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Without warning, the sky turns an ominous shade of grey. A huge menacing cloud , swollen and black, suddenly releases a torrent of rain. In a matter of moments you’re drenched and shivering from the cold….Like most seasoned bikers, I’ve been searching in vain for the the ideal rain-gear to protect myself from the elements without having to compromise on freedom of movement. Luckily a few months back, a friend, who is an avid horseback rider, turned me on to the perfect solution. The oilskin coat:From it’s humble beginning as the monsoon cape worn hundreds of years ago by sailors worldwide, Australian oilskin coats, jackets and pants have evolved into the emblem of those looking for the ultimate in harsh weather protection.It all began in 1890 when a Scottish sailor by the name of Edward LeRoy discovered that torn sails from his ship could be recycled into long coats by treating the canvas material with a mixture of various oils. This transformed them into superb wet weather gear.Word spread land-side about the effectiveness of LeRoy’s coats in rain and cold, and settlers of the outback acquired this legendary waterproof material to protect themselves from the severe weather of the Australian Bush.The oilskin coat was further adapted to life inland by adding an extension in the back of the garment to protect the seat of the horse rider’s saddle, in addition to leg straps to keep the coat securely in place during strong wind, and sleeves that were extra long to protect the arms while extended.Continuing on with this tradition, modern oilskin clothing is designed with the same wet weather-proofing techniques in mind.Made of tightly woven 100% cotton that is infused with a unique natural oil based formula, oilskin apparel offers maximum defense against snow, wind, and rain. Oilskin coats, jackets and pants provide an impenetrable water barrier that keeps you bone dry and able to keep riding, even through the heaviest rain.Unlike many synthetics this material also has a very natural feel, and offers excellent breath-ability, allowing body moisture to escape, ensuring the driest ride possible.The drawstring waist and gusseted rear vent enables you to slip the jacket over the back so water runs off the bike, leaving your seat dry. Snap together straps also secures the coat around your legs when the wind kicks up.And since the oil blend is not water soluble, any incidence of water touching the fabric simply runs off, ensuring total weather protection for motorcyclists who need to stay warm and dry, even under the most challenging conditions.

Thanks to the internet you can find discount motorcycle tires on most motorcycle sites. The discounts vary depending on the site but they are usually cheaper then what your local dealer will charge you. To combat this dealers have come up with several things. One is that they will match the price of the tire you found on the web. The other is that they will charge you a fee of somewhere around the $25 range if you bring in a tire for mounting and will not charge you at all if you by the tire from them. Since getting a motorcycle tire on your a rim without a machine is really damn near impossible. This is how the dealers are trying to discourage you from buying online. When choosing a motorcycle tire you need to ask yourself what kind of riding you will be doing and how much life you expect out of the tire. Generally the stickier the tire the bettor it will handle and the more aggressive you can ride with good grip. The longer lasting tires are less sticky and you give up some handling for longevity. When I say sticky what I am talking about actually has to do with the compound of the tire. The rubber compound of a tire will dictate its life expectancy, the softer the compound the stickier the tire, the faster it will need to be replaced. The harder the compound, the longer the tire will last but you are giving up a little on the stickiness. For cruiser bikes generally a harder compound is acceptable because cruiser’s are ridden long distances but are not ridden as aggressively so it is better to get a harder compound therefore giving the tire a longer life expectancy. However if you are an aggressive rider even on a cruiser you might want to seek a bit softer compound so you can get a bit better handling.For sport bikes their is no question, you will want a softer compound tire to give you the best handling possible. Now their are usually varying degrees of soft compound motorcycle tires available. You will find some are made for the track. These are extremely sticky and will need to be to often to be any good for the street. So if you are looking for a good street tire for a sport bike the best selection is a soft compound tire that tis made for aggressive street riding. An example of that kind of tire would be a Dunlop 207 or a Bridgestone BT014. For track days you may want to get a different set of tires for extreme grip. Motorcycle tire manufactures are plentiful these days. You more recognized makers are Dunlop, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, and Metzeler. All of which make excellent motorcycle tires. You will find different people swear by different brands. Some just like Dunlop and others swear by Pirelli. I think this part of choosing a tire is a lot like some guys will only by a Ford and other swear by Chevy. These are all quality manufacturers of tires and all are good, the choice is up to you. When it comes to choosing a motorcycle tire don’t let the price be the biggest factor. Get a good quality tire designed for your riding style. Since you only have two tires on your bike it becomes vital to keep them in proper condition. If you have ever had a blowout in your car imagine that on two wheels. Its one of the toughest situations are rider will ever have to face, therefore I recommend that you don’t worry about cheap so much when it comes to tires but go with quality.

Everyone who wants to drive on the road has to insure themselves, it’s the law and there’s nothing you can do about it unless you drive illegally. However there are ways by which you can save money and get the best deal possible when it comes to buying car insurance. The first step to take when it comes to getting cheaper car insurance is to make sure you look around for the best deal and the best way to do this is by doing so online. By checking out car insurance online you have the advantage of being able to get almost instant quotes from a wide variety of insurance companies. Remember that all companies are different and as such the prices quoted for your insurance can vary drastically from company to company. There are companies that offer cheaper car insurance if you are over a certain age, or sex and if you match this criteria then you are able to make great savings this way.The type of car that you need to insure also goes a long way to determining how much the quote will be for the insurance. Cars are put into brackets considering how powerful the engine and while the latest model sports car might look cool the quote for your car insurance will be much higher than that of a more sedate family model. The amount of excess which you pay on your policy will also determine how much the quote is for your car insurance. The more you are willing to pay then the less you are charged for your policy. Of course you should take into account the fact that the amount of excess is what you will have to pay before the insurance will pay out. This is of course the risk you have to take if you want to lower your car insurance payment. All in all, the safer you can prove you are on the road then the more you save on your insurance. Taking advanced driving lessons can go a long way to proving this, along with this the amount of security features on your car counts. Installing security features such as having your registration etched on your windows and fitting the latest alarms go a long way to saving you money in the long run on your insurance. The majority of insurers will give you the option of paying for your car insurance in installments or for the year. In the majority of cases if you choose to pay up front for the year then you can get your insurance a tad cheaper.

Biodiesel may be just that fuel source you are looking for. What is biodiesel you may be asking? Biodiesel is an alternative fuel source made from vegetable oil. You can use this fuel in any vehicle that uses regular petroleum diesel fuel. There are places in some states that you can buy biodiesel fuel, but you can also make it yourself with a biodiesel kit. This alternative fuel source has many benefits compared to petroleum. One benefit is the price. Biodiesel fuel can be produced for much less than its petroleum counterpart. If you are making it yourself, you will need to purchase a biodiesel kit. These can be gotten for a couple thousand dollars, you may be thinking “Wow, that’s a lot of money.” But if you think about it, once the savings over gas prices add up to the cost of the kit, all savings after that go straight to your wallet. This will definitely put a little breathing room into your budget. If you are not making biodiesel yourself, and are lucky enough to live in an area where there is a biodiesel station, your savings will add up a lot faster. Another very important benefit of this fuel alternative is it is very environmentally friendly. It is completely biodegradable. Emissions are almost nonexistent. Biodiesel fuel burns clean and is nontoxic. This means not only does it help the planet but it is not harmful to humans as well. Since biodiesel also does not contain sulfur, its emissions do not contribute to acid rain. Using biodiesel fuel also reduces the cancer causing particulates from being released into the air. One benefit closely related to the environmental issue is the fact that biodiesel is a renewable resource. This means it can be made over and over. It does not have to be pumped out of the ground. You need some more biodiesel fuel? Just plant another crop and you can make some more. This has a hidden advantage of allowing farmers to make their farms profitable again. This in turn helps the economy as well as the environment. One other benefit of using biodiesel as an alternative fuel source is safety. The point at which biodiesel will catch fire is much higher than petroleum based fuel. This makes biodiesel much safer to transport and store. It also means if a vehicle that is using biodiesel is involved in an accident it is much less likely to explode. The safety issues alone make this a very attractive alternative fuel. Biodiesel fuel has a lot of benefits as an alternative fuel source. So, are there any disadvantages to using biodiesel? The only one is if you have a vehicle made before about 1994, you will need to keep a close eye on the hoses of the fuel system. Biodiesel fuel can soften the rubber used to make the hoses. After 1994, most vehicles were made with synthetic hoses and this is not an issue. Another issue you should be aware of is the first few times you use biodiesel you may get a clogged up fuel system. This is because biodiesel fuel will clean out all the old gunk in your fuel system. It will pull all the residue left on the walls of your gas tank off, which in turn may clog up some of the lines. If you are aware of this and watching out for it you should not have any problems. As an alternative fuel source, biodiesel is top notch. It is a renewable source, since it is made from vegetable oil all you do is grow another crop. This in turn allows farmers to make their farms profitable again (another hidden benefit). It is less expensive to produce, good for your wallet. It is environmentally friendly, not causing a lot of the problems as petroleum based fuel. It is also human friendly, less cancer causing issues, as well as breathing issues. It is also safer to transport and store. It also lessens our country’s dependency on foreign oil, this would most certainly help our economy.

Car Insurance prices have been notoriously high, especially for younger or new drivers, for a long time but a report made by Experian, the Global Information service has found that the average cost of car insurance has dipped in the period covering October to December.Don’t expect major savings though, the drop was only a meager 0.3% compared to the summer. This is however, still a welcome change with house prices and interest rates increasing, it’s a welcome break that at least something has lowered no matter how insignificant.The drop is the first in over three years, the last drop being in 2005. The numbers told a different story in the first half of 2007 with prices rising but towards the end of the year they leveled out and right at the end of the year they were down.The drop may not last for long though, the insurance industry is normally a few months behind current events, and with the colder Christmas months just behind us this is likely to effect car insurance quotes in the coming months. Accidents are more likely over the Christmas period with icy conditions and people more susceptible to driving under the influence after a festive bout of merrymaking. The industry still hasn’t adjusted from the floods in August which may complicate matters further.For those nearing the time for renewing their car insurance it may be worth checking if you can get a better deal elsewhere with various car insurance quotes online. Check with your provider before committing as you may be able to make some savings elsewhere.

From January 2008, thousands of drivers who are running late renewing their car insurance could be affected by a rule change aimed at tightening the police’s grip on uninsured driving.Insurers must now register customers’ details on to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) within seven days - instead of the previous 14 days limit. This means that anyone that does not renew their car insurance cover before its expiry could be caught out.The police now use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology which cross checks a vehicle’s registration against the MID. If the police stop a driver who cannot prove that they are covered, their car could be confiscated.This new scheme has not been implemented to catch out the innocent - instead it is the latest step in a crackdown on those who deliberately avoid paying for car insurance. Figures suggest one in every 20 drivers avoids paying car insurance premiums, and the annual cost to the industry of injuries and accidents caused by those uninsured is more than £500m according to the Motor Insurance Bureau.Despite the urgency to ensure you’re covered, motorists are being urged to shop around before they renew in order to find cheap car insurance policies.Many insurers increase premiums year on year, even if you have a flawless driving record.By shopping around, customers can avoid these price increases, take advantage of introductory offers and potentially save hundreds of pounds each year.

It’s viscosity is twice that of regular diesel fuel which means it is better at lubricating your diesel engine than regular diesel. And… emissions are cut dramatically vs using standard diesel fuel. You can buy Biodiesel already made Or you can make it yourself using your own homemade equipment. One other option is to burn straight vegetable oil in your diesel engine. To do this, you must do three things: 1) You must pre-heat your vegetable oil including the storage tank and all feed lines, 2) You must start your engine using regular diesel or biodiesel, and 3) You must clean your system by burning only regular diesel or biodiesel before shutting the engine off. Here are the instructions on making your own biodiesel… WARNING!!!!Methanol is flammable and toxic. Do not let it touch your skin or get in your eyes. Wear proper protective gloves, clothing, and eyewear at all times. Same thing with ethanol. Lye is also very caustic - do not allow it to touch your skin or clothing. When you mix the lye with the alcohol, it creates an even more toxic substance and toxic fumes which you should be very careful with - do not come into contact with it in any way. Always be in a well ventilated area. Also… you are 100% responsible for your own safety. The author is not responsible in any way whatsoever for personal injury or damage to your engine.Let’s get started…Here is a general description of how to make your own biodiesel fuel using methanol, lye, and used cooking oil. This process is called transesterification You can buy methanol from your local racetrack or chemical supply store. You can buy granulated Red Devil lye (sodium hydroxide) from your local grocery store or hardware store. Make sure you filter the used cooking oil before using. Fry oil filters can be purchased in any good restaurant supply store. The oil also must be warmed up so it is not solid or lumpy or thick. You can use the sun to heat the oil or some kind of water heating element or a electric or gas burner of some sort. The ideal temperature is 120° F. If you are using flames, remember that the methanol is extremely flammable and you should turn your burner off before getting the methanol mixture anywhere near it. Of course, this should all be done in a well ventilated area too. Hint…To determine the amount of lye needed to start the transesterification process, do a small test batch first. You don’t want to mix up a large batch only to find out that you did not use enough lye. Some used cooking oils may contain different amounts of animal fats. The more animal fat in the vegetable oil, the more lye you need to start the process. Start with just 1 liter of oil and 200 milliliters (1/5th of a liter) of methanol and 4.5 grams of lye. First, mix the lye in with the methanol until dissolved (this creates sodium methoxide - very, very caustic - be careful). Then mix the sodium methoxide with the vegetable oil and mix for 1 hour. After mixing, let it settle for an hour or two and it should form two distinct layers of biodiesel (top) and glycerin (bottom). If there are not two distinct layers, repeat the whole process with 5.5 grams of lye. You can also perform what is called a titration… Dissolve 1 gram of lye into one liter of distilled water and dissolve 1 milliliter of vegetable oil into 10 ml of isopropyl alcohol. Then drop the diluted lye into the diluted vegetable oil one ml at a time. After each ml, measure the pH of the diluted vegetable oil with litmus paper or a pH meter. When the pH rises significantly, the free fatty acids will be neutralized. The ideal pH is between 8 and 9. The number of ml used will equal the number of extra grams of lye to use per liter of vegetable oil (starting from 3.5 grams of lye).So, let’s assume 5.5 grams of lye produced the desired distinct two layers. We now want to scale it up to a 10 liter batch. So we need 10 liters of used cooking oil, heated. 2 liters of methanol and 55 grams of lye. Mix the lye with the methanol until dissolved and then pour the sodium methoxide mixture into the vegetable oil. Stir for one hour. The mixer can be a sump pump setup or some sort of mechanical electric mixer like a paint mixer. After mixing, let it settle for 8 hours. After settling, you can siphon or pump the biodiesel from the top. After washing, run it through a Racor fuel filter before burning it in your engine. The bottom part after settling is glycerin. A valve at the bottom of your barrel or container is useful to drain off just the glycerin. If you allow it to sit in the sun for a week to evaporate all the methanol, you can use it as a degreaser or to clean your hands.Washing your biodiesel… After the above process is completed, you should “wash” your biodiesel fuel to remove any residual soaps suspended in your fuel. The easiest way to get rid of the unwanted soap is to simply add water. The water will emulsify with the glycerin soap and settle to the bottom. So to perform the wash, simply spray an equal amount of water on top of your biodiesel and let it settle to the bottom for 12 hours. Drain the water off the bottom of your container with a valve and then repeat the process 2-3 times until the water drained off is clear. Heat your biodiesel up to 130° F for 20 minutes to evaporate any residual water and you are literally ready to go! Remember to filter it in a 5-10 micron filter before burning it in your engine.Other ingredients…Instead of using methanol, you can use ethanol. Ethanol is less toxic than methanol and is considered a “greener” fuel than methanol. Ethanol is “grain alcohol” and is usually made from corn which makes it a renewable fuel. Methanol is highly toxic and is made from fossil fuels or it can be distilled from fermented wood. That’s why it’s often called “wood alcohol”. Also… you can use potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide. I believe you’ll have to use 1.4 times as much potassium hydroxide as sodium hydroxide though. Make sure you do your “test batch” first! Two more things….1) What kind of engine do you need to use biodiesel… basically, biodiesel will run in any diesel engine unmodified. Biodiesel is a solvent, so if you put it in an old tank or use it with a diesel engine that has been running regular diesel, it may clean and dissolve some “residues” and then the residues will clog your fuel filter. Changing the filter often when you first start using biodiesel usually fixes this problem. Usually, manufacturers warranties are not voided when biodiesel is used, but check with your manufacturer to make sure. Sometimes a blend like B20 is required (20% biodiesel). Now if you are running straight vegetable oil (SVO), then you need to make modifications to pre-heat the oil to increase it’s viscosity.2) The only other problem you might have is with natural rubber gaskets and hoses in vehicles made prior to 1992. The biodiesel may degrade these types of rubber and they may need replacing after a while. Newer engines have been modified (synthetic rubber) to stand up to the newer blends of diesel fuel that have been in use since 1992 and these engines will work fine with biodiesel

However there are many ways in which you can save money when it comes purchasing for the first time or renewing your car insurance. Here are some simple ways that you can make some small and some substantial savings.The premium you pay for your car insurance can vary a lot from company to company so it is in your best interests to shop around. You can do this yourself by trawling the internet or get a specialist broker to do it for you. Work out what type of insurance you want, be it third party, fire and theft cover or fully comprehensive. If your car is an older model, for instance, then consider just taking third party, fire and theft car insurance. Once you have determined the level of cover that you need, then get at least three separate quotes from different companies.Getting a quote online will vary from company to company and you do need to compare quotes on a like-for-like basis.One great way to lower your premiums is to offer to pay more for the voluntary excess you would pay if you were to make a claim. By doing this you can make savings. If you choose to go with an insurance company that does home cover, sometimes if you take your household insurance cover along with your car insurance then you can make noticeable savings. Finally, if you have taken advanced driving lessons or have no claims bonus for a number of years then it is worthwhile asking about any special considerations you might be entitled to receiving. While the majority of insurers ask about things such as this when filling in an enquiry regarding car insurance, it is also worthwhile mentioning if they don’t.

There’s more bad news on the way for London-based drivers already hit hard by congestion charging, astronomical parking prices and an army of traffic wardens and wheel clampers - those living in

People have a tendency to make up their minds as to whether or not to purchase hybrid cars without truly examining the answer to the question “how do hybrid cars work?” By not truly understanding the process of how hybrid cars work, people have a tendency to look at the cars as if they are something exotic and can be put off to purchasing. This is silly as simply examining the basics of the car’s operative process will remove any preconceived notions as to them being exotic are removed and the cars can be seen as part of the natural, evolutionary process of advancements in the realm of alternative energy.When it comes to the benefits of a hybrid car, one of the main benefits is that these cars will get significantly more miles to the gallon that a ‘traditional’ gasoline car can achieve. When it comes to a simple matter of dollars and cents, a hybrid car can gain an additional 40 miles to a gallon. That is an enormous cost saving benefit and such savings have led to the expanded interest in the purchasing of hybrid cars. Now, while most people are familiar with the savings that these hybrid cars can provide, they are not entirely sure how the engines of a hybrid car can actually work. Because of this lack of knowledge in terms of the actual operation of the car, some people may be somewhat put off fro actually purchasing hybrid cars. This is a shame as a simple explanation as to how do hybrid cars work would put aside a number of concerns people may have that preclude them from making the actual purchase of the cars. So, how do hybrid cars work? The way in which hybrid cars work is based upon the type of hybrid car one is using. If the hybrid car is an ethanol hybrid car, then a percentage of the fuel of the car will be derive from ethanol. In some cases, the percentage of ethanol that is used is roughly 10% of the fuel. While this may seem like a small amount, it actually reduces emissions significantly. Answering how do hybrid cars work in regards to electronic hybrids is as follows: an electronic engine “splits” the work with the gasoline fuel source. Currently, on the American market, electronic imports remain the most popular of the hybrid releases namely due to the fact that ethanol is a difficult fuel to find in certain areas.