It’s easy to overlook the humble rucksack in your riding kit, until you’ve ended up with backache or soggy luggage. But there’s a versatile new option with the Pyramid Waterproof 35 Litre Motorcycle Backpack now available.
You can use it on your back, or as a tail pack with the supplied four mounting straps. It’s made from 500D PVC with a seamless, heat-sealed design so it will be 100% waterproof. Plus it’s also temperature resistant from 70°C to -30°C so the durable material should crack or face. It’s also easy to clean.
The backpack features a roll-top design to make it watertight when closed, and get stuff in and out more easily. When it’s packed up, you can use an integrated air-release valve to compress everything, which is a nice touch and means things won’t move about or add extra bulk to your bike. There’s an exterior pocket with a waterproof zip, along with a bottle pocket and a bungee storage net if the internal space isn’t quite enough sometimes.
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New OptiMate 5 Select Covers Classic Bike Battery Care
Older motorcycles tend to use a range of different types of 6V and 12V lead-acid batteries, and you can easily end up with a matching collection of separate battery charges to try and keep everything powered. But now the new OptiMate 5 Select covers classic bike battery care with one device, saving space, cost and rooting through your garage for a charger you haven’t seen for 12 months.
All you need to do is select the voltage you want, and the OptiMate5 will diagnose, recover, charge, check and maintain everything automatically. And the unique 24-7-3365 programme means you can leave it connected for extended periods, including winter storage or if you only use your classic bike occasionally during show season. Plus it’s rated IP54 for dust or splashes of water, and has been tested down to temperatures of -40°C.
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New Ventura EVO-22 Jet-Stream III Bike Luggage Gets Updates
There’s a fresh version of the popular 22-litre pack for motorcycles, as the new Ventura EVO-22 Jet-Stream III bike luggage gets updates from the previous models.
The new features include a seam-sealed waterproof liner to keep your stuff drier than ever when you’re riding in bad weather, and a MOLLE/PAL system on the lid so you can easily add any accessories or additional storage you might fancy.
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Marco Bezzecchi Rides New Circuit Balaton Park In A Videogame
A bit of publicity for the upcoming official MotoGP25 game may also give a slight advantage to the Aprilia rider, as Marco Bezzecchi rides new circuit Balaton Park in a videogame.
The venue is a new addition to both the MotoGP and World Superbike calendars in 2025, with WSB visiting in July and MotoGP turning up in August. Opened in Hungary in 2023, the track is still awaiting final FIM homologation, and the one 2.557 mile layout will feature some changes for motorcycle racing with alterations redesigned by Loris Capirossi.
It’s fairly common in car racing for drivers and teams at all levels to increasingly use sim racing for training and testing, with some virtual racers making the switch to real competition with decent results. But simulating motorcycle physics is much more difficult, especially given the lack of physical forces on rider and bike.
But it can certainly still help with learning a new track or layout, especially as MotoGP teams, riders and tyre supplier Michelin will only get to visit for an official test in June.
The latest in the MotoGP game series is also interesting as it will include the chance to ride motards, minibikes and flat trackers as part of your rider training. Hopefully without the real world complications of pre-season injuries which have seriously impacted several riders this year.
If you’re interested in virtual racing on two and four wheels, you can check out detailed coverage of all the best motorcycle simulators and racing games at our other site, OnlineRaceDriver.com.
The MotoGP 25 game launches on April 30th for the PC via Steam and the Epic Game Store, the PS4 and PS5 via the PlayStation Store, the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via the Microsoft Store, and the Nintendo Switch via the eShop (the Switch version doesn’t include cross-play, LiveGP or UGC content). You can also find physical copies available via Amazon (affiliate link).
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The New Aluminium Pyramid BMW R1300GS Engine Guard
Worried about damaging your sump, engine casing or exhaust headers? You can now get some extra protection with the new aluminium Pyramid BMW R1300GS Engine Guard.
Designed for 2023 models onwards, it uses AW 5083 aluminium, which is apparently a specialist grade known for performing well in exteme environments, and having resistance to seawater and chemicals. Which sounds like it should do the job of protecting the bottom of your BMW engine pretty well, with matte black powder-coating and gloss silver inserts fitting in with the original design of your bike.
The Pyramid BMW R1300GS Engine Guard uses the same bolt holes as the original standard undertray supplied with the bike, and comes with everything you need to secure it.
It’s not cheap at £174.99, but that’s less expensive than new exhausts, or finding yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere after smashing the bottom of your bike on an off-road obstacle.
If you’re worried about the front of your engine block, then you can also pair it with the £39.99 Pyramid Front Engine Cover, which also uses the existing mounting points and again uses the same Matte Black powder coasted aluminium.
Both parts are designed, developed and made in the UK, and you can find the Engine Guard on the Pyramid website here, and the Front Engine Cover, here. If you need the BMW R1300GS to go with the parts, you might find your next bike on eBay. And as always, you can find everything we’ve done that’s related to BMW motorcycles, here.
Other bikes which can use Pyramid engine guards include the BMW F900R and XR, the Honda MSX125 Grom, the Moto Gussy V100 Mandello, the Triumph Tiger 1200 GT and Rally, the Yamaha MT09, SP, Tracer 9 and GT, and the XSR900.