People ask me the same things constantly: "What's the sound setup in your videos?" "What helmet is that?" "What camera are you running?" Rather than type out the same answer every single time, I figured I'd put it all in one place. Some of what's below I use all the time, like the Pista on my head, and I have two of those now. Other things are what I'd point a new rider toward when the budget is still tight. I'll keep the two apart as I go: what I use myself, and what I recommend but haven't worn.
What I wear: AGV Pista GP RR
The most-asked question first: I currently wear the AGV Pista GP RR, and I have two of them, one in matte Electrum and one in Futuro. It's AGV's track helmet, and whether I'm heading out on a good-weather day or going to a track day, it's the one I put on.
What hooked me is a feeling I can only describe as "the helmet disappears." The shell is 100% carbon fiber, and the first time I held one in my hands it really did feel light. The spec sheets say otherwise. AGV's official 1,450 g is the weight of the smallest shell size, and Shoei lists my old Japan-spec Z-8 at 1,384 g in size M, so on paper the Pista is actually a little heavier. On my head while riding, though, the Pista feels lighter to me than the Z-8 did. Tucked in on the R6, the helmet sits at just the right angle and the wind doesn't push it up at speed. I'm completely at ease wearing it on track.
It does have downsides. The shell shape is aggressive and a bit wasted on slow city riding, and because it's designed for a tucked position, riders who sit upright like a commuter won't get the best field of view or comfort from it. Being a track helmet, it will never be as comfortable as the Z-8 I used to commute in. There's wind noise too, which on a track helmet I simply don't care about. For the way I ride (good-weather outings, or straight to a track day), it's still the helmet I wear most.
As for fit, mine sits narrow and long on my head, and it's tight, though I got used to it after a while. That's my head in my helmet. Someone with a different head shape could feel the forehead or the cheeks getting squeezed first in the same helmet. So the first time, try one on in a store if you possibly can and confirm the size before you order, instead of guessing.
My old commute helmet: Shoei Z-8
Back when I was riding the R7 every day for commuting, I wore a Japan-spec Shoei Z-8. In North America it's sold as the RF-1400 and in Europe as the NXR2: the same model, but each regional version has its own certification and weight. My requirements back then were simple: quiet, comfortable for extended wear, not exhausting after a long day. The Z-8 delivered on all three. The liner is plush, wind noise suppression is genuinely effective, and I could get through a full commute without arriving at my destination with a headache.
I owned the R6 and R7 at the same time back then; once I let the R7 go and kept just the R6 — which handles my short commutes too — the Z-8 moved to the back. That's not a knock on it — I'd describe it as the helmet that best understands the everyday rider. Comfortable, quiet, well-built, just with a softer temperament than the Pista. If someone asks me what to wear for daily commuting, the Z-8 is still my first recommendation.
For beginners: a properly certified full-face
Not everyone needs to put serious money into a helmet on day one. I upgraded one helmet at a time myself. If you've just started riding and the budget is tight, my advice is simple: skip the half-shell and get a properly certified full-face. The card below is the AGV K1 S in matte black, AGV's entry-level street full-face. It doesn't have the Pista's carbon shell, but it covers the job that matters most, protecting your head to a real standard, and matte black goes with any bike. Ride, get comfortable, and upgrade once you know you're hooked. I haven't worn the K1 S myself. I picked it the way I'd pick any helmet: certification first, then whether the size fits.
I'm firm about full-face first because chin protection is the biggest difference between a full-face and an open-face helmet. If you go down and slide in an open-face, there's nothing in front of your chin, and that's the part new riders overlook most. An entry-level helmet won't be as quiet or comfortable, the ventilation is basic, and it gets stuffy on long rides. You can live with all of that, but protection is the one place not to cut corners. When you start caring about how closely a helmet fits and how well it wraps your head, or you want to try a track day, that's when to upgrade. A good entry-level helmet's job is to keep you safe through the most inexperienced stretch of your riding life.
On track: Dainese Laguna Seca 5 two-piece leather suit
With the head covered, here's what covers the rest of me. At track days I wear the Dainese Laguna Seca 5 — a two-piece leather suit: jacket and pants are separate, joined at the waist by a rear zipper. Zipped together they give the same full-body coverage as a one-piece. I chose two-piece for a purely practical reason: it's livable off the bike. I can unzip at the waist to walk around the paddock, get food, cool down between sessions — without having to strip an entire one-piece over my head. Over a full track day that flexibility adds up.
What matters most is the protection where it counts. Shoulders, elbows, and knees all have hard armor inserts; a back protector can be inserted in the dedicated pocket. The outer leather is thick cowhide with tight stitching — this is gear that was engineered to take a high-speed slide and come out the other side, not something you wear for the look. The stretch panels and pre-curved cut make the tucked-in position on the R6 feel natural: arms bent, upper body flat, no binding at the shoulders or restriction at the neck. Ventilation openings at the armpits and across the back provide real airflow; it still gets warm at a summer track day, but meaningfully more breathable than I expected going in.
The honest trade-offs: it's genuinely hot to stand around in before a session, and it isn't light kit. For slow city riding it's complete overkill. But that was never the point — this suit's job is to minimize the consequences when you're pushing hard and something goes wrong. Every time I pull that rear zipper closed, I feel like I've done my part before dropping into the first corner.
Paired with the suit I wear Dainese boots at the track. Your ankle and foot are constantly working on track — shifting, trail-braking, hanging off the pegs — and they're among the most exposed points in a crash. The Dainese boots lock my ankle in place, limiting the lateral rotation that tears ligaments. Hard shells cover the toe box, heel, and front of the shin. The sole is stiff, which gives clean and precise shift feedback; the toe slider takes the abrasion when the lean angle gets serious. They feel stiff off the bike — by design. The moment you swing a leg over and put your boot on a peg, you understand exactly why they need to be that way. Helmet, suit, boots: those three together are what I mean when I say properly geared up for a track day.
How I record the exhaust sound: Zoom H2n
Most people assume the audio in my videos comes from the camera. It doesn't. Camera microphones were never built for high-SPL sources like motorcycle exhausts — the instant you open the throttle hard they clip, turning every loud moment into digital distortion. What I use is a Zoom H2n: a dedicated handheld recorder mounted separately from the camera, synced in post with the Action 4 footage. The difference is not subtle. The H2n handles the pressure wave from the exhaust without breaking down, captures the low-end body even at low revs, and lets the inline-four's scream above 10,000 rpm come through clean.
The H2n's microphone array gives me flexibility — I can switch recording patterns depending on the capture angle I want that day. It's compact, runs on batteries, and disappears into a jacket pocket. The interface is dated; certain settings require navigating a few button presses to reach. And it's not a real-time monitoring setup — you set it, mount it, ride, and review later. But for the specific purpose of recording a motorcycle exhaust accurately, it's the tool I've kept trusting session after session.
Here's what it took me some wasted recordings to learn. First, set input gain low. Exhaust transients are far louder than you expect — I started with gain set too high, and every hard acceleration turned the waveform into a red mess. Pull the gain down, leave plenty of headroom, bring levels up in post: the result is much cleaner. Second, mounting position matters enormously. Too close to the exhaust tip and you capture mostly low-end rumble with no definition; I give the mic real distance from the pipe to let the sound field open up, and the shift in character is significant. Third, wind noise is the enemy above all else. I always use a foam windscreen — without it, wind rush swamps everything, especially at speed. Every one of those lessons cost me a session I couldn't use.
How I shoot the video: DJI Osmo Action 4
For video I use the DJI Osmo Action 4. Most of my ride content is short — a good-weather loop on familiar roads, anywhere from a few minutes to about fifteen, with the occasional longer trip. For that style of shooting the Action 4 fits well: the larger sensor versus the previous generation holds up as light fades in the evening without dissolving into noise, and the stabilization is smooth enough across rough pavement sections that the footage stays watchable.
The magnetic quick-release mount is something I've come to appreciate more than I anticipated. At a red light I can pull the camera free, change angle, and snap it back in seconds with no tools. Battery life and thermal headroom are both fine for short-form content. The limitation shows up on sustained long-distance shooting: if you're planning a multi-hour uninterrupted ride, bring extra batteries and plan around heat — that's not what this camera was optimized for. Within my actual use case, though, it has been consistently reliable.
Giving the R6 a voice: Akrapovic full system
Last, and most central to the whole channel: the exhaust. My R6 runs an Akrapovic full system — headers, mid-pipe, and silencer, replacing everything from the engine ports back. That distinction matters. A slip-on only swaps out the muffler; a full system changes the exhaust flow from the cylinder head forward, altering fuelling behavior and requiring a professional ECU remap to run correctly. I had mine remapped by a technician after the install, because fitting a full system and leaving the stock fuel map in place means lean running, flat spots, and rough behavior that makes the whole exercise feel half-done.
The result is the sound this entire channel is built around. The stock R6 exhaust is over-damped for regulatory reasons — there's nothing wrong with it functionally, but it flattens the character of the engine on a recording. The Akrapovic lets the inline-four breathe and speak freely. The high-rpm scream from 10,000 rpm to the redline, the sharp crackle on deceleration, the way the note rises and shifts with each gear change — all of that comes through because the system is no longer suppressing it. I also value the weight reduction and the quality of the construction; it looks exactly like what it is. The price is real, and noise regulations vary significantly by region, so do your local research before committing.
FAQ
How do you record the exhaust sound in your videos?
I use a Zoom H2n as a dedicated audio recorder mounted separately from the camera, then sync the audio with the DJI Osmo Action 4 footage in post. Camera microphones clip immediately on high-SPL exhaust sound, so I never rely on them for primary audio. Everything you hear is captured live — no post-production enhancement.
What helmet are you wearing in your videos?
AGV Pista GP RR. I have two of them, one in Electrum and one in Futuro. It's a 100% carbon fiber track helmet and it stays very stable at speed. It fits tight and isn't as comfortable as a commuter helmet, but I got used to that over time. Back when I owned the R6 and R7 at the same time and commuted daily on the R7, I wore a Japan-spec Shoei Z-8; I've since let the R7 go — the R6 is my only bike now and handles my short commutes too — so the Z-8 has been retired to the back shelf.
Does a beginner need an expensive helmet?
No. I upgraded one helmet at a time myself. When budget is tight I'd say: skip the half-shell, get a properly certified full-face in matte black first. Cover the most important job — protecting your head — and upgrade once you know you're genuinely into riding.
What exhaust is on your R6?
Akrapovic full system. Stock is too muted — it has no soul on a recording. Once the Akrapovic went on, the inline-four's high-rpm scream and the off-throttle pops finally came through. That sound is the whole reason this channel exists.
What leathers and boots do you wear on track?
Dainese Laguna Seca 5 two-piece leather suit — jacket and pants connect via a rear zipper, giving the same full coverage as a one-piece when zipped together. Shoulders, elbows, and knees all have hard armor; a back protector can be added. Boots are Dainese too — they lock the ankle solid, with hard shells covering the toe box, heel, and shin, which are exactly the most vulnerable spots in a crash. With the Pista on top, those three pieces together are what I mean by being properly geared up for track.