Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Adventure Motorcycle Calendar 2014


While it's no substitute to riding to exotic locations yourself, the next best thing is the vicarious thrill from viewing others' photographs of those places. The out-sized (17" x 12") Adventure Motorcycle Calendar 2014 from Octane Press contains a year's worth of spectacular images, from mountain tops to desert floors, shot by adventure riders who are also readers of Horizons Unlimited, the renowned online hub for world-travelers. This high-quality calendar is a must-have for any adventurous rider, and would make a great Christmas gift for the other riders on your list. Click here for a sneak peek and to order.


Adventure Motorcycle Calendar 2014
Author: Lee Klancher
ISBN: 978-1-937747-23-7
Publisher: Octane Press
Format: 17x12 inches, 24 pages
Publication Date: August 1, 2013
Price: $15.99


Labels: , , ,

Monday, October 14, 2013

Book Review: Motorcycling Through Midlife


Motorcycling Through Midlife, The Call of the Corner is best read the way one attacks a good motorcycling road: finding the rhythm, settling into a pace, feeling the flow from turn to turn, and reveling in sudden changes in direction and elevation.  Thorough reviews can be found here, and here.  I wrote this book for my fellow baby boomers who are thinking about taking up motorcycling, or already have, said Metzger, who is also the founder of Motomarathon, about which I've posted a few times before. Though its a dangerous hobby fueled by subconscious adolescent cravings, motorcycling can be the finest expression of youthful joy and freedom if approached with the wisdom of midlife and before we get too old.”  While I came into motorcycling from a totally different direction as the author, and while I don't agree with a number of his opinions, I found much to like, to chuckle over, and ponder. I was wishing for higher quality, color photographs as well.  Being a slim book, the ride was over all too soon, much as journeys down fun roads always seem to be.  I recommend this book for any rider's motorcycling library.
Published by the Motomarathon Association Press, first edition paperbacks of Motorcycling Through Midlife can be purchased for $15 in The Shop at www.motomarathon.com

Labels: ,

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Omerta MC St. Jude Children's Hospital Motorcycle Run 2013

Proving that not every motorcycle group ride in New York City on Sept. 29th was hell-bound on mischief and mayhem (of course, we knew that), the Brooklyn-based Omerta MC hosted a charity ride to benefit the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Roughly 300 riders attended, including one of my long-time readers, Jason Nakleh, who shot this footage of the event from the saddle of his H-D Street Bob using a helmet-mounted Go-Pro.

Labels: , ,

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Motorhead Coffee is back on track!


Back in February 2009 I had the pleasure of reviewing some great coffee from Motorhead Coffee, a venture of an Indiana motorcyclist named Jamie ("Shep" on ADVrider.)  After taking a break to suffocate in the corporate world for a while, I'm glad to report that Shep is back, breathing the fresh air again and custom-roasting some great new products.  Four bags of beans arrived in a tidy package on my doorstep pronto: 10W-30, a light roasted African; 10W-40, medium roast Latin; 10W-50, medium-dark Sumatran; and, the seriously-robust Diesel. All are roasted in small batches using a traditional, gas-fired, drum roaster.  The product, price, customer service, shipping and packaging all get a big thumbs-up!  I highly recommend you order up some of Motorhead's finest today and (cue music) get your motor runnin'...


Labels: ,

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Product Review: Rev'It! Athos Vest



Below is pasted a slightly edited version of my review from Rezvilla's website:

5 / 5
5 / 5
A less dorky, flap-free way to wake up those cagers!
July 26, 2013
Customer avatar
From Newark
State:DE
Rider Type:Road Warrior
Age:45-54
Gender:male
Bang for the Buck 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Style 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Comfort 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Protection & Durability 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Air Flow 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Features 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Fit
Small
Slightly Small
Large
For many years, I've carried a reflective vest to use at night or in rain or fog, figuring that not getting run over outweighed the dork factor. However, I've never worn plain black gear until recently when I purchased a Rev'It! Ignition 2/Gear 2 combo, primarily for commuter-duty, which convinced me I needed something to make me more visible in ALL conditions.
Enter the Athos vest, with its eye-poppingly hi-viz. It's sooo much better suited to motorcycle use than the construction-worker types I've used in the past: it's snug, aerodynamic, securely attached with a zipper, won't fall off every time you don or doff your jacket, and doesn't flap around in the wind. With the retro-reflective strips and Rev'It! logos front and back, it's an excellent conspiscuity device day and night. At $60, the Athos is more expensive than the construction and emergency services reflective vests, but because it's designed specifically for motorcycle use, it really can't be compared to the others on a cost basis. However, I do think the Athos is a bit overpriced.
Sizing: Taking RZ's advice, I bought a Large (I would've bought a Medium if left to my own devices), which fits great over my size 52 Ignition 2 jacket (which also fits a bit small).
More hot air: The vest flows a decent amount of air, though it does somewhat reduce flow thru the mesh portions of my jacket, a trade-off I'm willing to make. Surprisingly, my sophisticated tests (blowing air thru it) shows that air outflows easier than it inflows.
She blinded me with, well, you know: The color of the hi-viz portions are (to my eye) more yellow than the green-ish product images on RZ's site. It's still plenty hi-viz, tho, and really "pops" against my black jacket. I ride like I'm invisible nonetheless.
Just stuff it!: The vest comes with a nice hi-viz stuff sack, which I use to stash other junk in a side case because I wear the vest any time I'm wearing my new black/black suit.
Etc.: While I don't mind it not having pockets because I carry almost nothing in my outer gear (which explains the bulging tank bag), you may. The vest's zipper is "left-handed" like much Euro clothing is. I've only had the vest for about a month so I can't comment on durability, which I have to say is a weakness in some Rev'It! gear. I bet cleaning bug innards off the hi-viz material will be difficult. The zipper is branded "SBS."
Yes, I recommend this product.

Labels: , , ,

Friday, October 04, 2013

Saving on Motorcycle Insurance

Valuable Tips: Saving on Motorcycle Insurance
There’s a pretty good chance that you’ll never see motorcycle insurance policies in a store’s bargain bin. There’s no such thing as a “50% off” or a “buy 1 take 1” for these things. However, that doesn’t mean that you can never get a hold of a motorcycle insurance policy at a lower price. In fact, there are steps that you can take to get a better deal for yourself. Luckily, these aren’t difficult to accomplish at all. Below are some valuable tips on how you can save big on motorcycle insurance.


Search for the Best


As you probably know, there’s no standard price for motorcycle insurance since different companies offer plans at widely varying rates. That is why you shouldn’t stop browsing through motorcycle insurance plans until you feel that you’ve found the company that offers the best deal possible. One of the companies that offer the most affordable, great value plans in the market is Famous Insurance, so you may want to check it out.


Pricey Bike = Pricey Insurance


Here’s a no-brainer: if you don’t want to pay handsomely for motorcycle insurance, then don’t get a handsome ride. New and expensive models will obviously cause the rate of your insurance to spike. For that reason, do think twice about this before you purchase the latest Road King or other similar models.


Insurance Deductible


The deductible is the amount that must be paid for a claim before the policy takes effect. Generally, you can lower the cost of your motorcycle insurance by paying more for the deductible amount. You’d want to seriously consider this as you can shave off as much as 20%-30% from the cost of your insurance.


Motorcycle Training


Motorcycle newbies usually have to pay premium for insurance. On the flip side, those who underwent motorcycle training or courses can take advantage of better deals (just present your certificate to your agent). Hopefully, you fall into the latter category.


Drop the “Baggage”


As mentioned earlier, there’s no such thing as a standard rate when it comes to motorcycle insurance. Insurance differs in price because drivers also vary in profile and ability. Drivers who are young or have blemished driving records normally get charged more. Thus if you share your motorcycle with such drivers, then you can expect the cost of your insurance to rise. You should exclude them from your policy if you want to save cash.


Review Your Driving Record


Do this even if your driving record should read blank. There’s always the possibility that the traffic department may have wrongly marked your record for a violation. That would of course factor into the price of your motorcycle insurance. It’s better to check just to be safe.


Remove the Guest Passenger Liability Coverage


Do away with the guest passenger liability coverage if you regularly ride (no one’s sitting behind you) by your lonesome. After all, you shouldn’t be paying for something that would be practically useless to you.


Seek Discounts


You may think that you probably can get a better deal on your motorcycle insurance since your bike rarely gets any action anyway. If that’s the case, then you’re correct. There are insurance companies that offer discounted policies to drivers who only use their motorcycles on occasion. Be sure to ask for lower rates in such a situation—you’ll be able to save a ton of cash this way.


Users of old motorcycles should also be able to score discounts on insurance as well. You’re basically just throwing away money by keeping your dated ride fully covered. Talk it over with your agent and you should be able to cut down your insurance cost.


Don’t Bother with Minor Claims


The very purpose of motorcycle insurance is to shield the insured against significant losses or damage. With that said, don’t make a habit of going after even the most minor of claims—insurance companies aren’t fond of people like that. Otherwise, you’ll be at the mercy of higher rates.


Maintain an Excellent Credit Score


Yes, even your credit score can be a factor in the cost of your motorcycle insurance. While some insurance companies don’t put this into consideration, there are many that do. Therefore, it won’t hurt to be a good citizen that pays the bills on time.



Author bio: Adriel Mercado is a freelance writer and has been into motorcycles ever since he graduated from high school.




Labels: , ,