secure installation and removal of the bags in a matter of seconds (just make sure you engage it fully when installing the bag).
The sleek, slightly angled bags offer what appear to be conventional belt straps externally, but these have merely cosmetic buckles; the real lockdowns are underneath the overflap in the form of plastic quick-release buckles. These allow you to get into the inner, zippered bag easily, but we were a bit disappointed that they weren't adjustable to accommodate more stuff. Also, the bag tapers at the top, so the opening is smallish.
What we dug: fits perfectly, well-made stuff, great looking.What we didn't: non-adjustable closures.
It may well be the equivalent of putting a safe on your bike. And although the Pac-Safe Tailsafe sports a pretty big footprint, it warrants it: I felt my valuables-$1000 worth of camera equipment-were far safer sitting inside.