MotoReview MSR Legend Off Road

 MotoReview- MSR Legend Off Road Gear

I know that I've been reviewing a lot of off-road gear lately, so much so that you might be wondering what the heck is going on. It's simple really- I've been riding on the streets for well over 20 years and, during that time, I bought and used gear and figured out what I liked and what I didn't, and I've procured a collection of riding essentials that have become my staple attire. When I first started riding more seriously, I didn't have any kind of platforms on which to share what I liked and what I didn't, so by the time my wee little corner of the interweb got established, my street riding gear collection was, for the most part, already fully established. 

Since I started riding off-road again, though, I've been able to bring you guys along with me, right from the start. I've been able to share my story of getting the bike and getting it ready to ride, to sharing my rides and now, sharing my gear purchases, all of which have pretty much been in real time, which is why you are seeing so many off-road reviews. But fear not, my fellow asphalt warriors, I promise that I've got some reviews coming up for you soon... but not today. Today, I'll be talking about the MSR Legend Off Road Jersey and Pants and the MSR Adventure Boots. 

MSR Legend Off Road

For full disclosure- I was NOT sponsored by MSR or Rocky Mountain ATV/MC for this post (but if they want to reach out and collaborate, I'd be happy to talk to them about it). 

For this acquisition, I wasn't lucky enough to get any deep discounts from any closeout or overstock retailers, instead, I picked this gear up from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and I paid full price. I had done some research on the MSR Legend gear, and I really liked the features I saw, so I started shopping. Some friends had given some pretty great reviews of Rocky Mountain, so I figured I'd peruse their offerings and see what I could find... I went down a rabbit hole, but that's a story for another day.

Malcolm Smith is a legendary off-road racer that achieved international acclaim when he starred alongside Steve McQueen in the 1971 documentary, On Any Sunday. MSR stands for Malcolm Smith Racing, so as you can probably guess, their gear is top-notch. The best part about it though- is that it isn't bank-breaking expensive. They make high quality, well thought out, riding gear that is actually pretty affordable for the novice rider and the pro's alike. Now, for full disclosure, I didn't know any of these details prior to buying it, I was honestly just looking for good prices and nice looking gear. 

MSR Legend Off Road Jersey

There are so many reasons to love this jersey. First of all, let's talk about the styling- it's simple, the colors aren't flashy and it doesn't have wild graphics, which is perfect for the guys or gals that just want to ride their dirty bikes and have some fun. This thing is crazy comfortable- the sides are a strong, micro-mesh fabric that breathes so well that I sometimes forget that I'm wearing a jersey at all. The sleeves fit well and the cuffs keep them at the wrists, where they belong. The material is strong and hasn't snagged or ripped on any of the, eh hmm- many, thorny vines and bushes that I've encountered while riding thus far. The fitment is spot on and it fits true to the "off-road" sizing- meaning that it is true to size to accommodate a roost/chest protector worn under it. 

Rocky Mountain is a major retailer of MSR gear and, as such, they have all of the sizes and color options in-stock. Talking about color options, the Legend series gear comes in black, brown, tan, gray, military green and steel blue. I went with the brown, because I liked the added visibility of the orange banner across the chest. This jersey retails for $36.99 and that's what I paid. Honestly, I've paid as much, or more, for a basic cotton T-shirt from other companies that I like to support, so $37 USD for a high quality, functional shirt like this is actually a great deal for me. 

MSR Legend Off Road Pants

These pants come in two different options- inside the boot, and outside the boot. I chose the inside the boot variant for a couple of reasons- first, to prevent ticks and any other little biters from getting on my legs and crawling up to my sensitive areas; second- to avoid having any loose material that could, and undoubtedly would, catch on some of the many things I find on the trails; and third- because, for trail riding, I just think it looks better. 

MSR really did their homework with these pants, too because other than offering them in inside, or outside, the boot wear... they are also absolutely packed with features. First and foremost- they have pockets. Yes, off-road riding pants equipped with zippered pockets. Why am I so excited about this? Easy, I can carry my phone, my truck key, wallet or ID, pack of chewing gum, knife, granola bar... well, you get the point. I can carry any, or all, of that in my pants pocket and not in my backpack. I could keep going about how much I like the pockets, but I'll move on because I think you get the point. The next best thing about these pants are the zippered vents. Yes, I said zippered vents. Man, what a game changer these are. Too chilly, make sure those vents are zipped shut; too hot, unzip them to reveal the mesh liner that will prevent leaves, sticks, ticks and spiders from travelling in with that cool breeze. Whoever designed these pants, without a doubt, rides a motorcycle. The material is a strong, durable ripstop that is sewn well and has accoutrements like leather inner knee panels, stretch panels in all the right spots and inner hip pockets if you want to put in some hip armor (not included). They have a zippered groin so you don't have to drop your drawers to relieve bladder pressure, and a ratcheting buckle to close them up at the waist. If you need to fine-tune the waist fitment, MSR doubled down on the comfort efforts, by putting a velcro adjustment on each side. These are, by far, the most comfortable riding pants I have. Much like the other pants I have, the legs are precurved and the pants are roomy enough to easily accommodate knee/shin guards worn on the inside. Again, styling is simple, conservative and nice looking without looking ostentatious. 

MSRP for the inside the boot britches is right at $109, and the outside the boot option will set you back another $10, at $119. This might seem like a lot of cheese, at least it did for me, but after seeing what I got for my money, I'm pretty satisfied. I look at it like this- my favorite pair of Levi's cost me around $60 these days, when I catch them on sale (thanks to inflation) and I usually wear them every day, and have to replace them every year or so. To put it in perspective, I spend about $100- $120 every year or so, on a couple of pair of jeans. Comparatively, I spent $109 on this one pair of MSR Legend Off Road riding pants, that will likely last me for several years of off-road riding adventures. When you consider that these pants are specifically designed for the specific movements we do when riding off-road, and for the unique conditions we face when riding enduro and/ or single track trails, it's kind of a no-brainer. Sure, as I've shown you in some of my other MotoReviews, you can definitely spend less money, but you're also likely to get less features. 

MSR Adventure Boots

Keeping with the MSR trend, I chose the MSR Adventure Boots. Now, to be completely honest, these were not my first choice when I was making my initial purchase from Rocky Mountain. Without having any knowledge of off-road riding boots, I went with the least expensive option- the MSR M3X. They were priced a little over $100, so I added them to the cart with the rest of the stuff and got them on their way without really considering what I needed. Before they arrived though, I saw a video review from a YouTuber that calls himself SwankyCat, who just happened to do a review of MSR's M3X boots compared to their Adventure boots. Now, I don't know him and I don't know what, or how, he rides, but he did make a few points in his video that made a lot of sense to me. After watching his comparison of the two boots, I got back on Rocky Mountain's website and decided to test out Rocky Mountain's "easy return policy" before the M3X's ever even showed up at my house. Rocky Mountain's customer support made it super easy and when the M3X's arrived, I was really glad that I was sending them back. It's not that they weren't good boots- they just weren't going to be good for me, and my riding. 

The Adventures shipped the same day, and I had them within a week or so, thanks to the crappy weather that was affecting the Western side of the US of A. Once I got them, I was immediately impressed- they are very well made and they are very comfortable. They are built with real leather, have stitched-on rubber guards all over them and the best part (and one of the main reasons I got them)- they are waterproof. The only thing that's predictable about the Southern Mississippi weather isn't if it's going to rain, but when and for how long, so the likelihood of hitting standing water on the trails is a guarantee. Keeping my feet dry is as important as having a good sole with some grip, for pushing the bike through the muck when necessary, and I've found it necessary more than once to use the grippy soles on these. I've also tested the waterproofing several times and can report that, these boots are in fact, waterproof. They are a bit wide in the toe-box and I've found that the old-skool technique of wearing wool socks really is the best to get the maximum comfort out of them. The wider toe also makes it a little tricky to manipulate the shifter and rear brake on my vintage XR, and that did take some getting used to. The buckles are well made, but just like SwankyCat, I did find that I needed to trim a little length off the bottom ratcheting strap. The velcro top does a good job of sealing the top of the boots against my calf, and the shank of the boot easily fits my O'Neal articulated knee/shin guards. Since these are my only off-road riding boots, I've worn them on every excursion on the "ole legbreaker" and I can tell you, I've abused them. They have held up extremely well and I don't see them wearing out anytime soon. While they might be better suited for riding an ADV bike like a Pan America, Tiger or GS, rather than a 37 year old XR600, they are working very well for me and I'm pretty happy with them. These boots set me back a smooth $200 from Rocky Mountain and, while that is a lot of money, I will refer back to my previously noted cost analysis. Just like the pants, if these boots last me, let's say, three years before they need to be replaced... that's only $66 a year. If they last five years, that's a paltry $40 bucks a year. Sure, the initial investment might give you a bit of heartburn, but for what you get with MSR's Adventure boots compared to similar boots, like Gaerne, Alpinestars, Sidi or Forma... the MSR's are a bargain at less than half the price of the competitors. 

Final Thoughts

If you're like me, and are just getting into riding off-road, you need good gear to get the most enjoyment out of your new adventures. Wearing jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers while riding on trails is a recipe for disaster. A long time ago, I hit a berm a little too hot while riding my YZ250 and ended up on my ass. I didn't have any fancy riding pants back then and, after that little spill, I had to ride the bike back to the truck with my backside hanging out through the giant rip in my jeans. If you blew most of your budget on the bike, then take a look at my other reviews here and here for some great gear at even better prices. If you saved yourself some money though, and bought yourself an older bike like I did, then I recommend going to Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and checking out their selection of MSR Legend Off Road gear. 

Until next time, MotoReaders,

Ride safe and make good choices!

Let's get DIRTY....

Let's Get Dirty!

I recently picked up a bit of a project bike; one unlike any of my other motorcycles. Now, I've been riding street bikes since the 1990's... but like many of you, I didn't start there. I got my start in the dirt and on the trails and it's been almost 30 years since I sold my last off-road bike. Take a quick ride down the memory "trail" with me, and let's get into the "brush" with this one, shall we?

Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

The year is 1980-something and your old pal the MotoWriter is still just a kid. A kid with a couple of fishing poles and a $10 bill burning a hole in his pocket. A few miles away, a classmate's dad had been to the auto auction and picked up an old Honda XR200 for his son. The bike was a beater and had been painted by someone with nothing better to do with himself but ruin a motorcycle with, what I can only guess was some kind of epoxy spatter paint (it was the 80's, after all), so my classmate's dad got it for a steal. 

Now, back then, I did a lot of fishing, but after ripping around on a mini-bike that my dad picked up for me from a neighbor, nearly breaking my neck on my cousin's Honda ATC and flying low on my buddy's motorcycle engine powered go-cart... my interests had shifted from peacefully standing on the bank of a bayou wetting hooks, to high-octane powered speed! On a school bus ride home one fateful afternoon, a couple of adolescent entrepreneurs had struck a deal! He would get two of my best fishing poles and that crinkled up $10 bill, and I would take delivery of his dirtbike... that didn't run. 

If my memory serves me correctly, I think I was still in middle school and I had no knowledge of motorcycle repair, and no experience turning wrenches on anything more complicated than a lawnmower engine and a BMX bike. After getting that ugly-ass Honda home and spending a few hours tinkering around with it, though- I got that old dirt bike running! It didn't take long for me to figure out how to ride it, and ride it, I did! I couldn't sand the paint down, and I definitely couldn't afford to buy a new gas tank and new plastics, so I did what any budget-restricted adolescent would do, and I got some red rattle-can paint and some cool looking "Mr. Horsepower" stickers (you know, the angry, cigar smoking woodpecker logo), and dolled her up. I ran the roads on that bike for months, much to the chagrin of the neighbors, and my parents. 

A Kid With Grown-up Money

Retirement has a way of, as my lovely bride has jovially commented, "de-adultifying" a person. Now, the best way I can describe this is, as I've previously stated... we only have 75 good years. The problem is, between age 5 and 18, you have to go to school (and many of us had to start working a part-time job for the last two to three years of those). The next 2-4 years might be college for some, or full time jobs for the rest of us. By our mid-20's though... we're pretty much all working and we'll do that for the next 25-30 years, at least. We don't usually get into the good years until we're in our 50's or 60's, and by then, most folks that never learned that motorcycles are basically the closest thing to a fountain of youth for the minds, are basically too tired to really do anything other than sit around, golf, fish or travel in an RV (which, I'll admit that a couple of those don't sound too bad). So, if you are lucky enough to retire in your "middle-age", you might find yourself in just the right spot to enjoy a time when you don't have to go to school, you don't have to go to work, and you have a little extra jingle in your pocket to get some cool stuff. Basically, you kind of get to be a kid again, but with grown up money.

My Last Dirtbike

I sold the last of my dirtbikes, a 1973 Suzuki TC100 Enduro bike, decades ago. I was married, working a full time job and Mrs. MotoWriter and I were expecting our first child. I hadn't ridden the old 'Zuki in a couple of years and it was just taking up space at my parents' house, so I figured I'd make a few bucks off of it and buy some groceries, instead. Over the next few years, I worked, paid bills and tried my best to make a decent life for my little family. 

Years later, as I was getting established in my career, I was finally able to get another motorcycle- an older model Honda cruiser- but that's a story for another day- and with it, my dirtbike days were over, or so I thought. 

In my younger days, I never raced or rode motocross, I was a trail guy. I loved getting into the woods and riding among the trees, along river banks and over sandy berms and along fire trails. After years of riding two lane highways, interstates and back roads on my street bikes, a long dormant fire was reignited inside of me. It was the call of the forest beckoning me, offering the tranquility of her trails for a chance to reconnect with nature the way I used to do as a kid. So I started looking for another off road bike. I toyed around with the idea of an ADV bike, like a Triumph Tiger or a Pan America. I still haven't ruled that out entirely, but I didn't want to drop over $15k on a bike that I was going to thrash on in the woods, so I figured I'd start with a simple little off-road bike, instead. 

Introducing, The "Leg Breaker"

I knew that I wanted a four stroke, since the last big two stroke I had was a Yamaha YZ250 that was a "retired" race bike that I nearly broke my back on during a failed attempt at a jump. I really like the Hondas, so I set out on finding a used XR250. What I found though, was that, apparently, everyone else likes the same bikes, because the only XR250s for sale were so overpriced that I could have bought a new bike for just a few bucks more. I had given up looking, for the most part, until I just happened to come across a deal that looked too good to be true. I found an 1989 XR600R, in 90% original condition and very well-maintained, for a price so good that I had to go see it. What I found was a super cool guy who was just ready to move on from riding, selling what would be my next bike. We struck a deal and I brought her home that day. 

After getting it home and on the lift, I starting doing some research on it to learn more about my new project. I learned a few things, but the most ominous was that the XR600R was nicknamed the "leg breaker." These bikes are kick-start only and, if you aren't careful, the kick start lever can kick back, and cause you to have a real bad day. I also learned that these bikes are still very popular and that parts availability for them is still pretty good, considering the age. 

Getting Her Ready 

Getting her ready for the trails was easy enough, thanks to the meticulous maintenance that the previous owner did. The plastics were in decent shape, albeit a little ugly due to some old decals and some abrasion transfers. The first order of business was to replace the Chinese Keihein knock-off carburetor with a proper Mikuni replacement kit from Speed Moto Co.. Next was a minor repair to a broken bolt boss on the engine case. After that, I cleaned up the plastics, replaced the headlight straps, grips, chain mud guard, seat cover, tank strap, tail light, fender bag, fork boots, trip meter cable and added a new headlight shroud decal and some aftermarket "XR" decals. She looks almost as good as she runs now. Since I didn't have any off-road gear, I figured I'd hit up Rocky Mountain ATV & Motorcycle and grab some riding gear. I had to do some research, but thanks to the good folks at Rocky Mountain (and after reading a lot of reviews and talking to some friends about what gear they were using), I landed on a pair of MSR Adventure boots, an MSR helmet with "MIPS" (Multi-directional Impact Protection System), and a pair of VSN goggles. I'll be doing some MotoReviews of that gear in the coming weeks after I've had a chance to beat it up a little. I've also been told that I need to consider getting some specialized off-road pants, a jersey and a chest protector, too... so if I do, I'll do a MotoReview of that stuff, too.

Time To Ride

While I'm not giving up riding my street bikes, I am excited to get back to my roots (pun intended) and reconnect with nature on a motorcycle. I learned a lot about riding, and a lot about myself, on trails deep in the woods. From exploring the wilderness behind my grandparents' house as a youngster, to riding dirtbikes and simply hiking on trails with my family, I've always been drawn to the outdoors. 

It's safe to say that I'm more than a little excited to jump back on a bike with knobby tires and, who knows, when I start adding some content about my off-road adventures, we might even add a few more folks to the MotoReader family. For now though, it's time for me to get this hoss out of the garage, loaded up and hauled out to some local trails. 

If you happen to see me out there on the trails, don't be too mad if I'm riding too slow in front of you... just say hello as you pass me by! 

Until next time, MotoReaders...

Ride safe and get Dirty!