The Body and Machine Section is the place to hang out and grab pertinent information for everything from motorcycle maintenance to fitness to very cool stuff to know about!
Another great week at Ohio Bike Week, from the music, to the vendors, to the racing the rally was jam packed with things to do. The destination rides is a really cool part of this rally along with the women's Ride On events.
During the Women Ride ON event you could catch some seminars about Motorcycle maintenance, (brought to you by our very own Garage-Girl Sara), Seminars on riding gear and the popular "lifting a downed bike". Even the GEICO girls gave lifting the bike a shot! We really like the location of this rally, right in downtown Sandusky Ohio it's a great place for friends from the west and east to meet in the middle. Can't wait for OBW 2010, see ya then!
David Uhl 2009 Sturgis Image, "Whiskey Business"
We are pleased to announce the official release of David Uhl's 2009 Sturgis image, titled "Whiskey Business". Long before the outlaw bikers, there were those daring souls who delivered whiskey to the untamed gambling towns of the west during Prohibition...certainly not a job for everyone. Most of us can only imagine the courage and firepower necessary to ensure the delivery of this precious cargo.
In David's first rendition of a self-portrait, "Whiskey Business" offers his view of this hazardous duty. It is offered as a signed/numbered giclee print on canvas in two sizes.
• Those who have collected the Sturgis series in the past will be given first right of refusal on their matching edition number. Otherwise, print edition numbers will be assigned as orders are taken.
• The edition will close at the end of the 2009 Sturgis Rally. All orders must be received by Sunday, August 9, 2009.
• Prints will begin shipping once the final edition size is determined after the rally.
For Info Contact
Greg Rhodes Uhl Studios
15801 W. Colfax Avenue
Golden, CO 80401
303-948-1088
"MUST-HAVE'S"
for Safe Riding
WIZARDS® PARTNERS WITH GUIDE DOGS OF AMERICA
Wizards Products is happy to announce an offer that is helping a great cause. Starting June 15th - for EVERY 22oz bottle of Bike Wash purchased between then and July 31st Wizards Products will donate $1 to the Guide Dogs of America Organization.
Guide Dogs of America is dedicated to its mission to provide guide dogs and instruction in their use, free of charge, to blind and visually impaired men and women from the United States and Canada so that they may continue to pursue their goals with increased mobility and independence.
WIZARDS BIKE WASH:
- Degrease engines & wheels
- Biodegradable, pH controlled
- Easy rinse formula, no spotting
- No caustic soda, acids or bleach
- Foams away grime, oil, brake dust
- Safe for paint, chrome and plastics
To purchase call 800-356-7223 or visit the online store
Steel Horse Sisters Benefit Run
On May 21st one of the Steel Horse Sisters members was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, Holly, AKA Krazy~Bitch was life flighted to UMASS hospital and spent 3 days in ICU. She has a very long road in front of her for recovery.
Her riding girls are stepping up to the plate to lend her a hand by holding a benefit ride in honor of Holly. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Holly to help her in her time of recovery. Collen the president of the Steel Horse Sisters sent this info over.
If you live in the Mass Tri-state area head on over the Halligans on Rt. 20 in Auburn Mass on August 30th to join the ride. sign up is at 9am and kick stands are up at 10:30am The ride will be 75 miles followed by food, prizes and lots of fun. If you can't make the ride and would like to help out stop by any citizens bank location and make a deposit to "The Holly L. Schwartz Fund" account. For more info check out www.steelhorsesisters.com
Ohio Bike Week 2009
The smaller bike week rallies are making their way into lots of peoples vacation destination picks this year. Usually you can find a rally closer to you vs. traveling hundreds and hundreds of miles away, which gives you less travel time and a bigger saving on expenses, and right about now that is something everyone desperately needs, less expense and more fun! Ohio Bike Week in Sandusky Ohio has all the thrills of the larger rallies and then some. Kicking it off on June 5th and running through to the 14th you'll find everything you could dream of.
Some of the great features of Ohio Bike Week are;
• Destination Rides
• The AHDRA Nationals
• Block Party's
• Awesome bands
• Stunt Shows
• LimpNickie Lot
• Women Ride On event with great features for Women Riders
• Broken Spoke Saloon
Also Don't forget Saturday June 6th Candelbox will be performing at the Rockin' Horse Arena. Be sure to check out www.ohiobikeweek.com for all of the event listings. Stop by the Women Ride On event and we'll see you there!
Hooking yourself up with Tools....
Before you go out and purchase some tools you need to know that there are two sets of tools, American which are measured in inches and metric which are measured in millimeters.
So what ever make of bike you have (American or metric) you’ll use that set of tools.
It’s important to buy from a quality reputable tool manufacturer. There are plenty to choose from. We recommend Sears Craftsman. Why, because Sears has an actual storefront you can go to, vs. a company like Snap On, Matco or MAC, which normally sell via a truck that stops by businesses. We also recommend using a quality tool like Sears because of the lifetime guarantee they come with. The other tool suppliers I mentioned also have a lifetime guarantee, any reputable tool company will. That’s right if you should break that tool or if the tool fails you in anyway you can bring it right back in and get it replaced for free.
Here is a list of tools you should have on hand if you plan to do any type of service work to your bike;
ratchet and socket set, for most American type bikes a set ranging from 1/4” to 1 1/4” will be a great range. Not all bolts on the bike will be hex heads so you’ll need a few different style wrenches. A very popular style bolt head is the allen or hex head. You can get sockets with allen’s on the end to fit in your ratchet or just buy an allen key kit. A kit ranging from 5/64”-3/8” will be a good range for the American built bikes.
Pictured above a ratchet and socket set,
Pictured right, Various types of Allen Wrenches
Another bolt head type is the torx. A torx set is measured differently they come is sizes with a “T” in front of the number. A set ranging from T10 to T50 is good to have on hand.
Certain jobs you’ll be performing on your bike will require you to torque the bolts. You can purchase a torque wrench at Sears or through any of the tool suppliers I mentioned above. Torque wrenches come in different drive sizes i.e. ¼”,3/8 ” or ½” and within the different sizes they have different torque ranges. The best thing to do before you purchase a torque wrench is check your service manual for the torque range the job you’ll be doing requires. Usually the larger sizes wrenches are for the wheels and smaller sizes are for engine and other tight places.
You’ll also want a set of plier’s, standard and needle nose to hold onto anything that wants to get away from you. A set of locking pliers or vise grips is good for working on something that you’ll need two free hands for. Your pliers will help to grab things in places your fingers won’t fit.
A set of wire cutters or Diagonals ( nick name dykes) are great if you need to cut a wire or a zip tie that you’ve used to temporarily hold something.
You should also have a set of open and closed end wrenches on hand.
Battery terminals on American bikes use a metric size, so make sure you get a 10mm open end wrench for that job
Have a Phillips and standard head screwdriver set on hand.
You will also need an oil filter wrench. Several types of oil filter wrenches are available. Pick one that suits your bike best.
Band type, strap type or end cap type.
Make sure you also have a tire pressure gauge and oil drain pain.
This next tool is not a must but sure does make trouble shooting so much easier, a voltage meter. A volt meter is what you will use if you need to check the voltage of your battery or want to inspect your charging system. A test light is also good to have on hand to test for wire continuity.
Tools are a great investment, they are fun to have and you’ll be surprised how often you’ll be using them. You will without a doubt get your money’s worth in the first job you do on your bike alone. Now that you have a nice set of tools it’s important to take care of them. Store them properly, clean them after use and inspect them regularly. These are your tools. You are depending on these tools to help achieve the proper level of maintenance on your bike. These tools are insuring you a safe ride so respect them and take care of them.