The Motorcycle Mart » Helpful Info

What’s the Best Motorcycle Jacket

Harley — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:49:48 +0000

Now and again you hear someone talking about a great motorcycle jacket or a jacket with a certain logo or having a certain brand jacket and have to wonder if they really remember why you wear the jacket. You don’t wear the gear for the ride, you wear it for the crash. Asphalt doesn’t care how fashionable you are.

So with that in mind, lets look at some safe but still great motorcycle jackets. There are three major issues that to most seasoned riders take precedents over looking great; those are safety, visibility and comfort.

You buy a safe jacket to avoid leaving little bits and pieces of yourself all over the road should you be in an accident. For that you need a jacket with some sort of armor.

Armor in a motorcycle jacket is like your life-jacket on a boat; most of the time it's bulky and unnecessary, but if you're in an accident, it can save your life. Street jackets with armor usually have it in the elbows and shoulders, with more expensive jackets including spine protection.

There are two kinds of armor, flexible and rigid. The flexible type is more like padding, designed to cushion the impact. Flexible armor can feel more comfortable and less restrictive, but will be less protective than rigid armor. Rigid armor is a hard shell with padding between you and the armor. After a couple of rides you'll hardly notice the armor is there.

Visibility is the next major issue. And though a white, orange or neon jacket would take care of that issue, thankfully we don't have to go quite that far. Retro-reflective patches, piping and stitching can help to make a jacket “light up” when hit with headlights while still remaining subdued and without ruining the style of the jacket.

Comfort in a jacket has more to do with material color and flexibility and the fit of your jacket. You want a jacket that fits well, but isn't so snug you can't raise your arms to the handlebars. The sleeves and waist should be snug enough to keep from catching the wind. You want to be able to check out your blind spot, without your collar getting in the way. And you want the material at the neck and wrists to be soft enough not to chafe your skin.

Many people say a leather jack is cooler than textile in the summer. Vanson Air Cobra, Joe Rocket, Power Trip, and Sturgis SD all have great, safe jackets that can be worn on the hottest of days on the road.

City driving of course is a whole 'nuther ball of wax. When you're sitting at a stop light and the sun is beating down and there is not one bit of a breeze stirring, those dark color leather and nylon jackets - no matter how many holes they have in them - will be hot as a fire cracker.

If you'll be riding in the stop and go traffic, in the summer a light weight, light colored jacket would be best. The light color will reflect the sun and help you keep cooler. A nice light colored helmet would be great for those summer days in town as well.

Perforated leather would be your best bet in hot weather, but you may want to pack a rain suit or get a jacket with a removable waterproof liner in case the weather turns bad.

Staying Cool for Your Long Summer Rides

Harley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:45:51 +0000

Wouldn’t you know it, just when we have enough daylight in the evenings to go on a nice ride; it’s so hot you can hardly stand to go. Who wants to stop every 15 minutes of so for a drink? And if you shed all the riding gear, won’t you end up sacrificing safety just to keep cool?

Here are a few ideas to help you enjoy those summer rides.

We don’t want to sacrifice safety to keep cool, but a lightweight jacket can improve your hydration by preventing your skin from drying out due to sun and wind exposure. And should the unthinkable happen, while it won’t give you the protection of leather, it would afford you some protection.

Always wear light colored clothing. Light colored materials will reflect the suns rays rather than absorbing them. So the difference in temperature for you in a dark colored jacket or helmet as vs light colored would be quite significant. Many people have summer and winter helmets. Wearing a white or light colored helmet, jacket and pants in the summer just makes sense.

Start hydrating your body several hours before you start your ride. Your body needs half its weight in ounces of water each day. In other words, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 ounces of water each day to stay hydrated. And that’s on an average day. If you’re going to be doing manual labor or riding a motorcycle out in the heat you’ll need to replenish the fluids you lose to keep you cool.

To remain hydrated on a long ride you’ll need to make frequent stops to have a drink. You can carry bottled water in your saddlebags – some people freeze the bottles so they’ll be cool – or you can store them in an insulated bag to keep them that way.

But remember, you’ll need to stop for a drink every 15 to 20 minutes if you intend to keep your body properly hydrated. If you’re planning one of those really long trips, you may want to invest in a Camelbak. This would be a way to drink without having to stop so often for a break. But even though they may seem inconvenient, stopping frequently during very hot weather is still a good idea.

Remember, even with the best laid plans some times people will find themselves getting dehydrated. If you begin to suffer from dizziness, confusion, mental fog or just diminished reaction times, or if you stop sweating, get off the road and out of the sun. These are the signs you’re headed for a heat stroke.

Camelbak Hydration System

Harley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:31:44 +0000

The Camelbak Hydration System is great to help you stay hydrated on a long summer ride. No need to stop every few minutes to take a drink. Here you'll find the selection of Camelbak packs available today:

CAMELBAK FLASHFLO HYDRATION WATER BACKPACK PACK ONLY NR

$.99

5h 29m

Camelbak ThermoBak 3L backpack hydration system

$16.50

8h 41m

Used ACU CamelBak Thermobak 3L Hydration Pack Bag

$52.00

9h 57m

NEW CAMELBAK HYDROLINK CONVERSION KIT BITE VALVE NR

$.01

10h 6m

NEW Camelbak Black MULE 500 Hydration Pack

$28.75

10h 25m

NEW CamelBak Camoflauge Viper Hydration Pack

$20.00

10h 29m

NEW Camelbak Blue and Gray HydroBak Hydration Pack

$15.00

10h 32m

NEW Camelbak Black Pakteen 15 Liter Hydration Pack

$17.11

10h 33m

Camelbak Ambush 3L 100oz New With Tags

$50.00

10h 35m

Don’t Forget to Budget for Insurance

Harley — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:42:08 +0000

As with almost anything you buy, you need to remember to budget for operating and upkeep expenses before choose your bike. And with motorcycles, insurance is often one of the expenses that gets overlooked.

Just in case you're wondering or in case someone has told you different, all motorcycles require insurance. If it's going to be ridden on the road, you need insurance. (There are some exceptions in some states for scooters under 50cc's, but those are the only exceptions.) So let's throw out a ball park figure so we can get on with shopping for a new bike.

On average you will need to pay anywhere from $ 500 to $ 5000 a year for insurance ($45-$425 a month). The rate you pay is going to be determined by your age, driving record, type bike you ride, whether you have other insurance with the company providing the insurance and where you live.

If you're old and gray, have a great driving record, live in a fairly safe area to drive (not a big city), insure lots of different vehicles and maybe a home with the insurance company you'll be paying $ 500 or so a year. But if you're a young male, with a rocket for a motorcycle, have several tickets under your belt and live in Los Angeles, look for it to be closer to the $ 5000 mark or maybe more.

Now before you go off licking your wounds remember, if you bought an automobile there would be little difference. You would still pay more due to your age, driving record, and depending on the car you bought the range for insurance could vary drastically.

But motorcycles use less gas than automobiles. You will save significant amounts of money on the difference in gas consumed. At the price gas is these days, you can make a big dent in the cost of insurance in gas savings.

If you are at all handy, you can take care of most of the maintenance on your bike yourself. Automobiles are a little more tricky. Once again another savings to be put toward the bike insurance.

You could buy a motorcycle that's a little more sedate. Yes those rockets do look cool, but they'll cost quite a bit more in insurance. You could buy a hot sports car but the insurance on it would eat you alive as well. Sometimes you just have to weigh the cost and say, "looking cool is not all it's cracked up to be."

So rather than looking at those rockets, chose wisely when you shop for your new motorcycle, and get insurance rates before you buy so you won't get an unpleasant surprise after you sign on the dotted line.