Take Care of Her and Shell Do the Same ( How to start out the riding season)
June 23, 2008
Has your scoot been sitting in the garage all winter, just dying to be ridden? Or have you had the chance to only get her out a couple of times? If you answer yes to either of these questions, then this article will intrest you. This article lets you know what I do every year right before riding season starts.
Living in the lower midwest, there seems to be several chances to ride during the winter. Usually, a day here, and a day there. But for the most part the bike still sits on a pretty regular basis. Sitting, in and of itself doesn’t do any harm to your bike but some of the less durable stuff has a tendancy to break down even when sitting. Another thing, in order to help you have a safer and problem free season it’s just better to run the checks listed below.
- Fuel - Gas tends to break down as it ages. If you’ve ever smelt a gas can that been sitting for awhile you know what I mean. If my bikes been sitting for a over a month, I will drain the gas and put new fuel in it.
Avoiding Excessive or Uneven Front Tire Wear
June 8, 2008
All rubber tires wear down over time, whether they’re on a motorcycle or automobile. However, you want to watch out for uneven or excessive wear, both of which can cause serious problems for motorcycle riders. If you pay attention to the following causes of excessive and uneven wear, you will extend the life of your tires and keep yourself safe:
1. Improper Tire Pressure - We have all heard about the importance of maintaining proper tire pressure at all times. Improper air pressure in your tire is a big reason for many tire problems and failures. Be sure your tires have the recommended pressure in them at all times.
2. Humped Roads — Most roads are “humped” slightly in the middle or banked away from the center to allow rain and water to drain off. However, this hump can have a dramatic effect on one side of your motorcycle’s front tire because the side of the tire closer to the center of the road will wear faster. There’s not much you can do about this, and it can become very visible if you ride a lot. So be aware of this phenomenon and check the left side of your front tire often.
Frame Slider Design and Selection
May 25, 2008
Call them crash protectors, crash bobbins, fairing protectors or frame sliders, all these products ultimately seek to do one thing - protect your expensive bodywork or the essential and often expensive structural parts of your motorcycle from damage in the even of a fall or tip-over. The frame slider concept is as old as the proverbial ‘crash bar’ and today there are as many designs and brands as there are models of bikes. The proliferation of these types of products testify to the success of the idea of providing a sacrificial item to absorb some of the damage in the event of a fall. We are by no means experts on this concept nor were we the first to come up with it, but in this article we hope to provide you with an unbiased view so that you can make an informed decision when you’re ready to put down your hard earned cash.
Cost:
Cost of the frame sliders must be appropriate to the items that they are designed to protect. Price is not necessarily the best indicator of quality. Poorly designed frame sliders made of the nicest shiniest materials may not serve their purpose as well as well designed but less ‘bling’ ones.
How to Remove Your Mk2 Mini Moto Engine
May 11, 2008
Many mini moto modifications will require you to remove the engine from the mini moto. This is why I have produced the following guide.
Firstly you will need to remove the mini moto’s fairing.
Start with the seat fairing, unscrew the four seat screws and remove the seat. Unscrew the screw at the front end of the seat fairing and remove the petrol cap. The fairing can now be lifted from the mini moto. Replace the fuel tank petrol cap and remove the fuel tank by pulling the rubber tube of the nipple on the top of the carburettor. You may want to double the rubber fuel tube over and secure it in this position with a clothes peg. This is to stop fuel leaking out.
Remove the bottom fairing by unscrewing the holding bolts (two on each side), this frees the bottom fairing from the top. Unscrew the two bolts on the underside of the bottom fairing. The bottom fairing is now free. The top fairing is only now held on by one last bolt located in between the handle bars at the front of the mini moto.
Women and Motorcycles? You Bet!
April 27, 2008
To really understand the women and her ride, one needs to go back in history to explore the courageous women who defied the norm and road their horses in the freedom of the wind. Who could forget Joan of Arc or Annie Oakley. Two completely different women who followed their own council and fought for their right to ride in a man’s world. Or the women warlords who fought while on horseback and brandished their swords with the best of them. (and yes, women really did that) What man could resist such a women?
Women’s love affair with the motorcycle began with the bicycle back in the 1800’s. They became hugely popular with women. Susan B. Anthony once said, "A bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women more than any other thing in this world".
When the motorized bicycle was developed in the early 1900’s, it opened up a whole new realm of adventure for the high-spirited woman of the day. Many women took to the open road not on horseback, but on the iron horse. Adventurous women enjoyed many long distance rides. Some were skilled enough to do stunt riding. No mean feat, especially on the earlier bikes.
Mini Moto Mayhem
April 13, 2008
Mini Motos have been around in the UK for around ten years now. The first bikes we’re cobbled together with parts that were already available. Small 2 stroke engines, mainly from garden machinery, were used. This type of engine is still used today for a few models and is referred to as an ‘industrial’ engine. But now the mini moto has been given an overhaul and has taken off in popularity.
Mini Motos are true miniatures of their larger Super bike cousins. All of the details that go into the high performance motorcycles of today are scaled down. The slick tires, the race replica bodywork and the "super bike" colours are all present. Although usually only 15 to 18 inches in height and weighing 35 to 55 pounds, it can be difficult to tell they’re not full size when looking at them from a distance. The exactness of detail adds to their ‘coolness’ and is most certainly what has raised them to such heights of popularity.
0 to 60 in 4.5 Seconds
March 30, 2008
Speeding is illegal, yet we sell racing motorcycles and cars which are so powerful and look so intimidating that a police man could write the owner a ticket even if it were parked. Take today’s crotch rocket, nearly all of these motorcycles can barely get out of second or third gear going sixty miles per hour. We complain when our teenagers drive these bikes like they are meant to be driven. Silly of us to think that anyone is going to drive these bikes and never speed?
Any one who has ever gotten on a race bike and felt the acceleration knows that such temptation is just to great. Once you give it some throttle you want to take it thru the gears. Yet, if you do choose to take it thru all the gears and redline the sixth or last gear you find yourself often over 135 miles per hour even on a 600 CC race bike. On the 750’s and 1000 plus CC race bikes you are well over 160 miles per hour at redline. Those of us who dare know that you must really pay attention when you are going at such speeds while sitting out in the open, namely you need to hang on.
People Are Crazy… and Everyone Is A Racer
March 15, 2008
?And everyone is a racer. If you doubt that, you’ve obviously never driven in New York City during rush hour. Look closely at the driver of that Japanese luxury car. He’s just as miffed as you the racer is at having to drive fifty-five miles per hour when the speedometer on the car clearly reads one hundred and fifty. Why can’t we drive it at that speed if the car can come close to it. Man, just look at him fiddling with the knobs pretending to be tuning the radio into a station. We racers know what he is really doing is setting the frequency of his imaginary laser beam roadblock remover system. You know the ones; they make little bomb sounds as we pretend we are obliterating our foes on the drive home.
The Buzz is All About Mini-Motorcycles
February 29, 2008
Pocket bikes are miniature motorcycles — powered, for the most part, by oil- and gas-burning engines similar to those used in chain saws, weed whackers or other small motorized tools — and they look just like the real thing.
The snazziest models cost thousands and are made in Italy, but the ones that are selling by the container load run from $200 to $500. They come from China, among other places, and are getting snapped up by eager teenagers and, in some cases, not-so-teenagers.
At Broadtek LLC, a South San Francisco firm that imports them, the cardboard cartons containing the small bikes are stacked to the ceiling of a tall warehouse and are quickly going out the door to eager customers.
In Walnut Creek, Eric Rahin, owner of Sonic Scooterz, says he’s selling them in droves — “from college students to people in their late 50s. It’s basically a toy to have some fun with.”
Manufacturers say the bikes are supposed to be used only on closed race tracks, private roads or any other place where there are no public traffic laws and, more important, no big cars or trucks to run into you. Many buyers follow that advice.
Fuel Cells Motorcycles, Trucks, Tanks, ATVs and Fire Hazards from Heat Exchanges
February 15, 2008
We have heard a whole lot of talk about fuel cells and of course it is a worthy endeavor. Portable generators, cars, transportation industry, Power generators, Ships, etc. can benefit. However in a mobile application such as a shuttle bus, car, truck, train, tractor, motor scooter or even a Segway air-cushioned platform mover, there is the problem of heat. The heat occurs on transfer of fuel. So if we are talking about a portable application the heat can make steam and the steam can be used for additional power needed also. In an off road application when we are in places of drought and extreme fire hard there is a significant problem which needs to be better addressed with the material sciences to control the heat. Everyone knows that 2-cycle motorcycles get hot and can cause fires if you are not careful.
The hydrogen cell problem with it’s temperatures could be significantly worse. In larger vehicles there have been ways to mitigate this, with additional insulation panels, however in a small off road vehicle or ATV, the problem becomes more significant. When I speak of ATV, I mean All-terrain vehicle, not the Fuel Cell term of Advanced Technology Vehicle. At Texas A and M. they are working on just such a project.
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