Fast Cars Gear

Archive for October, 2009

Whats Hot In Motorcycling? Motorcycle GPS

Anyone who has used a great GPS system including a great motorcycle GPS system will know how user friendly and useful a good GPS can be. With modern GPS technology coming of age and modern digital mapping technology improving a great motorcycle GPS can turn a ride into a pleasure.

What is GPS? For those who don’t know GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a navigation and positioning technology pioneered by the US army that has been taken to it’s ultimate and turned into a complete user friendly modern navigation solution. Whilst in the past GPS was really just the province of the military the technology is now so good and so cheap that anyone needing the ultimate in navigation can afford it.

That includes motorcyclists modern motorcycle GPS has also come of age.

Basically GPS works by cross referencing the signals from a number of satellites above the head of the user and using those references to plot the user’s position on the globe. It will only work where there are available satellites so if you can’t pick up the signals your GPS won’t work.

Modern GPS is accurate depending on the number of satellites available to within less than a yard. So anyone seeking to navigate by use of a GPS system can obtain extremely accurate positioning. And this is now user friendly. In the past this information was only available as a longitude and latitude figure. This was only really useful to someone with the technical expertise to actually use this to plot the position on a map.

However now modern GPS including high quality motorcycle GPS systems can combine digital mapping technology with GPS positioning to produce an extremely user friendly outcome. Basically the position plotted by the GPS can be overlaid onto a digital map to show the GPS user including the motorcyclist their exact position on a digital map and tell them how to get from where they are to where they want to go.

So motorcyclists can now buy dedicated motorcycle GPS systems that they can use as a total navigation system. There are various ways they can do this. It’s quite possible for the motorcycle rider who may also for example be a keen hiker to get a handheld portable GPS unit that can be taken anywhere including mounted on a motorcycle. Download and install some maps that cover the area you want to navigate in and portable GPS can be used by just about anyone just about anywhere.

There are however some drawbacks using portable GPS for a motorcycle GPS system. When mounted on a motorcycle a GPS unit needs some special qualities. It needs to be vibration resistant as a motorcycle has vibrations. It needs to be weather resistant as any equipment on a motorcycle will be out in the weather including the rain. And it needs to be readable in all conditions including direct sun.

And a motorbike rider needs to be able to program or use it whilst wearing heavy motorcycle gloves.

Luckily there are some excellent GPS manufacturers who have come to the rescue of the motorcyclist by manufacturing dedicated motorcycle GPS systems that combine all these features and more. The GPS mounts are designed to allow mounting without the problems of vibration and the GPS units are vibration resistant waterproof and can be read and used by the motorcyclist.

And even better the best motorcycle GPS units can be used without the need for reading the screen. With bluetooth technology built in they can send directions by voice direct to the helmet of the motorbike rider so the rider doesn’t need to take his eyes off the road.

Program in where you want to ride and it will take you there every turn turn by turn. Ask it to and it will tell you all the places of interest along the way like food or fuel stops and accommodation. With the right extras it will even tell you in real time where the traffic jams are and how to ride around them. This saves you both time and fuel.

And along the way your motorcycle GPS unit may even allow you to play your favorite music or do the odd phone call or three.

And a good motorcycle GPS system should set you back less than 1000. It’s money extremely well spent for a motorcyclist who likes long hassle free rides.

So if you ride a motorbike and have a lazy 1000 you can’t do better than spending it on a quality motorcycle GPS system. It will repay you over and over.

About the writer:  Find out all about Motorcycle GPS systems at Peter’s website Motorcycle GPS Deals including Garmin Motorcycle GPS systems and more including some hot motorcycle GPS videos.

A Safer SUV: Preventing Rollover

People are afraid to fly afraid to play extreme sports and afraid to bungee jump and yet they jump into their vehicles without batting an eyelash. Unfortunately more deaths are contributed to motor vehicle crashes than almost any other health or accident cause.

That doesn’t mean you have to stop driving but what it does mean is that you should take extra precautions to stay safe while on the road for your sake and for the sake of other drivers. For SUV owners this means taking positive steps toward preventing SUV rollovers.

SUV rollovers are commonly caused by driving off of the regular road and hitting a ditch bump or obstacle which causes the SUV to flip. However rollover also can happen when traveling around curves too quickly over in adverse conditions. You can look at your SUV’s official rollover report to learn about the safety of your specific vehicle.

In general a lower center of gravity is preferred because it means that your SUV is less topheavy and more likely to stay upright when going around curves. You can consider this on the most basic level by simply comparing your SUV to other SUVs on the market. How far apart are the back wheels and how proportionate is the top half to the bottom half? The father apart the tires and the heavier the bottom half in relation to the top the safer your SUV will be when it comes to rollover.

If safety is important to you and your family but you just don’t want to give up your topheavy SUV you can purchase an ESC Electronic Stability Control. These devices can greatly reduce your risk of SUV rollovers while traveling in your SUV and on top of that it’s a pretty cool new gadget to test out in your car!

The ESC using an electronic sensory system to actually detect when you’re going to lose control of your SUV. You don’t even have to do anything. The ESC will automatically step in and do whatever it needs to do to help your vehicle stay in control. A number of different studies have tested the ESC and all have concluded that this system can help to save lives so this product is truly in the industry to save. Unless you absolutely have no way of paying for it get an ESC for your SUV to prevent SUV rollovers and possibly save lives.

How could an electronic device possible control your vehicle to prevent SUV rollovers? After you install it in your car the microcomputer will monitor your speed throttle position cylinder pressure acceleration braking steering wheel angle and more. It basically compares what you are trying to do with what the vehicle is actually doing.

For example it can notice that your breaking and prevent the tires from locking up. How does this help with rollover? The computer can sense when your wheels on one side are beginning to lift and it can use singletire braking and over methods to help shift weight to keep your SUV stable.

Of course no system is foolproof and the ESC is not a replacement for common sense when you’re driving your SUV. The next time you purchase a vehicle it’s a good idea to get an ESC they’re called different things with different makers so you may see the names StabiliTrak AdvanceTrac Vehicle Dynamics Control and Precision Control System among other things. However take SUV rollover prevention into your own hands as well for the safest driving experience possible.

The vast majority of SUV rollovers don’t happen when traveling about curves too fast; they happen when you lose control and drive off of the normal road. Offroad there are things like curbs ditches tree roots and other kinds of bumps that can catch a wheel and spend you flying head over heels. Your ESC system no matter how well it works can prevent this type of thing from happening.

Stay safe when driving and you’ll go a long way in preventing SUV rollovers. Stay off of your cell phone unless its and emergency don’t eat or play with the radio while driving and generally keep your attention focused on the road.

Remember you have to watch out for not only yourself but other drivers as well so reaction is as important as personal action. Be informed about vehicular safety and the new products on the market like the ESC and with a little common sense you should be able to avoid all SUV rollover accidents.

About the writer:  Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 18883115522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

Advanced Atv Riding For Advanced Riders!

Have fun flying through the air with your ATV

So youve seen the other ATV riders do it and you feel that its about time you try that flying through the air stunt yourself too but you are not sure how to go about it. You could try asking those who have tried it before to teach you but then again they may not have enough time to sit through with you to guide you from A to Z on the skills of jumping your ATV. The theoretical part of learning may sound easy but you need to practice again and again to perfect your skills.

You may be sitting there and reading this while at the same time wonder how do they make their ATVs fly through the air almost effortlessly? You could be asking yourself a lot of questions and that is a good start to learning. When you have learned how to jump an ATV it sure adds a whole lot of fun to your riding. However many people do not understand the mechanics involved between themselves and their ATVs and it is usually the not knowing part that frightens people and it should. When you do not know something you would usually go all out to learn about it and the first and foremost important thing about jumping your ATV is to learn the very basics on how its done.

Jumping an ATV is equivalent to learning to walk for the very first time. When you were a child you didnt just suddenly get up and run without first learning to walk. The same concept goes with jumping your ATV. You have to start out on a smaller scale and not try to outdo yourself by going to a supercross track or something like that.

Here are some helpful tips that we at Jackel Motorsports hope will get you started on learning to jump your ATV and more importantly to land safely too!

Getting started safety first!

Before you ride out to experience your first jump please check and make sure that your ATV is in good working condition. Check the tires wheels shocks and suspension and be sure that everything is tight. And remember no ATV ride or jump for that matter is safe without you first putting on your safety gears that is your helmet goggles gloves boots chest protector long sleeve shirts pants and any other protective gears that you have.

Since you are only going to start out learning to jump there is no need for you to jump with a downwardsloped landing. If you do not already know you should never hit a jump while sitting your rear shock will compress and fling you off like a catapult which is not going to be a very fun thing to happen during a jump. Start by selecting a smooth ramplike take off and keep steady on the gas and start out slow in the attack positions that way you are neither standing all the way up or sitting down. Keep your arms bent elbows out because this will help to absorb the landing as well as the impact of hitting the face of the jump. When your front wheels approach the face of the jump blipping the throttle will keep the front end of the quad up so that you will be able to make a safe landing. Once you are comfortable and confident with small jumps you can slowly move on to bigger and more exciting jumps.

The importance of landing well

After your first few jumps you should be able to gauge your speed to make a perfect landing on the down side of the jump. Once you are more comfortable with your jumping skills you can start to work on landing on the front wheels first. This has to be done with great care. Should you land with the nose of your machine too far down you will be in for an ugly experience. One way to do is will be to press down on the rear brake to stop the momentum of the rear wheels bringing the front wheels down. Another method is to manually push down the bars to bring the front end down. Depending on the jump speed and position of your ATV you could also combine both methods during your jump. In the event that the front end is too low and you think that you may just go over the bars dont give up hold the throttle wide open to speed up the momentum of the rear tires which will bring up the front end.

As the saying goes practice makes it perfect so our last word of advise is to practice and keep practicing until you have mastered the basic techniques. Once you are confident with the small jumps it is time to gear up and take on the big ones!

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;For more information about kids atvs and products relating to your needs feel free to contact Jackel Motorsports toll free at 18885298629 or on the web at www.jackel.com

Team Jackel
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http://www.jackel.com