01 December 2008

Tips on Motorcycle Racing

Not all of us are blessed with sufficient time and money to be able to enroll in a racing school and take all the necessary courses to improve our motorcycle racing skills. If this is your problem as well, you can still have success in your chosen hobby or profession just as long as you’re willing to practice hard and make the most out of your free time.

Basic Motorcycle Racing Lessons

Braking – Emergency stops are common in the field of motorcycle racing. This lesson however is difficult to learn so expect to spend lots of time falling on your butt while you’re attempting to perform a successful emergency brake.

The key to emergency braking is being fully conscious of what you’re doing. There are many instances in motorcycle racing that you’ll be required to make an emergency stop, and when you do, your movements will be initially instinctive and automatic. Although your instincts may be correct, you’ve a better chance of saving yourself – and your position in the race – if your mind’s working as well.

Also, when you’re pressed with time, concentrate on making an emergency stop with the use of the front brake. Using both brakes requires too much concentration and coordination skills and would only further compromise your safety.

Counter-Steering – If you’ve read lessons about counter-steering, you might be finding this particular move difficult to understand. The only thing you should remember when counter-steering is the rule “like follows like”. If you’re going right then it’s your right hand that should be doing the work. It may seem complicated at first, but constant practice will soon make this move as natural as breathing.

Cornering – Again, there are many instances that you’ll be required to make this move so don’t bother skipping this lesson and postponing it to another day. If you want to succeed in motorcycle racing, you need to corner this lesson right away!

Firstly, practice making accurate calculations in a matter of seconds. One glance of your surroundings should be more than enough for you to learn the degree of which you’re required to turn to the corner and the necessary speed and gear you should employ when doing so.

Secondly, braking must be employed BEFORE you access the corner.

The last requirement is simple: you need complete confidence in yourself. Confidence is the only thing that will enable you to increase your speed as you move even if your instincts are screaming to do the opposite. Confidence will teach you to trust your instincts, know when it’s the right time to turn, and maintain your stability as you drive in a leaning position towards the end.

Tips on Motorcycle Maintenance

If it’s your first time to own a motorcycle, you should be aware that motorcycles are slightly more troublesome to take care of than cars. While cars can survive a long time of neglect, the same thing can’t be said for motorcycles. Worse, just one instance of neglect can immediately cause peril to your life.

Inspect Your Motorcycle Regularly
Make up a checklist of the important things you should inspect regarding your motorcycle’s safety and performance. Send it to the service center as well every time you cover 5,000 kilometers.

How Oily is Oily?
Make it a habit to check your motorcycle’s oil level when you’ve stopped for gas. While checking the oil, make sure that no foreign material will accidentally fall into your motorcycle’s oil storage compartment. Avoid subjecting your motorcycle to constant exposure to extremely hot or cold weather as this can affect your oil’s quality.

Batteries are a Motorcycle’s Best Friend
Do you know that one of the most common causes for motorcycles to cease operating or malfunction is due to battery problems? As such, you need to take excellent care of your battery at all times. Firstly, never remove or replace them if the engine is still running. Don’t change batteries by yourself if you don’t have any experience.

Adding Fuel to the Fire
An absence of care and precaution can easily add fuel to the fire and lead you to experiencing an unfortunate accident. To avoid fuel troubles, start by learning the various locations and uses of your motorcycle’s fuses. When changing fuses, always subject it to testing to ensure that it’s in good working condition. Damaged fuses put you at the risk of having your motorcycle’s blow up while you’re on the driver seat.

Clean Up Your Act
Believe it or not the mere act of cleaning can significantly reduce future maintenance costs and the chances of having an accident while you’re riding your motorcycle. If you don’t like the idea of regular cleaning, just think of it as killing two birds with one stone: cleaning will let you enjoy a safer and cooler ride on your bike!

Your Motorcycle’s First Aid Kit
Always have a properly equipped toolbox strapped to your motorcycle. Even the world’s slowest and safest driver can still be an unfortunate victim of an accident so having a toolbox will just be your way of preparing for any eventuality!

Tips for Buying Mini Motorcycles

When looking to buy a mini motorcycle or pocket bike or mini moto be sure to do your research before you agree on one certain kind. With so many of the manufactures bringing new ideas to the bike trend, there are so many bikes choose from to fit your style. One of the most important facts about buying a pocket bike is to find a high quality product at a great price. You will be able to compare the price of the actual bike as well as any amenities offered, allowing you to see which has the best offer.

When you buy a mini motorcycle, the laws vary from state to state and country to country. Speak with your local law enforcement agencies and local pocket bike league so that you understand all local rules, regulations, and laws.

Make sure that bike is made from durable materials and put together is sturdy way. You should inspect the bike thoroughly so that you do miss any imperfections or mistake. Make sure of any safety equipment and/or gear you made need. You want your ride to be as safe as possible so your safety should be a priority.

Do not buy one just because it is the cheapest one for you. You are making an investment and it would be a waste of money as well as your time to lose such an extraordinary machine because you failed to get all the correct information.

Tips for Buying Kawasaki Motorcycle

Kawasaki is among the biggest and most popular producers of motorcycles world wide. Because of its great quality and streamlined design, millions of motorcycle riders opt to buy Kawasaki. If you have decided to by your own Kawasaki motorcycle, you might benefit reading on for some of these useful buying tips.

When buying a Kawasaki motorcycle you should carefully scrutinize the following:
  • Seat Height – you want to make sure that the seat height of your Kawasaki motorcycle is right for you. Obviously, shorter riders would need shorter motorcycles, and tall riders would need taller bikes. Be sure that the seat height is just right for you.
  • Balance – different motorcycle models in each make, including Kawasaki, differ in balance. You need to find a unit that has the appropriate gravitational center for you to balance it well. A good measure of right balance would be trying to balance the motorcycle with your feet flat on the floor and your hands away from the bars. Just do this with somebody around to make sure you don't tumble.
  • Motorcycle Weight – you should check if the Kawasaki motorcycle has just the right weight for you. You should be able to pick it up without help. It shouldn't be so heavy that you can't balance it while waiting for the traffic light to go green.
  • Motorcycle Features – While Kawasaki motorcycles have similar features, each model might be different from the other. You have to check everything from the size of the gas tank, the styling, the looks, engine size and so on. You want to make sure that the Kawasaki motorcycle model you get is one that suits your needs.
Now these are just the things you should look for the Kawasaki motorcycle itself. You should also be aware of the dealership. See if the dealership is concerned about you or if they just want to get your money as soon as possible. They should watch out for your safety and be able to suggest the right type of motorcycle for you to buy. You would also want the sales staff to be knowledgeable about riding. You can only trust one who at least knows how to ride a motorcycle.

Perhaps the best tip for you when buying your Kawasaki motorcycle is to try it out. Don't buy the bike without even sitting on it. Insist on testing it to make sure that it is the right motorcycle for you.

Kawasaki motorcycles are known to be among the best. But you need to be sure that you are indeed getting the best you need to check it out carefully.

Tips for Buying A Motorcycle

When shopping around for a good motorcycle, keep in mind that, like every other business out there, the dealers are out to get your money. It may seem like a harsh thing to say but their main goal is to get your cash, but let's face facts. No business is out to give away things for free. Every dealership is going to be looking for ways to maximize their profits at the expense of you, the buyer.

To avoid getting your wallet unnecessarily drained, keep in mind that when shopping for a good motorcycle, you shouldn't simply look at the flat-out front end price of the bike. Since many dealers will have their front end prices vary, some will seek to make a profit by offering a seemingly rock bottom front end price, but will have other additional fees and charges that will make them a kickback.

These additonal charges have to be factored into the overall price when you compare motorcycle dealer offers, so that you can pick one that will offer the least strain on your budget. These additional areas to look for are the following:

Installment Payment - while the ability to pay for the price of your bike with monthly installments seems to take a huge burden off, as opposed to making a much larger 1-time cash payment or credit charge, look at the terms of payment involved in the installment package. Usually, the overall amount of money you'll be spending will be subtly higher.

Motorcycle Loans - loan programs may seem useful too, but dealerships which offer partnerships with a bank and give you a bank loan option for financing your new motorcycle will usually tack on an added amount into the interest charges of the loan. The banks in these cases often give the dealers a kickback from the additional interest.

Warranties - extended warranties beyond the basic necessities will usually involve extra cash. Check the terms of the warranties including overall price and the duration of the warranty, as well as it's coverage to make sure you get the best possible comprehensive warranty.

Freight, Shipping, and Handling Charges - while seemingly innocuous, quite a few dealers actually subtly hide their additional kickbacks in additional freight charges for delivering your motorcycle. Find out beforehand how much damage (financially speaking) you'll be taking from the dealer for freight.

It is your duty as a consumer to make sure that you get the best possible deal for your money, so being able to detect these little areas where dealers make an extra (at your expense) profit are a must.

Tips for Motorcycle Rentals

Benefits of Motorcycle Rentals

Riding a motorcycle will get you to where you’re going much quicker than a car would because motorcycles are able to make use of passages and perform nifty moves that bulky vehicles are essentially unable to do.

Motorcycle rentals are also cheaper than car rentals. Why spend more when you don’t have to? With motorcycle rentals, you’ll have extra pocket money to spend!

Tips for rent a Motorcycle
  • Selection - It’s best that you rent from a shop which allows you to choose from a varied selection of motorcycles. In the event that your rented motorcycle will malfunction, the shop will surely be able to send you a replacement unit immediately.
  • Support and Services – If there are documentation needs for you to take care of before being able to rent a motorcycle, is the shop willing and able to help you take care of these requirements?
  • Price – Lastly, always compare prices and rates before making the final decision of where you’re going to rent a motorcycle.
  • Using and Driving a Rented Motorcycle Out of Town or Abroad. Always make sure that you have obtained the necessary license and other documentations before renting out any motorcycle. Laws regarding use and driving motorcycles after all varies from state to state (or country to country for that matter) so you may need to take additional tests even if you’re already a licensed motorcycle driver back at home.
  • Insurance - Insurance requirements depend on where you’ll be using your rented motorcycle so you may also need to obtain additional but temporary insurance to be able to legitimately use a motorcycle on foreign roads.
  • Familiarize yourself with traffic and driving rules and regulations for motorcycles at your destination.
  • Clean your rented motorcycle regularly and treat it with care to avoid paying penalties later on. If, however, something still happens with your rented motorcycle, don't attempt DIY repair unless you’re professionally qualified to do so or it’s an emergency.

A Motorcycle Events

There are many motorcycle clubs and organizations that have developed within the motorcycle culture. There are motorcycle rallies and events thrown all over the world that not only bring those with a common love and passion together, but these events are also used to raise money for charities and organizations.

This aspect of self-expression in riding the motorcycle can sometimes be something that only people with the same interest can understand. It is no wonder that a motorcycle lover will look for a fellow enthusiast to be able to share this ideas to those who can understand.

This is where going to motorcycle events may be of significance. There are certain reasons why a motorcycle enthusiast will pursue this.
  1. A beginner can start to learn more about the field by joining these events.
  2. This is also a good venue to get to know the right people who can be of big help to each other. It can't be denied that when motorcycle enthusiasts come together they can really go along well and understand each other.
  3. Motorcycle events can also be a good opportunity to get good ideas from the other enthusiasts with regard to tips, suggestions and opinions.
  4. It will definitely feel good to be able to ride your bike together with the other bike lovers. It is like coming together and expressing yourself together to the rest of the world in a rally, ride or event.
  5. Finally, the sense of camaraderie is something that the motorcycle enthusiast will enjoy. There is so much to see, enjoy and be nostalgic about in these events.
Given all these wonderful points of joining motorcycle events, it is a must for one to join the same.

First thing to do is to check out the local community for any organizations or associations formed by local motorcycle enthusiasts. There will surely be one, at least in every state. You can easily talk to the members of these groups and inquire on how you can join in the scheduled events.

It is also possible to check on their schedule or calendar for the events they are organizing. You can ask for the requirements so you can easily join.

There are also some internet sites that can help you find an organization near your locality. These can also provide a calendar regarding some important events, especially those that will take place on the national level.

Enjoy with Motorcycle

Some people love living in the fast lane. They ride their motorcycles and enjoy the strong wind as they speed up down the road and enjoy the journey. However, for the real motorcycle enthusiast, it isn't enough to simply live in the fast lane. Living in the fast lane must go hand in hand with living with style.

It is not only a mode of transportation, but motorbiking as created, built, and maintained its own culture. People’s love for motorbiking stems from the many benefits that come with riding a motorcycle. Motorcycles are not only, on average, less expensive than cars, but they are also amazing fuel economy vehicles.

The average miles per gallon can be anywhere between 30 MPG to over 450 MPG, depending on the specific bike and highway or local road conditions. Motorcycles come with many important structural additions that help improve the quality of the bike.

Motorcycles are loved for their mobility. They can weave in and out of traffic, and in some countries, travelers who are motorbiking don’t have to pay tolls. Money is saved on the initial cost of the bike, maintenance, and fuel cost.

Motorbiking can take place on road or off-road. There are different kind of bikes for the different activities and some dual-purpose bikes as well. On road motorcycles are used for everyday travel, while off-road motorcycles are used for sport.