Certain big, black, round, rubber things can make a real difference in life. In fact they can make a real difference to life itself.

Yes, our tires are what keep us going where we want to and prevent us from careening into a tree and certain death. Each contact patch is about a few square centimeter – not a lot considering how crucial it is to keeping us alive.

Here’s a fun trick: Have a look at the tires on the motorcycle of your friends and see how much tread they have. The old matchstick test is one of the most reliable – the head of the match is the minimum depth of tread you need for your tires to be effective – and it’s amazing how many motorcycles don’t pass.

I had a chat at a local motorcycle tire shop last week and just that morning a lady came in and asked what the furry stuff on her scooter tires was. The tire fitter went out and had a look, thinking it sounded a bit strange. But, upon inspecting the tire in question, he was incredulous. The furry patch was the canvas – yes, the tread had completely worn through. He explained the situation to her. Her question? ‘So, is that bad?’

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Michelin has released its all-new Power RS sport road tire that is said to be 3.5 seconds faster per lap than its Pilot Power 3 predecessor while offering better dry-weather grip and stability than its rivals. These include the Bridgestone S21, Continental Sport Attack 3, Dunlop SportSmart 2, Metzeler M7RR and Pirelli Diablo Rosso III.

Developed over two-year period and featuring two new patents, the Michelin Power RS is a premium sport tire that is primarily intended for road use while handling the occasional track day. It is positioned below Michelin’s track-focused Power Cup Evo and also replaces the SuperSport Evo tire.

The Michelin Power RS features dual-compound technology whereby soft and hard compounds are overlaid – including on the front tire for a quicker turn-in – with a softer compound on the shoulders for more grip when leaned over.

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Leather motorcycle suit. If you ever want to feel like a real motorcyclist, bung on a set of Berik Force Race suit. Yep, you’re almost a famous MotoGP racer immediately. Except for that weird hump at the back, the way they nibble incessantly at your nuts and you have to stand like you have a ray in your hands due to the way the arms are cut to be in the right position when in a racer crouch.

Yeah, you come down to earth pretty quickly. But they do look very cool, and when your toilet region gets back to its regular shape, well, there’s a rough chance someone will want to get to know it. Yes, a leather motorcycle racing suit is sexy.

Of course, it ain’t all about that. Fact is, if you are going anywhere near a track without having a motorcycle suit, well, run out the front with a crayon and draw a big line down the middle of the road. See how the crayon is diminished in size and eventually no longer there? That’s you when it comes to abrasion if you come off at speed.

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Continental’s new RoadAttack 3 is the latest addition to the hugely important sports-touring tire segment, a development of the popular and capable RoadAttack 2 Evo, Continental claim the new RoadAttack 3 gives improved wet grip, which was the RoadAttack 2 Evo’s only real stumbling block, as well as increased feel and increased durability.

Continental say they’ve achieved this by developing a new tread pattern, which now features a Drainage Groove design that uses lateral channels to help shed water away from the surface for increased wet grip. A wider slick center section helps with acceleration and durability, while a chunkier side-block design improves side-grip capabilities in the dry.

Continental say warm-up time has been improved, thanks to added silica in the tread compound. All these new features are key to what Continental calls Grip Limit Feedback, which is designed to give the rider a better feel of what the tires are doing in all situations, especially at the limits of grip.

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There’s some funky helmet designs out there from superheroes to Star Wars characters, so in the scheme of things the Shark D-Skwal with the Saurus graphics isn’t too outrageous. It’s a perfect mix of cool looks and a hint of restraint – I love it!

The Shark D-Skwal is the most fun-looking motorcycle helmet I’ve had in years, but it dinosaurs or the apocalypse don’t really do it for you, the Shark D-Skwal helmet does come in various colors and graphics.

Under the graphics, the Shark D-Skwal helmet is a mid-range product, offering a good amount of features. The Pinlock visor is large, giving a good wide aperture, and guaranteeing the visor won’t fog up; it attaches to the helmet with a push/pull quick-release mechanism, which helps with cleaning everything properly.

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New from Shark Helmets is the Ridill a top quality full face helmet that won’t cost that much. As expected, you’ll find all the great features like Micro-Lock Buckle system allowing for quick removal of the chin strap. It also accommodates for riders who wear glasses with a much larger interface between the glasses and helmet.

Also included in addition to the anti-scratch UV380 label sun visor is the quick release visor system with 2.2mm ultra flexible and resistant visor with the original customizable pin-lock visor adjustability. Although probably one of the best features is how light the Shark Ridill helmet is, weighing in at only 1550 grams.

The outer-shell is manufactured from injected thermoplastic resin, and the inner-lining is washable.

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Arai’s stunning retro paint options are somewhat appropriate – their motorcycle helmets are living in the past technically as well as visually.

It has been a year since I’ve worn an Arai. I’ve tested a number of other brands’ offerings at different price levels, and I prefer just about all of them to the Arai RX-7V. Going back to the Japanese firm’s top helmet revealed they’ve not really improved much: they’re still heavy, still noisy, the visor mechanism is even more annoying and fiddly unless you dedicate a week to learning to use it.

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The helmet is the most important piece of riding gear. It’s designed to last between five and seven years, before the outer shell gets too brittle and the expanded polystyrene (EPS) liner loses its ability to absorb impacts. Here’s how to keep your motorcycle helmet in top condition and make it last as long as possible.

If it’s been dropped or knocked, it may be cracked. If the exterior is scuffed, check the EPS behind it hasn’t collapsed. There’s not point working on a helmet that’s too badly damaged to wear.

Soak any dried-on filth or flies with wet kitchen paper-towels, then wash with a soft, clean sponge. Don’t use any solvent-based cleaner or degreasers. Dish-washing liquid is fine as long as you rinse it off well to remove any detergent.

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The Kriega Urban Messenger bag combines fashion with functionality. It’s easy to put on and take off, even when fully kitted up. It looks great on the motorcycle, is hard wearing and also has a completely waterproof main compartment, meaning I don’t have to worry about my stuff getting drenched if I get caught in a storm.

The shoulder strap is easy to adjust and is very comfortable, and can be worn on either shoulder depending on the preference of the rider. There is also a detachable waist strap that will stop the bag from flapping around behind you at speed, however I hardly ever use it as the weight of my notebook keeps the bag in place very well.

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Pushing a motorcycle to its limits, or even its perceived limits, depends on the confidence you have in the machine, and to perhaps an even greater extent, the tires. Most sporting road riders will choose the ‘stickest’ tires they can get, whether their riding ability is good enough to actually use that ‘stickiness’ or not. ‘Confidence is everything’ they say, and that’s pretty much spot on.

If confidence plays such a big part in a rider’s tire choice, it usually comes in part due to the ‘name’ the tire brand has. Pirelli has been in the tire game for over 100 years, and really, brand names in tire technology do not get much bigger than Pirelli. I can go back to when I started riding big bikes, when the Pirelli Phantom, especially the Silver Dot Phantom was the tire to have. The Italian company has produced pretty good sporting road tires since then, and the Diablo Rosso III I have tested is probably one of the best sports road tires I have ever used.

Rosso means red in Italian, and as the national motor racing color for Italy is the color red, then it matches the ability of the Pirelli Diablo Rosso III. It’s not a race tire though, it was never designed to be. Like the original Rosso from about 17 years ago the Diablo Rosso II, the Diablo Rosso III is primarily a supersport road tire, capable of doing a track day. In the hands of a professional racer it’s probably capable of much more than that.

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