2Wheeltips

two wheel tips feels the same
a lot of crappy dealers are to blame

I took my vtx in for some lizards lights
they wired it wrong and my battery said "yikes!"

There was a constant power drain
The bike wouldn't start, what a royal pain

I figured it out and unhooked everything
my battery was happy and started to sing

The dealer said it's not their fault
Had to be something wrong with what I bought

I told them that I bought it from you.
They looked around and said "you bought it from who?"

I looked at them with a pout
They said it's closing time, so you have to get out

Ever wonder why your ears ring, you have a headache or you feel "fuzzy" or tired after a long ride? Ever notice at most motorcycle rallies you see many riders wearing not one but two hearing aids? Well....now you are about to find out.

Some of you are probably thinking it has something to do with loud engines or loud pipes. If you did, you are partially correct. A bigger part of it is wind noise. That ear ringing, fuzzy feeling, headache is from the loud noise. In fact, at highway speeds (50mph+) the sound of the wind rushing past your ears is louder than the engine. How loud is the wind noise? Close to that of a chainsaw! Seriously.

Now think about riding around month after month, year after year with a chainsaw blasting in your ears. What do you think will happen to your hearing? Nothing good. People who work in high noise environments know this already:

             1.  Factory workers use hearing protection
             2.  The guy cutting your grass wears hearing protection
             3.  Airline luggage handlers use hearing protection
             4.  If you go to a gun range, you must use hearing protection
             5.  Motorcyclists? (birds and crickets chirping)

For motorcyclists the solution is very simple, buy foam earplugs. They are about $0.09 - $0.11 a piece so there is really no excuse not use them. You can find them in most drug stores or at the local Lowe's or Home Depot. Just make sure they have a NRR (noise reduction rating) of 25 or more. The NRR is printed on the packaging.

Here are more articles on this topic from Dr. Melissa Heche AuD who wrote a 2wheeltips column on motorcycling and hearing.
http://www.2wheeltips.com/magazine/tag/hearing loss

A new rider is faced with a tremendous number of fears: from simply stopping the bike to the dreaded left turner.  Does that guy see me or is that person going to pull out of the parking lot in front of me?  In the past few months, I have spoken with a few new riders and they all have one particular fear in common; riding at highway speeds.  What I would like to address here are some points that may help you overcome these fears. I will also compare city riding to highway riding. 

Riding on the highway is actually considerably safer than riding around your suburban neighborhood.  If you consider that every parked car is a potential threat due to your inability to see behind or in front of the car parked on the side of the road.  It is possible for a child, adult or pet to come running out from between two parked cars.  In addition, you may not see that narrow driveway beyond the car parked on your right as a car comes speeding out without looking.  Obviously the list of dangers goes on, but I think you get the idea. 

When riding on the highways, all the cars are going in the same direction at pretty much the same speed.  If you have trained yourself to look far enough ahead as well as looking on your rearview mirrors, most moving threats can be seen within enough time to react.  A benefit of being on two wheels is because you are much narrower than the cars around you, avoidance is much easier as you have a full lane to maneuver if you see someone wandering into your lane.  Here are a few tips that make my highway riding safer and have worked for me. 

Stay out of the far right lane, vehicles entering and exiting the highway tend to do so without consideration for cars let alone motorcycles.  As you pass by an exit ramp and a car on your left realizes they are about to miss their exit and do a hard right across your lane, chances are you will not live to smack the driver in the head.  When vehicles enter the highway, more cars are doing the 3 lane change direct from the onramp, again if you are in the far right lane passing the onramp and a car decides to do this without looking, it’s unlikely you will be walking away. 

Drivers today are distracted more and more by electronic devices; we all see it regularly, and those people create a larger threat to us. It’s a smart idea to give the drivers around you a quick glance to see where their attention is.  If you see drivers talking on the phone, texting or playing with their GPS, simply get away from them by slowing down, speeding up, or just changing lanes taking you out of potential harm’s way. 

Riding along the highway can be a great experience.  You get to your destinations quicker if that is your goal, you have the ability to travel much farther and[you can] explore places nowhere near your normal ride radius.  One of the most common dangers on the highway is construction.  They say there are two seasons in the northeast, construction and winter.  You will eventually find yourself in a construction zone regardless of the area you live in.  Remember to observe the speed limits and watch for areas of loose gravel and where resurfacing is taking place.  Often times you will find yourself behind dump trucks and construction equipment spewing rocks and sand in your path; use special care when following these dastardly trucks and give yourself plenty of room.  Sometimes a road crew will grind off one lane and pave another, leaving a difference of three to four inches between lanes.  I caution you to not attempt to change lanes if you see this regardless of how gouged up your lane happens to be or how tempting that fresh pavement looks.  As soon as your front tire touches that big incline, the bike will slam to the ground, and at highway speeds.  Let’s just say bad things will happen.

Keeping yourself visible is critical in maintaining a good level of safety.  It is not simply good enough to wear your big bright neon vest (if you choose to wear one), but it is more important to maintain good lane position and at the appropriate speed.  You may think that riding down the middle of the road is good enough, however it reduces your visibility to the vehicles in front of you and also helps you blend into the vehicles behind you.  In addition, by riding in the center on the lane can increase the size of your blind spot within your rear view mirrors.  I recommend riding along the wheel tracks of the four wheel vehicles on the road.  A common danger on the roads today is debris from littering, things falling off of trucks and cars as well as tire pieces from blow outs on cars and tractor trailers.  Four wheeled vehicles can straddle the debris and if you are following a little too close to the car in front of you, you will not have time to react to it.  There is less likelihood that the debris will be in the wheel track as opposed to the center of the lane.

Changing lanes can be safe or dangerous depending on how you do it and the actions you take prior to it.  When you need to change lanes, it is crucial to make certain the lane next to you is clear.  Looking in that mirror is not good enough because cars and trucks are easily missed in that blind spot.  You must look over your shoulder fully prior to that change, turn on your indicator and look again.  Now check your mirror to see if anybody decides they want to occupy that spot first by speeding up behind you. Once you have determined that you can safely make the lane change, accelerate and lean the bike to get the bike over into the lane position you want to be in.  Cancel your indicator and continue to look down the highway at a safe speed.

One trick I use while riding on the highway is that I check the distance of the front tire of the car that poses the greatest threat to me to the line between us.  I will constantly scan the road ahead and behind while continuously monitoring the distance between that wheel and the line.  If for any reason I get the suspicion that the driver is about to change lanes or veer into mine, I will hit the horn and change my position.  Obviously, we don’t want to ride in a driver’s blind spot, but with the crowded roads and highways today, sometimes we simply cannot get enough space around us.  Using good common sense and lane positioning can reduce your risks.

Your ability to juggle your attention to various threats and itemize them into what poses the greatest danger to the least and continuously shuffle them in your mind so that you can take the appropriate action is what makes an excellent motorcyclist.  It is often referred to as situational awareness and plays a huge role in motorcycle safety.  Riding down a highway at 70 mph may seem more dangerous than your neighborhood, but it doesn’t have to be.  The most difficult part is simply maintaining attention and not falling into the trap of complacency.   

Not everybody rides a one thousand pound machine that is less susceptible to crosswinds.  A small 250 cc cruiser is much lighter than a 1300 cc bike.  The weight and profile of the motorcycle do make a big difference in how the machine handles in heavy winds.  Use your judgment when choosing to take to the highways because they tend to have large spans that leave you wide open to heavy winds.  If you are faced with some severe cross winds, the key is to not over compensate for the oncoming breeze.  Simply lean the bike slightly into the wind and feel the feedback from the bike.  Generally speaking, as the gust passes, the bike will begin to steer in the direction of the lean.  You need to use small inputs into the steering of the bike to maintain your lane position and reduce the lean when you feel the wind speed drop off.  Some highways will actually issue motorcycle bans when the wind speeds are too high. 

Another thing to remember while riding the highways (or any road for that matter) is to leave your pride at home.  If you get cut off, or someone does something stupid, it will not pay to chase them down or start waving your middle finger at them.  You don’t know who the driver is or what they are capable of and you may anger them to the point of them simply driving over you.  If you think it won’t happen, you’re wrong; I know of a few people that this has happened to, and some are no longer with us.  The driver will simply say that they didn’t see you and they go home to their family, you don’t. 

I love riding the highways, I have traveled all over the Eastern United States already with my wife and we have seen some amazing things.  Because I use my motorcycle to commute to work I am forced to ride the highways daily.  While everybody in their cars complains about the commute, I will often times seek the longer route home and set the cruise control on the bike and enjoy the ride.  Sometimes it’s just nice to enjoy a long straight stretch of highway.  If you are looking to expand your riding experience to include the slab, I highly recommend going out early on a Saturday or Sunday morning when traffic is very light.  You will get a better feel for what the speed feels like without the cage around you.  Just be careful of animals like deer that may be out at those times and enjoy the ride.

Rider Education Article
by Gene Knutson
International Director, Rider Education

Deadly Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Take a look at the statistics below if you think riding without a motorcycle helmet is a good way to save money.
With the number of U.S. motorcyclist deaths jumping 78% to 5,154 in 2007 from 2,897 in 2000, a recent University of Southern California study points to the wearing of a helmet as the major factor in surviving a motorcycle crash.

Below are additional statistics that explain why motorcycle insurance premiums continue to rise.

Motorcycle Fatality Statistics:
Although motorcycles represent only 3% of all registered vehicles in the United States, motorcyclists accounted for 13% of total traffic fatalities in 2007.  Per registered vehicle, the fatality rate for both motorcycle operators and passengers is 5.5 times higher than that for passenger car occupants.  Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 35 times more likely to die in a car crash than people traveling in passenger cars.
These findings are among the most recent statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Deadly Motorcycle Crash Statistics:
During 2007, 50% of all fatal motorcycle crashes involved collisions with another type of motor vehicle in transport. Of these two-vehicle crashes, 78% of motorcycles involved were struck from the front. Only 5% were struck from the rear.  In 25% of fatal motorcycle crashes, the motorcyclists crashed into a fixed object like a telephone pole or a concrete abutment.   Speeding was a factor in 36% of fatal motorcycle crashes during 2007.  This compares with 24% for passenger cars, 19% for light trucks and 8% for large trucks.  Florida (530), California (495) and Texas (375) had the highest number of motorcycle fatalities in 2007.

Fewer Motorcyclists Wear Helmets:
The NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,784 motorcyclists from death in 2007. If all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 800 lives could have been saved.  Helmets are considered to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. This means for every 100 motorcyclists killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.
Sadly, use of motorcycle helmets in the U.S. has declined by 13 percentage points to 58% in 2007 from 71% in 2000.
Remember, in an accident your head is usually one of the first parts of your body to feel the impact.  Why chance it, wear a helmet and continue to see the sunrise tomorrow.

Something that comes up quite often is the topic of helmets.

In one camp, you have some who refuse to wear one or, if they do, they wear a novelty helmet to keep from getting stopped by the local police.  They feel wearing a helmet isn't needed and mandatory helmet laws equal the govt. getting in their business. Some even claim that motorcycle helmets are dangerous and will cause whiplash in an accident.

Then there are some who wear novelty helmets for lifestyle reasons. For them, a helmet is a fashion accessory and must look good with the bike and the clothes they are wearing. Nothing else matters.

But the real reason for wearing a helmet should have nothing to do with any of that stuff. You wear a helmet to protect:

1. your head and face from flying debris such as rocks, nails, sticks
2. your head if you crash or go down on your bike

Unfortunately, there are plenty of helmets out there that can't do any of these things. If the helmet you are wearing can not, then you should start looking for a "real helmet".....one that can.

You may be asking, "how do I find one that can give me protection?" Look for one that has passed a helmet testing standard. DOT is one, SNELL is another, ANSI and ECE 22.05 are others.We are not recommending one standard over the other, but the better made helmets will have a sticker on the back that indicates that it has satisfied some type of helmet standard. If it doesn't, then you should keep looking.

Some of the things the test standards check:

1. Will the chin strap break if it is yanked hard
2. Will the outer shell get brittle and crack in cold weather
3. How well it will resist puncture from flying debris
4. How much head protection it offers if it is smacked....hard
5. Will the face shield shatter into sharp cutting pieces if it is hit

A tested helmet is not "magic" and will not save you in very extreme situations. But they definitely can protect you from serious injury and even death in many common motorcycle accidents.

 

Here I am again, writing about something that I'm sure I've covered many, many times. There has to be a video, audio or pictures on this topic somewhere on 2wheeltips.com, but just not under this heading. So here goes......

Now that you have finished your motorcycle class and have a bike, it's now time to hit the road. Before you do, you need to understand how important it is to put on the right clothing.

Now, some of you are probably thinking, "I'm not going to dress up like a crossing guard. Part of riding a bike is looking good and there is no freaking way I can look good dressed up like Capt. Safety." I agree......some stuff that passes as motorcycle gear looks like it belongs at a construction site and not on a biker. But that doesn't mean you should ignore the need to protect yourself from the dangers you will encounter when on the road.  

Take a step back and think of the many everyday activities that are considered dangerous and how those who participate in them handle the danger:

• Construction site? Hard hats, safety lines, steel toe boots
• Baseball? Batters helmet to protect you from a 100mph fast ball to the head
• Football? Helmets & pads to prevent concussions and broken bones after a tackle
• Soccer? Shinguards to protect your legs from cleats
• NASCAR? Helmets & harness to keep you from snapping your neck in a crash
• Airline luggage handler? Earplugs to keep you from going deaf
• Road worker? Gloves to protect your hands from cuts and abrasions

            .......
            .......

• Motorcycling??? Hmmmmmmm.......
  

Motorcycling is just as hazardous as any of the above. If you fall off your bike at 55mph without the proper gear, guarenteed you will get hurt worse (perhaps death) than anything you could get from the above activities.  But guess what? Many people will go out riding dressed like this:

Instead of this:

Do you think the hot exhaust pipe can melt her flip-flops? Or how about a piece of metal hitting her at 55mph? Do you think it will split her arm open? What if they crash? Will that tight t-shirt and shorts protect her skin from road rash? We all know the answer to each of those questions.

I'm not deceiving myself here. I know that some people will never wear anything but jeans, t-shirts and novelty helmets. That image goes with a certain biker lifestyle and it will never change. However, you do need to understand, just like a football helmet or a safety line, how the right gear can prevent serious injury.

In the upcoming articles, I'll discuss why you need to wear:

• A helmet (a real one)
• Jacket & Pants
• Gloves
• Belt
• Boots

Stay tuned.......

I'm sure I wrote a blog about this somewhere, but since I didn't see it in this category I figured I'd write another one. I guess it will not hurt.

Donʼt even think about riding without insurance or registration
If you get stopped, you could pay fines, get points on your regular license and  have increased car insurance. The police will not let you ride it away meaning you will need to get it towed. If you leave it on the side of the road, it's an invitation for someone to steal it. Either way, you will be walking.

Take a class and get a motorcycle license
If you don't, you are a danger to yourself and to others because you havenʼt learned the absolute basics of riding a motorcycle. If you think you will not get caught, think again. Police set up check points all the time on motorcycle routes because they know a good deal of bikers donʼt have licenses, endorsement, inspections, proper helmets or insurance. Again, if you want to walk home, have your bike towed or stolen, and pay big fines....ride without a license.

Get enough insurance
Another thing is to get the proper amount of insurance. Unfortunately you can get a bare bones policy that offers very minimal coverage. Not even enough to fix a broken arm, replace a car rear view mirror or even repair your bike. These policies are cheap, but are they worth it?

Don't get a stolen bike
In some areas you can get a “hot” bike for $500.00. It may be tempting..... but do you really feel comfortable riding around on a stolen bike?

Although you probably would never do any of the above in your car, too many motorcyclists ride around without a license and proper paper work. With all of the focus on cracking down on motorcyclists, doing any of the above is a sure way to get yourself into trouble.

I hate using tragedy as an example but here is another example of a motorcycle fatality at an intersection. It appears from the article that the rider swerved to avoid a turning car, lost control and crashed.

When approaching intersections, you should ALWAYS slow down and look for cars on side streets and also look for situations where other vehicles are blocking your view. 

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100804/NEWS/8040338/1003/NLETTER06 

We recently came across a company called Gears Canada that makes really nice stuff for sport bike riders. Many in the industry do not think people "tour" or go on overnight trips on sport bikes. Nothing could be further from the truth.....and this company makes great stuff just for those who do.

Three products they sell come to mind. For those taking multi-day trips they have a roomy piece of luggage called the Navigator Tail Bag. For overnight trips they have what's called the Navigator Tour bag. They have other nice stuff for sport bikers such as heated vests and heated chaps! We will be doing product review videos on their products soon and will keep you posted.

Here is something many riders don't know about. The age of your motorcycle tires is just as important as the depth of the tread.

Why? Because motorcycle tire rubber is soft....much softer than the rubber in your car tires. And it has to be....soft rubber grips the road very well and lets you ride those twisty roads with confidence. It is also why motorcycle tires wear much faster than car tires.

Because they are softer, they will dry out and crack as they get old. Once this happens it doesn't matter if it is a brand new tire or one with a few hundred miles, it is dangerous to use because old motorcycle tires are slippery. They have less grip and increased braking distance which could get you into a crash.




If you ride 2000 miles a year (the estimated average for bikers in the U.S.) or more, you will wear your tires out before they "age" out. If all you do is ride to the local bike night and back a few times a month, you will have hard cracked tires with plenty of tread.

How do you tell the age of the tire? That's simple. It is right on the sidewall....but it is encoded.

The first 2 numbers are the week of the year the tire was made and the last 2 numbers are the year.  So this tire was made the 13th week of 2004.....sometime around the 1st week of April 2004.

Knowing the tire age has a few uses:

Buying used bikes
When buying a used bike, you definitely want to check the tire age. If the tires are over 5 years old, use the tire age to negotiate a better price. You will need to replace those tires soon.

Dealers with leftover bikes
Due to the economy, many motorcycle dealers have brand new 2007 - 2009 bikes.......with old tires. Even brand new bikes have tires that are at least 1 year old on them. So a "new" 2007 bike could have tires made in 2005. Here is a chance for you to ask for a price break or have the dealer put newer tires on the bike as part of the deal.

Websites that sell discount tires
Why do you think some websites (I won't name any here) sell motorcycle tires for 65% - 75% off? Because they are old. Some of them have been sitting around in storage for 6 or 7 years. If you order from a discount tire website, let them know up front you will not accept any tires that are over 18 months old. If they ship them anyway, refuse the order.

I hope this helps.