Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Deal of the Day: Teknic Chicane Jackets!

Teknic "Chicane" jackets are being closed out by the good folks at NewEnough for the ridiculously low price of $79! It's got all the right stuff: 600 Denier Cordura, YKK zippers, vents, waterproof lining, CE armor and a removable insulated liner. With its forward-rotated sleeves, waist length and "racer boy" graphics, it may appeal most to sport-bikers, but there's no reason it couldn't be used for touring, sport-touring or commuting. If you have a jacket that needs an armor upgrade, the Knox CE-approved armor and back protector alone are probably worth the $79. Clicky here to go directly to this sale.

As a service to my fellow motorcyclists, I've begun posting information on sales and closeouts on quality motorcycle gear. I get this information via subscriptions to email notices and newsfeeds of some of my favorite vendors, and I also stumble across this information during my daily travels on various online forums, etc. Unless otherwise noted, I haven't used or tested this gear; I am simply giving a "hey, lookee here!" on what appears to me to be a good deal on quality stuff from a good vendor. Be an informed consumer and research before buying.

Monday, July 14, 2008

28th Annual International Motorcycle Show dates

Cycle World has released the dates for the 28th Annual International Motorcycle Show. I've attended 7 or 8 IMS events in Philly, NYC and D.C. I prefer the D.C. venue 'cuz I'm only about 1.5 hrs. from a Metro station, and from there it's a short ride to the stop underneath the Convention Center -- I never even have to go outside. If you've never been to an IMS, not only will you see most of the current models on display from most of the OEMs (including smaller European and Asian makers), but you'll also see custom and antique bikes, race bikes and oddities. Also out in force will be vendors of various motorcycling products (helmets seem to be a particularly popular purchase), motorcycling organizations & clubs, tour companies, chambers of commerce/resorts, racers & stunters, and moto-magazines. The IMS is simply a must for motorcycle nuts of every type; particularly so if it comes around your neck of the woods in the dead of Winter like it does mine. Below is the schedule, but visit the IMS website for more info and links to pages for each tour stop.

October 31-November 2, 2008
University of Phoenix Stadium
Phoenix, AZ

November 14-16, 2008
Dallas Convention Center
Dallas, TX

November 21-23, 2008
Reliant Center
Houston, TX

December 5-7, 2008
Long Beach Convention Center
Long Beach, CA

December 12-14, 2008
Qwest Field Event Center
Seattle, WA

December 19-21, 2008
San Mateo County Event Center
San Mateo, CA

January 2-4, 2009
Rock Financial Showplace
Novi, MI

January 9-11, 2009
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.

January 16-18, 2009
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
New York, NY

January 30-February 1, 2009
I-X Center
Cleveland, OH

February 6-8, 2009
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Chicago, IL

February 13-15, 2009
Minneapolis Convention Center
Minneapolis, MN

February 20-22, 2009
Carolina First Center
Greenville, SC

Thursday, July 03, 2008

WWII Motorcycles

On June 7th I attended the 18th Annual "World War II Weekend" hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum at the Reading, Pennsylvania airport. What an awesome show! Click over to see pics of some of the weekend's activities and hardware that was on display (and in some case, being operated). Being an ex-USAF fighter aircraft crew chief, I'm partial to the ol' warbirds, but as you'll see there were just about any other type of WWII military hardware you'd want to see, both Allied and Axis. My son snapped these pics of a few of the motorcycles present, mostly sidecar rigs, mostly BMWs or clones, all more heavily armed than my Kawasaki (oh, to have a machine gun for commuting!). I'm the doofus kneeling by the Zundapp, BTW. Coincidentally, Gerry from the ScootLancaster blog was there, too. Click on over to see his pics of a few unusual 2-wheelers. While not a motorcycle event per se, it's near excellent riding areas and would be a great destination for anyone looking for an excuse to ride somewhere...as if we need much of an excuse!