Chapter 1: A Hazardous Sport

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Quality motorcycle gear combines comfort, style, fit, durability, weather protection, and armor.

The bottom line with equipment is, you WILL eventually fall, and when you do, you will most likely
become very close friends with the pavement. So, you need the "maximum impact and abrasion
resistance" as possible.

Armor is extra padding sewn into the jacket or pants to cushion likely spots of impact. Road rash is the
not so fun part about riding a motorcycle. It is painful and bloody, but impacts can cause serious and
sometimes fatal internal damage.

So, shoulders, elbows, buttocks, and knees are spots that you want to be well protected, as they are the
most common of impact points. In any serious crash it isn’t hard to get a bruise on all of these body
locations. Other common regions of impact are the chest, back, and collar bone. So, as you can see
armor placement is crucial.

Material used for armor is another major concern. They are usually composites of plastic and foam.
Simple plastic plates would slash through the material and expose you to injury, so they put hard plastic
plates inside a thick layer of firm foam.

Some garments also have built in spine protectors. If not, however, and you feel that you are not
properly protected, jacket liners with armor pads are available for purchase, which are called “body
guard jackets”.

For the most part, jackets off the rack consist of small, medium, large, and extra-large. But there is more
to a well-fitting jacket than that. Your protection depends on how well your equipment fits. If you luck
out and find a jacket that you like and fits well off the rack, you’re in business. But if you don’t you can
order custom made leathers.

There is 5 companies worldwide that can do your custom fit; Langlitz, Bates, Z Custom Leather, Vanson,
and Aero stitch. But don’t expect to order up your jacket and have it in a week. Each company can only
produce about 1600 custom jackets per year, so there is a waiting list as long as the

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dictionary. So, make sure you place your order well before you need to ride, or you could be hooped.

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Chapter 2: Have a Motorcycle Vacation

Are you an adventurer? Do you have the spirit of a wanderer? If so, then the hottest new trend in
vacation travel, a motorcycle vacation, may be just the ticket for you.
Whatever countryside you enjoy, and whatever bike you ride, a motorcycle vacation promises great fun
and entertainment.

Imagine a history buff that uses a motorcycle to explore old Civil War battlefields. Wilson’s Creek in
southwest Missouri, Pea Ridge in Northwest Arkansas, and the site of the battle of West Port near the
Plaza in modern day Kansas City are all easily accessible by bike. Or, if exploring the west is more your
thing, take a trek out west, starting in Sedalia, the scene of the first recorded cattle drive in history.

Then on your bike trace the other cattle towns of the old west like Wichita, Parsons and Dodge City in
Kansas. Then keep heading west to Colorado the mile-high state and visit Estes Park. Go a little south
and visit Colorado Springs, park your bike for a day and take a tour of the Air Force Academy and look at
the grounds of Cheyenne Mountain, home of Norad.

Still yearning for more western adventure, then you can ride your motorcycle to New Mexico and visit
Lincoln County where Billy the Kid and his Regulators raised a ruckus in the 1880’s. New Mexico has
great camping in the mountains near Cloudcroft, so be sure to take the opportunity to visit and if you
feel up to it, sleep under the stars, with your trusty motorcycle near you, like a cowboy’s horse.

While in New Mexico the Apache reservation at Riodosa offers a chance to try your luck at slot machines
and the wheel of fortune. Then a visit to a great Mexican restaurant and on to the town of Roswell, site
of the 1947 UFO crash that some people say made history. When you get to Roswell you can either take
your bike to a campground, or park it at a nice reasonably priced motor hotel so that you can spend
some time in the UFO Museum and Research Center on Main Street.

While there you can visit with some witnesses to the crash and hear some fascinating stories, and take a
side trip out to the ranch outside of town

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where debris was found, and some say small alien bodies were recovered. When you’ve seen all the
UFO sites you feel like seeing, you can visit the Robert Goddard Museum next door to the Town’s
convention center. Goddard is the father of modern rocket science.

He performed many of his experiments in the desert near Roswell and the museum is great fun. When
you get done in Roswell, then hop on the bike and go to Albuquerque near Holloman Air Force Base, and
then on down to White Sands rocket test ground. New Mexico is full of interesting sites. If you head up
north, be sure to his Santa Fe and appreciate the Native American arts and crafts on display.

Next stop on your bike tour should be Las Vegas, Nevada. The most exciting town on earth is just a hop,
skip and bike ride away. Here’s a chance to really gamble, or if you don’t like to bet, then just stop in at
one of the casinos to try a very low priced, delicious buffet. It seems like all the casinos have great
buffets and try to outdo each other. You’ll enjoy them all. Remember too that this is a town made for
entertainment. Try one of the shows on the strip, or a comedy club or magic act.

Now, after visiting Las Vegas, it may be time to go on to the one place that no motorcycle vacation can
be complete without visiting, Sturgis. The town of Sturgis, North Dakota is legendary among those who
ride motorcycles, and the town people know how to make a biker welcome. Stop in for a root beer and
buy a T-shirt as a souvenir of your trip. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll remember your motorcycle
vacation for years to come. Hop on your big, be it hog or Honda, and enjoy the ride.

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Chapter 3: When To Buy _____________________________________________________________

This is a difficult question. But to boot, we are the ones who will decide when shopping for motorcycle
parts.

Thus, we must know how to choose cleverly. We have to do it after evaluating each of the possibilities
available.

The rule of thumb though is: if you are looking for a replacement or improvement part, first you
consider the availability of the motorcycle parts. Second consideration is your budget. Finally, you can
consider other aspects about the purchase.

Some riders are confused and perplexed in deciding whether to buy OEM or aftermarket motorcycle
parts. First, we have to know the difference between the two.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) parts do not necessarily mean Original Manufacturer (OM)
parts. Riders might have noticed that many motorcycle manufacturers do not manufacture every part of
their motorcycle. They usually have the motorcycle parts designed and manufactured by other
independent companies. However, these motorcycle manufacturers install them in their machines or
put them in their own packaging to be sold as OEM motorcycle parts.

Aftermarket motorcycle parts on the other hand, are replacement parts that can perform as well as
OEM parts. In addition, they can be of equal, higher or lesser quality with OEM parts. They are produced
by companies other than the original manufacturer.

The latter are usually resorted to if used as replacement parts or if you want to customize your bike.
What are the things that you must consider before purchasing the same? First, make sure that your
guarantee period is over. There are states that render your guarantee void if you have an aftermarket
motorcycle part installed by an unauthorized mechanic.

Based on my observations, high performance parts and devices such as carbon fiber, titanium,
aerospace aluminum parts and gizmos, can be had as aftermarket motorcycle parts. Another valuable
observation I got was that

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equivalent aftermarket Suzuki motorcycle parts are cheaper than OEM parts. In addition, they can slash
down the price to 70% compared to OEM price.

When you are buying aftermarket motorcycle parts, be sure you are getting at least the same quality as
that of its OEM counterparts. You can do this by probing up to date reviews about brands and
performance. You can find some in the Internet. Moreover, you can consult your trusted mechanics and
seasoned riders.

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Chapter 4: Wear the Perfect-fit Helmet

If you have a checking account, of course you balance it periodically to account for any differences
between what's in your statement and what you wrote down for checks and deposits.

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.

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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