Motorcycle Protective clothing That works! by Michael Holmes

Motorcycle Protective clothing That works! by Michael Holmes

There is some great looking motorcycle clothing on the market these days, but believe me not all of the motorcycle clothing offers as much protection as you think. In Europe, for motorcycle clothing to be lawfully sold as safety clothing, it has to pass a series of European standards, which are pretty lengthy but are available on my website. The standards cover the clothings performance in abrasion, tearing and impact tests, and when they have passed; they are sold with the CE mark. However, no such regulation is available in the USA, so what should you look for?

Protection in the right places

Not many people realise that most motorcycle injuries occur below the belt. Your legs and feet are extremely vulnerable, so make sure that you wear a decent pair of high boots and some protective pants. The pants should be reinforced at the knees and hips; ideally they should attach to your jacket by a zipper. Boots should be thick leather, with a sole that can flex with the foot but has a resistance to crushing across the foot.

Traditional material for motorcycle clothing is leather, but thick nylon and other synthetic materials work well too. Kevlar reinforced jeans are better than normal jeans .Normal jeans last 0.6 seconds in the European standard abrasion test, while protective motorcycle pants will last 5 seconds or more. You dont really want to be ripping your skin open within less than half a second of falling of your bike do you? Thought not.

Same principles apply to jackets. Make sure they are hardwearing, if they are leather make sure it is thick leather not fashion leather like some jackets. Stitching should be uniform with no dropped stitches, and all your sharp bits, your elbows and shoulders should be reinforced, ideally with some impact protection included.

A decent pair of gloves is a must; your palms will be at risk in an accident; you instinctively put out your hands palm side down to stop yourself in a slide, so the palms of your gloves should be reinforced with patches. Knitted Kevlar is especially good for this kind of abrasion resistance, but reinforced leather works well too.

Impact protection can be bought separately like back protectors and so on, but remember where your most vulnerable areas are. And make sure if you buy impact protection you actually wear it! If you have any doubts it may be better to go for motorcycle clothing with a degree of impact protection included so that you know when you put on your jacket and pants, the protection is always going to be there.

Last but not least, pick out a helmet you can wear and wear it always. You may have a greater chance of getting injured below the waist in a motorcycle accident, but the consequences of being involved in an accident without a helmet just dont bear thinking about.

So, next time you are shopping for motorcycle clothing, give a bit of thought to the level of protection it offers before you buy it. You never know it could save you a lot of unnecessary pain!

Copyright Michael Holmes 2005 Permission is granted to reproduce this article provided a live link is provided to http://www.motorcycleparts-accessories-andmore.com
About the Author
Michael Holmes is a enthusiast for all thing motorcycle. His website, http://www.motorcycleparts-accessories-andmore.com, is a great resource of articles aimed at motorcyclists of all levels, including a page specifically for motorcycle clothing.

Protect Your Car From Road Salt by Marilyn Pokorney

Protect Your Car From Road Salt by Marilyn Pokorney

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Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney

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Every winter drivers should take active steps to protect
their car from road salt.

Road salt is necessary for safe transportation when snow and
ice accumulate on roads and highways and cause dangerous
driving conditions.

Salt was first used in the 1930's in snow and ice control to
make roads safe and passable by creating a lower freezing
temperature of the water. It is the most available and
cost-effective de-icer. It is easy to store, handle, and
apply.

Some 15 million tons of de-icing salt is used each year in
the U.S. and about 4-5 million in Canada.

Salt keeps snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and to
allow snowplows to remove accumulations quickly and
efficiently.

Studies show that salt use reduces accidents by 88%.

Washing your car during wintertime is one of the best things
you can do to maintain the value of your car. Mud, salt,
rain, sleet, and snow can damage your car's clear finish.
Mud and salt caked on the undercarriage promote rust,
especially in older vehicles, and can also affect how well
your car drives.

To prevent winter damage, it is recommended that you wash
your vehicle every 10 days. Wash your vehicle whenever the
temperature is 40 degrees F. and above. Do it during the
day so that it dries completely before freezing evening
temperatures begin.

Immediately after washing the vehicle, open and close all
doors, the trunk, and other parts of the car with locks
several times before parking it to prevent locks from
freezing.

Always wash your car right after a snow or rain shower.
Rain and snow collect pollutants in the air and drop them as
acid rain which can damage the cars protective finish. Snow
and sleet also include the corrosive road salt.

Wash the underside of your car often during the winter
months in car washes that do not use recycled water.

Avoid driving through large puddles of standing water which
is saturated with road salt.

Any paint chips that are larger than the tip of a pen should
be taken care of immediately.

Wax your car at least every six months. Put a good heavy
coat of wax on your car before the winter storms hit. This
heavy coat will protect your paint from the corrosive salt
and cold temperatures.

More frequent waxes are needed if your car is red, black or
white because these colors are more susceptible to acid rain
and UV rays.

When spring time rolls around, treat your car to a good wax
job again. Be sure to remove all road grime and salt off of
the car before you begin waxing.

For more information:
http://www.apluswriting.net/gasmiles/5starshine.html
About the Author
Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

Fundamentals for selling your own car by Graeme Sprigge

Fundamentals for selling your own car by Graeme Sprigge

by Graeme Sprigge

Selling your car can be one of life's frustrating experiences.
It can also be done with great success. Like any subject - if
you know how to go about it it's easy. Here are some dos and
don'ts that will make your car selling experience more
profitable and enjoyable.

1. Research

Your mission to sell your car always starts with research. If
you've had it for some time the price could have changed
significantly. You need to bring yourself up to speed with the
current market for your vehicle. This is the key to developing a
realistic selling price. Many people sell their cars too cheaply
or try to sell them for too much and are disappointed.

2. Have a plan

The least stressful way of selling your car is to have plan. It
doesn't have to be long and involved but it does need to be in
the right sequence. It's like moving houses - you pack things
away, call the removalist and then unpack them in your new
house. If you call the removalist before you've packed there is
bedlam.

3. Put Yourself In The Buyer's Shoes

If you can imagine yourself in the shoes of the buyer then you
will understand how to present your car. It is amazing how many
people try to sell a dirty car. They may succeed but the
ultimate test is the final price.

4. Don't Mislead The Buyer

Even though it may be tempting to disguise faults, there are very
good reasons why you should not. You will have a difficult time
selling it if you are hiding something major and will have fixed
attention on the sale thereafter. If you want to sleep well at
night, be upfront. Cars get old and things go wrong with them -
it's a fact of life. I have always found that being upfront
was better, including financially. It's one
of those funny things - you seem to lose a few hundred on the
car but you gain it somewhere else.

There are many buyers who will buy a vehicle with faults because
they have the expertise and inclination to fix it.

This may seem controversial but having sold many cars I can
attest that it is the way to go.

About the Author
Graeme Sprigge - Author of The 90 Minute Car Salesman - How to sell your car, get an extra $300-$3000, and still have a life.


http://www.90minutecarsalesman.com

Copyright 2005 Graeme Sprigge. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It's a shareware article.