The Most Popular Motorcycle Rallies Around the World

By Lydia Quinn

If you're a motorcycle enthusiast and you've always wanted to learn more about motorcycle rallies, stay tuned because you're about to learn all about the most popular rallies. You'll learn about the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Daytona Bike Week Rally, and the Laconia Motorcycle Week in New Hampshire.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is one of the most well known rallies in the US. It is held in the city of Sturgis, South Dakota. The rally takes you through some of the most amazing roads and destinations. Some of them include Iron Road Mountain, Needles Highway, Spearfish Canyon, Mouth Rushmore National Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, Bea Butte State Park, and more.

Every year they have a bike show and the top companies show off their new models. They also have celebrities and musical performers often show up. The town is known for their hospitality and there are many attractions, restaurants, and hotels you can stay in. The rally has some special events from purchasing your own message for the city brick project and an exclusive ride with the mayor.

The Daytona Bike Week is held on Daytona Beach in Florda. This event has a long history dating all the way back to 1937. Today, it is one of most popular rallies and now is a 10-day festival where hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts gather every year.

The Daytona Bike Week is more of an event rather than a rally because it invites locals and non bikers alike. You can enjoy all the accommodations that are available to visitors and really make it sort of like a beach vacation in addition to the rally. Keep your eyes peeled for The Loop trail, the chopper shows, and even cole slaw wrestling events.

The Laconia Motorcycle Week is amongst the most popular rallies. The festival takes place in New Hampshire with 300,000 to 400,000 bikers attending every year. This even features everything from live music, road tours, cook offs, and biker build-offs.

What makes the Laconia Motorcycle Week interesting is that many people go to enjoy the camping grounds. There are many camping grounds you can visit from the New Hampshire Seacoast, Merrimack Valley Region, and the Lakes Region. These grounds have some of the most stunning sites and you should use the guides to plan your trip.

There are many vacation homes you can rent as well as hotels you can rent near the event site as well as near the camping grounds. What many people riders like about Laconia Motorcycle Week is that there are many charity events so you can ride for an important cause.

So those are some of the most popular motorcycle rallies in the US. If you're an enthusiast and want to attend any of these rallies, you should visit the official site for the rally you plan on going to. They provide you with all the information you need on activities, hotels, events, and more.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lydia_Quinn

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Steps To Prevent Motorcycle Injury

By Thurman DeBoard

Riding motorcycle is of great fun especially for the boys. For the boys, motorcycle represents freedom, an opportunity to feel the wind on their face. Everything we do in life involves risk and it is not always possible for us to avoid those things. Riding motorcycle involves great risk but still you can't stop the younger generation. If riding bike is one of your favorite hobbies then there is no need to give up; just keep on going.

But it is also very important that you should protect yourself and also try hard to prevent road accidents. It is your responsibility as a rider to drive safely. What matters is to learn how to protect yourself from motorcycle injury. Below mentioned are few points that will help you drive safely-

• First of all, you should wear protective equipment while riding your bike; because the only barrier between you and the road is those equipments. The most crucial equipment to wear is helmet. Without helmet you should not ride because that is strictly prohibited. Wear a helmet with a full face shield that can protect your face from all types of injuries. If required you can also wear gloves, boots and even jackets to protect yourself from injury.
• Proper training is very important. If you want to learn riding fast and that also in a proper way. Everywhere it is a rule that before riding a bike on road you must pass a motorcycle knowledge test and also a riding test. Proper training will help you ride carefully and that is for sure. After all your safety comes fast than anything else.
• Basically it is a fact that younger generation doesn't abide any rules and regulations. Alcohol and drugs should not be consume before you drive or ride. If you are the one who does it then change your habit. If you want to live your life to the fullest then stop performing such acts. After consuming alcohol it becomes impossible for someone to ride carefully. Never hop in your bike after consuming alcohol.
• Try to follow all the rules and regulations to reduce the percentage of road accidents. Rules are created with the purpose of helping bikers to save themselves from road injuries. Staying within the speed limit is very important and no need to use mobile phones while riding.
• Last but not the least; you should apply your common sense while riding or driving. In road there will be no one to help you out and so you should be very vigilant and concerned about the step you are taking. If you love driving at night then only you should drive otherwise not. If you feel uneasy while riding, no need to ride more.

This article consist of all the useful information regarding what is an injury and how to prevent it. These types of articles are written with the purpose of helping riders.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thurman_DeBoard

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Motorcycle Headset Options

By Myra Lemmons

You're ready to purchase a helmet-mounted motorcycle headset but aren't sure which product will provide the level of sound-clarity and ease-of-use you expect. Since each manufacturer has a unique set of motorcycle headset options, it's difficult to determine which will satisfy all your needs.

One way to clear up some of the confusion regarding motorcycle headset options is to visit motorcycle blogs or forums where other riders discuss and compare their experiences with headset products. This can go a long way toward helping you decide whether a product performs as promised.

To help narrow down the options, consider some of the following points:

- Type of connection, mount, signal range

- Waterproof or water-resistant

- Rider-to-rider or rider-to-passenger capabilities

- Wired or wireless

- Bike style and type of helmet

- Comfort, ease of use and installation

Motorcycle headset options range from simple to highly technical, but somewhere in that range is the perfect system designed to enhance your riding experience. Some manufacturers allow you customize your headset by choosing the microphone, speakers, cables and other options that suit your preferences.

When evaluating motorcycle headset options you will find that there are four basic types of technologies utilized: FRS, GMRS, FM and Bluetooth:

GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) and FRS (Family Radio Service) are equivalent to walkie-talkies. FRS radios have a range of about two-miles, while GRMS has a range of several miles.

FM (Frequency Modulation) radio for motorcycle intercoms uses a narrower frequency than the radio you normally listen to and can provide good sound quality within limited range, but the signal can fluctuate.

Bluetooth technology allows wireless communication between rider and passenger or from bike to bike, and the range is usually in hundreds of feet rather than miles, but this limited range has the advantage of providing less outside interference. Bluetooth can integrate with cell phones, GPS devices, MP3 players and other music devices.

Riding the open road is the ultimate personal experience and a motorcycle headset will allow you to share the adventure in real-time with your passenger or fellow riders. The wide variety of motorcycle headset options makes it possible for every rider to enjoy communication or entertainment whether they own a luxury touring bike, sport bike, cross purpose bike, cruiser or moped.

Once you've made the choice and finally hit the road with your new headset in place, you will find that the combination of you, your bike and your music gives a whole new meaning to the term "rock and roll."

EdSets designs and produces motorcycle headsets that have the absolute best sound quality, warranty and support of any headset worldwide. We ship to 35 countries and have been in business for 10 years. We have something for every kind of rider.

Rock and roll, anyone? http://www.edsets.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Myra_Lemmons

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Top 5 Scary Motorcycle Modifications

Just in time for Halloween, here's a few scary and amazing custom motorcycles for your enjoyment

5) Skull Motorcycle

Call it crazy or amazing, this skull motorcycle gets a whole lot of attention, and it deserves every little bit of it. The motorcycle’s fuel tank has been converted into a skull, one with a wicked aura but still done very well. Headlights have been moved to the eyes of the skull, enhancing its “fear factor.” This would make the “Ghost Rider” look less clumsy, but seeing the way the movie went, even this it isn’t really going to help much. More images after the jump

4) Wierd Toon

I have no idea who made this or anything about it. But if someone will chase people down the street on halloween, they’ll never watch cartoons again!

3) Extreme Corpse Motorcycle

This custom motorcycle is a gory mess with its fuel tank sculpted like a shattered ribcage, with the skeleton’s hands reaching for the front wheel and its legs resting near the rear wheel. Its fuel tank even has the heart dangling by the side of the fuel tank

2) The Bone Bike

This incredible piece of artwork, save for the Yamaha 650 engine and a few other bits, is made from "scrap, trash and garbage." More remarkable is the fact that the owner/builder is disabled and has severely arthritic hands. And yes: This is a working motorcycle that's ridden on a regular basis. The demon head and fender tail each contain over 150 pieces
(I didn't see the seat at first (ouch!).. It almost made it to number 1 until I found it)

1) Custom Alien Chopper

This badass motorcycle looks like it's straight out of a Ridley Scott film set - but remarkably an artist has made it out of spare parts. The Bangkok worker used recycled materials from old cars and bicycles to create a monster machine which is sculpted to look like a beast.

Despite being cobbled together from scrap parts, the spectacular motorcycle works - unlike many sci-fi film props. Roongrojna Sangwongprisarn, 54, created it out of spare parts in his workshop in Thailand. He has four shops across the country - named the Ko Art Shop - and exports his creations to clients all over the world.
(Extra points for recycling!)


I believe that there needs to be more horror themed custom bikes out there, so I'll offer a few suggestions for those reading talented in building:
- Shark Bike
- Scarecrow Bike
- Evil Clown Bike
- Freddy and/or Jason Bike
- Arachnid bike
- Rosie O'Donnell Bike

Any other ideas? Post yours in the comments!

Sources:
horrorbid.com
motorcyclecruiser.com
automotto.com



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Go Green, Save Money: Ride a Motorcycle

By Ron Ayalon

Would you like to have a lot of fun, save money, and go green all at the same time? You can, and it's easy. Just join the growing numbers of Americans riding scooters and motorcycles.

Perhaps you've noticed the price of gasoline lately. It's higher than $4 a gallon in some places, below that in others. For convenience we'll do all the math that follows figuring $4 gas. You can make appropriate adjustments based on what it costs near you.

Do you drive a Luxobarge Deluxe in the four-wheel category? Getting, what, 21 miles per gallon? Or maybe you have a more efficient car that gets 34 mpg. Let's use 30 mpg for calculations, again for convenience. So every mile you drive costs you 13.3 cents in gas alone.

How would that change if you rode a motorcycle? Well, for starters, a 600cc bike like the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic, a V-Twin, runs about 55 mpg. At $4 a gallon for gas, that comes to 7.27 cents per mile. Or let's put it this way: for every 100 miles you ride on your Vulcan vs. driving your car, you would save $6.03. Now, you wouldn't be riding the bike all the time. Winter is an issue, and it can also be difficult to bring home a family's worth of groceries on a motorcycle. So let's say you ride the bike to work, a round-trip of 20 miles, four days a week. Then figure you do that nine months out of the year, for a total of 3,120 miles. You've just saved nearly $190.

Now let's look at a smaller bike, say a Star Motorcycles V-Star 250. Now we're talking around 78 mpg. At $4 per gallon you cover a mile for all of 5.13 cents, so now you're saving almost $255 on those commutes alone.

Of course, any other driving that you take the bike instead will only increase your savings. How much you save is up to you. But the point is, once you have the bike you'll want to take it rather than the car as much as you can, because it's fun. Motorcycles are fun. That's a big part of why people ride them. In your car your commute is generally just wasted time. If there were any way to get to work without having to actually spend all that time on the road you'd probably jump at it.

Riding your motorcycle to work is a whole other thing. "Hot dog," you think, "time to go for a ride. Even if it is to work." Of course you may find that you're not saving quite so much money because the element of fun may seduce you into taking a longer route. It's a hazard we motorcyclists live with. Don't spend too much time working up pity for us.

And finally, there's the element of going green. It's pretty obvious that if you're burning less gasoline you're doing the environment a favor. There are environmental costs of extracting the oil, refining it, storing it, and shipping it, as well as of burning it. Burn less and you cut back on them all.

But there's a lot more than gas involved in going green. Motorcycles also use less steel and plastic and other materials to manufacture. Each of those products has its own supply chain so there are savings there as well. Granted, if you still have to own a car and then also own a motorcycle, you are using more resources, not less. But the more you ride rather than drive, the longer your car lasts. That's the big resource consumer, so if you can double its lifespan the savings come to a lot more than the resources used to build the bike.

Finally, factor in the very minimal damaging impact of the bike on the roadway--a 600-pound vehicle vs. a 2,200-pound vehicle--and the reduction in traffic congestion and the smaller piece of land necessary to park the bike and the environmental benefits just keep adding up.

Who knew having fun could make you such a virtuous person!

For New York Motorcycles, visit Island Powersports at http://www.IslandPowersports.com or call 516-795-4400. We have rock bottom pricing, outstanding customer service, and knowledgeable staff to satisfy your thirst for fun. Schedule an appointment today to get out and ride!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Ayalon

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Motorcycle Theft and Protective Financing Options

By Juliet Cole

Any time personal property is stolen or vandalized, it can be a traumatic experience, but for a theft of something as highly treasured as your motorcycle, it adds a whole new level of anxiety. Of course, the first step is to make sure that your bike is insured, including any added accessories. But since insurance companies generally reimburse the value less payment of a deductible, a theft can still be a very costly problem. In the same way that it is important to properly maintain your bike, it is just as important to protect your investment with some theft deterrents. The next step is to keep the motorcycle safely stored when not in use. Whether keeping your bike in a garage or parking lot, it is a good idea to lock it to an immobile object. If your garage has nothing like that in place already, there are items available to buy and bolt down to a concrete floor. A bike cover is also a good idea, especially if parking in an open parking lot. Find well-lit areas to park, and keep an eye out for security cameras to stay close to if possible. Another protective step is to add one or more locks to the one that comes with your motorcycle. And don't skimp - get higher quality locks and an alarm system. These things won't guarantee your bike's safety, but every step you take to make things more difficult for a thief to get to your bike is a good thing.

Whether you are looking into protective options for buying your first bike or adding to your collection, there are financing options available. You can be matched with a motorcycle lender by searching online to get a motorcycle loan. There are quick and easy applications available to get you on the road faster than you might think. There are a lot of options online to get a motorcycle loan, even for those with lower credit scores. The ability to get a motorcycle loan online makes the process easy and quick for many people.

There are many options online for finding a motorcycle loan. One important factor is that online applicants know their credit score. Options can be found on our credit information page. Once an applicant knows their credit score, the next step is to search online to get a motorcycle loan. There are many different options out there for terms and conditions, so knowing the information first makes a big difference. You can find the financing for the bike of your dreams online.

Julie Cole

--If you are in need of a motorcycle loan please visit my website at http://www.getmotorcycleloan.com

Motorcycle financing regardless of your credit

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juliet_Cole

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Three Key Points to Help You Choose the Right Tires for Your Motorcycle and Your Riding Style

By Brian R. Salisbury

Selecting the right tires for your motorcycle to replace worn or damaged tires is a critical decision.

But, many riders go as long as three or four or even more riding seasons before they must replace worn tires. So choosing new tires that best suit your motorcycle as well as your riding style can be an unfamiliar process.

Here are three key points to help you choose tires that support your motorcycle's performance capabilities and meet your riding demands...

1) What tires came with your bike?

The folks who built your motorcycle equipped it with tires that enable it to meet its full design and performance potential.

So the best place to start -- and possibly finish -- your tire selection process, is to consider replacing your worn tires with the same make and model tires the motorcycle manufacturer used in the first place.

At least you can use the current tires as your baseline when determining the most appropriate tires for your bike and for the way you ride.

2) Don't mix bias ply and radial tires

Radial tires have layers of internal support material running side to side from one bead (tire edge) to the other at a right angle to each bead.

Bias ply tires have plies of internal support material running from one bead to the other at about a 30 degree angle. One ply is set on a bias in one direction as succeeding plies are layered alternately in opposing directions.

With both radial and bias ply tires, the underlying support layers are covered with rubber to form the tire tread.

Bias ply and radial motorcycle tires react to and manage your motorcycle's steering, braking and acceleration forces differently.

Your motorcycle was designed to perform best with a specific type of tires. That's why you'll be on target by selecting make and model tires similar to those fitted originally to your motorcycle -- radial or bias ply.

Your front and rear tires should be the same brand and model. Two tires with mismatched tread patterns will not perform properly together.

3) Match your tire's tread pattern and rubber compound to your riding style

What kind of rider are you?

• Do you ride fast and corner deep?
• Do you log on many miles during long tours?
• Do you ride year-round, rain or shine?

A tire's tread pattern and rubber compound determine a tire's capabilities and potential regarding speed, mileage and ability to hold the road. They determine what you can get out of a tire.

Touring and cruising tires use relatively hard rubber compounds. They are designed to give you high tire mileage and good gas mileage. But they're not the best for the highest speeds and aggressive cornering.

Sport bike and racing tires use relatively soft and "sticky" rubber compounds. They provide good traction for deep cornering. But you give up long tire life and extended gas mileage for "knee-dragging" cornering capabilities.

A tire's tread design determines the best road and weather conditions for that tire.

A slick racing tire will give you great high-speed traction. But you don't want such a tire for touring and riding in the rain.

For wet weather you need a tire with a deep water-dispersing tread for the best wet-road traction.

General-use tires are made from a medium-hard rubber compound and feature a light tread. This combination gives you high mileage and a stable ride on a wide variety of roads during all sorts of weather.

Give some thought to...

• Where and when you like to ride...
• Your abilities as a motorcycle rider...
• Your motorcycle's design capabilities...

...and use your results to determine which motorcycle tires will best suit you and your motorcycle.

Here's more info to help you select motorcycle tires and other riding gear, and to help you get the most enjoyment out of motorcycle riding...

Whether you're a veteran motorcycle rider or a beginner, go to http://www.Motorcycle-Gear-And-Riding-Info.com for a wealth of information to help you evaluate and select riding gear and motorcycle accessories that will work best for you, your motorcycle and your riding style.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_R._Salisbury

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