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Here's The Motorcycle Touring Made Easy eZine
September 08, 2009

Motorcycle Touring Made Easy

....the eZine
....inside this issue

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Welcome to the Motorcycle Touring Made Easy eZine
Our goal with our website is to provide motorcycle touring information to others that would like to get involved or know more about motorcycle touring. We've spent the last year gathering information and getting it together on the site and now with our eZine we're looking to bring you more and up to date information directly to you.

We hope that you find this information helpful and forward this eZine on to all your friends and if someone has sent this to you, please go to our home page and subscribe to get your own monthly copy. Just fill out the form and your there!

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....Quick note from the Editor

Well I hope the Labor Day Weekend (US) was safe and enjoyable for everyone. I for one got away for the weekend which meant away from the computer as well. So here is this month eZine a day or two late, but never the less, here.

Knowing the Basics - General Motorcycling
This month I have a tip that may work better in the maintenance section but I think that it's something all bikers do almost as soon as they get their new (or used) bike and that's Make is Look Good!. Not that there is anything wrong with that. There is nothing better than a sharp looking bike sitting or rolling. Just one thing that you need to understand when dressing up your bike is what the different cleaners and polishers can do, especially in the area of safety.

Huh?? Yeah that's right, safety. So how does a cleaner or polish make you un-safe? Well it's where you put it. Your body's contact with the bike can be real important to you and your passenger and if those areas are slick, it may be dangerous. So any areas that you make contact with the bike should be free of polishes and cleaners, especially things like leather protectants (Armor all type products).

So I never put cleaning treatment like that on Hand Grips, Seats and Pegs. And I would also say that if you use it on your tires, spray it on a cloth and not directly on your tire. If you get it on your brake pads, it could create a problem the first time you try to stop.

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Out on the Road - Riding and Safety
Okay here is something we talked about before, but I heard something the other day that just brought it more to light. A story on the radio about a local Delaware rider that crashed his bike on a Thursday at 1:00 am, and they didn't find his body till Saturday.

Okay, I know this is kind of a downer but I mention this because we take it for granted that if we go down we'll stay on the road, be near traffic or businesses where we'll be seen. But this is not always the case. This guy went off the road and into the woods bike and all. It wasn't until the third time walking the area that they found a divot and some plastic from the crash to help locate him.

So how can we swing the odds more in our favor? Communication is one, let others know where you'll be riding. Especially if you are riding back roads, then stick to your route. Another is reflective clothing. Yeah I know, racing stripes when out in the seventies. "Basic Black" isn't always the best and some gear actually looks good with reflective designs and piping on the jackets.

So if you have a favorite company where you purchase your gear, send them a little note and ask about reflective gear. It just might help you get home after dumping your bike on a back road somewhere.

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Keeping Garage Time Short - Maintenance Tips
So you're ready to head out on the road. You pull your bike out, hit the starter and...... NOTHING! Nothing could be worse than finding that you have a dead battery on the day you want to get out and ride. So you head to your favorite auto parts store cause you know they have a cheaper and better battery than the dealer right (well not always but work with me for a minute) and you pick up a battery to find out……. You have to add what? Acid? What's acid and why do I need to put it in the battery?

Well all batteries have acid in them. Without getting technical, that's what they use to create the chemical reaction to produce electricity. For some reason though, most motorcycle batteries missed out on the sealed portion of the maintenance free deal. So when you buy your bike battery, the acid comes in bottles inside the box and you'll need to add that into the battery before you install it.

First thing you have to understand is that YOU DON'T OPEN THE ACID BOTTLES!!! Trust me, you don't want acid all over. Not only does it burn but you can ruin your clothes and anything else around that your treasure. The bottles have a foil seal and the holes in the battery have a plastic piece to puncture the foil. So, just remove the bottles from the box and fit them into the holes in the top of the battery. You may have to pierce the bottle with a pin to let air in. Once all the acid is in the battery, cap the holes and put the bottles back into the box along with your old battery.

At this point I would recommend charging your new battery before installing it but if you are in a hurry and need to get on down the road, all batteries should have enough of a charge to turn your motor over and get it going. Once you are done, return the old battery to the store. They may not offer a core charge for bike batteries but return them anyway for recycling, and then.....Get Out And Ride!!

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Our View On Parts - Product Review
This month’s product review is about paint. Just one in general that I've found through another website (www.jeffswing.com) and its Dupli-Color Truck Bed Coating. Okay, wait a minute, we're on bike I know, but if you have an area that needs some non reflective paint, consider using this. Check out Jeff's site for the pictures but I can guarantee you that I have had the same nice and easy results using this paint.

I had damaged my meter panel (the one around the instrument cluster) so I thought I would just get a new one. Yeah at $185.00!! not me. So I researched a bit about painting it instead and found Jeff's site. My panel was warped from heat and I had to use a heat gun to get the plastic as close to straight as possible. After that a bit of sanding and some "Tester's Contour Putty" (found at a hobby store) to fill and smooth out what was left. Once done, three light coats of Dupli-Color Truck Bed Coating and I have a nice panel that blended in nice and hid all the imperfections!

Jeff has gone a bit further than what I would ever do, but seems he enjoys the look and found that it's a tough finish and if and when it does get nicked, a simple sanding and touch up spray and it all blends in nice. In correspondence with Jeff, he says that if he did anything different, he would put a clear topcoat on it to smooth out the finish a bit so that he didn't go through so many sponges (all but the meter panel of course).

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Judy and I hope that you've enjoyed our eZine and if so, please send it on to your friends. If you have any tips that you would like to see posted on our site go to our tips page. We'll get them on our site and maybe use it in our eZine as well.

Also feel free to Contact Us with any questions or suggestions.

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