Wednesday, January 21, 2009
How to Check Your Motorcycle Before Riding It
Checking your motorcycle before you ride is very important for your safety. This will help you ensure that your motorcycle is in good condition. When your motorcycle is in top shape, you will less likely encounter an accident on the road.
Aside from wearing gears like leather motorcycle chaps, jackets, and helmets, checking your motorcycle before you leave can save your life. You have to monitor various parts every time. Keep in mind that if you fail to see that your brakes are loose or not working, you can end up crashing into another automobile or on the railings at the side of the road.Knowing the how to check the various parts will make each of your trip safer. Here is a helpful guide to checking your motorcycle:
1. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation developed an acronym that you can use as a checklist when checking your motorcycle. This is the T-CLOCS. This stands for the tires, controls, lights, oils, chassis, and stands. The acronym is very useful. This will help you avoid missing anything when you are checking your motorcycle. You also have to remember that the T-CLOCS have sub parts that you need to look into as well.
2. The first on the list is tires. When checking the tires, make sure that it has the right level of air pressure. See to it that it is well inflated but not over the required rate. The tires are important because they are the objects that transport the entire machine. If the air is not the right amount, you will surely have difficulty balancing the bike.3. The next items that you have to check are the controls. Most of the controls are on the handle. See to it that that the throttle, front brake, clutch, and the rest are working properly. You have to remember that there are also controls on the side of the motorcycle. Check those as well.
4. The next thing you have to check is the lights and other electrically controlled equipments in your motorcycle. All the lights should turn on when needed. You also have to see to it that the signals work when you use them. Try sounding the horn too. This is a very important device. It is the only way you can get the attention of the drivers and pedestrians who are not paying attention on the road.
5. Check the oil container and the rest of the fuel you need for the trip. You can check the gas by dipping the stick into the gas tank. Pour more gas if needed.
6. Check the frame or chassis of your bike as well. Include the other visible parts like the chain or belt.
7. Check the stands of your motorcycle too. You would not want your bike to lie on the ground because the kickstand is not working.
Before you wear your leather motorcycle chaps and the rest of your gears, check your bike properly first. This will ensure a smoother trip.
For more tips and information about leather motorcycle chaps, please check out http://www.outbackleather.com/motorcycle-chaps.Labels: motorcycle, motorcycle maintenance, motorcycle repair
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Motorcycle Gloves
Our hands come into contact with many harmful objects and substances that pose a threat to the safety of these vital body organs. For this reason, it is important that we take all the important measures we can to see to it that we protect them from such conditions. One of the major steps that we can take is to ensure that we wear some protective clothing that covers the palms and the fingers, commonly known as gloves.
These garments come in many forms and they are for different uses. There are what are known as the motorcycle gloves, whose purpose is to provide the hands with a tight grip of the bike's controls so that one is able to negotiate corners and maneuver even on rough terrain.
The best motorcycle mitts are those made of leather. Leather is durable as well as warm especially during winter. People who enjoy motorcycle riding during winter will find the heated mitts very useful.during rainy seasons. They are made from a plastic material, but one bad thing about them is that they tend to get slippery in such situations. There are also those that can be used Moreover, they come as a safety accessory that protect a motorcyclist during accidents.
If you need to invest in these gloves, remember that there is a wide variety to choose from. There are those which are fingerless, medium weight, winter and summer ones. The only way to really be right about what you actually need is to check it all out in the Internet and see what is being offered, both online and offline. The prices are quite affordable.
Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Gloves. For More Information on Motorcycle Gloves, Visit His Site at MOTORCYCLE GLOVES
You Can Also Add Your Views About Motorcycle Gloves At MOTORCYCLE GLOVES
Labels: gloves, motorcycle, motorcycle gloves
Saturday, January 10, 2009
How to Buy a Stylish Motorcycle Jacket
Many people want to buy a motorcycle jacket that is very stylish. And lots of folks want to buy a motorcycle jacket that looks cool and fashionable. However, very few know how to actually buy such a jacket.
If you want to buy a good looking and stylish jacket, there are some points that you should keep in mind.
The first thing that you should consider is the color of the jacket. Now, men's' motorcycle jacket come in a few colors while a lot more choice is available as far as woman's motorcycle jacket are concerned.
You must choose a color that looks good on you. This is the fundamental requirement of choosing a stylish jacket. You must always keep in mind that style is or more a product of your mind rather than the jacket.
If you feel that you are wearing a good looking and stylish jacket, the chances are very high that you are actually wearing such a jacket.
On the other hand, if you feel that your men's motorcycle jacket or ladies motorcycle jacket is not looking good, then the price of the jacket notwithstanding, it must be a very ordinary looking jacket.
Hence, always choose a motorcycle jacket that you like. If you are comfortable with the color of your motorcycle jacket, it will show in the way you carry yourself in the jacket.
Hence, no matter what the fashion magazines say, always choose the color of your motorcycle jacket depending upon your likes and dislikes. Never choose a particular color merely because you were told that it is a stylish color.
What is important is whether the color looks stylish on you or not.
Normally, the most popular colors for the men's motorcycle jackets are black, gray, brown, red and bottle green. As far as the women's motorcycle jackets are concerned, a lot more choices are available.
The women's motorcycle jacket does not suffer from the same stereotypes as the men's jackets suffer. It is expected that a men's jacket will make the wearer macho and masculine.
This is one reason why owners of men's motorcycle jacket are hesitant to innovate and experiment with new colors. However, exceptions do exist. If you feel that a particular jacket will look good on you, go ahead and buy it.
If you want maximum choices in terms of colors, it is imperative that you shop for your motorcycle jacket over the internet. Visiting many stores and searching for the perfect motorcycle jacket can take a lot of time. However, if you conduct this exercise over the internet, you can visit multiple stores and check out many jackets in a very short of time.
You can always communicate with the seller and inform him of your requirements of a particular color. There are many sellers on the internet who are ready to walk that extra mile to satisfy you.
The onus is upon you to identify such sellers. You may be required to pay a premium but that is a small price to pay for a jacket that you want.
For more info, visit: Rocky Top Leather and see what fine goods they have there like a nice motorcycle jacket
For more Motorcycle Resources see www.bestguidetomotorcycles.com.
Labels: jacket, motorcycle, motorcycle jacket
Monday, January 05, 2009
Motorcycle Maintenance - A Basic Guide
Here we have a few things you should check on your motorcycle on a regular basis. I assume you have a handbook with the specs for your bike, if not, go get one. You may be able to find some data for your particular motorcycle on the net. You can also pick up workshop manuals for various models on eBay in PDF or CD form for little money.
Whereas with a four wheeled vehicle you may get away with being lax with things like tire pressures etc, this is not the case with a motorcycle. You should not risk compromising the safety and stability of your motorcycle, for the sake of a bit of routine maintenance.
Pre-ride checks
- Tires – check condition and for foreign objects in the tread.
- Tire pressures – it is vitally important to keep your motorcycles tire pressures either on spec or very close to it.
- Oil level – always check with the bike on level ground.
- Coolant level – only if your bike’s liquid cooled, obviously.
- Chain – check the tension and make sure it’s well lubed.
- Brakes – check they work and that they feel good.
- Lights – check all your lights, especially the brake light, you don’t want to get rear ended, do you?
- Visual inspection – self explanatory.
- All ok – hit the road.
- Check battery – see that the connections are tight; I dropped a bike once because of a loose battery connection, strange but true. Also check the electrolyte level on some batteries, a lot of newer batteries are gel filled, sealed for life types, so no need with these.
- Carb balance – if your bike is multi carbed get yourself a Morgan carbtune or similar. It can be a little tricky the first time you balance them, but when you’ve done it once, the second time will be easy.
- Ignition timing – only necessary on some bikes, most newer models have electronic ignition which does not need touching, normally.
- Valve clearances – unless you’re a good home mechanic, take it to a dealer.
- Wheel bearings – grab each wheel with it off the ground and see if there is any sideways play. There should be none or maybe a trace at most.
- Steering head bearings – with the front end off the ground, grab the forks and push and pull. There should be no play.
- Swinging arm bearings – with the back wheel off the ground, check for any sideways movement in the swingarm, there should be none.
- Brakes – check fluid levels, brake hoses for deterioration, and pads/shoes for thickness.
- Cables and levers – should operate smoothly. Get some grease on lever/pedal pivot points, and get some lube down the cables, if you can. A cable oiler is a handy tool.
- Nut and bolts – go all round the motorcycle with your spanners and check that all nuts/ bolts/screws are nice and tight.
James Hunaban is the owner of http://www.motorcycling-news.com a site full of Motorcycle information.
More motorcyle news and articles.Labels: maintenance, motorcycle, motorcycle maintenance
