Two wheelers are certainly a craze in the young generation today. The speeds, the pickup, the smooth transition, the zipping sound, all are enough to make the young boys long for a superbike. Everyone wants speed today. Need for speed has become the necessity even for bike manufacturers. However, there are some important things that many young bikers forget today.

The first and foremost thing that holds greater significance is safety. You cannot ride a bike without taking the necessary care about the safety. As safety is important to you, so it is for others too. But as a rider, it is first important that you take the necessary precautions. Let us have a look at five such things you should have before you get on your bike.

Helmet

Whatever be the order of importance of the safety gear. Anyone will agree that the helmet stands as the top priority. Helmet has literally made the difference between life and death for the people who have got fatally injured in road mishaps. In road accidents, the possibility of broken bones is the highest. The broken arms and shoulders are common examples. However, you might have hardly heard of an incident when a person has succumbed to his injuries inspire of the helmet.

Today, helmets come in various forms, designs and sizes. You can choose the one that goes best with your personality. However, keep an eye on the interior fabric and the polyurethane foam, because your life costs more than your looks.

Jacket

A jacket is another important safety gear you should invariably have on you. A good leather jacket can potentially serve you better than expected. It will most certainly help in lessening the impact of the bruises. Some people tend to think that the jackets are worn only for fashionable reasons. However, the thickness of the leather jackets, the material like Kevlar, leather and nylon used in making the jackets tell the correct tale – it is a life saving equipment and not designed only for the fashionable reason. Some jackets also come with additional padding at the elbows, the shoulder and the spine region. This ensures more safety in case anything goes wrong.

Gloves

Another important safety aid is the pair of hand gloves. It is very likely that you would land on your hands for support in a sudden fall. Chances are that your hands may suffer scratches and bruises. So gloves give you a good amount of protection for your fingers. There are various types of hand gloves to choose from. Some of them have separate spaces for each finger. These are the best ones to have. Avoid those gloves that cover only some part of the fingers. The top part of the fingers is exposed in some differently styled gloves. They may not give you complete protection. So choose wisely – do you want style or safety?

Boots

Another important safety gear has to be the boots you wear. A pair of sturdy leather boots is a must when you are on your bike. Remember to have boots that have more covering up to your ankle. If nothing, then it is your ankle that is more likely to bear the brunt of the accident. Choose boots of good quality leather that will have a fair amount of thickness. Cuts, bruises and at times, even fractures can be avoided. The best thing can be go for hard and robust athletic shoes. If you are a frequent rider, you should invariably have a good pair of riding boots.

Protective Eyewear

A protective eyewear is a must for every rider. It would be foolishness to expect good riding without good eye protective equipment. With the safety gear on, the vision becomes clearer. For the best results, go for a pair of glasses, which are not glasses in reality. In short, choose the eye gear that is made of plastic, not glass. Specially designed plastic eyewear is more likely to give the best results than that of the glasses. In case something goes wrong, the plastic eyewear will not do as much damage to you as the glasses may bring about.

Use the best possible safety gears and always ride safe!

When it comes to buying a bike, we tend to speak about 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines associated with the bikes. There are some people to make mistakes and confuse ‘stroke’ for ‘gear’. To dissuade you from making this mistake, here is a little explanation on what the ‘stroke’ actually is.

In reality, a ‘stroke’ is the travelling action of a piston for the entire length of the cylinder in the bike. If you go into more details, you will come to know that there are ‘intake strokes’ and ‘compression strokes’ as well. These are all helpful in making a bike run smoothly and steadily.

Now, let us first have a look at the two stroke bike and their pros and cons.

The biggest advantage of the two stroke bike is its weight. As the engine of the two stroke bike is lighter than the four stroke engine, the bike with the two stroke engine is lighter as well. Now, for anyone, a lighter bike is easier to handle than a heavier bike. So, handling the bike is one of its strong points.

However, apart from this factor, it seems that the two stroke engine bikes have problems written on them all over. Amongst the prominent problems that anyone would hardly digest is the pollution factor. The two stroke engine produces a lot of unwanted gases and releases them in the air. As a result, it causes a lot of contamination.

Another factor which can go against the two stroke engines is the amount of noise it produces. The reason why a two stroke bike produces a lot of noise is because these engines have a higher RPM rate. The greater the RPM rate, the greater is the level of the noise produced. But noise pollution can be said to be a mixed bag as some people cover up the noise pollution by saying ‘loud pipes save lives’.

Now, let us turn towards the four stroke bikes.

As mentioned above that as against the two stroke engine bikes are lighter, the four stroke bikes are heavier. So, handling the bike should be done with power and care. But the advantage of the heavier bikes is related to speed. Once the bikes gains enough speed, you can literally freewheel the bike along.

However, there is one drawback of the heavier bikes. As the four stroke bikes are heavy, it takes time for them to accelerate.

The four stroke bikes that you gas as the fuel, give a better millage than that of the two stroke bikes. This obviously increases the millage of the bike and reduces your cost of fuel. As the bikes give good millage, they produce lesser poisonous toxic wastes.

This proves that the four strokes bikes are more environment friendly than their two stroke counterparts. Well, it is just a matter of formality to mention the four stroke bikes ‘environment friendly’.

Finally, it is the noise pollution that matter. The four stroke bikes get the better of the two stroke bikes in even in this category.

Certainly, a four stroke engine is here to prevail!

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How would you define a fuel efficient vehicle? Would you think of how much millage the bike gives? Well, some of us may consider this characteristic to come to a conclusion to decide if the bike is fuel efficient or not. The more the average of the bike, the better it is, is what we all assume.

So what do you think the fuel efficiency of your bike rests on? Indeed, there are more than one aspects to the fact how fuel efficient your bike can be. Amongst some of them is the need. Have you figured where you will be driving? If you are an office going individual, you will more often than not drive in the city area.

Driving in the city area is certainly going to give you lesser millage than what the bike company has promised. The average will take a beating even if the city roads are free of potholes. So, this is one thing you will have to take into account.

If you are buying a bike that you may need for greater daily use like travelling for about 30 KMs up and down like visiting a nearby village for your daily work, then this sort of driving can give you a worthwhile millage as driving on highways will keep up the millage.

Another factor is which type of fuel you want to use. If you are using the traditional petrol you may get lesser value for your money. On the other hand, battery operated bikes are likely to give you good value for the funds you put in. There can be a difference in the millage fuels like petrol and battery may give you. However, it is ultimately the total cost which you have to take into account.

Another important factor is the maintenance. Bikes of some popular brands in the market really need almost no expenditure for maintenance. However, if you go for regular maintenance as per the schedule, you will not have to pay a hefty sum in the need of the hour. This will also give a longer life to your vehicle.

Many of the people getting confused over the difference between SOHC and DOHC engines, it was better to come up with a differentiating article between the two major engines known these days. And throwing some light over the facts and aspects as which of the two is better.

Before you go into the technicalities, you should know some of the basic information about the SOHC and DOHC engines. Basically speaking, SOHC stands for Single Overhead Camshaft Engine and DOHC stands for Double Overhead Camshaft Engine. In SOHC, the engine uses a single camshaft to give an upward push to all the valves while in DOHC, there are double – two valves used to lift the valves.

SOHC Motorcycle Engine

So now, the basic question is which type of engine would be a better option. Let’s say, on face value, the DOHC engines are always better than the SOHC. The reason for this is pretty simple. The DOHC engine will use twice the power as the SOHC to help your bike perform well.

However, it is not always true. What you should also know, a little technically though, how many cylinders there are for your bike. Typically, there is a 16 valve or 8 valve configuration for a bike with four cylinder engine. For such a configuration with four cylinders, the SOHC can be found in both 16 valve or 8 valve configuration.

Some people agree on this front that, the SOHC develops a little less power than the DOHC. However, it develops more of its power earlier and is for that reason more flexible and generally more economical. The use of SOHC is better done for the commuter type vehicles.

The DOHC, on the other hand, are preferred for racing or performance related vehicles. The rev is not only harder but also higher. Therefore, at the top rev, the performance of the DOHC is at its peak. That is why they can easily outdo commuter bikes with SOHC.

DOHC Motorcycle Engine

Going into some more details, the value time is more accurate and sharp in DOHCs as compared to the SOHCs. The double workforce applied here, helps in a better valve lift.

Why the DOHCs are more preferable is because, it has an advantage over the SOHC in the form of the central spark plug placement and implementation of variable valve control on the exhaust side also.

But have a look at this exception as well. The engine used in the ANHC is SOHC while the Fiesta 1.6 uses a DOHC. Yet, it is the ANHC that is tagged as the better of the two and also futuristic. Got any answer for this? This is the fun of the technology used in the auto industry.

Choosing a good insurance company for your bike is as almost like choosing the bike itself. It has become a universal practice now, to have your bike insured when you buy it. The insurance is not important only when you buy the bike, but also when the insurance expires.

Therefore, choosing the correct insurance company is a factor which cannot be ignored or taken lightly. With the ever increasing traffic and the risks involved, having insurance for your bike has become a necessity. There are many insurance companies out there which are ready to serve you with your bike’s insurance. But watch out and be careful!

Before you take any concrete steps see to it what exactly do you expect as services from insurance companies? Do you want to carry out the entire process of getting insurance yourself? Or do you expect that certain company to do so? There are company agents out there to help you as well. But in that case, you may have to shell out more bucks.

Keep an eye on the insurance company which will guide you and not just sell you your bike’s insurance. That is because insurance is a recurring process. You may have to visit the insurance office again in the future.

It’s so natural to find out that the company you are dealing with is of sound financial position. This is important to get an idea if the company is able to keep you and your family safe.

The choice of you insurance company can be influenced from the fact if you have bought your bike on loan or not. There are different rules at different places for vehicle insurances as far as vehicles bought on loan are concerned. So, keep this factor in mind when choosing an insurance company.

You can also do online search to get the information for the best companies in your locality. This will give you many options to compare between two or more insurance companies. Doing an online search will also save you a lot of time which you might have needed to spend visiting the insurance offices personally.

But be aware of one thing. You will never find any company which can sell you a great, ideal, flawless and perfect insurance. There are many likelihoods of having subtle differences. So at the most what you can do is to select the best one from the ones that you have shortlisted.

Choosing a better insurance company for your bike is easy, especially if you know the nuances.

Motorcycles have been one of the most favorite and commonly used modes of transport for the general public for around 150 years now. It was in the 1860s that the first motorcycle was designed by Sylvester Howard Roper who was an American.

Since then the two-wheeler has seen tremendous changes. They are trendier, sleeker, fastest and most expensive. Here, we present you with a list of world’s most expensive bikes.  Just have a look – “Starting from most expensive on the planet”

Dodge Tomahawk V10 Superbike

Cost – $555,000 (24969405 INR)

This is probably the only two-wheeler which has four wheels. The bike is regarded as an ‘automotive sculpture’ but yet street illegal in the United States. A superbike in the real sense, the bike has 8.3 liter engine, which is equivalent to 505 cubic inch. The bike is equipped with as many as 10 cylinders. It takes just around 2.5 seconds to reach the 60 mph mark and can be driven at a maximum speed of 400 mph.

Ecosse Titanium Series RR Limited Edition

Cost - $275,000 (12372228 INR)

This limited edition bike is limited in the real sense. Only 10 units of the bike are manufactured. As the name suggests – limited edition, is a powerhouse when it comes to the capacity of the engine and the speed it generates. Sheer imagination is enough when you know that the bike has a 2150 cc engine with more than 200 hp. The bike has a watch, manufactured by French watchmakers BRM, which is made exclusively for this bike only.

Macchia Nera Concept Bike

Cost – $201,000 (9042974 INR)

The Macchia Nera concept bike happens to be one of the best bikes in this segment. The bike sports an engine that is loosely built around the Ducati 998RS engine. A side view of the bike will show you the structure of the bike. The engine is visible along with the detailed molding and the engine components.

However, the unique thing about the bike is that in spite of such a heavy built, it is extremely light – as far as the category in which it is built is concerned.

Icon Sheene

Cost – $160,000 (7198387 INR)

Icon Sheene was produced exclusively in the memory of Andrew Morris, who was one of the most successful British Grand Prix motorcycle champion. When he passed away, he was 52 years old. That is why only 52 of such bikes were produced. The bike has a 250 hp engine and has a whopping 1400 cc engine – nothing more than a flying experience.

The thing worth mentioning about this bike is that, in spite of being such a heavy bike, the Icon Sheene has only a couple of spokes in the wheels. Sounds strange and happening, but that is the fact.

MTT Turbine Super Bike

Cost – $150,000 (6748488 INR)

The second last bike in the series is the MTT Turbine Super Bike. MTT Turbine Super Bike aka Y2K Turbine Super Bike is not in the list for nothing. This bike is a combination of both most expensive and super fast bike. The bike also holds the Guinness World Record for being the most powerful motorcycle which has entered a series of production.

The engine has a power of more than 300 horse power. The unique thing about this bike is that it is loaded with various gadgets. It has a camera mounted on the rear, it has a LCD color display, it has a radar detector, a one touch ‘Smart Start’ among others gadgets.

MV-Augusta F4CC

Cost – $120,000 (5398790 INR)

The MV-Augusta F4CC was designed and created by Claudio Castiglioni, who was MV’s director. Certainly, this bike took birth through passion for having a bike that would not only be eye-catching but would also serve the purpose of the consumers of owning something different and unique.

The MV-Augusta F4CC can be driven at a maximum speed of 315 kmph which is around 195 mph. This tremendous speed can be achieved curtsey the 1078 cc powerful engine. It is also featured with 198 hp power generation. The model number of each bike is shown near the steering column.

Buying or choosing a bike might be easy for once, but maintaining it is a difficult task. There are very few bikers who really worry about the average of mileage of their bikes. There are even such bikers who just want to own one of the latest bikes just to show off, but do very little in maintaining its health.

The mileage of any bike is the heart of the vehicle. If the bike is giving good mileage, you get inspired to look after the bike automatically. It does not cost you much to maintain your bike. But even that is a tiresome job for some.

The very basic thing for having a good mileage is having accurate air pressure in both the wheels of your bike. Enough air means the tubes and tyres are performing 100 per cent. If they are sturdy enough, they can carry the weight more easily.

Don’t put any extra weight on your bike. This means to say, try to avoid riding triple seats. This is either way not allowed by laws as well. The more pressure you will put on the engine of the bike, the more power it will use up. This power means the fuel. The more fuel consumption means lesser mileage.

Amongst the technical solutions, this is very important. Allow your bike to heat up before you actually start off. Start your vehicle and race it on the spot for around 10 or so seconds. This will allow the flow of the oil and fuel to reach all the parts of the engine. Then you are ready to go as the fuel has been supplied in the necessary amount.

Avoid using the choke as much as possible. The job of the choke is to supply fuel to the engine. If you leave the choke in an “on” position for long, it will literally create a downpour of fuel over the engine. Therefore, use the choke while starting the vehicle. It will automatically provide fuel to the engine and help it to start in the first stroke.

Using the choke is necessary in the winter days. There might not be enough lubrication due to the cold conditions and it leads to more friction. More friction means extra unnecessary load on the piston.

There can be more and more tips about increasing the mileage of your bike. if you have any tips worth sharing, you are welcome to send them here.

Who does not like riding a bike? Surely it is not only a point of prestige but also a necessity today. There might be many around who do not give enough importance to the health of the bike. Therefore, the bike looks old even in a couple of years’ time. There are some things that you have to abide by invariably.

Yes, there are people who wash their bikes on a weekly basis. They get complacent after seeing the shining rims of the wheels. However, there is more to the bikes than just washing it every week. It would not be possible to carry out every check daily and in reality there is no need to check every aspect on a daily basis.

This article deals exclusively on the two important aspects of oil and braking system.

Maintaining the level of the oil is very important. But when you check the oil level keep you bike in a horizontal level. It should stand upright. Parking the bike on the main stand is very important or you may get false readings. Keep a note when you had last changed your oil. Get it confirmed from your mechanic when you have to change the oil the next time.

But remember, there is no universal rule when you should change the oil. It depends on your use. The oil of a reputed company works well for around 1000 KMs to 1200 KMs. But again you have to check it personally.

Remember to oil the moving parts of your bike such as shock absorbers, the side stand and the main stand, the keyhole etc. During the rainy days, if you do not use your bike for even a couple of days and there is no direct protection from the rain, the keyhole can get jammed.

Drop in a couple of drops directly in the keyhole and exercise the key in and out 10 to 12 times. The oil will spread in the inner parts and it will get fantastic lubrication.

If you do want to remain alive or not reach any hospital nearby, keep the brakes in absolute superfine condition. Well, jokes apart, but it is very important that the brakes function correctly at the right time. For this, confirm the brake hosepipe and the disc pads too. It is important that the brake fluid is at the acceptable and appropriate level.

Clasp the front forks steadfastly and test out how the play is. This check should be carried out in the steering head bearings. If there is any play, it is time to visit you mechanic.

However, there are ways on how you can increase the life of both the front and the rear brakes. Driving steadily is the most important suggestion for this. Gauge the distance of the bikes yonder and the speed at what you are driving. If you feel you are too fast, slow down instantly. So, till you reach anywhere near that spot you are already in control of your bike and you will not have to apply brakes in an emergency.

The second suggestion is to use both the brakes in tandem. This divides the pressure on the brakes and undue pressure on any single one can be avoided.

Follow these tips to enjoy lifelong biking experience.

The bike enthusiasts are likely to face this problem of choosing a two-wheeler. Choosing between a bike and a scooty can be troublesome sometimes. There are scooties out there in the market which do not have the design and shape like that of a bike, but are still powerful enough to give a performance on the same levels as that of a bike.

So, this is the confusion really – who should go for a bike and who should choose scooty. Broadly speaking the young generation – especially the boys would always prefer going for a bike rather than a scooty. The looks of the bike are impressive and the guys get a macho feeling while riding on one. Honestly speaking, to impress the girls around, boys prefer having a bike.

On the other hand, the fairer sex prefers a light vehicle like a scooty. They feel it easy to handle. Most of such vehicles which are available have trend and stylish looks which the girls prefer a lot. No wonder, girls are attracted towards such vehicles.

This is just broad categorizing of the needs of males and females having a liking for a certain type of vehicle. However, this is not the case always. There are many factors which can make you think which auto you should go for. There can be family reasons, personal reasons, professional reasons, social reasons which can influence your decision. This can happen in the case of both boys and girls.

Technical aspects also play an important part in this choice. If you want to travel around 15 to 20 to work and come back, this makes around 30 to 40 KMs of running daily. In this scenario, you should invariable go for a bike. The advantage of this is, you will get a good millage which will help you cut down on petrol expenditure.

People, who need to travel a lot, even if it is with your city limits, should also go for a bike. These people can be medical representatives or people associated with marketing.

Vehicles like scooty, are the best for working women or college-going girls. Travelling a short distance within your city area to reach your work place or college, nothing can get better than a light vehicle like scooty.

Scooty also comes in handy for aged people and senior citizens as it gets easy for them to handle the comparatively light vehicle.

How many years have been driving two-wheelers? Have we ever given a thought, how a certain system works? Or have we ever thought of what raw material a certain item is made of? Today, we will have a look at what alloy wheels exactly are. The alloy wheels in motor cycles are getting pretty popular. They not only give a great facelift to the personality of the bike, but look impressive as well.

Alloy wheels are also known as Rims. They are made of either aluminum or magnesium. In some cases, both aluminum and magnesium are used for making alloy wheels. There are basically two reasons why the alloy wheels are getting popular these days. The first reason is that they are stylish and the black color gives a trendy look to the bike. The second reason is technical one. The wheels are light in weight and provide better heat conduction.

There are advantage of alloy wheels does not mean the traditional stainless steel spoke wheels are useless now. They grab the attention in its own way and are command importance as well.

There are some reasons for the trend of alloy wheels increasing nowadays. Let us have a look at some of them.

Alloy wheels are way too lighter than the conventional steel rims. This allows greater control over the vehicle. The handling becomes easy too and undue stress on the shoulders of the riders can be avoided. The density of alloy wheels is wider and that is why the stability can be gained for bikers.

Due to the lightness of the wheels, the suspension too lasts longer as there is less strain on it. This also means that the millage of the vehicle too increases.

Alloy wheels are better heat absorbers. This takes away the heat from the brakes eventually helping in increasing their life. It also means longer life for the breaks too.

However, there are some negative factors which will put you off and dissuade you from purchasing bikes with alloy wheels. When winter sets in, the alloy wheels are prone to developing cracks. Therefore, the biker runs a danger of losing her alloy wheels to crack during cold days.

Secondly, if in any accident or a collision, the wheels are bent, it is a real headache to get such a wheel repaired. If alloy wheels have to be repaired in any way, the owner has to shed out higher sums unlike for the regular spoke wheels. Moreover, alloy wheels are slightly expensive than the steel rim wheels. Due to all these reasons, their life is around 4 to 5 years.

Considering all the positive and negative aspects, it should be one’s own call on alloy wheels.