Touring Northern Utah on a Motorcycle.

Touring Northern Utah on a Motorcycle.

I love to get on my motorcycle and ride. If I have a week or just a couple of hours I can’t seem to get enough of the wind, the sun, the sound’s, the smells, and the bugs. Utah offers many different opportunities from the steep windy mountain roads, to the flat open desert highways, to the scenic beauty of our many national parks. The terrain is vast and varied, and the highways plentiful.

The Mountains of northern Utah are some of my favorite places to ride. The Wasatch mountain range runs north to south covering almost all of the northern and eastern sections of Utah. From Salt Lake city there are many small canyon roads that lead out of the city and into the mountains. These allow you to climb from the valley floor of 4500 feet above sea level to 9,000 feet above sea level in as few as 30 miles. The roads wind up and out of the valley floor and through the mountains in almost all directions.

Here I will describe a few of my favorite places to get away from Salt Lake City for a day ride. Most of these rides are short enough for a good day trip. The 2 ride that pass through Bear Lake are longer stretching past the 300 miles in a day rule I like to follow.

East Canyon
East Canyon Highway 65, and 66 is a nice little ride. To get to highway 65 take the Mountain Dell exit off I-80 about 10 miles east of Salt Lake City, the road then winds north and east about 50 miles up and over the top of the mountain range and drops back down toward Morgan Utah. Highway 65 climbs up and over the mountain range following the ridge for a while then dropping down past East canyon state park and past the reservoir. Here you can take either Highway 66, or 65 to I-84. Highway 66 leads to Morgan, Utah. From Morgan you can loop back to Salt lake going east and back west down Parleys canyon on I-80 or you can go west down the canyon on I-84 into Ogden Utah and follow I-15 south to Salt Lake city.

Monte Cristoe Road.
This a yet another very nice ride. This ride is longer and can be combined with two or three other rides to make a full day of touring. Monte Cristoe Road is Highway 39 and starts at the east end of the Huntsville Utah valley. To get there you have three options, from the south take Highway 167 over trappers loop, which is very close to the top of east canyon as described in the previous section, take highway 39 up Ogden canyon, or take highway 162 up over north Ogden canyon. As a side note Highway, 162, 39, and 167 can also be combined for a nice shorter day ride to get out of the valleys and make a few turns. Once you get to the Highway 39 an head east on the Monte Cristoe road you are ion for a treat. This is a long slow windy climb that lasts for miles and miles. The road eventually ends in Woodruff UT. Which is a tiny little one gas station town near the border of Utah and Wyoming. From here you can go south on Highway 16, to Evanston, WY and then south and west on I-80 towards Salt Lake City. The longer and more scenic ride is to go North on Highway 16 to Highway 30 and then West into the Bear Lake valley. Once you get to Garden city a raspberry milkshake and a big burger are a mandatory part of the trip. From Garden city go west on Highway 89, through Logan canyon. Once again this is a nice windy canyon full of flowers, tree, wildlife and is worth taking the extra time to just tour along. Return to Salt Lake by either 1-15 or if you want to try highway 89 it’s a bit more relaxed north of Ogden.

Logan Canyon.
As I mentioned above Highway 89 from Logan to Bear Lake is a very nice ride. One of my absolute favorites, I have probably driven this road a 1000 or more times, each one brings back a flood of memories, or I happen to notice some new or a subtle change to the landscape or road. To make a loop out of this ride, when you get to Garden City, and after you have had the mandatory raspberry shake and burger, head north a to Ovid Idaho and then go left on Highway 36. This road will wind west and south back over the mountain pass and down into Preston, Idaho. From here follow highway 91 south back into Logan and you have successfully enjoyed two canyon passes and a nice lunch to top it all off.

Park Valley
Park Valley is in the top north western section of Utah. A longer ride we took one day was to leave Salt Lake City on a friday night as the sun was setting, we went west on I-80 to the border of Utah and Nevada to Wendover. We spent the night at the casinos and having a good time, trying to win gas money for the ride home. We must not have won much because I don’t remember us winning. From Wendover the morning we headed west on I-80 for about 30 miles to Oasis, which is an old ghost town. turn north on Highway 233. and head into the Park Valley Valley. this is some seriously wide open country. There doesn seem like there is an life or trees for miles and miles. The wide open valley contains large farm and by large I mean 1000’s of acres. with a few fram houses spread around. A set of Train tracks crosses the valley in a wide sweeping track. At one place the train tracks cross, the road I was lucky enough to see a train and was forced to stop and wait. This was totally amazing I was miles from any life and saw no other traffic, yet we still topeed for the train. If you take this same route we did be absolutely sure to stop and get gas at the one and only place along the way, the tiny little gas station store in Montello. this stop was about 120 miles from Wendover and knowing the range on my Harley Davidson Fatbot is only about 130-150 miles per tank, I would not make to the next gas station. The northern park of this valley turn a lot greener and the popularion increases a bit, but the area is still wide open country. Past the city of Park Valley the the road turns east and joins I-84. We returned to Salt Lake via I-84 and made it home as the sun was starting to set. This journey was over 400 miles.

Ian Parish is an avid motorcyclists and jeeper and has been for the past 20 years. He jumped into building a custom chopper full force and is assembling the parts and the plan, on his web site MyChopperBlog.com. Check out the web site to learn about building a chopper or to lend a hand. He needs all the help he can get. He is the owner of <a href="http://www.RedJeepClub.com">www.RedJeepClub.com </a>and <a href="http://www.mychopperblog.com">www.MyChopperBlog.com</a>

Discovering A Better Motorcycle Loan With A Better Credit Score
It is common knowledge that motorcycle financing companies? base high importance on your FICO credit scores when approving motorcycle loans. However, what many people overlook is that their FICO credit score can dramatically impact the term on their motorcycle loan along with the interest rate that is assigned to the motorcycle loan.

In order to gain better motorcycle loan rates, it is highly important that you think of your FICO credit score as a picture of how risky you are to the lender. Your FICO credit score is essentially a benchmark which motorcycle financing companies use to grade you and assign a risk to you when applying for a motorcycle loan. Since factors about your credit change on a daily basis so can your FICO credit score.

The below 5 tips are designed to help ensure you improve your creditworthiness as your credit score changes. Ultimately these tips should help you obtain better motorcycle loan rates and loan terms in the future.

Watch Your Debt? Keep your account balances below 25%-30% of your available credit limit. This is especially true with your revolving credit card because many motorcycle financing companies see credit card debt as more risky. If you have a credit card with a $500 limit, you should try to keep the balance owed below $150 when you apply for a motorcycle loan.

Check Your Credit Regularly ? In today?s age it is easy to get online to check your credit report. Checking your free credit report regularly is very important because it can help you uncover inaccuracies that are affecting your FICO credit score. Don?t let your credit health suffer due to inaccurate information or errors on your credit report. If you find an inaccuracy on your credit report contact the creditor associated with the account or the credit reporting agencies to correct it immediately.

Avoid Excessive Credit Inquiries ? A credit inquiry normally happens when you apply for credit. If you have a large number of credit inquiries in a short time period many motorcycle finance companies see this as a negative since it affects your FICO credit score. Therefore, when you are applying for credit or shopping for motorcycle loans it is very important you consider how many times your credit is accessed. Be advised that sometimes motorcycle dealerships will pre-screen you for a loan by asking you for your driver licenses and social security number. Normally this results in a credit inquiry on your credit report. Be prudent in shopping for credit and motorcycle financing.

Establish Credit Early ? Time is very important part of improving your FICO credit score. Therefore, it is recommended that you start building credit early in life. Getting one or two credit cards can significantly help build your credit. However, the key to this strategy is keeping your purchases small and frequent and paying off the balance every month on time. When establishing credit you should also keep the oldest account on your credit report open in order to lengthen your period of active credit use. The length of your credit history can make a big difference in getting approved for a motorcycle loan.

Make Your Payment On-time - Paying your current credit bills on-time is one of the biggest factors that contributes to a higher FICO score. Typically when motorcycle finance companies see potential customers that do not pay their bills on-time then they either decline them or issue a motorcycle loan at a much higher interest rate. Late payments, collections and bankruptcies have the greatest negative effect on your credit score and how lenders rate you when getting a motorcycle loan.

Copyright (c) 2005, by Jay Fran.

Jay Fran is a successful author at <a href="http://www.motorcycle-financing-guide.com" target="_blank">http://www.motorcycle-financing-guide.com</a> - A comprehensive resource to compare online motorcycle financing, motorcycle loans and online motorcycle buying tips for Polaris, Honda, Suzuki, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha and more.

How To Buy Quality Leather Motorcycle Saddlebags That Fit Your Motorcycle Perfectly
When people cruise they somewhat experience a magical feeling. To enjoy this feeling to its fullest one must be care free. This is where motorcycle saddlebags come in.

When buying Motorcycle saddlebags the following 2 factors are pivotal to consider.

1. Your budget. 2. The nature of motorcycle usability.

Once you have a clear idea about both of the above mentioned factors. You should go out to hunt for the perfect pair of motorcycle saddle for your motorcycle.

Step 2

1. Avoid motorcycle dealership to buy saddle bags as they charge top prices for the bags and often don t even provide real leather.

2. Internet is a more suitable way to shop for the motorcycle accessories as you are under no buying pressure plus you have the most variety available.

3. Type in the kind of leather bags you are looking for in Google, yahoo, or e bay. Be specific for example if you are looking for saddlebags for Harley Davidson softail saddlebags type in the whole phrase not just saddlebags or leather saddlebags.

Step 3

Basically there are 2 kinds of bags 1. Throw over bags ( ranging from 100 to 200 in price)

2. Bolt on bags ranging from 150 to 500).

Throw over bags are easier to install and take of as compared to Bolton bags unless used with detachable brackets that cost between 100 to 170 dollars. Bolt on bags are usually made of leather unlike most throw over bags unless the manufacturer states. Bolt on saddlebags look better in certain cases on a bike.

Step 4

Once you have chose the kind of saddlebag 1. Match the leather tanage(color) with the seat and other leather accessories on the bike.

2. Match the hardware on the seat or tool bags on the bike to that on the saddlebag. For example if your tool bag has studs on it or your seat is studded it would be cool to have studded saddlebags.

3. Try to buy bag that are lockable, have quick release buckles and most importantly offers some kind of guarantee. Try buying from a company as rather than an internet seller as the companies respect there promises due to there capability and skills in the field.

If you have any question regarding motorcycle saddlebags of any kind please visit Viking motorcycle saddlebags for more info or e mail at sales@vikingbags.com

Motorcycle Saddlebags, Motorcycle Luggage & Leather Saddlebags Viking Bags manufacturers quality motorcycle saddlebags, motorcycle luggage and leather saddlebags.

This article is a copyright of Viking bags and written by Alamdar

How to purchase best electric bikes online?
Time is money . This phrase has proved true in today s advance and fast moving world. Life has become so fast that people really find it hard to fulfill all the commitments of the life. A person has so much involved in his/her daily assignments that s/he is unable to spare the time to do some extra work other than the daily routine.

Some people even hire others to do the work on behalf of them. The hired person would clean the house, cook the food, look after the hirer s children, serve them food and milk, play with them, buy the groceries, wash the car, drop and pick the hirer, find a concerned trade-person to fix up the domestic problems etc. But still, there are some works which a person him/herself has to do. If a person is getting married, then a man cannot send the hired person to buy a wedding ring or other gifts for his to be wife. Similarly, a woman would never prefer sending the hired person to buy a wedding gown for her or other gifts for her to be husband. In case of married couples with children also, there are some tasks that have to be fulfilled by the parents for their children or for themselves also. Unfortunately, some parents are unable to devote time to get something for their children. If a grown-up son or a daughter demands a car from a wealthy father or mother, both would love to buy one for their beloved son/daughter, but could not devote the time to accompany them and select one. They would just give them the money and as a result the son or the daughter would buy a car of his/her own choice, which the parents may not like but have to accept unwillingly.

However, it has now become easy to buy things remaining at home, thanks to the intelligent internet online marketing and selling system, which has helped save people s time going out in the market and spending hours selecting just one thing. Now you can buy things online sitting at your home, through internet, browsing through the wide sites of respective items. The new electric bikes have also mingled with the online business and acquired good position in the world of internet marketing. Numerous electric bikes websites have been launched on the internet. If you are thinking to gift an electric bike to your young son/daughter, but do not have time to go to the showroom, then you can call the showroom at your place. On the website of the electric bikes, you can find a wide range of electric bikes, with different prices, colours, makes, brands, designs, features and with lot more information. You can visit the site of www.bernsonev.com and know more about electric vehicles. Here you can find a wide range of electric bikes from reputed manufacturers. You can select the one suitable to your budget, pay online and get it delivered to your door-step.

Shop at online www.bernsonev.com and save your time and money on an electric bike.

Economical, Quiet, Clean, Green and No Gasoline. Electric Bikes And Scooters at Bernson EV Bernson EV (Electric Vehicles) has been in the business of selling and repairing Electric Bikes and Electric Scooters since 2001. Our primary focus is offering the best selection of Electric Bicycles, Electric Scooters and Electric Conversion Kits from Crystalite and Wilderness Energy. With customer satisfaction second to none. Authorized Reseller of Electric Bikes, Scooters and Conversion Kits.

Motorcycle Tire Basics
This is the first in a series of articles exploring motorcycle tire basics and various basic dynamic characteristics of the handling behavior of motorcycles. Overall this is a very complex subject and needs a good level of mathematics and physics to properly understand what’s happening. However, in these articles I’ll try and explain the basics with the absolute minimum of mathematics, but where this is unavoidable I’ll not go beyond simple trigonometry. For those that are unhappy with any mathematics at all, don’t worry, just skip those parts and the rest should still prove useful. I’ll try and illustrate the mechanics with many sketches and graphs. It seems incredible that just two small contact patches of rubber, can support our machines and manage to deliver large amounts of power to the road, whilst at the same time supporting cornering forces at least as much as the weight of the bike and rider. As such the tires exert perhaps the single most important influence over general handling characteristics, so it seems appropriate to study their characteristics before the other various aspects of chassis design. When Newton first expounded to the world his theories of mechanics, no doubt he had on his mind, things other than the interaction of motorcycle tires with the road surface. Never-the-less his suppositions are equally valid for this situation. In particular his third law states, “For every force there is an equal and opposite force to resist it.” or to put it another way “Action and reaction are equal and opposite.” Relating this to tire action, means that when the tire is pushing on the road then the road is pushing back equally hard on the tire. This applies equally well regardless of whether we are looking at supporting the weight of the bike or resisting cornering, braking or driving loads. What this particular law of Newton does not concern itself with, is which force is the originating one nor indeed does it matter for many purposes of analysis. However, as a guide to the understanding of some physical systems it is often useful to mentally separate the action from the reaction. The forces that occur between the ground and the tires determine so much the behaviour of our machines, but they are so often taken for granted. tires really perform such a multitude of different tasks and their apparent simplicity hides the degree of engineering sophistication that goes into their design and fabrication. Initially pneumatic tires were fitted to improve comfort and reduce loads on the wheels. Even with modern suspension systems it is still the tires that provide the first line of defence for absorbing road shocks. To explore carcass construction, tread compound and tread pattern in great detail is beyond the scope of this book. Rather we are concerned here with some basic principles and their effects on handling characteristics. Weight Support The most obvious function of the tire is to support the weight of the machine, whether upright or leaning over in a corner. However, the actual mechanism by which the air pressure and tire passes the wheel load to the road is often misunderstood. Consider fig. 1, this sketch represents a slice through the bottom of a rim and tire of unit thickness with an inflation pressure of P. The left hand side shows the wheel unloaded and the right hand side shows it supporting the weight F. When loaded the tire is compressed vertically and the width increases as shown, perhaps surprisingly the internal air pressure does not change significantly with load, the internal volume is little changed. At the widest section (X1) of the unloaded tire the internal half width is W1, and so the force normal to this section due to the internal pressure is simply 2.P.W1 . This force acts upwards towards the wheel rim, but as the pressure and tire width are evenly distributed around the circumference the overall effect is completely balanced. This force also has to be resisted by an equal tension (T) in the tire carcass. The loaded tire has a half width of W2 at it’s widest section (X2) and so the normal force is 2.P.W2 . Therefore, the extra force over this section, when loaded, is 2.P.(W2 ” W1) but as the tire is only widened over a small portion of the bottom part of the circumference, this force supports the load F. The above describes how the inflation pressure and tire width increase produce forces to oppose the vertical wheel loading, but does not completely explain the detail of the mechanism by which these forces are transferred to the rim. The bead of a fitted tire is an interference fit over the bead seat of the wheel rim, which puts this area into compression, the in-line component of the side-wall tension due to the inflation pressure reduces this compression somewhat. This component is shown as F1 on the unloaded half of F1 = T.cos(U1). The greater angle U2 of the side-wall when loaded means that the in-line component of the tension is reduced, thereby also restoring some of the rim to tire bead compression. This only happens in the lower part of the tire circumference, where the widening takes place. So there is a nett increase in the compressive force on the lower rim acting upward, this supports the bike weight. The nett force is the difference between the unloaded and loaded in-line forces, F = T.(cos( U1) -cos(U2)) The left hand side shows half of an inflated but unloaded tire, a tension (T) is created in the carcass by the internal pressure. To the right, the compressed and widened shape of the loaded tire is shown. The in-line components (F1 & F2) of the side-wall tension are reduced by factors equal to the cosines of the angles of the side-wall. This reduction is greater with the loaded tire resulting in a greater compressive force on the lower part of the rim. This is the principle but not the only mechanism which passes force from the wheel to the ground, the above ignores the effects of the flexure stiffness of the carcass itself, in addition to supporting the tension forces as outlined, the side-walls also have some bending resistance which can resist small wheel loads without any internal air pressure. Suspension Action In performing this function the pneumatic tire is the first object that feels any road shocks and so acts as the most important element in the machine’s suspension system. To the extent that, whilst uncomfortable, it would be quite feasible to ride a bike around the roads, at reasonable speeds with no other form of bump absorption. In fact rear suspension was not at all common until the 1940s or 50s. Whereas, regardless of the sophistication of the conventional suspension system, it would be quite impractical to use wheels without pneumatic tires, or some other form of tire that allowed considerable bump deflection. The loads fed into the wheels without such tires would be enormous at all but slow speeds, and continual wheel failure would be the norm. A few figures will illustrate what I mean:–Assume that a bike, with a normal size front wheel, hits a 25 mm, sharp edged bump at 190 km/h. This not a large bump. With no tire the wheel would then be subject to an average vertical acceleration of approximately 1000 G. (the peak value would be higher than this). This means than if the wheel and brake assembly had a mass of 25 kg. then the average point load on the rim would be 245 kN. or about 25 tons. What wheel could stand that? If the wheel was shod with a normal tire, then this would have at ground level, a spring rate, to a sharp edge, of approx. 17-35 N/mm. The maximum force then transmitted to the wheel for a 25 mm. step would be about 425-875 N. i.e. less than four thousandths of the previous figure, and this load would be more evenly spread around the rim. Without the tire the shock loads passed back to the sprung part of the bike would be much higher too. The vertical wheel velocity would be very much greater, and so the bump damping forces, which depend on wheel velocity, would be tremendous. These high forces would be transmitted directly back to bike and rider. The following five charts show some results of a computer simulation of accelerations and displacements on a typical road motorcycle, and illustrate the tire’s significance to comfort and road holding. The bike is traveling at 100 km/h. and the front wheel hits a 0.025 metre high step at 0.1 seconds. Note that the time scales vary from graph to graph. Three cases are considered: With typical vertical tire stiffness and typical suspension springing and damping. With identical tire properties but with a suspension spring rate of 100 X that of the previous. With tire stiffness 100 X the above and with normal suspension springing. So basically we are considering a typical case, another case with almost no suspension springing and the final case is with a virtually rigid tire. Structural loading, comfort and roadholding would all be adversely affected without the initial cushioning of the tire. Note that the above charts are not all to the same time scale, this is simply to better illustrate the appropriate points. This shows the vertical displacement of the front wheel. There is little difference between the maximum displacements for the two cases with a normal tire, for a small step the front tire absorbs most of the shock. However, in the case of a very stiff tire, the wheel movement is increased by a factor of about 10 times. It is obvious that the tire leaves the ground in this case and the landing bounces can be seen after 0.5 seconds. These curves show the vertical movement of the C of G of the bike and rider. As in Fig 1 it is clear that the stiff tire causes much higher bike movements, to the obvious detriment of comfort. Demonstrating the different accelerations transmitted to the bike and rider, these curves show the vertical accelerations at the C of G. Both of the stiffer tire or stiffer suspension cases show similar values of about 5 or 6 times that of the normal case, but the shape of the two curves is quite different. With the stiff suspension there is little damping and we can see that it takes a few cycles to settle down. The second bump at around 0.155 seconds is when the rear wheel hits the step, this rear wheel response is not shown on the other graphs for clarity. Front wheel vertical acceleration for the two cases with a normal tire. The early part is similar for the two cases, the suspension has little effect here, it is tire deflection that is the most important for this height of step. As in Fig 5 the lack of suspension damping allows the tire to bounce for a few cycles before settling down. As in these curves are of the wheel acceleration, the values of the normal case are overwhelmed by the stiff tire case, with a peak value of close to 600 G compared with nearly 80 G normally. Again note the effects of the landing bounces after 0.5 seconds. This high acceleration would cause very high structural loading. As the tire is so good at removing most of the road shocks, right at the point of application, perhaps it would be worth while to consider designing it to absorb even more and eliminate the need for other suspension. Unfortunately we would run into other problems. We have all seen large construction machinery bouncing down the road on their balloon tires, sometimes this gets so violent that the wheels actually leave the ground. A pneumatic tire acts just like an air spring, and the rubber acts as a damper when it flexes, but when the tire is made bigger the springing effect overwhelms the damping and we then get the uncontrolled bouncing. So there are practical restraints to the amount of cushioning that can be built into a tire for any given application. Effects of Tire Pressure Obviously, the springing characteristics mentioned above are largely affected by the tire inflation pressure, but there are other influences also. Carcass material and construction and the properties and tread pattern of the outer layer of rubber all have an effect on both the springing properties and the area in contact with the ground (contact patch). Under and over inflation both allow the tire to assume non-optimum cross-sectional shapes, additionally the inflation pressure exerts an influence over the lateral flexibility of a tire and this is a property of the utmost importance to motorcycle stability. Manufacturers’ recommendations should always be adhered to. The influence of tire pressure on the vertical stiffness of an inflated tire, when loaded on a flat surface. These curves are from actual measured data. Note that the spring rate is close to linear over the full range of loading and varies from 14 kgf/mm. at 1.9 bar pressure to 19 kgf/mm. at 2.9 bar. The effective spring rate when the tire is loaded against a sharp edge, such as a brick, is considerably lower than this, and is more non-linear due to the changing shape of the contact area as the tire “wraps” around the object. This spring rate acts in series with the suspension springs and is an important part of the overall suspension system. An interesting property of rubber is that when compressed and released it doesn’t usually return exactly to it’s original position, this is known as hysteresis. This effect is shown only for the 1.9 bar. case, the curve drawn during the loading phase is not followed during the unloading phase. The area between these two curves represents a loss of energy which results in tire heating and also acts as a form of suspension damping. In this particular case the energy lost over one loading and unloading cycle is approximately 10% of the total stored energy in the compressed tire, and is a significant parameter controlling tire bounce. Vertical stiffness of a standard road tire against a flat surface at different inflation pressures. This data is from an Avon Azaro Sport II 170/60 ZR17. The upward arrows indicate the compression of the tire and the 2nd line with the downward arrow (shown only at 1.9 bar for clarity) shows the behaviour of the tire when the load is released. The shaded area between the two lines represents a loss of energy called hysteresis. This acts as a source of suspension damping and also heats the tire. (From data supplied by Avon tires.) The lateral stiffness of the same tire measured at two different pressures. In both cases the tire was loaded vertically with it’s maximum rated capacity of 355 kgf. The lateral spring rate is less than half that of the vertical rate at 7.7 and 7.3 kgf/mm. at 2.9 and 2.5 bar respectively. It is interesting to note that at the higher pressure the tire saturates or loses adhesion at the lower figure of 460 kgf. compared to 490 kgf. at the lower pressure. Saturation is indicated when the curve more or less becomes horizontal, this is when the tire cannot support an more lateral force and it displaces or slides sideways, with an approximately constant force. The contact patch area and pressure produced at the lower air pressure has allowed more static grip. However, these tests are done with the artificial case of an upright and non-rotating wheel and hence it would be risky to extrapolate this grip characteristic to a moving machine. Although not shown, the lateral deformation would also be subject to some hysteresis and this damping and the lateral flexibility exert an important influence over the weave stability. Lateral stiffness of the same tire shown in fig. 9. The vertical load was constant at 355 kgf. and the wheel was kept vertical. As expected the tire is somewhat stiffer with the higher inflation pressure but loses grip or saturates at the lower lateral load of 460 kgf. compared to 490 kgf. at the lower pressure. (From data supplied by Avon tires.) Contact Area The tire must ultimately give it’s support to the bike through a small area of rubber in contact with the ground, and so “contact patch area = vertical force average contact patch surface pressure”. This applies under ALL conditions. The contact patch surface pressure is NOT however, the same as the inflation pressure, as is sometimes claimed. They are related but there are at least four factors which modify the relationship. Carcass stiffness, carcass shape, surface rubber depth and softness, and road surface compliance. If we have an extremely high carcass stiffness then inflation pressure will have a reduced influence. Let’s look at this in a little more detail and see why: If a tire was made just like an inner tube, that is from quite thin rubber and with little stiffness unless inflated, then the internal air pressure would be the only means to support the bike’s weight. In this case the contact patch pressure would be equal to that of the internal air pressure. For an air pressure of 2 bar and a vertical load of 1.0 kN. Then the contact area would be 5003 sq.mm. If we now increased the air pressure to say 3 bar the area would fall to 3335 sq.mm. Let’s now imagine that we substitute a rigid steel tubular hoop for our rim and tire, the area in contact with the ground will be quite small. If we now inflate the hoop with some air pressure, it doesn’t take much imagination to see that, unlike the inner tube, this internal pressure will have a negligible effect on the external area of contact. Obviously, a tire is not exactly like the steel hoop, nor the inner tube, but this does show that the carcass rigidity can reduce the contact surface area as calculated purely from inflation pressure alone. On the other hand, let’s now imagine that we cover the previous steel hoop with a layer of thick soft rubber. Now, the actual contact area will be considerably increased and the average contact patch pressure will be reduced. Substitute this mental picture back to a real tire and we see that the tread layer of rubber will give us a greater contact area and lower contact pressure than that of the inflation pressure alone. It is this compliance of the surface rubber that gives us more contact with the road when we increase tire width and diameter, but this must be balanced against the opposing effects of the carcass stiffness. Radial and bias or cross ply tires exhibit quite different characteristics in this regard. The properties of the road surface are also important, a soft surface, mud and sand for example, will obviously give support over a wider area of the tire and so reduce the contact pressure. On a hot day with softened tarmac, even a normal road will deflect significantly enough to affect the contact patch. To get a feeling for the degree of departure of the contact patch pressure from the inflation pressure, consider a completely flat tire, in this case the rubber area will probably be no more than 3 or 4 times, at most, the area when inflated correctly. Based on the notion that rubber pressure = inflation pressure, we would expect the rubber area to be much higher, infinite in fact. Another extreme case to consider: Imagine a knobbly tire with very few knobs such that only one knob supports the bike. In this example the rubber pressure is simply the weight divided by the area of the one knob, this is regardless of the inflation pressure. These are extreme examples of course but should still demonstrate the lie in the proposition that rubber contact pressure = inflation pressure. The following describes some simple measurements that I made to check out the actual relationship between load, inflation pressure and contact area. I did 2 sets of tests. For the first I kept the tire inflation pressure constant at 2.4 bar and varied the tire load between 178 and 1210 N. (allowing for the weight of the glass and wooden beams). Secondly, I keep a constant load of 1210 N. and tried varying the inflation pressure between 2.4 to 1 bar. Even with a generous allowance for experimental error the effects are clear. The graphs show that the results appeared to fit reasonably well to a smooth line, there wasn’t much scatter. Point (1) on the curve with constant inflation pressure, shows how the actual contact patch pressure is lower (just over half) than the inflation pressure, or in other words the contact area is greater. This is due to the rubber surface compliance, thus this is more important at low vertical loads, whereas carcass stiffness became more important as the load rose as shown by points (3) to (6) where the actual contact pressure is higher than the air pressure, i.e. reduced area of contact. Measurement setup. Various weights were placed on the end of a beam, which also loaded the tire via a thick plate of glass. The beam was arranged to apply the load to the tire with a 4:1 leverage. So a 25 kgf. weight would load the tire with 100 kgf. By tracing over the glass the contact area was determined. Tracings of tire footprint for different loads and pressures. The numbers relate to the data points below. The top plot shows the measured contact patch pressure at various wheel loads for a constant inflation pressure of 2.4 bar. The lower curves show the contact pressure at various inflation pressures for a fixed load of 1210 N. The numbers at the data points correspond with the contact area tracings in the previous sketch. The plain line on each plot shows the case of the contact patch pressure being equal to the inflation pressure. The carcass stiffness helps to support the machine as the air pressure is reduced, the contact patch pressure being considerably higher than the inflation pressure. It looks as though the two lines will cross at an air pressure of about 3.5 bar. (although this was not tested by measurement), at which point the surface rubber compression will assume the greatest importance. This is as per the steel hoop analogy above. We can easily see the two separate effects of surface compliance and carcass stiffness and how the relative importance of these varies with load and/or inflation pressure. These tests were only done with one particular tire, other types will show different detail results but the overall effects should follow a similar pattern. Area Under Cornering Does cornering affect tire contact area? Let’s assume a horizontal surface and lateral acceleration of 1G. Under these conditions the bike/rider CoG will be on a line at 45 to the horizontal and passing through the contact patch. There will a resultant force acting along this line through the contact patch of 1.4 times the supported weight. This force is the resultant of the supported weight and the cornering force, which have the same magnitude, in this example of a 45 lean. The force normal to the surface is simply that due to the supported weight and does NOT vary with cornering force. The cornering force is reacted by the horizontal frictional force generated by the tire/road surface and this frictional force is “allowed” by virtue of the normal force. Therefore, to a first approximation cornering force will NOT affect the tire contact area, and in fact this case could be approximated to, if we were just considering the inner tube without a real world tire. However in reality, the lateral force will cause some additional tire distortion to take place at the road/tire interface and depending on the tire characteristics, mentioned above, the contact area may well change. Another aspect to this is of course the tire cross-sectional profile. The old Dunlop triangular racing tire, for example, was designed to put more rubber on the road when leant over, so even without tire distortion the contact patch area increased, simply by virtue of the lean angle. Next month we’ll look at other aspects of tires, such as friction, grip, drifting, under- and over-steer, and tire construction and materials. by Tony Foale http://www.CarsNet.com/motorcycle

Ray Taylor is the owner of the real world San Diego Car & Cycle - Show & Swap. He also owns www.CarsNet.com and www.SanDiegoAutoSwap.com

Why to use an electric bicycle?
The electric bicycle is the most convenient and affordable mode of transportation available today. You may not find it convenient to travel to a particular place by electric bicycle, but at the same time you may not find it convenient to go to some places by your car too. It is sometimes very hard to drive your car to the nearby market place and hunt for a parking space to get a small thing like a milk bottle or say a bread packet. Instead, you or your son/daughter could go by the electric bicycle and get such thing and come back within less than the time it would take you to return home by your car. The electric bicycle can be used for local errands instead of using your car for which. Some people even use electric bicycle to go to work and the students enjoying riding to the college, to the tennis court. You and your children can even go for a joy ride around town or parks. An electric bicycle can really do most of your trips as well as or even faster than your car. If you calculate the cost of the fuel and time you spend doing small errands on daily basis, except going on long drive for a picnic during the week-ends, you will surely come to the conclusion that the electric bicycles are cheaper, convenient, reliable and faster than your car because the electric bicycles requires less space to store and can pass through between two parallel cars during the traffic jams. Moreover it runs on a battery which has to be charged after about 60-70 kms. You may get a used car for $500 to $1000, but then your would need regular check-up, oil changing and regular service. Whereas the electric bicycles would cost you for less than the six months amount you spend on the maintenance of your car. There is either no or very less maintenance cost of $5 worth of electricity a year for the electric bicycle. Electric bicycles are the best options for your car, bus or train ride for all those shorter distance commutes. Normally an electric bicycles travel at around 25-30 kmph which is much better than walking and traveling by car in bumper to bumper moving traffic. The electric bicycles are now available worldwide through the internet. You can visit the website www.bernsonev.com where you can find the details of electric bicycles. Also you can check various designs, styles and colours and buy one from Bernsonev E.V. remaining at home and get the home delivery of the electric bicycle.

A Fix For Classic Car Show Power Voting
A Fix For Classic Car Show Power Voting by: Ray Taylor As I wrote in a previous article, “Classic Car Show Power Voting”, there has been a real challenge at my San Diego Classic Car & Cycle Show & Swap with Power Voting. I think I may have found a way to help reduce the imbalance in voting results at People’s Choice type of Car Shows. For those who don’t know, Power Voting is when groups such as Car Clubs go to a People’s Choice Type Car Show and vote for all their club members and no one else. I believe people should be able to vote for whomever they please. The challenge comes about when those attending the event don’t participate by casting their votes for their favorite vehicles. Without a large number of votes being cast, Power Voting can sway the results so the majority of the trophies go to the Power Voting Group. Voter Apathy strikes again! I think I have found a fix that will help make the voting results more equitable for all entries. I am going to start doing at my Car Shows what the state of New Mexico is doing to help encourage their people to get out and vote. They bribe them! How? When they vote, they are entered into a Voter’s Lottery! That’s exactly what I am going to do too!!! When you cast your vote at my events from now, on you will receive a ticket for a Special Raffle just for Voters! Bribery works well with politicians; I think it will help cancel out the effects of Power Voting. If you have any questions or suggestions about this new addition to my shows, please feel free to contact me. I really appreciate and enjoy hearing your ideas and feedback. On Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 from 6am to 2pm we will be holding our Annual “Salute Our Troops” Classic Car & Cycle Show & Swap in the SW lot of San Diego Qualcomm Stadium. All Active Military will be given Free entry. If they are in Uniform, I will also treat them to Free Refreshments. Please come out on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 and show your support! Grab A Friend, Bring a G.I., and We’ll See Ya There! Ray Taylor Classic Cars Net Free Ads

Ray Taylor is the owner of the real world San Diego Car & Cycle - Show & Swap. He also owns www.CarsNet.com, www.SanDiegoAutoSwap.com

Motorcycle Road Trips In North Florida: Jax Beach To Fernandina
With bike week just around the corner, bikers from all over the country are pulling their motorcycles out of winter storage and cleaning up their leathers in anticipation of a motorcycle rally like no other. While Daytona is definitely the place to be the week of March 5th, Florida offers some great stretches of road through pristine landscapes to some great biker destinations.

About an hour and a half north of Daytona on A1A lies the bustling beach community of Jacksonville Beach, which is where we will meet for the start of our road trip- because, well, that?s where I?m from! On any given day you?ll find bikes and bikers parked and hanging out at the Jax Beach Pier parking lot. Just across the street is the famed biker bar Mango?s, a great place for bikers to meet, have some good home cooking and shoot some pool. Summer weekends will generally find some heavy metal band performing outside on the covered deck. So put on your best leather motorcycle jacket and come on out to Mango’s to start our first north Florida road trip.

Our first day trip will start from Jax Beach and head north on A1A to Fernandina Beach, a quaint little island town with its own unique attitude. If you follow A1A north, after bearing left at Mayport Naval Station, you will be cruising through the marshlands at the mouth of the St. Johns River and come to a dead end at the ferry in Mayport Village. A traditional fishing village, this is where most of north Florida gets their seafood. Shrimp boats, party boats, and deep sea charters line the docks, and you can even take a gambling cruise from here. If you?re hungry, there?s an old wooden shack sitting on the water that serves some of the best seafood available. Singletons is not much to look at, but it?s been there forever and people drive for miles to sit on the water enjoying the freshest of Florida seafood, while watching the pelicans scrounge for theirs.

Taking the ferry across the river, you?ll once again pick up A1A heading north. To your right you?ll soon see a huge barren sandbar that was formed by the northern jetties at the mouth of the St. Johns. On the eastern edge are the jetties, the Atlantic Ocean, and a beach that is packed with babes of all shapes and sizes. The western side has a lagoon and the Fort George River inlet. A very wide beach at low tide, vehicles have been swallowed up and swept away by the Atlantic because of people parking just a little too close to the water, and taking a walk in the dunes. A great place for jet skiing, swimming, fishing and surfing, Huguenot Park also has a campground with primitive and RV camp sites and showers.

For the next several miles, you will be cruising through some of the most pristine and unspoiled wetlands in Florida. Island hopping through little and big Talbot Islands and the Timacuan Preserve, this coastal area is one of the few in Florida untouched by development, and will theoretically remain that way. Flora and Fauna abound, and nature lovers flock to the area in kayaks and flatboats to navigate the waterways in search of trout and redfish.

Heading across the Nassau Sound Bridge to Florida?s northern most barrier island, the developments once again start to pop up. World renowned resort Amelia Island Plantation has vast acreages of condos, single family houses, an Inn rivaled by none, and a huge convention center that draws business from all over the world. A community within itself, the Plantation strives, and has done a good job, of preserving the natural habitat.

Not to be outdone, the Ritz Carlton is just a few miles north and is also a magnet for the well to do, with a golf course and all the pampering the Ritz is known for!

Almost there, we take A1A into downtown Fernandina Beach. An old fishing village like Mayport, Fernandina is much larger and has many unique and historical buildings. The waterfront is speckled with shrimp boats and deep sea charters, and Brent?s is the restaurant on the docks. Fernandina Beach also hosts an annual shrimp festival on the first weekend in May.

Ending our motorcycle excursion from Jacksonville Beach (about an hour non stop), our last stop is a very popular watering hole for bikers and locals alike. The Palace Saloon has been there since 1878, and although it burned in 1999, it has been restored to its original 18th century wooden d r. More of a bar than a restaurant, this is where you get to know the locals, many of which are in the hospitality industry and definitely know how to party hardy! With live bands, dancing, flirting and drinking, the Palace Saloon is the place to party in Fernandina Beach!

In my next road trip article we?ll head south on A1A to our nations oldest city. Founded by Ponce de Leon in 1513 and home of the fountain of youth, this place is just a tiny little drinking town with a fishing problem!

Michael Talbert lives, works, and plays in <a href="http://jaxbeach-pier.com">Jacksonville Beach</a> and is the owner/operator of <a href="http://nakedleatherbiker.com">Biker Leather Ltd. </a>

When it comes to motorcycling, sisters have always been doin it for themselves
In recent years, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has reported that almost half of the students in most new rider training classes are women. But history shows that there have always been avid, expert female motorcyclists. Here are five famous female riders who are truly old school.

1.) Linda Dugeau ” The original Motor Maid
In the 30s, there was an association of female aviators called the Ninety-nine Club . This inspired Linda to form a similar association of female motorcyclists. She teamed up with Dot Robinson, a well-known competition rider, to form a club called the Motor Maids.
It took Linda and Dot several years to find the 50 members they needed to earn an AMA charter, but the Motor Maids were soon known for their smart uniforms, complete with white gloves. The club still exists, with branches across the U.S. and in Eastern Canada. (www.motormaids.org)

2.) Dot Robinson ” Sidecar champion
Dot s father, James Goulding, was the designer of a popular line of motorcycle sidecars. When Dot s mother went into labor with her, Goulding took her to the hospital in a sidecar. As an adult, Dot and her husband were Harley-Davidson dealers in Detroit.
When she won a Jack Pine enduro in the sidecar class, she became the first woman ever to win an AMA national competition. She rode until she was well into her 80s, often in a pink riding suit that she adopted in the 1950s, when the customary black leather outfits became associated with outlaw gangs.

3.) Linda Wallach and Florence Blenkiron ” Taking the Rugged Road
Linda grew up in the 1930s, in the English midlands near the factories where BSAs and Triumphs were manufactured. Despite her early fascination with bikes and her obvious skill as a rider, she was never encouraged to pursue such an unladylike sport.
Undeterred, she studied engineering and later took her friend Florence on an epic sidecar journey across the Sahara and south all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. The women had to argue their way past French Foreign Legion outposts and face man-eating lions (luckily they weren t woman-eaters). They rebuilt their engine in mid-journey and once pushed their rig 25 miles. They told the whole story in a popular book titled, The Rugged Road.
Linda later became the first woman to earn a coveted Gold Star for lapping the Brooklands race oval at over 100 miles an hour. In WWII she became the first woman ever to serve as a British military dispatch rider.
After the war, she moved to the U.S. where she worked as a motorcycle mechanic, eventually owning her own dealership. She wrote a popular motorcycle training manual, then moved to Phoenix where she operated a riding school. She helped found WIMA, the Women s International Motorcycle Association. She never owned a car and rode until her eyesight failed at the age of 88. She died less than two years after giving up her beloved sport.

4.) Bessie Stringfield ” The Motorcycle Queen of Miami
The American Motorcycle Association s Bessie Stringfield Award is given to women who distinguish themselves in the sport of motorcycling.
As an African-American woman in the 30s and 40s, Bessie made several well-publicized cross-country rides, fearlessly taking on both racists and sexists. She was frequently denied accommodation and there are pictures of her sleeping right on her motorcycle. Once, she was run off the road. Those experiences didn t dim her patriotism however ” during WWII she served as the U.S. military s first female dispatch rider.
Bessie was truly a larger-than-life character. She once disguised herself as a man to win a dirt track race. She said she d owned 27 Harley-Davidsons and one Indian. She owned up to no less than six husbands, too.

5.) Marjorie Cottle ” Rode in motorcycling s real Great Escape
Marjorie Cottle was one of the first female competitors in the International Six Day Trial, which is often called the Olympics of motorcycling.
In 1939, the ISDT was held in Nazi-controlled Austria in the last few days before England declared war on Germany. That year, Britain sent both a civilian and a military team to compete. After four days, when it seemed that war could break out at any minute, British officials told the civilian team to return to England immediately. Cottle refused to leave and competed on the fifth day alongside the British Army team. When they too were ordered to abandon competition, Cottle and the Army team rode their motorcycles to neutral territory in Switzerland.

Next week, we ll post the stories of five contemporary riders who lend a whole new meaning to the phrase fast woman!

Mark Gardiner is an internationally acclaimed motorcycle journalist, the subject of a documentary film, One Man s Island and the author of Riding Man , an account of his struggle to qualify for and survive the world s most dangerous motorcycle race. www.ridingman.com

Tricks to Purchasing the Perfect Motorcycle Helmet

Is it really possible to find the perfect motorcycle helmet, one that fits correctly, is the color you want and also made from strong sturdy material that will help protect you from serious injury? It may sound easy, but it’s darn near impossible to obtain a perfect motorcycle helmet.

You cannot choose a helmet based on its size or the material it’s made from alone. There are many things that need to be considered when purchasing motorcycle helmets. Sure, it’s probably possible to locate a helmet that is the right color or that is made from the type of material that will satisfy your safety concerns, but when it comes to "proper fit" it opens up a whole new can of worms. It is so important to consider the "safety factor." Some motorcycle helmets are just not as safe as others and you should be aware of this.

Some of the more popular motorcycle helmet manufacturers are Icon, Arai, Shoei, Suomy, Erex, Bell, HJC and Nolan. The majority of their helmets are approved by DOT or Snell. There are many other makers, but these are some of the better known companies.

When it comes to safety there are two major concerns. One, how is your visibility? How is your peripheral vision? Can you see enough of the surrounding area to be safe? If your visibility is poor your chances of being in an accident can increase dramatically. And two, if you are involved in an accident will your head be protected as well as you’d like? Will the material that the helmet is made from stand up to the test, to the punishment?

Many motorcyclists or bikers look solely at the aesthetic qualities of a helmet and disregard safety when looking to purchase a helmet. But in reality it should be viewed oppositely. Safety should always come first.

The main options you have when searching for the perfect motorcycle helmet are color, shape, visibility and liners. Color is the easiest decision to make, right? Wrong. As far as the safety factor goes you should be able to be seen well by other drivers. Bright colors stand out and are very noticeable, even at night, while dull dark colors are not seen easily. It’s very important to choose a bright color that can be seen easily by other drivers, even at night.

Another factor to consider is the shape of the helmet. Some people have tall slim oblong heads (egg shaped) while others have round or oval-shaped heads. Trying on helmets for a good fit is the only sure way to tell if it will fit your head properly and comfortably. Plus, you want the weight of the helmet to be distributed properly so that the head can support the helmet easily.

As far as safety is concerned the number one thing to consider is your peripheral vision. Some helmets simply do not allow a biker to see to their periphery well enough to be safe. With good visibility it’s a lot easier to see when an accident might happen and have time to react to the circumstances and maneuver out of harms way.

Liners are the last item on the agenda. The purpose of a liner is for comfort, but it also is there to help you with a correct fit. If the liner is not a good fit for your head you will notice specific spots on your head that are receiving more pressure than others. Avoid these liners. Possibly the most comfortable liner is the skull cap. You will usually have less pressure in specific areas when using this type of liner.

Last, but not least, it is not wise to buy motorcycle helmets online unless you have tried that specific helmet on previously in a retail store. In most cases you will be better off trying one on in a store first. Then, once you know the brand, size, color and type of liner that you prefer it’s an easy job to browse online for the best deals.

The biggest mistake most consumers make is locating a flashy cool-looking helmet online and then buy it solely because of its looks and for no other reason. Spend a little time shopping and you will likely end up with a product that you can be happy with for many years to come.

This article is brought to you by My Motorcycle Helmet, an online source for finding a <a href="http://www.my-motorcycle-helmet.net">cheap motorcycle helmet</a>. Learn how to find the perfect Nolan, Suomy, Arai, Bell or <a href="http://www.my-motorcycle-helmet.net">Shoei motorcycle helmet</a> at My Motorcycle Helmet.