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Monday, November 2 Dear Readers, Meanwhile, I've heard that a member of our very own VTwin Mama Message Board is the grand winner of the MSF slogan contest. I still don't see it officially announced on the MSF site. – Mama Tuesday, November 3 2009-2010 BMW Comparison Chart Ready Dear Readers, So, that means I've got BMW and HD done (Buell is being discontinued) ... I'll start working on the big metric companies next! – Mama Sunday, November 8 6:15 PM EST Message Board Down Temporarily Dear Readers, Dear Readers, Monday, November 9 I would like to respond to this entry. My wife and I both ride our own motorcycles and have used the “Child Riding Belt” that is referred to the original responses to this letter ... and we loved it, although we found many ways that the product could be improved upon. So, I designed our very own “BackRider Belt” Child Riding Harness belt based on the Child Riding Belt idea. There are many differences between the two products ... mostly our BackRider Belt product has successfully passed an independent engineering product evaluation test by “On-Spex”, a part of the CSA group of companies located in Ohio, USA. Our BackRider design also gives much more support for both the adult rider back muscles and the child passenger to be able to sit in an upright position if they fall asleep (which our children tend to do after about 10 minutes of riding). If anyone wishes to find out more info on our BackRider Belt we invite them to visit our web site at www.RiderzRagz.com . Thanks to the Child Riding Belt, and more so to our newly developed BackRider Belt, our whole family have been safely enjoying the motorcycling experience for many years. I’m glad to see the great safe riding features, comments etc. that you have on your website as they are very informative and entertaining as well. Thanks. Have fun & ride safe! Sincerely, – Brian Muller (note from Mama: we appreciate you bringing this product to our attention!) Monday, November 9 Hi Petra, I'm also publishing monthly free Motorcycle Maintenance articles and tips. This months is all about Winterizing! – Jasmine Bluecerek Clark Dear Jasmine, Tuesday, November 10 New Touring Book Announcement Dear Fellow Riders,
In addition to 20 full length touring articles, this book features six motorcycle service pieces covering topics like “packing a bike” and “riding in the dark”. Readers can also download RoadRUNNER’s signature tankbag maps and GPS files, for each tour, from their website. Although Riding America’s Backroads is especially geared to motorcyclists, it’s entertaining and informative for any traveler, whether on two wheels or four. 192 pages, 4 color, soft-cover price is $27.95 and the hard cover limited edition is $75 (this is numbered and signed by RoadRUNNER Publisher Christa Neuhauser). Available at www.roadrunner.travel/shop or by phone toll-free at 1-866.343.7623. – Melanie Merritt, RoadRUNNER Tuesday, November 10 Dear Petra, Dear Alice, Thursday, November 12 I have been riding for over twenty years, and now I am enjoying riding with my daughter as well. She was about three when I started taking her for rides...but talking about safety....I was very conscientious and used a backrider belt to make sure she was safe and secure. Check out the pictures on this site....me and my daughter. www.backriderbelt.ca. We were the models for this new product, the backrider belt, that allows you to comfortably take children on the back of bikes with confidence that they will not fall off...even if they fall asleep....which my daughter frequently does. – Debbie (note from Mama: it was great to hear from the owner/designer, Brian Muller, and I just love your photo with your daughter!) Thursday, November 12 MSF Slogan Winners Press Release Motorcycle Safety Foundation Announces Ride On! Write On! Contest Winners More than 2,300 votes were cast in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Ride on! Write on! contest, and the winners are: 1st Place,
submitted by Denise Porterfield of Kernersville, N.C.: 2nd Place,
submitted by Peggy Strickler of Lake Zurich, Ill.: 3rd Place,
submitted by Terri Brents of Sherwood, Ark.: Given her “Save a marriage…” slogan, it’s not surprising that first place winner Denise Porterfield is married and the mother of a 16-year old daughter. She works as a senior medical claims examiner and says she just started riding three years ago. “I ride 24/7,” said Porterfield. “I bought a Honda Shadow Spirit the day after I completed my MSF course and put 28,000 miles on it. Then last summer I bought a Kawasaki ZZR600, and I’ve put 17,000 miles on that.” “I constantly run into women who are so excited about bikes, but scared to learn. The MSF courses give women a chance to learn to ride without any commitment, and no pressure,” Porterfield continued. “I had so much fun the weekend that I took the course, and it's important that we spread the word so that women know what's available for them to experience.” Peggy Strickler, a 50-year old medical technologist who penned the second place-winning slogan, started riding in 1998, and became an MSF RiderCoach in 2003. She rides a 1995 Harley Davidson (FXSTS) Springer Softail and 1994 Honda Shadow VT1100C, logging about 10,000 miles a year. “We have taken all of our family vacations on motorcycles since 2000 when my son got his endorsement at age 16. Our 14-year-old daughter rode with my husband until she was old enough to get her license,” said Strickler. “I thought it would be cool to come up with a slogan that might inspire others to learn to ride right. Nothing is better than riding sweepers and tight curves with the knowledge that you do know how to do it safely.” Third place winner Terri Brents is a 47-year old legal assistant who took the MSF Basic RiderCourse in 2005, and who now splits her riding time between a pair of Kawasaki Ninjas, a 2006 250 and a 2006 650R. “I entered the contest because I'm a word junkie and I love a writing challenge,” said Brents. “I'm a fairly new rider. I've been piloting my own bike just shy of five years, now. I spent about eight years as a passenger prior to that. I try to ride every weekend that the weather permits and occasionally I even ride to work. The MSF course has made such a difference in my life.” “Women riders often share a strong sense of camaraderie with one another,” said Dr. Sherry Williams, MSF director of quality assurance and research. “We were thrilled to receive so many great slogan entries and will look forward to using the winning slogans to inspire other women to find out more about motorcycling.” The Motorcycle Safety Foundation promotes rider safety through rider training systems, operator licensing tests and public information programs. The MSF works with the federal government, state agencies, the military, and others to offer training for all skill levels so riders can enjoy a lifetime of safe, responsible motorcycling. Standards established by the MSF have been internationally recognized since 1973. The MSF is a not-for-profit organization sponsored by BMW, BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha. For RiderCourseSM locations, call (800) 446-9227 or visit www.msf-usa.org. Thursday, November 12 Hi Petra, In honor of Military Appreciation Month, we've put together a number of different ways for us all to salute men and women who serve our country. A special section of the Harley-Davidson web site allows visitors to salute active and retired military members on electronic postcards featuring H-D motorcycles and fellow rider and U.S. military supporter Marisa Miller. This is the link to the behind the scenes video from the recent photo shoot. - Participating H-D dealerships have free military-themed posters, postcards, and calendars featuring Marisa Miller (calendars available only to those with a military I.D.). While you're there, don't forget to sign the H-D flag that will be sent to troops overseas. - The "Harley Salutes the Military Contest," created in partnership with Maxim magazine, gives active or retired personnel the chance to win a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle of their choice - delivered personally by Marisa. The winner will also receive Rider's Edge training and four tickets to attend the Jan. 2, 2010, Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Las Vegas. Visit http://www.maxim.com/salutes to enter and get exclusive downloads. - Our YouTube channel has been revamped and now includes a bunch of historic videos of H-D & the military. Best, – Laura Vecchio, Harley-Davidson Note from Mama: as a Navy veteran, I appreciate H-D's effort to acknowledge the contribution of all those who have served and also those in active or reserve duty. I just wish H-D would stop collaborating with super models for photo shots ... it objectifies women (jeez, straddling the front tire in a skimpy outfit?!?!?), is unrealistic (so much for proper riding attire), and just panders to their core audience of men. Fine. Women get why H-D does it. But that doesn't mean we have to like it. Ever. Thursday, November 12 Dear Mama, Recently I received a request for a jacket zipper extension for a gal who layers up in the winter and finds herself with a jacket that no longer fits. I’ve made chap extensions before and again it was for a winter rider who also layers up but I had yet to make one for a jacket. What struck me is how it did not take away from the jacket and how it wound up looking like it was part of the jacket design. The zipper extensions would work in any situation where a jacket, vest or chaps are too tight for whatever reason! They are affordable and certainly much cheaper than buying another piece or riding gear. Chaps extensions are $40, Jackets are $30 and vests are also $30. Basically I need to know the length of the existing zipper and how wide they need the extension to be. I’ve included a couple of photos for you to look at. As always thanks so much for passing the word long regarding my business, over the years you’ve been a huge help in getting the word out on what I do. – Nanci Rogers, Ace High Leathers, www.acehighleathers.com, 530-905-0505. Dear Nanci, Friday, November 13 Hello VTwin Mama, The reason I'm contacting you is that my website sells a large variety of products, but one in particular that I thought would be of great interest to your readers are my high quality custom chrome motorcycle license plate frames. Once an order is placed it is shipped usually in 1-2 days. Prices range from $15.95 for the fiberglass reinforced plastic motorcycle license plate frames to $20.95 for the basic custom chrome frames. We also offer a nice custom chrome motorcycle frame with a 3D Christian fish emblem on it for $25.95. Thank you and respectfully, – Val Friday, November 13 Hi Petra, Desert Dawgs minimize cold updrafts, repel road spray from front wheel and flared front fender, keep bug juice off motorcycle chrome (and legs!), allow engine cooling - NO temperature restriction!, easy on-and-off - three snaps, belt clip and hook-and-loop attachments, does not affect bike handling, accommodates all standard foot peg settings, and includes Ultra Pockets for extra storage. These are available for a wide range of manufacturer's models, including Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Manufactured in the USA! Visit LeaderMotorcycle to check it out! – Tracey Cramer, Top Dawg Saturday, November 14 Dear Readers, If you enjoyed that, check out the rest of the entries on the Motorcycle Humor page! Saturday, November 14 Hi VTwin Mama, We have just launched MotorcycleSupermarket.com at the motorcycle EXPO at the NEC Arena in Birmingham last January and we expect great things from it. Primarily it is a website where people can buy and sell motorcycles and scooters, however we also offer finance, insurance, motorcycle warranties, motorcycle deliveries and everything else motorcycle related on one site. We have over 20,000 bikes on the site making us the second largest in the UK and we come top for many search terms in Google. Probably more importantly we also offer the ability to sell your bike for free if you sign up for a FREE membership. You can also win a superbike for FREE as well! – Chris Clark Saturday, November 14 Hi VTwin Mama, Here's an example ... our new Women's Embroidered Jacket. It's available in S-XXXL starting at $335. Made from 1.2-1.4mm soft, buttery naked leather, mesh liner with front and rear venting provides cooling airflow, tasteful embroidery trim on front, back and sleeves in a choice of 4 colors (pink, white, purple, or red), two inside pockets: right with a snap closure, left with a zipper closure, zipper sides expand, removable full sleeve Thinsulate liner provides all season riding comfort, and antique nickel YKK hardware. Just click on the picture to take a closer look! – Fox Creek Leather Saturday, November 14 Dear Readers,
Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Rose, Thursday, November 19 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Volcano, I would start at the battery. Check that the battery terminals and cable connections have no corrosion by pulling the cables (negative first, then the positive). Clean as needed with an old toothbrush and baking soda, and then dry off with a rag. Then coat the cable connectors and terminals with dielectric grease. This acts as a moisture barrier. Reattach the cables (positive first) and tighten. Coat the entire area on the outside of the connection. Could this same problem be somewhere else ... yes, but usually the battery is the culprit. – Mama Friday, November 20 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear New Harley Owner , Yes, pulling the battery in this case is a good idea, storing it in a cool and dry place. Before doing that you should fill the tank and add a gas stabilizer (found at any auto parts store) and then run that mix for a few minutes to get the stabilized mix through the system. Then turn the gas petcock to off. Filling the tank instead of emptying it helps with tank corrosion ... an empty tank can collect moisture, which can corrode the inner tank. You should also change the oil and filter unless you know that that was done when you purchased the Sporty. Clean and dry the bike and cover it with something that breaths. Get the tires off the floor if possible by using a center stand or place cardboard on the floor so that the tires aren't in direct contact with what most likely is cement. – Mama Dear Readers, Please also welcome a new advertiser, Nelson Rides ... this company, which understands the plus-size woman rider, has an interesting story to share ... you'll love visiting and exploring! – Mama Wednesday, November 25 2009-2010 Victory Motorcycles Compared Dear Readers, Friday, November 27 Dear Readers, Friday, November 27 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Gena , I read online that in winter there is generally less humidity in the air and so more likely that you would generate a static charge. But on your motorcycle? The only thing I can think of is that if you have some kind of seat covers (other than the standard leather ... maybe sheepskin?), your movement would generate a charge. Readers ... any ideas?! Saturday, November 28 Scotts Valley M/C Center Women's Day: December 12th Scotts Valley Motorcycle Center Women's Day Book signings of Chicks On Bikes by Author
Photographer Christina Shook Book signing of Bike Lust by Barbara Joans. Meet Jenny Lefferts founder of Mad Maps moto adventure
maps. Canepa design motorcycle museum; police department rider demos. CONTACT: pamela@svmc.us or call 831-438-6300. Dear Readers,
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Over
the last ten years, the team at RoadRUNNER has taken readers on countless motorcycle adventures
through the pages of their magazine. Riding
America’s Backroads features more of the same evocative story
lines and first class photography that RoadRUNNER
is known for, but with updated maps, travel information, and attractions
included.
