Month: March 2018

Motorcycle Gear Checklist For Safe Riding.

Posted on by blogger

Besides selecting your ideal motorcycle, there are a few other items that are almost as essential if you want to enjoy yourself fully. Riding safely and comfortably can make the difference between enjoying the ride and anxiously trying to get where you are going. There are several pieces of equipment that you need to keep your ride as safe and pleasant as possible.

The Helmet
The debate over the right of states to mandate helmets aside; they save lives and prevent injuries and you should choose to wear one. When purchasing a helmet, first and foremost do not buy a used helmet. You have no way of knowing if the helmet has been in an accident and if it has it is considered compromised and manufacturers recommend it be discarded (although many allow you to return the helmet for a discount on a new helmet). Next, make sure to research your helmet options. This research includes fit, weight, the ability to customize internal padding, ventilation, and fog-proof visors to name a few of the features. The helmet should feel comfortable and secure and you should be able to move your head readily without it shifting and without losing your balance from a helmet that is too heavy. This is not the time to bargain shop, look for DOT and Snell ratings to ensure that your helmet has met safety standards.

The Jacket
A compulsory part of the equipment of any safe motorcyclist is a jacket. The jacket provides the rider with protection from the weather, flying road debris. Today, jackets are made from leather or synthetic materials and usually have padding on the elbow, spine and shoulders. This padding will help to protect the rider from impact by providing cushion for the areas that are most likely to be points of impact in a crash. Regardless of your choice of leather or synthetic options, it is imperative that the jacket fit snugly to prevent it from moving out of position, twisting or riding up during a crash. All other features, such as waterproofing, ventilation and pockets should be second to proper fit. However, once you determine the correct fit you should feel free to explore the wide range of features now available in jackets.

The Riding Gloves
Riding gloves are also extremely important pieces of your safety equipment. A motorcyclists hands are often the first body part to be injured during a crash and they deserve special consideration as well. The gloves should fit snugly so that they will not fall off but have enough ventilation that your hands do not become sweaty. They should fit well and feel good enough that you will not want to remove them mid-ride or will not want to put them on at all. There are dozens of features in motorcycle gloves and they all contribute to comfort; wrist straps, washable liners, insulation for cooler temperatures and water resistance are just a few.

The Pants
Riding pants, like the motorcycle jacket offer the rider protection from the weather, debris kicked up from the road and the road itself. These pants come with built in padding in the knees, hips and seat, options for additional padding, ventilation, stretch panels and higher waistlines and/or zippering and attachment options to the jacket for maximum coverage of the body. The pants are offered in both leather and synthetic options and complete the look and the full protection that proper riding equipment has to offer.

Regardless of the style, material or features that you decide upon for your motorcycle gear, spending the time to research your equipment and investing the money in your personal safety will both contribute to an optimal riding experience that lasts for years to come.

How Motorcycle Exhausts Cut Off Sound

Posted on by blogger

If you have are in love with your bike, chances are you will be very, very particular about what sort of exhaust pipes you use. The right ones can make your machine look and feel like a million dollar baby or make it a design nightmare.

The motorcycle exhaust pipe has a very definite role to play in the dynamics of a bike. It directs the gases that come out of the combustion chamber, away from the machine and therefore the rider. Where do these gases come from and why is it important that they be directed away?

The combustion engine in a motorcycle creates a series of explosions that propel the bike forward. Since we are talking of explosive combustion, we are talking of noise and exhaust gases. Now if these gases were thrown out straight from the exhaust port, you would have a problem on your hands. The front tyres would gradually melt under the heat and whats more, your machine would sound like a disgruntled missile.

That is why bike manufacturers design the exhaust pipes carefully. These pipes take the emitted gas away from the exhaust port, pass them through what we call a muffler or a silencer and then throw them away behind the bike, away from the rider. By the time the gases pass out of the exhaust, they have already cooled off and there is little chance of any unwanted combustion.

The technology used to silence the explosive gases is simple. The gases flow at a great speed into the motorcycle exhaust pipes, which are narrow. Then they enter the muffler, which has more space. As the gases expand into the body of the muffler, they slow down and lose some of the sound energy. There are perforated baffles in the muffler that reduce the noise further. So, by the time the gases emerge from the motorcycle exhaust pipes, the noise has been cut down to a reasonable level. It is also important to remember that a good exhaust design can increase the usable power generated by your bikes engine.

Typically, motorcycle exhausts are of two kinds: the full exhaust system and the slip-on system. The full exhaust system connects the pipes to the head of the engine while the slip-on exhaust connects them to the opening where the muffler is. The former is ideal for those who run their machine at full throttle over long distance. The slip on exhaust system is usually used for street bikes. This allows a little more acceleration from the bike.

The Basics Of A Motorcycle Loan Calculator

Posted on by blogger

Loan calculator motorcycle is available online. Loan calculator motorcycle will provide a gage as to the amount of monthly payment you need to pay. In using the loan calculator motorcycle to compute the interest of the loan you are required to provide the purchase price or selling price of the motorcycle before tax. Then deduct the trade in amount to the gross selling price of the vehicle using the loan calculator motorcycle. The net price is multiplied to the sales tax rate in order to get the sales tax. Then add sales tax and fees to the gross purchase price using the loan calculator motorcycle in order to get the total price of the motorcycle. Then deduct with loan calculator motorcycle the amount you paid as down payment. Also deduct the net trade-in amount. Net trade-in refers to the trade-in value less the balance owed on the motorcycle being traded in. After deducting down payment and net trade-in amount you will arrive at the Loan Amount.

The motorcycle loan interest calculator amount is the value needed to arrive at the interest rate per annum. Motorcycle loan interest calculator lest you multiply the interest rate with the number of years the loan is applicable to get the total interest payable.

From the loan calculator motorcycle you can see the payment, principal, interest and loan balance. Total monthly payment is comprised of payments for principal and interest. As monthly payments are applied to the motorcycle loan amortization, the schedule will show an increasing amount being applied to principal while there is a decreasing amount applied to the interest. Amount applied to the principal in motorcycle loan interest is arrived at by deducting interest to the total payments. Loan balance reflected in the loan calculator motorcycle is deducted with the amount being applied to the principal in order to get the succeeding months loan balance.

Motorcycles In The Military

Posted on by blogger

The other day, I took the chance to watch again that fantastic movie ‘The Great Escape’. As I watched Bud Ekins take the place of Steve McQueen, to jump the wire fence on his Triumph, I began to wonder about the role of the motorcycle during wartime, so I did a little reading and was surprised to find that motorcycles have played a huge part in military history. Being able to go where other vehicles couldn’t, they became the modern day horses, with one great advantage; some bikes, such as the Enfield ‘Flying Flea’ or ‘Airborne’ as it was also known, could be parachuted from an aeroplane along with troops.

Royal Enfield also supplied motorbikes to the British Armed Forces in World War 1, with machine gun-carrying combinations and stretcher-bearing motorcycles being made on demand. The company even won a contract to supply motorbikes to the Russians, and when most able bodied men were at war in Europe, a police force made up of women was issued with 600cc motorcycles.

The Germans weren’t slow in seeing the practicality of using two wheeled transport. BMW motorcycles were to prove invaluable in North Africa during World War 2. Not having a chain that could clog with sand, they were so successful that Harley-Davidson were requested by the US military to copy the machine, which they duly did and produced the Harley-Davidson XA. With the German war machine insatiable for motorcycles, BMW flourished during the war years.

The American Army have been using motorcycles since 1913, with a third of all Harley-Davidson machines being produced for the military in 1917. In the Second World War the company produced 30,000 bikes for the Russians and also built machines for the Canadians. A total of 90,000 motorcycles were produced during the conflict. The Indian Motorcycle Company also produced machines such as the ‘Scout’ and ‘Chief’ during the war years, but weren’t able to replace Harley Davidson as the motorcycle of choice.

In Britain, the First World War provided work for the Triumph factory as production was concentrated on the war effort. More than 30,000 motorcycles, including the ‘Model H Roadster’ were turned over to the military. In World War 2, the Triumph factory was laid to waste by German bombs, along with most of Coventry, so production moved to a site near Meriden, also in the West Midlands area of England. Apart from building some 50,000 motorbikes during the war, Triumph also produced aircraft components.

In 1950, the North Koreans, backed by China, were able to deploy a ‘Motorcycle Reconnaissance’ unit equipped with home produced bikes. Vietnam also saw the use of the military motorcycle, with ‘Special Forces’ employing motorbikes during that ill-fated conflict. In 1988, Vietnam Veterans took to the streets of Washington D.C. to create a two-wheeled convoy known as ‘Rolling Thunder’, in order to raise awareness of the suffering of the soldiers who did not return from the war. This has developed into an annual pilgrimage to the ‘Vietnam Veterans Memorial’.

‘Operation Desert Storm’ in 1991 again saw the deployment of motorcycles, and more recently, the manoeuvrability of two-wheeled transport proved invaluable in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the road ends, the motorcycle keeps on going. When the road doesn’t end, the speed of a motorcycle is unchallenged. Accessibility and versatility have been key words associated with the role of military motorcycles since the outset.

Now back to Steve McQueen, who was frowned upon by his bosses at the studio for spilling the beans about his stunt double, during ‘The Johnny Carson Show’. When Johnny congratulated Steve on the motorcycle jump, Steve didn’t hesitate in putting the record straight. It wasn’t that Steve McQueen couldn’t ride a bike, quite the contrary. In the scenes before the jump, he rode his own bike as Virgil Hilts, but the German riders couldn’t keep pace with him, so wearing a German uniform, he took the role of a pursuing German, and through the magic of film editing, chased himself. So the next time you get the chance to see ‘The Great Escape’, look out for Steve McQueen chasing Steve McQueen. The motorcycle chase was actually McQueen’s idea. The original script had Virgil Hilts attempting to escape by train, but when McQueen said to his director ‘Hey John, I’ve got an idea that will put more juice into this’, a small piece of movie and motorcycle history was born.

Motorcycle Videos

Posted on by blogger

So you want to be a custom bicycle builder? Well buddy, prior to you rush out and acquire that bike kit, the one that will set you on the road to riches and fame, quit and feel about the stage of experience and artistry the leading builders have attained. Much more importantly imagine about how long it has taken them to attain it! Let’s search at a few vital matters…

Education and learning/b>

You’d be astonished how perfectly educated a ton of today’s leading bicycle builders are. Various of them have degrees (some more than an individual!) ranging from mechanical engineering to business enterprise and promoting management. Billy Lane, the founder of Chopper Inc, has a number of patents relating to bike technological innovation in his title for example. What about another person a small more “older school” like Dave Perewitz? Dave has accumulated close to forty ages of mechanical, metalworking and painting practical knowledge. Not theoretical, but authentic fingers on, early morning late evening variety of encounter. Could you place that kind of time in? Matt Hotch is even now only younger, but has gained an remarkable total of functional encounter customizing first bicycles, then VW’s ahead of relocating on to customized bicycle developing.

Services

These guys are building choppers and customized bikes that are state of the artwork. They really don’t get thrown together in the lawn the motorbike stores have all the resources and devices expected to deliver pretty much something out of metal, not just bikes. Just as essential are the other solutions these builders use the nearby chrome platers, machinists, painters and so on. These guys have just as important a piece to play in the construction of these a single off bikes as the designer builders themselves.

Motivation

All the top custom bike builders live for a single thing making the greatest bikes they can. They actually live try to eat even dream about customized bikes (and searching at some of the a lot more way out creations you can absolutely think this from the styles they produce!) They are regularly striving to develop bikes superior. Its not about revenue for the leading men, I am convinced of that.

So exactly where does that depart Average Joes like you and me? In fact, I don’t believe we are too badly off in simple fact if you want to create a custom made bike, it has in all probability certainly not been much easier. Here’s my take on it….

Education

There is an unbelievable sum of facts for the guys who want to begin down the road to customized bicycle creating. Video clips, books web pages, all of them enable to flatten the understanding curve for a novice. Most of the content out there relates to motorbike kits, and for the novice, constructing a motorbike kit is certainly the greatest way to go if you want to get serious hands on experience. Right after that there are motorbike servicing courses, which all over again will permit you to get up to speed as rapid as achievable in your quest to grow to be the future Arlen Ness!

Amenities

To place jointly a retail outlet like the ones you see on television charges 1000’s of dollars. We cannot all be Billy Lane, Eddie Trotta or Russell Mitchell, but we can have a great deal of entertaining making an attempt!