BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS �

October 08, 2012

How to Make Your Motorcycle Jacket Look More Interesting?

Few would debate the fact that our collective unconscious unquestioningly identifies leather with anarchistic rebellion or intimidating toughness. The fashion trends in the mainstream culture are often inspired by the stylish trends initiated by celebrities and fashion designers. If you are a die-hard observer of fashionable biker wear, you have probably taken a close look at the gorgeous images of Fergie and Kristen Stewart in sumptuous black leather jackets.

If you want to add an eccentric look to your persona, you can wear several accessories with your motorcycle jacket. These accessories will make your motorcycle jacket look more appealing thereby projecting a more vibrant and fashionable you! Highlighted below are some of the tips that will make your biker jacket look exceptionally fashionable!

a) If you know the trick of how to achieve perfect color coordination between your motorcycle jacket and other accessories, you are a few meager steps away from becoming a freelance designer. The soft, buttery richness of the jacket would look charming with a brightly colored dress. Additionally, if you plan on going to a formal party or a dinner engagement, your cropped leather jacket would look elegant with a cocktail dress and high heel stilettos.

Motorcycle Chain Maintenance - Chain Cleaning

Before I bought my first motorcycle I remember being a little hesitant about buying a bike with chain drive as I thought the maintenance would be too excessive. Being a newbie I went to one of my buddies who has had motorcycles since he was in his early teens. He laughed and told me he had never owned a bike with anything but, and that my concerns were groundless. He was absolutely right.

Chains are great for a few reasons. They are simple to maintain and cheap and easy to repair. They are light, much lighter than shafts, and introduce no changes to the handling of the motorcycle. Ever wonder why all the top sport bikes use chain? While belts and shafts are also excellent in their low maintenance and clean operation, they are either costlier or heavier.

What is required to maintain your chain? Ideally using a center stand or a paddock stand to get the rear wheel off the ground makes the job much easier. However, a long straight and level surface where you can move the motorcycle to get the chain to go one lap around the sprocket will also suffice in a pinch.

September 16, 2012

Sizing for All Sized Motorcycle Helmets

When you are considering buying a new fiber carbon motorcycle helmet there are many things to consider. Do you want a full, a 3/4, or a half? Do you want the visor to flip up or not? Do you need a small, medium, or large? Maybe you need an even bigger sized helmet!

If you are in the market for a helmet over a large be aware, they can be hard to find in a store. If you are looking for an XXXL Carbon Fiber Helmet you may need to turn to an online store. These helmets are rare and are not always the most stylish. Style is not the reason for buying the helmet though, it's safety.

To make sure you do in fact need an XXXL Motorcycle Helmet, you want to follow the sizing chart provided by the helmet manufacturer. The size of your helmet is primarily based on your hat size, and the measurement of your head. You will want to take a tape measure and wrap it snuggly around your forehead area. Once you have done that, check your measurements. XXXL Motorcycle Helmets are generally made for men with heads that measure 66-67 centimeters around. They usually will wear a hat size of 8 1/4- 8 3/8.

September 01, 2012

Tips to Take Home a Motorcycle

Of course people like to dream and when it comes to dreaming, many youngsters dream to own motorbikes which can run as fast as they can on the roads. In fact it is a thrilling experience to drive the motorbike in hilly regions, terrains, small lanes, deserts, seashore and valleys.

The young son aged ten years starts imagining about riding a motorcycle while he sees his dad proceeding towards his office riding on a motorcycle. He never misses a single opportunity to go along with his dad by sitting on the motorcycle and he starts dreaming a lot in his heart about driving the vehicle in deserts, roads and streets.

When it comes to buying one motorcycle, the buyer has to follow certain basic principles. He should finalize his purchase decision depending upon the various factors namely; the affordability; features available in the vehicle; the mileage potential and availability of spare parts in the case of old and second hand vehicles etc.

Basic Motorcycle Gear

Riding a motorcycle on or off-road is not an addiction, it is a way of life. Anyone that rides does it for the love of it. There is no other way to experience the freedom and the camaraderie that comes with riding. Riding also means that an understanding of basic motorcycle gear is no longer something that you have to think about. You already know.

Unlike a car, the design of a motorcycle offers no protection to their rider. There are no seat belts or air bags in case of a collision, no reinforced framework to help lessen the impact. These are the things that the basic motorcycle gear is designed to do. Protect the rider in the best ways that it can to lessen these shortcomings during an accident.

July 24, 2012

Motorcycle Accidents Are Rarely Minor

You've seen them in your car on the highway: one, or possibly even a crew of bikers gunning it down an open road. Clad in cool, tough-looking leather, and with the wind on their face, it looks like the picture of freedom. But it's not hard to imagine travelling at such high velocities on top of an open machine going horribly wrong. When a motorcyclist is involved in an accident, there can be losses to normal functioning, disfigurement, and even death. Once you decide to drive a motorcycle, you need to be sure you've got insurance to absorb the costs should you be involved in an accident. It's also wise to seek a lawyer's help in giving you all the power you can towards a full recovery and towards only paying for what is really necessary.

When a motorcyclist is involved in an accident, there is much less to protect him than the driver of a car. There is no metal to absorb some of the fall, and no seat belt to keep him in place. Not surprising then that they are in a riskier situation. The treatment you'll need should you crash your motorcycle might range from physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture or massage therapy. Another cause for concern is recouping lost income, attendant care, and other expenses in your life that you won't be able to earn money for while you're sitting out with a serious injury. There are plenty of instances where a car crash is perhaps scary or worrying, but doesn't entail serious damage to the driver. It's a very rare instance when a motorcyclist can walk away from his bike with just a bit of a headache, a small limp, and carry on with his life. It's wise to be protected.

July 16, 2012

Motorcycle Maintenance Q and A

Owning a motorcycle can be frustrating when you aren't able to do regular maintenance on it without seeking the help of a professional mechanic. Fortunately, basic maintenance, such as recharging the battery, is relatively easy to learn. Here are some common maintenance questions that motorcycle owners ask and easy answers about how to keep your bike in good shape.

Is it safe to check the oil level of my bike when the engine is hot? Motorcycle owners go both ways on this one. Some prefer to check the oil when it's hot, because it makes for a better oil change should it be necessary. Others like to check it when the engine is cool. It's recommended to check the oil when the heat level on the dipstick reads between hot and cold.

June 14, 2012

Visiting the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa Iowa

I have an addiction to most things motorcycle. When I learned there was a motorcycle museum, and the National Motorcycle Museum at that, I headed for Anamosa, Iowa. The National Motorcycle Museum opened in 1989, and in 2012 moved to a large space right off U.S. Highway 151. It doesn't look like much from the outside, since it is a converted Walmart, but it's the inside of a museum that makes the difference.

There is dedicated motorcycle parking out front, enclosed in cement barriers with motorcycle-sized gaps, to prevent people from filling it up with cars. There isn't a discount in tickets for riders though. I asked. There are a variety of stickers and patches, so you can prove you were there.

Inside is a small gift shop and desk where you pay to get into the museum itself. The large space in broken up into exhibits, some walled off and some separated only by space. With over 300 motorcycles on display there is something for everyone. The one machine that caught my attention was the steam powered motorcycle, with the boiler between the rider's legs!

Wandering around, it was hard to follow a specific path. One of Evel Knieval's Harleys (in an un-crashed state) was on display, as well as a Captain America chopper from Easy Rider. I had seen another one of these in another museum, but this one also had s certificate from Peter Fonda, saying it was authentic. Since only one of the two copies made for the movie survived, this is a unique piece of American Motorcycling history.

May 29, 2012

The Secret Motorcycle Signal

There have already been many articles written about motorcycle hand signals and what they mean. So of course I'll have to add my version and hopefully it'll make it all clear as mud. To be clear I'm not talking about the mechanical hand signals that they teach you on the motorcycle safety class. Those are still useful and by the way are still used especially when group riding. What I am talking about is at the highest level is simply the greeting that one rider pays to another when passing on the road. At other levels, there is apparently much deeper meanings in what seems to be but a simple hand motion. Historically, waving at a fellow traveler as you meet him on the road goes back to the beginning of time.

Even now, at least out in the country, it's still customary to wave at the people you meet even if you don't know them. It should also be noted that motorcycle riders aren't the only ones that have a history of doing this. Jeep owners will attest that they will also wave at other Jeep owners as they pass them on the road. Although in the Jeep's case I think it's more of a sign of a relief. Basically, I'm still running and you're still running lets celebrate for a second. When a Jeep owner waves it's basically a lift of the fingers off the steering wheel in kind of a subtle acknowledgment that hey I was brave enough to buy one of these clunkers to. They all seemed to do it the same way, I didn't see very much variation in how they did it. I think they're just afraid to take their hands off of the steering wheel.


Motorcycle riders seem to have a lot of variation in how they wave from the cool peace sign down low to the newby all out thrashing of the arm. There also seem to be some kind of message that's getting passed. The main thing is that riders expect to get a sign when they meet a fellow rider on the road. The only pass given is when you or the other guy is in traffic and you need to clutch. When you don't get anything, it's a sign of disrespect, and I'm told that if your left hand happened to stay on your left thigh as you passed the other guy those are fightin' words because you basically are saying that you saw the other guy, could have signed him, but chose not to acknowledge him.

March 25, 2012

10 Tips for Purchasing a Motorcycle

Many of you may be thinking of purchasing a new or new-to-you motorcycle. With the plethora of models, brands, and styles out there, filtering all the information you're going to be hearing and seeing to find the bike that's just right for you can be a daunting exercise. It can also be lots of fun.

Here are some general guidelines to follow whether you're buying new or used.

Determine what kind of riding you want to do. If you are fortunate enough to have more than one in your stable, it's less of an issue. For most of us, we have to decide which model best incorporates the kind of riding we will be doing most of the time. Not only do you need to think about whether it's a cruiser, sport bike, touring or off road - think about whether you'll be regularly carrying a passenger and luggage and the weight capacity of the bike.

Purchase a bike that's compatible with your skill level and riding experience. Don't buy something that you can "grow into". This is risky behaviour and will jeopardize your safety. It's much better to become proficient on a bike suitable to your skill level and then, when you're ready, move up to a more powerful bike.

Sit on the bike in the riding position. How comfortable is it for you? Is it a stretch to reach the controls or the ground? Can you picture yourself in this position for extended periods? Feel the wind in your face.

Consider how often you are going to have to take it in and how convenient the location and their hours of operation are. Talk to others who have used the service resource to determine their credibility and service level.Ask about the frequency of maintenance and the subsequent costs.

Assess. If you like to perform routine maintenance yourself, how simple is it to do? Do you need to purchase other equipment such as a lift? How readily available are replacement parts?

Purchase from a salesperson who is also a rider. Enough said.

Remember that all bikes can be customized - at least to a certain extent. If you see one that's just right for you except for a few adjustments or accessories, ask what's available (and where) in parts and accessories to make that bike yours.

Bring an experienced rider with you. They may pick up things that you miss.

Resist the temptation to purchase the 1st bike you see. There are lots to choose from. It's an important purchase and even more important to make an objective decision.

Research. Talk to other trustworthy riders, retailers, insurance companies. Beware of forums - they can have valuable advice; on the other hand, you usually don't know who you're talking to so can't reliably assess their level of expertise - even though they may sound like an expert.
Do your homework, ask lots of questions, then listen to your heart. Make an informed decision - and enjoy the ride!

Liz Jansen

Liz Jansen is an author, speaker, coach and rider extraordinaire. She's thrilled that her work now brings her experience in the corporate world together with her love of adventure.

Her mission: to create the environment for others to discover their personal power and grow. Through her practice, she has served hundreds of clients and her network reaches across Canada, the US and to Europe and Australia.

Liz has worked with individual and corporate clients, in both private and public sectors. She has contributed articles to the Toronto Star, several national magazines as well as online ezines. Her expertise has been sought for interviews on television, traditional and on-line radio, magazine and newspaper articles.

To learn more about her book Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment, to receive a review copy or to book the author for an interview or speaking engagement, visit http://www.lizjansen.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Liz_Jansen



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6916355