2Wheeltips

When going on an overnight motorcycle trip you will need a motorcycle cover. Not only do they protect your bike from the elements, but they keep prying eyes and hands away from your expensive accessories. No one pays much attention to someone admiring your uncovered bike. But someone approaching a covered bike draws suspicion.

For trips, you should get a lightweight cover. They usually come with a pouch and can be stuffed in a saddle bag or luggage with ease. Thick covers are good for winter storage or if you keep you bike outside. They all will protect your bike from dust, dirt, pollen and rain.The main criteria is that the cover fits your bike.

Covers vary in price so shop around. You don't need to spend much to get a good cover.

Not only are engine guards and frame sliders a great way to improve the look of your bike, they can protect your bike for serious damage if you get in an accident or your bike tips over.

 Here I scraped up my bike when it tipped over on uneven ground. I had to replace the clutch lever and the mirror. Not cheap.....wish I would have had an engine guard.

They are good investments and come in many styles so shop around.  You can find many deals online and at motorcycle shows.

One word of advice if you are considering getting a used motorcycle helmet:  DON'T!   When it comes to helmets, you need to follow this simple rule:  one and it's done... one impact to that helmet, either from an accident or fall, or simply from being dropped several feet onto the floor, and that helmet's ability to protect your head is reduced...and the damage on a helmet is not always visible.  As the operator or passenger on a bike, always buy a new DOT or SNELL certified helmet from a reputable dealer.  And keep in mind that if that used bike you are buying comes with a helmet from the previous owner, keep the bike....but don't use the helmet!

You hear a lot of ideas about making yourself seen while riding.  Well, one very simple tip is to turn your high beams on during the day.  High beams will not blind oncoming drivers during the day since our eyes are adjusted to daylight already.  And high beams will give you that extra bit of visibility that is so important.

Remember, high beams still should  be used selectively at night.  Just like high beams on a car, your motorcycle's high beams can blind an oncoming driver.

Did you know?

The closer the contact patch is to the Center of Mass, the quicker and easier the machine will steer.

Taken from groundbraking work by Keith Code in his book A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding

 

When it comes to riding in the correct mini-lane (single car lane is divided into left, right and middle “mini-lane” for us, two-wheeled demons), any two motorcyclists can agree on one thing. The third motorcyclist’s opinion is wrong :-p

So what is THE BEST lane position?

The best position within a car-lane is constantly changing depending on traffic conditions.

Here are some considerations that could possibly affect your choice of lane position:

• Always aim to increase your ability to see more. This needs no explanation I hope
• Always try to increase your visibility to other motorists. 
  • Next time you’re in your car, pay attention to motorcyclists around you. Notice how they tend to disappear in your side-view mirrors depending on the lane positioning behind you. 
  • Also, while you’re in relative safety of your car, observe correct or incorrect riding habits of others. Considering traffic conditions, would you do something different?
• Change lane position to stay out of blind spots. 
• Sometimes you may need to protect your lane and will position yourself accordingly. Car drivers will “sneak-into” your spot and run you off the road is you let them, so beware. 
• Change mini-lane position to communicate your intentions. Perhaps you are taking the next exit on the right and you are riding on the left hand side of the far-left lane. Moving towards the middle and then right side of the mini-lane should indicate to other motorists that you are about to change (car) lanes.
• Change mini-lanes to avoid windblast from other vehicles
• Always aim to have three escape routes out of any situation. Adjust mini-lanes accordingly.
• Negotiating turns. The old outside-inside-outside trajectory.

I tend to ride in the middle mini-lane. This makes me (more) visible to other vehicles and gives some room for maneuvering (to the left or right) if need be. There are of course exceptions. If the middle mini-lane is drenched with oil, coolant or diesel fuel (you’ll know it when you smell it), I will stay away from the center.

The highest accumulation of oil occurs at intersection, so, as a general rule, you want to stay to the left or the right.


hth

Salute

What does it take to get into an accident while riding?

Part 1 will explore conditions that result in a rubber-side-up effect.
A facetious list of do’s to make sure we have a really bad time while riding

Part 2 will take on a more serious look at accident-survival and reflect on the best ways to have an accident.

So, what do you have to do around here to get into an accident?

1.    Make sure you ride intoxicated.
2.    Make sure your attention is elsewhere. This happens when you ride irritated, pissed off, upset over god knows what, etc.
3.    Make sure your focus is on the guy who cut you off. For every guy that cuts you off there are 10 more waiting to plow right into you. Instead, consider it a great opportunity to practice control over your emotions and maintain an indifferent state of mind.
4.    Make sure you ride stiff on the bike. Squeeze the handlebars as tightly as possible and make sure your forearms fatigue quickly and are useless for when you need them the most.
5.    Make sure you ride in people’s blind spots. Also, assume everyone can see you.
6.    Make sure you ride beyond your capabilities.
7.    Make sure you ride beyond your bike’s capabilities.
8.    Make sure you never inspect your bike. (T-CLOCS anyone?)
9.    Relax, what can happen 2 miles away from your house while picking up a loaf of bread? Turns out, everything. Most accidents happen on short rides, 5 minutes away from the rider’s house.
10.    Make sure you do not adjust for changing riding conditions. This could be anything; here are some examples: Time of day (daytime into nighttime), change in weather patterns (sunny to rain), traffic congestion (mid-day into rush hour), surface conditions (asphalt to gravel, dry to slippery, etc.) and so on.

I think we have all done at least one of these at one point or another. Is your bad habit on the list? Do share, you are amongst friends.

Next up, we will discuss the best ways of going into an accident.
I was fortunate enough to hear a few experts on this topic discuss it at some length. The panel was comprised of motorcycle racers and Hollywood stunt-men; amongst others.
I think they shared some invaluable information that I hope none of us ever need to use.

Once you log on to the 2wheeltips.com you are taken to the "Home" navigation tab which shows all of the recent site activity. From there you should click the "Profile" tab.

The "Profile" shows all of the information you have loaded to the site. It also contains any groups you have joined, all the events you are schedule to attend, any responses to your postings and a "wall" for others to write and send comments to you.

You should check your profile everytime you login to update your information and to see what is happening. Also it is the only place on the site that you can check your anonymous connections and to see if anyone has responded to them.

Here is a quick overview of the members navigation tab and how it can help you connect with other riders

When you click on the "Members" tab in the navigation bar, the follow sub navigation tabs are displayed:



Here we will go over each one:

Browse
The browse tab displays all members of the site listed by the date they joined. The most recent members are displayed at the top. Use the next and previous buttons to page through the membership list

Online Now
This tab shows all members who are currently using the site. This is a great way to find out if your friends are online

Friends
This tab lists all of the members that are your friends.

New Members
This tab shows all members that have joined within the past week.

Advanced Search
This tab allows you to search for members based on their profile questions. A great way to find members with similiar interests. Since this feature searches profile information, it is important that you keep your profile up to date.

Moderators
This tab shows the site moderators. You should message the moderators if you have questions about the site or want to report abusive members or questionable pictures, videos and posting.

Pending
This tab shows all of the members that you asked to be your friend but have yet to respond.

Invite Contacts
This tab allows you to invite other people to join the 2wheeltips site. It also keeps track of the invitations you send and those who have responded.

A quick and easy way to personalize your profile is by uploading music. You can do this by clicking the "music" button in the "Add New..." section in the column to the left. Only unprotected mp3 files can be uploaded.

It goes without saying that you should only upload stuff that you own and not use this feature to swap music or trade other files. Unless you turn off the "autoplay" feature in your profile settings, music will automatically play for all member profiles that contain music.