Archive for the 'Bikers Den' Category

A Basic Primer on Servicing Motorcyles

Scooters necessitate steady servicing in order to extend the serviceable lifetime of the vehicle. Even though upkeep is ordinarily implemented to maximise the moped’s lifetime, a large number of maintenance routines also have an influence to reliability and safety. It doesn’t matter if you’re changing oil or changing tyres, correct servicing is an important responsibility of possessing a motorcycle.

Oil Changes
Changing the oil is a vital task, especially if your scooter has an air-cooled engine. Engines cooled by air are inclined to run hotter as opposed to water cooled engines, like those in cars and trucks. Mopeds likewise function at really fast revolutions, which can promptly harm the oil. Motorcycle oil changes needs to be completed every 300 to 500 miles. Oil needs to be replaced with a high quality oil made higher heat. In cooler countries, 10W40 motor oil functions comfortably. In hotter climates, 20W40 is normally a better oil.

The Cables for Your Throttle and Break
As time passes, brake and throttle lines elongate and may affect motorcycle functionality and safety. Normal oil will help keep the cables from binding or stretching permanently. Just a few drops of machine oil or WD40 at the points where the lines get out from the sleeves and go into the the controls can aid in lubricating the brake and throttle lines. Although a lot of scooters have self-tightening wires, it is a good move to have your cables checked with every oil change.

Bolts and Bearings
Bolts and bearings, not to mention other types of moped fastenings, must be regularly checked for tautness. This chore is oftentimes best done with each change of oil, however in odd cases you may need to do random examinations to ensure that all fastenings are tightened up securely.

Suspension and Tyre Maintenance
One should on a regular basis check the tyres for correct inflation pressure. As time goes by, shock absorbers wear out and can cause tyres to not have appropriate contact with the road surface. Worn tyres and shocks have a negative influence on the safety of your scooter and need to be changed.

Lastly it’s a good idea to go online to develop your knowledge of bike upkeep - just type in related key words in a search engine such as scooter roller weights to get tips on the topic of moped servicing.

Dirt Bike Crashes - When, How, and Why

Dirt Bike Crashes are sometimes comical, are usually painful, and unfortunately they sometimes have dire consequences. Dirt bike crashes are bound to happen to every rider at some point, and no amount of safety gear is going to prevent you from crashing.

Basically, what you will discover is that there are two dirt bike racer categories. The first category is made up of racers who have been down, and the second is racers who are going to go down.

Ask any dirt bike enthusiast and they’ll likely have a few crash stories to tell you. Some stories you may hear include classic crash scenarios such as the slow graceful slide as you lose the rear wheel, here classical music playing and wonder if it’s ever going to end to the ‘out of the blue’, slam into the ground as if a hand reached out of middle earth and grabbed your front wheel leaving your head spinning as your on the ground thinking “What the…”

It’s not just reckless and inexperienced drivers who wind up in crashes like the one described above, even the most experienced dirt bikers can crash. Thus, remember, they can happen to anyone.

When do dirt bike crashes happen?
Dirt bike crashes often happen when you least expect them too, and when you are an inexperienced rider. They can also happen when a rider:

  • Is in full flight
  • Is going down a straight at full throttle
  • Is barely moving
  • Is performing a jump
  • Is starting off
  • Etc.

How do dirt bike crashes happen?
Dirt bike crashes can happen at any time and at any speed. They can occur:

  • By hitting a bump
  • By clipping tires with another rider
  • By making the wrong decision
  • By losing control of the bike
  • Etc.

Why do dirt bike crashes happen?
Usually there isn’t any one reason why a dirt bike crash happens. Sometimes it’s because something goes wrong with the bike. Other times it could be caused by another rider losing control and crashing into you, or it could simply be caused by a pure and utter fluke. That being said, some causes that make you more susceptible to crashing include:

  • Fatigue - if you are tired your mind is only half working, and your reflexes and motor skills are not at their full strength.
  • Lack of fitness - Being in shape helps you better control and maneuver your body with your bike. You will also develop faster motor skills, and improve your hand-eye coordination.
  • Lack of concentration - You need focus when you are riding your dirt bike. You should never race when you are overly emotional. For instance, if you are angry because you just had a fight with your best friend, your mind will be more focused on the fight than it will be on the upcoming turn on the track.
  • Riding beyond your skill level - You should ride at the level you are comfortable. If you are an inexperienced rider you shouldn’t be trying to perform jumps or stunts that are beyond your skill. Recklessly riding your dirt bike is a fast pass to a hospital bed.
  • Riding too fast for a section - While you can crash at any speed, you are more likely to crash if you are speeding around certain areas of a track that aren’t designed for that speed. You need to control your speed around turns, ditches, etc. Pre-walking a track is an important aspect of any motocross meet.
  • Attempting an obstacle you’re not ready for - If you don’t feel comfortable performing a stunt or trick you don’t think you’re ready for, or you know you are not ready for, don’t do it. It’s that simple.

Ways to avoid crashes
While you may not be able to avoid every crash that has your name on it, there are ways that you can improve your chances of being involved in fewer and less serious crashes:

Practice - Take the time to practice and improve your skill level. While practicing won’t make you perfect, it will certainly reduce your chance of crashing.

Train - Developing a training regimen and stick to it. If you truly want to enjoy racing your dirt bike, you need to take the sport seriously. Devote time to your hobby.

Think Smart - Getting rid of the “Win or Bail trying” attitude. Ride with common sense and put your safety first. Winning isn’t worth dying for.

Wear Protective Gear - Wearing the proper gear will help you walk away from crashes with minor injuries. The most important protective gear is the helmet. You should never ride without a helmet. Quite frankly that’s just plain stupid and suicidal. Other great items you can wear include proper boots, trousers, jersey, and gloves.

Mark Sturge is the webmaster at http://www.dirtbike-action.com A site where visitors can see online video of dirt bike crashes, motocross gear as well as useful hints and tips for dirtbike enthusiasts.

Cheap Mountain Bikes for Sale

Many times a person will walk into any store and buy the most expensive bike on the shelf, thinking this means they’ve got the best on out there. Or if they have a limited cash flow they tend to buy the cheapest. Sometimes both work and sometimes neither do.

When it comes time for you to buy mountain bikes you should make a checklist of what it is you are looking for. Most checklists will include, your budget, style, how it’ll be used and how often.

The budget will be the key factor in just about everything you do or buy. If you don’t have the money you obviously can’t buy it. But knowing whether or not you’ll be able to afford something in $100 range or more will show you where you can look.

Now if you find out you are going to have to have a budget of under $100 you’ll probably need to look for a used mountain bike or online to find them cheaper. It is possible to find them under $100, I found a Mongoose Mountain bike for exactly that. Buying mountain bikes at cheap prices are the best type of bikes to get a child that is just learning how to ride since they’ll be crashing constantly and should be a bit sturdier.