26

Dec

A Christmas Thank You From Tom Bachur Motorcycle Column Writer

Posted by admin  Published in Custom Harley Motorcycles, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Harley Motorcycles Accessories, Harley Motorcycles Parts, Uncategorized

 


A Present to My Readers! (AP Photo/Scholastic Inc.)

On May 12, 2009, I published my first article as your Baltimore Motorcycle Travel Examiner: “Hey Baltimore, Welcome to the Ride!”  Since then, I’ve published 81 other articles that have been viewed over 75,000 times!

Writing this column has been a wonderful experience for me.  I’ve corresponded with a lot of good people and I’ve made quite a few new friends.  John and Monica Tartufo introduced me to Steve Wallach and ETA Travel’s Motorcycle Cruises.  These good folks inspired an entire series of articles, including “Motorcycle Cruises, Take Your Motorcycle on a Caribbean Cruise” and “ETA Travel and the History of Motorcycle Cruising.”  A fellow RiderCoach told me about the Ephrata First Sunday Breakfast, where I met Merv Hill, a great guy and the President of the Ephrata American Legion Post #429.  Grant Parsons, editor of American Motorcyclist Magazine and his assistant, Nora McDonald read, enjoyed and reprinted my daughter Lauren’s article “Freedom, You’re the Passenger” in their magazine.  I will forever be grateful for the confidence they helped instill in Lauren!  Michael D’Elia of BikerHiWay and Vance Lane of Time Rider, Shtuff for Bikes have been instrumental in providing test products for several articles.  I’ve also had a lot of support from other Motorcycle Examiner’s, including: Mark Poesch, the DC Motorcycle Travel Examiner, Patty Davis, the National Motorcycle Travel Examiner and Ken Bingenheimer, the National Motorcycle Examiner.

However, mostly, I’d like to thank you, my readers.  Without you, my work would have no purpose.  Your feedback, comments and loyalty truly make my efforts worthwhile. 

As a small token of my appreciation, I’ve teamed with Vance Lane of the “Time Rider, Shtuff for Bikes” website to provide my readers 15% off the price of any products on the Time Rider website!  This discount is valid for the remainder of 2009.  To receive the discount, use the Coupon Code “BaltoMCTvlr” when checking out on the Time Rider site.  Thanks to Vance for his generosity and thanks again to you, my loyal readers.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tom Bachur
Baltimore Motorcycle Travel Examiner

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23

Dec

Easy Rider …. The Quest

Posted by admin  Published in Custom Harley Motorcycles, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Harley Motorcycles Accessories, Harley Motorcycles Parts, Uncategorized

What George (Sandollar Road Captain) wanted was this. He wanted to know EXACTLY where Wyatt’s bike had burned on LA 105 during the final scene of Easy Rider. I’d heard it was more 

Check out the Panhandle Biker Magazine for stories like this & more.

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30

Nov

How To Choose The Perfect Gift For Your Biker

Posted by admin  Published in Custom Harley Motorcycles, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Harley Motorcycles Accessories, Harley Motorcycles Parts, Uncategorized

A Biker Christmas

So what is the perfect gift for your motorcycle rider and how do you select it.  This can be especially difficult if you’re not a biker. There are a multitude of items you can give that biker and they range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. This is, of course, nothing you don’t already know but what we are going to attempt to do, is give you some direction, a way to figure out the gift that will make their day! The information given here is basic and written more for the non rider trying to buy the rider a gift but once you get through the basics this can even help a rider find their way towards the perfect gift.

A gift is by its very nature, a surprise and the best way to figure out how to surprise someone is to know them and what they want.  The ultimate way to find this out; is to spy on them, talk to their biker friends, listen closely for little hints.  You might want to elist the help of a co conspiriter. Try to develop a short list by weeding out the impossible and improbable. When you get the short list done, see if there is something on that list that they really want and you can afford.

If spying isn’t an option then the following list of how to come up with the perfect motorcycle gift is the way to go. By answering the next 10 questions as thoroughly as possible you should have a good idea about the right gift for your Biker.

1) What type of personality does your biker have? Do they appreciate a good joke.  In other words if they were picking out a sun block for themselves would they get a 30 SPF cream called “Coppertone” or would they prefer a 30 SPF spray called “Red Neck Repellent”?  This will determine if a serious or funny gift is appropriate.

2) What type of bike do they ride, is it a a Sport Bike (ride position is leaning over the bike, Racer type, Crotch Rocket, Ninja) or do they ride a Cruiser (ride position is upright, chrome headlights, speedometer on tank, floor boards)? This will determine the look and style of any accessory or even clothing that would be appropriate for that type of rider.  With all parts & accessories, you will need to know the make, year and model of the motorcycle.

3) Do they love chrome or do they prefer colored or blacked out parts?  Again, this is very important when selecting the look and style of the accessory.

4) Do they wear full leathers, a full face helmet, A leather jacket, gloves, jeans, a t-shirt, ½ shell helmet or no helmet at all?  The style of what they wear is just as important as the fit.  The inherent problem with clothes is the fit.  Different manufactures fit differently.  If you can trick your biker into trying on the same make ahead of time, this is the best.  If not, keep that receipt because they may need a re size.

5) Do they have tattoos? Do they have a favorite tatoo artist? Do they have a favorite tatoo parlor?  Think gift certificate and you might want to pick them up an aloe product like “Red Neck Reverter”  The name is funny and the aloe inside is the best.

6) Do they talk about how fast it’ll go or how pretty it is? Could be the difference between a new exhaust muffler for design and sound or a new exhaust system for air flow.

7) Do they work on their own bike or send it out to be fixed? Consider this as part of the cost.  If they are a do it yourselfer and have the appropriate skills & tools then they’ll prefer to do it themselves.  If not, you might consider getting a gift certificate for the installation as part of the gift

8) Do they take day trips or multi day tours?  This will again determine the type of accessories or equipment you get for the bike.  A piece that deals with storage would be very appropiate for the tourer whereas, not so good, for the day tripper.

9) Are they male or female? Young or older? Who do they ride with? These all come into play when selecting the best gift.

10) Lastly, How much do you want to spend?

The options are virtually limitless and always keep in mind, if you are purchasing clothing and vehicle specific parts, you will need the appropriate information.  Gloves, sun glasses and helmets should all be fitted because they are just like any other item of clothing, the actual size & fit depend on the manufacturer. Even sun glasses, if they are a little big they can blow off and if they’re too tight they will rub a sore spot above your ear. If they have tattoos, sleeveless or tank top might be the best way to go. The one great thing about clothes is, they are returnable and if you bought them over the internet or at a store be sure to keep the gift recipient so if necessary they can always go back and hopefully find the exact thing they want.

Motorcycle parts or accessories can be either generic (one size fits all), type specific (cruiser / sport), brand specific (Harley, Honda, Victory) or model specific (Ultra Classic, ZX-14, VTX). You will need specific information to buy these parts. They can be easy to install or they can be a royal pain. The most important thing here is the accuracy of your information. Be prepared to answer questions like make, model, year, CC’s/CI, and options. This is also the time to note if your biker will work on things themselves or will they take it to a shop.  Make sure whatever part you buy is able to be returned for a refund because a store credit may not offer a big enough selection.  Be careful about electronic parts, many are not returnable.

The easiest gifts to purchase for your biker are the generic ones. These items take the least spying and usually less money than the above listed items. They are the one size fits all type of product and once again your options are limitless: biker gift kits, helmet stick ons, patches, models, hats, bracelets, necklaces, motorcycle polish, earrings, decals, biker skin protection, bifocal reader sunglasses, belt buckles, t-shirts, shoe jewelry, biker hand cleaner and biker pain relief products.

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18

Nov

Best Damn Aluminum Polish Ever For Harleys Ever

Posted by admin  Published in Custom Harley Motorcycles, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Harley Motorcycles Accessories, Harley Motorcycles Parts, Uncategorized

The Best Damn Aluminum Polish For Harleys

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20

Aug

Aluminum to Chrome in minutes!

Posted by admin  Published in Custom Harley Motorcycles, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Harley Motorcycles Accessories, Harley Motorcycles Parts, Uncategorized

Make your aluminum look like chrome in minutes.  This polish is awesome, concentrated and non-toxic. It is an all purpose motorcycle polish becuase it also takes the place of your chrome polish, plastic polish, jewelry polish and paint polish.  All purpose motorcycle polish

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30

Jul

50 random facts you may or may not know..

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1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side. 2. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off. 3. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 4. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it. 5. The Mercedes-Benz motto is “Das Beste oder Nichts” meaning “the best or nothing”. 6. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal. 7. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing. 8. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night. 9. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day. 10. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear. 11. Dalmatians are born without spots. 12. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 13. The ‘v’ in the name of a court case does not stand for ‘versus’, but for ‘and’ (in civil proceedings) or ‘against’ (in criminal proceedings). 14. Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right, but women’s shirts have the buttons on the left. 15. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids. 16. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee. 17. Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks. 18. The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones. 19. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die. 20. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart. 21. The verb “cleave” is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate. 22. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red. 23. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red. 24. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor. 25. The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney. 26. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros. 27. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan. 28. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it. 29. The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples. 30. There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 31. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting. 32. Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death. 33. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body. 34. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets. 35. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game. 36. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air. 37. Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die. 38. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it is smiling). 39. Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command “go hang yourself.” 40. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot. 41. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. 42. The average person laughs 13 times a day. 43. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are:Mizaru(See no evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil) 44. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. 45. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog. 46. Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump. 47. Whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound. 48. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death. 49. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause. 50. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet
lol i actually read all of them i learned something new today :D

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30

Jul

A Fight … With a Girl

Posted by admin  Published in Uncategorized

The Harley-Davidson and I motor around the streets of the small town.  A black lab runs along my bike for awhile. Barking. Panting. Barking. And finally abandons me after it realizes I’m not interested.

I pass a couple walking on a sidewalk.  Cute couple.  Obviously in love. He towers over her as they walk side by side.  They appear happy together. I am glad. I wonder what started their relationship.  I wonder if he treats her with kindness. I hope so. The thought of more harley thoughts

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