Riding a motorcycle, nothing feels better then just riding down the road on a clear down just cruising. So it is good that you keep safety in your mind when you start to ride. You will need to realize that you don’t have the protection of a car or truck around your body so if you get into a bike accident you are just going to go flying off the bike if you are not careful.

How most motorcycle accidents happen is a result of the vehicle not being able to see the person riding the bike. You will just need to be careful when you are riding any kind of motorcycle whether it is a cruiser or a crotch rocket you still need to take intensive care when riding.

This article is for the person riding the bike and for people driving regular vehicles because people need to understand the importance of riding a bike and the safety you need to take when doing so. When you are driving a vehicle you will want to be able to see the person on a bike to either side of you before you change lanes or make a turn. This goes both ways for the person driving a vehicle and for the person riding the motorcycle.

When you are riding a motorcycle you don’t have any other privileges that a regular vehicle wouldn’t. Everyone that drives or is in a vehicle has seen people riding on bikes and has seen those few that ride carelessly. When you are on a main highway you will see them zooming past you at top speeds when it is not necessary. Those are the few that will get hurt and usually are the ones that are going to listen to the laws.

People that ride bikes usually ride together and like to ride side by side to decrease the danger of other vehicles. Even though it is kind of a danger they still need to remain calm and ride with care when riding in groups as it can be a horrible accident for the lead or lead bikes to go down. Seeing as that can cause a major accident.

When you are driving or just riding on a motorcycle it is important to wear a helmet or some kind of safety equipment. In most states it is illegal to ride or drive a bike without a helmet of some kind. If you don’t it is just ignorant and can cause you an injury or even kill you.

Also as an added piece of advice it would be a good idea to ride with long pants and a long shirt so you don’t get burned on the motor and exhaust on the bike.

A lot of the time the cause of the accident or wreck is because of the road conditions this can be dangerous so you will need to take caution when riding. So be careful when you just decide to go riding without checking the weather first.

Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about motorcycles as well as automotive care products at http://www.5starshine.com

Motorcycles are popular and are going to keep being popular on every road that you see today. You can find them in many different models and makes whichever you would like to have. Although finding exactly which kind of bike you may want can be hard you can find whatever kind you want for under $15,000 unless you want an insane custom bike.

Perhaps the most well known custom bike builder is Jesse James of the west coast choppers. Jesse James has loved everything about bikes since he was seven years old. Jesse has built bikes for a lot of celebrities with them ranging in price from $50,000 to $150,000.

Even though this is going to be a very expensive bike to buy you can still get a good bike like a custom from other makers for a good price. The first thing you want to ask yourself what do you need a custom bike for that you cant get from a regular retailer? If you just can’t find the color you want then you can just get the company to repaint it and have it met to your standards.

A lot of the time a person will want to have the bike custom to fit them and their needs. Just think of an example like a tall basketball player they probably will not fit on a stock bike so they will have to make simple and minor adjustments to fit them. The builder will just have to take measurements of the person so they can build the bike to size. Custom bikes are good if you have the extra money and want exactly what you want no matter how much it is.

If you want a custom bike but you can’t think of which make to buy from then just go online and look at the many different brands and models. Just keep in the back of your head that it can take a long time to get the bike you want especially if you want it custom.

When you are thinking about getting the bike you want it is good to do a little research about the maker just to see the feedback on the bike you want and what it has to offer. Just look up simple things like the Horsepower, how much they are price wise, just research them in general get to know the bikes you like.

Having your very own bike is good to have with spare money and time it can be a good hobby to have when you have a lot of free time. Having a custom bike will allow you to have exactly what you want. Having a bike that you like and that fits you will last you longer then a bike that you like and doesn’t fit you. You will be less likely to get in a bike accident if you fit the bike rather then having a bike that is fast and doesn’t fit you.

Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about motorcycles as well as automotive care products at http://www.5starshine.com

The Suzuki motor company was started and funded by Michio Suzuki. He had a very good business going before he started to invest in the motorcycle industry in 1920. Suzuki didn’t take to the top quick instead came to the top of the industry over time. There were a variety of bikes that had good success. Most of the people began to notice Suzuki after one of the bikes one the Mount Fuji climb in 1953.

In June of 1954, Suzuki started using a trademark symbol the “S” to their bikes. So after observing the motorcycle company for some time they put all their intelligence to use. When 1962 came around they were the Grand Prix championship holders. Suzuki then started selling their bikes in the United States in 1963. Since they first appeared in the United States they have come a long way from where they first stood over seas.

Suzuki first showed the X-6 hustler in 1966, this was the first street legal performance bike. Also at the time it was the fastest and best 250cc bike on the market. After the success of that bike they made another that was 500cc called the titan. Suzuki took everyone and everything by surprise when they made the GT750 in 1969. This kind of bike was a two stroke bike that could reach speeds of up to 110mph. This bike could go from zero to sixty in five seconds. Since their bikes seemed to be selling and grabbing attention they made a bigger bike that was called the RG500. The RG500 soon became the bike that was the best at the time to have.

Suzuki still went on to dominate over everyone through the 1970s, taking the World Motocross Championship in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976. Their bikes were just faster and better; in 1976 they had some problems meeting regulation with their four stroke bike but soon got over the altercations and went on with it.

In 1982 with the XN85 they made history again with a new Suzuki model. This bike was a turbo charged bike that one many of the high profile races back then. The very first American to win the world championship did so with the XN85 in 1982. They also made another bike in 1986 called the GSX-R which was also a turbo charged bike; it was made of an aluminum frame which made it the lightest bike in its class at the time.

As to selling a lot of bikes they soon did well selling cruisers as well. The Boulevard model came in a variety of different models that the rider could choose from to however they needed or wanted to ride.

The way the model was made was so good that you could ride wherever you needed or wanted. This model still today is the best model being sold as it is being sold around 13,000 dollars. Every single one comes with a 12 month warranty that can be extended at any time. Suzuki today is still the best bike company that there is.

Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about motorcycles as well as automotive care products at http://www.5starshine.com

I think the main idea of having a motorcycle is to have the ability to ride freely and openly while traveling on the road. This is possibly the cheapest and easiest way to get around these days. Learning how to drive and operate a bike is important especially if you plan on buying one anytime soon.

The bike that you will learn on will be the only one that you are used to riding so if you are going to get a different bike later you will still need to learn to ride it before you ride it like you drive the one you are used to riding. When you buy your bike buy one that will fit you physically. It should be so high that you cannot touch the ground with your two feet you will need to be able to touch the ground to ride the bike. You will need to be able to reach the gas, breaks, and clutch when riding a bike.

You should learn from someone who is patient and will like to teach you to ride. You will not want to try and learn with someone if they are worried about you harming their bike as sometimes this can happen when learning. If you don’t know and have someone that can teach you with patience then you are wasting their and your time.

After you have learned the basics to riding just keep going until you can ride without help and be riding whenever. It’s just like driving a car you will get better as you drive. When you first start to lean you will want to not ride on busy streets or roads and just take it easy. You will not want to get into an accident it could be your last.

You will need to practice riding your bike in many different weather conditions so you don’t become surprised at any time when riding. Those are skills that you can only teach yourself so you will need to practice. You will be able to see how different your bike rides on a sunny clear day rather then a windy day. Just being prepared will help you out the most when riding.

If you start out with baby steps you will be able to ride anything later when you have learned to ride what you have. A lot of people who first get a bike want one with raw power but that is a common mistake that can lead to injury. Usually they will see the bike to be too much to handle and sell it or trade it in or get seriously hurt.

Learning to ride a motorcycle can be fun if you like to take things slow at first. It’s just like anything else it takes practice and times to get to be able to ride fast and easy. Just take it slow first then increase over time. Even though it can be a slow process it will be rewarding in the end.

Gregg Hall is an author living with his 18 year old son in Jensen Beach, Florida. Find more about motorcycles as well as automotive care products at http://www.5starshine.com

Motorbike insurance premiums are calculated on a huge number of different factors and one of which that can have a great impact is driving licence endorsements.

A motoring conviction might influence a motorbike insurance underwriter in his or her assessment of the risk and calculation of the final bike insurance premium. Taking penalty points or driving bans into consideration depends on when the conviction occurred, the frequency with which they occurred, if there is more than once offence and the severity of the offence.

Insurers know that there is a connection between the number of speeding convictions a person may have and their likelihood of making an insurance claim, so riders with speeding convictions are likely to face higher premiums until their driving record improves.

Generally insurers categorise motoring convictions into four sections and a speeding endorsement would be seen as a minor conviction. Other such minor convictions can range from not ensuring good maintenance of your motorcycle – a CU30 endorsement would be incurred for using a vehicle with defective tyres, to gaining points for driving without wearing spectacles – a MS70 endorsement would be incurred for driving with uncorrected defective eyesight. Even though these offences are of the minor nature, your motorcycle insurance would still generally increase.

Motoring convictions are material facts that must always be disclosed at the time of a motorbike insurance quotation and relate to a moral hazard. A moral hazard applies to insurance as they relate either to the insurance history of the policyholder or to his personal history or attitude.

Failing to stop and give particulars after an accident, an AC10, driving without due care and attention, a CD10, or using a vehicle which is uninsured, an IN10, are all deemed to be highly rated as a moral hazard but generally would only incur points on a singular basis rather than a ban.

As the severity of the endorsement increases, a driving ban would be awarded and this usually applies to careless driving offences, dangerous driving offences, disqualified driver offences and theft or unauthorised taking offences.

Drink driving convictions are taken very seriously by insurers. Convicted riders returning to the roads may face difficulty in obtaining bike insurance and will certainly have to pay far higher premiums than before their conviction. These higher premiums can well last for a number of years.

Apart from the one off major convictions that will result in an immediate ban, there is also a totting up provision where a rider can be disqualified if he/she accumulates twelve penalty points within a three year period. Ultimately, a rider who accumulates four minor speeding offences over three years will face a similar increased motorbike insurance premium as that of a convicted dangerous or drink driver.

With increasing use of speed cameras and stricter penalties enforced by the courts even careful drivers risk totting up points Under the New Driver Act, if a person has passed their motorcycle or car test on or after 1st June 1997 and incur six or more penalty points within the first two years of passing the first test, their driving licence is automatically revoked. This includes any penalty points you had prior to the test which are still valid. To obtain a new licence, you would have to re sit a test as a learner driver. This type of driving disqualification would also have an impact on your bike insurance premium.

In summary, more than two million motorists’ driving licences will be endorsed with penalty points over the next twelve months. Should it be their first minor offence, Insurers will probably be quite lenient, however as they increase in numbers and severity, the insurers will definitely apply a loading thus ensuring higher motorbike insurance premiums for you.

Avoid all motoring convictions and get cheaper bike insurance.

Keen motorcycle rider Shaun Parker uses his experience in the insurance market to highlight the kind of impact points and convictions on your license can have on your motorbike insurance.
For more information visit: http://www.insureyourbike.com/

Great Britain is experiencing a considerable traffic congestion problem. The Department for Transport published a bulletin on various road statistics. The numbers show that the problem is not only currently present, but it is increasing at a rather exponential rate. Between the years of 2005 and 2006, it is estimated that the level of traffic increased by 7 billion vehicle kilometers to 506 billion vehicle kilometers. Of this vehicle traffic, car traffic accounted for 402.4 billion vehicle kilometers, or 79%.

Some areas in the UK are imposing a congestion charge on motorists who drive within certain zones during certain times. This charge was created to encourage motorists to think twice before taking their vehicles into typically congested areas, such as central London, thus encouraging them to find alternative forms of transportation. If the motorists elect to continue traveling in or through these zones, they will be subject to a daily charge, which they can pay daily, monthly annually. The charge is incurred between 7am and 6pm, Monday through Friday with the exception of public holidays.

All vehicles driving in or through the charge zone must pay. This behavior is governed by the implementation of cameras that allow the UK government to record the plates of drivers within the zone. Some vehicles do enjoy an exemption from the charge, though. Taxis, licensed minicabs, emergency service vehicles, blue/orange badge holders (disabled drivers) and alternative energy vehicles are not subject to the charge. There are also some groups of vehicles that are entitled to a discount such as breakdown services, residents and people who reside on the border of the zone.

Motorcycles, motorbikes with sidecars, mopeds and bicycles are exempt from the congestion charge. It is not necessary to register them; however, motorcycles that are more than one meter in width or more than two meters in length do not fit into the exempt class and are therefore subject to the charge. This leads to an interesting consideration. Should more people get their CBT in response to this zone charge? Or, even more compelling, will this zone charge (particularly as it is being extended) result on more people obtaining their CBTs and will there be more motorcycles on the road?

A CBT, or compulsory basic training, is what most new motorcycle riders need first. The CBT allows new riders to ride a legal moped, motorcycle or a scooter as a learner. For some people, remaining as a learner is fine for them, for others, they choose to pursue a full license test to obtain a full license that has a 2 year power restriction.

Will we see more people hopping on “hogs” to get from point A to point B, particularly if they must travel through a congestion charge zone? Perhaps, but the larger questions begs, should more people pursue their CBTs? Certainly a motorcycle reduces traffic congestion and has fewer emissions, meaning that they are more environmentally friendly that their four wheeled counterparts. But there are some tremendous safety issues and a certain danger stigma attached to motorcycles. Only time will tell.

James Johnson, well travelled and glad he took is CBT and went on to complete his motorcycle training and passed his full licence.

http://www.probikemct.co.uk