Car Insurance

Nothing could ruin your day more when you’re driving in the countryside and then in the middle of nowhere, your Honda CBR motorcycle breaks down. All that because you never checked anything before you went out thinking, “I’ve checked that yesterday so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

It’s important to check your motorcycle before you go for a ride. Maybe it would be too much for you to do it everyday but you have to do it at least before you go out especially for a very long ride. This ride can’t just be hauled and you’ll be spending hundreds of dollars because you missed one thing that led to another problem. So here are some of the things that you should check before going out, full throttle.

Tires – the most important of them all. Check the tires of your Honda motorcycle and make sure they are inflated properly. Under-inflated tires will take in heat faster than regular tires. With too much heat, the tire will blow up unexpectedly, and you’ll be lucky if you don’t have an accident because of blown tires. To make sure you have the digits correct, purchase a portable gauge to know the psi of your tires.

Brakes – most of the accidents come from the fact that brakes don’t work. So before you go out and take the long ride, check your brakes. Make sure the break fluid in your motorcycle is enough. It’s even better if it’s. Check the front and back break fluids of your motorcycle. Check the break pads when you’re at it. Thin break pads should be changed immediately. You don’t want to realize that you don’t have any break when you are already on the road and more than 60mph on your motorcycle.

Chains – It will not really cause major accidents but it will cripple your motorcycle to a halt. Before you go out and do a major road trip on your motorcycle, lubricate them before you even go out. You really don’t need to do it everyday but at least do it every time you visit the gas station. This will ensure your chains will complement your rear tires and will not contrast to it. The last thing that you need in your motorcycle is a busted chain especially on a road trip since chains maybe the last thing you’ll think will break.

Fuel and Oil – probably the most important for a smooth ride. You Honda CBR 600 will naturally stop if you don’t have enough gas. For long rides, oil should be checked especially the oils in your break fluids.

Battery – You’ll know you need one when you can’t start anything electronically. Every light and signal that you’ll need for your trip should be there. If it needs refill, do not use tap water. There’s specific water for batteries and they are deionized water. Distilled water could also be an option.

Here we have a few things you should check on your motorcycle on a regular basis. I assume you have a handbook with the specs for your bike, if not, go get one. You may be able to find some data for your particular motorcycle on the net. You can also pick up workshop manuals for various models on eBay in PDF or CD form for little money.

Whereas with a four wheeled vehicle you may get away with being lax with things like tire pressures etc, this is not the case with a motorcycle. You should not risk compromising the safety and stability of your motorcycle, for the sake of a bit of routine maintenance.

Pre-ride checks

* Tires – check condition and for foreign objects in the tread.
* Tire pressures – it is vitally important to keep your motorcycles tire pressures either on spec or very close to it.
* Oil level – always check with the bike on level ground.
* Coolant level – only if your bike’s liquid cooled, obviously.
* Chain – check the tension and make sure it’s well lubed.
* Brakes – check they work and that they feel good.
* Lights – check all your lights, especially the brake light, you don’t want to get rear ended, do you?
* Visual inspection – self explanatory.
* All ok – hit the road.

Periodical checks

* Check battery – see that the connections are tight; I dropped a bike once because of a loose battery connection, strange but true. Also check the electrolyte level on some batteries, a lot of newer batteries are gel filled, sealed for life types, so no need with these.
* Carb balance – if your bike is multi carbed get yourself a Morgan carbtune or similar. It can be a little tricky the first time you balance them, but when you’ve done it once, the second time will be easy.
* Ignition timing – only necessary on some bikes, most newer models have electronic ignition which does not need touching, normally.
* Valve clearances – unless you’re a good home mechanic, take it to a dealer.
* Wheel bearings – grab each wheel with it off the ground and see if there is any sideways play. There should be none or maybe a trace at most.
* Steering head bearings – with the front end off the ground, grab the forks and push and pull. There should be no play.
* Swinging arm bearings – with the back wheel off the ground, check for any sideways movement in the swingarm, there should be none.
* Brakes – check fluid levels, brake hoses for deterioration, and pads/shoes for thickness.
* Cables and levers – should operate smoothly. Get some grease on lever/pedal pivot points, and get some lube down the cables, if you can. A cable oiler is a handy tool.
* Nut and bolts – go all round the motorcycle with your spanners and check that all nuts/ bolts/screws are nice and tight.

Well, that’s about it for some basic maintenance, obviously, unless you’re a good home mechanic, any bigger jobs will have to go to a dealer. The problem can be finding a good one with skilled mechanics you can trust. I manage to keep my Yamaha Fazer 1000 running sweet just using the steps listed above. It does help that this model only needs the valve clearances checking every 26,000 miles.

Do just about anything to your motorcycle, but forget the most basic and fundamental additive – Oil – and your wallet could be hanging loose for a long time.

How often you change the oil, the level you fill it up to and the kind of oil you use all make the difference between a bike that lasts and a bike that doesn’t!

These are a few of the most basic tips when it comes to oil and motorcycles…

When do you change your bike’s oil?

Over time and with prolonged use the integrity of the oil breaks down. Varies forces at work within the engine actually tear away at the very molecules of the oil, so the old oil must be periodically replaced every 2-3 thousand kilometres.

Smaller motorcycles run hotter than bigger bikes, so their oil needs to be replaced more frequently.

Motorcycle Maintenance Tips for Changing Oil:

· It’s best to drain the oil when the bike is properly warmed up, this thins the oil and makes it drain out faster.

· Remember to park the bike on it’s centre stand on level ground.

· Oil gets everywhere when the sump plug is released, so make sure to have a big enough container before hand.

· Remember to check the oil filter and change it if need be!

Running in a New Motor

New motorcycles require a little more care when it comes to oil. The surfaces inside of the new engine are quite rough and require time to wear smooth. The particles of metal released during this process need to be flushed out of the engine, so halve the normal oil change intervals for the first two changes.

Additives that are Supposed to Prolong!

The benefits of oil additives sound good, especially when you’ve bought a used motorcycle…

· Better performance

· Lowered fuel consumption etc.

The stories mechanics tell you vary. Some good, some bad! However, never use additives on a new motorcycle as this will prolong the running in process.

That’s about all. These are only a few of the basics when it comes to oil and your motorcycle. Know your bike and you’ll discover its exact requirements.

Don Swedo received quite a bit of flack over his proposal to lease a former gas station at the corner of Ramon Road and Indian Canyon Drive for a motorcycle rental business. Then someone suggested that the president of Harley Davidson Motorcycle Rentals & Tours open his business at the Palm Springs International Airport, where there “was always a lot of noise.”

Last week Swedo made his case before the airport commission where he found a ready reception from its members who were, perhaps, titillated by the prospect of renting a space that had been vacant for most of nine years - a baggage claim area on the south side of the terminal.

With Swedo present, the commissioners approved leasing him space to be used as a service counter, maintenance lot, and storage for an annual rental of $25,322 or $2,110 monthly.

Swedo allayed commission concerns that swarms of snarling Harleys would inundate the airport. He indicated that usually not more than eight rental cycles would be kept on the taxiway on a regular basis. He did mention that about 15 bikers were to meet in Palm Springs last Friday to make a trek to Idyllwild.

There would be bikes to rent and bikes to sell (the price of some Harleys now runs up to $20,000.). The firm charges a $1,000 security deposit for each bike rental, and each has a $3 million liability coverage.

The city, as a part of its lease deal, could ask for 10 percent of all motorcycle rentals. The city had been in negotiation with Swedo well in advance of the April 18th meeting.

A woman who was injured when the motorcycle on which she was riding blew a rear tire is not entitled to uninsured motorist coverage, the Court of Special Appeals has affirmed.Dana Shafer provided uncontested evidence that the blowout was caused by a piece of rusted sheet metal from an unidentified vehicle, and that neither she nor the motorcycle’s owner/operator, Clarence Koontz, was negligent.However, she failed to present any facts that would allow for a reasonable conclusion that whoever or whatever caused the metal to be in the roadway did so as a result of a negligent act, Judge Arrie W.

Davis wrote for the court.In sum, [Shafer] has produced evidence to establish that the piece of metal was probably dislodged from a motor vehicle and that the rusted condition may well have caused it to dislodge, the court concluded, but there has been no showing of knowledge of the existence of the deteriorated state of the vehicle part and the attendant duty to correct it.The decision affirms a grant of summary judgment for two insurance companies. Nationwide Insurance Co. covered Shafer, while Interstate Automobile Insurance Co. covered Koontz.Shafer, who was badly injured in the September 2001 accident, sought $100,000 in uninsured motorist coverage from the insurers. She filed suit in Washington County Circuit Court when her claims were denied.To prevail, she had to show that her injuries were due to the negligence of an unknown vehicle owner or operator. The void in [Shafer’s] theory is the absence of any evidence of the negligent act or course of negligent conduct which resulted in the dislodgement of a metal piece in the roadway, Davis wrote.Shafer drew analogies to negligence cases involving business invitees, but the court found the comparison less than apt.[A]lthough the owner or operator has an obligation to inspect and maintain his/her motor vehicle, the ability to discern that a metal piece of a vehicle has rusted through to an extent that it will become dislodged is an event which cannot be as easily anticipated as the potential for injury to an invitee and, indeed, is an event which may never occur, Davis wrote. This is particularly true if the rusted part of the vehicle is not subject to detection during normal use or maintenance.For example, if the rusted section were from the vehicle’s underbody, the operator would have had no opportunity to observe the deteriorating condition, except of course, during routine maintenance or repair, and there is no evidence from which it can be determined whether and when there was such an opportunity to inspect, the court noted.UnpersuadedThe decision also declined to follow several out-of-state cases cited by Shafer. Two of those cases were unreported as well being from out of state, the court noted. Two other cases relied on the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur, in which an inference of negligence can be drawn from the occurrence itself. Shafer, however, expressly rejects res ipsa loquitur as a basis for recovery, Davis wrote.We hold that [Shafer] failed to present questions of material fact or facts from which reasonable inferences could be drawn that a negligent act caused the metal to be in the roadway, the court concluded.WHAT THE COURT HELDCase:Dana Shafer v. Interstate Automobile Ins. Co. et al., CSA No. 279, Sept. Term 2005. Reported. Opinion by Davis, J. Filed Dec. 23, 2005.Issue:Did the lower court err in awarding summary judgment on an uninsured motorist claim, where the insured claimed her injuries were caused by a piece of corroded sheet metal from an unidentified vehicle?Holding:No; affirmed. Evidence that corrosion may have caused the metal to come off an unidentified vehicle does not establish that the vehicle’s owner was on notice of the deterioration or had a duty to correct it.Counsel:Dennis F. O’Brien for appellant; James M. Connolly and Christine S. Britton for appellees.To prevail, she had to show that her injuries were due to the negligence of an unknown vehicle owner or operator.