Motorcycle racers have been wearing back protectors for a long time; well aware of the benefits should they part company with their motorcycle unintentionally. But road riders are taking advantage of the protection offered by them too.

Back protectors will absorb energy from an impact and help prevent damage to the spine and ribs – as well as internal organs. A 2012 survey by a riders organization in Europe revealed that 80 percent of riders in Europe use a back protection, but only 68 percent were CE approved and fewer than half (48 percent) were separate – i.e. not fitted into a jacket or suit. In Thailand the numbers of people using back protectors is obviously lower. But where do you start? Back protection comes in a number of forms and for a range of budgets…

In most modern motorcycle jackets there will be a pocket at the back for a back protector insert to be fitted, or there may even be a protector included in there. If there isn't or you're unhappy with the level of protection – sometimes they are just pieces of foam – then you can upgrade them by buying inserts.

Arai isn't a firm that just bashes out new motorcycle helmet models. The incumbent top of the range helmet, the Arai RX-7 has been in service since 2008, so the new Arai RX-7V uses a new resin compound in the outer shell, called PB-SNC2, which improves the 'stick' between each layer, saving 30 grams in the process.

Ventilation is improved to the tune of 11 percent, with bigger switches better for quick access to the outside air. The visor system is all new, with a new locking function too, so no more gritting your teeth to take the old one off.

Denim motorcycle riding jeans have an aramid-based fabric either knitted into the weave of the denim or added as panela that line the inside of the jeans. The most well-known of these fabrics is Kevlar, but there are rival fibers with brand names like Covec and Pekev that do a similar job. If the manufacturer claims they are 'Kevlar motorcycle riding jeans' that means they have been licensede by Kevlar's parent company DuPont because they must have passed the abrasion section of CE-approval.

A few top-end jeans will have full CE-marking, either CE EN 13595-1 Level 1 or the higher Level 2, but they are the fully-lined and bulky versions. A full lining adds a lot of weight and a restrictive feel to the jeans which is at odds with the casual look, and you won't want to walk around in them on the average day in tropical Thailand.

The lighter, more popular jeans have panels of abrasion-resistant materials only in key areas like knees, hips and seat. Remember these jeans are a compromise and will not offer impact protection unless you buy CE-approved jeans with armor, or fit it as an option to non-approved jeans as some have pockets that allow you to add hip or knee protection.

The choice between leather and textile riding gear is more than a matter of picking nostalgic style over high-tech chic. Each material has its pros and cons in terms of comfort and protection. We will give you a short run-down of the major differences.

Leather is king when it comes to abrasion resistance, but 'leather' can mean almost any treated animal hide, including pig, goat, kangaroo and buffalo. Cowhide is the toughest and most common, the thicker the better. Racing suits are made from hides that are 0.9mm to 1.3mm thick; street gear tends toward the lower end of that range for comfort. Thinner 'fashion-weight' motorcycle gear is more for style than protection.

Leather doesn't breathe as well as some textiles, so vents or perforations are important if you ride in Thailand. It's difficult and expensive to waterproof leather so you'll probably need a very good rainsuit if you ride during the raining season. Wet leather should be air dried slowly to keep it from drying out and cracking. An annual treatment with leather conditioner keeps the garment supple and soft.

Cataclean 'One Shot' Bike is a patented fuel and exhaust system cleaner from Cataclean and for such an inexpensive product it promises a hell of a lot of benefits to your motorcycle. The pour and go solution is claimed to improve horsepower and torque, improve throttle response, reduce carbon build-up and clean fuel injectors, improve fuel consumption and reduce emissions by up to 60 percent.

Of course if we get a product like this delivered from a company in Hong Kong, we normally not test it on one of our most valued motorcycles, but with some research we found that the company sells this product and has distributors all over the world. (They looking for a distributor for Thailand.)

Last week we got a Dainese Air Tourer S-ST 'summer' motorcycle jacket, and we used it since. The Dainese Air Tourer S-ST jacket is made from a stretchy material which Dainese calls Mugello, the Dainese S-ST jacket iscut short in length and design to fit snugly without the need of fit adjustments.

This Dainese jacket doesn't come with back protectors but this one has two pockets in different shapes to accommodate one. I simply took a back protector from another jacket. The CE-rated armor is specific to Dainese and sits just right on the body once you wear the jacket. In fact, between how much Dainese's mesh breathes and how well the armor sits, the Dainese Air Tourer S-ST jacket has to be one of the most comfortable jackets I've used.

That said, the Dainese Air Tourer S-ST jacket has a strange itchiness now and then, especially when I'm wearing just a base layer inside. It cleans up easily – hand wash only though.

A little bit of ingenuity and pinch of knowledge can go a long way; you don't have to be an engineer, or a dealer mechanic to make your scooter or motorcycle do what you need it to do. I'm not on about the awe-inspiring engine builds or crazy cut-downs that you see sometimes, I'm on about those little, less obvious modifications.

It's those little eureka moments people have. The modest moments of genius where you solve that problem that's been driving you nuts over the last few months. Or when you devise something that gives you that little bit of extra that just sets your machine apart from everyone else's.

Like I say, there's clearly some very talented people on the scene. There are the motorcycle and scooter magicians who work with mystery comparable to that of old alchemists, or painters with the finishing touch of a grand master. It doesn't matter if you can't do that, who'd expect you to? However, the fact our machines are so simple means that even the average person in the shed can get stuck in and have a go.

If you ride a motorcycle sooner or later you will encounter a tire puncture. For myself it was a typical scenario, stuck on a rural road between a few town north of Bangkok with a rear tire so flat the rim of the wheel was at ground level. Feeling like the day was written off and a lengthy delay inevitable, I organized a recovery back to Bangkok and called the person I was going to meet.

Luckily there is a solution that can help in this situation and get you back on the road – the roadside puncture repair kit. It must be stressed that although these kits are not officially endorsed by most tire manufacturers, many tire manufacturers admit they can work in an emergency.

For 2016 the motorcycle industry talk is all about fractured-split technology. While the technology itself isn't new, it's back in the headlines because Yamaha technicians have perfected a system to fracture-split titanium. This has allowed the motorcycle manufacturer to produce cost effective titanium connecting rods for its latest sportsbike.

The term fractured-split technology may look awesome when you read about it, but how many people actually know that it is, what's it's used for and the benefits it delivers?

Fractured-splitting is the process allowing a solid object to be fractured into two or more pieces in a controlled fashion, similar to the way a tile cutter scores the surface of a tile and then applies pressure to create a fracture along the scored line.

Continental tires has taken the best of the off-road performance of the Continental TKC80 adventure tire, mixed it with road performance of the Trail Attack 2 dual-sport tire, and produced the Continental TKC70.

With DNA from the Continental TKC80 – 20 percent road and 80 percent off-road TKC80 and 80 percent road and 20 percent off-road Trail Attack 2 – the TKC70 is a 60 percent road and 40 percent off-road tire designed for the likes of big adventure bikes like the BMW R1200GS and KTM Adventure bikes.