On cool days when the weather is great and you want to get out and ride your motorcycle instead of reading Motorcycle Info online, make sure your cold weather motorcycle gear is ready to go.  It feels way colder on your motorcycle than it does outside on a chilly day because of Wind Chill.

If you don’t have the proper riding gear to fight off the wind chill, you’ll probably not enjoy your ride very much. 45°F seems like a reasonable temperature to go riding on a nice clear day, right?  Maybe so, but only if you are dressed for 32°F.  Why? Because according to the National Weather Service, 60 mph wind at 45°F equals a wind chill of 32°F. In case you forgot, water freezes at 32°F.  But maybe you’re thinking, I’ll only be riding at 45 mph, not 60 mph, so it won’t be so cold.  That won’t help much because 45 mph wind at 45°F equals a wind chill of 33°F, or only 1°above freezing.  Wearing the right kind of cold weather motorcycle gear is a must!

Denim jeans, and cotton clothes in general, are among the worst choices in terms of protection against the cold.  We at Motorcycle Info have put together some cold weather motorcycle gear ideas to help you.

continue reading "Top Cold Weather Motorcycle Gear Picks"

Automatic motorcycles are certainly worth a look if you are thinking about getting a motorcycle.  Whether it will be your very first motorcycle, or if you are a seasoned rider, but have a physical limitation, check out what’s new with automatic motorcycles.

Some people want to get a motorcycle, but think that learning how to shift gears and use the clutch is not worth it.  Also, some folks have physical obstacles that could make shifting gears on a regular motorcycle very uncomfortable or maybe even impossible.

For spouses that want to join in on weekend street bike rides, but only plan to ride occasionally, an automatic motorcycle could be a good fit.  Especially if they don’t have their motorcycle license yet and are just learning how to ride.  Fortunately, there are some cool new automatics on the market now.  Yes, cool automatics. Check out the latest automatic motorcycle info from Ridely, Aprilia and Honda with us here.

continue reading "Awesome New Automatic Motorcycles !"

The popularity of motor scooters and motorcycles in the US has grown incredibly over the past few years, and the number of women riding motorcycle and motor scooters has increased too.  ScooterGirls, Inc., a new California-based mobile advertising firm, has used this opportunity to combine motor scooters, business and fun.  Using motor scooters as a mobile advertising tool may seem like a mild way to advertise, but when up to 30 of them come riding through town in formation, piloted by attractive female models wearing custom logo outfits as part of an advertising event, you can imagine that they will surely catch the attention of a lot of people!

continue reading "ScooterGirls: Models on Motor Scooters!"

After deciding to get back into riding motorcycles on the street after some years away from it, I attended a Motorcycle Course for Experienced Riders at a local community college.  Community colleges are a great place to find motorcycle courses.  In addition to learning how to properly control your motorcycle, if you are riding on a learner’s permit, then you also have the opportunity to earn a waiver so you don’t have to take the motorcycle road test at the DMV for your motorcycle license endorsement.

The course I took was taught via the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, also known as the MSF.  Two MSF instructors actively taught and demonstrated for 12 of us students.

continue reading "Taking the Experienced Rider Motorcycle Course"

If your thinking about getting a motorcycle or scooter, then you also need to be thinking about getting motorcycle insurance quotes.  Motorcycle insurance costs are based on the type of coverage you have to have by law based on where you live, plus other factors discussed below.

To get the best motorcycle insurance quotes, of course you will probably want to shop around some.  Before you begin, it would be wise to have some things written down and have ready provide to whether you are getting motorcycle insurance quotes online or by telephone.  Also, if you have taken a motorcycle course for safety and riding skills, such as from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, then you might be able to get an additional discount by proving that.

Below are some typical questions you’ll need to be ready to answer:

continue reading "Guide to Motorcycle Insurance Quotes"

Cycle World Magazine’s October 2008 edition includes a “Battle of the Baggers” test of 8 different bagger motorcycles tested by 8 different riders and written by Peter Egan.  An unlikely winner was picked which made the article all that more interesting.

continue reading "Cycle World Magazine Tests 8 Bagger Motorcycles"

What can be better that riding your motorcycle with a bunch of other like-minded riders to help raise money for good causes while having a great time in the process?

The concept of these kind of motorcycle rides sounded very good, so I put it to the test. I participated in my first benefit ride and it was an awesome experience. In this case, we were riding to help raise money for a local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans in York County, SC to help pay for a new passenger van. The van is driven only by volunteers that drive veterans to and from their medical appointments. Many disabled veterans have no other way to get themselves to these places, especially to the DAV hospital about 90 miles from this town. Their last van had close to 300,000 miles on it.

So, how does a motorcycle benefit ride or motorcycle charity ride actually work? Here I’ll explain how this one went.

continue reading "Taking a Fun Motorcycle Ride to Help Others"

What is it about Italian motorcycles?  Well, it’s no different than most other Italian specialties that many people adore.  I think it’s the great level of passion that goes into making the motorcycles that results in the equal passion of the owners and admirers.

Several Italian motorcycle manufacturers were quite successful until the 1960’s when Japanese motorcycles started to dominate the world market.  Many fine Italian motorcycles are still being made today, and they have developed a very loyal following among enthusiasts over many years.

This here is an alphabetical listing of Italian motorcycle info that attempts to provide a brief company history, some interesting facts, and a quick idea of what they are doing today.

continue reading "Italian Motorcycles"

The National Hot Rod Association NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class has come to the Charlotte, NC area for the first time at the new $60 million zMax Dragway in Concord.

MotorcycleInfo.Org was in attendance to take in all the thrilling motorcycle racing sights, sounds, and smells of high-octane race engine exhaust combined with the haze of tire smoke near the staging area and starting line.

There have been women racing this male-dominated motorcycle racing class with great success, such as Angelle Sampey shown in black and green here,
continue reading "NHRA Motorcycle Drag Racing at Charlotte"

Motorcycle and scooter theft is on the rise as is the number of motorcycles and scooters being sold, but how many owners are using motorcycle locks to keep them from getting stolen? According to National Insurance Crime Bureau Statistics in the US, a motorcycle is stolen every 7.4 minutes and the states with the most motorcycle thefts have been California (by far), Florida and Texas.  Chances are pretty high that few if ant motorcycle locks were being used when these bikes disappeared.

Also, with so many people customizing their motorcycles with expensive aftermarket parts, it’s easy to imagine how attractive those parts might be to some thief for a quick resale.

So, what can be done to help prevent your motorcycle or scooter from being stolen?  Motorcycle locks are available in several varieties as we discuss here.

continue reading "Motorcycle and Scooter Locks and Alarms"