Archive for category Motorcycles

Lane Splitting on Motorcycles

Posted by in Motorcycles on November 10, 2011

By Ron Ayalon

Motorcycles are smaller than cars. You’ve probably noticed that. A highway lane that can accommodate one car can handle three bikes abreast, as long as everyone is a good rider, of course. But almost anyone can ride two abreast in a lane.

Not that I’m suggesting you do this. I’m just making a point about size. And here’s what I’m getting at. There’s a lane on any multi-lane road that goes almost unused. It’s that center lane where the stripe is painted. Now, if you’re riding a Kawasaki Concours 14 you might have difficulty slipping in between cars and trucks on that center lane. If you’re on a slim little Yamaha FZ1, however, you’ve usually got plenty of room.

It’s call lane splitting, and unless you live in California it is illegal in your state. But laws can be changed. In Europe everyone does it. If you’re on an interstate in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic, taking that center lane can speed your journey enormously.

Of course you have to do so carefully. In California they have limits as to how fast traffic can be moving if you’re going to lane split, and that’s OK. If traffic is going even 30 miles an hour you’re best just to stay in your line and cruise. But when the freeway becomes a parking lot, why not take that wide open avenue?

Now, in Europe they take it to an extreme. On the highways around Paris you’ll see bikes zooming up the middle, down the median, and on the shoulder as well. No jurisdiction in this country allows that kind of stuff. And on the streets of Paris it’s a sight to see. The traffic light turns red and cars stop. Soon, scooters and small motorcycles start filtering to the front, pulling in front of the cars when they can, and often stacking up five or six deep in the center lane. The light turns green and, with their quicker acceleration, the bikes zoom ahead and are halfway down the block while the cars are just starting to roll. Do that again and again and you’ve cut your commute in half or better.

There are a lot of advantages to lane splitting. It encourages people to ride motorcycles and scooters, and every person who leaves their car at home reduces congestion by one car. Motorcycles burn less fuel and thus they conserve resources, although the jury is still out on whether they actually put out less air pollution overall. When you get to work and need to park, four or five motorcycles can fit in the space needed for one car, so you’re cutting parking congestion even more than congestion on the streets.

Lane splitting has its risks, make no mistake about that. In California it evolved gradually, with the police usually looking the other way. Thus, drivers became familiar with it and learned over time to watch out for bikes when they needed to change lanes. Eventually the legislature passed a law stating flat out that it was legal.

Changing laws in other states is a hard sell, but it does come up from time to time. A couple state legislatures have actually approved such legislation but then the governor vetoed it. It could be pretty scary for awhile in a state where it was legalized, until the drivers learned to be on guard. Heck, it’s hard enough riding a motorcycle in heavy traffic even when you’re staying in your lane. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been doing exactly that and someone ahead of me and to the right or left decided they wanted to be in my lane. And of course, they didn’t actually look to see if anyone (me) was there.

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Restoring Leather Motorcycle Saddlebags

Posted by in Motorcycles on November 9, 2011

By Shahzad Mr Sindhu

When going out for a ride, your bike is sure to get dirty. Just one drizzle, and you’ll get your bike so dirty with mud in so many places that you may be surprised that they were even there. Not to mention the aftermath of having a dirty bike: the hours required to clean it. Like the entire bike, your luggage is going to get dirty too, and cleaning leather bags is much harder than cleaning the rest of the bike’s body. Even if you are fortunate to save your bike from any rain and mud, it will still get dusty with the passage of time. Same is the case with any saddlebag attached to the bike. There are ways to restore your saddlebags if they have become so filthy that you hardly recognize them as yours, but care should be taken when cleaning motorcycle saddlebags or else they would give a dismal look if not properly treated.

Leather saddlebags can be restored to their original appearance just with cleaning and conditioning them. Leather naturally absorbs liquids and softens. It just needs some moisture to keep it shiny and soft. As saddlebags are exposed to rain, road salt, pollen, dirt and debris, they are bound to become dull and lifeless.

For restoring it, you’ll need two washcloths (one dry, one damp), leather cleaner, a leather conditioner, a damp sponge, chrome polish and two cotton towels (again one dry, one damp). You start off by wiping any loose debris, dust or dirt off with a dry washcloth. Now that it is clean from dirt, grab another damp washcloth, squirt some leather cleaner on it and start wiping it on the saddlebag, working on one section at a time. It should be done in circles, like waxing a car. You’ll need to do so for the entire bag, adding more leather cleaner when necessary. After the cleaning is done, the bag should be left to dry, which may take a while. Next, take the damp sponge and repeat what you did with the washcloth, only this time, squirt it with a leather conditioner instead of leather cleaner.

Now that the leather part of the bag is clean, only your studs are left untouched. For polishing them, take that damp cotton towel and place your hand in it with the forefinger pointing up and the rest curled. Dip your forefinger in the can of chrome polish so that you just get a little polish on the towel, and start rubbing the studs with the polish in a circular motion. Put the chrome cleaner on five or six studs, just be careful the polish remains on the studs and doesn’t come in contact with the leather. If it accidentally does get smeared on the leather, then immediately wipe it off with a clean damp washcloth.

For the finishing touches, rub up the polish with a dry cotton towel on the metal, removing the polish and leaving a shiny brand new metal. Continue doing so for every stud on your leather motorcycle saddlebag until the very last stud is shining bright.

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Where to Find Deals on Used Sportbike Parts

Posted by in Motorcycles on November 8, 2011

By Tim Ord

Where do you find good deals on used sportbike parts? Ebay, of course! Not too fast though, let me show you what a good deal looks like versus a dud. There are loads of deals on Ebay, but for every good deal there are 2 duds! I’m going to inform you about how you can recognize the good deals so that you can save some cash and also ensure that you are making a sound purchasing decision.

The most important thing to consider when you are considering a purchase of used parts, is not the part – its the seller. The reason this is of utmost importance is that used parts that could have sustained structural damage must be disposed of. Sometimes this damage cannot be seen with the naked eye, so it takes a knowledgeable and experienced seller to make the determination of whether the parts could possibly be dangerous or not.

Not all used parts sellers are equal. Some parts are being sold by companies that specialize in quality used parts while some are being sold by less than reputable individuals with little to no knowledge of the parts they are selling. Often times you can find really cheap parts that are listed by an individual however in many cases, this is a guy who has crashed his motorcycle, and is trying to sell the parts that his picked up from the side of the road! Now even though you can pick up some killer deals from this type of motivated seller, you must also be cautious. The reason is they may not have the knowledge and experience to correctly diagnose faulty parts that might appear fine but might in fact have structural damage that could be dangerous if installed and used.

I recommend buying your used parts from a reputable used parts seller that specializes in used motorcycle parts. This way you have the assurance that you are buying safe and usable parts. You still get a deep discount on the used parts, but you also have the peace of mind knowing that you are dealing with a seller that has good knowledge, service, quality parts and competitive pricing.

To summarize, the main thing to watch out for when searching for used parts for your motorcycle is not necessarily the cheapest part available, but rather the seller that you are potentially buying from. Once the determination has been made that the seller has a good reputation and that they are knowledgeable, then you can dig further and search through their inventory for the best deal on the part you desire. In in this way you can be sure to get a better and safer part for your money. One such seller on Ebay is VelocityKing. They sell tons of great used parts, and have an outstanding reputation as well.

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