4 TIPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT HELMETSTYLE

STYLE

The first thing when looking to buy a helmet is deciding what style suits you best as a rider. Is safety a priority or, do you just want to feel the cool wind in your face while wearing your cool sunglasses? The different helmet styles are full-face, modular, ¾ helmet and half helmet. If this is your first helmet, I would recommend a full-face helmet because they protect the greatest amount of your head and have the least amount of exposure when riding.

PRICE

The next thing to look at after deciding what style helmet you want to get would be the price range. There are different price ranges but, keep in mind that helmets like anything else are more expensive the better they are, whether it’s a popular style of helmet or a higher safety compliance. A good helmet with the minimum legal safety compliance can run you anywhere from $100-$150. But I’d recommend something a little more expensive as it is protecting your head, your most valuable body part.

SIZE

Figuring out what helmet fits best can be frustrating especially if you don’t know your head size. All helmets come in five sizes: Xtra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Xtra Large, though some brands might have bigger sizes. I have seen some helmets that were XXL for those who have a little more meat on their heads. What you should do is find a tape measure and wrap it around your head to find how many centimeters in diameter your head is. If that is not an option, then I recommend going into a motorcycle shop and trying out different helmet sizes until you find the right size.  Also keep in mind that helmets fit better over time, and the more you wear it the more the foam inside the helmet will mold to your face.

BRAND

There are many brands to choose from, but not all of them will be able to provide the type of safety that the more popular brands can provide. Some brands with great reviews and good safety compliances would be: Bell, Shoei, Arai and AGV. These brands provide quality helmets for relatively low prices, while also following the federal and state safety guidelines that many states require.

The Coronavirus is in full effect and here are some tips to help you prevent getting COVID-19 aka Coronavirus while riding your motorcycle.

If the Coronavirus is airborne, I suggest using a full-face helmet to avoid coming in contact with the virus. The full-face helmet helps by covering your face and pushing the air away from the front of your face. It also covers your face from any debris that might be kicked up by traffic or even your motorcycle. The full-face helmet is also the safest style of helmet to wear when riding a motorcycle as it protects your chin and face, unlike the half-helmet or ¾ helmet. It is the best way to go!

Another piece of item that can help you not get Coronavirus is wearing your gloves. Wearing your motorcycle gloves will help protect you from any bugs that or debris that might hit your hands while on the road. I like to wear gauntlets because they can go over my jacket and do not allow anything to go in or out. Leather gloves are usually best as leather can outlive cloth especially when going through such harsh wear and tear being exposed to all of the elements all of the time. Feel free to wear anything you think works best for you but just make sure to wear it.

Another thing to consider is to make sure to not shake hands with other riders if you choose to go on a group ride. But, if you do, make sure to wash your hands! Group rides are always fun and can make for great memories however, given the circumstances with COVID-19 all the affection for fellow riders should be limited to fist bumps and waving. Overall, I would recommend staying indoors during this world pandemic but if you cannot sit still and insist on going on a ride, do just that. Go out go ride! But, head right back home do not look for somewhere to have a beer with friends or other riders as it will only increase your chances of being affected by the coronavirus.  

What are some health tips that you do to stay healthy? Let me know in the comments!

Motorcycles require just as much upkeep and care as cars. Some motorcycles might require more upkeep than others as they might be older or just have more things that need to be looked at. The Yamaha Bolt has three things that need to be looked at and monitored constantly: oil, air filter, and tires.

Changing the oil is simple, as long as you keep track of the mileage on your odometer. Most motorcycles require an oil change every 3,000 miles much like the Bolt. Something I do to remind myself that I need to give her an oil change is, writing it down on a piece of paper so that way I can just calculate ahead of time when she will be needing new oil.

Knowing when to clean the air filter is a little trickier because there isn’t a set mileage or time frame for cleaning it. That is more of a personal judgment and deciding when your air filter is too dirty and cleaning it.

Lastly, knowing when to continue to use a tire and when to change it out is quite simple. Many tires have a Tire Tread Wear Bar Indicator that indicates when a tire is unsafe and should be replaced.

Let me know what requires the most attention and maintenance on your bike in the comments!

Finding the right style and size of bike can become tedious and quite exhausting. Motorcycles are a lot faster than cars but just like cruisers they all come in different sizes. Unlike cars, motorcycle engines are measured by their cubic centimeter displacement and the bigger the motorcycle’s CC the bigger the motorcycle.

The first thing to figure out is if you want something fast, like a sport bike, or something more like a cruiser to go on long rides. Cruisers are more comfortable than sport bikes but do not have as much torque as cruisers. Most beginners who are looking to purchase a bike for the first time decide to go with a small to mid-size motorcycle. Small motorcycle engines fall between the 50cc (cubic centimeters) and 250cc engines where those mid-size motorcycles would fall between 300cc and 950cc engines. However, despite the size of the engine’s cc displacement sport bikes are built with more torque because they are usually meant to be on the track, as they are sport bikes.

Another motorcycle style that beginners like to look at are scooters, or mopeds. These motorcycles are one step above a bicycle because they have an engine but are usually a single gear, not allowing it to go faster than about 60mph. These motorcycles don’t require knowing how to switch gears with the clutch, and if the engine is small enough they don’t even require having an M1 class license.

An unpopular motorcycle style that is rarely allowed on street, but people still love to buy are dirt bikes. These types of motorcycles are much lighter than sport bikes or cruisers but have better suspension as they are meant for going off-road and doing stunts from mountains. But, remember that in order for a dirt bike to be street legal is needs to have a brake light, headlight, blinkers in the front and back, and most importantly have a license plate.

I know that when I was deciding on what motorcycle to purchase, I was nervous because I had only taken a weekend course. I thought that it would be easier to start off with something smaller like a 250cc or 300cc motorcycle but when I tried them, I was disappointed and wanted something with more power immediately. I decided to go with a Yamaha Bolt R-Spec. It is an air-cooled 950cc cruiser. What motorcycle style did you decide on?

Wearing a jacket is just as important as wearing a helmet. Leather jackets are usually best when riding because if you get into an accident, the leather will help you slide on the asphalt. Some things to consider while shopping for your jacket would be the following:

SIZE

Knowing what size to buy your jacket is always helpful as many leather jackets run a few inches larger than normal cotton jackets. For example, I wear small/medium for regular cotton jackets, but for leather I have to wear a medium/large. Going up one size for leather jackets is necessary because of the different movements that need to happen in order to operate a motorcycle comfortably. This might help you find the right measurements for your jacket.

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STYLE

Another thing to consider when shopping for a leather jacket is deciding if you want one with padding or not. Some jackets have pads inside that help cushion the fall. However, those jackets can range from anywhere from $200 – $700. Some leather jackets can go as low as $100 but those are not as safe as those with the safety pads in them. I like to ride with a full padded jacket by ICON as I like to be as safe as possible. However, the choice is yours.