360bikers.com

Today I was at our neighborhood Walmart killing time while I had tires put on the car. I walked through the entire store while waiting endlessly for them to get to my car. While in the final stages I revisited the tools in automotive. I had been looking for some tools to carry on the bike since my shifter went loose a week ago and I had to rely on my good friends for a tool kit. Actually, I took some of my home tools and put in the trip pak to make sure I had something I could use in the future.

Some bikes, especially the Japanese bikes, come with a tool kit that is designed to take care of most minor needs on the road. It also seems to be designed to frustrate anyone that actually wants to accomplish anything with them. The quality is low and only the most desperate can actually accomplish anything with them. Usually, the ending is not good. But the fact is, they are better than nothing. For the price of a Harley-Davidson you’d think they could put in a Stanley tool set that included the standard sockets, screw drivers, and allen wrenches you need to service your bike at the side of the road. Yet, there’s nothing.

Today I found a cheap set of sockets. Cheap because they aren’t some big name brand. Untested might be a better word. The 22-piece set includes BOTH metric and SAE sockets in the sizes I’m likely to need to do repairs on the road. The cost was less than $5. Now, a real Harley owner probably spends a couple hundred on a Snap-On Tools set or something like that, but I don’t have that kind of green, especially in today’s economy. I also picked up a set of allen wrenches that will meet almost every need I have. That cost me 97¢.  So, for under $6 I got everything but the screw drivers and the Harley takes those other drivers anyway. I bought a set of those (and every other type of head) for $8 on Black Friday last year.

So, the bargains are out there if you look. It’s good to have tools with you, even if you only wander a few miles from home. If you know of any bargains on tools, post a comment. You might have to register, but that takes a minute and your fellow bikers would love to know where to find a good value to help keep safe on the road.

Is this a sale or a rip off? I just got an email from ebay boasting only $1 insertion fees for automotive and motorcycle auctions. Sounds good, right? I click the link to get more information and I get this table:

Just click the graphic for a full view. Their “sale” price costs more than the regular price by $20!!!! When does a sale cost over 20% more than the original price? All I can say is it costs a LOT less to use 360Bikers everyday.

What a rip off!

Several weeks ago I looked at the traffic from our banner ads and was, well, depressed.  We were part of an affiliate company through which we could advertise the companies we select and provide our guests with some nice opportunities at sales and discounts on motorcycle and automotive related products.  The problem is that the ads were so static and predictable.  Hit refresh 10 times and you’re likely to see the same ad again.

Recently, I switched the banner point to Google’s Adwords taking advantage of their full-size banner opportunities.  The nice thing about Google is that it has a lot of clients and it rotates a lot of content.  While there aren’t as many doing full-size color banners in the Google network, it’s more targeted to what is on the page.  If you’re looking at a Harley-Davidson computer your likely to see Harley related services and products.  If you’re looking at Yamaha or Honda, the same thing happens.

The result is that our ads are more geared to what you are looking for.  I find myself wandering off from time to time because the ads are much better.

Creating a group on www.meetup.com has proven to be a great decision. Not only has our group grown with quality members, but it has grown quite quickly. We are working with other groups in our area already to create more successful monthly rides. Our weekly rides are doing well, too.

Possibly the most important area to me is the monthly major event ride. These riders have the potential of being part of our bigger project, the 360Bikers Charitable Foundation. While it is currently about 18 months away, the first 360Bikers USA Four Corners ride seems closer each day for me. I’m excited about creating a charity that will benefit riders and other charities. I’m psyched about organizing a ride of gigantic proportions. I will be very happy if I can generate the charity funds that are potentially there in this 10,600 mile event.

While growing the meetups in the South Florida area at the moment is doing well, the real test is when we try to expand the group to other areas in Florida and other states. This will be one of my goals over the next several months.

Right now, though, it’s just great riding with a group of nice people that just like to ride.

Yes, nothing sucks worse for a biker than a cold or flu. I’ve been sick for over a week now and haven’t been out on the Harley. The night I started feeling poorly I was installing the new stereo, which sounds pretty good. I’ll write something about that later. But by the weekend I was down for the count and I’m just bouncing back in the 90% range now. I’m passing on the rides until Sunday for the Toy Run. Hopefully, we have a large group and everyone can have some fun.

Bikers should hit the different drugs out there that keep you well and fight colds. Keep up on the vitamins and stay well. There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to ride, especially in the beautiful south Florida winter weather.

Damn, I should be writing more often than this.  But the weather has been great and it’s more fun putting on miles.  Still, this is a responsibility.  I like to see feedback on the comments and observations I make here.

I’ve had the 2005 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide for about a month now.  I’ve put on a couple thousand miles and I’m liking the bike.  It’s different, but some of those differences are good things.   The short rake, for instance.  That’s one of the things that has taken a little to get used to, but the low-speed balancing on the Harley is definitely nicer than most other bikes.

Little things impress me, too.  Like the turn signal auto-cancel function on the Harley-Davidson that is absolutely flawless.  While I’m still not a fan of the turn signal switches being on separate grips (right turns can be tricky if you have to release the throttle to signal), but I’m hoping that is more of an adjustment on my part.

I have a couple complaints, though, and I want to qualify them as evident on the 2005 I’m riding.  Perhaps they’ve been addressed in the past couple years.  There are two extremely easy safety features that Harely has overlooked that other manufacturers have had on bikes for several years.  The first is to disable the engine except if in neutral or the clutch is in if the kickstand/sidestand is down.  This prevents riders from forgetting to put it up and prevents potential accidents on left hand turns.  It’s a simple contact point that can be easily implemented if they want.

The second is the lunge.  It can cause a small accident or injury to someone if you try to start the bike while it is in gear by accident.  Other bikes kill the starter if the bike is not in neutral or the clutch is in.  Another simple feature for Harley-Davidson to put on a bike.

Motorcycle companies should learn from each other.  When a good thing comes out for a car or truck, you see it implemented across the board quickly.  Safety features should be required of manufacturers when they are created.

I just sold my motorcycle to what appeared to be someone not far from here in Florida.  The buyer’s profile showed that he lived about 200 miles away.  This was great, I thought.  I might see my bike at Bike Week in Daytona Beach or somewhere on the roads as I ride.  Then, I got a phone call from the buyer and he turned out to be in Ohio.  Well, that was alright.  Afterall, I just wanted it to have a good home.  I love the bike and I’ve put a lot of care into it.

In the conversation I learned the buyer is part of a group that purchases under that login name.  The purchase of my Yamaha Roadstar wasn’t for him.  He was a broker for foreign purchases.  In seconds I learned my bike was destined to someone in the Czech Republic!  WOW!  I never imagined that one, but it seems there is a blossoming business for people in America to purchase motorcycles locally and then ship them to buyers they represent in foreign countries.  This circumvents American sellers that list their motorcycles for sale only to the US or Canada.  It also creates a medium for buyers to get those bikes that require local pick up and/or buyers to arrange for shipping.

One can’t help but wonder what fees are associated with conducting such a transaction.  Shipping the motorcycle alone must raise the final price more than $1,500.  I would imagine a good commission rate would be about 10% or a flat rate of between $500 and $2,000.

Imagination and the creation of new markets never ceases to amaze me.  Someone saw a concept in a void that could be filled with a simple service.  Now, they’re making money as bike brokers, buying motorcycles in America for buyers in other countries.

Statistics are always twisted to support an argument from a specific perspective. The helmet law is one of those area where this is very true. Those proposing a law requiring helmets will point to an increase of deaths since helmets became optional. What they are not factoring into their argument is the change of motorcycles, motorcycle riders, and techniques.

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times points out that there is a great increase of deaths in a specific sector of motorcycle riders. When I started riding in the late 60’s, this group didn’t exist. It’s the sport bike rider. I’m not saying all sport bike riders are reckless, but it is a bike built for speed. You can’t sit on one and not dream of racing down the highway. You can’t ride one with the intent of a leisurely cruise. It’s just not what that bike is about.

The LA Times says, “In 2005, supersport motorcycles had a death rate of 22.5 per 10,000 registered bikes, according to the institute. That compared with 6.5 deaths per 10,000 touring motorcycles, a class that includes the Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide, and 7.5 per 10,000 motorcycles overall.” I am not proposing the removal of sport bikes from the road either. Something needs to be done to reduce the death and injury rate, though. I don’t have an answer.

The LA Times continues with, “In 2005, speed was cited as a factor in 57% of supersport riders’ fatal crashes, according to the institute. That compared with 22% of fatalities involving touring bikes.”

My point is that it is a different problem than helmets that is causing the increased number of fatalities. In fact, most sport bike riders I know always wear helmets and often wear full protective leathers.

Back to the real issue, helmet laws. If helmets are there to protect our exposed, open-air heads shouldn’t they also be a requirement in convertible cars? I think the day the law is passed requiring convertible drivers and riders to wear helmets we should simultaneously require bikers to wear them. I don’t see that happening … ever.

Several years ago there were two motorcycle accidents in this area. The first was a man leisurely riding in a residential area when a pick up truck pulled out in front of him. He swerved to avoid the truck and was thrown from his bike in someone’s yard. Another accident involved two young adults riding at high speeds on the Interstate. The lost control and crashed. The man on the first bike was wearing a helmet and died in minutes. The two on the sport bike were not wearing helmets and survived. The condition of survival is used in statistics of fatalities. The point is that even with a helmet and a moderate accident you can lose your life. Even without a helmet in a severe accident you can survive.

The helmet isn’t the problem. Keep the helmet optional.