| 28 February, 2013 - DWC More Dangerous Than DUI | According to a recent study in the UK, driving with a cold (DWC) is more dangerous than driving under influence (DUI). Or maybe DUI should mean Driving Under Influenza.
The study shows that reaction times when driving, or riding a motorcycle, with a cold or flu drops your reaction time by 36 milliseconds, while driving with 4 pints of beer in you, slows you down 15 milliseconds...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 28 February, 2013 - North Korea: What’s Wrong With This Motorcycle Cop? | I saw this photo of a North Korean motorcycle cop and skipped it. Then I returned to it, since something struck me as funny. Did you notice? He's got a helmet, but he's not wearing it, instead he's wearing a furry cap to keep his head warm; I guess his helmet is not warm enough.
Maybe they should get furry motorcycle helmets?
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| 28 February, 2013 - Ducati: Factory Visit and Tour The Area On A Ducati Motorcycle | #Ducati - Here's your chance of a nice mini holiday. Ducati are organizing the "Ducati Dream Tours", a guided tour on the Italian motorcycle. The tour starts on Friday with a visit of the Ducati factory and museum, and a lunch at the factory. You leave your luggage at the factory.
After the lunch, the participants pick up their preferred Ducati motorcycle and participate in a guided ride through the fabulous Bologna area. Mountains, twisting roads, forests ... a perfect ride through the "Moto Valley". Your destination is the Monte del Re hotel in Dozza, where your luggage will have been transferred to. After check-in and relaxation you'll be having a nice dinner...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 27 February, 2013 - KTM’s Moped - The Mecky | KTM are well known for their very capable and robust off-road motorcycles. You just need to look at the last 10 years worth of Dakar races to see that they've not only taken first place, but also many of the top 10 places. But they didn't always make off-road (and sports) motorcycles.
KTM was founded in 1934 by Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighoven in Austria as a metalworking shop. The company was called Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, KTM. A few years later, in 1937, they started selling and repairing DKW motorcycles.
But it was only in 1953 that they came up with the idea to make their own motorcycles, and when in 1955 Austrian business man Ernst Kronreif bought into the company they were able to really make motorcycles. In the process, the company got renamed to Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, but still abbreviated to KTM.
Their first real own motorcycle was a moped, the Mecky in 1957...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 27 February, 2013 - Very Beautiful Chick On A Motocross Motorcycle | Well, since many web sites are showing pretty, if not beautiful, chicks on motorcycles, I think I better get in on the game. So here's a really pretty chick on a motocrosser.
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| 27 February, 2013 - Celebs: Tom Cruise Rides Motorcycle In His Next Movie | It looks like Tom Cruise is going to be riding a motorcycle again in his next movie, a sci-fi called "All You Need Is Kill". There's a video below of the set, and you can clearly see Cruise cruising (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) a motorcycle in London, UK.
Again the American actor is riding a Triumph motorcycle, which is starting to look like his fetish bike. The movie itself is scheduled to be released a year from now. Have a look at the set video below...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 26 February, 2013 - Ad: Office for Victims of Violent Transit: Biker - Brazil | Interesting visual concept for this PSA from Brazil. It's for Avitran, which after some research turns out to be a traffic victim treatment center which is part of a some psychotherapy clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In fact, the url above directs you to the clinic web site.
The visual is nicely done, with "death" riding behind a motorcycle rider who is not ATGATT and the text "Recklessness kills. Ride with caution and always wear safety gear".
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| 26 February, 2013 - No Music For Harley-Davidson Employees | #Harley-Davidson motorcycles may be the darling of the American public, but the employees who make these motorcycles aren't too happy, and now they're going to be in a sour mood. A memo recently circulated in the Harley motorcycle factory in York stating that music is no longer allowed. No radio, no boom boxes, no iPods, no headphones, etc. There will no music piped-in via the intercom music. Just the sound of machines and the grunts of the laborers.
According to Harley-Davidson, this is done to improve safety and productivity. Somehow I don't think safety is that paramount, unless you count the safety of the dollar. Productivity, especially in today's economic and financial crisis, is vital. Competition from low cost producing areas of the world is killing manufacturing in the Western world.
But is preventing music going to increase productivity?..........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 26 February, 2013 - Egypt: Coping With A Strike On A Motorcycle | If there's a transportation strike going on, and you have several members of your family that need to go places, and only one motorcycle, what would you do?
Pile'em up and go for it....
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| 25 February, 2013 - Motorcycle Manufacturer Smartphone Apps | #Apps #iPhone #Android - Smartphone like Apple's popular iPhone and Google's Android have not only become popular in the general population, but also with motorcycle riders. Games, navigation, social media, knowledge base are just a few of the apps you can get for your phone. But many motorcycle manufacturers have gotten themselves into the game, and are providing custom-made software for you to enjoy, or enjoy in the future, your motorcycle.
Here's list of apps I've found for the iPhone and Android coming from the motorcycle manufacturer. I'm not listing apps from 3rd party providers unless they are closely associated to the manufacturer, and no apps from the manufacturer's dealers, although I'm impressed by the Harley-Davidson dealers.... I don't think there's one dealer that doesn't have an app.
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| 25 February, 2013 - The Netherlands: 2012-More Motorcycle Riders, Many More Female | The community of motorcycle riders in The Netherlands has expanded quite a lot last year. During 2012 31,500 cloggies (=Dutch people) got their precious motorcycle license, an increase of 18% over 2011. Half of the new bikers are under the age of 24.
The most interesting statistics is that 50% of the under 24 year old new motorcycle riders are female. So more and more girls are taking to riding their own motorcycle, which is a good thing.
The reason for the sudden increase in the number of people taking a motorcycle license... on January 19th, a new motorcycle license law came into effect in Europe, making it impossible for younger riders to go directly to bigger displacement bikes. Younger riders need to progressively move to larger displacement motorcycles, so many wanted to go directly to the big bikes license.
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| 25 February, 2013 - WTF of the Week: "Model" Bikers Wanted-Ugly Ones Do Not Apply | I rarely read Craiglist ads since they have no meaning for me on this side of the pond, but this one came across my computer and I just can not resist. The advertisement is for the Los Angeles area, and the subject reads "$30-50 Per Hour For Attractive, Service Oriented Motorcycle Drivers".
So the first interest point is that if you are an attractive (ie handsome) motorcycle rider you can earn $30-50 per hour... not bad. But here's the whole ad:
According to the ad you'll be driving celebrities and VIPs to public and private events. Let's face it, who doesn't want to drive a Meegan Fox type sitting behind you as pillion, holding on to you with all strength, while riding her up to the Oscars. Dream stuff right?..........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 22 February, 2013 - The Real Cowasaki, Or Is It Krawasaki? | Here's the real Cowasaki, but I can't tell if it's a cow or a horse, but then in today's food industry, there's little difference...
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| 22 February, 2013 - France: Paris Mayor Elections - Anti-Motorcycle Candidate | The elections for the Parisian mayor will be held next year and already the battles have started. The current mayor Bertrand Delanoe, a man who has done a lot of things AGAINST the motorcycle world, is stepping down. Several candidates have declared themselves, and funny enough they are all women.
The biggest contender is Anne Hidalgo, the current 1st deputy mayor, and the person behind all the current mayor's anti-motorcycle movements.
Already she has mentioned in her programs that she's planning even more drastic measures to curb motorcycles inside Paris (aside from the older motorcycles not allowed in the city, requiring mandatory annual technical inspection of motorcycles, no using of bus lanes). One of her pet peeves is the fact that motorcycles take up parking spaces in Paris. She wants to limit the number of parking spaces allocated to bikes in the country's capital. And that when there's already not enough spaces, and motorcycles are no longer allowed to park on sidewalks...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 22 February, 2013 - Dutch Off-Road Ducati - River Ground Monster | At the current Dutch motorcycle exhibition, the Utrecht MOTORbeurs, the Dutch Ducati dealer Affetto Ducati, presented a special off-road version of a Ducati Monster.
Some 230 hours of customization was done to make the 1000cc Monster off-road capable for a customer who is going to race it in the Timbuktu Rally. If you're interested, the motorcycle will cost you €16,000.
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| 22 February, 2013 - Top Internet Stories - 22 February 2013 | Winter is still here, Pope is quitting, and it's too cold to ride. So here are some of the motorcycle articles I've been reading this week to keep myself warm.
- How Mpg Is Effected While Towing A Trailer With A Motorcycle (Get Lost Trailers)
- Motorcycle Tour Above The Clouds In Ecuador (American Iron Magazine)
- E15 Fuel .... Are You Willing To Risk Your Motorcycle Engine (Competition Accessories)
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| 21 February, 2013 - Patent: Motorcycle Saddle Cover | This is not such a crazy idea, as I initially thought. When I saw the patent arrive on my news feeds, I thought it was a bit crazy. But in reality, it's pretty smart and simple.
One of the many problems we face with our motorcycle are the elements, and not only when riding. When we park our bikes, they are exposed to sun and rain. Of course the best solution is to put the motorcycle in a garage, or at the least put a cover over the bike, but many times this is not possible.
So this is where the patent comes in. Filed last year, the patent describes a simple cover that gets placed over your motorcycle saddle and then tightened with an onboard string. Just cover the saddle, and pull the string (like on a hoodie)...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 21 February, 2013 - Europe: Moto Guzzi At 5 European Airports | Showing off your motorcycles and merchandising articles at airports seems to be the next best thing for manufacturers. Ducati have several shops around the world, and Harley-Davidson are proudly showing off their stuff in US airports.
The latest to join the airport craze is Moto Guzzi. You'll be able to see their latest California 1400 motorcycle at Linate, Milan (Italy), Rome (Italy), Frankfurt (Germany), London Heathrow (UK) and Paris CDG (France)...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 20 February, 2013 - Idea: Cool Bicycle Product That Could Work For Motorcycles | We've shown you a similar device made for bicycles that could work for motorcycles (). Here's another one that was designed for bicycles but could be fun to adapt for motorcycles. It's not a product yet, just a concept, so don't go looking for it at your local bicycle shop.
The concept is thought of by designer Kim Tae-Jin and is called Open Sight. What it is, is a GPS with a laser pointer. Instead of showing you a street map and a car (or motorcycle) symbol, forcing you to look to the GPS fixed to your handlebar, it beams directions on the road in front of you (but it also still has directions on the unit)...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 20 February, 2013 - India: Now Victory Motorcycles To Enter India | Are there still any motorcycle manufacturers out there that haven't started selling in India or at least announced that they are planning to? Almost any self-respecting manufacturer has decided to enter this mega market. The last one to make their intentions known that they want to sell their high-end motorcycles is Polaris with their Victory Motorcycles brand.
Polaris are not an unknown name in India, since they sell ATVs, but it'll be a first for Victory. Apparently the Victory motorcycles will be shipped to India, not built there (CBU - Completely Built Unit). Any unit that is not manufactured in India faces enormous import duties (about 110%), so much so that you can expect the already expensive motorcycle to double in price before it reaches the customer's hands...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 19 February, 2013 - Ad: Harley-Davidson Advertisement Honoring Jim Marshall | Back on April 5th, 2012, Jim Marshall, aka the "Father of Loud", passed away. Jim was the maker of the famous Marshall amplifiers for guitars, used by most famous (and also by many unknown) musicians the world over.
Harley-Davidson's ad agency was quick of the mark, since they ran these ads the same day, asking the world to make noise (preferably with Harley motorcycles) to honor the man.
A fitting tribute to a man who made music hearable from far.
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| 19 February, 2013 - India: KTM 390 To Launch? Biggest Displacement Made In India | India is getting more and more great motorcycles, with almost any self respecting motorcycle manufacturer getting into the game there. A few years ago, Bajaj bought most of KTM's company stock, so the Austrian company has strong ties with India. So as you'd expect, we'll be seeing more and more KTM motorcycles riding around the Indian roads.
The beautifully designed KTM Duke 390 is heading for India if rumors are to be believed. According to the source mentioned below, during the KTM Orange Days on February 24th, KTM will make an announcement about its future lineup. And as is expected, the Duke 390 will be their flagship model. Bigger engine, more power, faster, safer (ABS will be standard) ... and all that on a similar platform as the current Duke 200. So it makes sense.
Not only will the bike be sold in India, but probably also manufactured, making it the biggest displacement motorcycle made-in-India.
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| 19 February, 2013 - South Africa: Western Cape To Stop Motorcycle Lane-Splitting? | While in some parts of the world they are actively promoting motorcycle lane-splitting, other countries are looking into legalizing it, while even other countries are looking into stopping lane-splitting.
In the latter category falls Western Cape in South Africa (Cape Town et al). There the Member of the Executive Council (MEC), responsible for Transport and Public Works, Robin Carlisle, has decided that he's seen too many bikers die on his roads, most of them in between cars.
According to Carlisle, motorcycle crashes increased by 33% from 63 crashes in 2008 to 84 in 2012. Of course he doesn't show the increase of motorcycle ownership during the same timeframe. Statistics, statistics and lies...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 18 February, 2013 - 30 Postage Stamps With Motorcycles From Around The World - Part 1 | There are people who love motorcycles, and there are people who love collecting postage stamps, and believe it or not, there are people who love both.
Over the years most postal services around the world have issued stamps with motorcycles on them. Here is but a small collection of stamps, literally from around the world, with motorcycles on them. Some old, some new.
I've grouped them by country, though some countries do no exist anymore, and at times it was difficult to "guess" the country, so if there are any mistakes, I apologize in advance. There are will several other parts coming in the next few weeks. Some of the stamps may not be real stamps, but I can't tell the difference....
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| 18 February, 2013 - Derbi Motorcycles Moves From Spain To Italy | Derbi, an old Spanish motorcycle manufacturer dating back to 1922 and purchased by the Piaggio group in 2001, is closing down in Spain. Although the brand did well during the mid 50's, winning several GP titles, it has been lacking in sales. Already in 2011 its owner, Piaggio group, announced that they would close down the factory and had been negotiating for a purchaser. All deals have fallen through, and it's the end of the line for the Spanish factory.
With Spain suffering from an enormous financial crisis, with more than 25% of the people unemployed, the Spanish manufacturer is suffering. Reason enough for Piaggio to consolidate the manufacturing and closing down the plant in Barcelona. 150 Derbi employees have been let go.
The current range of Derbi motorcycle, mostly 50 to 125cc models, will be made by Piaggio Italy.
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| 18 February, 2013 - France: ATGATT Shortly Mandatory? | It looks like the debate that is happening in some places in the world about the mandatory use of helmets on motorcycles is so minor compared to the one that France is going to have......
.... helmets are mandatory, as is the case in all other European countries, but the French want to go for the next step. Currently the next step is making it mandatory to wear gloves when riding your motorcycle. According to French and international research, gloves can reduce severe corporal accidents, and in a medical system that is in a huge deficit, any penny that can be saved is a penny that can be spent on the politician's campaigns. According to a recent study, it costs the French state €1.1 BILLION for non-lethal motorcycle (over 50cc) accidents per year.
But the next steps might solicit more emotions. The government is looking at introducing bit-by-bit new legislation regarding a sort of ATGATT law..........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 15 February, 2013 - Top Internet Stories - 15 February 2013 | I hope you had a nice Valentine day, with lots of secret admirers. In the mean time, motorcycle articles didn't stop, so here are a few interesting ones I've been reading over the last week.
- 10 Tips For Choosing A Motorcycle Helmet (Schuberth Blog)
- Buying A Pre Owned Used Motorcycle (Motorcycle Blog From Jafrum)
- Vigilantes Fighting Revenue Driven Traffic Enforcement (The Telegraph)
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| 15 February, 2013 - GPS: New GPS Technology Being Developed For More Accuracy | Riding around with a GPS on your motorcycle can be heaven-sent for bikers who adventure further than their normal day-to-day route. Memorizing routes, unfolding paper maps, tearing them, etc are ways of the past. Plug in your GPS and follow the female/male voice to your destination. Easy.
It sounds great, and many of you do exactly that. But many of you also know what happens when you've reached a big city and need to navigate the narrow streets, often one way, with tens of intersections. The tall buildings block the GPS signal, and with only 1 or 2 satellites tracking your efforts, your accuracy is reduced from 50 feet (15 meters) to 165 feet (50 meters) or even 0 feet (0 meters). 165 feet of accuracy means you'll miss that important road you had to turn into. Not that it's a big issue, since the GPS will recalculate and bring you back the way you should go. The same applies to tunnels, thick forests, etc. But if you're in a hurry, it can be a pain.
Many cars are using a built-in gyroscope and speedometer data to "estimate" your position during these GPS blackouts, but although they do work, they are far from accurate. The Spanish university Carlos III in Madrid have come up with a small device that is added to your GPS (and could be incorporated in future units), consisting of 3 accelerometers and 3 gyroscopes, and combined with your GPS, allow for an accuracy of 3.3 feet (2 meters) in an urban environment...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 14 February, 2013 - Idea: Carry Stuff On Your Motorcycle And Be Safe At The Same Time | Two things we motorcycle riders always face:
1. We need to carry stuff with us, and
2. We need to be seen, especially at night
The following Kickstarter project might just help us with both. Called Halo Zero Messenger LED Bag from Rickshaw Bags as the name says, is a messenger bag that can be carried on your back, and it's equipped with a LED light strip in the back...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 14 February, 2013 - Video: Tucano Urbano "Hot Or Not" Viral Video Part 3 | Italian accessories manufacturer Tucano Urbano have released last month part 3 of their "funny" viral video entitled "Hot or Not". Tucano Urbano are known for their clothing and their motorcycle/scooter aprons, allowing bikers to stay warm during the harsh winters.
In these three part videos called "Hot or Not" they show you what can happen if you are "hot" or not, in other words, if you want a good s.e.x. life, better use their product to stay warm.
As advertisements go, it's okay, not hilarious, but funny nevertheless, particularly this 3rd instalment (look at the senior citizens having a go at it...).
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| 14 February, 2013 - France: French Solution For Mandatory Breathalyzer | If you've been following the news here last year, you'll have read about the incredible law that was created, making it mandatory to have at least 1 breathalyzer kit in any motorized vehicle on the French territories. That meant that all motorcycles above 50cc had to have a breathalyzer, in working condition (meaning you'd need to have two, since if you use one, you need to have another one in working condition). If you were stopped and didn't have one, you'd be fined €11.
Since this meant that all European vehicles transiting France needed to have one, you can imagine the nightmare it became to have breathalyzers in your car, or on you on your motorcycle. Especially when you consider you could only use ones that were approved in France. The two factories that made them were churning them out day and night.
The CNSR's recommendation is the continue making breathalyzers mandatory in every vehicle (and now possibly even 50cc mopeds), but not to fine anyone if they don't have it...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 13 February, 2013 - Video: KTM Dealer TV Commercial | You don't see many KTM motorcycle TV commercials in the world, and even less KTM dealer ads. Here's one exception, the first one I've seen. It's a TV commercial for the KTM dealer in the state of Oregon called OMA-KTM (funny for me, since in Dutch, Oma means grandmother).
It's not bad for a dealer commercial, and as I said, it's the first KTM dealer advertisement I've seen.
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| 13 February, 2013 - Use Your Ducati Motorcycle As Workstation | Computer workstations are boring. Imagine having to sit at one typing your correspondence.... boring. But Italian Lorenzo Buratti has a very elegant solution to a mundane problem.
He took an old and unused Ducati Pantah motorcycle and with a bit of wood and paint, he transformed the old motorcycle into a workstation...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 13 February, 2013 - France: Despite Rescinded Law, Mayor Of Paris Wants Motorcycle Technical Tests | Last year the French (and many other European countries) were under the menace of having to undergo annual technical inspections (MOT) on their motorcycles, something the European motorcycle associations and lobby groups had been fighting against. After numerous protest rides and heavy lobbying, the proposed law got canned. So no annual technical inspections of motorcycles.....
But now the motorcycle-phobic mayor of Paris, Bernard Delanoe, wants to get the French government to bring in the annual inspection law anyway. The mayor is becoming very unpopular in Paris, since his actions are always against private transportation in general, and motorcycles in particular. He has last month closed down one of the busiest express ways (Rive Gauche) for all traffic and made it a pedestrian area, he's bringing down the speed of the Parisian ringroad (Peripherique) from 80 to 70 kph and he's outlawing all motorcycles that are 10 years old or older from the inner city...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 12 February, 2013 - Ads: 4 Safety Ads - Drinking and Driving - Wrong Place | Here are four very nicely done print advertisements from France, trying to get people to stop drinking & driving (a very difficult task for a wine producing country).
The images are nicely done, not violent, and the tag line says "Don't let alcohol drive you to the wrong place". Each ad has an object that cars and motorcycle are known to crash into when DUI.
But will it stop people from drinking & driving... I doubt it.
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| 12 February, 2013 - Idea: A Tough Hook To Hang Up Your Leathers | I don't know about you, but I've got a few clothes hangers that are wrecked, broken and bent because I hung up my leathers on them. Particularly one leather jacket, with Kevlar inserts, is so heavy, it will deform any hanger.
But it looks like I'm not the only one with that problem. Armed forces who have body armor, divers with scuba gear, firemen, etc ... the list is long. All of them have heavy items that need to be hung up.
Well the good news is that a Kickstarter project just got crowd-funded so you'll be seeing this in the near future...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 12 February, 2013 - Serious Fueling Problem Discovered On Brammo Motorcycles | #Brammo #Electric - A user of the new Brammo Empulse electric motorcycle discovered a problem which can be attributed to a design flaw. The Brammo has no fuel slot, so no place to put the fuel nossle to fill up the bike..
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| 11 February, 2013 - 31 Photos Of Motorcycles Carrying Everything But The Sink - Part 5 | Part 5 of our series of "slightly" overloaded motorcycles and scooters found in Asia, Africa and South America (and even Europe and North America).
It is amazing to see how much stuff some of these bikers can carry, and how to they maintain control of their motorcycle.
Here are 31 photos of motorcycles carrying anything, even the kitchen sink..
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| 11 February, 2013 - Study Your Lean Angles With iPhone App Kneeslider | Motorcycle riders love curves, it's what drives most bikers. We'll go out of our way to ride them. But for the serious curve riders, the ones that like putting their knees down, there's an iPhone app that allows you to record the event.
Italian Aspidea have produced an app (for non-geeks that's software), called Kneeslider, that runs on the Apple iPhone that will record the roads you take with many curves. It allows you to measure your performance in the curves, either on the public roads or on tracks. The app records the lean angles and acceleration that the bike is subjected to during the ride...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 10 February, 2013 - Scoop: TomTom Rider 5 Specs Unveiled By Supplier | Dutch GPS manufacturer TomTom is going to unveil their latest motorcycle-specific GPS in the Dutch motorcycle exhibition in Utrecht at the end of the month. The TomTom Rider GPS has sold well over the years, but until now there has been no updated models. But that is about to change. The TomTom Rider 5 will be launched in the 21st of February, but a German accessories site (Louis.de) has let the cat out of the bag.
The TomTom Rider 5 will be equipped with a 4.3 inch touch screen (previous model had a 3.5 inch screen), so much bigger and more readable than the current model. But the most interesting thing of the new software is that not only can you specify that you want the fastest or most direct road to your destination, but you can actually tell your GPS to take the road with the most curves!..........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 8 February, 2013 - Your Firestone Tires Treads On Your iPhone | If you have an iPhone 4/4S (not 5) and love the Firestone Champion Deluxe tires that are found often on custom motorcycles, here's your chance to not only protect your precious iPhone smartphone, but also remind you of your favorite motorcycle tires.
100MPH in Australia have a special iPhone silicone case using the using the very recognizable Firestone tire. The protective case can save your iPhone when it falls while improving your grip on the phone.... just like the real tires.
It'll cost you far less than the real tires, only AUS$19.95, but stocks are limited, so if you want one, better hurry.
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| 8 February, 2013 - France: Motorcycle Taxis Are Allowed To Be Called Taxis | Crazy as it may sound, the French car taxi associations had forced the motorcycle taxis to remove the word "taxi" from their business and motorcycles. In other words, French motorcycle taxis were no longer allowed to call themselves "taxi". This was one of the weapons the "normal" car taxis were deploying to stop motorcycle taxis. Car taxis see motorcycles are an enormous enemy since motorcycles don't have fare meters and more importantly, they don't pay for a taxi license.
But on the other hand, motorcycle taxis aren't allowed to be "hailed" on the road, nor are they allowed to wait for walk-by passengers; they need to be reserved in advance.
Anyway, the organization that controls the industry (FNTDR) has finally judged that motorcycle taxis are allowed to call themselves taxis. So all the motorcycles that had removed the word "TAXI" from motorcycle cabs can be put back again...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 8 February, 2013 - Top Internet Stories - 8 February 2013 | While I figure out why my site is dying due to dwindling numbers and DNS problems, I have been reading some interesting motorcycle related articles during last week. Here are some of them for your amusement.
- Deer Strikes (Northwest Harley Blog)
- Why I Ride (Cecilie's Moto Journal)
- One Of The Hidden Dangers Of Riding Motorcycle (Motorcycle Blog From Jafrum)
- Top 10 Ways To Stay Safe On Your (Kaki Moto)
- Real Life Superhero Patrols Argentine Streets Fights Crime On A Bajaj Pulsar 200 (Motorcycle.Com The Sidecar)
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| 7 February, 2013 - Video: Macho, Sexist, Harley-Davidson Dealer Commercial | Wow, in this day and age that something like this can get through.... it's a TV commercial from a local Harley-Davidson dealer in New York, and although it's got great image and music, it's pretty macho & sexist.
A bunch of male Harley bikers gather at the local watering hole, and decide to go "fishing", which means finding girls and bring them back to the pub. None of the girls ride themselves, all are pillions, and one girl even leaves a sportsbike to go on the Harley. Does this mean that girls don't ride Harley? I don't think so..............
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 7 February, 2013 - Rhino Tires - Never Have A Flat Tire Again | If the Fundable web site is to be believed, putting Rhino Tire inside your motorcycle tire will prev
ent it from going flat, even if you ride over several nails at the same time.
Rhino Tire is a polymer byproduct that gets sprayed inside your tire. The spray was tested on one of the cars in the Gumball 2012 rally, and according to the site, the results were outstanding. According to Rhino Tire, because the inside of the tire is lined with their product, it can withstand holes up to a quarter of an inch wide...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 7 February, 2013 - France: Caught Doing A Wheelie At 238 Kph | Popping a wheelie can be fun, but dangerous. Popping a wheelie on a bumpy road limited to 90 kph and doing it at 238 kph is pure suicide. But doing it on the same road where there's a speed radar can only be described at pure stupidity.
A 31 year old biker in France got caught doing a wheelie at a speed of 238 kph, and not only did he get caught, but he had been caught prior for speeding, and had lost his license already. But that didn't deter him for doing it again, but this time faster.
Of course they can't take away his license, since he doesn't have one, but they did take away his motorcycle. That's one bike he'll never see back again, and now he stands the chance of doing wheelies in jail with a jail mate called Bubba (or whatever the French version of Bubba is).
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| 6 February, 2013 - Video: Yamaha Indonesia Corporate Commercial | Quite an interesting and well done corporate TV commercial for Yamaha Indonesia. It's a TV ad you'd expect from Yamaha's head quarters in Japan, but then considering how big the Indonesian motorcycle market is, they have a lot of money in their piggy bank to make these kind of videos.
No need for a real time translator, it's just music and motorcycles, lots of it. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the Harley-Davidson "Live by it" TV commercial, with one rider starting out, and ending in 100's of bikers. Except in this case, they're Yamaha scooters...
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| 6 February, 2013 - Patents: Inflatable Motorcycle Garage/Cover | By the life of me, I can't figure out why you need this...an inflatable garage. According to the patent, the garage can be used for motorcycles, and is powered by a small electric 12 engine that keeps air flowing into the walls, making the garage rigid.
This means that you need the have the electric engine running all the time. The only thing I can imagine for an inflatable garage is for temporary events where you can possibly rent our garage space. A bit like at Sturgis, to offer some decent protection to bikes attending who want the keep their motorcycle safe and dry.
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| 5 February, 2013 - KTM: New Mini Silencer Kit - Very Effective | And why would motorcycles be the only things that require a silencer? That's what KTM thought with this mini silencer kit, and the mini is not a small kit, but for small things, in this case babies....
Babies as we know are cute, smell nice (usually) and can be more noisy than a motocross race. To help dampen the sound of said babies, KTM have released this unique, one-size-fits-all Pro Silencer Kit. The dummy (not the baby) can be fitted to clothes with the supplied ribbon...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 5 February, 2013 - Switzerland: Growth Motorcycle Sector For 2012 - Harley Big Winner | Europe is not unified in terms of motorcycle growth, some countries are in a slump, while others do well. In the last category, Switzerland has done nicely.
During 2012, the land of cheese and bankers, grew their motorcycle market by 2.6% over 2011. A total of 46,710 new PTW were registered; 23,464 motorcycles (+1.6%), 22,140 scooters (+3.7%) and 1,106 electric scooters (-5.2%).
In the motorcycle category, the manufacturer that excelled during 2012 was Harley-Davidson with 3,612 new motorcycles sold, while Honda (3,462) was in 2nd place, BMW in third with 2,877 and Yamaha in 4th spot with 2,760...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 5 February, 2013 - Ads: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Ad & Video | The print advertisement and TV commercial for the very serious Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation are pretty well done. Both print and TV ads show women doing their thing; riding motorcycle, tennis, surfing, etc. So it's not "in-your-face", just a subtle hint.
The TV commercial featured below starts with a woman riding a Triumph motorcycle (she'll appear later in the commercial), and in the print version, the text reads "You don't need to be good to be healthy" followed by "The crunch of leather, the growl of your pipes and a well-oiled confidence." followed by the rest of the pitch. .... nice...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 4 February, 2013 - France: A Look At The New Schuberth Helmets For The Police | There's been quite a lot of heated articles and debates concerning the helmets used by the French police. Even so much so that a part of them went on "strike", since their helmets were totally inadequate.
However, the French National Police and the Gendarmerie (which is a different authority), have contracted German motorcycle helmet manufacturer Schuberth to deliver 7,000 police version C3 helmets (not the C3 PRO which was introduced later). This means that over the next 4 years all the old helmets are being phased out, and replaced by the newer, but heavily modified, Schubert C3...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 4 February, 2013 - World’s Fastest Motorcycle Sold | Imagine that... a motorcycle capable of doing 400 mph (640 kph). And it was up for sale at eBay for US$27,000. Of course, it's not a motorcycle that you can ride in traffic.
No, the motorcycle built by Glenn Brittian is a rocket motorcycle. So it's one step up over the Marine Turbine Y2K motorcycle, since it has a rocket, not a turbine engine.
The "motorcycle" is meant for drag races, since it'll last a quarter mile before you need to feed it pennies to go again, or more likely hydrogen peroxide. The bike's rockets provide 3500 pounds (that's 15.6 kN or the equivalent of 7,000 horsepower) of thrust, and it uses 30 lb (14 kg) of fuel PER SECOND...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 4 February, 2013 - France: Le Touquet Enduropale 2013 - Photos and Video | #Touquet #Enduropale - Another year, another crazy Le Touquet Enduropale beach motorcycle race is over. And what a race it was.... suspense, drama, fights, weather. A 3 hour super tough beach race which lasted 2 hours, since the weather had become impossible and the tide was therefore turning in much quicker than expected, making it not only very difficult, but also very dangerous.
And it was a good thing for the declared winner Jean Claude Mousse since he had to rip off his goggles halfway through the last lap (a lap takes 15 minutes to complete) and he couldn't see anything. He was passed just before the finish line by Potisek, but since the red flag was out, the previous lap counted, not the finished one...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 1 February, 2013 - The Netherlands: Lights On Motorcycle Clothing Is Illegal | We can file this under the archaic and stupid laws politicians regularly surprise us with. In The Netherlands, a country reigned by a queen king, the law states that lights are only allowed on a motorcycle.
Very simple, what it means, is what is says. Lights (those shiny things) are only allowed on a motorcycle, in other words not on the biker's clothing. So if you like to ride safely by using lights on your jacket or helmet, as some of you do, know that it's illegal in The Netherlands...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 1 February, 2013 - Top Internet Stories - 1 February 2013 | Another week goes by, and another month has passed. Here are some interesting motorcycle-related articles you may have missed during the last 7 days.
- 9 Life Lessons from the Shifter (Liz Jansen)
- Could London's Commuters Turn To The Motorbike (The Independent)
- Where The Pavement Ends (Road Runner)
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| 1 February, 2013 - Toyota To Build Motorcycle-Like Electric Vehicle | Japanese car maker Toyota is already very much into ecological cars, especially known for their Prius. But for the upcoming Geneva car exhibition in March, they will launch a concept vehicle that is very much like an electric motorcycle.
Called the i-Road, it's an electric vehicle for two people, sitting motorcycle-style, the passenger behind the driver. It looks like it's in direct competition with Renault's funking vehicle the Twizy...........
...........Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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| 1 February, 2013 - Edible Ducati Motorcycle | Wow, two of my three favorite things; motorcycles and chocolate (I'll let you guess what the 3rd one is).
This is very cool, imagine having a chocolate Ducati motorcycles.... would you eat it? |
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