Nice Bike

Sportbikes

admin — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:46:42 +0000

Modern sportbikes are a combination of high revving engines and lightweight construction.

Most sport bikes are four cylinders and 1000cc or less which makes them smaller and lighter. Their lightweight frame and complex adjustable suspension are inherited directly from the race track.

Customisation is common but only to increase speed. The quest for ultimate performance brings sportbike riders together and biker clubs are a common phenomena.

Motocross bikes

admin — Tue, 15 May 2007 14:49:20 +0000

Motorcross bikes are lightweight bikes (80kg - 95 kg) built for speed and manageability. For this reason the bike engine may well still be a two stroke although four strokes are now quite common. Engine capacity falls between 125cc and 600cc with the bigger engines being more trail and enduro bikes than true motocross. The bikes are single cylinder because of the need for lots of torque at low revs.

Wheel rims are large and suspension travel long to soak up the rough terrain. Bikes seats are small and uncomfortable as they are mainly ridden standing up or for short periods of time. Fuel tanks are also very small at between 7 and 8 litres.

Big Trail Bikes

admin — Wed, 09 May 2007 14:43:02 +0000

Motorbikes between 300cc and 650cc with single cylinder are better described as trail bikes rather than off-road motor cycles. They can easily handle sand roads but are too heavy for very uneven rocky terrain. In short, they can handle anything that a general purpose 4 x 4 vehicle can when ridden by an experienced rider.

Long Distance Road Touring

admin — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:37:02 +0000

A trip of 1500km or more should be done on a quiet bike with at least three cylinders. An engine capacity of around 1000cc is recommended along with a large windshield and comfortable saddle. The wheelbase should be more than 150cm to ensure a mooth ride.

If at all possible the bike frame should offer lots of space for panniers and other bike mounted storage.

Generally speaking the quieter the motorcycle the more relaxed the rider

Choosing the Right Gear Box for your Bike

admin — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:34:24 +0000

Motorcycles designed for fast acceleration have a 5 or 6 speed gear box with gear ratios closer together. These bikes have to be ridden hard with frequent gear changes.

Bikes designed for a more leisurely pace have a 5 speed box with the gears spaced further apart allowing for relaxed, in-frequent, gear shifting.

Choosing the Right Weight for your Motorbike

admin — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:07:07 +0000

The weight of a motorcycle is very important.

Your motorcycle should not be so heavy that the rider cannot manoeuvre in and out of confined spaces. The rider should also be able to pick up the bike should it fall over; and you can guarantee it will!

If you buy a bike approaching 220kg you may find it too heavy and will not want to ride the bike off-road.

Scooters are the lightest of all motor cycles at a mere 80kg. Most motorbikes fall in the 160kg to 220kg range. Big bikes like cruisers and sport tourers are generally heavier than 220kg and can weight over 350kg!

Choosing the Right Motorbike Wheelbase

admin — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:06:23 +0000

The wheelbase of your motorbike along with the rake angle can affect the handling of your motorcycle. The length of your wheelbase dictates the intended use of the motorcylce with longer wheelbases being for slower responding, beautiful riding, cruises and short wheelbases being for nippy sport or general purpose motorcycles. Also worth noting, the bikes straight line stability improves as the wheelbase gets longer.

Sport motorbikes have a wheelbase of between 135cm and 145cm giving quick handling characteristics. Tourer motorbikes have wheelbases between 146cm and 155cm. Big tourers and cruisers have similar wheelbase lengths of between 160cm and 168cm and therefore display the greatest straight line stability.

Choosing the Right Rake Angle to Improve Handling

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:36:42 +0000

Some motorcycles have an amazing straight line stability which allows you to point them in a direction and really open up the throttle. This disadvantage of this stability is that they are not easy to to turn around quickly and handle poorly on sweeping bends (such as maintain passes and coast roads).

Other motorbikes by comparison, especially sportbikes, handle curved roads very well, swooshing from one corner to the next but suffer on long straight roads

Quoting the “Proficient Motorcycling” handbook

The greater the rake angle the greater the straight line stability. The less the angle the quicker the handling response. In extreme cases a damper has to be fitted to a sportbike where the handling is so unstable as to be a problem.

Generally speaking, sport bikes have a rake of 24 degrees whilst the rake angle for cruisers is closer to 30 degrees.

Choosing the Right Motorbike Seat Height

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:20:01 +0000

The only rule you need worry about when it comes to choosing the seat height for your motorbike is that you can comfortably reach the road surface with at least foot; preferably both. This sounds kinda obvious and not that important to mention but when you are riding your bike at slow speeds, in heavy traffic or on uneven road surfaces you will appreciate its relevance; Most bikes can be lowered a little so speak to the motorcycle dealer.

Cruisers generally have lower seats which are around 70cm from the ground. The average bike is 80cm while the off road motorbikes are over 90cm in height

Choosing the Right Number of Cylinders?

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:18:39 +0000

When choosing the number of cylinders on your motorbike you have a very clear choice. You can either opt for plenty of grunt (few cylinders) or optimum performance (lots of cylinders). The fewer the cylinders your motorbike has the more attitude it has. You bike will grunt, it will growl, it will roar on the open road. Bikes with few cylinders will have a low RPM and are therefore suited to off roading where a lot of torque is required.

The more cylinders your bike has the more the bike is suited to long distance riding. Incredible bike performance is found in bikes with four cylinders where the engine is able to rev up to 10000 RPM and beyond.