2Wheeltips

Looks like there is another one. The 650 & 800 series BMW's could stall under certain conditions. Here is the link:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/results.cfm?rcl_id=09V499000&searchtype=quicksearch&summary=true&refurl=rss

Also check it out in the news tab under product recalls. 

Here is our latest poll. We are going to post it in the magazine to see how it works here.

 

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Subscribe to the magazine RSS feed.To do this, look for the "subscribe" section in the right column of the magazine page and click this button 

 

From there you will be given options to use your favorite RSS feed reader to access 2wheeltips.com magazine articles without constantly checking the website.

Everyone at 2wheeltips.com wishes all of you a very happy, healthy New Year! 
Oh...and our New Year's resolution for 2010:  to work as hard as we can to help support and improve motorcycle safety and education!
Ride safely, everyone!
Your friends at 2wheeltips.com

Motorcycle safety isn't limited to any one state or country...it is universal.  And, at  2wheeltips.com, we support all efforts around the world to promote safe and responsible biking. 
Have you ever wondered what you should do if you ever encounter a motorcycle accident?  Take a look at this video (/videos/view/act-know-what-to-do_1830.html?m=1055) supplied by member BBUK01.  It provides some helpful guidance! 
Also, BBUK01 has started his own motorcycle safety website in the UK:  http://first-aid-biker.socialgo.com/  Visit his site and help support his effort to promote motorcycle safety in the UK.
As we find out about other worldwide safety websites and efforts, we'll be listing them here, so check back often!

Unless you are a die hard rider or live in a warm climate, you probably have put your bike up for the winter. Check out these videos on tips for winter storage.

Winterizing Your Bike

Fuel Stabilizers

One other thing. If you have powered accessories such as lights & alarms that constantly draw power from the battery, you may want to disconnect them before you store your bike. If you don't, you will have a dead battery in the spring (unless your bike is on a battery tender)

Let us know what you think.

I came across this wonderful site that lets you see if your helmet passed the DOT/Snell test. www.helmetcheck.com

Regardless of what people tell you (and there are some out there that say wearing a helmet is more dangerous because of the risk of whiplash), helmets will protect your head if you fall off your bike and hit your head on the ground.

Check out the site and let us know what you think.

There is nothing wrong with purchasing a used bike, especially if you are a new rider. Why spend thousands (if not 10's of thousands) on a bike only to find out it is not for you. Also why get the biggest baddest bike on the showroom floor only to have the power and weight of it scare you into next week. So starting out small and with something used is a great way to get into motorcycling.

So......in addition to having your motorcycle mechanic check out a used bike, you should also do a search on the VIN to make sure it is clean. Around here you can get a "hot" 600cc sportbike for $500.00 and the last thing you want to do is try to register a stolen bike.

I've come across some great resources you can use to check the VIN before you make the purchase. Not only will it let you know if it was stolen but also if it has been banged up in a crash or previously junked.

Auto Data Direct, Inc.
www.add123.com

CARCO Group, Inc.
www.autotitleinfo.com

Also it seems that some of the vehicle reports may be inaccurate so you can't entirely trust them either.

Both of these sites are approved by the U.S. Justice Department so the information should be very reliable.

Let me know what you think.

Checkout the link to the road perception tests from the MSF website. Let me know what you think. I played around with it for a little while and it looks good.

Make sure you set the speed to slow.

http://www.msf-usa.org/riderperception/

Here is an excellent overview of of motorcycle tires.

http://www.maxxis.com/MotorcycleATV/Motorcycle-Tire-School.aspx