How a Helmet Saved My Life during a Terrible Motorcycle Accident

There are endless stories when it comes to motorcycle riding as some of them talk about interesting journeys while others either shed light on different models of bikes, gears or racing. However, today I am sharing my personal motorcycle accident story with you that highlight the significance of wearing helmet and gear while driving a bike. The tragic incident happened when I was coming back from my workplace on my bike that is quite light weight as compared to 250cc and 600cc motorcycles. Due to its low weight and less radius of the tires, my bike is not rated much higher because it does not provide that road grip and balance which bikes in the upper category offer. 

Image

Getting back to the story, I left the office before the usual time of the accident day so I was pretty relaxed and was going at a much less speed (40 km/hour) as compared to what I usually drive at. When I was just a few kilometers away from my home, suddenly I decided to visit a shop in a nearby market to buy some clothes. So I went in the direction of the market, just then a big SUV that was slightly ahead of me on my right took a sharp left turn without giving any indication. As a result of this sudden move from the SUV driver, the biker that was right behind him applied the emergency brake and tilt towards his left to avoid the collision. 

Image

The move, though, saved biker from hitting the SUV, but in the course of doing so he collided with me and I fell on the road and started sliding towards the footpath along with the bike. Eventually, I ended up hitting my head with the footpath so hard that in spite of wearing a helmet I felt lots of pain. Instantly people around the road rushed towards me, as they thought that terrible collision perhaps had caused some pretty serious injuries to me. However, luckily the helmet saved my head from any sort of injuries. While my gloves saved my hands’ skin from getting scratched. However, there were some serious scratches on my knees and left elbow because they were not protected. 

Image

Usually one has a good chance of avoiding a crash at 40 km/h driving speed (in my opinion) if someone accidentally comes in front of the bike. However, on that day I did not even get the chance to apply my bike’s brake. Therefore, this incident convinced me that it is extremely important to wear full gear along with a helmet before riding a motorcycle because each day we see numerous accidents on the roads that not only become a cause of death or reason of permanent disability for many. 

JS Accessories is one fine store where you can find all kinds of accessories related to the motorcycles that will keep you safe in case of a crash. Furthermore, besides wearing a helmet and full gear it is necessary that riders should also strictly follow the traffic rules. In addition, riders should also do a regular check up on their bikes after every month in order to make sure that their clutch, brakes, levers, handle and the rest of the parts are working properly or are up to the mark. So they would not face any problem while hitting the road at any hour of the day.

Yamaha Tech3 Team’s Injured Rookie Rider Pol Espargaro is on the Road to Recovery

The rookie rider of MotoGP’s Monster Yamaha Tech3 team, Pol Espargaro, who broke his left collarbone on Sunday, March 9th while participating in the final pre-season test day in Qatar, is now on the road to recovery after having a successful surgery on Monday, March 10th. The surgery was conducted by specialist Doctor Xavier Mir in Barcelona’s Quiron Dexeus University Hospital, where doctor placed a titanium plate on the injured collarbone of Espargaro during the operation. Later on Tuesday, March 11th Dr. Mir made some checks on the rookie rider after which he allowed Espargaro to return home. Now within the next 48 hours the Yamaha Tech3 team’s rider will be able to start his rehabilitation, so he could take part in his very first Grand Prix season that will tip off in less than two weeks time. 

Image

Due to this perilous nature of the sport, riders always wear protective equipments and you too can find a top quality helmet, gears or other accessories at JS Accessories, a popular motorcycle store in the UK, if you own a bike because one should always make an effort to remains afe when they are on the road. Coming back to the story, on this occasion talking to motogp.com, Espargaro said that now he has to do a lot of hard work in order to gain his fitness before the start of the World Championship because his injury was much worse than they initially thought it was. However, Dr, Mir has assured him that the surgery has went well and now he needs to go through rehabilitation process so he could get ready for the upcoming motorcycle racing season in Qatar, said the rider. Therefore, Espargaro will now undertake physiotherapy and he is hopeful that he will be able to make his debut in the MotoGP during this season. 

Image

Nevertheless, it will not be that easy for Espargaro to gain 100 percent fitness before the first race, as everything happened so swiftly, said the rookie. In spite of the hard work ahead, Espargaro believes that his excellent performance during the test session will help him to do well in the future, as his speed was good and he also managed to cover the laps in quick time. He also said that though crash was a setback for him, but still he will try to take positive things from the testing. On the other hand, Dr Mir said in a statement that he has used a special titanium plate to reduce the collarbone fracture by fixing it with six screws. Therefore, it is difficult for the doctor to assess the fitness of Espargaro for round one. 

Image

The Spanish rider crashed his bike on Sunday when he was at Turn 6 in the final hours of the testing after which he was instantly taken to the medical centre, where it was diagnosed that Espargaro had broken his left collarbone

Thief Crashes into a Pick-Up Truck After Stealing the Bike

You may have read the story of policemen, who have punctured the tires of unlocked bikes in order to force the owners, so they would never leave their motorcycles unlocked. Although, it was slightly harsh punishment for the motorcycle owners and most of them have severely criticised police for doing so, but at the end of the day the plan worked to an extent, as people got cautious. However, when a thief nabs a bike right in the front of the owner’s eyes by pretending as an admirer of the machine, no one can do anything. In fact, the first-rate chain locks of JS Accessories, a prime name in the world of motorcycle clothing and accessories, cannot nail down such a rigorous thief. Similar kind of an incident happened in the recent past, when a thief named Jarred Lee Hoffman engaged the owner of a red Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 into a conversation at a petrol station in Wilsonville, Oregon, as an admirer of his bike. 

And soon the 28-year old Hoffman was able to win the trust of the motorcycle’s owner, as he gave him the permission to sit on his bike, but he got shocked when he saw the thief rode off on his bike without his consent. However, the suspected thief failed to reach his destination, as he crashed the bike in the back of a pick-up truck roughly after covering a distance of 16 miles from the petrol station. During this period, Hoffman drove the bike recklessly, as several drivers on Interstate 5 made complaints about his riding. Nevertheless, it is because of this reckless riding, Hoffman failed to stop the bike in time and crashed it in the pickup truck, which was slowing down on the emergency call of a police car.

Luckily Hoffman did not sustain any serious injuries during the crash, which took place near Gervais, but he failed to escape from the police, who put multiple charges on the thief after putting him behind the bars. The charges includes reckless riding, putting other drivers’ lives in danger, unauthorised use of motorcycle, DUI, attempt to kill police and hint of keeping heroine.

Four Lightweight Bikes That Will Make Woman Look More Alluring

Women and bikes always look sexy that is why they look great together. However, not every bike is made for women, as they need a machine that not only looks narrow, but should be lightweight as well. Therefore, to find lightweight bikes for female riders, we studied various models of the motorcycles and eventually discovered the following two wheelers, which according to us make a woman look even more alluring when she will cruise on them. 

Ducati Monster 696

Italian wine, cars and bikes have always allured women. Therefore, it will not be possible for us to justify this listing without the inclusion of an Italian bike and Ducati has solved this problem for us. The leading Italian motorcycle manufacturer has produced a sexy naked bike called Monster 696 that is an ideal light weight machine for ladies, as it has got killer looks and amazing speed which can stun anyone. To the extent the exact weight of the bike is concerned, the Ducati Monster 696 weighs at 410 pounds. On the other hand, its narrow profile carries an air cooled L-Twin engine that produces a power of 58.8 kW at 9000 RPM. 

Honda CBR500R

The Honda CBR500R is not really a light weight motorcycle, in fact, it is a mid weight sports bike that weighs about 425 pounds. Still, we have listed it because the latest model of Honda is an ideal machine for women, who want to sense the thrill of speed. At the same time, they want their bike to look stunningly gorgeous as well and the Honda CBR500R has got both features. The bold red and blue graphics of the CBR500R will make a woman feel more sexy about her the, while the 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine of the seductress bike produces enough power that can easily excite anyone right away.

In brief, the CBR500R is the bike for you if you love riding sports bikes. Matching gear, boots and helmet will add more to the look and force people to turn around their heads once a woman sprints pass them on this seductive bike. You can find some attractive gears, helmets and boots at JS Accessories, a premium retailer of motorcycle clothing and accessories. 

Triumph Bonneville

The vintage look and light weight of the Triumph Bonneville has enabled the bike to enter in our list, as there are many women out there, who still prefer to ride a motorcycle that has got a traditional design. Besides this, the narrow profile of the bike and low height of its seat makes Bonneville more attractive for the female riders, as it enables them to handle the British motorcycle without any problem. As far as the weight of the Bonneville is concerned, women will be glad to know that like it weighs under 500 pounds. 

Harley-Davidson Street 500 and 750

The Street 500 and 750 models of the Harley-Davidson that will soon be available at various showrooms for sale in the coming days, have made it to our list of light weight bikes because in contrast to those beefy cruisers the two choppers weighs below 500 pounds. So now women can also wear those stylish leather jackets with jeans and boots to ride the low weight Harley-Davidson Street 500 and 750 that will surely make them a stand out from the crowd.

Rossi and Pedrosa Achieves the Fastest Lap Time at Sepang Test Session

The Yamaha Factory and Repsol Honda had an unforgettable last weekend in Sepang, Malaysia, as the riders of the two MotoGP teams; Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa were able to finish the second most crucial test session of the season in flying colours. Both Rossi and Pedrosa achieved the fastest lap time of 1’59.999 seconds which made them leaders of the test session. However, this year overall speed of the participants was not as quick as it was in the last test session that held at Sepang, when Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, who is the current World Champion of MotoGP, has achieved the fastest lap time by reaching the finish line half a second before Rossi and Pedrosa. Unfortunately, this year Marquez could not take part in the Sepang test session because his dirt bike got crashed during last week and he suffered an injury. 

It is because of this perilous nature of riding, experts always advise bikers to wear personal protective gear that can be found on different motorcycle store such as JS Accessories in the UK. Coming back to the news, Rossi put up a good display of his skills at the test session despite of having some problems with the latest specification tyres. The veteran rider was able to achieve the fastest time during the 13th lap. Padrosa on the other hand, was also very quick, as his fastest time came in the 47th lap. However, Rossi’s teammate and seventh placed rider of Yamaha, Jorge Lorenzo once again failed to demonstrate his pace, as he achieved a lap time of +0.75s during the session which was much worse than his last test, where conditions were lot better and teams were allowed to use 2013 specification tyres. 

The Ducati GP14 team also got the chance to show their skills at the session and their rider Andrea Dovizioso was able to achieve a pace of 0.068s in third, which was remarkable improvement for the side. It is because of this very reason, Ducati affirmed after the test session that they are entering in the ‘Open’ class of 2014 MotoGP. So now Ducati team will not only use the usual electronics software in the ‘Open’ class, but also take advantage of the new regulations, which allows better engine allocation. To the extent fastest rider of the first day Alvaro Bautista is concerned, he ended the session by showing a pace of 0.5s in the 6th lap. This was not as impressive as Bautista was able to achieve in the first day of the test. Still the rider was pretty pleased with his progress and with the new rear shocks of the bike.

Besides Bautista, Aleix Espargaro also took part in the session and he remained fourth overall with his best 2’00.101s time. LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl finished the session by gaining 5th overall position and he was satisfied the way he has consistently achieved quick times and good rhythm during the session. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team has also made a significant development during the test, as they had included seamless gearbox in their package for the first time, which enabled its two young riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith to end the session by gaining positions in the top ten with lap time of 1s and 0.8s respectively.

Ducati Ends 2013 with Record Sales Figures

Ducati Motor Holding is one of the leading motorcycle manufacturers in the world that has been producing top-notch bikes since 1950s. During these years, Ducati has not only evolved as a company, but also managed to expand its business under the close watch of Audi that owns the motorbike manufacturer through its subsidiary company, Lamborghini. This can be judged from the fact that recently Ducati has unveiled its sales figures for the last year and they are simply outstanding, as the company posted record sales in 2013. People at Audi would definitely be pleased with the performance of Ducati. For the reason that it’s not that easy to post record sales in motorcycle business, as competitors like Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and others are also producing first-rate bikes.

Nevertheless, a closer look at the record sales figure of Ducati will reveal that the company managed to sold only 185 more motorcycles than 2012, as in 2013 it had produced 44,287 bikes, while a year before that it had pushed 44,102 models of its two wheelers. Still one can say that at least things are moving in the upward direction, which is a good sign for any company. Thanks to the worldwide network of Ducati’s dealers, as the Bologna based motorcycle manufacturer has got 817 dealers in 88 different countries. If you too have bought a Ducati bike during last year or are planning to buy one now then, get matching boots, helmets and gears from JS Accessories today. The US has once again proved a major market for Ducati because it had accounted roughly 24 percent of its total sales. 

After the US, Italy and Germany remained the best markets for Ducati because demand for its bikes is pretty high in these two countries as well. Given that Italy accounted 11.3 percent and Germany tallied 10.7 percent in Ducati’s total sales, but the biggest increase in its sales was observed in Asia. Here Ducati sold 5,200 motorcycles and saw a solid 26 percent increase in its 2013 figures as compared to 2012. Brazil could have proved another solid market for Ducati, but unfortunately the company started its activities in the country in the mid of 2013. In spite of it, Audi owned company sold 700 bikes in Brazil during last year. This shows that Brazilian market has lot of potential and it could give better sales figures to Ducati in 2014, if it further expands its business in the country. 

Overall, Europe remained the strongest market for Ducati’s bikes, as the manufacturer sold nearly 51 percent of its machinery in the continent during 2013. Now it is anticipated that Ducati is more likely to achieve better sales figures in 2014 as compared to 2013 because several new models of the Italian manufacturer will hit the markets in this year. Moreover, it is said that Ducati’s new 500-unit limited 1199 Superleggera that supposed to be official launched at the 2014 EICMA in Milan during November has already been 90 percent sold out. Also, do not forget that the new liquid-cooled Ducati Monster 1200 will also be available for sale in various markets of the world in the coming days, so it will further boost the sales figures of the company.

How Young Riders Can Reduce Their Insurance Premium

Getting a motorcycle license is not the only tough task that young riders have to face before they could finally take their bike for a spin, as finding insurance at reasonable rate is another big problem for them. For the reason that statistics shows young bike riders have a much higher probability of having an accident and making a claim. Therefore, insurance companies always charge young riders more premiums than other bikers. As a result of that it gets really difficult for the young bike riders to find insurance with low premium because they do not know how to gain experience without making any claims.

However, this does not mean that young riders cannot get an affordable insurance because if there is a problem then there is a solution to it as well. And the solution to this problem is that riders cannot do anything about their age, so they should change the suppositions which are related with to their driving in order to reduce the cost of insurance. The biggest supposition is that young bikers do not show that maturity ad responsibility, which adult riders show while riding. Therefore, if a young rider proves this supposition wrong by riding maturely then, he or she has a good chance to bring down their cost of insurance premium.

Young riders can also show maturity by wearing high quality protective gear and helmet are available in wide variety at JS Accessories, but besides that they also need to show some patience. For instance young bike riders should not opt for a powerful motorcycle in their first two years, as smaller engine size will depict that they have a responsible attitude. Moreover, low power bike will reduce their cost of insurance. On top of it, if a young rider manages to keep his or her record clean for two or more years then, it will further strengthen their case when they will go to acquire insurance.

The best way to keep a record clean is by taking extra training that will not only enhance the riding skills of a young biker, but also make them more mature by increasing their patience. Taking an extra training course at reputable institution will also enable the young riders to reduce the cost of their insurance by 10 percent, besides keeping them safe when they are on the road. Apart from this, young riders can also get insurance at low rate, if they show responsible behavior by installing quality locks and security systems in their bikes, as it will further bring down the cost by 10 percent.

Reducing your mileage is another way to decrease the cost of insurance because there are several companies which are offering low premiums if the young rider travel below 3000 miles during a year. Another way to get a low insurance is by keeping the same bike for more than a year, as some companies offer up to 20 percent discounts on premiums to such bikers. Hopefully by following these guidelines young riders will be able to score low premium insurance.