MAGAZINE REVIEWS

Body Armor Pants	Bohn Back Protector for Aerostitch Jackets	MC TESTED - Scottoiler Automatic
		INNOVATION OF THE MONTH - Scott Oiler
Back Protector	Aerostitch Roadcrafter	Scottoiler Motorcycle System

Body Armor Pants

A mix of nylon / lycra material and Euro CE standard armor, these Bohn armored Pants slip on under your jeans and give impact protection on your hips, thighs, knees and shins. You shouldn't even have to spring for a larger pair of Levi's either. Say, is that armor in your pants or are you just glad to see me?

From ActionStations at (530) 898-9269 or www.actionstation.com

Page 104, July 2000, MOTORCYCLIST (Review reproduced with the permission)

Holiday gift guide - Back Protector

Mick Doohan wears this. We wear it. 'Nuff said. This Carbon/Kevlar back protector offers adjustable shoulder straps and waist belt, generous coverage over your shoulders, kidneys and tailbone, and can be adjusted to your height/riding position with individual Carbon/Kevlar plates.

Ring up ActionStations at (530) 898-9269 or visit www.actionstation.com

Page 96, January 1999 , MOTORCYCLIST (Article reproduced with the permission)

Beef up your 'Stitch

Along with its armored pants, Bohn Armor has also come up with an Aerostitch Roadcrafter version of its Carbon/Kevlar Back protector. Specially placed velcro tabs allow for easy fitment into the tabs of your 'Stitch. A fine way to get generous coverage of your shoulder blades, kidneys and tailbone.

Dial up ActionStations at (530) 898-9269 or www.actionstation.com

Page 102, July 2000, MOTORCYCLIST (Review reproduced with the permission)

MC TESTED - Scottoiler Automatic Chain Lubrication System

A bike's life can be dirty and wet, a state of affairs that'll kill a drive chain but quick proper lubrication has always been one of our favorite phrases, and by installing a chain oiler system from Scottoiler on our long-term VFR800FI, we've discovered a great way to be lazy about link lubrication. This basic system uses engine vacuum pressure and an oil reservoir to deposit one to two drops of oil per minute on a bike's chain while it's in motion.

Parts and installation are straightforward, but require some forethought: There's an oil reservoir about the size of a corn dog that we mounted ahead of the left passenger footrest; hooking up the vacuum connection required that we cut into the VFKs engine vacuum hose-you'll want to read Scottoiler's (and your bike's) manual carefully before whipping out the X-Acto knife.

Mount the rest of the tubing so the dispenser assembly empties out near the bottom of the rear sprocket, and you're done. It took us about an hour to install it - your time may vary according to the bike.

We found that the Scottoiler works well, and has kept the VFR's chain lubricated and clean during commutes and 1000-mile weekend jaunts. Centrifugal force injects the 0-ring-compatible lube directly into the chain, so splatter is nearly eliminated-unless you accidentally turn the reservoir-adjusting knob the wrong way (easy to do) and let the excess oil be gradually flung onto the rear of the bike. We'd suggest initially starting with the minimum flow and working your way up from there. After that, it's out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

Manufactured in Scotland since 1985, these things are apparently all the rage across the pond. The system is pricey but could be a reasonable addition, depending on how much your time is worth. Since the Scottoiler keeps our hands clean, our bike clean and our chain healthy with a minimum of the usual fuss, we figure there may be a decent market here among maintenance-impaired motorcyclists.

-James Brown

Page 84, January 1999 , MOTORCYCLIST (Article reproduced with the permission)

Bohn Back Protector for Aerostitch Jackets

When we see racers take a vicious tumble and get up to walk away, we know that their expensive protective gear is certainly what made the difference between a bruising and a hospital bed.

Experienced street riders are becoming more accustomed to the idea that to dress properly for riding public roads isn't really so different from dressing properly to race.

Which is actually safer? It's not so obvious. Street riders don't have flagmen to warn them of hazards, and racers have no intersections, drunks or unfamiliar pavement to deal with. Which situation would you choose for your daily commute?

Bohn Body Armor is one of the best known companies in protective gear. They outfit such luminaries as Ben and Eric Bostrum, Jamie Hacking, Scott Russell and Aaron Yates, among others. And, they've finally turned their attention to the street rider with a back protector that attaches neatly into the four existing locations in the very popular Aerostich jackets. Two styles and several sizes are available (style #KC16A and #KC17A).

Far more protective than the narrow Aerostich foam and plastic spine protector, which always pressed uncomfortably against the base of our helmets, Bohn's slimline, half an inch thick Carbon/Aramid back protector covers the spine, shoulder blades and wraps around the kidneys as well.

Equipped with a hook and loop waistband and shoulder straps, it can also be worn separately under racing leathers or other jackets. Its only drawback is that it blocks a fair amount of the airflow available from the shoulder vents in hot weather. But, we feel so much more secure wearing it, that it's become a permanent part of our favorite Darien jacket.

- Dave Searle
Motorcycle Consumer News
Volume 31 Number 8 August 2000

From the August 2000 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News (Reprinted with permission)

Our Comment:
When we met Dave Searle at Laguna he said that when riding in Death Valley he undid the waist strap, which allowed the back protector to float off his back a little with the air pressure from the vents. He said it made an amazing difference! Great Tip, we will add it to our instructions! YOU CAN BE COOL AND PROTECTED.

INNOVATION OF THE MONTH -
ScottOiler Chain Oiling System

Chain final drive is a very efficient method of power transfer. In good condition, a chain consumes considerably less of an engine's hard-earned horsepower in friction than a shaft drive does - as you can quickly tell when rolling both configurations around a garage, as we often do. While the H-D owners will tell you a chain is not as maintenance-free as a belt, the steady refinement of O-ring chains has gone a long way, both figuratively and literally, to minimize the difference.

However, there is still plenty of room for improvement. A chain is still a hundred or more little steel hinges, and hinges like to stay oiled. So a chain that's dirty and ignored won't last nearly as long as it could, and could be stealing perhaps 10% of your hp in friction.

And, of course, the worse the weather, the more often it needs oiling. With that in mind, it's not surprising that a top-notch chain oiler should come from the British Isles, invented in Glasgow, Scotland, by one Fraser Scott ('hence the name), The distributor says the product has a virtual cult following at home, with sales of 80,000 units in 10 years in the U.K. alone-mainly by word-of-mouth.

If regular chain lubrication is the sort of messy job that inspires your procrastination, the Scottoiler could be the perfect lazy-man's solution to meticulous maintenance. What you're offered is a choice of sizes, one a large 400cc-capacity touring model, good for perhaps 5000 miles between refills, obviously designed to be hidden behind a big square British rear license plate, and the other, a discreet 50cc model that can be easily mounted on virtually any motorcycle with the generous range of supplied hardware. The unit utilizes engine vacuum to open its oiling valve, (we simply plumbed it into a carburetor vacuum-synchronizing port) so oil only flows when the engine is running, and the quantity is precisely adjustable.

The quality of the unit in its design and construction is exceptional. Mounting took a little over an hour on the editor's NT650 Hawk. If you don't care for the exposed look, it can easily be hidden away, and was, after the photos were taken. Big bore sport-bikes may have room for the large capacity-touring reservoir. Topping-up the oil reservoir is easy with the provided refill bottle.

Once installed, we found that oil flow could be adjusted from 7-35 sec. per drop at idle (with 20-30 sec./drop suggested). The only drawback is that during long periods of extended idling a tiny puddle could collect on the ground. However, for the price, the Scottoiler could easily pay for itself in extra chain life, reduced maintenance expenses and hassle, and improved fuel mileage. And, of course, you could have some fun with the unleashed horsepower.

-Dave Searle

Page 46, MARCH 1998 - MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS (Article reproduced with the permission)

Scottoiler Motorcycle System

O-ring chains are marvelous things indeed. They free motorcycle owners from much of the maintenance drudgery once attached to chain final-drive systems. However, contrary to some riders misconceptions, they are not strictly maintenance-free items; O-ring chains require at least occasional oiling to lubricate the surfaces that rub the sprockets, prevent corrosion and carry grime off the sideplates and rollers. As centerstands become increasingly rare, riders are more apt to skip the chain oiling chore. Lacking a stand, most bikes prove to be something of a pain to maintain; it's really a two-man operation to roll the bike along while squirting away with a can of chain lube. Hence, the Scottoiler system. As the name implies, the Scottoiler is an automatic chain oiler, one which incorporates a reservoir, metering valve and oil delivery system. The metering valves actuating plunger operates off engine vacuum and therefore works only when the motorcycle is running; this eliminates the ongoing drip that would occur with a gravity-fed system when the bike is parked.

The Scottoiler comes in a package that contains a wealth of hardware options for fitting the unit up to a wide variety of motorcycles. Installation hardware includes an abundance of fittings, brackets, conduits and sleeves; the company even throws in duct tape and super glue for some applications! The written instructions are adequate, with just enough illustrations to give you the gist of things. We would have preferred additional details and more lavish illustrations, but in its present iteration the instructions will suffice. Installation was an easy evening's work, about a couple of hours, depending upon how handy and imaginative you are. We spent fully half of the installation time familiarizing ourselves with the Scottoiler and devising the most unobtrusive installation on our Suzuki Bandit 1200 test mule. Having done this once, we could easily install the Scottoiler on another Bandit in about an hour's time.

A few hundred miles of test riding proved that the Scottoiler functions precisely as advertised. The oil reservoir can be filled quickly, easily and with virtually no mess by using the supplied bottle of chain oil. The flow rate can be adjusted quickly and easily with a mere twist of the flow-adjustment knob, and our unit delivered oil right to the chain with a bare minimum of fling-off; virtually every brand of aerosol-spray lube that we have used causes more overspray and fling-off than the Scottoiler.

Depending upon the flow rate chosen, the petite reservoir should hold enough oil for at least a thousand miles, or perhaps twice that distance. Also, since the flow rate is readily adjustable, it's simplicity itself to dial up delivery as needed following a rain shower or a jaunt down an intriguing unpaved side road.. The Scottoiler is obviously a major investment compared to the cost of a can of spray lube. That money, however, buys convenience, regular chain maintenance and a new degree of freedom--you now have one less thing to think about.

For more information contact ActionStations, 166 Eaton Road, Chico, California 95973-0201;
(530) 898-9269.
-Ken Lee

Shop Talk article - Rider, Feb 1998 page 72.

Article reproduced with the permission of Ehlert Publishing Group, publishers of Rider, American Rider & Cruising Rider magazines.

See also MCN March 1998 for a test of the Scottoiler.
Voted "Innovation of the Month", MCN recognized the ability of the Scottoiler also to transmit more power. They fitted it to Editor Lee Parks' Honda Hawk.
"...the quality of design & construction is cexceptional."