This is only one of the motorcycle related products that I have found in recent searches. Stick around in the coming weeks and hear about some of the other ones. We are also preparing a show that will revisit the electric motorcycle world that continues to heat up and catch steam, especially in the racing world. Don’t miss a beat. See you soon.

We always try to promote using your local shop to help boost the economy but there are times that the deal at the online retailer is so good that we make the decision to purchase it online. Many times you can save hard earned cash by purchasing from the online parts house even if you have to pay shipping. The problem is that you have such a wide variety of shops to choose from in the vast world wide web world that you have no idea who is legit or who is true to their word.

You are sitting back in your chair right now wondering why I am ranting on about this subject aren’t you? Well, I have been listening to the continuing saga of a coworker who ordered a simple part online to save $7. He placed two orders online approximately 55 days ago, one with Bike Bandit and the second with another retailer to be left unnamed at this time. My buddy owns a mid 80’s (I believe) Yamaha Venture and it is hard to locate parts to keep this motorcycle on the road. The part he ordered from Bike Bandit was at his door within 4 days. The part he ordered from the anonymous retailer is yet to be delivered even though the website said that it ships within 5 days. After numerous phone calls around the 25 day mark he was told that the part should be shipping in 1 week as it was backordered. It never came. So, he made another phone call last week and had to leave a message with the newly installed automated phone system.

Today, he received a phone call from one who claimed to be the owner saying that he was looking over the orders list and that he noticed this order being so late. He wanted to apologize and said that he had good news. It looked like the ordered part would ship in 4-5 days. My buddy said he wanted to tell the guy, “Excuse me for not getting excited.”, but he just told the guy if it is not here next week he could keep it.

There is nothing worse than having a ride that is down and in this down economy we are all looking for a break on the cost of maintaining our bikes. It is understood that sometimes things happen but two months to get a part that says it ships in 7 days is ridiculous. If you find yourself down make sure to do your homework. Either buy it from the local shop that you can deal with face to face or get on some forums and track down that reputable parts dealer that won’t leave you stranded. If the owner turns out to be stretching the truth then I will reveal the name of his company on the blog as one to avoid. After all, I don’t want anyone in the Motorcycle Nation Podcast family to live with the Bike Repair Blues.

This is a problem everywhere. The sensors buried in the pavement are supposed to detect the metal mass above them to trigger a light change. Most cities have the sensitivity set to detect automobiles which have far more mass to them than a motorcycle. So, you do not get detected sitting there and you see more and more red as the lights cycle. So, what options do we have when faced with this predicament? Wait for a car to pull up or run the light are about our only options outside of purchasing a “Green Light Trigger”, a device that proclaims the ability to trigger the sensors. I am somewhat skeptical of this, but if any of you readers have first hand knowledge, let us know.

California has taken measures to mandate that any new installations have sensitivity settings that will detect motorcycles and even bicycles. Other states have passed red-light laws. These laws allow you to safely proceed through the red light if the light is not being triggered. My experience has been that most occurrences happen in left turn lanes, but my research has shown that it often happens at throughways as well. Either way, it is a frustrating experience when your choice is to wait or illegally run the light.

The states that are allowing motorcycles to safely proceed through the light, legally, if it will not trigger have provided a simple approach to solving the problem without spending taxpayer money. Hats off to Minnesota for leading the charge to allowing this law back in 2003. Since then, Tennessee, Arkansas, Idaho, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and South Carolina have seen the light as well (no pun intended). There are currently proposed bills in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Missouri. I like this law. My only problem is that there are irresponsible motorcyclists out there that will not safely check for traffic and will lose their lives. When this happens, the cries will not cease to echo in the halls of the state legislatures. If you live in one of the states that allow this action, please be responsible and be safe. Let’s show the safetycrats that this can work and see if we can’t get it adopted in other states as well.

As always, I encourage your comments whether you agree with me or not!
Ride Safe
Steve & the MC Nation

It is basically a functional accessory for a motorcycle. It differs from cosmetic accessories, also known as bling, because it is so much more than an item to make your motorcycle look more appealing. Wikipedia goes on to say that the word may be a combination of the words function and sparkle. I really hate to admit that one who professes to live, eat, and breathe motorcycles had not even heard of this saying. to make matters worse, Wikipedia also mentions that the word may have been coined as early as 1997. Eleven years later and I have to admit my ignorance. I guess I need to get out more.

Farkle must be big because during my search I even came across websites such as Farklemasters.com A whole website devoted to farkle. Shoot, even people across the pond know what farkle is as evidenced by the company that sells navigation and luggage called gofarkle.com Am I alone in not being “hip” to the latest jargon? Anyone know of good places to get farkle? Leave those comments and more in the comments section. I gotta go for now. I have a farkling headache.

Ride Safe

Steve and the MC Nation

Being seen is the most challenging part of motorcycling. How many times have you heard a car driver say, “I did not even see them!”? So, you wanted to turn left across oncoming traffic to go to the store. You were paying attention to traffic but you never saw the 275 pound biker riding his motorcycle with a headlight on high beam and two bright driving lights, one on each side of the headlight, shining brightly? You did not see him so you went ahead and made that turn right in front of him and he smashed into the side of your car? Give me a break. But, you must still strive to make yourself more noticeable in traffic. An accessory that can be used with the headlight to draw more attention to the motorcycle from the front is a modulating headlight. Modulators are not legal in all states or countries so check with your local law enforcement before installing. Modulators change the intensity of the headlight many times during a minute to make them cycle between bright and brighter. Picture the headlights on most police vehicles when they have someone stopped. The use of modulators came about because of the automobile industry. Many states allow the running of high beams during the day to bring more attention to the motorcycles. When the automobile industry started manufacturing cars and trucks with daytime running lights motorcyclists needed a new way to stick out in traffic. Modulators was the solution.

Not only are the bright lights on the front of the motorcycle a good way to do this, bright lights on the back of the motorcycle help as well. There are many accessories out today that help to bring attention to the back of the motorcycle. There are taillight bulbs that utilize LED’s to make them brighter than your normal brake light / taillight combo. You also have replacement bulbs that have a scrolling type pattern that constantly moves until you apply the brakes. These bulbs, along with many other variables of brake lights and license plate frame lights also blink a pattern at the first application of the brakes and then go solid as a normal. These are other attention getters and could help you stay alive. Check out the catalogs for available accessories as there at too many to mention in this blog post.

Another way to be seen is by your clothing. Bright colors and retroreflective materials are excellent ways to try to insure that other road users see you. I read an insurance industry survey a couple of years ago that polled automobile drivers and they were asked what color of motorcycle helmet was most noticeable as they drove on the road. Any ideas? I thought of red or yellow. The answer…white. So, when choosing riding gear, make sure that you choose bright colors and make sure that it has retroreflective materials built in. Retroflective materials will light you up at night. And for those of you that choose to not wear a helmet, maybe you could paint your bald head, like mine, with some reflective paint!

Finally, another excellent way to be seen is, again, to choose the proper lane and lane position. If you are riding on a two lane road and you are following an RV, is your best choice of lane position to be seen over closest to the line on the shoulder of the road? Can oncoming traffic see you? No, your best position is against the center line. This lets the oncoming traffic see your headlight and it also allows the RV driver to see you in his side mirror. Lane choice and lane position are constant changing matters and you will need to adjust them according to the current situation.

See and Be Seen. Live to ride tomorrow. Now that we have covered some early season safety tips we are going to move on in the upcoming posts. It’s time to ride and we are going to get into that and start talking some industry stuff along with some great rides.

Until next time!

Ride Safe

HarleyMac1 and The MC Nation