Car Insurance

On June 9, Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE:ALL) issued a letter to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm urging her to veto Senate Bill 297, which would repeal the state’s motorcycle helmet mandate.

With 538 employees, 857 agency personnel and 597,660 policyholders in Michigan, as well as having its regional offices headquartered in Michigan, Allstate and its stakeholders have had a significant interest in Senate Bill 297.

The following quote may be attributed to Thomas F. Clarkson, field vice president, Allstate Insurance Company, in response to the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 297:

“We applaud Gov. Granholm’s decision to veto Senate Bill 297.
While we understand the position of motorcyclists who want to ride
helmetless, the decision to ride a motorcycle without a helmet is
not entirely a personal one - it impacts every taxpayer. Accidents
will happen - to drivers of all types of vehicles - and many of
these accidents are beyond our control. But when we CAN attempt to
control the severity of an injury and therefore the cost to
society, we SHOULD do so whenever possible. Allstate is committed
to the safety of all drivers and we support Gov. Granholm’s
decision to keep Michigan’s motorcycle helmet mandate in place.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer has signed Geico Motorcycle, a new corporate backer in NHRA Drag Racing, to a three-year major-sponsorship deal. Stoffer, one of only seven women in the 53-year history of the sport to have won a Pro category at a national event, took the insurance giant’s famous gecko for a test ride in 2004, a ride so successful that the company picked up an option to back her Jonco Racing Suzuki for the next three years.

“I’m really excited, not just for getting this deal for our team and having that security for the next three years but because we’ve brought a huge corporation into the NHRA family.” said Stoffer. “If they’re taken care of properly, this could get bigger and bigger.”

“We at Geico Motorcycle are thrilled to be announcing this long-term relationship with Karen Stoffer, her team, and NHRA,” said Geico Motorcycle Director Kirk La. “It is our firm belief that this deal is the right combination to take two very successful programs to the next level.”

Stoffer and her crew chief and husband Gary added Geico Motorcycle to the team’s Suzuki at the end of 2003 for a two-race program. In 2004, the insurance carrier signed her to several small, multi-race deals as they testmarketed the NHRA audience and fan base across the country. At the end of the corporation’s fiscal third quarter, Stoffer was flown to the company’s headquarters for discussions about making the commitment a full-time proposition.

“They did a beta test with us last year,” said Stoffer. “Through a dedicated phone line and people using my name or mentioning NHRA when they signed up for insurance, they were able to track our reach and effectiveness. When they brought us up after they put together their earnings report, they told me they had experienced double-digit growth in their motorcycle division, so we were ecstatic.”

With Geico Motorcycle’s big commitment to Doug and Debbie Johnson’s Jonco team, Stoffer is hoping that winner’s circle celebrations become commonplace.

“We’ll definitely be able to step it up across the board,” said Stoffer. “We’ll add a crew person right away, and we’ve already ordered another engine. I plan to take a few days off to go to Florida to attend George Bryce’s Drag Racing School to refocus again on what I’m doing on the bike.

“Gary is super excited about having the budget to test the bike. We only tested twice last year, and it probably cost us several rounds. Now we’ll have the ability to test on off days rather than when we’re at a race, which will really pay off for us. This just opens so many opportunities that we haven’t had before.”

Motorcycle repairs, like automotive repairs, can require a chunk of money going out to a mechanic. There are ways in which to stop this out flow of money though. Learn motorcycle basics and work on your bike yourself, doing both the troubleshooting and repairs.

To begin to be able to work on your motorcycle you will need to know the basics of a motorcycle. This is more than knowing how to get on your bike, start it up and ride it off. This means knowing the basic components of a bike and how they work.

To get started on knowing your bike intimately like this you can get a maintenance guide specific to your motorcycle’s model. Many dealerships or bookstores should carry this book or can order it for you. These books are technical but writers have learned by now to write in a way in which a layman, instead of a die-hard mechanic, can read and understand the information.

Maintenance or repair manuals for bikes typically have good diagrams and schematics to help you understand the inner workings. One of the best things about learning about a motorcycle’s parts and workings is that the bike has an open design so that it is easy to see the components or layout of the inners.

If you want to continue to learn beyond pure book knowledge there are many online motorcycle repair courses. These distance learning classes go through how a bike works and how to make various repairs. There are online colleges that have career diplomas in the area of motorcycle repair technician. Such classes typically include how to inspect the vehicle, do maintenance, troubleshoot and of course repair the motorcycle.

Online classes can be helpful over a book because you can chat with other students, have the help of the teacher but unlike a normal classroom course you can do it on your own time and speed, for the most part. If you learn well with this type of environment, search the web to find the right online college or motorcycle repair course for you. There might even be one that allows you to do some work online and other courses are you attend in person.

For motorcycle repair you might instead be interested on hands-on training. Many people learn best with an instructor who they can ask immediate questions of or point to a part on the motorcycle and ask a direct question about. If you are a person that learns best with a real, live teacher in front of you, look for a motorcycle repair class in your town.

With hands-on training you usually can learn to dismantle and reassemble a motorcycle. You learn and see all the components of a bike and troubleshoot as you go. Repairs are discussed and gone over in detail. These types of classes typically take more time than the other ways of learning how to do repair work but at the same time are more instructional and helpful for visual, hands-on learners.

Learning to repair your motorcycle is not going to happen overnight. It will take a lot of work on your side just to learn the components and how to troubleshoot them. There are many ways in which to learn how to repair your motorcycle. You can study a repair and maintenance guidebook. This will give you much knowledge on the bike’s engine, transmission, electrical system, clutch and wheels. It will tell you how to troubleshoot and do basic repairs.

If reading a book does not give you enough information you can take an online class or find a motorcycle repair class that you can physically attend. Figure out which way you learn best and take the time to teach yourself motorcycle repair so that you can fix the bike yourself when it has problems. This will not only save you money but give you a sense of pride about being your own motorcycle mechanic.

Motorcycle wheels can be repaired just as easily as any other alloy wheel. The process is the same, but requires a different machine, because most motorcycle wheels have a “pressed in” barring that remains with the wheel.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So Metro Wheels converted an old brake lathe to a state-of-the-art motorcycle wheel repair machine. All our hard work has been worth it, as the new custom repair machine allows for the barring that is pressed in and accommodates most wheel sizes. The wheel is centered on a shaft and then heated to ensure smooth movement under hydraulic pressure.
Repair vs. Replace
Why invest in motorcycle wheel repairs? Because replacing OEM motorcycle rims and wheels can range from $350 to $2,000 per wheel. So those who didn’t want to spend that kind of money began asking about having them “pressed ” back out – and the motorcycle wheel repairs industry was born.

So long as safety isn’t an issue (that is, when a wheel can be repaired by a professional technician without jeopardizing the lives of the riders who are relying on the wheel to do its job), then alloy motorcycle wheel repair is an excellent choice for economy and cosmetic restoration. But when a wheel has been damaged severely, Metro Wheels will not compromise your safety: if there’s any question, we’ll err on the side of not repairing what could lead to serious injury.
Our Team of Experts
One of the better-known motorcycle wheel repair businesses in the country is Metro Wheels, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia, just north of Atlanta. Metro has one of the largest wheel repair facilities and wheel networking capacity in the country, with the expert team to repair alloy wheels quickly and safely.
At Metro Wheels, we teamed up with the sharpest engineers to design a state-of-the-art wheel repair facility. Our repair processes assure 95-100% wheel accuracy at completion.
Motorcycle wheel repair in the Atlanta area has been saturated with many companies claiming that they can fix any wheel. But the truth is that many of them are “fly by the night” companies with a sledgehammer and a torch. They can bend out a wheel, but most cannot check it for accuracy because they do not have a proper way of “spinning” the wheel. This is not the correct way to fix any wheel.
Some can make the wheel unsafe by not properly applying consistent pressures in a specific way with an exact heat. They stress crack the wheel beyond safety standards and call it a repaired wheel. But you could be jeopardizing your safety by using someone without proper experience.
Because we have been in business for over 15 years, our experience in motorcycle wheel repairs exceeds most shops’. Our aluminum wheel repair specialists can repair most wheels that have been curbed, scraped up, cracked or chemically damaged, providing excellent structural and cosmetic repairs; and our professional, certified welders are second to none.
Metro Wheels uses its own engineered equipment and guaranteed processes to return damaged, scraped and, in most cases, cracked wheels back to their original factory specifications. Because your safety is our highest priority, we will not repair any alloy wheel that cannot be safely ridden on after repair.
Metro Wheels’ Repair Process
The repair process is straightforward. First, we mount the wheel accurately on a motorcycle axial simulator. With the proper heat, consistent hydraulic pressure and light vibrations under pressure, the alloy wheel will move – without cracking – back to its original condition. If there is a crack that can’t be seen by the naked eye (under chrome or paint), it will instantly pop out; our certified welders will then fill and repair the crack. After the wheel has cooled, it will retain its original strength. Heat, consistent pressure and vibration are key to an excellent wheel repair.
When a wheel is delivered to Metro Wheels, it is either dropped off by the owner, shipped in or picked up in the metro Atlanta area from our wholesale customers. We generate a work order for each individual wheel, detailing the customer’s information and any special instructions. Each wheel is assigned a unique work order number that is engraved on the inside of the rim, so that Metro can track its history precisely. This number also makes it much easier to track the wheel throughout the repair process.
Once identified, each wheel is washed thoroughly to remove all road dust and dirt, because the dust could be hiding additional scratches, gouges or cracks. Metro uses a pressure washer system with a diluted acid-based cleaning compound that will not damage a wheel’s existing finish.
This is particularly important because brake dust removal is essential to determining the level of damage to a wheel. But it must be done correctly, because wheels with a polished or anodized finish can be damaged if the wrong washing compound is used. For instance, a two-piece wheel with a bright lip that is not chromed is typically an anodized finish, a chemical treatment that is very hard to see. If the wrong cleaner or acid is used on such a finish, the wheel surface will be streaked; however, this anodized finish can be stripped off and any scratches buffed out.
Once thoroughly cleaned, one of our expert technicians performs a complete inspection of the wheel for radial and lateral runout. Radial runout is vertical, and Metro measures to see just how much the wheel is out of round with a micrometer gauge that measures to 1/1,000 of an inch. If a wheel has 5/1,000 of an inch radial runout, you could put a dial indicator on the wheel and then spin the wheel. The distance the wheel traveled up and down while spinning would be 5/1,000 of an inch both in the high and low position – or swing.
Lateral runout, on the other hand, is how much the damaged wheel will wobble from side to side. On some larger diameter wheels subjected to a hard pothole hit or curb, the wheel will be bent and, if hit hard enough, it will bend and twist the spokes. Most lateral runout can be corrected with pressure on the back of the wheel. But when the lateral runout cannot be corrected, the wheel is not repairable.
Lateral runout is the hardest type of repair to make. It also happens to be the most deceptive, because while a wheel may look like it has only minor rim damage, it can actually be fairly significant and not easily seen to the naked eye unless the wheel is spinning.
The next point of inspection is for alloy defects such as curb rashes and cracks. Metro recommends that the tires be removed for this inspection because most damage cannot be seen otherwise. Metro wheels will not remove the tire for you. You will need to have the tire removed and please keep the barring in the wheel (if it is loose). We will bring it back to its original condition ready to have the tire re-mounted. You will be riding again in no time.

For the ninth year in a row, Honda America announced record sales in the US. Sales in 2005 were up 5.2 percent over 2004. Total American Honda car sales were 1,462,472 while total truck sales were 837,822. The largest gainers for the year were the Honda Insight at 14.6% sales increase, Honda Odyssey at 13.4%, Honda Pilot at 12.2%, Acura TSX at 15.2%, Acura RL at 101.4% and the Acura NSX at 16.1%.

The Honda Accord was the best selling vehicle for Honda during 2005 at 369,293 sold. Acura’s best seller was the Acura TL at 78,218 vehicles. Hybrid sales were way up for Honda in 2005. Between their three hybrid models, they sold 43,356. The new Honda Ridgeline, Motor Trend’s truck of the year, also sold well for its first year. The Ridgeline was a major factor in the 15.7% increase in light truck sales for Honda.

Overall, Honda had an exceptional sales year in 2005. If you are one of those fortunate ones to own a Honda, you can get Honda parts for your vehicle