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Insurance coverage can vary with the type of motorcycle you have—whether it is a cruiser, sport bike, high-performance bike or standard urban motorcycle. But usually the types of coverage can be categorized into(1)  third-party liability insurance, meaning that a third party other than the owner or the government will shoulder the expenses resulting from damage or injury to a person resulting from the use of the vehicle, and (2) comprehensive insurance, which includes the basic liability plus coverage for the driver’s own damage to the unit and loss of the unit.

Accident is on the road…be insured!

In addition, the following are some of the more detailed or specific types of motorcycle insurance coverage:

• Accessories insurance—often included as part of a comprehensive or collision coverage and includes coverage for accessories such as helmet, saddlebags, backrests, seats, chrome pieces and CB radios.
• Bodily injury liability—coverage that will come to your help if you inflict bodily injury to or cause the death of a person while you are using your motorcycle. It is also a provision for a legal defence in the event of a lawsuit against you.
• Medical payments or personal injury protection—coverage that will pay for medical expenses of the injured driver and passenger.
• Uninsured motorists’ insurance—protection that will pay for any injuries you suffer that are caused by an uninsured driver in an accident where you are not at fault.
• Comprehensive physical damage insurance—provides protection for damage to your motorcycle or loss from theft, vandalism, flood, fire and similarly serious dangers.
• Collision insurance—answers for damage to your motorcycle as a result of hitting or being hit by another vehicle or object.
• Property damage liability—provides protection coverage for damage you cause to another person’s property as a result of an accident that is your fault; likewise provides you with a defence by an attorney.

You should always remember to negotiate for a discount with an insurer. Leading insurers are willing to give discounts for multiple vehicle coverage and for a customer with a safe driving history or record. Some insurers may also agree to specific coverage for periods when you plan to travel to other countries and expect to ride a motorcycle while there.

Motorcycle accident on broken bridge

]]> http://www.motardonline.com/motorcycle-insurance.html/feed http://www.motardonline.com/motorcycles-equipment.html http://www.motardonline.com/motorcycles-equipment.html#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:30:13 +0000 Darren http://www.motardonline.com/motorcycles-equipment.html In addition to the motorcycle driver’s personal protective gear such as a helmet, goggles, raincoat, gloves and shoes, each motorcycle should have a complete toolbox. The basic equipment in it will include, in the appropriate sizes, a box wrench or socket wrench, adjustable wrench, open wrench, pliers, long-nose pliers, chain adjuster, spark plug wrench, Allen screwdrivers, Philips and flathead screwdrivers, tire pressure gauge, an emergency tire tube repair kit, emergency foot pump for re-inflating a repaired tire, emergency lantern and optional strobe, spare spark plugs, spare headlamp bulbs, rags for wiping, etc. Ideally there should also be a fully charged spare battery. If you want to be easily located in case of an emergency, you should also have a supply of flares, a CB (citizens’ band) radio, a cellular phone, and a GPS (global positioning system) locator device so you can correctly give your coordinates anywhere in the world.

My bike kit...

A “touring” type of motorcycle has built-in baggage compartments, usually on the sides. Often these compartments are designed to accommodate extra clothing items and personal accessories or toiletry articles. They are usually motorcycles that have a low centre of gravity and allow for backrests, which are often optional, to ensure less tiring long-distance highway driving. You can, however, always use your own choice of saddlebags you may have purchased yourself.

Saddlebag in place

A dirt bike or motocross bike is designed for driving on rough roads and rural trails and should feature heavy-duty telescopic forks and shock absorbers. They often use mono-shock suspension for the rear wheel, which is generally regarded as superior to the conventional twin-shock absorber configuration. Twin shock absorbers are notorious for being susceptible to uneven wear and tear, resulting in an improper balance, skewing or tilting of the motorcycle body relative to the wheel in the long run.

Shock absorbers and other upgraded automobile parts shown at the North Star BMW CCA tech session at Orr Autosport

For motorcycle care, a car polish will work just as well for a motorcycle’s exterior surfaces. Note, however, that many of the motorcycle’s ornamental surfaces are made of plastic, unlike a car’s exterior parts, which are usually made of metal, glass and fibreglass. Choose a polish that can work also on painted or coated plastic surfaces without inflicting any harm.

Prepping to Polish the Frame

When travelling medium distances, one should also carry personal hygiene articles such as alcohol, hand sanitizer, water, soap, tissue paper, hand or face towel, deodorant, and, optionally, a compact mirror, powder, lipstick and blush-on for use after making an emergency repair on the road or upon arriving at one’s destination. (In the event of an accident, a lady driver or passenger should look nice and photogenic when interviewed by a news team on the site.)

Dressed up…. motorcycle equipment

Benefits of Motorcycle Commuting

Motorcycles are nowadays also called bikes because, being two-wheeled, they are basically bicycles (bi is a combination form of a Latin word meaning “two”) even though bicycles strictly are pedal-powered. Motorcycles are of different types: motocross, endures, “off-road” or dirt bikes; “big bikes” or racing motorcycles; cruisers or touring bikes; and scooters and mopeds. A further type is the custom bike, so called because they are built singly to the specifications of the individual owner. “Trikes” and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) may perhaps be included too, since they are steered using handlebars. However, they are three-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles and are steered or handled differently than two-wheeled vehicles. A moped (short for motor-and-pedal), strictly speaking, originally referred to a type of motorcycle that not only can be powered by the engine but can also be pedalled like a bicycle when the driver so chooses (as when it runs out of gas). However, that definition does not appear to be true nowadays since a “moped” today has no bicycle pedals.

Dirt bike racing pros race to the finish at the seattle supercross event

The type of motorcycle influences the driver’s posture. A racing bike positions the driver in a headfirst, forward-leaning attitude. On the other hand, a long-distance cruising bike, with its long front forks, puts the driver in a laid-back, feet-first posture. A “dirt bike” or competition motocross bike has a high centre of gravity and plenty of clearance from the ground and thus puts the driver perched high on its seat, which is suited for irregular countryside surfaces and rough trail driving. Scooters and mopeds generally are for urban driving and give the driver a neutral or normal posture.

2008 Bikes on Broadway Stage Race

Much the same safe driving practices have to be observed whether you are driving a car or any motorcycle. To avoid a collision, you have to signal to motorists in front and behind you when you want to turn right or left. Glance at your rear-view mirror before turning. When overtaking a vehicle in front, you should pass to the left of that vehicle. You should dim your headlight or switch to low beam when meeting an oncoming vehicle at night. Avoid abrupt stops, starts and turns. You should use your horn sparingly.

"Beware of lane switching, too-close driving, high-risk overtaking & swarming motorcycles"

In addition, every motorcycle driver should ensure that both his or her feet should rest flat on the ground, rather than just the toes touching the ground or with the motorcycle leaning to one side, when the motorcycle is not moving. The rear passenger should not be seated too far to the back in order not to unnecessarily make the vehicle difficult to handle and steer. The motorcycle driver should check the front and rear brakes and chain tension before every trip. Ensure that both brakes respond quickly to a normal lever pressure by the driver and that the chain tension is neither too tight to risk breakage nor too loose to be easily disengaged. Both tires should be inflated to the right pressure. Excessive pressure is very dangerous especially when the air gets heated from use, because a tire blowout causes the driver to lose control and can result in fatal injury. Too low a pressure, on the other hand, will cause sluggish travel and poor handling and will tax the engine too much.

final check up before the trip

Note that a motorcycle is often less visible to pedestrians and other motorists as well. A prudent motorcycle driver will keep this in mind and will approach turns calculatingly and use speed judiciously or moderately. He or she will ensure extra visibility during night driving by switching on the headlights and red rear light, using brightly coloured reflectors on the motorcycle, and by wearing light-coloured clothing. Defensive driving and obeying traffic rules and signs are especially important for motorcycle riders.

Riding a motorcycle at night

yup, got to wear these knee & elbow pads for safety!

One ideal website that has all these safety apparels and accessories is the Ridegear.com.  This site offers extensive motorcycle accessories and essentials in affordable prices!  In fact, they have 25% discount for a limited time only.  This site has knee and elbow guards and braces, as well as belts and jerseys that assure torso protection.  It also sells neck protection gears, such as its Race Collar, that is a big help in preventing spine-related injuries.

Motorcycle Accessories

Motorcycle riders with head gears

One of the most important motorcycle headgears is the helmet.  A quality-made helmet uses fibre glass as its main material.  Fibre glass is durable enough that it does not break into small pieces when put into its limit.  Thus, this saves the head from numerous stitches.

SNELL EXO-400 Full Face Motorcycle Helmet Gloss - Black Scorpion Exo

In this note, there are a lot of websites available that sells protective motorcycle headgears on line.  One of which is The Biker’s Den (bikersden.com).  This website provides helmets for all ages.  And what makes it more useful is that it offers a wide array of headgear that are DOT (Department of Transportation) approved, thereby are certified to be durable and recommended by the authority.

Safety helmets

As such, The Biker’s Den is also a home to head accessories for men and women alike.  A sample of which is its motorcycle goggles and sunglasses, which are helpful against the harmful UV rays of the sun and keeps dust and hazardous smoke that a rider encounters in driving a bike.  For long-haired riders, this site also offers pony tail wraps that prevent the hair from coming inside the eyes.

Motorcycle safety goggles & helmet