Motorcycle Helmets - Protective headgear used by motorcycle riders.

Motorcycle helmets save lives. Motorcycle helmets are protective headgear used by motorcycle riders. The primary goal of motorcycle helmets is to protect the rider’s head during an impact. Sometimes helmets offer other conveniences such as face shields, ear protection and even intercom systems.

There are three basic types of motorcycle helmets. There is also a fouth category for motorcycle helmets that encompassing every other type of novelty motorcycle helmets.

The full face motorcycle helmets cover the entire head. They also have a rear that covers the base of the skull and a protective section over the front of the chin. Full face motorcycle helmets have an open cutout in a band across the eyes and nose, with a plastic face shield that is either clear or tinted that generally swivel up and down to allow access to the face.

Most full face motorcycle helmets include vents to increase the airflow to the rider. The reason for the popularity of these motorcycle helmets is their protectiveness.

People that don’t like full face motorcycle helmets criticize the increased heat, the sense of isolation, the lack of wind and reduced hearing that full face motorcycle helmets have. Full face motorcycle helmets are intended for off-road use and sometimes omit the face shield and extend the visor and chin portions.

There are full face motorcycle helmets that are made where the chin bar can pivot upward allowing the rider to eat or drink without unfastening the chinstrap or removing their helmet. These full face motorcycle helmets are called “Convertible”, “Flip-face” or “Flip-up”.

Open face motorcycle helmets have a rear that covers the back of the skull. These motorcycle helmets lack the lower chin armor of the full face motorcycle helmets. They also lack a face shield. Many open face motorcycle helmets offer visors of selectable length with choices ranging from opaque to tinted. Visors on the open face motorcycle helmets are used by the rider to block out sunlight or even headlights.

Motorcycle Helmets- Most popular online motorcycle store, Leatherup.com carries a full line of biker and motorcycle gear.

For more motorcycle articles visit: http://www.motorcycle-articles.com

Tips to Prevent Motorcycle Accidents

In this generation wherein our roads are occupied by a large volume of vehicles, the chance of being stuck in a heavy traffic is quite high. This is one of the reasons people choose riding their motorcycles to reach their daily destinations with much ease. Another thing is; some types of motorcycles are more fuel-efficient compared to utilizing other kinds of vehicles. This enables the bike owners to save more money for their other expenses.

On the other hand, due to the increasing popularity of motorcycles, rapid growth in the number of motorcycle accidents has resulted. Each year, at least five percent of all road accident casualties are attributed to motorcycle crashes. As we clearly perceive, motorcyclists are considerably unprotected in a motorcycle since it has no protective metal cage to ensure the safety of the rider. In addition, motorcycles also lack any safety gadgets such as air bags, windshields and safety belts. Thus, it has no match to a fearsome trucks or any other four-wheeler.

To lessen the possibility of being involved in a motorcycle accident than can cause serious personal injuries, the riders may follow these tips:

- Be courteous and respectful to other motorist who uses the roads
- Never practice tailgating
- Avoid riding a motorcycle when you are under the influence of liquor
- Do not ride between slow moving vehicles
- Recognize and follow the traffic rules and ordinances
- Reduce the noise produced by the motorcycle
- Utilize signals whenever necessary
- Be cautious especially at road intersections
- Always check the side mirrors for possible upcoming vehicles
- Be watchful on road hazards and defects as well as traffic problems ahead
- Always be on the road position where the other motorists clearly see you
- Maintain a safe speed that you are most comfortable of and with consistency to your driving capability and road conditions
- Have a complete check up on your motorcycle especially the brakes
- Wear your protective gears such as a helmet, jackets, proper footwear and gloves

There are still other ways to prevent motorcycle accidents and injuries. These can be well understood if you will try to attend a motorcycle-riding training. However, if you are already engaged in these accidents, do not accept the fault
better consult a motorcycle accident attorney to determine if you have a case to pursue. Your legal counsel will evaluate the incident. Then, if he finds a liability or fault on the other party, he will help you in recovering damages against the
defendant. Keep in mind that the law entitles all the motorists with such protection that they are worthy of. We just have to know how to utilize those rights.

For more information about motorcycle accidents, and other vehicle accidents visit our Los Angeles Accident
Lawyers.

Atty Gabriel Cosh is a legal advocate and a practitioner of law for over 10 years now. He is also an expert in the field of social legislation and personal injury cases.

For more motorcycle articles visit: http://www.motorcycle-articles.com

When it comes to motorcycling, sisters have always been doin’ it for themselves

In recent years, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has reported that almost half of the students in most new rider training classes are women. But history shows that there have always been avid, expert female motorcyclists. Here are five famous female riders who are truly “old school.”

1.) Linda Dugeau – The original “Motor Maid”
In the ‘30s, there was an association of female aviators called the “Ninety-nine Club”. This inspired Linda to form a similar association of female motorcyclists. She teamed up with Dot Robinson, a well-known competition rider, to form a club called the “Motor Maids.”
It took Linda and Dot several years to find the 50 members they needed to earn an AMA charter, but the Motor Maids were soon known for their smart uniforms, complete with white gloves. The club still exists, with branches across the U.S. and in Eastern Canada. (www.motormaids.org)

2.) Dot Robinson – Sidecar champion
Dot’s father, James Goulding, was the designer of a popular line of motorcycle sidecars. When Dot’s mother went into labor with her, Goulding took her to the hospital in a sidecar. As an adult, Dot and her husband were Harley-Davidson dealers in Detroit.
When she won a Jack Pine enduro in the sidecar class, she became the first woman ever to win an AMA national competition. She rode until she was well into her 80s, often in a pink riding suit that she adopted in the 1950s, when the customary black leather outfits became associated with outlaw gangs.

3.) Linda Wallach and Florence Blenkiron – Taking the Rugged Road
Linda grew up in the 1930s, in the English midlands near the factories where BSAs and Triumphs were manufactured. Despite her early fascination with bikes and her obvious skill as a rider, she was never encouraged to pursue such an unladylike sport.
Undeterred, she studied engineering and later took her friend Florence on an epic sidecar journey across the Sahara and south all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. The women had to argue their way past French Foreign Legion outposts and face man-eating lions (luckily they weren’t woman-eaters). They rebuilt their engine in mid-journey and once pushed their rig 25 miles. They told the whole story in a popular book titled, “The Rugged Road.”
Linda later became the first woman to earn a coveted “Gold Star” for lapping the Brooklands race oval at over 100 miles an hour. In WWII she became the first woman ever to serve as a British military dispatch rider.
After the war, she moved to the U.S. where she worked as a motorcycle mechanic, eventually owning her own dealership. She wrote a popular motorcycle training manual, then moved to Phoenix where she operated a riding school. She helped found WIMA, the Women’s International Motorcycle Association. She never owned a car and rode until her eyesight failed at the age of 88. She died less than two years after giving up her beloved sport.

4.) Bessie Stringfield – The Motorcycle Queen of Miami
The American Motorcycle Association’s “Bessie Stringfield Award” is given to women who distinguish themselves in the sport of motorcycling.
As an African-American woman in the ‘30s and ‘40s, Bessie made several well-publicized cross-country rides, fearlessly taking on both racists and sexists. She was frequently denied accommodation and there are pictures of her sleeping right on her motorcycle. Once, she was run off the road. Those experiences didn’t dim her patriotism however – during WWII she served as the U.S. military’s first female dispatch rider.
Bessie was truly a larger-than-life character. She once disguised herself as a man to win a dirt track race. She said she’d owned 27 Harley-Davidsons and one Indian. She owned up to no less than six husbands, too.

5.) Marjorie Cottle – Rode in motorcycling’s real “Great Escape”
Marjorie Cottle was one of the first female competitors in the International Six Day Trial, which is often called “the Olympics of motorcycling.”
In 1939, the ISDT was held in Nazi-controlled Austria in the last few days before England declared war on Germany. That year, Britain sent both a civilian and a military team to compete. After four days, when it seemed that war could break out at any minute, British officials told the civilian team to return to England immediately. Cottle refused to leave and competed on the fifth day alongside the British Army team. When they too were ordered to abandon competition, Cottle and the Army team rode their motorcycles to neutral territory in Switzerland.

Next week, we’ll post the stories of five contemporary riders who lend a whole new meaning to the phrase “fast woman!”

Mark Gardiner is an internationally acclaimed motorcycle journalist, the subject of a documentary film, “One Man’s Island” and the author of “Riding Man”, an account of his struggle to qualify for—and survive—the world’s most dangerous motorcycle race. www.ridingman.com

Motorcycle Care for Safety & Performance

Whether you have a Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Victory, Big Dog, Custom or a Harley Davidson, your motorcycle requires proper maintenance and care in order function properly. Whenever your bike is placed in storage, particularly during the winter months, you should be prepared to perform the following maintenance checks and inspections before you begin riding again.

Battery - Winters can hard on batteries. Some riders recommend taking the batteries out of your motorcycles during the winter and storing it in a warmer place, while others advocate placing it in a battery charger until Spring time. Either way, a battery that has been allowed to sit idle for a while will need to be examined before use. Check carefully for leaks or anything else that seems unusual or problematic, and charge it in a battery charger before you use it.

Air Cleaner - During the winter months, small insects and other animals in your garage may just decide that your air cleaner is their new winter getaway. Be sure to clean your air cleaner, as well as oil it, at least once a year. .
Spark Plugs – Plugs can tell you a lot about how your motor is running, and it is relatively easy, and quick, to pull them out and check them before you leave the house, as opposed to while you're waiting for the tow truck on the side of the road.

Belts and Chains - Whether you have a belt drive, chain drive or shaft drive, you should make sure that all the parts appear in good order and everything that is properly tightened.

Tires and Wheels - Make sure that your tires don't have any cracks or worn spots and that the tire pressure is good. (You should do this regularly). As for your wheels: If you have solid wheels or mags or anything other than spokes, you only have to check for any corrosion, or dings. If you have spokes, check to make sure they are tight. Loose spokes can cause you to get a flat or even worse, the spokes can break unexpectedly.

Cables- During the winter you can get quite a bit of condensation in your cables. This can cause all kinds of problems. These might include rusting the cable or weakening the cable. Check them and lubricate them if necessary.

Lights - Make sure that all of your lights and other electrical components are in working order.

Chassis - Make sure that everything is properly tightened.
Safety Gear - Now that the bike is already to go make sure you are too. Check your eye protection, condition leathers, and protect your helmet with a new head wrap.

Bolts & Nuts - Check bolts and nuts and use Loc-Tite or other thread locking device.

Fluid Change - Check oil levels and change the oil filter. We are working on a washable replaceable oil filter with a pressure by-pass.

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