A few pointers when buying a bike

Buying A Bike

Let's face it; buying a vehicle for most people is a big decision. You need to get it right and ride away satisfied.

Here are a few pointers!

Whether you have seen the bike you want in print or online, the procedure is the same.

Firstly choose the bike you want. Will it do what you want it to? I.e. is it fit for the purpose? If you want something to commute on it's pretty pointless buying a super motard. Consider for instance if you want a shaft drive bike for low maintenance. Sports bikes are great fun and more useable than they look sometimes, but if you want to go touring, a comfy seat upright riding position and some luggage may be more suitable. If you just wanna hoon about town, and are not bothered by distance work, do you need a litre class bike? A smaller capacity bike is just as much fun.

If it appeals to you then the chances are it will appeal to some one else so you need to have everything in place to get that bike. Possibly choose an alternative, in case it has already sold.

You can easily check whether the price being asked is fair on various sites, by browsing similar bikes for sale but ultimately something is only worth what you are prepared to pay for it. Be sure.

Have you checked out the Insurance cost and servicing costs?

Chances are you have already done your research on the bike you are intending to purchase, but it does no harm to ask your mates opinions, check our reviews out for other owners opinions, they are honest opinions from other users Link.

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Injured Lorenzo could miss both remaining MotoGP tests

In such a close-fought championship, pre-season could prove vital

Jorge Lorenzo could miss both remaining tests before the start of the new MotoGP season after seeing a specialist about his injured right hand.

The 22-year-old Fiat Yamaha rider fractured his hand and displaced his thumb in a training crash last week.

He was instantly ruled out of the test in Malaysia at the end of February but may now miss March's Qatar test too.

"There are serious doubts whether Jorge will be fully recovered for the Qatar test," admitted his press manager.

Lorenzo is thought to be making a good recovery from the injury, and will continue to fly round the world doing promotional work for his team.

But if he were to miss both remaining tests before the season starts on Sunday 11 April in Qatar, it would be a huge setback to his chances of winning the 2010 world title.

Last season Lorenzo finished runner-up to team-mate and massive rival Valentino Rossi, and he would have been hoping to put the pressure on the Italian right from the start of this season.

But if he were forced to sit out both remaining sessions, it would be a huge psychological advantage for Rossi.

Despite being team-mates, Rossi and Lorenzo had a divided garage last year, and have confirmed they will continue with that set-up in 2010.

Lorenzo spoke seriously about leaving Fiat Yamaha last season, saying he did not always feel appreciated, before eventually signing a new one-year deal, while Rossi has made it clear he does not feel there is room for both riders in the team.

Article from BBC

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Newest WSB Game

Just in time for the new season, just in time for the trackday season too, the newest WSB PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 game will be out...soon

The SBK X Superbike world championship game from renowned Italian developer, Milestone Studios, and published by Black Bean Games is now in its fourth generation and SBK X harnesses the thrills and exhilaration of this international racing series in bullet-fast, high-definition glory.

The Superbike World Championship™, also known as SBK™, is the international racing series that features fundamentally the same model of bike available in showrooms for the general public to buy. It's this relevance to the everyday biker that has catapulted SBK's popularity in the UK and other countries around the world since it began in 1988.

Motorbike racing as a videogame offers a radically different and spine-tingling challenge for players compared to car racing games. Remove the sure footing of four wheels, introduce sub-two-second 0-60 acceleration, tarmac flying past you at 180mph, and you've got a taste of what's in store.

The challenge for the developer has always been to digitally recreate what are essentially two purely analogue machines working in perfect unison: the rider and the bike. For example, the rider's position affects cornering, acceleration and braking, whilst the bike's weight has to be shifted and power carefully applied at the rear wheel to deliver the blistering speeds these bikes are capable of on the tracks.

Most importantly, Milestone have worked all this control into a simple and accessible arcade mode, making it possible for anyone to pick up and play, but with enough depth and detail to satisfy committed petrol heads and bike tuners thanks to the full simulation mode.

SBK X features superbike and supersport machines from Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, MV Agusta, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha with the 14 track racing roster, which includes Germany's Nürburgring and the newest addition, Portimao.

Article from Superbike

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EWAN MCGREGOR'S CANINE ADVENTURE

Ewan McGregor wants to take his dog on a motorbike trip across South America, and has even invested in a special set of ''doggles'' for his canine companion.

Ewan McGregor wants to take his dog on a motorbike trip across South America.

The British actor - who has previously taken a biking adventure across the world with fellow enthusiast Charley Boorman for documentary series 'Long Way Round' - has been preparing his pet to go out on the road with him.

He said: "I might go on my own. I've got a dog, Sid. I've trained him to ride in my side car and I thought we could do a trip together."

He also told how he has even bought the pooch a set of "doggles" - specially adapted goggles - which Sid can wear in the car to stop his eyes drying out when they are on the road.

Sid isn't the only animal Ewan has been getting close to recently.

The actor bonded with the four-legged star of the film 'The Men Who Stare at Goats', which he starred in alongside George Clooney.

He explained: "There was a scene when George and I are lost, and we are sleeping in the desert. I am supposed to be awakened when a goat with a little bell walks by. I follow the goat and it leads us to water. It saves our lives. We did the first take and the goat just ran through.

"But in the second take, the goat looked at me and it stopped perfectly in the frame. It stood there looking at me for almost 30 seconds. I looked at the goat and the goat looked at me, then it was almost as if he nodded and just carried on. It was absolutely perfect."

Around the world in 248 days — by motorcycle!

It's being billed as the longest supported motorcycle expedition in the world. The 248-day journey will span 30 countries on five continents, taking riders from modern cities to remote villages, across five-lane interstates and narrow dirt tracks, from arid deserts to tropical rain forests, in some of the world's richest and poorest countries.

The cost: $101,200, airfare not included -- for the rider, at least. The intercontinental air freighting of participants' motorcycles is included. The air freighting of the actual participants is up to them.

The so-called Discover Our Earth Expedition is the brainchild of Werner Wachter, who founded Edelweiss Bike Travel, an Austria-based motorcycle tour company, 30 years ago. He views this epic journey as his company's most ambitious.

"This trip will certainly be a challenge for us ... and for every rider and passenger," Wachter says in the 28-page brochure detailing the 40,000-mile trip, which begins Nov. 14 and concludes July 20, 2011.

A journey of extremes, the Discover Our Earth tour will travel through one of the driest deserts in the world (the Atacama in South America), the highest national capital in the world (La Paz, Bolivia) and the southernmost city in the world (Ushuaia in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego). It will also cover some of the planet's most famous routes, including the Pan-American Highway network and Asia's ancient Silk Road.

So far, 16 riders have expressed interest in "a unique journey that we at Edelweiss have dreamt of for the last 30 years," according to Wachter. To sign up, fill out the form on the company's website.

Interested parties had better start prepping their bikes. Or buying them. Edelweiss isn't providing its usual Beemers for this epic trip. For participants in Discover Our Earth, it's BYOB --bring your own bike -- not to mention plenty of cash and Imodium.

Article from Chicago Now

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New Ducati Models to be Launced in 2010

The Ducati stand will showcase the full 2010 range including UK debuts for the Multistrada 1200 Touring, Hypermotard 1100 Evo, 848 Dark, 1198s Corse, Monster 696 ABS and Monster 1100 ABS.

The Multistrada 1200 Touring comes to the London show as part of a nationwide tour prior to its launch in March and has already provoked unprecedented interest with many dealers reporting prodigious amounts of forward orders.

The iconic Monster range will be represented by the Monster 696 and Monster 1100 which will both carry the ABS options in 2010. The Monster has always been an exceptionally popular bike in the Capital and is sure to attract large numbers of visitors to the stand.

The flagship Superbike range has expanded with the addition of the new 848 Dark and the exotic 1198S Corse and the updated 1198S while the Hypermotard family sees the biggest changes with three new models. There is the new lighter and more powerful Hypermotard Evo, the more extreme and track focused Evo SP and the Hypermotard 796 which offers a lower seat height and a smooth flexible engine for the urban environment.

A Ducati display would not be complete without a selection of the bikes that will compete in this year’s British Championships including Riders Racing who will contest BSB with Michael Rutter and Martin Jessop. Ducati will also display the British Superstock entry which will be launched at the show and an 848 race bike that will be part of the new 848 challenge debuting in 2010.

An added attraction to the stand will be Ducati UK’s premier clothing retailers Moto Icons who will be tempting visitors with a large selection of the stylish 2010 Apparel Collection.

Article from Bikerholic

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