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Purchasing the best motorcycle apparel such as an eyewear is neither luck nor coincidence. It takes the right reason to back up your choice of eyewear. To help you decide, here are some pointers to consider.

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Lens

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When it comes to lens, it is better to choose polycarbonate over glass. The former is shatterproof so you need not worry about debris entering your eyes when collision happens. Glass debris can leave a person blind so avoid it. Also consider bigger lenses so as to give you bigger eye coverage thus, maximizes your eye protection.

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Color of the lens also matters. You have to coordinate it with various conditions of a given ride. Use clear lens at night and rainy days or in times when clean vision is indispensable. Yellow or amber tint can be used on foggy and low light driving conditions. Grey or smoke, on the other hand, you can use it on sunny a sunny ride. Lastly, the colors green, blue or brown can be used if you want a tweaked view when you ride.

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There are different types of coatings. The first one is the Ultra-violet coating. It protects the eyes from harmful UV rays of the sun. Polarized coating is another type. This coating greatly reduces glare and allows you to see in the most blinding situation. This can help you avoid perilous road mishaps. Scratch resistant coating is another type.

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As the name implies, this coating is made to protect your eyewear from scratch, pricks and the like. When you accidentally drop your eyewear, you will be secured that it will not be scratched. This is to be avoided because a scratched lens impairs vision. Even a light scratch can cause eye fatigue, that is.

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Another type is the transitional light adjusting which adjusts the lens color so as to give more shade in bright conditions. Finally, another worth-having type of eyewear is the non-reflective inside coating. It eliminates the reflection inside the lenses.

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Frames

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If you are into sunglasses, choice nylon or plastic frames and never metal. The latter do not hold up to the rigors of riding. It can even get bent easily. Another factor to consider is the frame’s design. Look for a contoured bend to go with your head.

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Fit

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Your eyewear must have a snug fit to achieve the best protection. Be sure that the eyewear rests on your ears comfortably. Not too tight yet not too loose. A nose piece must be snug enough but will not leave marks on your nose.

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Be sure to get bigger protection in order for your eyes and your eyesight to be free from probable risks.

It isn’t just big trucks and cars that haul utility trailers, recreational trailers, or other cargo. Believe it or not a motorcycle can easily have a motorcycle trailer hitch installed and then haul several hundred pounds of materials.

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Most motorcycle hitches can be attached to your motorcycle without making any changes to the motorcycle. It’s a perfect addition if you are planning a long distance trip where you might need more supplies or perhaps you might even want to invest in one of the motorcycle tent trailers.

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There are special trailers that are made specifically for motorcycle and there are specific hitches for different types of motorcycles. It is very important that you buy the right hitch for you bike to ensure it fits properly and that you are towing safely. It’s also very important to ensure that the hitch is correctly installed.

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Besides ensuring the ball hitch is correctly installed you will want to cross s pair of chains under the tongue before you connect the chains to the hitch. Make sure the chains aren’t too long so the tongue is able to reach the rear tire.

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Don’t use cheap spring connecters on the chain ends. If the chains are supporting the tongue of your trailer and you stood on the tongue it has to hold. That’s the real test.

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In fact in almost all of the states you must by law have two chains when you are pulling a trailer. And if your trailer causes damage that will be your responsibility.

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The maximum weight for a motorcycle hitch is 500 pounds and it can be much less depending on the size of the motorcycle. The hitch is actually very similar to that used by pickup trucks.

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When installing a trailer hitch it’s all about choosing the right one and towing safely. After all you wouldn’t try to tow your RV trailer behind your motorcycle would you?

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Here are just a few tips to remember:

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1. Safety should always come first.

2. Make sure that you always attach the safety chains properly.

3. Make sure your cargo load does not exceed the weight restrictions.

4. Make sure that your trailer wiring harness is correct.

5. Make sure that all parts of your hitch are correctly installed.

6. Practice towing your load before heading out on a long trip.

7. Make sure your brakes are properly installed and operating correctly.

8. Check the tire pressure on your motorcycle. Remember tire pressures need to be adjusted when you are towing.

9. Make sure your load is correctly balanced.

10. Ensure you have your mirrors correctly adjusted to avoid any blind spots.

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Now all that said, there is another type of motorcycle trailer hitch and that is the style that allows you to tow your motorcycle behind your vehicle or recreational vehicle.

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A motorcycle trailer is specifically designed to transport your motorcycle. They attach to your vehicle using a standard ball hitch and are excellent for hauling your motorcycle over long distances or hauling a non operational motorcycle.

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Some of these trailers are large enough to haul two or more motorcycles. Great for those motocross getaways. They are often open air which means just what it says. They are a platform with no sides or roof so your bikes are open to the elements.

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So whether you need a motorcycle trailer hitch to tow your load behind your bike or to tow your bike behind your vehicle there’s definitely one available for you!

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 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 biike, be it hog or Honda, and enjoy the ride.

Industrial engines. They are still used by several manufacturers (most notably Blata on their entry level bike) and typically produce between 2.5 and 3.5 horse power (hp). All are air-cooled. Tuning and performance parts are very limited.

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The Chinese 47/49cc. These engines are used in the Chinese made mk2, and mk3 minimotos. They are air cooled and produce between 2.5 and 3.5 horse power (hp). This engine is different from the industrial engine that is used in the Blata, as it is specifically created for mini moto use.

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Polini 4.2 engine. This is the basic Polini engine and, as its name suggests, it produces 4.2 hp in standard form. It is air-cooled and uses the ‘series I’ crankcase with the 3-port cylinder. There is plenty of scope and parts for tuning but few people bother because most racing classes for the 4.2 won’t allow any modifications.

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Polini 6.2 engine. The top end of this engine is the same as the 4.2 (3-port) but is available with either water or air-cooling. The bottom end uses the ‘series II’ crankcase. This helps to make it more powerful. Race regulations don’t allow modification to the engine internals but do allow performance parts, the most significant being the exhaust. There are a wide range of alternative exhausts that year after year manage to extract more power from the engine. Consequently the 6.2 ‘tag’ no longer means anything, these little rockets (more often referred to as ‘production’ nowadays) claim power outputs of up to 9hp.

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The Chinese made water cooled engine. This engine is very similar to the Polini 6.2 however it is a series 1 crankcase engine. The engine is water cooled and is used in the Origami B1 replica. The engine produces around 7.5/8.5 horse power (hp) Many of the parts on this engine are interchangeable with the Polini.

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What’s the difference between the ‘series I’ and ‘series II’ crankcase?. Fuel is drawn from the carb into the crankcase via a one-way valve known as the ‘reed valve’. The intake port (where the reed valve and carb join the engine) on the series I engine will only accommodate a reed valve assembly with one reed ‘petal’ whereas the series II will take a reed valve ‘cage’ that accommodates two reed petals. A two-petal reed valve will allow more fuel mixture to flow into the engine and, therefore, produces more power.

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Polini Super engine. The super also uses the series two crankcase but with a 5-port cylinder. It is only available in water cooled now but used to come as air cooled as well. To compete with Polini, Mallossi manufacture an alternative 5-port cylinder. There are no restrictions on tuning supers and with engine ‘porting’, bigger carbs and other performance parts they can be turned into awesome machines (for their size) easily producing 12hp.

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What is meant by 3 and 5 port?. This refers to the amount of ‘transfer’ ports built into the cylinder. The transfer ports draw the fuel mixture up from the crankcase and ‘dump’ it above the piston prior to ignition. A five-port cylinder has potential to produce more power.

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40cc or 50cc. The 3 port engines are only available in 40cc. The 5 port cylinder comes in both 40 and 50cc. ZPF offer a tuned 5-port polini cylinder with their own ‘special’ cylinder head. The extra cc gives 25% more displacement and, therefore, has the potential for more power. 50’s are more common in the USA but they’re catching on fast in the UK. The UK now allows them to race in championships.

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The Polini engine components are interchangeable, which can make for some interesting combinations. However, people don’t tend to bother because of class restrictions and it is usually easier to upgrade the whole bike or change the complete engine.

If you are in the market for purchasing tires for your all terrain vehicle (ATV), there are several factors for consideration. There are a great variety of tires on the market and it is quite easy to become overwhelmed at the sheer number of choices available from different brands. In order to find the best tires for your specific ATV that meets your needs, consider these three points:

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1.) Tread:

When it comes to tires, the most important attribute is the tread. Different tires have different types of tread that make the ATV appropriate for navigating different types of terrain. If using the improper tires, accidents are more prone to occur, so ensure you seriously contemplate the uses of your ATV in order to find the appropriate tire tread.

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For individuals planning on spending time in the mud, it is strongly recommended that you purchase mud tires. These tires have a unique tread that is angled from the inside to the outside. The tread itself is quite large, usually measuring about one inch high, and allows the ATV to better grip muddy ground, so the vehicle is less likely to become stuck. Mud tires also work well on different types of terrain, but the tread is more prone to become worn quicker if driven on hard surfaces, including concrete, asphalt, or hard packed dirt. Furthermore, due to the tire tread, the ride is not nearly as smooth as with other tires.

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Generally speaking, most ATV owners choose trail or all terrain tires. These tires are most likely to handle all types of terrain while allowing the rider a stable and smooth ride. However, these tires are not designed for one specific type of terrain and are not used for muddy environments due to their tread. However, these tires offer the most stability, so they are the safest and should be chosen if the ATV rider will mainly stay on hard trails.

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If you plan to spend exorbitant amounts of time in the sand, choose a sand tread for your ATV tire. These tires have a unique tread that uses a scoop to funnel the sand beneath the tires so that the ATV does not become stuck. Keep in mind that sand tires cannot be used for any other purpose except sand, as they have minimal stability on other terrains and will rapidly wear on hard surfaces.

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The final option for tire tread is the knobby racing tires designed to take high speeds on flat, hard surfaces. These tires should only be used for racing, as they are inappropriate for any other type of riding due to their lack of stability and flat top tread.

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2.) Size

Tire size is measured three ways: width, height, and height of the sidewall. All of these sizes should be taken into account depending on your wants for a ride. Tires with too small or too great a diameter should be avoided, as the ATV is under the most pressure, so there is a greater potential for damaging the vehicle. Furthermore, narrow tires tend to sink in mud, but may provide you more stability on hard packed ground. Finally, the height of the sidewall should depend on the type of terrain over which you plan to ride, as short sidewall tires have a greater ground clearance, but are less flexible.

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3.) Shape

It may seem strange to look at the shape of the tire, but there are two options: round or flat. Generally, sport ATVs come with flat tires, while utility ATVs come with round tires. The difference is the stability and the speed. Usually, ATV owners choose round tires, since the ride tends to be softer and the shape tends to perform better in muddy terrain.
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