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So, what happens to
our state of minds when we mount our noble mechanical steeds? Well, we all
have our own thoughts but they can be grouped into the same meaning.
Starting with freedom this can
mean simply not being trapped inside a steel box or four walls. I think
we all feel a connection to mother nature when we can feel the force of
the wind against us. The air smells very different as we ride through the
city streets and then out into the country roads which is something we
can’t appreciate when trapped in a steel box. And how about the feeling
you get when you pass from warm sunshine to a cloudy, slightly
cooler spot on the road?
Now,
some riders say that they feel empowered.
Well I believe we all feel a sense of power when we ride. Many wise
men have tried to analyse this feeling and come up with all kinds of
answers but my favourite and the one I think fits me and a few of my
friends the best is the Ned Kelly theory. This is a little like a
primitive left over from our ancestors. I’ll try and explain as best I
can this theory so try and stay with me here. Back in the days of cowboys
there was the regular cow folk and then there were the guys that dared to
be different, They to rode on a noble steed. They would some times ride
as a group. Yes, the gun slingers, dare I say, the “outlaws”. They were
feared by the Mr and Mrs normal in society. They had this ora of secrecy
and mystery. They dared to look different, talk different, and act
different. They were not afraid to stand up for their rights. They
refused to be meagre robots of society. They would all come together in
force when needed and stand side by side as brothers. Yet just like the
many biker types today, most of these gunslinger so called “outlaw” types
were in fact very respectable people with good jobs and families and
actually did a hell of a lot of good for their local communities. They
were just a little different from Mr and Mrs robot.. So, we don’t need
weapons today on our steeds. We have some good laws and a democratic
society but the rest in my view has not changed, we still dare to be a
little bit different. We still come together as brothers and we still
fight for the basic rights not just for ourselves but still for Mr and
Mrs Robot.
Solitude is another favourite word used to
describe the feeling and for this I’ll explain what solitude means to me.
When I ride, all I hear is the sound of the mufflers playing my favourite
music. No shouting kids or nagging missus (sorry caz) no thump thump
thump so called music coming from the neighbours house or a hoons car a
klm away down the street. I can’t hear the phone ring or yap yap dogs
barking. My hearing is disconnected from the world around yet I can
finally hear every thought in my head as clear as clear can get. Many of
my own life problems have been sorted out by simply going for a ride on
the bike and finding a little bit of my own solitude.
Being a “Biker”
So what doe’s it mean
to be a biker. Well again this is my opinion. I feel that it does not
matter what you ride is. I personally don’t believe in the “macho” look
at me and what I’m riding thing. I have owned everything from a Postie
bike to a Harley and have loved ridding them all. Some of my fondest
memories are of ridding my old 1972 Yam 50 ZE, affectionately know back
then as a Fizzy. It had a top speed of 60mph and the motor Seized
regularly on long trips. The brakes where no better than a pushbike and
the forks and frame where twisted from numerous trips into the bottom of
ditches ridding in the snow and icy roads in the UK. Yet even today, I
wish I still had that old bike and yes I would still ride the hell out of
it.
So what is a biker. A
biker is a person with extra skill and judgment. A biker is a person whom
loves a greater challenge. A biker is a person who for a few hours a week
or a month or a year has nerves of steel and faces a world of deadly
weapons in the form of cars and trucks and shows the rest how to be
different.
There is a Biker in
every one. Some are just to scared to express it.
History of the Motorbike (food for thought !)
No way am I going to
dictate the history of when and were the first Motor bike came to be as
like so many others, I’ve read story after story of whom, when and were
and all different scenarios,(I personally
believe that some hard up guy in his garden shed made the first and the
rich guys stole his idea) but lets just say a big thanks to those early inventor daredevil
type chappies who made way for the choice and variety that we enjoy
today. All I want to do here is just give your brain something to think
about whilst there is nothing on TV and it’s to late to get the bike out.
I bet those daring
young men on their “infernal noisy dangerous machines” never appreciated
the kind of friendships owning a motorcycle would bring. Now, we all know
that the Motorcycle was created from the joining of an internal
combustion engine of some sort and a pedal bike but how many of you knew
that some early attempts used a steam engine, a diesel engine and even a
gas turbine running on methane. My own favourite is the Raleigh motorised
bicycle with a single cylinder air cooled motor strapped in the frame of
a standard pedal bike. The crazy thing with this machine is that it still
had the standard bike centre pull up brakes which if any one out there is
old enough to have ridden a pedal bike with these brakes knows, they
where nothing but an ornament at speeds over 3mph yet this motor cycle
had a top speed of around 15mph. No wonder there where so many injuries
and accidents. Here’s food for thought. We are still today inventing the
Motorcycle. Think about it for a second. We are now fitting turbo’s and
fancy electronic gismos as standard. The shape is always changing. We
strive to go faster, but just like that early Raleigh bike, we tend to go
fast first and think about the effectiveness of the brakes later !!.
Don’t believe me? How many times have you gone for the brakes at speed
and the chocolate pucker valve has clamped down hard on to your jocks?
‘yeh’ now you remember don’t you.
So now I’ve set you
thinking, get out your history books or go on the web and really
appreciate were we are today and remember that “biking”, being a “biker”
and all the fascinating history of the motorbike is what made you and me
the people we are today. Brothers and Sisters of the biking community.
(All comments and
thoughts are the personal opinion of the writer and in no way reflect the
opinion of others)
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Helpful Tips Tricks and info
Ok. Here are some basic tips from bike builders
and riders that might just help you get through your first rebuild or
just help you save some money by fixing your own bike. I personally like
tips that may seem obvious to some of us because I always remember that
we all had to start some where and even now, some of the most experienced
mechanics can forget the basic lessons. (
Don’t shoot the messenger here people, the tips given are taken on face
value )
This one is my own contribution and a
lesson I’ve learnt the hard way.
READ THE BOOK
BUY or BORROW A WORKSHOP
MANUAL. It doesn’t matter how good we think we are, double checking can
save us time and a lot of money. The building industry have a saying that goes “measure twice,
cut once” and they live buy that, so we as armature or even professional
mechanics should take on as similar saying perhaps like, “READ TWICE,
REPAIR ONCE” ??.
These two tips are from a friend of mine
whom has operated a motorbike repair shop for over twenty years and now
must have to much money in his bank because he’s telling us how to repair
our own bikes and not take it to him !. (Thanks John, only joking mate)
MOTOR OIL/
CLUTCH
Many bikes are
brought into us with clutch slip or poor gear selection problems. Two
thirds of these bikes need never to have come to our workshop because a
simple error has been made by the owner. WRONG MOTOR OIL. Most Motor
bikes use what is called a “wet clutch” set up which simply means the
clutch plates constantly run in oil, usually the motor oil. Changing the
motor oil for the wrong recommended type can have disastrous effects on
your clutch and gear train if not corrected early enough. Also, be
careful about mixing the oil. If your going on a long cruise, take a
small amount of your correct oil type with you for topping up instead of
hopping that the servo you stop at (because your oil light has come on)
has the correct oil grade.
HANDLING POOR
Again a couple of
simple tips here that may help to stop you wasting hard earned cash.
First and the most important is tyre pressure. This should be checked regularly.
If you are running the correct make, size and rated tyre as recommended
by the bike manufacturer, then use the recommended tyre pressure in the
owners manual. If you are using a different brand to the recommended
type, consult with the tyre supplier. Why do I recommend this ?. Most but
not all motorbikes are supplied from new with an “all rounder” tyre and
usually will only have two recommended tyre pressures say for winter or
summer running or laden and unladen. However, aftermarket tyres and more
specialized tyres can have more pressure variations depending on the
bikes weight, speed, tyre temp, tyre compound (soft, intermediate or
hard) and many other variations. It’s basic but it catches even the
experienced riders out.
Second is wheel
alignment. If you have had either the front or rear wheel assembly out of
your bike, double check that front to rear wheel alignment is still
accurate. The same applies if you have bounced up a curb a few times or
dropped the bike regardless how hard.
And finally. Spoked
wheels loosen up over time especially on bikes that are used frequently.
Checking the spokes is not hard and can be done by most bike owners. Find
a suitable steel object to lightly tap each spoke with. I find that a
13mm (1/2 inch) combination wrench works really well for this. Tap each
spoke in turn and listen for the sound the spoke makes. It should have a
slight ring to it which indicates that it is tight. If it has a dull thud
then the chances are that the spoke is loose. Please read the repair
manual before tightening loose spokes as it is very important to get it
right, or, take it to a suitable repair workshop.
Sent in from ‘Pod’ in NSW
HANDLE BARS
I suppose this is
more of a warning than a tip but a lesson that nearly cost me more than a
few hundred dollars. A few years ago I decided to change the style of my
handle bars on my Harley. The set I really wanted where around $300 which
I didn’t have the funds at the time. Impatience got the better of me and
I decided to “cut and Shut” my own set. Now, I’ve welded many things over
the years and thought that my welding was not to bad for an amateur but
how wrong could I have been. I suppose it’s not all down to the welding
either but knowing enough about stress and strain on steel and the effects
of heating and cooling steel that welding has on it.
My welded bars broke
when I hit a pothole in the freeway. The impact shock through the front
forks, plus the natural reaction of the rider to hold on tighter was just
enough at the right time to break a weak weld. The cost to me was my
pride a joy Harley was a write off, My left leg, arm, collar bone and
several ribs broken and a hefty repair bill for the damage caused to the
car that my bike came to rest on.
So in insight, $300
dollars was cheap. All I can say now to anyone about to do their own
welding is this. If you have to think about weather you are good enough
or not to weld a structural part of your bike, don’t. Buy a new part or
take it to a professional.
(Thanks
‘Pod’. A reminder to us all not to put a value on our lives. On a lighter
note, May be also you’ll also tell us all how you got the name “Pod”?)
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