1. You can check in with your dealer to see if they offer storage space for your motorcycle. If they don’t or if you want to store it yourself, make sure that the room will stay dry throughout the winter and that there aren’t any windows (or at least that many) because the sun can fade paint and plastic areas on the bike.
2. Change your oil and check your filter. Even if your motorcycle isn’t due for a change, you want your bike to be in its best form in the months ahead as it rests.
3. Drain your bike’s carburetors and fuel lines if it’s going to be out of commission for more than 4 months. If you think your bike won’t need that long of a winter break, just add some fuel conditioning fluid and you should be good to go.
4. If you’re planning on storing your bike for 6 months or more, make sure your cylinders are oiled enough to last through those months without rusting.
5. Remove the battery and store it somewhere elevated and also in an area where it won’t freeze. It’s suggested that you charge the battery every couple of weeks.
6. To keep the rust and moisture away during the snowy months, wax your bike before you store it. You should also spray the frame and engine with a light oil to maintain your bike’s shine.
7. Keep unwanted moisture out of your exhaust and muffler by spraying them with a light oil (WD-40 or similar). You can also put a plastic bag in the muffler notches so that moisture won’t be able to spread to the exhaust system.
8. Before you say bye to your bike (for now), make sure that the tire pressure in all tires is at the specified level. If you put your bike on cardboard instead of the concrete garage floor, this will help to keep the tires from freezing. Don’t be fooled by the appeal of tire dressings—you don’t need them. They’ll only harden up the tires and make them slippery.
9. Make sure all of your bike’s fluids are where they should be so that dreaded moisture can’t make its way into them.
10. Lastly, cover your bike with a mildew resistant cover that either came with the bike or is custom-made for it. After all that preparation for putting your bike into hibernation mode, you don’t want to toss an average tarp over it and call it a riding season. A suitable bike cover will protect against moisture and also from sun exposure, which can fade certain parts of your bike.

After we survive this upcoming New England winter and the warmer weather finally returns, all you have to do to get ready for riding again is to put the battery back, double-check all the fluids, and do a check on your bike to make sure it’s in the same condition as when you winterized it.

Let the countdown begin!

In an earlier review, the Motorcyclist Magazine praised the redesigned 2009 model–”Finally, a V-Rod that looks like a Harley!”–giving it 4 out of 5 stars. The main complaint about the first generation V-Rod, which hit the market in 2002, was that it did not look like a Harley.

The 2010 V-Rod weighs in wet at 673 lbs and packs a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 1250 cc V-Twin engine (122 horsepower and 86 lbs-ft of torque).

The second-generation V-Rod has upgraded instrumentation with an electronic speedometer and a tachometer. There is also a clock, dual trip meters, and a fuel gauge with a countdown feature.

Other features include an airbox, a 5-speed transmission, a slipper clutch, upside-down front forks, ABS, a hydroformed perimeter frame, 5-spoke aluminum wheels , a fat 18″ rear tire (the front tire is 19″), satin chrome dual side exhaust, with turnouts, front turn signals integrated on the mirrors, and a LED rear taillight.

The tank, accessible by flipping the backrest forward, holds five gallons of fuel. Estimated mpg is 34.

The difference between the 2009 and 2010 models is cosmetic: new black denim and brilliant silver pearl paint.

The MSRP is $17,199 and the bike comes with a two-year warranty.

For more information on the 2010 V-Rod Muscle, visit the Harley-Davidson Web site.

Be sure to check out the two other VRSC models: the V-Rod ($14,999) and the Night Rod Special ($16,699).

According to reports, Bell was thrown from his bike upon impact and pronounced dead at Westerly Hospital. The driver of the other vehicle, 49-year-old Angelo Urso was uninjured in the motorcycle accident.

No chagres have yet been filed and the motorcycle crash remains under investigation.

If your loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, you may need to contact an attorney. Tom Kiley, a motorcycle enthusiast and personal injury lawyer in Massachusetts can help. You can reach attorney Tom Kiley at 1-800-930-8145 or by e-mail.

According to published reports, the motorcycle accident took place around 7:35 a.m. as Sanangelo was riding north on Route 67 when a sedan being driven by 50-year-old Richard Zanesky pulled out in front of her, causing the crash. Sanangelo was ejected from her bike upon impact and taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment.

Zanesky was cited by local authorities for failing to yield at an intersection.

If your loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, you may need to contact an attorney. Tom Kiley, a motorcycle enthusiast and personal injury lawyer in Massachusetts can help. You can reach attorney Tom Kiley at 1-800-930-8145 or by e-mail.

After the unveiling ceremony at the Time Warner Center in New York on Aug. 12, Paul Teutul Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers and star of the Learning Channel series American Chopper, rode the electric chopper around Columbia Circle.

The most noticeable feature about the electric-powered bike, aside from its futuristic looks, is the silence of its engine.

“You know, we always get a lot of comments on what it sounds like. You can always put cards in the wheel or something like that to make it sound a little louder,” says Teutul, as quoted by NY1 News. “But the bottom line is this–the bike is futuristic, the bike will do 100 mph plus. There’s nothing like it.”

Commissioned by Siemens, an energy, health care, and industry company, and dubbed the “Siemens Smart Chopper,” the electric chopper was built using recycled parts and blue-and-white water-based paint. A series wound 8″ motor from Advanced DC Motors Inc. provides 27 peak horsepower and a maximum speed of 100 mph.

The battery supports a range of 60 miles on a five-hour charge. An on-board charger plugs into any 110-volt outlet.

Osram Sylvania, a Siemens company, supplied the LED lighting.

“We wanted to build this unique chopper to raise environmental awareness and reflect what the 69,000 employees of Siemens USA are doing to help America stay on the cutting edge of tomorrow’s green economy,” said Daryl Dulaney, president and CEO of Siemens Building Technologies, in a press release.

Fans of American Chopper can watch the episode featuring the Siemens Smart Chopper on the Learning Channel on Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. EST/PST.

After making the rounds of industry trade shows this year, the green chopper will be auctioned off for charity in 2010. It is valued at approximately $50,000.

For more information, watch a video of the Siemens Smart Chopper at NY1 News or read the press release from Siemens.

It seems the Oakland PD takes motorcycle safety seriously–so seriously that their Harley-Davidson motorcycles were re-equipped with louder tailpipes.

As an example, the deputy chief of police cited an accident earlier in 2008 in which a motorist hit an officer. The incident had prompted safety concerns. The motorist claimed that he did not hear the officer coming.

The Oakland PD had originally switched to quieter pipes after an officer complained of hearing loss.

After a 2007 study, the department concluded that “it was in the best interest of the officers to put more-audible pipes back on.”

According to the article, the federal sound limit for pipes and such is 80 decibels. The Oakland PD’s new pipes average 93 decibels.

Read the full article on the Oakland PD’s motorcycle tailpipes from the San Francisco Chronicle.

If you have an older bike, as I do, then your options to increase the quality of your lighting is to upgrade your bulb, install auxiliary lighting, or install aftermarket High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting.

Solutions to Inadequate Motorcycle Lighting

A typical solution is to upgrade the standard H-4 bulb with a high-quality bulb or with a higher-wattage bulb. Be careful, however, that your bike can handle the extra amps drawn on the electrical system and the extra heat generated in the housing.

The Iron Butt Association suggests upgrading the wire harness if the wattage of the new bulb is significantly higher that of the stock bulb.

Installing auxiliary lights takes even more care because more factors come into play: mounting, obviously, wiring and looming, and lamp selection.

Installing HID lighting is by far the best option because it offers a vast improvement over standard H-4 bulbs and even halogen lamps. It it can also be expensive, although prices have begun to come down.

The advantages of HID lighting include:

• Increased safety;
• Greater efficacy and output;
• Longer service life.

You can read more about these HID and auxiliary lighting options on the Web site for the Iron Butt Association.

Motorcycle HID Lighting

While motorcycle manufacturers have been slower than automobile manufacturers in adopting HID lighting, it has begun to appear as an option on some models. Victory Motorcycles, to note but one example, includes HID lighting on premium models of its Vision touring bike.

There are several reasons for the slower adoption of HID lighting on motorcycles.

One is that an HID light bulb uses xenon gas whereas a traditional light bulb uses a filament. A motorcycle cannot easily supply the extra amps needed to ignite the gas. After ignition, however, an HID headlight needs far fewer amps and is comparable to that of normal or halogen headlights.

To ignite the HID headlight on a motorcycle, you need a ballast and igniter. Finding a place on a motorcycle to mount these additional components only complicates the issue.

Another reason is that HID bulbs do not offer both a high and low beam. For this, you need two bulbs. Also, HID lighting is more expensive than halogen lamps.

Finally, HID lighting is not legal in every state.

For more on HID lighting, see Wikipedia.

Originally launched in 1984 (with a 1985 model), the then-Yamaha VMAX saw few production changes over the next 23 years. Reinvented in 2008 under Yamaha’s Star brand, the 2009 model garnered high accolades.

Motorcyclist Magazine named the VMAX its Best Cruiser of the Year for 2009:

“There are quicker ways to cover 1320 feet of pavement on two wheels, but there’s nothing like the 110 lb.-ft. kick in the tighty-whiteys from this 1679cc V-four.”

(The magazine’s “alternative take” was the 2009 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle.)

The 2010 VMAX weighs in wet at 683+ lbs and packs a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 1679 cc V4 engine that puts out 197 horsepower and 110 lbs-ft of torque. That makes for a powerful–the most powerful–production street bike.

The debut 1985 model had an 1198 cc V4 engine. To get the extra 481 cc (a 40.2% increase) in the second generation VMAX, the cylinders were enlarged from 76 mm to 90 mm.

The second generation VMAX has upgraded instrumentation with an analog tachometer and a digital speedometer. There is also a fully programmable shift light, a clock, dual trip meters, and a fuel gauge.

Other features include a fly-by-wire throttle, variable-length intake stacks, a 5-speed transmission, a slipper clutch, wave-style brake discs, ABS, a shaft drive, an aluminum chassis, a fat 18″ rear tire, a four-into-one-into-two-into-four exhaust, and a LED rear taillight.

As you would expect, this monsterbike packs a lot of power; and it burns fuel accordingly, getting 27 mpg (estimated). The tank, accessible by flipping the backrest forward, holds four gallons of fuel. This is a cruiser, not a touring bike.

The difference between the 2009 and 2010 models is cosmetic: new cherry red paint.

The Star 2010 VMAX is on sale now through November 30, 2009. Production is limited. Deliveries begin in November.

The MSRP is $19,500 and special financing is available. If bought through the priority delivery program, the bike comes with a 2-year warranty.

For more information on the 2010 VMAX, visit the Star Motorcycle Web site. You can also check out the 2010 VMAX micro site.

I had been concerned about the feasibility of the lock anyway because it attaches to the d-ring of the helmet strap, which seems inadequate. One can always cut the strap.

In addition, the helmet hangs over the end of the exhaust pipes. Finally, the helmet hangs upside down exposing the inside of the helmet to the elements, particularly rain. Who can predict those summer rainstorms?

All this prompted a look into an alternative helmet lock.

For maximum safety, I prefer to use a full-face helmet that is both DOT and Snell approved, so I do not need to use the d-ring on the strap to secure the helmet. Besides, I would prefer not to. Instead, I can loop a cable through the face of the helmet.

I do not like to carry my helmet around. When I am at a rally in the summer, I do not want to wear my leather jacket around either, so I also want to lock it up too.

Now, 99.9% of the time, there really is no need to lock up my helmet or jacket. Most bikers respect each other’s property. Still, my bike is not always around bikers. I do not know why a soccer mom or her son or whoever might want my helmet, but someday, somewhere, someone is going to steal it. It is just too expensive to risk that.

A simple solution is a cable lock. If it is vinyl coated it protects helmet and bike from scratches. I can secure the cable to any solid part of the bike; even loop it through the rear wheel if I had to.

If the cable is long enough, I can secure jacket and helmet, and maybe even those of my passenger. A combination would save me from having to carry another key, but then, I am already carrying a bike key. One more will not kill me.

If the cable is retractable, it can be stowed away easily, but retractable cable locks tend to be too short or too bulky. I like to keep things simple whenever possible.

A cable lock can be left on the bike for daily use. I keep mine coiled around the handhold below the passenger seat when I am not bagging it.

Kryptonite offers a wide range of locks for bicycles, powersports, and snowsports. Master Lock also offers a variety of locks. I like these:

• KryptoFlex Lighted Key Cable (a little thick at 10mm but I the light would be great at 1 am);
• Master Lock Python Adjustable Locking Cable (more flexible at 8mm thick and the length of the cable can be adjusted when locked, which helps to keep your items from falling off the bike).

The Suede Black Hammer S has white accents and a red stripe. The Boardwalk Blue Hammer S has white racing stripe. See them for yourself.

The Hammer S is Victory Motorcycles’ heavy-hitting cruiser. 2010 upgrades to the bike include:

• Buckhorn handlebars
• Black gas cap
• Wheels, rotor carriers, and brake components are black.

The Hammer S packs a fuel-injected 1731 cc V-Twin with 97 horsepower and 113 lbs-ft of torque. A 6-speed transmission, chopped rear fender, LED taillight, fat 18″ tire, inverted front forks, dual-disk front brake, blocked-out components, and custom painted wheels are among its features.

The Suede Black Hammer S has black wheels. The Boardwalk Blue bike has blue wheels.

The MSRP is not available yet (the 2009 model started at $17,999), but all Victory motorcycles come with a five-year warranty.

For more information, visit the Victory Motorcycles Web site.