2Wheeltips

Everyone at 2wheeltips.com wishes all of you a very happy, healthy New Year! 
Oh...and our New Year's resolution for 2010:  to work as hard as we can to help support and improve motorcycle safety and education!
Ride safely, everyone!
Your friends at 2wheeltips.com

Motorcycle safety isn't limited to any one state or country...it is universal.  And, at  2wheeltips.com, we support all efforts around the world to promote safe and responsible biking. 
Have you ever wondered what you should do if you ever encounter a motorcycle accident?  Take a look at this video (http://www.2wheeltips.com/videos/view/act-know-what-to-do_1830.html?m=1055) supplied by member BBUK01.  It provides some helpful guidance! 
Also, BBUK01 has started his own motorcycle safety website in the UK:  http://first-aid-biker.socialgo.com/  Visit his site and help support his effort to promote motorcycle safety in the UK.
As we find out about other worldwide safety websites and efforts, we'll be listing them here, so check back often!

In the historically male-dominated world of motorcycling no one has more passion for motorcycles than Cris. She has enjoyed a lifetime love affair with two wheels. An eager passenger on her step-father’s motorcycle at age 9, she got her first motorcycle ( a Yamaha Twin jet 100) at 14, her first Harley at age 19 and has been riding ever since. She was a longtime member of the Women’s International Motorcycle Association and in 1984, co-founded the 2nd Chapter of Women in the Wind. In 1985 she co-founded the world’s first motorcycle magazine for women called Harley Women. For over 5 years she acted as co-publisher and editor, often riding her motorcycle across the country to find the stories. On one such ride in 1989 she met her husband-to-be, rocker and fellow motorcycle enthusiast, Doobie Brother Patrick Simmons.

For several years in the late 80’s Cris appeared in countless national newspaper articles, radio and television talk shows as a representative and advocate of the growing number of women who rode their own motorcycles. In 1988, she was awarded an Honorary Lifetime membership to Women in The Wind. Cris is a 24 year AMA member, a Lifetime HOG member as well as a Motor Maid and a member of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. In 1990, she was honored as a pioneering woman motorcyclist in the American Motorcycle Associations’ Women In Motorcycling exhibit in the AMA’s museum in Westerville, OH.

After selling her interest in Harley Women, Cris began a 15 year stint as a freelance motorcycle journalist, writing extensively for several magazines in the U.S., including American Iron, Motorcycle Collector, Iron Works, Easyriders, V-Twin, as well as magazines in Japan, Spain and in Australia.  Cris penned her own column for over 12 years in the popular Japanese Harley magazine Hot Bike Japan.

In 1994, Cris wrote and self-published the award winning children’s motorcycle book Patrick Wants to Ride, for which she was honored with the AMA’s Brighter Image MVP Award. The book is in its 3rd printing and has sold over 12,000 copies.

In 1995, Cris was one of 4 women featured in an original documentary on women motorcyclists for Turner Broadcasting called Biker Women. This well received show set viewing records for an original documentary for that year.

In 2003, Cris was proud to be inducted into the National Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Anamosa Iowa and the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Westerville, Ohio. In 2008 she was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

   

Cris has co-written a comedy screenplay about women motorcyclists. She just released the popular book ‘The American Motorcycle Girls 1900-1950” which is currently the number one selling motorcycle history book on Amazon.com. 

Current projects are working on a documentary about her book, and helping to develop a women’s motorcycle exhibit for the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Cris has also signed on to ride her 1915 Harley-Davidson as part of the Sept. 2010 Cannon Ball Motorcycle Run, that goes cross-country from Kitty Hawk, NC to Santa Monica, CA. She is one of two women who will be riding in a group of 50 bikes, The only woman from The United States.

She currently rides a 1988 Harley-Davidson Heritage and is restoring a 1934 Harley-Davidson VD. she resides in Maui Hawaii with her husband Pat and has three children in college, Lindsey, Josh and Patrick.

Guess what, folks?? We are going to the International Motorcycle Show in NYC as members of the PRESS! We got our credentials today and we are ready to hit the show floor running.  We'll be doing lots of interviews, and we'll be talking to anyone and everyone who is willing to talk to us about what they have for the bikers of the world!  Stay tuned!  We'll even be broadcasting LIVE at times.  If you have any suggestions or questions for us to ask...send them in!  And, if you are going to be at the show, we'll see you there!

Each week we will highlight a 2wheeltips member (or members). It is a great way for those on 2wheeltips to get to know others and to learn what motorcycling is like in other parts of the country or even the world.  We will try to do video interviews, but if that isn't possible we will do audio interview or just do a write up with links.

If you are interested in being spotlighted on 2wheeltips, just send us a message or an email. Don't be surprised if we reach out to you and ask if you would like to be spotlighted.

After 2 weeks of nasty weather in the northeast, we finally got a dry "warm" day. It was 49F.....still a bit cold but much better than snow, ice and 19F days had over the past few days.
So....I decided to take the bike out for a quick spin.  It was fun getting out but I notice a few things that I want to share here about winter riding:

Cold Tires & Cold Roads
It took quite a few miles, almost 10 miles, for the tires to warm up to the point where I felt comfortable dipping the bike quickly through curves.  I could feel the bike sliding around even on the mildest of curves and lane changes. At times it felt like I was riding on a wet road. Advice......take it nice and slow!!

Exposed Skin & Not Enough Clothing
Since it was "warm" I figured I could get away with wearing jeans and not riding pants. The wind was flapping under my pants and against my skin. Halfway through the ride, I got cold and figured I would just put on my riding pants and that would solve it. Wrong!! Once I got cold, I stayed cold. It got unbearable and I had to stop at a friends house to warm up. Advice.....once you get cold you are done. If you over dress, you can always take some off.

Unless you are a die hard rider or live in a warm climate, you probably have put your bike up for the winter. Check out these videos on tips for winter storage.

Winterizing Your Bike

Fuel Stabilizers

One other thing. If you have powered accessories such as lights & alarms that constantly draw power from the battery, you may want to disconnect them before you store your bike. If you don't, you will have a dead battery in the spring (unless your bike is on a battery tender)

Let us know what you think.

Here is the initial curriculum. We will add more to it as we go, but this should give you an idea of the items we will cover. As we add new videos, we will convert each item to a link to the video. Look for them to appear soon. Also feel free to suggest topics that you would like to see covered.

1. Why Motorcycling
2. Myths vs. Reality
3. Motorcycle Basics
4. Preparing Yourself for Motorcycling
5. Choosing Your First Bike

I came across this wonderful site that lets you see if your helmet passed the DOT/Snell test. www.helmetcheck.com

Regardless of what people tell you (and there are some out there that say wearing a helmet is more dangerous because of the risk of whiplash), helmets will protect your head if you fall off your bike and hit your head on the ground.

Check out the site and let us know what you think.

by
Carol at 2wheeltips.com

If you're tired of shopping and want to collapse
Just think of your bike and your new leather chaps
It's difficult waiting for iced roads to clear
So you can go riding as a polar bear

You've wired your bike for a warm riding suit
You've put on your waterproof winter weight boots
You're ready to go if the ice would just melt
But with winter came snow….what a card you've been dealt!

The thought of you waiting 'til spring comes around
Is torture! You're needing, you're craving that sound
The sound of your engine just humming away
As you shift into first and and take off on your sleigh

But hold it a minute!  A sleigh's the wrong thing
You desperately want to be on your Goldwing!
Your Harley, your Yamaha, Suzuki….your bike
Your customized fabulous spanking new trike!

The holidays are here so just try to be strong
Spring will be coming…it won't be too long
Smile for your friends and wish everyone well
Let everyone think that you're just doing swell

If your friends do not ride, then they can't comprehend
What it's like when you can't ride your 2-wheeled friend
But your friend will be waiting when the winter is done
You'll start up the bike and the engine will run

Back on your steed, you'll feel good as can be
With winter forgotten you'll finally be free
You'll no longer need your warm heated grips
Happy Holidays to all from 2wheeltips!