Riding Gear and Accessories

  Asking someone’s opinion about riding gear is almost akin to starting an argument about politics, money or religion (sex seems to be an acceptable subject these days).  People don’t just have an opinion, they have the final answer.  We followed the adage that riding gear is supposed to protect the rider first so we settled on function first, then features and finally on price.  I had also learned a long time ago that vendor commitment to their product is almost as important as what they sell.  So the vendor of choice  was clearly Aerostich.

  I contacted Andy Goldfine, owner of Aerostich for advice and surprise, surprise, the owner actually answered my request for information based on his riding experience in many of the places we will be traveling through.  No real sales pitch, just hard facts of what he suggested and why.  Made a lot of sense to me.  BTW, no other owner of riding gear provided anywhere near the info that Andy did, if they answered the inquiry at all!

  Andy was happy to provide any and all items from his catalogue at a fair discount which helped us a lot and didn’t hurt him too bad.  All around, an excellent sponsorship where we get the best riding gear and he gets a 14 month field test of all the Aero products we use.

  Andy, can’t thank you enough and we’ll see you in July 2007.

  I found the Bar people online and began to ask about how I would fit their seats to the Chang.  Patty got me in touch with one of their customers who had mounted one of their seats on a classic BMW and then continued to help as we ran into technical difficulties.

  I had a chance to visit Bar’s manufacturing facility in Sunland, California in September and talked with Andy, the owner, who gave me the pans for the police solos that we had decided to adapt.  Once back in China I modified the pan, drilled new mounting holes and sent them, along with a mounting bracket, back for final fabrication.  Andy will finish the seats and then we will pick them up on our final trip to the States in January 2006.

  From the stand point of customer service, I have run into few companies that do more to make sure a customer is satisfied.  Certainly, Bar’s products rank high in quality but it is their attitude that impresses me most.

  Motorcycle Riding Shorts, Tops, and Tights.

  One of the problems that all motorcycle riders face is the accumulation of sweat and the attendant irritation it causes, especially between the motorcycle seat and the rider’s seat.  While this problem is not so serious if you are going to the store or on a short ride, but it can be a major, debilitating issue for anyone who takes long rides.

  The people at L D Comfort have really thought through this problem and have designed riding shorts made from DRYLINE, a blend of nylon polyester and Lycra to keep you totally comfortable by wicking moisture away from the skin.  As we are planning to ride in some very warm and hot climates (and a few cold ones) we don’t expect to suffer the pains and irritation of “monkey-butt”.

  We cannot thank Mario and the team from L D Comfort enough for providing comfort producing undergarments that significantly contribute to safe riding – I can pay attention to the road and not my butt!

  Please visit them at: www.ldcomfort.com.

Thanks again, Mario

Long River Motorworks

  Gerald Gardebled came to China from Martinique ten years ago to study and has been involved with Chang Jiangs for the last six years.  He is perhaps the reigning guru on original People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Changs.  His passion for accurately restored bikes comes with a wealth of knowledge and long experience.