Welcome to Guide To Motorcycles!

 

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What matters most in motorcycles? Many motorcycle owners spend countless of dollars just to increase the engine performance of their bikes. And some of these engine performance parts include exhaust, fuel injection, mapping system and many more. Aside from that, countless accessories not only for the bikes but also for the owners are required only to be disappointed at the end. Such disappointment is due to the fact that they have not gotten the desired performance they want.

Take for example trail riding wherein speed is not at all times required due to the jaggedness of the terrain. Additional accessories designed for speed may create some problems along the way. Like your motorcycle may end up too much for you to handle. And some expert bikers say that some motorcycle accessories may even render your bikes to become slower. Likewise, some motorcycle accessories may even cause you, the rider to meet an accident. An example of which is buying taller tires without considering geometry of your motorcycle. Such may cause a rider to lose balance and that can be fatal especially during trail riding.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you are not going to buy any accessory for your motorcycle. However, it is imperative that you know just what motorcycle accessories you need and suppose to buy. Here’s a list of must have motorcycle accessories:

1. Suspension is one of the not so famous motorcycle parts that’s why most riders often times forget the importance of suspension on their bikes. Suspension can increase the speed of motorcycles. Nonetheless, it is not advisable to buy full suspension components since stock suspension can still be used. You only have to use components like the gold valve emulators in order to improve your stock equipment. 2. There are different tires for different types of terrain. It is important that you have a knowledge on what type of tire is applicable to a certain type of terrain in order to enhance your bike’s capacity to trail various terrains.

In addition, proper care of your motorcycles is vital. Proper care implies regular check up of the different parts to ensure safety on your part and also to make certain that your motorcycle is always on top condition.

Furthermore, whatever motorcycle accessories you may want to buy and add to your motorcycles just make sure that they are in accordance to the specification of your bike. This way you can minimize the quick wear and tear of your bike and at the same time you also ensure your safety. Riding a bike is an invigorating experience, one that can be treasured. So be wise, drive safely and choose motorcycle parts wisely. Shun away from those you don’t need and stick only to those you need.

About the author Maricon Williams Please visit Yamaha Motorcycle Parts site at http://www.yamahamotorcyclepartsonline.com/ for comments and inquiries regarding this article.

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The Best Motorcycle in the World. The usual way new and even many experienced bikers decide on what bike they are going to buy is to look at what their buddies are riding, or what the magazines have been testing recently.

While both these options have some merit they are not without their problems. Consider:

a) your mate may be a different size from you, they may be more or less flexible, they may be more or less experienced, their riding style and needs may be completely different from yours and so ultimately will be their choice of bike.

b) Magazine tests, the mags are supposed to be fair and impartial when it comes to bike and kit tests. However think about these 2 real examples

A magazine which had previously written positive reports about a particular manufacturers bikes were in the eyes of one journalist not given the respect they deserved and so wrote a negative test report on an almost identical machine which they had previously stated numerous times was a great bike.

A manufacturer withdrew all national advertising from a magazine and encouraged their dealers not to advertise with that particular publication due to a lengthy test piece critising certain things the magazine regarded as unacceptable faults in a new machine.

So the magazines can affect bike sales by unfair writing and manufacturers can punish magazines by withdrawing valuable advertising revenue.

You decide; can all bike tests then be truly impartial?

Another way is for you the rider to take a long hard honest look at your current riding style, ability, overall size weight and strength and the type of riding you do or are going to do i.e. that sexy 600 supersport may not have the best riding position if you are doing a lot of urban heavy traffic commuting, a heavy touring machine may be comfortable but is it the best machine for back road blasts with your mates and while you may love the idea of a dual sport/supermoto a fuel range of around 60 miles may not be practical when taking that cross country trip you do once a month with your mother riding pillion.

Once you have narrowed your choice down a bit, if you already have a bike licence take as many test rides as you can on as many different styles of bike as you need in order to make an informed decision. I have come across too many bikers who bought based on little or no thought or information and ended up with a bike they hated and in some cases gave up biking and blamed the bike shop for selling them that pile of s**t and ended up losing money when selling it because in their eyes they had bought the worst bike ever made.

Follow the guidelines in this article, give thought to “how you fit the bike and the bike fits you” and I promise you that every bike you buy will truly be for you the Best Motorcycle in the World.

About The Author Alan Walker - Ex owner of rider training company and bike shop. Web publisher www.motorcycle-guides.com. alan@motorcycle-guides.com 

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Motorcycle Wheel Repair. 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.

About The Author Tim Gowens has over 16 years experience in the wheel and tire industry and has been the owner of Metro Wheels & Accessories since 1989. He built a 22,000 square foot facility to house the wheel repair plant and a retail/wholesale show room. Tim is also a classical guitarist. metrowheels.com  

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