Cars Lab

Archive for February, 2011

FROM TWO WHEELS TO FOUR LEGS

Who would have thought that there was a similarity between riding a motorcycle and riding a horse!!!! Lets face it a motorcycle has an ECU for a brain and an engine for a heart with the rider in full control of the direction of travel. A horse on the other hand has a real brain and a real heart. The brain can sometimes disagree with the rider in more ways than one with regards the direction of travel.

Why the comparison? Well I was recently in London and had the lucky fortune of visiting the Household Cavalry at the Knightsbridge Barracks in the West End of London. The Invitation to the regiment was extended to me by the Regimental Corporal Major Spencer B Taylor Esq. on the auspices of viewing the very traditional changing of the guard between the two divisions of the regiment the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. On arrival I was extremely impressed to see a plethora of motorcycles parked on campus. A little investigation as to why so many machines were in one place was needed.

The answer wasCommuting. That was basically the main reasons for all the different machines;Harley Davidsons Yamaha R6s Honda Fireblades all the way down to Vespas and scooters. They were all there. I was lucky enough to see the change of the guard take place and then I was able to pin down Rupert Hackman AKA Gene to his pals a Staff Corporal on the Riding Staff of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Rupert rides a Yamaha R6 into work and then rides a beautiful Cavalry Black horse standing at around 16.5 hands high on his day job.

AABikes:Q: How long have you been riding?

Gene:2 years.

AABikes:Tell me about the commute how long and where from?

Gene:I come in from where the majority of the lads come from Windsor down the M4 about 25 miles away. Its about a 40 minute drive in a car at around 6am however in the evening it can take anywhere up to 3 hours depending on the traffic. Thats why I ride a bike. I can do it in no time.

AABikes:Why does a bike differ here in the U.K from a car commute?

Gene:Well firstly we can filter through the traffic here. I can miss every single traffic jam from here to home. Also we dont have to pay the 8.00 depending on the exchange rate can total 16.00 congestion charge on a bike and I save a fortune on petrol. The only thing is I get wet when it rains every other day.

AABikes:Have you seen a relief in the traffic since the congestion charge was put in place?

Gene:No absolutely not. All it has done is pushed the rush hour to before 7am. It comes into place at 7am and people stay later at work until after 6pm when it is finished. It has made travelling home on a Friday afternoon more enjoyable because I think more people are cramming in more hours in the week and working from home on a Friday.

AABikes:Why did you choose to commute on an R6?

Gene:Recommendation from the Farrier I bought my original bike off. I did a direct access test which enabled me to ride any size of motorcycle after passing my test so I jumped straight onto the R6 and loved everything about it.

AABikes:Is there any similarities between your motorbike and your work mode of transport a horse?

Gene:Believe it or not yes! I only passed my test 2 years ago and balance and direction from the horse passed over directly to my bike riding. You direct a horse with your legs and use your legs knees and body to direct a motorcycle too. The amount of riding I did helped me learn to ride the bike I also thought I had nothing to worry about as I could ride a horse but a horse does have a brain and can sometimes disagree with where you would like it to go I dont have that hassle with the bike. On the other hand a horse has four legs and cant low side in a corner either.

AABikes:Have you taken your R6 onto a track?

Gene:No but I do know if I did I would get addicted I was in the Musical Ride for the horses though does that count?

So as you can see Gene believes he did benefit from his riding skills when he went for his motorcycle test!

I would like to thank Regimental Corporal Major Spencer B Taylor for the invitation and Rupert Hackman for giving me his time while sitting in the NCOs mess hall. The changing of the guards is one of the most impressive traditions in the British Army.

For more information about the Household Cavalry go to”Motorcycle News www. AllAboutBikes.com

About the writer:  Myself webmaster of Powersports4less.com deals in motorcycle helmets motorcycle jackets from known top brands like Tourmaster apparel nolan helmets FirstGear JoeRocket

Flaunt Style And Convenience With Scooters!

Last week my neighbor bought a brand new scooter. It was a gas scooter with a sleek body and a gorgeous look. I couldn’t help but ride it. It was an enthralling experience riding a fast gas scooter.

Scooters are fun to drive. Feel the adrenalin rush while riding a scooter whether electric or gas.

Feel The “High” Of Gas Scooters!
Now your visits to the stores won’t be a tedious trip. Simply kick on the scooter and zoon off! Gas scooters are perfect for stretched roads. And the best thing is that you these scooters do not dig a hole in your pocket. They are friendly moneywise and functionwise.

Daily maintenance of your scooter involved actually very little. Even the scooter that you are using daily will require only a few tasks a few moments of your time. Wiping down the scooter daily will prevent all types of build up and problems in the long run. The side panels the seat and the handlebars should be wiped down on the days you use the scooter more often.

Don’t ask about the sizes and colors. They are endless varieties available. Talking about speed the scooter buffs will have a good time with the number of speed options available.

A Quality Ride For The Disabled
How can the disabled people be left behind in the race for excitement? There are electric mobility scooters for them.

The disability scooters provide a good balance with three or four wheels. There is no fear of tripping over. The disabled can have a thrilling experience riding the scooter. Moreover it improves the quality of living and adds zest to their life.

Why A Scooter?
Scooters are quite affordable easy to operate come in an array of choices and are fun to ride.
You might have heard of instances when people have traveled for days together with one gallon of gas in their scooters!

The advancement in technology of scooters has been stupendous over the last few years. The batteries have become long lasting and more powerful. With some of the batteries you can ride your scooter for a whole day without recharging it!

The Amazing Foldable Models
Folding scooters are a wonder. You can drive them to work fold them and store under your desk!!

If you don’t feel like riding your scooter back to home hop into a bus and store your folded scooter in the public storage compartment of the bus. The height of convenience!

So if want to have fun without much expenses get yourself a scooter!

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Jim Sherard is a motorcycle enthusiast who has been riding for more than 20 years. For more information on the benefits of oilskin coats visit his website at http://www.jackaroohome.com/longrider.html

Drinking Thinking Biking And Boomers

I love beer; specifically microbrew. I love how it looks I love how it tastes I love how it smells and I love how it makes me feel.

I grew up in Milwaukee Wisconsin at a time when it was the beer capital of the US Yes I am old. My grandfather worked as a guard at one of the breweries and we would get free samples of prototype beer. Mmmmmm! My mouth waters at the thought of it. Everyone drank; no one thought much of it. Many people would go to church on Sunday and then go to the local bar. Getting drunk was fun and funny. It was something to brag about. Did I mention that I went to a lot of funerals when I was in high school?

I love riding a motorcycle. I love how my motorcycle looks BMW K1200LT I love how my motorcycle feels and I love the smell of the outdoors when I am riding it well most of the time. I love speed. I love curves and the rush of acceleration with the bike just consuming the road.

I love life. I realize that what I do affects the people that I love who love and depend on me; therefore I never drink and ride.

I need no extra encouragement to go fast nor any false sense of control or power.It has always been by contention that to stay safe on a bike you have to compensate for all the distracted daydreaming or just generally mindless cagers around you. This is difficult enough when you are alert and sober. Anything that detracts from your ability to concentrate and/or reduces your motor skills and reaction time significantly increases your chances of becoming a statistic.

Alcohol and Fatal Motorcycle Crashes

• Alcohol is a major contributor to fatal motorcycle crashes.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA studies of fatal motorcycle crashes have shown that:
• Between 40 and 45 of all fatal motorcycle crashes involve the use of alcohol.
• In about onethird of the fatalities the motorcyclist was legally intoxicated.
• About 2500 motorcyclists that are killed and about 50000 that are seriously injured in crashes per year involved drinking and riding.*
• Motorcyclists are involved in fatal crashes at a rate of 35.0 per 100 million miles of travel compared with a rate of 1.7 per 100 million miles of travel in cars. **

Motorcycle operators involved in fatal crashes in 1995 had a higher intoxication rate than any other type of motor vehicle driver: motorcycle operators 29.1 percent; light truck operators 22.9 percent; and passenger car operators 19.2 percent.

The Center for Disease Control CDC has a new report after analyzing the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System 40;FARS41;. This report covers research of accidents during 1983 2003. It shows that the peak rate of death among alcoholimpaired motorcycle drivers shifted from those aged 20 24 years to those aged 40 44 years. In addition to this shift during the same time frame as the percentage of alcoholimpaired fatal motorcycle crashes declined for other age groups the 55 59 year rider age group increased from 16.7 in 1983 to 21.1 in 2003.**

So what’s up with us old people? Is it a case of
You can’t teach an old dog? Why can’t you teach an old dog?

Because we are STUBBORN KNOWITALLS!

Most of us have computers and realize that we have to do those irritating Critical Updates for protection of our computer’s security. Who wants a crashed machine? We change the oil in our bikes and cars to get rid of that nasty old oil that is filled with dirt. Well maybe it’s time to do a critical update on ourselves. Get rid of that dirty nasty old oil in our aging brains.

Middleaged brain patch: insert Drink Riding = Trouble

Alarmingly as we get older the effects of alcohol hit us faster. We can’t keep drinking the same way we did when we were in our twenties just like all those other fun things that you used to be able to do so much better when you were 20! The younger you started drinking the more that this is true because the brain damage accumulates. Your brain actually shrinks there is another comment in there but I’ll skip it.***

Now quit putting your fingers in your ears and shouting la la la la la!”

Here is a game you can play http://www.b4udrink.org/ from the University of Illinois. It helps you find out how quickly you will become legally drunk given your weight gender etc.

As of July 2004 all 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation establishing a driver with a BAC of .08 to be legally intoxicated.

When you get a driver’s license you automatically give your “implied consent” to take a breath test or other test to measure your blood alcohol.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have “zero tolerance” laws for drivers under 21.

* Fatal Accident Reporting System

** Center for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/priew/mmwrhtml/mm5347a2.htm

*** National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism http://www.niaaa.nih.gov

****National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Chuck has been riding motorcycles for 30 years starting with dirt bikes. He currently owns a BMW K1200LT which he takes on adventures through the country on twisty windy mountain roads.

Chuck and Trish own a motorcycle accessory store http://www.2WheelTouring.netTwo Wheel Touring is located on Bull Run Mountain in Virginia about 50 miles west of Washington D.C. We are an online business only.