“WATER…WATER It seems as if summer came to the desert really early this year. Triple digit temperatures are in full incineration mode and most likely will continue to mid-September. Arizona boasts 360 days of sunshine and that equates to year-round riding, but it has never been said that they were all pleasant. Living in the Sonoran environment means a summer ride requires your bike be pointed toward higher elevations and ridden there hastily. Any significant amount of time spent on a motorcycle in this kind of heat turns the human brain into a poached egg. These conditions, however, could not be better for the M-E Proving Grounds to field test the latest drink system pack we received from Hydrapak. This baby is a life saver for hot summer riding because it literally could save your life. Excessive loss of water from the body through evaporation perspiration quickly leads to dehydration. Muscle weakness and lightheadedness are symptoms that can occur early and well before becoming thirsty. Neither of these conditions is conducive to the safe operation of a motorcycle. The best way to treat dehydration is to prevent it from ever happening. Enter the Hydrapak. It’s a small, lightweight, multifunctional drinking system designed to address your hydration needs. There’s a three-liter insulated reservoir that opens wide for easy filling and cleaning. Fluid is drawn from the reservoir by the bite activated “EasyFlo” valve. The reservoir compartment has expandable gussets so that the water doesn’t hake up the space intended for gear storage. The Hydrapak has 7.4 liters of pack volume, providing plenty of room for sunglasses, visors, phones, cameras, iPods, or food and extra water. We found that all of this versatility is very comfortable and the pack allows for the freedom of motion that motorcycling requires. If you have been looking for a pack that can handle the gear and fluids for a full day of hot-weather riding, may we suggest you look at the full line of Hydrapaks at hydrapak.com.

Doug George

www.moto-euro.com