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Top Internet Stories - 18 May 2012
Here are some interesting motorcycle related articles you may have missed during the last week that could amuse you.
- Riding in a Group: Rules and Etiquette (Zig Wheels)
- A History Of The BMW Motorcycle (Motorcycle Insurance)
- The Things Bikers Need To Have In Their Garage (Motorcycle Blog From Jafrum)
- World's Only Vincent Museum (Southsiders)
- A Fly In My Eye: Why Electric Motorcycles Are Stupid (2 Wheel Tuesday)
- Women, Motorcycles And The Road To Empowerment (Sojourn Chronicles)
- Too Much Oil In Your Motorcycle Engine (Motorcycle Thailand)
- E Bike Ennui? I May Have The Cure (RevGirl)
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Video: Vintage Vespa Ad - Go Vespa
Here's a vintage Vespa TV commercial, from the days that things were so much simpler. No helmets, wicker picnic baskets and reasonable prices.
I presume the advertisement is British.
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Making Something Out Of Nothing: Post Modern Motorcycles
The Honda CT110 is one of those reliable motorcycle you can see riding around the country side, clocking up many miles. Used not only by people who want a low cost and reliable transportation, but often used by organizations like the Post Office (in Australia and New Zealand it's called a "Postie Bike")..
Manufacturing started in 1980, and the motorcycle is still being made today. 4 stroke and air cooled, it's very reliable. But it's bland. Very bland. The bike almost can't be seen, that is how bland it is.
Until Melbourne, Australia based Post Modern Motorcycles got their hands on them. These guys customize the "bland" motorcycles into something more exciting. Not that you'll be able to race them, but at the very least you'll be able to ride to your local watering hole without feeling ashamed.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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Patent: Electric Front Wheel Drive For Conventional Motorcycles
Interesting patent that got filed October last year. The idea is nifty, but the application a bit iffy.
The patent is for an electric front wheel drive for a conventional, gas guzzling, motorcycle. We've seen several 2 wheel drive motorcycles, but all use hydraulics to power the front wheel. Making the front wheel electrically powered can be interesting, since it should save in cost and weight.
The electric front wheel drive would be coupled to a controller that works in sync with the rear drive and engine. The controller would regulate the speeds of both wheels, making sure one does not run faster, or slower, than the other.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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If Your Scooter Gets Cold At Night, Here Is A Solution
If your scooter sleeps outside during the night, especially in the winter, here's something you can make to keep it warm...
.. or you can just use it as it was intended to be used, decoration. The scooter is a crochet, but you can not buy it. No, you're going to have to work for it. You buy the pattern, and then you spend the next weeks crocheting the thing together.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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Video: Restoring A Royal Enfield Motorcycle In 2 Minutes
For those of you who are like me, and can not sit through a whole hour in front of the TV seeing a motorcycle being built, or restored, here's the fast way.
A guy in India, with the help of some friends, restored a 1978 Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle from the ground up. He filmed the whole process, from start to finish, and using time-lapse, you can see his endeavor in only 2 minutes. Pretty impressive. In real life, it took 45 days.
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Video: Motorcycle Reconstruction Safety Ad - TAC
The boys & girls at the Australian Traffic Accident Commission, TAC, have been making some nicely done motorcycle safety and awareness videos. Here's their latest, and IMHO, best safety advertisement.
The graphics are very well done, as is the message. You'll see a motorcycle accident in slow-motion and in reverse. The tag line is "Slow speed will not kill you".
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Guy Makes Big Paper Version Of Yamaha R1 Motorcycle
I guess if you've not got the money to buy a real Yamaha R1 motorcycle, this is you best bet to have one in your living room.
Jack Chan from Australia spent quite some time making a 60% size Yamaha R1 motorcycle out of paper and cardboard. But it looks the bizz. All it needs is a coat of paint, and he'll have the perfect replica in his living room.
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Nolan: Houston We Do Not Have A Problem
Recently we showed you a good print advertisement from Nolan, and now they've come up with another one.
This one is an astronaut wearing the full gear, and a Nolan motorcycle helmet.
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So You Really Want To Be Seen On Your Motorcycle?
It's a wonder that the French government has not (yet) decided to make this product mandatory for all motorcycle riders, the same way they are making hi-viz clothing mandatory.
But there are a lot of bikers out there who want to be sure they are seen, particularly at night, so this product may be of use to them. The product, called "Fibre Flare MVP" (MVP stands for Maximum Visibility Protection) is a battery powered fibre tube that is fixed to the rear of your helmet. You can mount it horizontal or vertically.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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Ads: Do You Not Think Roads Are Often Like This?
When I saw these print advertisements, though meant for a car tire,s I immediately thought about some really bad roads I've been on on my motorcycle.
You know what I mean, right? The kind that will vibrate your teeth out of your mouth....
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France: Net Decrease In New Motorcycle Sales Q1 2012
According to CSIAM, the French Association of International Vehicle Manufacturers, the sales of new motorcycles during the 1st quarter of 2012 in France was pretty bad.
Last year during the same time frame, 61,504 motorcycles were sold, this time this year it dropped by 7.8% down to 56,711 motorcycles.
Strangely enough, it's the 125cc market that has suffered the most, with a drop of -19.4%, while the best increase was that of three wheelers (MP3 etc) by +25.6%. Motorcycles and scooters over 125cc stayed stable, only increasing by +0.08%.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story for a brand by brand breakdown.......
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15 Movies Posters With Motorcycles In Them - Part 2
Part 2 of our series "Movies Posters With Motorcycles", 15 posters.
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European 4 Corner Motorcycle Tour Coming Up
For more years then I can remember we've had the Four Corner Tour of the USA (as far as I can remember, it started in 1983), whereby members would ride their motorcycles to the four corners of the US. It is a great way of seeing an immense country, and still have a measure of competition, or should we say adventure, in it.
Well, now the USA is not the only one. The European Motorcycle Tour Operator Association, EMTA, is organizing a similar tour calling it appropriately "4 Corner Tour". The tour is sanctioned, and helped by, the organizers of the US version, the SCMA.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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France: MotoGP 2012 Motorcycle Rest Places
The French MotoGP motorcycle race is on this weekend, and the French Angry Biker Association (FFMC) has put in place several motorcycle rest stops along the way, where you can tank up, get hot/cold drinks, eat, visors cleaned, mechanics, etc.
Here's a list and map of where they are, and when they are open.
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Top Internet Stories - 11 May 2012
A week has gone by since last round-up of motorcycle articles you may have missed. Here's this week's batch.
- Drivers unaware lane splitting is legal (Orange County Register)
- Even Most Simple Rides Require Planning (Cecilie's Moto Journal)
- A Lot Like Polo, Only Faster and With Beer (New York Times)
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Video: Ducati - My Style
#Ducati - Here's a TV commercial that reminds me a lot of the Honda car advertisement featuring a car that is assembled in fast motion from all sorts of parts. Except this ad is in reverse; the motorcycle is stripped of its parts to become part of a hair-do.
The ad is for Taft (hair products), an Italian subsidiary of Henkel/Schwarzkopf, for a competition involving Ducati. The motorcycle in question s a beautiful Ducati Monster. Not bad the ad.
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Netherlands: Decrease In Number Of Motorcycle License Exams
The number of people going for a motorcycle exam in The Netherlands has decreased sharply compared to last year.
21% less exams, so lots less motorcycle riders out there. Good or bad sign?
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Money? Pay In Motorcycle Coins - Only In Somalia
Money is a strange thing. Back in the beginning of time, when you needed something you didn't make or grow yourself, you traded it with something you did. Bartering it was called. Then came money, in the beginning it was natural denominations, like salt. If you had salt, you could "buy" anything. Salt did loose it value when it rained, so it slowly got replaced by coins and paper.
Nowadays, coins are commonplace; you'll find coins in almost every man's trouser pockets (except maybe the POTUS) and every woman's purse (except again maybe in Lady Gaga's). Coins, as we all know are small, usually circular, pieces of metal. Sometimes the coins aren't totally round, they may have edges.
But one country has said to itself "why must coins be round". And the answer is; NO REASON. A coin can be any shape. The country is war-torn Somalia, and in 2007, following the success of the guitar shaped coins, they made a series of motorcycle shaped coins.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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UK: Is The London Congestion Charge Working?
Back in 2003 London introduced a congestion charge for any car that wanted to travel into London. Monday to Friday between 07:00 and 18:00. The charge is £10 (about US$16) per day. The money is to be used to enhance the public transport system, and relive the traffic logged city from cars.
There was a lot of criticism, saying it would never work. But this graph below from the ITO World show the change. The red zones is where that was an increase of traffic, the blue zones where there was a decrease. I guess the red zones can be explained that it's commuter traffic heading for the train stations, and from there into the inner city by train or underground.
Click on the headline to continue reading this story.......
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