We all want to keep the motorbike in top condition, and on the road. However, in the northern winter months... Read More
Have you ever had new tyres fitted and then found that the rims have been scratched and the fitter claimed... Read More
While modern motorcycles are much more reliable than they used to be, you can still be inconvenienced by a breakdown. And when you have a motorcycle breakdown, it is not always easy to get back on the road. In a car, you can carry emergency gear that can get you... Read More
Does your motorcycle have warning stickers or decals on the fuel tank advising you to read the manual, never ride... Read More
Importing a motorcycle for your own use will be a little easier from next year, although the exchange rate and... Read More
Why are some fuel gauges and fuel-range indicators sometimes so inaccurate they leave riders stranded with an empty tank far from a service station? In fact, often the more hi-tech, sophisticated and expensive machinery can have the most fickle fuel gauges. Common errors The most common error is that the... Read More
Riders love to photograph their travels and their motorcycle and share them on social media, but so many of the... Read More
The best beginner motorbike is whatever turns you on and keeps you riding. The actual model and make can vary... Read More
Most riders buy a motorbike out of passion, but some pragmatic, miserly riders want something cheap to maintain for commuting purposes. However, even practical people looking for cheap commuting should be aware of the hidden costs of motorcycles. Yes, they are cheap on fuel, parking and tolls, but there are... Read More
How many times have you had to defend motorcycling when a non-rider has attacked them as dangerous, noisy and smelly?... Read More
Why spend hundreds of dollars detailing your bike when you can take on this labor of love yourself? Washing your... Read More
Modern motorcycles are getting hotter and hotter which is not only an issue for rider comfort but also for reliability and performance. But there are things you can do to fix the problem. The reason modern motorcycles are getting hotter is the increasingly stringent emission rules. Most manufacturers are reaching... Read More
After a long ride on some dusty roads over the weekend it’s time to give the bike a thorough washing... Read More
Do you have a name for your motorbike or refer to it as a male or female? You are not... Read More
Motorbike owners believe their bikes are simply treasures, but when it comes time to upgrade and sell, your bike’s resale value may be viewed a little differently by others. The resale value for your bike is affected by a number of factors, some of which you can control and others you... Read More
Motorcycle manufacturers are extending service intervals in a bid to woo customers looking for cheaper maintenance, but should you change... Read More
Your motorcycle horn is there for a reason, but are you using it enough, too much, is it loud enough... Read More
Loud motorcycle exhausts are not causing as much noise pollution as tyre noise from large volumes of traffic. That’s according to a World Health Organisation report that found traffic-related noise pollution accounts for over one million “healthy years” lost annually to ill health, disability or early death in Europe. The report... Read More
One of the many reasons people choose a motorcycle for their daily commute is its inherent fuel economy. A modern 250cc... Read More
They say there is no replacement for displacement, but a recent ride on a couple of bigger Harley-Davidson models made... Read More
Short riders have always been disadvantaged by the fact that bikes are designed for tall riders, although that has changed in recent years. Brands such as Harley-Davidson, BMW, Ducati, Triumph and others are now making models that have lower seat heights or are offering optional low seats for short riders.... Read More
Just because your bike won’t start doesn’t mean the battery is flat and trying to jump, bump or push-start the... Read More
Any machinery that uses hydraulics must have an oil filter to sieve and get rid of contaminants (dirt mostly) that... Read More
Governments are continuing to push ethanol fuel on the market, despite the fact that it can damage some motorcycle engines. In Australia, Queensland and NSW force service stations to supply a certain percentage of E10 (10% ethanol blend) fuel. In the US, there are moves to push that blend from... Read More
Selecting your first bike is important as a good experience will lead to a lifetime of joy, while a bad... Read More
Numerous factors such as temperature, engine vibration and electrical loads can cause your bike battery to die. While these things contribute... Read More
Riders are often held up in corners by drivers, yet on a racetrack a car can corner at a much higher speed than a race bike. Why is it so? First, let’s look at the physics. We also investigated how a car can brake faster than a motorcycle because it has... Read More
There has always been conjecture about whether a motorcycle can brake in a shorter distance than a car. Many experienced... Read More
There are many and varied theories on how to break in a new motorcycle from a softly, softly approach to... Read More
Riders like to think of themselves as tough and will ride through pain, heat, cold, rain and other adversities to do what they love – riding! But chronic pain such as arthritis is sidelining more and more riders as the average age of riders continues to grow each year. In... Read More
This video shows a British courier driver hitting a motorcycle from the rear while waiting to give way at an intersection,... Read More
We’d like to celebrate Australia Day with an all-Australian motorbike trivia quiz. We also have questions about Aussie bike clubs,... Read More
There were no training courses for riders when I began riding, so we learnt a lot of misguided motorcycle myths from our friends. Thankfully, there are plenty of riding schools and correct information available to young riders today to dispel some of the ridiculous motorcycle myths we believed back in... Read More
Riding an historic motorcycle is a great deal of fun, but it requires mechanical sympathy and courtesy to other road... Read More
There are many good reasons why it is not appropriate to sit on another rider’s motorcycle, but above all, self-preservation... Read More
Budget online motorcycle insurer Insure My Ride is closing down in February leaving riders to pay more if they continue with insurance colleague Shannons. Insure My Ride has posted a notice on its website and sent letters to their customers advising them they will close from February 23. Parent company AAI Limited... Read More
Queensland is the latest to mandate a certain percentage of fuel sales as bio-fuels, even though they are bad for some... Read More
We love a bit of DIY bike maintenance, but there are a few pitfalls that can trap the unwary home mechanic,... Read More
Three out of every five callouts for broken-down motorcycles are for tyre problems, says National Motorcycle Alliance not-for-profit roadside assistance service. Alliance GM Dave Cooke says 62% of callouts last year were for tyre problems and the second biggest reason was flat batteries, a problem that recently even sidelined Bruce... Read More
A reformed bike thief from London, which has experienced a 44% increase in theft in the past two years, says... Read More
Riders will be able to import a new motorcycle or other vehicle from 2018 without having to deal with a dealer... Read More
It sounds like a bargain to import a motorcycle from overseas where they may be cheaper, but there are also pitfalls for riders. Bruce Hartwig, consultant to Queensland Imports, which is one of about 14 federally registered workshops for complying imported used vehicles, says the easiest and cheapest motorcycles to... Read More
Before modern bikes introduced fuel warning lights, fuel gauges and precise computer readouts for fuel consumption and range to empty,... Read More
Your motorcycle chain is a vital ingredient in making your bike smooth, quiet and efficient, so to prolong its life, it’s... Read More
Do you have a conversation with your motorcycle, listening for strange mechanical noises and sometimes even talking to your bike (or swearing at it)? It’s not weird. It’s called “mechanical sympathy” and in some ways, that’s what Kawasaki’s future Rideology will achieve using a bluetooth system where the rider can talk... Read More
The new Mel Gibson movie, Blood Father, is the latest to feature a motorcycle chase and while Hollywood movies usually... Read More
Is dirty fuel affecting your bike? Just how good is the fuel you are putting in your bike? Is it contaminated,... Read More
Riders should secretly mark their motorcycle to help identify it should it be stolen and later recovered, according to retired head of the police stolen vehicle unit in London Dr Ken German*. He has written the following interesting article to highlight his idea of marking your motorcycle: It’s now over 75... Read More
I’d rather be riding my motorcycle than washing it, but after a long weekend of riding, it can be fun... Read More
This four-minute video isn’t a nanny-state instructional guide in being a woose, but is an informative guide to checking and... Read More
Why do most motorcycles have fuel economy no better than many light diesel and even petrol cars despite being a lot lighter and smaller? It’s a question that some riders are posing, while many others simply don’t care; they just twist the wrist and revel in the aural delights of burning... Read More
Police have been incorrectly fining riders for wide handlebars, unaware the Australian Design Rules increased the maximum width in December... Read More
I was bowled over recently when a company boss actually replied to criticism in one of my reviews saying they... Read More
Leather has always been the aspirational material for a motorcycle seat, but is it better than vinyl? When we modified our 1980 Honda CX500, the first thing we did was get rid of the fat old vinyl seat and replace it with a slim leather seat, which certainly is a... Read More
Do you get a sore left foot when changing gears? It’s not uncommon among riders, according to my physiotherapist. He... Read More
Motorcycle companies don’t care how much it costs for repairs to a simple scratch or minor dent in a fender or... Read More
What are the five most desirable new motorcycles available in Australia in 2016? While the answer to that question is undoubtedly subjective, let’s take an objective, matter-of-fact look at what are the most desirable bikes. We’re not necessarily talking about popular. The Honda “postie bike” is the biggest-selling bike in... Read More
Motorcycling hacks are those inventive things you do to avoid or remedy problems and make your riding life a little... Read More
Over the past few months we have been running competitions to win motorcycle gear through our weekly trivia quiz, but this... Read More
You could win a Bico Bikeklipz motorcycle keyring for your motorcycle in our weekly trivia quiz, but you better be quick. Since we’ve been offering prizes in our weekly quiz, the pundits have got in early and scored perfect 10/10 results. Go to the motorbike trivia quiz at the end of this article... Read More