January Tips

Show Your Battery Some Love
Remember: Old Man Winter likes to snack on batteries, so keep a battery tender plugged in and extend the life of that battery. Think ahead--if you neglect that battery during a long cold winter, when that first warm day comes around, you'll thumb your starter button and get that nasty clicking dead battery sound while everyone else is riding. If you're buying a battery charger for the first time, consider one that'll handle the new generation of gel batteries as well as the standard lead-acid batteries. By doing that, you're prepared if you ever upgrade to the newer-technology batteries, while still being able to charge the older type.

Warm = Safe An electric vest or jacket liner is always a good investment. You can extend your comfortable temperature range, and keep your passenger happy, too. While the full-sleeve liner types are the warmest, consider a vest if you want something that's handy even through the summer months, when you might find yourself on a chilly summer night in the mountains, or if your passenger tends to be cold-natured when everyone else is roasting in their mesh jackets. If you're not sure whether to get a thermostat or a simple on-off switch to regulate heat, go for the thermostat; it's much easier to find a setting and leave it, than to have to reach for a switch to cycle it on and off. Not all motorcycles have a charging system that's able to handle lots of lights and electric clothing, so check with your dealer to find out exactly how much you can load onto your electrical system. It'll help you determine exactly how to spend your "watt" budget. Remember that if you're warm, your comfortable, and when your comfortable, you're better equipped to handle an emergency situation.

Look Through the Curve Remember when going through a curve keep your head and eyes up and always look throught the curve... look where you want to go. Remember that to keep your eyes up, you need to keep your chin up. Watch that posture! It'll go a long ways towards helping you smooth out your curves, and help your braking in a panic stop. Looking where you want to go will help prevent target fixation, too--when that car pulls out in front of you, concentrate on your exit path, not that big piece of sheet metal in front of you!

Remember that all the tips in the world pale when compared to real world training under the eyes of a professional instructor, so come see us for a real investment in safety!
Sincerely,
Mark Brown.