Archive for March, 2011
How To Avoid Some Of The Biggest Mistakes When Looking For A Motorcycle Loan
When you’re buying a motorcycle you need to know about bikes but you also need to know about how to buy a bike and that has nothing to do with engines and manufacturing. One important detail where a lot of people that purchase motorcycles go wrong is getting the right loan.
How much the loan agent is willing to loan you is a good way to figure out what kind of bike you can afford to buy. Prices vary a lot between different models and at the beginning of the year when new models come out they are generally more expensive than at the end of the year when dealers are trying to get rid of old inventory to make space for the next year’s models. But through all this one thing remains constant and that is the fact that if you don’t have the cash you’re going to need a loan. Don’t fall for the tricks. Remember that you have alternatives to purchasing a loan from the dealer. Don’t get caught up in the pressure to buy a bike and forget that this deal is really all about money. You can go to the bank the Internet or to a credit union and apply for a loan so don’t let anyone push you around.
The best thing you can do is shop around before you even go into the bike shop so that you go in there knowing what you’re working with. You are now in a position to fight for the best price but if you don’t know what your options are then you have to take the word of the person who is trying to sell you a loan. That is never a good idea.
There are many mistakes that people commonly make and the person who gives you the loan is apt to make a lot of money off people who don’t do their homework before signing on that dotted line. Here are some things to think about:
Be careful about reading the fine print. If there is a special low interest rate for a short period of time but then the rate increases to a much higher rate as with many credit cards it is not advisable to take that deal unless you are surely able to pay off the loan before the high rate kicks in.
If you can’t it is probably a better idea to opt for a different kind of loan even if you end up paying a higher interest rate. You don’t want to get caught with that inflated interest rate at the end of the promotional period.
Another thing is to remember your budget. Don’t borrow more than you can afford to borrow just so that you can have a shiny bike. Remember you’re going to have to buy gas insurance and pay for maintenance and you have a life to live than involves other expenses as well.
Make sure you know what you’re signing. There are a lot of loopholes that a layman misses the first time he reads a technical legal document and lenders use these loopholes to get you to pay more than what you planned for. What is the time period of the term? Is the interest rate fixed and if so is it permanently fixed? If not when can it change and for what reasons? Does it have to be full coverage? What are the registration fees and what other fees are there? Is there a late payment penalty? Does late payment affect the interest rate? Does the program use simple interest or the rule of 78?
Remember what you don’t know can really hurt your pocket and affect your way of life. It is worth the effort to do the extra research before going out there and buying a bike.
About the writer: Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as well as motorcycle boots at http://www.westernandworkboots.com
How Is Bike Insurance Calculated?
How is bike insurance calculated?
Bike insurance is calculated according to a motor cyclists age their riding history and the amount of years they have had their motor bike driving license the make of the bike and the purpose of the riding using the bike. The amount of mileage the motor cycle does is also considered as well as the area the rider lives in. Note that a motor cyclist should always update their insurer if any of the above change.
When a rider chooses their bike insurance they should check that they are fully covered or make sure they are covered for what they bought it for. People feel they have good bike insurance but are then shocked at how little their policy covers them in an accident. Many insurers are reluctant to insure motor bikes as they are high risk compared to cars and may try and deceive what a rider gets for their money.
There are three main types of bike insurance; Liability policy Collision policy and the Comprehensive policy. The Liability policy covers other people and their damages in an accident. The owner of the policy is not covered for their damages. The Collision policy covers the rider and their bike is an accident occurs. Many insurers replace the price of the bike at its depreciated value although some pay for the original price. Medical cover given by the motor cyclists insurers should be investigated closely and understood to how much they are given before accepting the policy. The Comprehensive policy protects the rider against fire or vandalism if fault of the incident is not due to the owner of the bike.
A motor cyclist can save money by limiting the amount of mileage the bike does. Storing the bike in a garage decreases the premium as well as adding extra security features such as an alarm. It is advised that a rider gets a policy with a high excess before the insurer contributes as this will save a lot of money. Motorbike insurance is now available on the internet usually at cheaper prices with a decrease in the premium again if the motor cyclist pays their fees yearly.
Good motorcycle insurance is available with reasonable prices. Having a good riding and no claims history will help the chances of this.
About the writer: Abdula Aziz owns and runs e Motorbike Insurance quote one of the UK’s leading motorcycle insurance comparison sites. emotorbikeinsruancequote has many bike insurance brokers on their panel of brokers and can find you the best deals. The company has thousands of satisfied customers throughout the UK and has reduced their bike insurance quotes.
Harley-Davidson Helmet..Protection And Fashion
I was cleaning out my garage and accidently knocked my helmet off the shelf. It hit the cement hard and made a huge smacking sound. After calling myself an idiot I decided to see if I needed to buy another helmet.
I asked my lady if she wanted to take a ride over to Adventure HarleyDavidson with me.
Sure Babe I love checking out the new MotorClothesreg; at Adventure. When do you want to go?
I’m ready now I said as I revved the engine on my 2007 Road Kingreg;.
Arriving at Adventure HD we both headed for the MotorClothesreg; Dept. I need to ask some questions about helmets! I growled as we approached as salesperson.
Sure said Chelsea. By the way what are your names?
I’m Gary and my wife’s name is Rita. I dropped my helmet in the garage and was wondering if I should replace it.
Gary Helmets look tough and sturdy but you have to handle them with care. If you have dropped your helmet or it has been impacted you need to replace it right away. A very important fact is that a helmet is only designed to take one impact even a small one. An impact could fracture the outer shell or compress the impact absorbing liner. The damage may not be visible Chelsea continued Even if your helmet has never been damaged it needs to be replaced every three to 5 years. You can judge this be how much you have used it. As time passes UV rays adhesive and component aging will damage the helmet. Its protective features may deteriorate and wear with time making risky for your safety.
Chelsea I did not have a clue about when and why I should replace my helmet. I figured I broke it because I did see a crack but I’m glad I found this out before something bad happened.
Gary and Rita I want to give you this tidbit of info also. Never use expose or store helmets around the following: Insect repellent gasoline cleaning fluids exhaust fumes or excessive heat. The exposures can result in the degradation of helmet materials and protective components and the damage may not be visible.
Chelsea Now that we know about replacing our helmets can you tell us a little about the different Helmets HarleyDavidsonreg; has available I inquired.
You guys I have a ton of info about the helmets. So stop me if I start to bore you OK Chelsea grinned as she continued. HarleyDavidsonreg; takes helmet production seriously. Your safety is highly valued at HarleyDavidsonreg;. HarleyDavidsonreg; performs road tests on their helmets to meet DOT requirements. Harleyreg; discourages selling novelty helmets which do not meet DOT requirements or are not SNELL approved.
What is a novelty helmet Chelsea? asked Rita.
A novelty helmet in not intended for motorcycle wear and does not provide head protection. It is for fun only and when it comes to motorcycle safety its time to stay serious. For your riding safety only purchase a motorcycle helmet that meets DOT requirements and is Snell approved Chelsea smiled as she pointed to three helmets.
I want to know what kind of helmet I should replace this old one with? Can you tell me about the materials helmets are made of? I asked at this point I was anxious to buy a helmet but I wanted to make sure I got a good one.
Gary and Rita HarleyDavidsonreg; offers a complete line of half three quarter and full face helmets for men and women. Helmets in general are made of four primary elements: the outer shell: a liner that acts as an impact absorber; padding for your comfort; and a retention system to keep the helmet in place on your head Chelsea swallowed and took a breath. Here we go. First you have the Thermoplastic construction it is hot plastic polycarbonate that is injected into a mold and hardens. This process is not very complicated and usually results in a less expensive helmet. It usually flexes as a reaction to impact against a hard surface. To meet DOT requirements thermoplastic helmets must have a thicker impact liner which requires a larger shell. You get a slightly larger heavier helmet that is less expensive.
So I bet my old helmet was a thermoplastic because it was less expensive than the rest when I bought it. Rita remember that was the day you got your HarleyDavidsonreg; leather riding jacket I chided at Rita just to get her riled up.
Gary You told me to pick out the jacket I loved the most so if you have any regrets it’s totally you fault Rita wailed as she threw me a don’t start anything look.
I’m only kidding honey. You look great in your black leather HDreg; jacket and I love you I grinned as I turned to Chelsea for some more helmet info.
OK you guys lets talk about fiberglass shell construction. It consists of putting multiple layers of fiber cloth inside a mold and adding resin. After that you must heat the mold so it bonds to the resin while removing the pockets of air. It takes many steps to create the layered weave. This winds up causing more expense. Upon impact the fiberglass shell usually cracks crushes and/or delaminates. This causes the impact to be reduced so the impact liner can be thinner. All of this makes for a reduced overall size and weight of the fiberglass helmet Chelsea went full speed ahead. Ultra Light Hybrid helmets are approximately seventeen percent lighter than fiberglass shell helmets. The fiberglass helmets are made with a twostep process that that has layers of fiberglass and injected resins to form the shell. The resin amounts may vary slightly as they are added to each shell. This causes variances in weight. The Hybrid UltraLight Helmets use a onestep process that incorporates Aramid reinforced fiberglass. The exact amount of resin is built into the fibers known as preimpregnated. This precise mix of materials and stateoftheart manufacturing process gives a smaller lighter shell.
Man Chelsea you really know your stuff I said as I stood there amazed that one person could spit out so much detail about the helmet manufacturing process. I was interested and wanted to hear more.
Well Rita and Gary there is one more process I need to tell you about. Carbon/Kevlarreg; construction is the same as fiberglass. There is one separating factor. The cloth in made from incredibly tough carbonized Kevlar. Carbon/Kevlar’s strength results in fewer materials needed make the helmet impact resistance achievable. For the most part carbon/Kevlar is 20 lighter than fiberglass. The technology required to produce this type of helmet make it more expensive Chelsea sighed and laughed. Now I’ve informed you and you have to make your choice. I’d be glad to tell you which helmet is which.
Ok Chelsea that’s fair. You have given me a lot to think about. So let me look at these helmets and think awhile I chuckled as I seriously started picking out my NEW helmet.
Hey Chelsea. I want to know about us women and our needs. I don’t want to buy a small man’s helmet like I did the first time I ever purchased a helmet. Do you have any helmets that are designed for women only? That fits women and our needs? Rita whined as she took over Chelsea’s attention.
Chelsea’s lips curved into a sly grin as she replied Rita we have just what you are looking for The Skyline Helmets by HarleyDavidson. Thy have a 10mm deeper cavity that provides a lower profile for women. Skylines’ also have interlocking side amp; crown liners for a wonderful customized fit fronttoback and sidetoside. Skyline Helmets have an antistatic comfort liner to reduce helmet hair. These helmets have a ponytail notch that provides extra room through a special cutout section in liner. Skyline Helmets from HarleyDavidsonreg; offers half frac34; and fullface helmets to meet women’s preferences. What do you think Rita?
Well I think that I’m gonna get me a new helmet also Rita replied flabbergasted.
Hey Gary and Rita HarleyDavidsonreg; offers a complete line of helmet accessories to go with the helmet line. You can choose from replacement face shields replacement visors helmet bags and helmet communication pouch. They are all on display right here or if you want to shop online just go to www.adventurehd.com Chelsea concluded.
Goodbye Chelsea and thanks so much we yelled as we slipped on our brand new HarleyDavidsonreg; helmets that we got from Adventure HD and rumbled on down the highway of life.
About the writer: Brenda has been working in the Adventure HarleyDavidson world for over 15 years. She is currently a student at Stark State studying computer science and is working on completing her short stories writing classes.