We headed over to Old Skool Customs in Marshville for our first stop.  The shop was impressive and true to its name, with lots of Harley-Davidson parts, accessories, fenders, tanks, bags, and you name it.  Actually, the place is kind of a biker’s shopping compound.  Next to the bike shop they have a pretty nice store selling leather jackets, chaps and vests, jewelry, t-shirts, hats, and all sorts of biker collectibles.  Across the street, they even have a tattoo and piercing shop.  Old Skool Customs really has it all, especially if you like Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Altogether, It was a pretty fun five hours out with the “boys” that morning.  I met some good people, and some questionable characters too, but that’s what makes these rides a lot fun.  The changing colors of the Carolina trees was an awesome site and I rode to some places I have never been before.  Not a bad day at all.

Regarding the Chrsitmas Bureau, just on their first day in late October, they received 150 applications for assistance.  “This is going to be our most challenging Christmas ever”, said Gloria Haney, the volunteer services coordinator for the Union County Department of Social Services and Head of the Union County Christmas Bureau.  Contact Gloria at the Christmas Bureau at 704-296-4312 to see how you can help too.  They are in need of non-perishable foods, monetary donations, and are also looking for a 20,000 square foot building to use.

Thanks to John B. and all the other volunteers that helped organize this ride.  I look forward to doing it again next year.

Autumn is a really good time to take care of some simple maintenance and to have some fun too.

Here’s a look at five things riders can do before you storing their bikes for the winter.

1.  Go on a toy run.  This is a nice way to help out less fortunate children and their families for Christmas.  Of course, Christmas is not just about toys, but why not give a kid a break by donating a toy, and at the same time, enjoy some late-season riding with other like-minded motorcyclists?  Last year,  I joined the Union County (NC) Christmas Bureau toy run, and will be doing it again on November 7th.

If you are not one to join a group ride, how about packing a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child and riding to your local Samaritan’s Purse drop off location with it?   If you don’t have a ride like this in your area, take the chance to organize one through a local charity.  I’m sure they would be happy to help you get started.

2.  Check your motorcycle tires and battery. First, check your tires for pressure and wear.  As the weather cools, you’ll likely see a drop in tire pressure.  Low tire pressure really messes up your motorcycle’s handling and is a sure way to get yourself in big trouble in turns.

The cold weather will kill a weak battery too.  Especially if you ride with heated grips or if you wear heated riding gear, make sure your charging system is up to the task.  A lot of motorcyclists use a battery maintainer, such as the Battery Tender, to keep their battery ready for action between the fall and winter stretches of bad weather days.

3.  Protect your chrome.  If you putting your bike up for winter, don’t put it away dirty!  Give your motorcycle a good cleaning and a coat of wax to help avoid pitting of the chrome, oxidation of the aluminum, and don’t forget to clean off the nasty brake dust from your wheels and suspension too.

If your motorcycle has a windshield, give that a cleaning too, but make sure you do it right or you’ll scratch it all up.  You can learn how by reading Motorcycle Windshield Cleaning 101 if you’re not sure.  Plexus plastic cleaner works great for this.  You can order it online from Cycle Gear.com, or at other good online shops including Motorcycle Superstore and Bike Bandit.  It’s a good thing to do before you throw a cover over the bike for storage.

4.  Take a rider safety course.  Check at a community college to see if there are any openings left in their rider safety courses and sign up for one.  Often, courses are still offered when it is cold out. No matter how long you have been riding, you can not go wrong by sharpening your skills under the guidance of a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor.

Some motorcycle insurance companies will give you a slight discount on your rates, and some motorcycle shops will also give you a discount if you show them your MSF card that you get for completing the course.  If you have not got your motorcycle permit or motorcycle license yet, here’s your chance to do so.

5.  Go visit a motorcycle shop.  If you’ve been planning to buy a new motorcycle, scooter or moped, there probably has not been a better time to do so!  Sales of motorcycles, scooters and mopeds have dropped severely this past year.  Dealers are left with last year’s, and even the prior year’s models and are getting lots pressure for manufacturer’s to order the new models right now.

If you have more good ideas about how riders can stay involved with motorcycles and scooters before the bad weather hits this winter, let us know!

I first heard about Arlene’s business start-up called ScooterGirls, when I was listening to the news on public radio a year ago.  I liked her story so I contacted her for an interview for MotorcycleInfo.org.  She kindly helped me put an article together about her unique marketing campaigns using Models on Motor Scooters. She also had told me of her plan to develop a line of women’s riding gear that would combine safety and fashion. Well, now the world of women’s riding gear is about to change.

When I first saw these new jackets from ScooterGirls, I thought that these might be just really nice women’s jackets, but how could they be considered as “gear” for riding scooters or motorcycles?   Arlene explained  that the innovative thing about GoGo Gear is that it is the first fashionable, fully-armored, abrasion-resistant and highly-reflective coats for women on scooter or motorcycle.  Arlene developed the line after she got her first scooter and could not be a “fashionista scooterista” wearing the existing riding gear that was available on the US market.

ScooterGirls will also launch a “360 retroreflective” line designed to provide enhanced visibility for low-light and night-time riding. Arlene describes “360” as “the quintessential commuter line: wear it during the day and then reverse it at night for maximum visibility”.

The European launch of GoGo Gear will be Nov. 10-15, 2009 at the EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show in Italy.  You will also see the ScooterGirls apparel line at the International Motorcycle Shows in LA (12/4-6), New York (1/22-24) and at the Dealer Expo in Indianapolis (2/12-15).

For more information about ScooterGirls, Inc. and to see this new line of women’s riding gear, visit www.scooter-girls.com.  Well done Arlene!

If you haven’t noticed, Harley-Davidson has not been doing so well over the past year, and neither have most motorcycle manufacturers and dealers. The move away from Buell allows Harley to sharpen their focus on their core products during these trying times. Parts, service and warranty for Buell motorcycles will continue to be available at Harley-Davidson dealers, so Buell owners and customers for the remaining new Buell Motorcycles from the Harley showrooms won’t have to be too frightened.

After 26 years, this is a rough deal for Buell. Of course, MotorcycleInfo.org hates to see any motorcycle manufacturer bite the dust, but when one like Buell shuts it’s doors, it seems to sting a bit more.

An American company is Hayes Diversified Technologies which is keeping very busy converting Kawasaki KLRs.  A German company, Neander, has an awesome diesel cruiser.  And EVO Products in the Netherlands is showing off their new stylish diesel-powered adventure bike.

Located in California, Hayes Diversified Technologies has been converting motorcycles to use diesel engines for several years. In fact in 2004, HDT became the first diesel motorcycle to set an AMA sanctioned land speed record. In 2005, HDT did it again, but this time with a FIM sanctioned world speed record. While speed records are nice, it is durability that counts.  So, in 2008 Hayes showed off their diesel motorcycle capabilities by becoming the first diesel motorcycle to enter and finish and AMA off road race. To top it off, they finished the 2009 SCORE San Filepe 250 off road event and became the first diesel motorcycle to do so.

HDT is focused on manufacturing military vehicles, especially diesel motorcycles conversions.  However, watch for the Hayes MD670F civilian KLR conversion, pictured above, that runs on diesel, bio-diesel, or jet fuel and gets around 100 miles per gallon. If you want one of these diesel motorcycles, contact HDT at 760-947-3140 pacific time or by email at info@hdtusa.com.

For some serious diesel powered street cruising, how about the 100 hp twin cylinder Neander turbo diesel motorcycle from Germany.  It’s no secret that the Germans know a lot about Diesel engines.  Neander Motors AG has developed a very interesting and powerful diesel engine that is claimed to overcome the typical obstacles that have prevented diesel engines from becoming more widely used in motorcycles.

The 1340cc twin crankshaft engine in the Neander is rated at 112 peak hp at 4200 rpm and 144 ft-lbs of torque at 2600 rpm.  Talk about low-end grunt!  With an estimated top end speed of 140 mph, this muscle cruiser is the real deal, but good luck finding one in the US, at least for now.

One of the newer companies on the modern diesel motorcycle scene is E.V.A. Products from Netherlands with their Track T-800CDI motorcycle.  Using a centrifugal clutch CVT transmission, this 800cc turbo diesel motorcycle appears ready for on or off road adventure.  Power of this interesting 3 cylinder is rated at 45 hp (33 kw) and torque at 75 ft-lbs (100 Nm). The rated dry weight of the T-800CDI is 496 lbs (225 kg) and the generous fuel tank holds about 6 gallons (22.5  liters).  Unfortunately, this new diesel motorcycle is not available yet outside the Netherlands yet.

Will there be enough interest in diesel motorcycles for them to move into the mainstream?  With electric motorcycles and scooters being developed at a fairly rapid pace these days, it seems a diesel motorcycle would currently have a big advantage of very long distance riding range and fuel efficiency.  And if these diesel motorcycles can run on bio-diesel, then it sweetens the deal a little more.  Motorycleinfo.org thinks that Rudolf Diesel would be proud to know that engineers, more than 100 years since his original invention, are still working to develop new uses and new advanced variations of his basic engine technology.

During September 2009, the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety  Administration (NHTSA) announced more than 3 different recall campaigns for motorcycles in the United States.  All three of these recalls involve the possibility of a motorcycle crash due to manufacturing defects.

Honda is doing a recall for 668 of their 2002 VTX1800 motorcycles made between 14 August 2001 and 4 October 2001 are being recalled due to possible defective welding on the rear suspension swingarm.  The swingarm could actually break and cause the rider to crash.  Honda dealers will inspect the swingarm and replace it at no charge determined to be defective. For more information, call Honda Customer Service at 1-866-784-1870.

Yamaha is to contact owners to do a recall of about 180 of their 2005 FJR1300, 2005 FZS600 and 2005 YZF-R1 motorcycles that were manufactured from October 2004 to April 2005.  The recall involves the throttle position sensor, which could fail and cause the engine to stall and the rider to potentially crash.  The throttle position sensor will be replaced at no charge.  Owners can reach Yamaha at 1-714-761-7300 for more information.

Ducati is conducting a recall for 247 of their F1098S Streetfighter motorcycle 2010 model year.  These are being recalled due to a possible loose ground connection at the ECU that could cause the engine to stall and the rider to potentially crash.  Another Ducati recall announced in September 2009 involves 386 of the 2008 Desmosedici RR motorcycles.  On this bike, the tail guard can overheat and potentially burn from the exhaust system heat. Contact Ducati at 800-231-6696 for more information.

So, what type of motorcycle did Fonzie ride? Well, like many motorcyclists, even though this was just a TV show, he didn’t have just one. Over the ten years of the show which ran from 1974 to 1984, Fonzie had a few different Harley-Davidsons, a BSA, and a few different Triumphs. A Triumph is the motorcycle that mostly appeared in scenes with the Fonz, but the Triumph emblem on the fuel tank was usually missing.

If you like the style of those old Triumph motorcycles as I do, and as the Fonzie character did, we”re in luck because Triumph offers some retro styled motorcycles, referred to as their Modern Classics, that will allow you to re-live the 1960’s times of motorcycling.  The Thruxton, the Scrambler and the Bonneville are back and built to a blend of modern technology and vintage style.

This formula seems to work well these as several motorcycle manufacturers are catching on to this market.  Moto Guzzi has the retro-styled V7 Classic and the California Vintage (my personal ride).  Ducati has the SportClassic 1000, and for something different, how about that very economical little retro bike Suzuki TU250X?

Don’t overlook the 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Classic, which is really a great looking retro motorcycle.  I checked out the 2009 Bullet Classic 500 (now fuel injected) at a local dealer. Not much on power, but is big on style and is sure to please.  It would be a really fun bike to buzz around town on.   If you added a Cozey sidecar to one of these, then you could have some real old-fashioned motorcycling fun!

This recall is being performed because the brake hose on the 2009 XB12SS for the front brakes can rub against the front tire.  The rubbing of the brake hose against the motorcycle tire can result in a hole in the brake line and cause hydraulic fluid to leak out and loss of front braking and/or a crash.

This Buell XB12SS recall begins on or before the 21st of September 2009 and is believe to potentially involve 405 motorcycles.

If you own one a 2009 Buell XB12SS, you may contact Buell at 414-343-8400 or the NHTSA at 888-327-4236.

Visit us at MotorcycleInfo.org for the latest on motorcycle recalls and more useful motorcycle information!

A loop detector is supposed to sense if a vehicle is present or not and they trigger the traffic light to change.

As we explain below, motorcycles often are not sensed by these loop detectors, but the position where you stop at a light can actually solve this problem.

If you are like me, you usually stop near the center of the loop.  At the motorcycle safety course, they didn’t explain how to get traffic lights to change.  I’m an engineer, and I have to admit that I never gave it much thought as to how these things actually work.  I assumed wrongly that if I was in the center of the loop that would give me a better chance to trigger the light.  In fact, the best place to have your motorcycle is directly on the loop, not in the center area.

A loop detector is a loop of wires that sense if there is something metallic near them.  If you are stopped in the center of the loop, your motorcycle is usually not close enough to the wires to be sensed.  By stopping directly on top of the wires, right on the lines on the pavement, then you will have the best chance to be detected.

There are two main types of loop detectors used at traffic signals.  One is a large rectangle shape, and the other is a rectangle with a line down the center of it.  If you are into trivia, the first type is called a dipole loop and the second type is called a quadrapole loop.  If you are at a dipole loop, then stop on top of either line that is parallel to the road.  If you are at a quadrapole loop, then you should stop on top of the center line.

There are motorcycle accessories on the market that are supposed to make your bike easier for these loop sensors to detect.  Some of those use a strong magnet that you mount underneath your motorcycle frame.  The theory with the magnet is that the magnetic signal will be detected easier by the loop detector than the motorcycle would have been by itself.  I have never tried one of these accessories. so I don’t know if they are actually worth the money.  I personally don’t feel that it is a very wise idea to mount a powerful magnet, on your motorcycle since you don’t know if that will damage or interfere with your motorcycle’s critical electronic systems such as the fuel injection, ignition and more.

With that in mind, I feel the best motorcycle information for getting a traffic light is to change is stop directly on and in line with the loop, especially if is the type that has the line down the center of it that you can stop on.

First, it is usually time to change your tires when the tread is less than 1/16 inch or 1.6mm deep, or if you see age cracks.  Check the age of your tires because age can deteriorate the integrity of the tire.

Tire size is dictated by the wheels and type of motorcycle you have, not by how fat of a tire you want.  Rear tires are being made in much wider sizes than in the past, but that does not mean that you can use those on your bike. Having a really big fat rear tire usually results from heavy customization to accept wider wheels, or if you own a chopper like a Big Dog that comes from the factory with one of these bad boys on it.

Look at the tires that are currently on your motorcycle and look in the user’s manual to see if they match the recommended sizes.  Some tire manufacturers also offer a database that you can use to enter in your year, make and model to see what will fit.  Reading the markings on the sidewall can be a confusing task, so here is how to decipher it:

The order of a motorcycle tire size code is (1) Section Width, (2) Aspect Ratio, (3) Construction, and (4) Rim Diameter.  After the size code, there is  description code that includes (5) the M/C for motorcycle, (6) Load Index number, (7) Speed Index letter, and (8) Tube or Tubeless code.

Tire size codes for motorcycles can be either inch size or millimeter size.  Construction codes indicate whether a motorcycle tire is Bias, Bias Belted, or Radial Belted.  Bias tires have a dash between the the section width and aspect ratio numbers.  Belted Bias tires will have a letter B in their code.  Radial tires, of course, will have a letter R.

Whether you use tube or tubeless tires usually depends on what type of wheels you have on your motorcycle.  If you have spokes, then you may require tube type tires.  Most modern motorcycles have cast wheels which use tubeless tires, but before you order your new tires, make sure to check the wheels you have to see if there is anything stamped on them regarding the tire type.  Also, make sure to check your owner’s manual for tire size and type.

Knowing the typical riding conditions that you normally ride in will help steer you towards a tire that is most suitable for you.

For example, if you ride regardless of rain or shine, then pay attention to the wet weather features of the tire tread.  As with car tires, some tires tread patters are designed to manage the water much better than others, which leads to better grip and less hydroplaning.

Do you expect to buy a motorcycle tire that will still have decent tread depth after tens of thousands of miles, or are you expecting to get the best cornering grip that money can buy?  There are new types of motorcycle tires that have multiple rubber compounds that attempt to satisfy both those demands.

Cost is always important, perhaps now more than ever, but you usually get what you pay for.  A low-cost, general purpose tire is probably more than adequate for someone that mainly commutes short distances, has a low-tech sort of motorcycle (usually this is a good thing), and is not interested in performance riding.  If your motorcycle has ABS, traction control, or if you have invested time and money into dialing-in your suspension, then you should really consider investing in a better set of tires that will be a good match with the technology of your motorcycle.

Your needs from a performance standpoint are one of the most important factors when choosing a motorcycle tire.  For example, if you like to attend track days to push your bike, and yourself, towards the slippery limits of adhesion, then you certainly don’t want to settle on a tire rated for normal highway speeds and maximum tread life.  Tread life is usually tied to the softness of the rubber compound, and with high performance, or racing situations, you do not want a really hard compound that is designed for longest tread life  or you’ll be smoking it during acceleration and braking.

Several online stores offer motorcycle tires at discounted prices.   Motorcycle Superstore usually has sales going on for several brands of  motorcycle tires and offers free delivery.  They even have a database of motorcycle shops that they have qualified as their preferred installers.  They’re worth checking into as you compare prices, and I personally  rate them very highly based on the good experiences I have had ordering things from them.