May 14, 2020
Gokul Nair
12 minutes
Chaps are pretty commonplace today. They look badass, keep you warm, and keep road rash at bay. But the ancestors of the modern motorcycle chaps were born a long time ago. A time from when cowboys tended to cattle on vast ranches in North America. Yes. Cowboys. A History Lesson On Chaps The myth of the cowboy has been romanticized to varying degrees by most modern Americans (most of whom have been nowhere near a horse). In the 50s, it was portrayed in the form of the Marlboro Man, one of the most brilliant advertisements of all time. Presenting a…
Continue Reading →
May 11, 2020
Albert Riley
7 minutes
For many people, a motorcycle is a cherished vehicle. Like many vehicles, motorcycles are liable for overheating problems that can run down a bike and cause it to stop working entirely. Motorcycle owners are always looking for answers for overheating, and many of them search the radiator. While there are multiple causes for overheating, do motorcycle radiator guards cause overheating? Putting the guards on the radiator will cause the motorcycle to run a few degrees hotter. However, issues with the cooling system all around, and water in the radiator contribute to overheating. This is why radiation braces are a popular…
Continue Reading →
May 7, 2020
Gokul Nair
10 minutes
When you first lay eyes on a motorcycle, you immediately notice the mirrors, handlebars, and chassis. Strain harder and your brain registers the headlight and chassis fall within your field of vision. Maybe the fenders too. If you’ve also noticed, these are the parts you tend to repair first. The brain gives more credence to objects that are more visible. Unfortunately, tires, being hidden beneath the motorcycle chassis, get the short end of the stick. Many riders don’t even know about the condition of their motorcycle tires until they feel significantly different riding on. Which can be dangerous. Motorcycle tires…
Continue Reading →
May 4, 2020
Albert Riley
7 minutes
Believe it or not, motorcycle tire patching is a hot button debate throughout the biker community. It’s pretty much 50/50 as to whether you can patch a motorcycle tire. It’s even more divided when it comes to whether or not you should. Who’s right? Let’s begin by looking at the question itself. Can you patch a motorcycle tire? In short, yes. While some riders would argue that is the most dangerous thing you can do, there is evidence to support that in a pinch, it would be a reasonable action to take, but only if done correctly. However, a motorcycle…
Continue Reading →
April 27, 2020
Gokul Nair
5 minutes
In 1938, the modern flashing turn signal was patented. Shortly after which most major automobile manufacturers offered this feature. Nowadays, most countries require turn signals on all new vehicles that are driven on public roadways. Many a time, however, just depending on the lights of your motorcycle alone might not cut it. It may be raining too hard for the lights to be visible to the person behind you. Or for some unfortunate (hopefully not) reason, the lights on your bike stopped working (replace them as soon as the chance if this is the case). But regardless of most instances,…
Continue Reading →
April 24, 2020
Gokul Nair
12 minutes
Introduction In his famous poem, Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda wrote: “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” And a lot of us – especially our readers from places with near-constant snow such as Minnesota – were excited to finally take our two-wheeled best friends on joyrides because spring was coming. After months of keeping them in the garage in hiding from the brutal winters. Pablo Neruda meant for “Spring” to be a metaphor in that particular poem. A metaphor for adaptation. And this article is about adaptation: in storage. Because along with spring came…
Continue Reading →
April 20, 2020
Gokul Nair
6 minutes
The fact that having a motorcycle in your life entails lifting it off the ground at least a couple of times a year is privy to no rider. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. That being said, most of us don’t know how to properly lift one- because it looks and sounds deceivingly easy. Much like attempting your first deadlift, it doesn’t beget a need to “know” how to lift the bike off the ground. But motorcycles are not bikes with a lot more weight. They’re also much more complex both mechanically and ergonomically, with a lot…
Continue Reading →
April 16, 2020
Gokul Nair
10 minutes
Dr. Chris Leatt was chatting with an acquaintance in the parking lot of the clinic he was working at. The acquaintance was a paramedic who he saw at the hospital occasionally. In the middle of their conversation, another man ran towards the paramedic and said: “Listen, Alan’s fallen off and he’s not looking good.” The paramedic asked Chris to come with him, and the three of them rushed to the area where the biker fell. Alan lay strewn on the ground, and it looked like he fell over the front of his bike despite riding at a pretty low speed.…
Continue Reading →
April 13, 2020
Gokul Nair
9 minutes
Look at the picture above. Carefully go through the details of both mirrors. Note the differences between them. Before you read the next paragraph, imagine yourself sitting on a motorcycle with just the mirror on top. Now do the same with the one at the bottom. Cover the other mirror with your finger if it helps. It shouldn’t take you long to figure which of these mirrors does a better job at being a mirror. And that’s because the mirror at the bottom is standard stock. The mirror on top is a convex mirror attuned to both the motorcycle and…
Continue Reading →
April 9, 2020
Gokul Nair
15 minutes
The mind finds ways to link things in the most creative of ways. I’ll explain. The (original) Mass Effect trilogy is one of the most critically acclaimed video game series of all time. The cinematic visuals, fantastic narrative, incredible storyline and some of the greatest video game characters make it so. This article is not about the video game, but one of the helmets in the video game that I remembered when researching intercom technology. You see, the main character who you play as goes by the name of Commander Shepard. He starts the game with this suit of armor…
Continue Reading →
