Archive for the 'Bikes and Tours' Category

0 to 60 in 4.5 Seconds

Speeding is illegal, yet we sell racing motorcycles and cars which are so powerful and look so intimidating that a police man could write the owner a ticket even if it were parked. Take today’s crotch rocket, nearly all of these motorcycles can barely get out of second or third gear going sixty miles per hour. We complain when our teenagers drive these bikes like they are meant to be driven. Silly of us to think that anyone is going to drive these bikes and never speed?

Any one who has ever gotten on a race bike and felt the acceleration knows that such temptation is just to great. Once you give it some throttle you want to take it thru the gears. Yet, if you do choose to take it thru all the gears and redline the sixth or last gear you find yourself often over 135 miles per hour even on a 600 CC race bike. On the 750’s and 1000 plus CC race bikes you are well over 160 miles per hour at redline. Those of us who dare know that you must really pay attention when you are going at such speeds while sitting out in the open, namely you need to hang on.

Why do we sell these motorcycles to teenagers if we know that there is no possible way and no current teenager alive who owns one who has not sped on it? It is safe to say that such a statement is correct. Perhaps we ought to have speed limits within reason; for instance if you have taken a super bike class and have shown you can handle the raw power and speed; then you should be allowed to open it up all the way when no one else is around to get hurt. Montana use to have such a law on their roads, unlimited speed limit as long as you were not endangering others, this seems to be a good rule. Germany has the autobahn, yet we are denied the pursuit of happiness because some lawmaker who has no balls is afraid we might get hurt and it might go into the newspaper and make a few weak voters sob? No one has the right to deny those capable and willing to push the envelope a little our pursuit of happiness as such rules are in complete contrary to what it means to live in a free country.

Just because there are Jerry Springer guest stars out there still wearing their free T-shirts for being on the show and a few Jeff Foxworthy “here’s your sign” recipients is no reason to make laws to protect the weakest link of humanity from their destiny and happiness. The need for speed is an innate characteristic of mankind and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. For those who cannot perform, they can win the Darwin Award, but we should not make laws to protect the stupidest human and deny the crme of the crop their destiny. Think about it.

Lance Winslow - EzineArticles Expert Author

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Super Cross and Extreme Sport Stadium Lighting

Adrenaline rushing into their veins with such intensity everyone in the stadium can feel, it the extreme sport man is at his peak. Human energy is felt through out the event arena. But we can do nothing with this energy, we cannot use it to power up the stadium lights or harvest it. Or can we?

In fact we can, harvest some of this energy along with the roar of the engines and motors. You see when fans scream, clap their hands and stamp their feat they produce vibrational energy that is quite intense and even collectable. I propose to use this energy to light up the entire stadium like never before, without plugging into the power grid. How so? By placing large sandwich sheets in series. Each sheet with a taunt film on the vibrational side and small copper lined tubes inside, hundreds of them running perpendicular to the sheets, with magnets inside bouncing back and forth. These magnets will charge a capacitor and be hooked up to an LED lighting system using fiber optics or reflectors, each one hooked up to a .2 to .5 watt light. With hundreds of thousands of lights hooked up in a composite format, like the eye of an insect, it will light up the track and since the lights can shine down on the track in the direction of the race it would be like daylight without the light pollution associated with stadium lights in large cities. Maybe with free lighting costs they can lower the ticket prices?

The tunnels to the snack bar and restrooms indeed also echo and vibrate and can be lit up just as easy. Currently this technology is being used in those little flashlights you see advertised on television that you shake and they light, but you never need batteries. This idea of lighting up the stadium, tunnels, snack bar, bathrooms and even the parking lot would be is using that technology on a larger scale with miniaturized parts making up the guts between the sandwich sheets. Let there be light, thru vibrational energy and there was. Everyone loved it, even when the city lost power that night no one even missed a beat, they had no idea the city had gone dark. Think on it.

Lance Winslow - EzineArticles Expert Author

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Upgrading the Stock Air Box on Your Victory Motorcycle

Removing the Stock Air Intake System on a Victory Motorcycle

With the basic need of all motorcyclists being the need for more horsepower. I decided to upgrade my Victory motorcycle from the stock air intake to a custom aftermarket air filter. Why? The stock air boxes are often too restrictive. They do not allow enough air to freely flow into the engine. The Victory stock air box is a mechanical suction. The air is sucked in through the left side of the coffin like air box. There are a few modifications that can be done to the stock filter to get a direct flow of air into the throttle bodies. But these require drilling ugly 1-inch holes in the front of your cheap looking plastic air box.

The theory behind this is that you will be producing a Ram-Air effect. This is where fresh yummy colder air gets forced in through the strategically drilled holes. Free flowing is the key, no ninety-degree turns and bends for the air to travel. This is all good, but you are still limited by what the stock Victory air box can provide. Especially when you upgrade the exhaust. With such an upgrade, you will need to be ingesting more air for the exhaust to work at its peak performance.

The other benefit of removing the stock air box and replacing it with a high-performance custom air box, is the esthetics of the look of the new air box in place of the stock air box. Some aftermarket high-performance air filter kits, like the Eaglecat, make your Victory look like a custom motorcycle once it is installed. This alone is reason enough to do the air box upgrade.

Having given the reasons why, let’s now discuss the technical procedure for removing your stock Victory air box. We will follow up by showing you how to install one of the many aftermarket performance air box kits.

Victory Air Intake System Removal Instructions

Removal of plastic stock cleaner system, use owners manual if needed.

1. Remove side covers from bike (side covers pop on and off).

2. Remove seat by unscrewing (2) mounting bolts 6 mm allen head.

3. Remove gas tank rubber mounting bolt covers front right and left.

4. Remove gas tank mounting bolts (2) front and (1) rear 8 mm allen head.

5. Lift rear of gas tank slightly disconnect electrical connector and disconnect vent hose.

6. Loosen fuel line hose clamp and disconnect main fuel line, remove gas tank.

7. Disconnect and remove air temperature sensor.

8. Remove map sensor disconnect wires.

9. Remove air box cover (5) screws, lift out intake tubes.

10. Remove air filter cover and filter.

11. Disconnect crank case breather hose from air box.

12. Using a sharp gasket scraper or chisel and a small hammer split and separate stock plastic air box at it’s seam. Remove top portion of plastic air box.

13. Unscrew (4) mounting screws that hold air box to throttle body. Remove bottom portion of plastic air box, save rubber gasket between plastic box and throttle body. You will be reusing this rubber gasket.

EagleCat EC-VAIR Air Intake System Install Instructions

(Note fuel injected bikes) aftermarket air cleaners are designed to be used with a fuel controller unit such as TFI / PC or factory mapping upgrades to prevent possible damage to the engine. Aftermarket air cleaners are also designed to be used with aftermarket exhaust systems or slip on mufflers for performance gain).

Installation of new air cleaner system.

NOTE SECOND GENERATION CAT BOX HAS REVERSE THE MAPPING AND TEMPERATURE SENSOR LOCATIONS

1. Remove top plate and filter of new air cleaner system.

2. Cut stock crank case hose, remove approximately a 5 inch section (you might want to mock up new crank case hose extension to get correct length needed).

3. Attach crank case hose extension to the hose you just cut using barbed nipple provided. Route hose extension to connect to barbed nipple mounted on underside of new air cleaner mounting plate.

4. Relocate map sensor to underside of new air cleaner bottom mounting plate using screw provided to secure it in place.

5. Reinstall stock rubber gasket between throttle body and new air cleaner bottom mounting plate.

6. Attach new bottom mounting plate with (4) 6 mm taper head screws provided, tighten (4) screws to 30 in-lb torque.

7. Install new air filter and top plate, (Note when installing top plate carefully tighten (2) mounting screws evenly.

8. install air temperature sensor into top plate notched hole, insert and turn.

9. Twist throttle grip a few times while checking throttle return pulley clearance.

10. De-pin stock gray female connector that was originally connected to map sensor. (Be careful you will be reusing these items)

11. Insert same (3) pins into the A B C port positions located on new female connector attached to new map sensor extension harness provided.

12. Route new map sensor extension harness in convenient manner to reach map sensor located on underside of new bottom mounting plate.

13. Insert extension harness pins into A B C port positions on stock gray female connector from line (10) above, connect female connector to map sensor located on underside of new bottom mounting plate.

14. Install gas tank vent line, electrical harness and main fuel line.

15. Install gas tank bolts and rubber bolt covers.

16. Reinstall seat and side covers.

17. Turn ignition on check for fuel leaks before starting engine.

18. No fuel leaks start engine.

Enjoy your new throttle response and power. Performance Matters

Contributing author to Cycle Solutions
http://www.cyclesolutions.net

Technical research performed on Kingpin Cruisers
http://www.kingpincruisers.net

Wear the Perfect-fit Helmet

Motorcycle accessories like helmet, are a matter of personal choice. In that case, aesthetic side often succeeds over anything else. At any rate, this has contributed why safety is overlooked.

To shun misconceptions in choosing motorcycle helmets, here are some of the factors that you have to consider:

Shape

This is the most important factor that you have to understand before purchasing a helmet. Riders come in varying head shapes. These shapes include round, oval, egg, reverse egg and earth. Helmets are also particularly made to cater to these varying head shapes. Thus, the choice is given to the purchasers. They must select the most appropriate helmet shape that will greatly support their head.

Visibility

Be sure that your helmet gives you appropriate peripheral vision. This is simply to avoid accidents and other untoward incidents.

Liners

Liners vary depending on the design, material and shape of the helmet. Liners must give comfort and protection to the rider. Thus, it must be compatible with the rider’s needs.

Liners that give pressure points must be avoided. Pressure points are usually located against the temples, forehead and cheeks. Helmet liner ’skull cap’ is preferable. Moreover, it is better if you personally try the helmet before purchasing it. This is to ensure that it will not be burdensome in the future.

Color

Color is important in the sense that it affects conspicuity. Bright colors are preferable over solid and dull ones. The purpose is to make the rider visible even during nighttime. This is to avoid collisions and the like.

Before you purchase a helmet, make sure that you are knowledgeable of all the factors involve. You do not purchase simply because it is hot or at the moment hype.

Also, before purchasing, wear it first for an extended period to be sure of the fit and feel. Wear ear plugs to be acquainted with the surrounding sounds.

Some of the leading motorcycle helmet manufacturers are Arai, Bell, Icon, AGV, Nolan, Thor, Erex. The helmets they are releasing are mostly tested and approved by Snell and DOT. Choosing is using your mind and your senses…

Please visit Street Motorcycle Accesories site at www.streetmotorcycleaccessories.com/ for comments and inquiries regarding this article.