<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601</id><updated>2011-11-27T18:17:43.646-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Motorcycles</title><subtitle type='html'>Tips for Biker</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>25</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-60003200423395771</id><published>2009-02-10T18:10:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-02-10T18:12:19.886-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Freestyle motocross rider Jeremy Lusk dies</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;Marianela Jimenez&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Jeremy Lusk, an American freestyle motocross rider, died of head injuries Tuesday after crashing while trying to land a backflip in competition. He was 24. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Jorge Ramirez, chief of the intensive care unit at Calderon Hospital where Lusk was taken, said the motocross racer suffered severe brain damage and a possible spinal cord injury.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Lusk won a gold medal at the 2008 X Games. He was injured Saturday night when he failed to complete a full rotation while attempting a Hart Attack backflip and slammed headfirst into the dirt. Lusk crashed in almost identical fashion in the freestyle semifinals at the 2007 X Games but was not hurt.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He had a successful 2008 season, winning Freestyle gold at the X Games and silver in Best Trick when he landed the first double-grab Hart Attack backflip. He won a bronze helmet in Freestyle at the Moto X World Championships in his hometown of San Diego.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Ramirez said Lusk died with his parents and his wife, Lauren, at his side.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;                  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" class="skinny"&gt;    &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;                                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;“He was in a medicine-induced coma as a protective measure, and the medicine was being reduced to see how his body responded,” he said. “That didn’t mean he was going to wake up. He was in shock and that got worse last night, until he stopped responding and entered into cardiac and respiratory failure.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Lusk lived in Temecula, Calif.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A trust has been set up in his memory, and donations can be made through the Athlete Recovery Fund, www.athleterecoveryfund.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://sports.yahoo.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-60003200423395771?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/60003200423395771/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=60003200423395771' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/60003200423395771'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/60003200423395771'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2009/02/freestyle-motocross-rider-jeremy-lusk.html' title='Freestyle motocross rider Jeremy Lusk dies'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-7615055895963438780</id><published>2009-01-27T18:38:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-01-27T18:39:56.173-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Clash Of The Titans: Will It Actually Happen?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"  &gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt; dean adams&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"  &gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;While the near-incessant hype around a possible fight between two titans of the sport has lessened over the past few weeks, the one person standing in the way of such a race hasn't changed. Valentino Rossi has said he'd like to race against Troy Bayliss in World Superbike and has asked the former and reigning WSBK champ to come out of retirement to race him in a WSBK event in 2009. Bayliss says he's game, for a price. But will it happen?&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;All of the building blocks of such an event seem to be sliding into place. Initially, Yamaha told the press that they would not allow Rossi to race a World Superbike event that, knowing the free-spirited Italian's independent nature, was the absolute wrong thing to say. Rossi, in part, left Honda and HRC after the 2003 season with the multi-time champ miffed at HRC's controlling ways. Not long after their first quote hit the world, a second statement by Yamaha racing execs broke where they opined that such a grudge match, come to think about it, wasn't such a bad idea, after all. And from a lot of angles, it's not: Rossi racing an R1 makes a hell of a lot more sense than Rossi racing a MotoGP bike, especially if Yamaha has any interest in selling Rossi R1 replicas.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Ducati execs also weighed in to say that they hoped Troy would stay retired but, if he chose to do such a thing, they would have a bike for him. Troy Bayliss has long been, and will long be, the most popular Ducati rider with their fans, and Ducati learned a very important lesson when they cut him from their MotoGP team. Namely, any move seen as non-support of Bayliss may cause a near march on the Ducati factory by fans.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Bayliss himself has told reporters that he might be keen to race Rossi if a promoter can come up with between $1-2 million (US Dollars) for his portion of the deal. A proposal for a $2 million fee for three races at three separate venues in 2009 was rumored after the first of the year but has gone silent since then. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Bayliss would not be the first rider to "retire" and continue racing. Kenny Roberts raced Daytona, Laguna Seca, Suzuka, and even the Springfield Mile after he retired in 1983. Eddie Lawson did four one-off races at Daytona and Suzuka to support his then Indy Car career after he retired. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Regardless of all the tough talk from Yamaha or Ducati execs, in reality, they have very small roles in this proposed race between Rossi and Bayliss. If Rossi wants to race World Superbike on an R1, Yamaha is going to build him the best bike that they can. If Bayliss wants to race Rossi, he will quickly become job number one for Ducati Superbike engineers. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Yet, the person who may very well have the final say on whether this race happens or not isn't Rossi or Bayliss or any exec from Yamaha or Ducati. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;It's Kim Bayliss, Troy's longtime wife and the mother of his three kids. One can scarcely blame her for wanting her husband's racing life to end. She and the family have been traveling around the globe and living out of a proverbial suitcase for more than ten years. A former resident of Monaco, she and Troy have now moved back to Australia. Logistical issues aside, like any wife, she surely wants her husband to live a long and happy life and is all-too aware of the potential for danger in racing. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;  &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Bayliss told friends in 2008 that he has reconsidered his retirement but joked that if he did continue to race "I'd probably get divorced."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://superbikeplanet.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-7615055895963438780?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/7615055895963438780/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=7615055895963438780' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/7615055895963438780'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/7615055895963438780'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2009/01/clash-of-titans-will-it-actually-happen.html' title='Clash Of The Titans: Will It Actually Happen?'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-8635915663300440448</id><published>2009-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-01-27T18:26:14.613-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Suzuki to race AMA American Superbikes</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="text"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt;  Motorcycle.Com Staff&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;American Suzuki Motor Corporation has announced it will enter a team in the 2009 AMA American Superbike class.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The three-bike Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing team will feature returning riders Tommy Hayden and six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin along with the recently signed Blake Young, who will replace departing champion Ben Spies.&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;“After extensive discussions with AMA Pro Racing, American Suzuki has received clarification of the AMA rules that will see the Suzuki GSX-R1000 on the racing grid beginning with the opening round in Daytona, Florida in March,” a team press release states.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;American Suzuki has dominated the AMA Superbike class for several years. After Daytona Motorsports Group acquired the rights to AMA Pro Racing, the Suzuki team became one of the new promoter’s most vocal critics. Mladin in particular voiced his disappointment when DMG initially announced its plans for the 2009 season.&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Tensions between American Suzuki and DMG came to a head when Mladin was stripped of two race victories at Virginia International Raceway because of an illegal crankshaft. The disqualifications all but ended Mladin’s chances of winning the 2008 championship.&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;After its appeal was denied, Rockstar Makita Suzuki released a statement saying “AMA Pro Racing has obviously abused its discretion and has wrongfully tarnished Mladin’s reputation in the public eye by disqualifying him and ignoring the evidence offered in good faith.”&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The return of American Suzuki is welcome news for AMA Pro Racing, especially following the withdrawal of American Honda’s factory racing program.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.motorcycle.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-8635915663300440448?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/8635915663300440448/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=8635915663300440448' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8635915663300440448'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8635915663300440448'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2009/01/suzuki-to-race-ama-american-superbikes.html' title='Suzuki to race AMA American Superbikes'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-4929718610498105846</id><published>2009-01-27T18:22:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-01-27T18:24:28.981-08:00</updated><title type='text'>*  The Monotracer Combines 2 (and Sometimes 4) Wheeled Thrills in an Enclosed Cabin</title><content type='html'>Is the two-passenger Monotracer a motorcycle or sports car? Good question. &lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.about.com/d/motorcycles/1/0/8/b/-/-/monotracer_action_200.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/motorcycles/1/0/8/b/-/-/monotracer_action_200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This Swiss-built creation (as seen on &lt;a href="http://www.mi4m.com/2009/01/a-motorcycle-with-the-heart-of-a-race-car/" zt="1/XL/X[" target="_new"&gt;Mi4M.com&lt;/a&gt;) features some high-end design details, including a carbon and Kevlar monocoque chassis reinforced with aluminum rollbars, not to mention an electrically operated stabilizer servo system with training-like wheels that deploy at the rear. Styling cues include little side blades &lt;a href="http://cars.about.com/od/audi/ig/2008-Audi-R8-photo-gallery/2008-Audi-R8-side-blade.htm" zt="1/1UH"&gt;similar to the Audi R8's&lt;/a&gt;, and available creature comforts include air conditioning and cruise control.&lt;/p&gt; The Monotracer can hit 62 mph in 4.8 seconds and lean up to 52 degrees. And while it looks like an entertaining cross-pollination between supercar and sportbike, I'm not quite sure if this $68,000 plaything is fish or fowl... what do you think? &lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Check out our &lt;a href="http://motorcycles.about.com/od/newbikephotogalleries/ig/Monotracer-Gallery/" zt="1/1UH"&gt;Peraves Monotracer Photo Gallery&lt;/a&gt; and go to &lt;a href="http://www.monotracer.com/" zt="1/XL/X[" target="_new"&gt;Monotracer's website&lt;/a&gt; for more info.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-4929718610498105846?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/4929718610498105846/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=4929718610498105846' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/4929718610498105846'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/4929718610498105846'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2009/01/monotracer-combines-2-and-sometimes-4.html' title='*  The Monotracer Combines 2 (and Sometimes 4) Wheeled Thrills in an Enclosed Cabin'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-5455851495720237056</id><published>2009-01-18T15:48:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-01-18T16:08:49.115-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Motorcycles and aging vehicles negate efforts to cut emissions</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="byline"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt;Adianto P. Simamora&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span class="byline"&gt; &lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The rapid rise in motorcycle numbers and continued operation of old three-wheelers remain Asia's main challenges in effecting emissions cuts to deal with climate change, transportation experts say. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Bert Fabian, transport program manager of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), said most small towns in Asia still used two- and three-wheel vehicles as their main mode of public transportation. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"More people prefer to use motorcycles and three-wheelers in urban areas, since they're cheaper and consume less fuel. But their emissions are the major challenges," he told participants at the Better Air Quality 2008 (BAQ 2008) conference here Monday. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A joint study this year by CAI-Asia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) lists Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines as the five Asian countries with the highest motorcycle ownership. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The study shows Malaysia has 300 million motorcycles as of 2008, compared to 275 million in 2005. It is estimated the number will rise to 390 million in 2015. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Indonesia, home to more than 230 million people, currently has 125 million motorcycles -- an increase from 80 million in 2005 -- with CAI-Asia predicting motorcycle ownership will grow to 150 million by 2012 and 200 million by 2025. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"The number of motorcycles is also rapidly growing in the Philippines. This is directly related to the deterioration of public transportation," Fabian said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"The rising number of vehicles will boost fuel consumption."   &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CAI-Asia also highlighted the use of aging vehicles, still widely used across the region.   &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;A 2005 study revealed the aging three wheelers in Indonesia, more popular as &lt;em&gt;bajaj&lt;/em&gt;, had an average age of 25 years, compared to nine years in Thailand.   &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The average age of cars in both countries remained at between six and 10 years.   &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;About 900 transportation experts, policymakers and stakeholders from around the world have gathered in Bangkok until Friday to discuss efforts on reducing air pollution and cutting harmful emissions from the transportation sector. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The World Health Organization estimates 800,000 people die prematurely due to exposure to urban air pollution. Of this figure, some 50,000 are in Asia. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;CAI-Asia said emissions of air pollutants, including particulate matters (PM10) and carbon monoxide (CO) from the transportation sector, showed a declining trend due to the use of cleaner technologies and fuels under the implementation of the Euro standard. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"But CO2 emissions are a different story. There is no up-and-down trend. It keeps rising because of rampant fuel consumption," Fabian said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;He proposed three efforts to deal with such emissions: reducing emissions per kilometer of trip, cutting emissions per unit of transport, and slashing the number of trips. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"We can get the most emission cuts by reducing the amount of traveling. However, it takes behavioral changes for the people (to do so)," he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-5455851495720237056?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/5455851495720237056/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=5455851495720237056' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5455851495720237056'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5455851495720237056'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2009/01/motorcycles-and-aging-vehicles-negate.html' title='Motorcycles and aging vehicles negate efforts to cut emissions'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-1870919398059297225</id><published>2008-09-16T06:57:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-09-16T06:59:41.977-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Dressing To Ride A Motorcycle</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="Victor Epand" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/victor-epand/10891.htm"&gt;Victor Epand&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When it comes to motorcycle gear, safety is more important than fashion. Thousands each year are injured or even killed in motorcycle accidents each year. The sad truth about these injuries and deaths is that some individuals could have prevented the seriousness of their accident if they had worn the appropriate protective motorcycle gear. The high speed thrill of the ride can be an an enjoyable and safe one, as long as you know how to dress to ride your motorcycle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is much easier to be injured in a motorcycle accident than it is in a car accident. This is because the impact can strike directly on the individual as opposed to the vehicle. Here are the basic pieces of motorcycle safety apparel that every motorcycle rider should be familiar with, and use.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Helmets are the most important thing to wear when riding a motorcycle. Even if you plan to drive at relatively lower speeds, it is important to protect your head. Even at a lower speed, a motorcycle accident can be fatal if your head is not protected. A serious blow to the head can crack your skull, give you a concussion, or snap your neck causing paralyzation or death. Wear your helmet. The full face variety if preferred over the kind that simply covers the top of your head.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wearing gloves is another important component of full motorcycle safety gear. It is crucial to have a firm grip on the handles so that you can steer properly. Without the gloves, you may hurt, scrape or cramp your hand, which will make steering difficult. To add traction and ease to steering, and to ensure a comfortable and firm grip, wear gloves when riding your motorcycle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leather pants are part of the preferred motorcycle apparel list. It is easier to hold your legs against the motorcycle with leather pants, and they can also protect you from the discomfort of strong winds when traveling at higher speeds. Leather jackets serve a similar purpose, and can also shield you in case it rains or gets cold as you ride in the wind. Many motorcyclists will wear jackets with the design of their gang or group of motorcyclist friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The final part of your motorcycle safety is your boots. These will protect your ankles and feet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Be careful when you ride your motorcycle, and always remember to adhere to traffic laws for extra safety. Don't forget to put all your gear on, and when riding with friends, make sure that they are dressed for safety, too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div id="AuthorBox"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Victor Epand is an expert consultant about motorcycle gear, used motorcycle parts, and used car parts. When shopping for motorcycle gear or used parts, we recommend only the best stores for &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.4motorcycle.info/"&gt;motorcycle safety gear&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sellusedmotorcycleparts.com/"&gt;used motorcycle parts&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.usedcarpartsell.com/"&gt;used car parts&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-1870919398059297225?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/1870919398059297225/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=1870919398059297225' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/1870919398059297225'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/1870919398059297225'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/09/dressing-to-ride-motorcycle.html' title='Dressing To Ride A Motorcycle'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-5788107370610295857</id><published>2008-08-30T19:19:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-30T19:21:01.947-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Buy or Sell Used Motorcycle Accessories</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="ebet sanders" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/ebet-sanders/35154.htm"&gt;ebet sanders&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;And Parts with a Classified Ad in The Bargain News. 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FirstGear Burnout Jacket Mens and Womens- Motorcycle Textile Jackets Motorcycle Helmets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We handcraft Motorcycle Leather Accessories to fit your bike perfectly. motorcycles, accessory reviews, motorcycle clothing, helmets, maintenance webBikeWorld Reviews- Motorcycle Accessories, Helmets, Clothing, News and More.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Buy motorcycle gear at Motorcycle Superstore. Offers motorcycle parts, motocross gear, dirt bike and ATV accessories including such brands as Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Fox Racing, and Yamaha. Motorcycle accessories, motorcycle accessory by.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Legendary customer service, knowlegable RIDERS to help you get waht you need. 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Buy Auto Parts and &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/buy-or-sell-used-motorcycle-accessories-394505.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;Auto &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;Accessories&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; at JC Whitney, the Largest Online Catalog of Parts for Your Car, &lt;a id="KonaLink2" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/buy-or-sell-used-motorcycle-accessories-394505.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;Truck&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, Motorcycle, Jeep, SUV, Van, RV, Classic &lt;a id="KonaLink3" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/buy-or-sell-used-motorcycle-accessories-394505.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;VW&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and ATV. Get motorcycle apparel, gear, and accessories for your Harley, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and more. Largest online motorcycle accessory store selling motorcycle helmets, motocross gear, motorcycle accessories, motorcycle tires and. Security &amp;amp; Maintenance of these parts or accessories does not grant the purchaser. Body components, saddles, apparel, and more, available online or through distributors. Sells a selection of clothing, parts, accessories, tyres, and gifts for motorcycles and scooters. Yamaha Sport Accessories, Super Sport Motorcycle Accessories, Sport ATV Accessories, snowmobile, scooter, with loads of Genuine Yamaha Accesories. range of stunt, race and custom motorcycle parts and accessories at Warped Toys. High-performance motorcycle racing parts and accessories, including brakes, suspension, steering dampers, quick change systems, and exhausts. is a great place for motorcycle covers &amp;amp; ATV Accessories.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; For more resources about &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://bestmotorcycleaccesories.com/enterprise-rent-a-car-goes-green-time-magazine-t-264.html"&gt;Motorcycle Accessories&lt;/a&gt; or even about &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://bestmotorcycleaccesories.com/enterprise-offers-green-rental-cars-atlanta-atlanta-journal-t-265.html"&gt;motorcycles for sale&lt;/a&gt;, please visit our website here &lt;a href="http://bestmotorcycleaccesories.com/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outgoing/article_exit_link');"&gt;http://bestmotorcycleaccesories.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-5788107370610295857?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/5788107370610295857/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=5788107370610295857' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5788107370610295857'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5788107370610295857'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/08/buy-or-sell-used-motorcycle-accessories.html' title='Buy or Sell Used Motorcycle Accessories'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-8214941531406687140</id><published>2008-08-30T18:51:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-30T18:53:28.076-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Gas prices drive increase in motorcycle injuries</title><content type='html'>By &lt;span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:100%;" &gt;Kate Gorman&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Thrift is replacing the midlife crisis, at least when it comes to justifying a motorcycle purchase. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;That’s according to motorcycle-safety instructors and emergency room doctors, who have noticed a growing number of older, inexperienced riders hopping on bikes — and getting hurt — as gas prices remain at historical highs. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"We’re seeing 50- and 60-year-olds who have bought a bike for the first time," said William Witham, a trauma surgeon at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, which has one of Tarrant County’s two trauma-care centers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Nationwide last year, motorcycle injuries jumped 17 percent over 2006, even as motor vehicle injuries dropped slightly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That trend held true in Tarrant County, where motorcycle injuries rose from 353 in 2006 to 414 in 2007, according to figures from Harris and John Peter Smith Hospital. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The increase can be attributed at least in part to more motorcycles being on the road. Last year, the number of motorcycles registered in Texas jumped more than 9 percent, while vehicle registrations overall rose only about 4 percent, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"There’s been a big glut this summer of new riders," said James Boyle, 58, who owns the Texas R.I.D.E.R. safety school. "I hear it every day. People are trying to save gas."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The average price for a gallon of gas in Texas topped $3 in March and peaked last month near $4. Motorists responded by looking for ways to save, transportation officials said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"That seems to be the level at which people decide they’re going to cut their driving back," said Dan Ronan, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association. "People are doing whatever they need to do to save fuel, and for the most part they’re doing a pretty good job of it."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Motorcycles can get from 35 to 60 miles per gallon. Although the ranks of biking baby boomers were growing before gas prices started climbing, fuel efficiency seems to be motivating even more former riders to return to two wheels, said Ray Brockie, who owns Moto-Ed, a Fort Worth safety school. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"We’re seeing a lot of people who wouldn’t have come back to it if it weren’t for the gas prices," said Brockie, 56. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="subhead"&gt;Not for everybody&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;But frugal commuters shouldn’t rush into the decision to ride, officials said, &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"I suppose it’s a good idea for a lot of people. I don’t know that it’s a good idea for everybody," Boyle said. "I feel like there’s a lot of people that aren’t taking the course and aren’t getting the training," he said. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;At Harris, motorcycle injuries have accounted for about 35 percent of all motor vehicle injuries this year, officials said. In previous years, that figure hovered around 25 percent. Though they still see plenty of young patients, the increase seems to be from the older set.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Patients tend to fall into three categories, Witham said: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Brand new riders, who tend to have manageable injuries from low-speed crashes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Experienced riders, who were wearing appropriate protective gear and are going to be OK.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Riders involved in high-speed crashes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"The major group that doesn’t do well are the ones that go hot-rod it right off the bat," he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Low-speed crashes often end with road rash and broken bones, though serious head injuries can result from crashes at just 20 to 30 mph if a helmet isn’t worn, Witham said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Most people who die in motorcycle crashes aren’t wearing helmets, according to national safety administration statistics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"If they have a head injury, you can pretty much bet they didn’t have a helmet on," said Witham, who rides motocross and still has a ’76 Honda motorcycle in his garage. "I don’t understand the reluctance to put on a piece of equipment that can so easily save your life."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Safety was a main concern for Matt Giddens of Arlington, who took a Texas R.I.D.E.R. class at Pennington Field in Bedford this week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;The 48-year-old father of two said he wanted to get back into riding for recreation but said he would likely start commuting by motorcycle as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Now that I’m not young, I want to be safe," Giddens said. "I know I’m not bulletproof."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" class="infobox-hr-separator"&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" class="infobox"&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span class="infobox-head"&gt;Ride safely &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Motorcycle Safety Unit administers the Texas Motorcycle Operator and Safety Program, which includes the Basic Rider Course for beginners. Training helps returning riders brush up on their skills and teaches new riders how to ride safely. Last year, about 36,000 students took classes. This year, about 40,000 are expected.&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cost&lt;/strong&gt;: $190&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Length&lt;/strong&gt;: About 15 hours over two days&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Locations&lt;/strong&gt;:  &lt;a href="http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/msb"&gt;www.txdps.state.tx.us/msb&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ride legal license requirements&lt;/strong&gt;: In Texas, a Class M (motorcycle) license requires a written test and road test. The Basic Rider Course safety class is also required for anyone under 18. Anyone with an unrestricted driver’s license can use the course completion card to waive the road test. Most insurance companies offer a discount for taking the course. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Helmet law&lt;/strong&gt;: Texas motorcyclists over 21 don’t have to wear a helmet if they take a safety class, meet certain health-insurance requirements and obtain an exemption sticker.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source: Texas Department of Public Safety&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" class="block-quote"&gt; &lt;p class="block-quote-paragraph"&gt;There’s been a big glut this summer of new riders. I hear it every day. People are trying to save gas."&lt;/p&gt; &lt;span class="block-quote-credit"&gt;James Boyle,&lt;br /&gt;58, who owns the Texas R.I.D.E.R. safety school &lt;/span&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.star-telegram.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-8214941531406687140?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/8214941531406687140/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=8214941531406687140' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8214941531406687140'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8214941531406687140'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/08/gas-prices-drive-increase-in-motorcycle.html' title='Gas prices drive increase in motorcycle injuries'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-1680973012580262052</id><published>2008-08-30T18:49:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-08-30T18:50:34.540-07:00</updated><title type='text'>High gas prices mean more motorcycles on the road</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.khqa.com/about/bio.aspx?id=171"&gt;Alexis Hunt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Did you know that every 39 minutes, about 40 times a day, someone in the U.S. dies from a drunk driving crash?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Monday, we told you how law enforcement in our area will step up patrols to crack down on impaired drivers for the Labor Day holiday.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;But, we found out for this KHQA FactFinder Report that officers will focus on motorcycles this holiday season.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;In 2006, more than 13,000 people died in highway crashes that involved a motorcycle rider or driver.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;41% of those motorcycle riders died in single car crashes because their blood alcohol level was .08 or higher.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;That's why Illinois State Police, along with Iowa and Missouri law enforcement are teaming up for the weekend to keep you safe on the road.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;"Driving on 2 wheels is a lot harder on 4 wheels for anyone under impairment, that makes it that much more difficult. Drivers of cars are not always looking for motorcycle, they're smaller and harder to see," said an Illinois State Trooper.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Here are some reminders so you and your loved ones can enjoy a safe holiday weekend.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Remember, if you're going to drink, plan a safe way home.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;One way to do that is to choose a designated, sober driver.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;If you are too drunk to drive, take a cab, public transportation, or call a friend or family member, so you get home safely, and keep others safe on the road.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;And, if you ever see a drunk driver on the road, call 911 right away.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.khqa.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-1680973012580262052?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/1680973012580262052/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=1680973012580262052' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/1680973012580262052'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/1680973012580262052'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/08/high-gas-prices-mean-more-motorcycles.html' title='High gas prices mean more motorcycles on the road'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-2043006621266068980</id><published>2008-07-28T07:51:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-28T07:53:44.567-07:00</updated><title type='text'>How to Find Parts for Motorcycles</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="Justin Stewart" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/justin-stewart/61360.htm"&gt;Justin Stewart&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Some people who own motorcycles find it easier to simply take their motorcycles into a shop and tell them to fix it. They do not care how much it costs, or where the parts come from, as long as their motorcycles get fixed. Other people are not comfortable with this, however. Some people simply want to know that they are getting parts for a more reasonable price. Other people are actually able to fix their motorcycles on their own. Either way, these people are consistently looking for parts for their motorcycles. Some people find it hard to attempt to find the &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/how-to-find-parts-for-motorcycles-492197.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;motorcycle&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;parts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; that they are looking for; other people feel that they can only find motorcycle parts in one place. What these people do not realize, however, is that there are multiple ways to find &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/how-to-find-parts-for-motorcycles-492197.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;parts &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;for&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;motorcycles&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. How can you find these parts?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; Call your Local Shops&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While technology has advanced, it is still important to go to your local motorcycle shops to see what they have as far as parts are concerned. Find the local stores in your area through the internet or the phonebook and inquire about the exact part that you are looking for. Be sure to get a quote and write down the prices you receive from every store for later price comparison.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; Call your Local Dealers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Use your local motorcycle dealers as resources as well. By calling them and asking them if the have parts for motorcycles, you may be able to find parts that are cheaper. Sometimes, this will not be the case, but it is important to call and price check to understand what they have. Simply calling them will be able to help you find the parts that you are looking for and know what is available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; Search Online Auction Sites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Online auction sites are an amazing way to try to find parts for motorcycles. Online auction web sites are a great way to try and bid the lowest possible price for the parts that you are looking for. Many people who are selling parts on auction sites have gotten the parts for less, and may be trying to sell it for a profit, but still sell it at a lower price than you would find at any store. Be sure to investigate and research the sellers and the website, however, to make sure that you will not be losing money or getting scammed while trying to find parts for motorcycles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; Search Online Stores&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Online stores are also a great way to try to find parts for motorcycles. Online websites allow you to search inventories of multiple kinds of stores all across the nation and world. These websites will be able to search the parts to you. By checking the prices from this form of search as well as the other types, you will be able to find your parts for motorcycles at the prices that you are looking for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-2043006621266068980?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/2043006621266068980/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=2043006621266068980' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/2043006621266068980'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/2043006621266068980'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-find-parts-for-motorcycles.html' title='How to Find Parts for Motorcycles'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-8767112691833046821</id><published>2008-07-28T07:48:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-28T07:51:00.348-07:00</updated><title type='text'>4 Top Ways to Keep Yourself Safe on Motorcycles</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="Justin Stewart" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/justin-stewart/61360.htm"&gt;Justin Stewart&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Everyone who owns a motorcycle can understand the importance of safety. Motorcycle riders and the act of riding a motorcycle have received a somewhat dangerous connotation thanks to the dangers that can come from riding a motorcycle. While many people who ride motorcycles realize that safety is important, they are missing some small (or large) things that they could be doing to increase their safety on a motorcycle. While it is true that motorcycle riding can become habitual, just like driving, it is never to late to attempt to change your ways in order to keep you and those on the road around you safer. Some of the following tips are obvious, whereas others may not be. It is important to realize that some people miss even the most basic ideas surrounding safety on a motorcycle. These top four tips will help you to be more safe on your motorcycle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; 1. Drive a Safe Speed&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many people tend to get caught up in the exhilaration and excitement that comes from riding a motorcycle. The adrenaline rush that comes from riding a motorcycle can lead to excessive speeds. If you are trying to be safe on a motorcycle, it is important to attempt to maintain a safe speed. The speed limit is not a suggestion; it is the safe speed to go in the area that you are in. By trying to stick to the speed limit, you are ensuring that you are doing what you can to be safe on your motorcycle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; 2. Know Your Surroundings&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Knowing your surroundings while driving a motorcycle is more important than many people realize. Just like driving a car, it is important to know what is around you; know how many lanes the road has, how many cars are ahead of you and behind you, and the features of the road. If you notice potholes, keep note of the road. If you notice cars, be sure to keep an eye on them. It is important to know your surroundings to make sure that you can react appropriately at any time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; 3. Wear a White Helmet&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This tip is small, and may seem insignificant, but may actually be able to help keep you safe as you ride your motorcycle. Many people realize the important of wearing a helmet, whether it be for protection on the bike, or protection in an accident. Wearing a white helmet can actually help you in a different way, however. By wearing a white helmet, you are making yourself more visible to drivers, and will make them more aware of your presence. This can help to make you safer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt; 4. Stay Focused&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Making sure you stay focused on the road is the best way to be able to react in any situation. By making sure that you are not distracted, and that you are able to focus on the road, you are ensuring your safety.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-8767112691833046821?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/8767112691833046821/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=8767112691833046821' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8767112691833046821'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8767112691833046821'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/07/4-top-ways-to-keep-yourself-safe-on.html' title='4 Top Ways to Keep Yourself Safe on Motorcycles'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-5135519819678768647</id><published>2008-07-14T18:10:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-14T18:12:15.841-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Creating Ads For Motorcycle Sales</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt;Charles Baldwin&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Selling your motorcycle has never been easier. Where the more conventional ads works on helping you sell your computer through interested parties, now online trading has become a booming business for motorcycle and vehicle buyers and sellers.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you are looking for ways on how you could possibly increase the possibility of your motorcycle being sold in a short period of time depends on where you sell your motorcycle, when you sell it and to whom you would sell it and its relative pricing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Below are just list of simple tips in marketing your motorcycle and keeping it on top of the general buying guide of every company you are working on appraising the motorcycle you are selling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;•    Mastering the Art of Selling. You may not be an entrepreneur but everybody has their own way of effectively selling their own commodities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;You just need to set your own tone in selling and keep yourself afloat on all situations by observing how the public reacts to such advertisements. If you get few responses to the way you have advertised your product, change your strategy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;•    Emphasize the Features. First and foremost, you will need to inform the public, which is your prospective buyers, as to the features of the product you are selling. They will need to have the latest information on what to expect and what not to if they will buy the product in question. Since this is selling, you should solely focuse on the benefits and good features of your vehicle and sell it!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;•    Prepare all Necessary Documentation. Your responsibility for selling your motorcycle shouldn't stop after you've sold it. In fact, you will need to prepare all documentation beforehand and deeds of transfer including purchase titles after the initial transaction for selling has been made.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This will ensure a smooth transfer of titles and transactions and keep you from getting yourself into trouble inasmuch as legalities in selling your motorcycle is concerned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;•    Ensure Good Working Condition for your Motorcycle. Remember the old saying "do unto others what you want others to do unto you"? Everybody hates a rip off so try to make sure that the individual components of your motorcycle are all up and running.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you see something that isn't working, replace it with a new one and try adjusting the price.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;About The Author&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dr. Charles Baldwin is a freelance copywriter living in Ireland.  He has over 30 websites and blogs and specializes in direct marketing and internet marketing. &lt;a href="http://www.irishcopywriters.com/"&gt;http://www.irishcopywriters.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.baldwin-webpromotions.com/"&gt;http://www.baldwin-webpromotions.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.yourmarketingsolutionblog.com/"&gt;http://www.yourmarketingsolutionblog.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-5135519819678768647?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/5135519819678768647/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=5135519819678768647' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5135519819678768647'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5135519819678768647'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/07/creating-ads-for-motorcycle-sales.html' title='Creating Ads For Motorcycle Sales'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-3491740284547932850</id><published>2008-07-08T18:11:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-07-08T18:13:15.907-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Motorcycle Collectibles - Great Hobby and Possible Moneymaker</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="copyright"&gt;By &lt;a id="link_48" href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_W_Daniele"&gt;John W Daniele&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;!--UdmComment--&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Die-cast and tin model cars have been the prized possessions of automobile memorabilia collectors since the first Model Ts came off the Ford assembly line. Anyone who is a serious collector of old miniature replicas knows that it's not unusual to see a 1950s tin friction car that was made in Japan and bought in a U.S. 5-and-dime store sell for several hundred dollars today on an online auction site.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" id="body"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The value of a model vehicle is determined by its scarcity and its condition. The very old models manufactured before World War II, usually made of an alloy of zinc and aluminum, often cracked and fell apart as a result of metal fatigue. Since the tiny cars and motorcycles made in the mid 20th century were designed to be play things for kids, most suffered the bumps and bruises that come with being a child's favorite toy. When these toys broke, they were thrown away. The few that have survived in pristine condition are worth a lot to the collector who longs to call one his own.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Several manufacturers used to make model motorcycles. Over the years, some companies went out of business and others merged or were bought up by competitors. Sometime during the 1980s, coincidentally to the time that video games gained tremendous popularity with kids of all ages, sales of small wheeled toys slowed down. More boys became interested in racing motorcycles via an electronic joy stick. And others took up the real sport and raced mini bikes on dirt tracks.&lt;br /&gt;Today, just a handful of companies produce the bulk of quality motorcycle miniatures. The price of a newly minted model varies widely. A mass-produced 1:64 scale bike that's about 3 inches long and mostly made of plastic can be bought for under $2. At the high end, a pewter, limited edition of the Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic that is built to 1:5 scale and is 19 inches long is being offered by the Franklin Mint at $1,000. Only 1,000 of the latter, which is definitely an eye-catching showpiece that comes complete with a leather seat, and a hardwood base with a customized nameplate, are being produced.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are just taking up model motorcycle collecting as a hobby, the best advice is to buy what you like and what you can afford. Unlike yesteryear, when owners of objects like toys and baseball cards actually played with these items and discarded them when their condition deteriorated or their owner's interest waned, everyone today knows that certain things can increase in value over time. But the glut of unopened toys in their original packaging that has been stashed away in closets over the last 30 years keeps the overall value down. When millions of Hot Wheels Harleys are produced, it's highly unlikely that your collection of a few hundred would reap riches down the road.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the adventurous motorcycle miniature collector who is in it for the thrill of the hunt, there is some good news. While marketplace prices for old and rare specimens can be out of reach, you can get lucky. By going to garage sales and checking out flea markets, you just might come across a real gem for just a buck or two.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;About The Author&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;John Daniele is an expert on motorcycle helmets. For information or to purchase a handcrafted, light-weight, fiberglass novelty &lt;a id="link_83" target="_new" href="http://helmetsrus.com/"&gt;motorcycles&lt;/a&gt; see &lt;a id="link_84" target="_new" href="http://www.helmetsrus.com/"&gt;http://www.helmetsrus.com&lt;/a&gt; To get 10% off your next purchase type in the coupon code: Video&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-3491740284547932850?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/3491740284547932850/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=3491740284547932850' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3491740284547932850'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3491740284547932850'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/07/motorcycle-collectibles-great-hobby-and.html' title='Motorcycle Collectibles - Great Hobby and Possible Moneymaker'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-3930871786935729190</id><published>2008-06-19T07:46:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-19T07:48:20.575-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Explosive Acceleration Without the Fuel Cost- Gas Powered Scooters</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="copyright"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a id="link_48" href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Annie_Durst" onmouseover="javascript:toggle_visibility('extendbio')" onmouseout="javascript:toggle_visibility('extendbio')"&gt;Annie Durst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;In a 2006 a Piaggio Group study (makers of Vespa Gas Powered Scooters) found that 30% of people polled agreed that they could drive a gas powered scooter 35% of their daily travels. In 2005 almost 57,000 gas powered scooters were sold with a large majority of women making the scooter their ideal form of transportation. With today's $4.00 a gallon plus gas prices and scooters getting close to 100 miles to the gallon or more, it is time to take a serious look at this option.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" id="body"&gt;&lt;p&gt;With innovation the key, these sleek gas powered machines are hitting the road in droves. Dori Suhr who use to drive a Harley Davidson in her younger days thought a gas powered scooter would be a disappointment to drive, but she was wrong. Her bike of choice is a Road Boss 25 one of the largest bikes made. With speeds reaching 70+ mph and outstanding gas mileage of 76 plus miles per gallon she can't see herself riding anything else. Her statement really summed up the issue, "I filled up my tank yesterday for less then $8.00. Living in a rural area on a fixed income, it just makes common sense."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Road Boss 25 is one of the largest gas scooters, typically popular with men. From it's impressive acceleration to it's outstanding high tech design it is an awesome machine. But, what about the person who would like to ride a fuel efficient gas scooter, but doesn't feel comfortable on two wheels? Piaggio came out with a three wheeled vehicle that is a brilliant streak of innovation. This three-wheeled scooter is called the Piaggio MP3 250. With it's two independent tilted wheels, Piaggio has re-defined the word stability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No two wheel scooter can match the MP3 250's road gripping stability level. This machine can take on the toughest of surfaces. Whether you find yourself on wet pavement, cobblestone streets or gravel roads. This gas sipping, three wheeled beauty with it's explosive acceleration is the perfect scooter for everyone. The key to it's stability is the two front tilted wheels. This feature also gives this bike terrific maneuverability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the making of this three wheeled scooter, the Piaggio MP3 250 has solved the problem for those who want great gas mileage and the fun of driving a scooter, but are uncomfortable riding on two wheels. For anyone interested, I have posted a picture of the MP3 250 on my small web site. Also, on this web site I have placed comparisons of some of today's most popular gas scooters as well as a photo of The Road Boss 25. I have also included ten photo's of Vintage Vespa's from years gone by, for you to compare and enjoy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Annie enjoys comparative shopping, reading, and writing. She is an advocate for Pancreatic Cancer Research Funding and enjoys running 5k's for charity. &lt;a id="link_75" target="_new" href="http://gaspoweredscooter.blogspot.com/"&gt;http://gaspoweredscooter.blogspot.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-3930871786935729190?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/3930871786935729190/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=3930871786935729190' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3930871786935729190'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3930871786935729190'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/06/explosive-acceleration-without-fuel.html' title='Explosive Acceleration Without the Fuel Cost- Gas Powered Scooters'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-218897039333006426</id><published>2008-06-12T19:46:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-12T19:48:00.160-07:00</updated><title type='text'>How to Make Your Motorcycle Fast</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="copyright"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a id="link_48" href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Victor_Epand" onmouseover="javascript:toggle_visibility('extendbio')" onmouseout="javascript:toggle_visibility('extendbio')"&gt;Victor Epand&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;When you get a bike, you want it to go fast and get to the place that you want. You don't want to be waiting on the bike to catch up with your plans. So, how are you going to make it go fast?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" id="body"&gt;&lt;p&gt;The best way to help your motorcycle go very fast is through the motorcycle parts that you choose to put into it. These can really make a big difference in what you are doing and will help you to get going.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Great places to go looking for these fast moving motorcycle parts are in your local parts store. They will have everything that you need for you bike. Additionally, you will also be able to order the parts you may need. Another great option for getting these parts is to go online. The companies there will specialize in performance motorcycle parts and be able to get you the best parts for your dollar. You may even be able to get a better deal because of the intense competition that is on the Internet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you get the motorcycle parts that you need, you will need to be able to get your bike tuned for performance so that it goes faster with the motorcycle parts that you just added to it. Knowing what you need to do to get this done is a big plus, especially if you plan to race your motorcycle in the end.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you are not familiar with how to tune your motorcycle parts, then you should probably hire someone to do it for you. This will make sure that you are getting the best performance out of your motorcycle parts and that you are going as fast as the bike will let you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are a lot of things to think about when you want to go fast on your motorcycle. You need to make sure that you have the right motorcycle parts and that you know how to make them work to the best of their ability. This is an important part of your motorcycle parts needs and it will help you to win any races that you may be entered in. Getting it to go fast is a great way to win your races and make some money, it that is what you are interested in. You may just want to give your friends a run for their money too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Victor Epand is an expert consultant about motorcycle gear, used motorcycle parts, and used car parts. When shopping for motorcycle gear or used parts, we recommend only the best stores for &lt;a id="link_79" target="_new" href="http://www.4motorcycle.info/"&gt;motorcycle parts&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a id="link_80" target="_new" href="http://www.sellusedmotorcycleparts.com/"&gt;used motorcycle parts&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://ezinearticles.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-218897039333006426?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/218897039333006426/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=218897039333006426' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/218897039333006426'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/218897039333006426'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-make-your-motorcycle-fast.html' title='How to Make Your Motorcycle Fast'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-9212323410238886564</id><published>2008-06-04T07:18:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-04T07:20:22.181-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Save Money On Gas Prices Today! Let Me Show You How! Save A Small Fortune!</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="copyright"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a id="link_48" href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mark_P_Andrews"&gt;Mark P Andrews&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Your young, your fit, you love the open road, you love the idea of freedom that the open road gives you but hell, are you worried about the huge escalation in gas prices. I am and I bet it's starting to worry you too. If you drive a car, how many miles to the gallon does it give you? How much do you spend per week on gas? Where can you see gas prices going as the year moves forward? Are you worried about the situation? Is there a viable solution? Do you really want to be burning a hole in your monetary savings throughout the summer months ahead or are you like me, really interested now on the savings you could make from just a few adjustments with how you go about your daily business? I know I'm concerned, and you should be too.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;" id="body"&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a way to help you save money though and it needn't cost the earth! How many miles do you do each week just on short journeys, visiting friends or family, going to the mall or the shopping center, doing little errands here and there, what does this all add up to when you fill up the tank at the gas pump? Are you throwing money down the drain? Have a think about this and then ask yourself - why not?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever considered how much more economical all those little journeys would be if instead of using your car, you were to get around instead on a gas powered moped or scooter? Before you laugh the idea off, think about it. What would you rather get in terms of miles per gallon - 15mpg, 20 mpg or 100mpg? That's right, do the sums, add it up and work out just how much you really could be saving.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Moped and scooters have really come along in recent years. Not only are they very stylish these days, but too they can zip around in heavy traffic saving you lots of time too, and this time saved, could be earning for you even more money, I mean, just what is the pleasure in the baking hot summer months sitting in your car with the air conditioning on full, twiddling your thumbs just wishing that you could make some headway? With a gas powered moped or scooter traffic jams become a thing of the past as you zip effortlessly between the jams and I'll tell you what, you will be totally astonished at just how much time you can save, time given to you to get on with other much more important tasks, not to mention over the summer, the monetary savings that you'll be able to make.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Again, think of the latest hike in oil prices. Who is going to pay for that? Why, it's you and me of course, every time we fill up the tank of our automobiles, every month that goes by, it'll be costing just that little bit more and more every time. It doesn't have to be this way. You could, right now, today make the decision that yes, 100mpg is really a much more worthwhile proposition. You know what, this guy whose writing this, he's making sense, he's right, I really could save a great packet of money if I take on board his advice. I can see that now, a moped or a scooter is definitely worth looking at. In fact I'd be mad not to consider looking around a lot more seriously. You'll thank me for writing this to you believe you me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you honestly want to tell me that you do not mind losing money? What kind of reasoning is that? Are you out of your mind? Save money today!! Buy a gas powered moped or scooter and see just how much money You Could Save!! You'd be silly not to.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;About The Author&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Mark P Andrews is the owner of &lt;a id="link_79" target="_new" href="http://www.ultimatemotorbikes.com/"&gt;http://www.UltimateMotorbikes.com&lt;/a&gt; for a truly huge selection and availability of scooters and mopeds for sale right now, right across North America - we make available to you directly some of the very best savings online. Brand new mopeds and scooters and an awesome range too of used motorcycles. Not only that but we also make available directly to you, right now, an awesome range of every conceivable moped, scooter and motorcycle parts, spares and accessories including all apparel, motorcycles leathers, jackets, helmets, motorcycle boots, custom built choppers, trikes, all leading makes supplied. Visit us Right Now Today and Start Saving Money!! &lt;a id="link_80" target="_new" href="http://www.ultimatemotorbikes.com/"&gt;http://www.UltimateMotorbikes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://EzineArticles.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-9212323410238886564?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/9212323410238886564/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=9212323410238886564' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/9212323410238886564'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/9212323410238886564'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/06/save-money-on-gas-prices-today-let-me.html' title='Save Money On Gas Prices Today! Let Me Show You How! Save A Small Fortune!'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-8263598820814189931</id><published>2008-05-27T05:25:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-27T05:27:06.056-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Top Ten Motorcycle Insurance Tips</title><content type='html'>&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Passionate about your bike? Make sure you protect it!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;             &lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Motorcycling is a passion. Those who indulge are passionate about                everything to do with it – the bikes, the leathers, the magazines,                the insurance… Ok, so maybe passion is not a word usually                associated with insurance but insurance is, like it or not, a necessary                element of biking. Without it, you can’t legally ride on a                public road.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;             &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;So let’s take a look at how you can make insuring your bike                a bit more bearable. Motorcycle insurance specialists, Devitt, provides                ten ways to make sure you are getting the right insurance for your                motorcycle and at the right premium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;             &lt;/div&gt;&lt;ol style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Type of cover -&lt;/strong&gt; The minimum legal requirement                  is “Third Party Only”. This covers you for damage                  you cause to someone else and their property. It might be worth                  considering if the value of your bike is not high. Then there                  is “Third Party Fire and Theft”, which additionally                  includes cover for fire and theft and “Comprehensive”                  which includes cover for damage to your bike irrespective of whose                  fault the accident was.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Excesses -&lt;/strong&gt; A Compulsory Excess is an amount                  you have to pay towards the total cost of any claim you make for                  damage or theft. In addition to a Compulsory Excess, you may be                  able to add a Voluntary Excess in exchange for a reduced premium.                  But remember, you’ll have to pay the combined amount.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No Claim Discount -&lt;/strong&gt; Most companies will offer                  a “No claim discount” (NCD) for every year you do                  not make a claim which could save you up to 65% on your premium.                  For an additional premium, you can protect a maximum No Claim                  Discount.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Riding abroad -&lt;/strong&gt; A Green Card is no longer required                  to ride in EU Countries and many insurers include up to 90 days                  European cover. But you should inform your broker or insurer if                  you plan to travel abroad to ensure you have the cover you need.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Modifications -&lt;/strong&gt; Despite popular belief, most                  common modifications actually have little or no affect on premiums                  but you MUST tell your broker or insurer about it otherwise you                  risk having problems in the event of a claim.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Training courses -&lt;/strong&gt; There are various advanced                  training courses that are available which may help to reduce your                  premium, a good example is Bikesafe, where depending on the insurer                  you could save up to 10% on your premium.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Security -&lt;/strong&gt; A Thatcham approved alarm and immobiliser                  may secure you a further discount of up to 10%, whilst also providing                  some extra peace of mind.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Optional extras -&lt;/strong&gt; You may be offered Legal                  Expenses Insurance (which covers costs incurred if you become                  involved in claims for personal injury or loss of earnings) Personal                  Accident cover (which could provide up to £10,000 for injury)                  and Breakdown cover. All of these are likely to cost you more,                  but generally well worth purchasing.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mileage and Garaging -&lt;/strong&gt; If you do less than                  3,000 miles a year on your bike you may be entitled to a discount                  of up to 10%. But make sure you are honest about this, as with                  everything dishonesty will only cost you more in the long run.                  In addition, if you store your bike in a garage you may also be                  entitled to a discount which could range from 5% to 10% depending                  on individual circumstances.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Specialist provider -&lt;/strong&gt; Finally, the best advice                  is to arrange your insurance through a specialist provider who                  thoroughly understands biking and the insurance risks involved                  and will be able to advise you fully on all these elements.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.devittinsurance.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-8263598820814189931?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/8263598820814189931/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=8263598820814189931' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8263598820814189931'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8263598820814189931'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/05/top-ten-motorcycle-insurance-tips.html' title='Top Ten Motorcycle Insurance Tips'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-2588538354948579264</id><published>2008-05-22T20:15:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-22T20:25:24.115-07:00</updated><title type='text'>15 Riding-In-Traffic Tips</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Close your eyes and recall your last ride in heavy traffic. Imagine the vehicles surrounding you, crowding you, cutting you off. Imagine yourself monitoring closing speeds, reading street signs, noticing and anticipating traffic lights. Then imagine guessing what pedestrians will do, or how slippery that painted line might be. And those drivers with cell phones, newspapers or screaming kids to deal with...imagine trying to guess what they're going to do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Riding in traffic can be a nightmare, especially for street-riding newcomers. Is it any wonder so many motorcyclists crash and burn while riding on congested streets? It's amazing how many different tasks motorcyclists deal with on a normal traffic-choked commute. Doing it successfully means processing a multitude of items at once and reacting correctly to each. Doing it wrong can mean roadkill--the human kind.Here are 15 smart strategies for dealing with traffic-choked streets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Watch drivers' heads and mirror&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Watching the head movements of drivers through their windows and mirrors is an excellent way to anticipate sudden moves. Most drivers won't lunge left or right without first moving their heads one way or another (even if they don't check their mirrors).&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trust your mirrors, but not totally&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Your bike's mirrors can be lifesavers, but they don't always tell the entire story even if they're adjusted properly. In traffic, always buttress your mirror-generated rear view with a glance over the appropriate shoulder. Do it quickly and you'll add an extra measure of rear-view and blind-spot knowledge to your info-gathering tasks.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Never get between a vehicle and an offramp&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This sounds almost too simple, but drivers who decide to exit at the last minute kill plenty of riders each year. The simple rule, then, is to never position yourself between a vehicle and an offramp. Passing on the right is generally a no-no, but in this day and age it's sometimes necessary. So if you do it, do so between exits or cross-streets.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cover your brakes&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In traffic you must often react extra quickly, which means not fumbling for the brake lever or pedal. To minimize reach time, always keep a finger or two on the brake lever and your right toe close to the rear brake pedal. When that cell phone-yakking dorkus cuts across your path trying to get to the 7-Eleven for a burrito supreme, you'll be ready.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Be noticed&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make sure drivers and pedestrians can see you, even from a distance. Ride with your high beam on during the day (as a courtesy, turn it off when sitting behind someone at a light), and wear brightly colored gear, especially your helmet and jacket. Aerostich's Hi Vis yellow suits and jackets aren't just hugely conspicuous, they've also become fashionable, so now you don't have an excuse.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Be ready with the power&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In traffic, ride in a gear lower than you normally would so your bike is ready to jump forward instantly if asked. (Not everyone rides open-class twins, after all.) Doing so gives you the option of leaping ahead instead of being limited to just using the brakes when that pickup suddenly moves over. The higher revs might also alert more cagers to your presence.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Traffic slowing? Stay left (or right)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When traffic slows suddenly, stay to the left or right of the car in front of you. This will give you an escape route if needed. It will also help keep you from becoming a hood ornament if the car behind you fails to stop in time. Once you've stopped, be ready--clutch in, your bike in gear and your eyes on the mirrors. You never know.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Practice the scan&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Constantly scanning your entire environment while riding--from instruments to mirrors to the road ahead to blind spots to your left and right rear--keeps you aware and in touch with your situation, and therefore better able to react. Dwelling on one area too long--watching only behind or in front of you, for instance--is just begging for trouble.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Left-turn treachery&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When approaching an oncoming car that's stopped and about to turn left, be ready. Your brights should be on so the driver can see you (during the day), but don't rely on this to save you. Watch the car's wheels or the driver's hands on the steering wheel; if you see movement, be ready to brake, swerve or accelerate, whichever seems best for the situation.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Study the surface&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Add asphalt conditions to your scan. Be on the lookout for spilled oil, antifreeze or fuel; it'll usually show up as shiny pavement. Also keep an eye out for gravel and/or sand, which is usually more difficult to see. Use your sense of smell, too; often you can smell spilled diesel fuel before your tires discover how slippery the stuff is.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ride in open zones&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Use your bike's power and maneuverability to ride in open zones in traffic. In any grouping of vehicles there are always some gaps; find these and ride in them. Doing so will separate you from four-wheelers, give you additional room to maneuver and allow you to keep away from dangerous blind spots. And vary your speed. Riding along with the flow can make you invisible to other drivers, especially in heavy traffic.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Use that thumb&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get into the habit of canceling your turn signals often regardless of the traffic situation. A blinking signal might tell drivers waiting to pull into the road or turning left in front of you that you're about to turn when you aren't. So push that switch a few times each minute. Better to wear out the switch than eat a Hummer's hood, eh?&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's good to be thin&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A huge advantage single-track vehicles have over four-wheelers is their ability to move left and right within a lane to enable the rider to see what's ahead. Whether you're looking to the side of the cars ahead or through their windshields, seeing what's coming can give you lots of extra time to react.&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More than one way out&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yeah, motorcycles fall down. But they're also light, narrow and hugely maneuverable, so you might as well learn to exploit their strengths when things get ugly, right? So don't just brake hard in a hairball situation. There's almost always an escape route. Swerving into Mrs. Smith's front yard could be a lot better than centerpunching the Buick that turned left in front of you. Always have an escape route planned, and update it minute by minute.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Running interference&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This one's easy, and we'll bet most of you already do it: Let larger vehicles run interference for you when negotiating intersections. If the bonehead coming toward you from the left or right is going to blow the light, better they hit the box van next to you, right? For the same reasons, don't lunge through an intersection as soon as the light turns green. Be patient, and use the vehicles next to you as cover.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Source&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-2588538354948579264?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/2588538354948579264/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=2588538354948579264' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/2588538354948579264'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/2588538354948579264'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/05/15-riding-in-traffic-tips.html' title='15 Riding-In-Traffic Tips'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-9205536277825846972</id><published>2008-05-21T21:07:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-21T21:08:27.966-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Freshen-up motorcycle skills, save gas</title><content type='html'>By &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.wrn.com/gestalt/user.cfm?objectid=1EB87815-C09F-1E1C-6BE4C544D7B5DFCD"&gt;Jackie Johnson&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;With gas prices approaching four bucks a gallon, and the weather warming up, people are looking at motorcycles. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;There are few things to consider when thinking about commuting and running errands on a motorcycle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;"Well you certainly will get better fuel economy on a motorcycle than you would with most automobiles." However, Dave Jenneke with the &lt;a href="http://matcmadison.edu/matc/"&gt;Madison Area Technical College&lt;/a&gt; (MATC) says it's a good idea to freshen-up your riding skills before hitting the road. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;One hundred six (106) people were killed and more than 2,600 were injured in motorcycle accidents last year, according to the DOT. Technical colleges throughout the state are offering &lt;a href="http://matcmadison.edu/matc/asp/showschedule.asp?CourseNum=42-816-436&amp;amp;semester=all&amp;amp;x=x301+302+303+304+305+306+307+308+309+310+45%2520+703+704+705+706+707+708+709+710+711+712+713+715+716+717+718+719+720+721+722+723+724+725+726+727+728+730+731+732+733+734+735+736+741+742+743+744+746+747+748+757+758+759+760+761+763+765+767+771+773+775+777+779+785+786+787+789+790+791+793+795&amp;amp;cr=0"&gt;motorcycle safety classes&lt;/a&gt;, designed for both the beginner and the experienced riders. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Jenneke explains if you don't currently own a bike, you might want to weigh the start-up cost with what you'd spend on fueling up your automobile before going out and buying one. "The investment in both money for the motorcycle and insurance and the gear, as well as committing yourself to using the machine eight months a year ... you're going to have to ride it a lot in order to get your investment back."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Three biggest mistakes for those riding in the open air? Jenneke says drinking while riding is a big problem. Also, there aren't enough people wearing protective gear. And Jenneke notes, many people buy more motorcycle than they can handle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;MATC offers many motorcycle safety classes that are approved by the state and certified by the motorcycle safety foundation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.wrn.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-9205536277825846972?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/9205536277825846972/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=9205536277825846972' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/9205536277825846972'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/9205536277825846972'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/05/freshen-up-motorcycle-skills-save-gas.html' title='Freshen-up motorcycle skills, save gas'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-674688694815036882</id><published>2008-04-23T07:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T07:02:55.363-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Different Types Of Motorcycles For Diverse Needs</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;a title="Rohit Chopra" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/rohit-chopra/10575.htm"&gt;Rohit Chopra&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/different-types-of-motorcycles-for-diverse-needs-329816.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;motorcycling&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; enthusiasts, a motorcycle is more than just a motorized adaptation of a bike. To them it signifies power, freedom and style that must be flaunted. However, for most people a motorbike is a two-wheeler similar to bicycles but fitted with heavy and sturdy components that makes it powerful enough for fast travel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are different types of motorcycles that serve different purposes. While the basic purpose of a motorcycle is to act as a means of quick travel, it is also used by the army and law enforcing bodies, or for sports and racing purposes and touring. Another offbeat purpose that it serves is as a showpiece to flaunt. Concept motorcycles, though of not great appeal to the common man, are of great interest to those who view bikes as pieces of art similar to cars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Different types of motorcycles:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Road motorcycle- the basic type of motorcycles is the road motorcycle catering to the needs of transportation and designed for moving on public roads. They come complete with all accessories essential for riding on the public roads. They have engine capacities of 125 cc, which can reach speeds up to 160-km/h.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sports bike- these types of motorcycles are lighter and smaller and are intended for racing purposes. They possess four cylinder engines of 600 to 700 cc though super bikes may even have capacities of 1000 cc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cruiser- these bikes are meant for long distance riding with comfort and bring to mind the American bikes of the 1930s that were a rage till the 1960s. Harley Davidson and Henderson are examples of this type of motorcycles.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Touring motorcycles- these include Standard Tourers, Full-dress Tourers, Sports Tourers etc, and are designed to offer protection from harsh weather conditions including strong winds. These types of motorcycles have high torque engines, upright but comfortable seats and high capacity &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/different-types-of-motorcycles-for-diverse-needs-329816.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;fuel &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;tanks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; for long distance travel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Naked bike- these are also called &lt;a id="KonaLink2" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/different-types-of-motorcycles-for-diverse-needs-329816.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;street &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;bikes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; because the focus is on performance and ergonomics rather than style, which is why it is stripped to its bare essential parts. The Yamaha Seca II is a good example of this type of motorcycle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scooter- these are motorcycles meant for traveling short distances and have small wheels, about 14 inches in diameter and engines in the swing arm. These are 125 cc motorcycles though some larger ones may be over 250cc. A popular example of this type of motorcycle is the Honda Lead 80.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Moped- this is actually a &lt;a id="KonaLink3" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/different-types-of-motorcycles-for-diverse-needs-329816.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;hybrid&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; type of motorcycle. These bikes with two-stroke engines that may be up to 50cc were immensely popular before the 1980s. however, they are used in some places even to this day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are several other types of motorcycles like, Off-road bikes that are best suited for rugged terrains and Farm bikes that were earlier used extensively by dairy farmers of New Zealand. For towing cars,light trucks and other such vehicles there is another type of motorcycle called towing bikes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div id="AuthorBox"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Rohit Chopra has written several useful articles on motorcycles like &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.luxurycarriers.com/"&gt;Motorcycle Insurance&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.luxurycarriers.com/"&gt;Motorcycle Accessory&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.luxurycarriers.com/"&gt;Motorcycle Part&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.luxurycarriers.com/"&gt;Motorcycle Dealer&lt;/a&gt;, etc. Get more  useful information on Motorcycles at &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.luxurycarriers.com/"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.luxurycarriers.com/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outgoing/article_exit_link');"&gt;http://www.luxurycarriers.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-674688694815036882?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/674688694815036882/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=674688694815036882' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/674688694815036882'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/674688694815036882'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/different-types-of-motorcycles-for.html' title='Different Types Of Motorcycles For Diverse Needs'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-3811802132512025685</id><published>2008-04-23T06:59:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T07:01:06.834-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Gift Ideas for the Motorcyclist in Your Life</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="Christine Harrell" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/christine-harrell/5719.htm"&gt;Christine Harrell&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Some people are nearly impossible to buy gifts for. However, if someone has a hobby, that's always a good source for gift ideas. There are countless options for &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/gift-ideas-for-the-motorcyclist-in-your-life-342181.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;motorcycle &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;riders&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; no matter what your gift budget is.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Safety Equipment:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some riders are very serious about safety equipment while others just wave it off, maybe obeying helmet laws by buying the cheapest helmet around but nothing else. This can be frustrating for people who worry about them zipping down the freeway completely unprotected.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are plenty of helmets for the rider in your life that combine protection with style, but there are more safety choices than just helmets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leather jackets are the classic rider outfit and are functional as well as attractive. Get one with a spine protector for the best chance of surviving an accident with no long-term injury. Leather boots are another great accessory that provide protection if the bike goes down.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are you on a small budget?  Try a pair of &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/gift-ideas-for-the-motorcyclist-in-your-life-342181.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;motorcycle &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;gloves&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; or a helmet lock.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A rider who might not wear full safety gear normally will often wear it if it's a gift. The rider gets a great gift and you get peace of mind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aftermarket &lt;a id="KonaLink2" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/gift-ideas-for-the-motorcyclist-in-your-life-342181.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;Motorcycle &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;Parts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most riders want to customize their &lt;a id="KonaLink3" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/gift-ideas-for-the-motorcyclist-in-your-life-342181.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;bikes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and the aftermarket motorcycle parts industry has never been bigger.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Custom chrome options give bikes an eye-catching accent. Look through aftermarket motorcycle parts catalogs to find chrome accessories from screws to trim to wheels. For those on a bigger budget, there are kits that let your rider chrome the whole bike.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Seats are always a good choice; after all that's where the rider spends the most time! A more comfortable seat takes the strain off and makes the ride more enjoyable. Or give the rider more storage with saddlebags and luggage racks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For a really special occasion, try something extravagant like one of the many custom bike kits. It's a once-in-a-lifetime gift, but it's certainly something that will be remembered.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Talk to Riding Buddies:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you just don't know what to buy you can always go for a gift certificate at an aftermarket motorcycle parts shop, but those are so impersonal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Instead, talk to your rider's motorcycle enthusiast friends. They probably have great ideas and can help with the details. They can steer you to the right brands so you don't end up with a chrome accessory that doesn't fit on the bike or a helmet that looks pretty but doesn't protect well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of all the gift choices for the motorcycle enthusiast, one of the best is to become genuinely interested in the hobby. It will bring you closer together and you just might find an exciting new pastime.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div id="AuthorBox"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information about &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.jirehcycles.com/"&gt;motorcycle parts&lt;/a&gt;, visit &lt;a href="http://www.jirehcycles.com/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outgoing/article_exit_link');"&gt;http://www.jirehcycles.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-3811802132512025685?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/3811802132512025685/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=3811802132512025685' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3811802132512025685'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3811802132512025685'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/gift-ideas-for-motorcyclist-in-your.html' title='Gift Ideas for the Motorcyclist in Your Life'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-8450880022509059266</id><published>2008-04-23T06:58:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T06:59:31.544-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Motorcycle Selling Tips - Selling Your Bike For Top Dollar</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="Matthew Hick" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/matthew-hick/10065.htm"&gt;Matthew Hick&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;For whatever reason - you've bought a brand &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/motorcycle-selling-tips-selling-your-bike-for-top-dollar-346531.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;new &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;motorcycle&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Your wife says it has to go or you've just outgrown it - it's time to get your motorcycle out of the garage and sell it to someone who will enjoy its splendor once again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now that you've made the big decision to let it go, you want to make sure you can make the very best deal you can. Here are some pointers to help you get the best buck for your bike:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Clean and polish your bike.&lt;br /&gt;Who wants to consider buying a dirty unkempt bike? Show off your bike's true beauty. Spend some time cleaning and shining it to make it look as good as possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make any necessary cosmetic repairs. &lt;br /&gt;Buyers are more apt to pay your asking price if they think the bike is well maintained. Besides first impressions count and if a buyer sees a small scratch or dent they think that other things are wrong with your bike.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Give it a tune-up. &lt;br /&gt;Remember how you felt the first time you ever turned the ignition? Give prospective buyers that same thrill! Make sure it is well tuned and ready to ride.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gather up your old receipts. &lt;br /&gt;Whether it was for a repair, general maintenance or to add a little something extra to your bike, be prepared to show prospective buyers what's been done to your bike - and when. It'll illustrate how well you've cared for the bike and give them a good idea of the shape it's in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Be Truthful.&lt;br /&gt;Nearly every used motorcycle will have some performance quirk. Be honest about performance issues or maintenance problems.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Know your &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/motorcycle-selling-tips-selling-your-bike-for-top-dollar-346531.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;blue &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;book &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;value&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;You may think that your bike is worth ten times what the market can bear, but if you don't price your bike to sell, it never will.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have the title ready to transfer.&lt;br /&gt;If a prospective buyer shows up with the money, you want to be able to transfer the title on the spot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Be prepared to say no to a test drive.&lt;br /&gt;After all, if &lt;a id="KonaLink2" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/motorcycle-selling-tips-selling-your-bike-for-top-dollar-346531.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;dealers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; aren't wiling to take the risk, why should you be?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Selling your motorcycle will ultimately be an emotional event, don't make it any harder than you have to. Follow these dimple tips to ensure a quick sale that will garner the money you want and need to make it worth your while to get rid of your bike in the first place.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div id="AuthorBox"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Want To Own a Website? Get Your Own Successful &lt;b&gt;&lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ewebcreator.com/"&gt;Niche Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Network at &lt;a href="http://ewebcreator.com./" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outgoing/article_exit_link');"&gt;http://eWebCreator.com.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://ewebcreator.com/"&gt;Adsense Ready Website&lt;/a&gt; with eWebCreator.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-8450880022509059266?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/8450880022509059266/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=8450880022509059266' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8450880022509059266'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/8450880022509059266'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/motorcycle-selling-tips-selling-your.html' title='Motorcycle Selling Tips - Selling Your Bike For Top Dollar'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-5740897616606629186</id><published>2008-04-23T06:56:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T06:57:50.460-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Riding Your Motorcycle the Safest Way Possible</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="John Daniele" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/john-daniele/50024.htm"&gt;John Daniele&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;There are many different ways to ride a motorcycle safely, however, overcoming several of the key points in riding, all at the same time, can be difficult for some people. Braking, cornering, stopping, riding in inclement weather are just a few of the &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/riding-your-motorcycle-the-safest-way-possible-349317.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;motorcycle &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;safety&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; problems a rider can run into at any given moment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Braking –&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Normally, one would think of braking a motorcycle with, well, the brakes, but there is a combination, in a certain sequence to braking a motorcycle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• When braking, one is tempted to over look snapping off the throttle or changing to a lower gear, both of which have an impact on the rear wheel just long enough for them to lock up the real wheel and cause it to slide, especially when leaning into a curve. For that reason, safe, positive braking is not a straightforward skill but mandates training and practice in addition to watching the road conditions.&lt;br /&gt;• They do most of the work, so use the front brakes. Braking progressively, confidently and tough on the front brake is a learned skill and ought to be practiced on a customary basis under safe &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/riding-your-motorcycle-the-safest-way-possible-349317.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;driving &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;conditions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. If you have a passenger, the additional weight affects your stopping space, so try practicing with a passenger and without one to gage the difference.&lt;br /&gt;• Heavy, hard braking is prepared when the motorcycle is straight and wandering in a straight line. When braking, do not stiffen your arms; instead, grip the bike with your legs, leaving your arms relaxed and free.&lt;br /&gt;• By no means grab the front brake since this will give reasons for it to lock up. Only apply the first force effortlessly for the first second, allowing the front of the bike to dip onto the &lt;a id="KonaLink2" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/riding-your-motorcycle-the-safest-way-possible-349317.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;front &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;suspension&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; as the weight of the bike moves forward into the front wheel. The added downward pressure means you can now brake harder and this means little chance of locking up.&lt;br /&gt;• Always keep your head up and watch the road conditions while going through the braking process. Try to maintain the front tire on a clean, dry, hard surface and avoid discolored spots in the road, if you find this difficult, simplicity back on the front brake and apply the back brake, change to the lower gear and slow down gradually. Release the clutch out slowly to help with this process. Jumping out the clutch can momentarily lock up the rear wheels and causing you to slide. Diesel spills on the road from semi trucks can cause a &lt;a id="KonaLink3" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/riding-your-motorcycle-the-safest-way-possible-349317.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;motorcyclist&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to loose control, so be on the look out for them.  &lt;br /&gt;• While driving in metropolitan traffic, always keep at least two fingers on the front brake, there is no time to be fumbling for the brake when cars are stopping and starting at such a fast pace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Road conditions –&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Every road you travel will no doubt have a different surface and condition to it. Sand and loose gravel are the two major obstacles besides regular pavement you might find yourself traveling on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;• As a rider of motorcycles, you must develop an ‘eagles eye’ when it comes to road conditions. A sense of predictions is also a good thing to have.&lt;br /&gt;• All riders are encouraged to ride ‘off-road’ a few times a year to prepare themselves for whatever might happen on the roads in town and the highways. This does great things for your ability to constantly read and react to various surfaces and studies have shown that people who ride off road, have few accidents on road than those who never drive off road.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div id="AuthorBox"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;John Daniele is an expert on motorcycle helmets. For information or to purchase a handcrafted, light-weight, fiberglass novelty &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://helmetsrus.com/"&gt;motorcycle helmets&lt;/a&gt; see &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.helmetsrus.com/" target="_blank"&gt;www.helmetsrus.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-5740897616606629186?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/5740897616606629186/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=5740897616606629186' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5740897616606629186'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/5740897616606629186'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/riding-your-motorcycle-safest-way.html' title='Riding Your Motorcycle the Safest Way Possible'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-6382333224293385669</id><published>2008-04-23T06:55:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T06:56:19.324-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Kids Bikes</title><content type='html'>By &lt;a title="natisha" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/natisha/45711.htm"&gt;Natisha&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;All growing kids need to learn riding the simple art of cycling. It is a lovely riding sport for them. Today, the children are more mature and are also riding bikes. But as a general rule learning a simple two-wheeler makes more sense. As the kids adapt to the balance, then safety and speed can be taught under parental guidance. There are numerous cycle brands that are catering to kids cycling and biking needs. Some brands are exclusively made with kids in mind and over the years have become popular with the children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As a form of exercise, children can learn how to ride the cycle. Most parents gift the child a bicycle on the birthday. Both girls and boys all over the world have been riding two wheelers for generations. While today’s children are smarter they are also trying out &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/kids-bikes-377013.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;bikes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in all terrains. They are also equally creative with their favorite possession. The passionately paint them, add various accessories to them and give them a unique identity. Since kids are known to be a little careless bikes and &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/kids-bikes-377013.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;"&gt;bicycles&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; purchased can be restored with spares which are available in local stores. The vehicles come with a minimum one year warranty. One can get them at discounted prices also at many online stores.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Different kinds of bikes and bicycles are available according to the age of the child. Parents should help the children to select the model before buying. Unless the kid feels comfortable it will not be useful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div id="AuthorBox"&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beachbikes.net sells well made stylish &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beachbikes.net/"&gt;kids bikes&lt;/a&gt; from major brands like Electra, Nirve, Schwinn, Felt, Kustom Kruisers, sixthreezero and more at prices that are affordable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-6382333224293385669?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/6382333224293385669/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=6382333224293385669' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/6382333224293385669'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/6382333224293385669'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/kids-bikes.html' title='Kids Bikes'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5434967021985718601.post-3893738829733786131</id><published>2008-04-23T06:48:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-23T06:54:46.824-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Kids Cruisers</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;By&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a title="natisha" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/natisha/45711.htm"&gt;Natisha&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Kids grow up being independent with their own two wheelers. It gives them a sense of identity and overcome fear also. And as they grow they graduate to bigger and better two wheelers. Cruisers are available for toddlers up to teenage years. There are special kids’ cruisers that can be purchased. Most kids are seen moving around the roads with these cruisers. For family vacations on the beaches the &lt;a id="KonaLink0" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/kids-cruisers-377018.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;cruiser &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;bikes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; are great. They are light weight and can be loaded in the car without any problems. Every child has memories of the first vacation trip on the beach on the cruiser. Parents can make the trip memorable by buying their loved ones these cruisers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Children are not into heavy duty maintenance of the cruisers or bikes. The vehicles may be broken also. But it is for the parents to help their kids to look after their bikes. New models of beach cruisers for kids have become very popular. Many beaches are now full of kids riding on them. Manufacturers also have come up with attractive names and types of such bikes for children. Some popular brands are My Little Pony, Transformers, Jeep etc. Children also love to give names to their bikes. They also come with accessories like baskets, spare tires, horns, torches and headlights, sport and beach t-shirts, pedals, repair stands, GPS bike units that can be strapped to the &lt;a id="KonaLink1" target="_new" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/kids-cruisers-377018.html#"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static;color:#009900;" &gt;&lt;span class="kLink" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 153, 0); color: rgb(0, 153, 0) ! important; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.3333px; position: static; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;"&gt;handlebar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, bike helmet and multi-tool kit. These can be useful and can be carried forward to bigger bikes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About the Author:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beachbikes.net sells well made stylish &lt;a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beachbikes.net/"&gt;beach bikes&lt;/a&gt; from major brands like Electra, Nirve, Schwinn, Felt, Kustom Kruisers, sixthreezero and more at prices that are affordable&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.articlesbase.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Source&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5434967021985718601-3893738829733786131?l=otocycles.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/feeds/3893738829733786131/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5434967021985718601&amp;postID=3893738829733786131' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3893738829733786131'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5434967021985718601/posts/default/3893738829733786131'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://otocycles.blogspot.com/2008/04/kids-cruisers.html' title='Kids Cruisers'/><author><name>Admin</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/08917617600704894691</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
