2Wheeltips

Now that riding season is here, we want to remind everyone of the 2wheeltips video store and the wonderful products we have for sell. What makes our store different from the other motorcycle websites out there is:

-- each product is filmed in high definition, so you get to watch a quality video of each product being used before you buy it. That way you know exactly what you are getting before you open the box

-- we sell quality products that are new, interesting and affordable. These are not refurbished or used products....they are shipped directly to you from the manufacturer

-- we sell a limited number of interesting products that we have personally tested ourselves.....so you don't have to worry about a product that looks good on paper but in practice is a huge disappointment

Check out our video store at www.2wheeltips.com/store to see what we have to offer. We introduce new products all the time so check back often to see what's new.

Your friends at 2wheeltips.com

So, you curse those darned "cagers" on the road as you are out there enjoying your ride....  Well, fellow bikers, it is not just the people in automobiles and trucks and buses that we have to watch out for; we also have to pay attention to the irresponsible bikers who share the roads with us.  Below is an e-mail I received today from a friend of mine who is a very experienced biker and an MSF rider/coach.  I thought it was worthy of sharing with all of you!

" I ride to and from work in Newark almost every day.  On my way home from work yesterday around 1620, as I merged on to Rt.78w,I was very nearly hit on the left side from behind by a sportbike doing well over 100mph. ( I couldn't tell you what brand of bike it was,color of bike or what rider had on if anything. Did have a dark full face.)
I was in the merge lane doing about 45,looked over my left shoulder,saw it was clear and continued to accelerate into the right lane when something screaming almost hit my left side,close enough to feel the wind blast and cause my body to jump.Two others blew past my right side an instant later.I felt rage flush through my body and wanted to give chase,but we were in moderate traffic and they were weaving through the traffic so fast they were more than a 1/4mi.ahead in a second. I even found myself wishing they'd crash!
Glad they didn't only because of the trauma they'd cause the innocents. They just pissed me off big time. You expect things like that at bike rallies,but not where we all travel on a daily basis. Guess I forgot I was in Newark NJ. It bothered me all the way home. I guess this is why I have always believed the "Angels" ride with me! (God's Angels,not the other ones)
We tell our RENJ BRC students to "Turn your head" after a mirror check. We urge Car drivers to "Look twice,save a life!"
I guess the moral of the story is   "Look twice, Save your own life!""

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 

Just got an email today on the dwindling number of motorcycles the big three Japanese manufacturers (Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki) are shipping to the US. In April, they shipped just 4900 motorcycles!! I recently heard that Suzuki is not shipping ANY 2010 sportbikes to the US. You can read the details here:  http://www.powersportsbusiness.com/output.cfm?id=2537965

Here are some pics I got from one of my friends on facebook and is a perfect example of what can happen to you if you are not careful at intersections. This is a classic case of a car turning in front of a motorcyclists and the rider not being able to stop. I don't know if anyone survived, but I seriously doubt it.

1 out of every 4 motorcycle accidents happen just like the one in these pictures. Always pay attention and reduce your speed when there are cars or blind spots at any intersection you cross.

Now that summer is here, we thought we would offer a few words of advice to those who check in out our site. None of this is really "new", be we all need refreshers to keep us sharp on our toes.

If it is too hot for gear, it's too hot to ride
We know the mercury is rising and it can get stuffy inside your helmet and jacket. But resist the urge to join the t-shirt and short crowd. Ride with protective gear at all times.

Stay hydrated
Nothing good can happen if you ride thirsty, dizzy, hot and weak. On a hot day, plan to stop more often than usual to take a break to cool down and to take a drink.

Blinding Sun
Now that dusk is longer, be mindful of riding when the sun is directly behind you. This will make approaching traffic harder to see you and can make intersections even more dangerous.

Feel free to add more tips to this blog so others can learn.

David Hough, the author of the Proficient Motorcycling books, sent us this advice regarding charging batteries on motorcycles.  We felt it was excellent information for all to read, so here it is:
 
"I don't know if you have covered battery charging, or intend to. In a nutshell, VRLA batteries (Gel and AGM) require higher voltage and amperage to properly charge. That means that your "old" charger (Yuasa, Battery Doc, Deltran, etc.) made a few years ago for vented "wet" lead/acid batteries won't keep your new AGM or Gel battery happy. Further, with today's exotic electrical systems, (CAN bus, etc.) there can be parasitic draws on the battery even with the key off.
 
I've been working my way through this because I have an Odyssey VRLA battery in Sparky.
 
I recently ran upon an excellent chart of the algorithms for different battery types. It's from Optimate, but is useful for any battery type. http://www.optimatepro.com/4x4/ click on the charging algorithm under the picture of the charger for the pdf file.
 
DLH"

Lee Parks Design has released its revised e-book on suspension set-up.  For those of you who are interested in knowing more about this topic, here is the link:

http://www.leeparksdesigntotalcontrol.com/Suspension101eBook.pdf

We've improved the chat feature on 2wheeltips.  And, for those of you who are Facebook-familiar, you will find that our text chat is similar to the text chat feature on Facebook.  Look in the lower right hand corner of the 2wheeltips page and you'll see a box that says "Who's Online (X)" where the "X" equals the number of people who are online and available for text chatting.  Click on the "Who's Online (X)" box and a window will open up that shows you the members currently online (and even the members who were recently online but are no longer online....).  You will see a green circle opposite the members who are currently online.  If you want to chat with one of those people, just click on the name and you are off!  A window opens up with a little "word balloon" in a section at the bottom....type your message, hit enter, and you are on your way!  You can see the history of your chat text and you can even chat with more than one member at a time! iWe hope you enjoy this improvement on the 2wheeltips website and welcome your input!  By the way,  if you want to do a video chat, you still need to do it through the "Video Chat" window on the left side of the screen. 

Your friends at 2wheeltips.com

It's time for us to do another website poll. Any suggestions? The last poll was somewhat of a shock to me. I thought the 3/4 helmet was very popular......I guess not. Post your requests in the comments section and we will put it up and give you credit.