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Ride with pride in superhero helmets

May 4, 2016 by MH

hjc-marvel-helmets-social-media (5)Comic books are cool again. Superheroes are are not just kids’ play anymore.

Get your hero on with superhero themed helmets from Jafrum. Pick Captain America, Punisher or Iron Man.

In the previews of Captain America 3, the pride of the nation does ride. Be like the Capt. The giant A on the helmet forehead shows clearly where your allegiance rests.

The Punisher has been known to hop on two wheels from time to time. In basic black, with the signature skull symbol just behind the ears and a pre-stressed look on the top, you’re ready to take to the mean streets.

Iron Man doesn’t have much of a need for wheels, but he does wear a helmet. The IM edition looks just like one of the versions Tony Stark and other have worn. It does not have the cool heads-up internal system displays.

All three full-face helmets come with:

  • Quick change face shield with 95 percent UV protection. The shield goes up and down.
  • Advanced channeling vents to keep you cool on the road.
  • Anti-bac moisture-wicking fabric.
  • Pull the crowd and cheek pads for washing when you need to.
  • Sizes XS to 2XL. Captain America and The Punisher are available in 3XL.

These helmets are licensed by Marvel Comics and meet or exceed DOT helmet specs.

The Capt and Punisher are $174.99 to $179.99 depending on the size. Iron Man is $249.99 5o $259.99 depending on the size. Pre-order now from Jafrum.com, a Google Trusted Store. Shipping is on us.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

If You Need More Proof Why You Need Great Protective Clothing…

February 19, 2016 by madmoto

Often bikers think they don’t need protective clothing since nothing will happen to them anyway, and if something happens, it’s not the clothing that will protect them. Honest, they do say it.

Well, if you ever need to have an example on how your protective clothing will save you, have a look at the video below. The video is of the French MotoGP racer (and former World Champion Superbike) Loris Baz during a test session at Sepang, Malaysia. He is part of the Ducati Avintia Racing team, and he was going down the very long straight line on the Sepang circuit at 300 kph (180 mph) when the bike mis-functioned and he crashed at full speed.

Here is the video:

At that speed, 180 mph, you are normally toast. You will get shredded by the asphalt, but believe it or not, Loris got up and ran away from upcoming bikes.

Loris-Baz-Crashed-Suit

What do you say when you walk away of a “290kmh crash” with a bruised elbow and nothing else? BIG THANKS TO Alpinestars

A photo posted by lorisbaz (@lorisbaz) on Feb 1, 2016 at 9:57pm PST

Unbelievable that you can survive such as high speed crash and walk away from it. The technology in protective clothing has become such as you can survive one. And even if you’re not a MotoGP racer, you can still get your hands on proper protective suites. And now you can see why…

Posted in Motorcycle Gear, Motorcycle safety, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment »

The End Of MotoGP Heroes?

November 13, 2015 by madmoto

For those of you who have been following the MotoGP racing this season, you know what I am talking about. The world elite motorcycle racing category, the MotoGP, sees world’s most gifted motorcycle racers duke it out on circuits on every continent of the globe (well, apart from Africa). And for the first three quarters of the season it was nail biting.

The 2015 MotoGP racers (c) MotoGP

The 2015 MotoGP racers (c) MotoGP

Incredible racing, faster and faster, masterful overtaking and advances in motorcycle technology that could only be dreamed of. And that by some 24 very talented racers. But of the 24, 4 stood out by a great length; 3 Spaniards and 1 Italian. These were quickly dubbed the “Aliens”.

And these 4 have been dominating the sport of a few years, particularly the 9 times world champion and very charismatic Italian; Valentino Rossi. To be 9 times the world champion does say one thing; he knows how to race.

But the other three aren’t slouches; Rossi’s team mate at Yamaha is Jorge Lorenzo, an incredibly talented racers who is currently the fastest man on the fastest bike. But with an attitude and temper to match. On the Honda side are Marc Marquez, the upcoming King of MotoGP, a man who has already proven himself to be incredibly fast but with a bad season behind him. His team mate, Dani Pedrosa, has been very unlucky with several crashes, and has only in the last few races shown that he deserves a spot at the very top.

So far, so good. In all the races leading up to the championship, that is, all but the last 3 races, the battles upfront were epic and heart-stopping. Even people who weren’t into MotoGP racing, or even motorcycle racing in general, had to stop and watch the incredible suspense these 45 minutes of intense racing would bring.

Rossi vs Marquez (c) MotoGP

Rossi vs Marquez (c) MotoGP

But it’s in the last 3 races that things went downhill. And it went downhill in a head-basket. Without going into details, it became a daytime soap opera drama. Where there used to be a lot of respect between the racers, now there was mud slinging, insults and finally physical violence on the track.

The two title contents, Rossi and Lorenzo (remember, they are team mates), were at a few points over each other. And when the other team riders interfered with the race, tempers flared. And when you are riding at 350 kph, you’d better keep your temper in check. But unfortunately, the riders didn’t.

So in the last race of the season, one rider, Rossi, was penalized and sent to the back of the grid, while his team mate and direct competitor Lorenzo was at the very front. An impossible position to be in, but given Rossi’s talent, he managed to crawl back to 4th position but was short 2 positions so he had to forfeit the title.

But the annoying thing were the attitudes of the racers. Where once they were “Supermen”, with talent, good humor & fun, men to be idolized, now the Rossi vs Marquez battle showed that these are mere humans, victims to their own ego and desires. And Lorenzo has the perfect opportunity to stay silent and take the high road, but didn’t, instead jumped up & down, turned blue and almost went off to the corner to sulk. Teenager stuff, not grown men.

The only one of the four that marked his adulthood was Pedrosa who tried to say the right thing and calm everyone down, but it was too far gone (though Pedrosa in former years did have some meltdown episodes of his own with Lorenzo, so much so that the King of Spain had to intervene). But at least he kept out of the fray, which was a good thing.

So now we have a newly crowned world champ, Jorge Lorenzo, who arguably is one of the best racers, but with a title that will always be put into question, as will future titles. Now, when someone wins, you’ll be asking yourself whether they got the win by themselves, or if they were helped by other racers. What was at play: Talent? Politics? Ego? Financial? Pride? If it’s only talent, that’s great, but all the other issues should be left at their motorhomes.

And the idols are no longer idolized; they are just very talented human beings with several faults; just like normal human beings..

And in all the drama, one man who deserved much more attention was the American Nicky Hayden who raced his last MotoGP race. What a pity he didn’t get the media attention he deserved, but everyone was turned to the free-for-all fight up front and forgot about the other racers.

For me, the fun is out of this kind of high level, high stakes, motorcycle racing. I think I’ll go looking for a less drama sport; maybe chess or checker world championships.

Posted in Motorcycle Events | 1 Comment »

The State Of The Electric Motorcycle Industry 2015

November 9, 2015 by madmoto

Things are shaking up in the electric motorcycle industry. Still very young as a sub-industry, the electric motorcycle is slowly but surely changing the way we see them.

Mission Motorcycles

Mission Motorcycles

On the negative side, names like Mission Motorcycles have disappeared from the playing field. Mission are blaming Apple for poaching their engineers, but I guess when you fail, you need to blame someone. But despite having a good looking and high performing sports motorcycle, it could not bring it to the market and they went bankrupt.

Another manufacturer that no longer exists as such, is Brammo. Long heralded for its innovative designs and performance, Brammo has been taken over by Polaris. Although they are still supporting the dealers and the purchased motorcycles, the Brammo engineers will be working more on the other Polaris products, like maybe electric snowmobiles?

Long standing Vectrix has been in and out of bankruptcy and finally closed last year. Despite a promising start, they slowly wilted way.

All these upstarts failing will put a dent in the confidence of potential buyers. Why spend a small fortune to buy a high-tech electric motorcycle to see the company bite the dust and lose all spare parts and support? Is it worth it to be the first?

Zero

But one company that is a start-up has managed to weather all the storms, and they are not only doing very well, they recently released new motorcycles. And that company is California based Zero Motorcycles.

Zero released at the AIMExpo in Florida last week new motorcycles and updated ones. Faster (98 to 102 mph, depending on the model), longer (192 miles) and blistering fast accelerations (0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds for the SR model).

Zero FXS

Zero FXS

Their latest model, the FXS is a city hooligan bike with its 44 hp, 70 ft-lbs torque and a top speed of 82 mph. But the most important detail for this motorcycle is that the battery packs are swappable and removable. This means that for bikers living in the city and parking their motorcycles in the street or in areas where there is no electricity, they can now purchase a great city bike and charge their batteries at home.

Zero can be considered the Tesla of motorcycles. Alone against the industrial giants of the traditional industry, they are carving their own niche and they are doing it successfully.

Mainstream Manufacturers

So far there is one mainstream motorcycle manufacturer that is doing very well in the electric motorcycle department; and that is the German BMW with its electric C-Evolution scooter. Their manufacturing stock got sold out in Europe within the year, and even municipal police forces in Europe are using the scooter for their city cops. Stuffed with technology, the scooter is a real city and commuting scooter.

BMW C-Evolution electric scooter

BMW C-Evolution electric scooter

And the reason it’s so popular despite a stiff price? Because of the name BMW! You know the company is not going to fold, so when you buy their bike, it will be maintained for as long as you ride.

KTM also released electric motorcycles last years, but so far no sales reports have been released, but we’d expect they are selling fine. Again, KTM is a name that inspires confidence in their future.

The big Japanese manufacturers are now also looking at developing electric motorcycles and scooters. Honda showed last month their electric SuperCub concept, and Yamaha have been playing with several electric concepts.

Conclusion

So the dust is starting the settle in the electric motorcycle market. Some of the initial players have been removed from the board, while some of the big players have joined the game. But one thing is sure, electric motorcycles are here to stay.

Over the next few years, the battery technology is going to drop in price and increase in range. Performance is already on-par with other vehicles, even exceeding them.

Posted in Electric | Tagged | 5 Comments »

The Future Of Motorcycle Helmets?

October 20, 2015 by madmoto

Sena, known for its outstanding wireless communication devices for motorcycle helmets, have released during the latest AIMExpo in Florida a new type of helmet that could herald the future of helmets. A helmet that many bikers have been waiting for.

SENA noise-cancelling integral helmet

SENA noise-cancelling integral helmet

Sena released their first integral helmet, a carbon fibre one, but that wasn’t really the big news; they released the first noise-cancelling motorcycle helmet!

Noise-cancelling is a technology that has been around for a while, and it consists of two loudspeakers, usually in a headphone or earplugs, with one or more integrated microphone(s) that “listen” to the outside ambient noise. When there’s a particular steady noise, like the rumble of an engine, wind, traffic, etc, the built-in processor produces a contrasting noise, thereby cancelling the source noise. My wife uses one to cancel my snoring 😉

You can buy noise-cancelling headphone and earplugs in many electronic shops, and many seasoned travelers in airplanes, underground, trams, buses and cars use them when on the go.

On a motorcycle, your ears are bombarded with loud noises all the time. Not only your engine, but also the wind rushing over your helmet. These noises can, depending on the quality of your helmet, reach very high, even dangerous levels. 100 dB is not unheard off, and even 130 has been measured.

SENA noise-cancelling integral helmet technology

SENA noise-cancelling integral helmet technology

Not only does this mean your hearing will be degraded permanently overtime, but you will also tire quicker during your motorcycle trip, meaning you’ll lose your concentration. It is the main reason many bikers ride with earplugs. Earplugs work fine, they prevent you from hearing these external noises, but they do come with one big negative side effect: it also diminishes important sounds like horns, sirens, squealing brakes & tires.

The new Sena helmet and its associated technology takes care of this. The repeating sounds like your engine (to a degree, since you’ll still need to hear your engine revving up before changing gear) or the wind are filtered out, while sudden noises like a blaring horn or a firetruck’s siren are not.

The helmet is not always on. You need to power-on the noise-cancelling feature yourself, so you can decide at any given moment whether you want it on or not.

Communications

Obviously, since Sena make wireless (Bluetooth) communication devices, this helmet can accommodate their latest Bluetooth 4.1 module. This means that not only will the helmet stop outside ambient noises, but you can also listen to music, talk to your pillion or riding buddies or even, heaven forbid, talk on the phone in a quite environment.

The new helmet, including the optional communication module, will weigh in at 3.5 lb (1.6 kgs). No price is known yet, but the helmet will hit your shop Spring 2016. There’s also a strong rumor that we’ll shortly see a flip-up version.

I know what I have on my birthday wish list. Have a look at the introduction video below.

Posted in Motorcycle Gear | Leave a Comment »

When Is A Motorcycle A Car?

September 22, 2015 by madmoto

Sounds like a TV show riddle, doesn’t it? Cars and motorcycles are two distinctly different vehicles; cars have 4 wheels and motorcycles 2 (or three, but then it’s a sidecar). So why should a motorcycle be a car?

Honda Project 2&4 (Concept)

Honda Project 2&4 (Concept)

The answer is when the manufacturer is a motorcycle manufacturer and it uses a motorcycle engine, and it feels like a powerful sportsbike. Honda Motorcycle (not Honda cars) have released their concept Project 2&4. As stated, it’s a concept, so don’t rush to your local Honda dealer to buy one. They are just testing the waters.

Honda Project 2&4 (Concept)

Honda Project 2&4 (Concept)

But the beast, for nothing else describes it better, is powered by Honda RC213V engine, the same engine that propelled Marc Marquez to the world championship MotoGP last year. In other words, an enormously powerful engine, bolted onto a very light and flexible chassis.

The 1 liter engine develops 212 brake horsepower, and the whole motorcycle car motocar (for a lack of another word) weighs 893 pounds. The red zone starts at 13,000 RPM but at 10,000 you already have 118 Nm worth of torque. The center of gravity is very low, helped by a seat which “floats” (in other words, it’s not fixed, but moves with the motocar).

Honda Project 2&4 (Concept)

Honda Project 2&4 (Concept)

And yes, there is room for a passenger. That is, if the passenger is willing to sit in that contraption and hold on for dear life.

But is this the first motorcycle car? No, far from it. One the recent success stories comes from Austria, and it’s made by the Big Orange company, KTM. KTM have a successful X-Bow car (Crossbow), which is street-legal, but often found racing in Europe in its own category. But to be honest, it’s not a motorcycle engine that is used, but an Audi 2 liter engine, but it is a motorcycle company that is making it. Click here to read more about the KTM X-Bow.

KTM X-Bow (Crossbow)

KTM X-Bow (Crossbow)

Honda’s Japanese competitor, Suzuki, also released a concept motocar a few years ago (2001), using their successful high performance Hayabusa engine. Called the Suzuki GSX-R/4, the 181 mph capable vehicle never materialized as a production model.

Suzuki GSX-R4-RA

Suzuki GSX-R4-RA

Other manufactures have been designing cars with motorcycle engines, so it’s nothing new. In fact, back in the “old” days, it was quite common. Remember the post WWII BMW 600? Seen photos of it, right? It’s uses BMW 600 cc flat twin of BMW’s R67 motorcycle.

BMW 600

BMW 600

But let’s face it, the Honda 2&4 looks amazing and probably gives you sensations as rich as riding a powerful motorcycle down Laguna Seca. But would you buy one if you could go to your local Honda dealer? Well, maybe for a test ride…

Posted in Motorcycles in the Media | 1 Comment »

Emergency Braking – Life Saving

August 24, 2015 by madmoto

Of all the skills used when riding your motorcycle, emergency braking is the most important. You can take curves at lower speeds, you can park a motorcycle anyway you want, you can even split lanes while riding carefully – all items you need to learn, but that requires a lesser skill level than emergency braking. If your cornering skills requires improvement, all you do is take a corner with less speed.

Emergency-objectBut when you suddenly need to hit the brakes hard, for whatever the reason, you need skills and experience. In other words, a skill you will need to practice regularly to gain and retain the muscle memories. So practice, practice and more practice. Go to some remote parking lot, place a visual mark on the lot, and pretend that it’s a object you are riding towards and you need to brake hard. Start slow and build up speed after each attempt. This way your reflexes will be automatic when you are faced with such a situation.

Emergency-braking-object

So here are a few tips for emergency braking:

  1. Don’t grab the handle and pull with all your strength. That is the “normal” reaction of an untrained biker. If some car driver suddenly opens a car door in your path, your normal reaction is to pull the brake lever as hard and as fast as you can. Big mistake, even if your motorcycle is equipped with ABS. Pull hard, but not fully, and then continue pulling harder progressively. If you pull hard all the way, your tires will lock up and you will no longer be in control of your bike.
  2. Use both brakes, front and rear. The front should be used at about 80%, the rear at 20%. But both are important. If you use the front more, the rear will lift and be useless. If you use the rear too much, you will stop far less faster.
  3. Squealing tires mean you are braking too hard. This means you have lost control. Loosen up a tad.
  4. Weight distribution. The weight, in fact your weight, is going to be distributed since the bike is going to lower in the front and your body will want to get off the bike at the front. To counter the front ejection, keep your arms straight and locked.
  5. If you can, and this is where ABS comes in very handy, try to avoid the object. Counter-steer as hard as you can. You can do this while still hitting the brakes.

Emergency-braking-practice

Practice, practice and practice until you got it perfect and then practice some more. And remember to do it often enough.

Posted in Motorcycle safety | 1 Comment »

Riding Onto An Obstacle On The Road

August 5, 2015 by madmoto

It doesn’t matter how long you have been riding, and on what kind of terrain, you will eventually end up riding your motorcycle towards a sudden obstacle. Riding on a blacktop, minding your own business, and suddenly there’s an object in front of you. A shredded truck tire, wooden plank, roadkill, a refrigerator. Okay, forget about encountering a fridge; if that happens, you are the roadkill.

Road-Obstacle

But when you suddenly encounter a (small) object, you need to be prepared. Your automatic reaction will be to serve around it. But that can be a dangerous maneuver, since you will not have had the time to see what’s driving up next to you. Also, your reactions might not dictate that you serve; many bikers will roll right into the object – it’s called fixation.

Another reaction would be to hit the brakes hard. On its own, this could work, but you’ll need to check your rear; if there’s an 18-wheeler close behind you, it will never be able to stop in the distance you stop, so you’ll be toast. But if there’s nothing behind you, and you have the time to stop; great. But if not, here are a few pointers:

  1. Line up as much as you can to hit the object straight on. If you hit it at an angle, you’ll most certainly crash. If you encounter an object while in a curve, straighten your bike.
  2. Hold on firmly to the handlebar. Use all your fingers to grip the handlebar. If you, like many bikers, ride with 2 or 3 fingers covering the brake lever, your fingers during the impact might just action the brakes, which at that stage is bad news.
  3. Depending on your motorcycle type, just before hitting the object, lower your center of gravity by standing on your foot pegs. Obviously if your bike is one with pegs way at the front or rear, it will be more problematic.
  4. Don’t stand fully on your pegs, but raise yourself enough to have your knees bent so they can absorb much of the impact energy.
  5. Just before hitting the object, open the throttle. You don’t need to go full throttle, but enough to accelerate. By doing this, weight will transfer to the rear wheel, and your front wheel will lift (even if it’s very slightly).
  6. Shift your weight to the front when you cross the object with your front wheel. This will make it easier for your rear wheel to go over the object.

If you went over a hard object, and you had a real bump, better pull over and check your bike for damages. But wait until the motorcycle is back in a straight line, stabilized.

It sounds like a lot, but it’s quite a natural process. Repeat the steps in your mind, and if possible try the process a few times on a quite road or parking lot. You don’t need to ride over a shredded tire, you can image something lying there when you see a crack or a line on the road.

Practice makes perfect.

Posted in Motorcycle safety | 1 Comment »

Sturgis, 75 Years Of Motorcycles and Parties

July 14, 2015 by madmoto

Sturgis Main Street (c) Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Sturgis Main Street (c) Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

The famous and world’s biggest motorcycle event, Sturgis, is celebrating 75 years. The iconic event is not 75 years old, but 75 years young, since younger and younger bikers attend the rally and subsequent parties.

3rd, even 4th generations of bikers have attended, or will be attending the gathering. Grand parent, parents, children and even grand children have been here, so we’ll maybe see 5th generation bikers attend the 75 year celebrations.

Officially the events start on July 30th, ending on the 15th of August, but already on the 28th you ‘ll find activities at the Buffalo Chip and the following day will see many parties at the main saloons and bars. The rally starts on the 3rd of August, ending on the 9th.

Because the magic number “75”, a vast number of bikers and fans are expected this year, with many campings and hotels already showing the “full” sign. But with a little bit of luck, you might find a space to squeeze into.

Needless to say, a ton of music groups will be playing all over Sturgis, too many to list here. Click here to see all events in Sturgis, listed by date. Of course Buffalo Chip have their own thing going, with some rock legends like Alice Cooper and Nazareth playing. Click here to see their schedules.

Remember, if you are riding to Sturgis, pack your motorcycle smartly, and for sure, ride safely. Better arrive a bit late, then never. Below you’ll find a few links to articles we’ve written about riding safely.

Enjoy if you are attending.

Posted in Motorcycle Events | Leave a Comment »

A Look At The Revamped Jafrum Site

July 11, 2015 by madmoto

Jafrum-Logo-new-siteYou may have noticed it, but the Jafrum site has been totally revamped. More modern and up-to-date, it is now much easier to shop for your motorcycle gear, with not only easier navigation, but also a more intuitive way of getting information. Because let’s face it; we’re not only shopping for gear based on price. That would be too easy. You generally are looking for the most information, even comparing similar product.

There are now several ways of getting to what you are looking for. One easy is to shop by type of motorcycle; just click on the top icons.

Motorcycle Type Selector

Motorcycle Type Selector

If you are looking for a specific type of gear, for example a helmet, just hover your mouse over the menu bar below the motorcycle icons. You’ll see, in the case of the helmet menu, all helmet types appear. Click on the type of helmet, and you’ll be brought straight to those types of helmet.

One of the new and interesting functions of the new Jafrum site is the ability to specify the price range. Often bikers go looking for new motorcycle gear with a price budget, for example, they are looking for a helmet between $100 and $200.

Price range selector

Price range selector

The new site has a slider. Slide the left slider to set the minimum price, and the right slider to set the maximum price. This way, only helmet fitting to the price range are displayed.

Jafrum-Price-Selector-2

You can also specify the type of helmet, riding style, color, gender and even brand. These are inclusive options, so each time you select one of the entries, your list is narrowed down even further.

The same selection functions exist for all other types of gear. So an easy way of finding what you are looking for in 1000’s and 1000’s of items in the store.

Many of the items not only have high resolution photos, but also you will often find videos explaining more about the product. We highly recommend you to look at any of the videos (if there is one for an item). They usually give you much more information then what you can find written.

So you not only have all the wonderful, high quality items available for competitive prices at the Jafrum, but now you can find them much more easy, and fully informed.

Happy shopping!

Click here to go see the Jafrum site

Posted in Deals and Promotions, Motorcycle Gear | Leave a Comment »

Are We Bikers All Criminal? Everyone?

May 3, 2015 by madmoto

This little news item has been hitting the motorcycle web sites and magazines for a while now. The issue is that the Federal Bureau of Investigations, also known as the FBI (and also known under a few not so flattering names) likes to profile people. Profiles help them focus on who to go after. For example, if you have an Arabic sounding name, flown to Yemen for the last 3 times, then to Afghanistan and attended some training activities in those countries, you are “profiled” as a terrorist. Even if you are just a business person trying to make an honest buck. But maybe you are a terrorist.

But how far should these profiles go. According to the US government, it can’t go far enough. For example, if you buy a motorcycle, or even just get your motorcycle endorsement, the FBI automatically flags you as a gang member. You know .. like the Hells Angels, Bandidos, etc.

According to Wikipedia, a gang is defined as “A gang is a group of recurrently associating individuals or close friends or family with identifiable leadership and internal organization, identifying with or claiming control over territory in a community, and engaging either individually or collectively in violent or illegal behavior.”

So it doesn’t matter if you are an 80-year old who only rides to church on Sundays on her Harley. The fact that you have a motorcycle license, and you happen to have a bike, you are defacto profiled as a gang member.

So when you get pulled over by some state trooper, after a quick radio verification, they get a warning that you are a gang member. Crazy is a word that doesn’t even describe it.

Police-gang-Members

Now let’s think about this differently. Law Enforcement also use motorcycles. They have cops who have a motorcycle license and ride a bike. Does this mean they are also classified as a gang member? Granted, we all do belong to an enormous gang, the gang of motorcycle riders. But it’s not a gang as such, it’s a brotherhood. Nothing wrong with that. The motorcycle cops are indeed part of a gang, especially if you read the definition of a gang above.

Let’s hope someone in the government has enough intelligence to stop senseless profiling. It has its uses, but limited only. Common sense should be the thought of the day, not a profile.

Do you feel you are part of a gang? Would you be offended by that, or do you think it’s normal?

Source: Washington Post

Posted in Motorcycles in the Media | 1 Comment »

Tips On Securing Your Motorcycle Onto A Trailer

February 27, 2015 by madmoto

At times it just can’t be helped; you need to transport your motorcycle on a trailer instead of riding it. Either you have great distances to go with multiple people, you have a need to have a car and a motorcycle at your destination, or your motorcycle is not roadworthy and needs to be transported on a trailer – or all of the above.

There are a couple of points you need to take into consideration, especially if it’s the first time you trailer your bike.

First point is the actual loading of the motorcycle onto the trailer. The best is always with the help of another person. But riding the bike up is usually going to require a nice repair bill:

If you are alone, and the bike is too heavy to push up, you can use the engine like so;

Having a second ramp for the biker to walk on is a much better and safer idea.

  1. Stupid point, but I’ve seen this happen. Make sure you trailer can hold your motorcycle, i.e., it’s big enough. Whether a standard trailer or a pick-up truck, you don’t want the bike overhanging the trailer. Imagine all the nasty things that can happen to your ride while it’s sticking out.
  2. Bring up the bike and make sure the sidestand is down. It should be off the ground once you have properly secured the motorcycle. I tend to keep the sidestand down, just in case, but others are totally against the idea.
  3. Get good solid straps/tie downs. You’ll need at least 4 of them. Buying cheap is going to cost you more, trust me. From the different types of straps, my own preferences goes for ratchet type. Once the strap is on, all you need to do is activate the ratchet to tighten, so much easier and you have a better control of the strength.Tie-Down-strap
  4. A wheel chock IMHO is a must. I know several bikers who don’t use them, but I also know a few who have had their bike tilt over and faced interesting repair bills. Once the bike is on the trailer, move it into the wheel chock. That will hold nicely.
  5. Attaching the frame is one of the better parts to hold on to. A common attachment point is the handlebar, but you need to be sure that the handlebar is not mounted on a rubber ring. If that is the case, do not tie down via the handlebars, since the rubber is going to compress during the trip and that’s bad news for your bike.
  6. WATCH OUT that you don’t pass the straps over hydraulic lines or any cables. The stress the straps will face, will crush the lines. Stay away from them.
  7. Compress as much as you can the front suspension, but never to a maximum. Leave some play. During your trip, the trailer is going to hit a few potholes or bumps in the road. That will make your motorcycle go up in the air (by a few notches), and on its return the suspension is going to compress and that will loosen the straps.
  8. Don’t strap down the mirrors, pannier bags, top case, exhaust or even a sissy bar. Unless of course you don’t mind them being ripped off the bike.
  9. The straps should go in the front around a 45° angle, and the same at the back. It is this angle that gives you the best possible grip.Trailering-Motorcycle-Straps
  10. Once strapped in and secure, walk around the trailer/pick up truck and with your hand, shake the motorcycle. If it moves, it’s not secure.

There, now all you need to do is drive carefully and not go too fast through the curves. Remember, the motorcycle is behind you, not under you.

Posted in Touring | 2 Comments »

Have You Got A Bucket List?

February 2, 2015 by madmoto

The Wiktionary (link) defines a “Bucket List” as “A list of things to accomplish before one’s death”, and it first became a public occurrence in Justin Zackham’s screenplay for the 2007 movie “The Bucket List”.

In other words, things you want to do, things you want to see before you kick the bucket. Many people have bucket lists, and it wouldn’t surprise you to know that many of them are motorcyclists, and their bucket list is centered around motorcycles.

Personally, I have one, and I have been crossing off items every year. What’s left is attainable, but it will take time. Here are a few of the items on my list:

  • Attend Sturgis

    Sturgis Main Street (c) Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

    Sturgis Main Street (c) Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

  • Ride Paris to Cape Town (though that is becoming more and more difficult)
  • Ride Deadman Valley
  • Ride in Alaska (not necessarily in the winter)
  • Attend the Isle of Man TT race
  • Go to the original Ace Cafe in London
    Ace-Cafe-London
  • Ride Route 66
  • Cross Australia on a motorcycle
  • Cross Scotland on a motorcycle
  • Attend the Baja 1000 race
  • Follow Che Guevara’s ride through South America
  • Ride as pillion on the Ducati MotoGP bike with Randy Mamola
    Randy-Mamola-Ducati-2006-MotoGP

Some of the items I have crossed from my list are:

  • Ride the Dolomites/Alps (1999, 2002, 2003)

    Dolomites-Stelvio-Pass

    Dolomites-Stelvio-Pass

  • Go to a MotoGP race (2010 Le Mans, 2013 San Marino)
  • Follow the Dakar race on my motorcycle (2005)
  • Ride the Sahara desert on my motorcycle (2005)
  • Ride from the top of Chile to the bottom of Chile (1978)
  • Ride an electric motorcycle (2013)
  • Visit world’s biggest motorcycle exhibition, Milan’s Eicma (2013)
  • Go to the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race (2009)

As you can see, my (motorcycle) items on the list are becoming less and less. It’s interesting to see that once you have a list, you can actually work towards doing as many as you can; in a “if it’s written down, it gets done” theory.

Have you got a bucket list? And if you do, are you striving towards doing as many as you can?

Let us know what you bucket list contains. I’d really like to know. Obviously the items should be feasible, not like “race Valentino Rossi”.

Posted in Motorcycle Events, Touring | 3 Comments »

Scorpion Exo Motorcycle Helmets – Choices and Quality

January 17, 2015 by madmoto

Scorpion motorcycle helmets are very special. Scorpion is an American brand, designed in the USA, and the helmets are quality for a reasonable, often low, price.

As a model group, the Scorpion Exo helmets have a good and solid feel to them, and although they weigh more than the average upmarket helmet, they feel much lighter. And that is because of good engineering, making the helmet’s center lower than normal.

Another thing that sets Scorpion apart from its competitors is noise, or in this case the absence of noise. Scorpion helmets are some of the quietest helmets out there.

ImageModels like the entry-level full-face Scorpion Exo 400 are made out of an Advanced Polycarbonate Composite Engineered Shell, resistant towards impact but still light enough to wear comfortably. Although it weights 3 lbs 15 oz, which is considered heavy, it’s still light enough for long rides. Even though this is an entry-level helmet, it’s very good with sufficient color and graphics to give you ample choices. It’s good enough to use as your everyday brain-bucket.

ImageSo if you are in the market for a low cost but quality helmet, you can not go wrong with the Exo 400. If you’re not into a full-face helmet, try the Scorpion Exo 200, a jet (open face) style helmet.

With Scorpion, the higher the number, the higher the quality, and therefore the higher the price.

ImageThe Scorpion Exo 700 motorcycle helmet is their mid-range full-face offering. It has a removable moisture wicking liner, and if you ride in foggy or moist climates, a very good fog treated visor and it has excellent air flow. The Exo 700 shell is made out of fiberglass and Kevlar, and although these materials should make it lighter, they still weigh 3 lbs 13 oz, not a lightweight but not too heavy either.

The UK motorcycle helmet government testing report gave the Exo 700 4 stars out of 5 (source)

The Exo 700 has recently been superseded by the Exo 750, a fiberglass and Kevlar helmet. Many of the features found on the Exo 1000 helmet (described below) can now be found on this very successful model.

ImageIf not, try the Exo 500 helmet. It’s newer, and weighs 3 lbs 10-5/8 oz. It has many of the features you’ll find on their upmarket helmet, the Exo 1000. The Exo 500 is currently one of their best selling helmets.

The UK motorcycle helmet government testing report gave the Exo 500 4 stars out of 5 (source)

ImageThe Scorpion Exo 1000 motorcycle helmet is one of their top-of-the-line helmets. The helmet fits tightly (so watch out if using it with glasses, make sure you try it beforehand), making the helmet very safe. The more play there is with a helmet, the more dangerous they are. The helmet is equipped with an air pump, that when pressed, will inflate your cheek-pads. It might sound like a gadget, but any motorcycle racer will tell you that a proper helmet fits totally around your head, face and cheeks. If it doesn’t, you may have a problem. The air pump will ensure that the helmet stays in place if you go off the bike, protecting you head.

The Exo 1000 has 4 different air flow entry points, each can be opened or closed independently. Despite being their upmarket helmet, it’s heavy, 4 lbs 1/4 oz. This makes the helmet more difficult for smaller bikers, especially female riders. But fear not, Scorpion also make helmets specially for females.

The UK motorcycle helmet government testing report gave the Exo 1000 4 stars out of 5 (source)

Most of the Scorpion helmets have a EverClear no-fog coating face shield, protecting you against the build up of fog inside your helmet. The face shields / visors can be removed in seconds.

ImageAnd finally, while you’re at it, have a look at the cool Scorpion Exo jackets. The ExoWear jackets are durable, rain proof, and offer a lot of protection against not only the elements, but also road rash. You have an excellent choice in colors, from the more traditional dark colors to high visibility fluorescent yellow.

For your benefit, Scorpion have an iPhone app (free) that allows you to see more about their main products. 

Posted in Motorcycle Gear, Motorcycle Gear Articles | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

Riding Motorcycle At Night – An Illuminated Subject

December 22, 2014 by madmoto

Many bikers try to avoid riding at night, and that’s for a good reason. While we are small and not that visible during the daytime, at night we are insignificant for cars and trucks. Even with our single rear light, on a road at night, it is easy to overlook us.

But it’s not only the fact that we are close to invisible to other road users; we also have problems seeing the road up ahead. With only one light bulb illuminating the road, it’s easy not to see that pothole or wet patch in the road. That’s probably why high-tech motorcycle manufacturers are now putting adaptive headlights on their premium motorcycles; headlights that turn into the curve so we can see better where our bike is going.

BMW Motorrad Adaptive Lights

BMW Motorrad Adaptive Lights

But for safer riding at night, there are a few things you can do to stay safe.

  1. Wear reflective clothing. This way if a car’s lights are aimed at you, it’s not just the bike’s rear lights they will see, but also you back (and helmet if it has reflective elements on it).Standout at night; been seen!
  2. Clean your lights. Make sure your headlights and rear lights are clean from smudges and bugs. Any bit will diminish the light projected, so the cleaner, the more light.100% light so you can see 100%.
  3. Clean your visor. Again, the better you can see, the more you can see. And at night, that small bug splatter on your visor can turn into an 18-wheeler truck barreling towards you. It goes without saying that tinted visors (and sunglasses) are out of the question.100% visibility.
  4. Use high beam. There is no shame in using your high beam, but use it wisely. Do not turn it on if there’s upcoming traffic, but when there is no traffic, turn it on, even on a long straight line. The high beam gives you much more visibility.Shine the way as much as you can.
  5. Follow the vehicle in front. If there is traffic in front of you, keep a safe distance and use the vehicle in front as a scout; follow it so you can see when there’s a curve or intersection. But do keep a safe distance, and don’t fixate on the vehicle.Use a scout to open the road.
  6. Don’t look into upcoming headlights. When there’s opposing traffic, best is to look to the side of the road instead of into the headlights of the vehicles. This way your night vision remains clearer. Another thing I do is close my right eye (for the “normal” driving position, in the United Kingdom it would be the left eye) while the cars passes. This way, at least one eye still has good night vision.Keep your night vision clear.
  7. Ride Slower. Nighttime means less visibility and less reaction time, so slow down.Slower is better at night.
  8. Be more watchful. Nighttime attracts strange animals to the roads, four legged who are drawn to the lights and 2 legged ones who think nothing of driving a car while intoxicated.Be very watchful for these animals.
  9. Light up the brake lights to be seen. When you see another vehicle coming up fast behind you, touch your brakes once or twice to be sure that they see you.Be seen by approaching cars.
  10. Extra lights. An obvious one, but an expensive one. Put extra lights on your motorcycle so that you can see more.Motorcycle-many-lights

Keep these tips in mind, and enjoy the ride. Just be safe when riding.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The Difference Between Motorcycles and Scooters, And Why The Bad Blood?

December 11, 2014 by madmoto

The short answer to the first question; none. The long answer is different, but in the terms of the law, a scooter is a motorcycle, just the same way a cruiser is a motorcycle, a sports bike is a motorcycle, etc.

Motorcycles-scooters

Both are known as Powered Two Wheelers (PTW), in other words, two wheels and an engine. There are some differences though;

  • Most scooters are automatic: Scooters are automatic, there is no gearbox. But then, there are some motorcycles nowadays that have no gearbox either.
  • Scooters normally have no foot brake: Since there is no gearbox, the left handle is the rear brake.
  • Scooters have a step-through frame: the gas tank is under the rider and the rider’s feet don’t need to go over the bike when getting on, much like a female bicycle.
  • Scooters often have a cargo platform: the space between the rider and the handlebars is open and can be used to store stuff, like shopping bags. Often there is even a hook to secure the bag in-between the legs of the rider.
  • Scooters often have smaller wheels: Wheels are usually smaller because speeds are lower, and need to maneuver in the city, the “normal” habitat where you will find scooters.
  • Scooters often have small displacement engines: traditionally scooters have smaller engines, typically 125 to 200 cc, but nowadays you’ll find then with even 650 cc.

For the rest, they are like any normal motorcycle, they behave the same way, use counter steering, and usually have a place for a pillion.

So in essence, there is no real difference between both types; they are motorcycles in all terms of the word. In most states, you need the same license to ride one, and the same protection.

Bad Blood

So why the bad blood. You will often hear motorcycle riders say that scooters are not like normal motorcycles, that the riders are less, etc. Scooters are looked down on.

Mods-vs-Rockers-Poster

Personally, I think it’s because of old movies, particularly British ones that highlighted the Mods against the Rockers; scooter riders against motorcycle riders. That set the tone, and has carried on ever since. In riding skills, you can ride either vehicle without any adaptation, you face the same dangers and you get the same emotional feeling when riding either. Both are fun and dangerous.

Some motorcycles are far faster than scooters – particularly sports bikes, but most normal motorcycles are as fast as their equivalent scooter.

Do you wave at scooters when you ride a motorcycle, and vice versa? I do.

Posted in Motorcycle Riders and Pictures, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

1% Biker Gangs To Fight In Syria Against ISIS – Good or Bad?

December 9, 2014 by madmoto

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave somewhere in the mountains, you will know that there is a group of extremists fighting in the Middle East that is extremely violent and blood thirsty – ISIS (aka Da’esh). Beheading many of their occidental hostages seems to be the main headline grabbing theme for these radical muslim groups.

In Syria the Kurds have been living under oppression for centuries, and now to make their lives even more miserable the ISIS is striking at this group as well. So they are being attacked by the Syrian government, the Turkish and now the terrorist group.

Many impressionable youngsters have gone to that part of the Middle East to join up with the terror group. It’s been in all the newspapers and TV news stations. Youngsters from all over the world have been motivated by some misguided muslim clergy and have gone to help decapitate prisoners.

But on the other side, several members of the Dutch 1%-er biker gang “No Surrender” went to Syria to help the Kurds in their struggle against the ISIS. They were shortly followed by gang members from the German Median Empire motorcycle gang.

Dutch "No Surrender" member Ron in Syria

Dutch “No Surrender” member Ron in Syria

Both gangs are violent in their own right, often in turf wars with neighboring gangs. So they know all about shooting and violence, except now they are joining the fight for the good guys. The German gang even started a funding page to try to fund the Kurds’ war, looking at raising €1 million. Unfortunately their effort how fell very short from their target.

The Dutch Minister of Justice and prosecutors had announced that since the Dutch biker gang was fighting against terrorists and not with them, they were entitled to do so legally (The Dutch are fighting alongside the USA against ISIS). They would not be prosecuted when they returned, in sharp contrast will all the people who went to fight for ISIS.

But after the initial publicity died down, the reactions turned. The Kurds in Syria are saying “please don’t come”. Maybe they are afraid what will happen afterwards. Or are the Kurds afraid that an extremely violent group of people will make things even tougher for them?

Dutch "No Surrender" member Ron in Syria

Dutch “No Surrender” member Ron in Syria

The Kurds aren’t set up to host foreign fighters. No translators, no housing, no weapons and no strategy, while the ISIS are not only welcoming foreigners, they have all the tools to do so.

But whatever the real situation, it shows that biker gangs can take the side of the good guys in the fight against terror. They may have a lot of negative publicity when things go wrong, a little publicity when they do the right thing (like toy runs), this move has given them some positive publicity.

You can see a video interview with one of the Dutch bikers in Syria:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

When Not To Ride A Motorcycle – Mental Distractions

December 2, 2014 by madmoto

As you probably all know after your first few weeks riding a motorcycle, it’s a mental game. You need to stay sharp and focussed when riding. You need your traffic sense alert: what is that car doing in front of you, why is that car behind you changing lanes the whole time, do you see that car racing up to the intersection in front of you????

A lot of things happen, and you need to stay on top of them. A few moments of inattention could be the difference between finishing your ride or ending up in the hospital or worse.

That is why if I have problems I stay away from my bike, no matter how much I prefer to be riding. Riding with problems, be it work, marriage, legal or whatever issue you may be facing that is big or critical, will mean that your mind is not with the ride.

Distractions-while-riding

I’ve seen over the years several of my friends have a motorcycle accident while they were all going through a nasty divorce. In fact, these friends, four in total, had all been in a heavily contested divorce, and all four decided to go for a ride to “think about something else”. But it’s very difficult to do this. While riding, you mind will return to your big problem and you will not be able to remove the thoughts from your mind. Before you know it, you’ll be playing scenarios out in your mind, or what else you should have said in a conversation ….

What that means is that with all the best intentions, your mind is going to wander and before you know it, you’ll no longer be paying attention to traffic. And that is when accidents happen.

So leave bad thoughts out of the equation. If you have them, better not ride. Being mentally distracted is a killer.

Posted in Motorcycle safety | Tagged | 1 Comment »

When Is Much, Too Much?

November 10, 2014 by madmoto

After the plethora of new motorcycle announcements at the German Intermot and the Italian Eicma motorcycle exhibitions, you have got to ask yourself “why”.

It’s not the amount of new motorcycles that is making me ask this deep thought-provoking question, but what is happening at the top-end of the super sportsbikes; the search for more and more power.

Ducati 1299 Panigale S

Ducati 1299 Panigale S

If you consider that many sportscars have around 200 hp, a motorcycle weighs 2 or 3 times less. So the performance these bikes have nowadays is impressive, that’s for sure, but they are also incredibly high. Maybe too high.

Apart from some German motorways, there are no places on earth where you can use the power these bikes have, legally that is. So unless you spend most of your time on tracks, you would not be using the power these bikes generate. But you will have paid for it.

So the question remains, why? Why would manufacturers start a race to who has the most power. And it’s exactly what it has become; a marketing race for the manufacturers so that they can say their motorcycle is the most powerful one; bragging rights.

Some countries have limited the amount of power a motorcycle is allowed to have. France for example, power is limited to 100 hp. Granted, it’s a stupid law, since as we know, hp is nice but torque is far more important. Obviously a higher horsepower equates in general to a higher torque, but still….

If you had all the money in the world and your name is Jay Leno, would you still buy a motorcycle that has 200+ hp? Knowing that you can’t really use it (legally). Would you?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Eicma 2014 Starts Next Week, World’s Biggest Motorcycle Exhibition – What Shall We Cover?

October 27, 2014 by madmoto

Eicma-2014

Next week, 6th of November, world’s biggest motorcycle exhibition in terms of exhibition space, visitors and stands opens its doors to the general public in Milan, Italy. This gigantic exhibition area is located just outside Milan, and consists of 16 enormous halls (although only half are in use for the expo). This year, they are celebrating 100 years of exhibitions in Milan’s Eicma.

Eicma-Floorplan-2014

As usual, this annual event has become the mecca for motorcycle riders, owners, manufacturers and lovers. It’s the annual pilgrimage for anyone working or associated with the motorcycle industry.

And as usual, there will be a plethora of new motorcycles and scooters presented, as if the new ones presented only a month ago at the German Intermot exhibition weren’t enough. We know that there will be a lot of new bikes (BMW, Honda, Triumph, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, Energica, Piaggio, Matchless, Kymco, Husqvarna, Bimota, Harley-Davidson and Sym all have scheduled press conferences), but we also know that there will be a lot of accessories launched; helmets, jackets, gloves, boots, safety equipment…. the list is very long.

Since we will be there to cover the two press days (4 and 5 November), instead of just telling you some of the new stuff, let’s try something new:

How about you tell us which of our stocked brands you want us to look at closer? Just put in a comment of the brand, and we’ll hike on up to their booth and find out what’s new. How about that?

Posted in Motorcycle Events | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

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