Alpinestars, Motion Pro, Fly Racing, Acerbis, TCX | FRESH DIRT

Fresh off the presses, here’s a few headlining products for moto and off-road.

Alpinestars LE Indianapolis Tech 10 Boot: $599.95

Alpinestars LE Indianapolis Tech 10 BootPhoto by Sean Klinger

Indianapolis is a racers town. The Indy 500 is still one of the biggest motorsport events in the US, and possibly even the world. But we aren't too concerned with all that four-wheel stuff. When we hear Indy, our mind's eye sees only the whoops, berms, and triples of a supercross track. Alpinestars' designers went back into their creative vault to bring forth this Limited Edition Indianapolis Boot that has that retro vibe reminiscent of Astars first motocross gear. And speaking of gear, there is a matching Jersey, Pant, and Glove combo if you are going after that Best Dressed Award.

Motion Pro Pro Funnel: $32.99

Motion Pro Pro FunnelPhoto by Sean Klinger

The humblest of devices, the funnel is essential in any garage or shop and has been pretty much unchanged throughout the last millennia. Yet, Motion Pro has just introduced its Pro Funnel with the goal of replacing your measuring devices and putting all other simple funnels to shame. The more you use something, the more convenient you want it to be. If you don't change your oil, or any other fluids regularly, you can stop reading. But if you treat your bike with respect or even have a fleet of bikes (yours, your spouses, your kids, your buddy that neglects his bike so bad you feel sorry for it) to work on, this funnel will make your life much easier. The main feature is the on/off valve allowing you to fill up the main section of the funnel with whatever fluid in whatever amount you need. It has multiple measuring scales as well as ratio charts for you two-stroke purists out there. Then you can just pivot the spigot any any direction and open the valve. There is also a lid, handle, and magnet to make it that much more useful and easy to store.

Fly Racing Tri-Pivot Levers: $79.95 each

Fly Racing Tri-Pivot LeversPhoto by Sean Klinger

There are a few different programs when it comes to the infamous “unbreakable” lever claim. Unless you can guarantee a bike will never hit the ground, a lever has the potential to break. But companies can make a lever that is very highly unlikely to break in a crash, fall, or tip over. One such lever is Fly’s Tri-Pivot Lever available in both clutch and brake. They employ a simple but effective dual hinging system that allows the lever to pivot up, pivot down, and pivot forward, hence the “tri,” as in three, in the name. We haven’t used these yet but just from our cursory inspection they seem to be well put together and not too heavy. We’ll be mounting these up to our ’17 KTM 450 SX-F for thorough testing.

Acerbis Husqvarna X-Seat: $199.95

Acerbis Husqvarna X-SeatPhoto by Sean Klinger

In our opinion, people don't think about their seat as much as they should. Stock seats work fine for many people but until you try some different arrangements, you just don't know what you are missing. A lot of riders think hump seats are just for pros, but putting a hump under your stock cover can help with rider position, therefore help handing because you are in the right spot. Gripper covers can help riders save energy since they don't have to grip as hard to stay put. This brings us to the Acerbis X-Seat. Not just a cover (in fact, it doesn't have a cover) this entire replacement seat with base is a whole different deal than a stocker. The upper material is all one piece of waterproof foam, meaning that during washes or wet rides the seat can't get water logged. Also, as you can see, the pattern on top is quite unique and aggressive. We aren't sure if Acerbis looked to cycling seats for inspiration with the channel down the middle but we are interested to see how this works and feels mounted up.

TCX Comp Evo Michelin and X-Helium Michelin: $569.99 and $289.99

TCX Comp Evo Michelin and X-Helium MichelinPhoto by Sean Klinger

These boots were introduced last year and the Comp Evo worn by RCH/Yoshimura Suzuki rider Broc Tickle among other international professional racers. At the press launch TCX explained that they took a long hard look at the boot market and incorporated technology that worked, in their opinion, and omitted tech that didn't. The Comp Evo Michelin is their premier boot and is packed with features you'd expect to see in that class of footwear such as a hinge, a unique Michelin rubber sole, and a Double Flex Control system to stop hyperextension and hyperflexion. The X-Helium has the same Michelin sole but has a simpler upper without a hinge to stay at a lower price point. As a side note, the X-Heliums feel much lighter than the Comp Evos, not that the Comps are heavy. We've done a initial impression with these boots that was in our Boot Personality Test last year, but that was with the standard sole since the Michelin sole was not available then. Now we've put quite a bit of time on the Comp Evo Michelin and you'll see that full review very soon in the pages of the magazine. If you just can't wait for the test, we do want to let you know that both of these boots run big. I had to order a size smaller to get the proper fit.