Crash Stories Of MotoGP Riders

The World Motorcycle Grand Prix Racing Series commonly known as MotoGP is a premium motorbike racing competition, in which best riders of the world compete against each other in a clash to the death over various tracks during a season. It is because of this very reason, unlike other racing competitions, MotoGP is considered more dangerous. For the reason that till this day a large number of riders have lost their lives while taking part in this treacherous encounter. Therefore, MotoGP riders who are still alive today consider themselves extremely lucky. Nevertheless, this does not mean at all that MotoGP has failed to produce amazing riders, as there is a long list of such competitors who had mesmerised the fans by showing some unbelievable and exciting stuff. Unfortunately only a few of them are alive today.

It is because of this very reason, today riders do not take their bikes out without wearing a personal protective gear, which you can easily get from RiderWear store below are some of the top crash stories of MotoGP riders, who have either lost their lives in it or managed to survive the terrible crashes and are now once again taking part in the furious competition.

Valentino Rossi

The 34 year old Italian MotoGP racer also known as ‘Doctor Who’ is one of the most successful and longest running competitor in the history of motorcycle Grand Prix, who is known for his crazy and ruthless driving. During his long career, Rossi has won nine Grand Prix World Championships, of which seven were in the premier class. This legendary rider is now gearing up to take part in the 66th edition of the MotoGP , in spite of the fact that during last season he managed to survive a serious crash in the first lap of the race at Mugello.

Marco Simoncelli

In contrast to Rossi, 24 year Marco Simoncelli was not so lucky, as after competing in the Road Racing World Championship for straight 10 years, the young rider lost his life during a furious crash in 2011 MotoGP race at Sepang. According to the update, Simoncelli lost the control of his bike during the second lap, as a result of which he slide across the track and during the course he was hit by Rossi and Collin Edwards and his helmet came off. Although, he was immediately taken to a medical centre, unfortunately Simoncelli failed to survive the injuries. Simoncelli’s accident was rated as one of the worst accidents of 2011 on the racing track.

Michael Schumacher

Not many know that seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher has also competed in motorbike bike racing after he announced his first retirement back in 2006. One reason why not many people knew about Schumacher’s motorbike racing is that he used to take part in the competition by using the pseudonym "Marcel Niederhausen". However, his cover finally blew when in February 2009 during a practice session, Schumacher’s bike got crashed and he sustained some serious injuries. Schumacher fractured his bones in both head and neck and these injuries were so severe that even after five months break Schumacher was not able to recover from them. As a result of that the legendary champion had to postpone his first F1 comeback.

Call-ing Edwards

Those, who think that Rossi is the only nutcase rider in MotoGP should think once again, as Call-ing Edwards was another ruthless racer, who proved himself a more crazy than Velentino when he took part in the competition with Yamaha. It is because of this very reason he managed to earn the nickname of Crazy Collin. However, luck never favours a person twice, as after escaping a terrible accident in a race, the nutcase rider died 4 laps into the competition after he recovered and went back into the contest.

Get Ready To Face The Rainy Weather

Rainy season is one of the worst seasons for riders, as apart from wet roads, the bikers find it really tough to ride in rain. The major reason behind it is that cold rain water makes the body loose heat more swiftly than the wind of same temperature. Moreover, clothes and shoes of the rider also get wet in the rain, even if the biker is wearing leather boots and jackets for protection. Above all the vision of the riders gets vague when fog started to appear on the face shield of their helmets. To deal with these issues, a rider needs to do the following things in order to win the battle against rain:

Helmet

To ride in the rain bikers must wear a full face helmet because open face models will prove extremely painful for them, as rain drops will hit the rider in the face like small stones. As far as fog on face shield is concerned, riders can get rid of it by opening the vents of their helmets, using the anti-fog treatment or slightly lifting the shield up. You can find a decent range of full face helmets at RiderWear.

Rain Suit

In order to prevent the clothes from getting wet during rainy weather, a leather gear alone will not prove much helpful. Therefore, bikers should either wear one-piece or two piece rain suits, so the water cannot get in and their body temperature remains normal. Usually the two piece suits come with bib pants that not only covers the lower part of a rider’s body but also protects their chest as it is held up with the help of suspender straps. However, since the rider needs to wear a rain suit over their usual gear so it must be bigger in size to fit them properly. Otherwise, a tight rain suit will make it tough for them to move their arms, fingers and feet freely while riding the bike.



 Over Boots

 The tailor-made boots of bikers will not protect their feet from getting wet in a rainstorm, so it is best that they should wear taller zip-up boots. There are number of zip-up boots available in the market which have Gore-Tex liners that keeps the rain water from seeping in to the shoes.

However, if a rider wants 100 percent waterproof shoes then, there is no match to thin over boots with elastic rubber, as they also provide great grip on wet paths.

A good pair of water proof over boots can enhance your pleaser of riding in rain and you can enjoy your rain ride before getting worried about weather  

Gloves Pro Tip

Gloves pro tip is the best way to prevent the water from entering in to gloves and sleeves. So all a rider needs to do is to find a glove pro tip of his or her size and then, overlap it on to their sleeves and gloves. After that the rider is ready to hit the road in rain. However, if someone wants to more protection from rain water then, wearing surgical gloves over them is not a bad idea at all. Apart from this, riders can also cover them with the help of nylon shells. Motocross gloves is another way to protect your hands in short ride or light rain.

How to Select Right Safety Gear for Motorcycle

Selecting right safety gear is as important as choosing a right motorcycle for yourself because it provides significant protection in case of a collision or crash. Therefore, a rider must keep all the factors in mind before buying a safety gear for motorbike, as each year several people die in motorcycle accidents because of insufficient or poor protective gear. However, not every rider knows how to pick a right safety gear for motorcycle. Therefore, below we have given a few useful tips that will help you select the right protective equipment. 

Select Right Helmet 

According to many riders protection begins from the top. Therefore, helmet is considered as the most vital piece in a protective gear. So before buying a helmet, rider must ensure that it can absorb significant impacts during crash and allows them to clearly see and hear when they are moving on the road. Aside from this, rider should also make sure that the helmet must fit him or her properly. This means that the helmet should properly grip their jaw, cheeks, sides and top of the head.

Moreover, they should not opt for used helmets because they do not guarantee any safety. Bikers should also keep in mind that full-face helmet available at Rider Wear offer more protection as compared to open-face and three quarter helmets. 

Wear Right Clothing

When it comes to riding a bike sweat shirt and jeans is not a good option because unlike a high quality leather jacket and pant they do not offer much defence in a crash. So there is a high probability that the rider will receive lot of scratches or sustain serious injuries, if his or her bike slides on the road. In contrast, leather clothing provides a good first layer defence. Moreover, if a rider adds armour to their leather jacket or get a gear with armours embedded in them then, they will get an additional layer of defence.

However, leather clothing is not an ideal option for the riders living in countries where weather remains quite hot and humid during most part of the year. Worry not, for such regions manufacturers have developed textile motorcycle jackets that are quite light as compared to leather jackets and include armour as well. More importantly, textile jackets do not turn riders into a lump of sweat and also keeps them dry in rainy season because they are water resistant too. However, one must not forget that regular wear and tear can considerably reduce protection. 

Get Right Gloves

It is important that like wearing right clothing for bike, a rider must also wear decent protective gloves, so they can protect their hands from getting scratched and bad weathers. The motorcycle gloves are especially designed for this purpose therefore, you will find stuffing and plastic on fingers, wrist and palm areas. Apart from this, rider must also make sure that he or she has chose comfortable gloves for themselves because free movement of the fingers will give them more control over the bike.

Pick Right Boots

To maintain the balance on the bike while riding, it is important that rider must wear the right shoes. Therefore, companies are manufacturing tailor-made boots for the riders, which not only offer great balance, but also provide protection to the feet of the bikers, if they have an accident on road or track. So do not wear cowboy boots or tennis shoes while riding a bike, as they are not designed for riding.

Most Desired Touring Motorcycles of 2014

A touring motorcycle is one that is specifically manufactured for touring, but now a day bikers uses all kinds of bikes for this purpose. However, still there are many passionate bikers, who cannot imagine taking none touring bike on a long journey. Therefore, every year motorcycle manufacturers launches brand new models of their touring bikes to offer such customers more comfort and durability. So as usual with the start of 2014, touring bike makers have unveiled their upcoming models, but we have chosen only three as they are rated as the most desired motorcycles of this year. 

BMW R1200RT 

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BMW R1200RT is at the top in this list because the latest model is rated as the premium touring sports bike in its class because it offers novel design and features. On top of it, BMW has made the frame of this bike more stronger than its siblings. The highlight of the touring bike is that it allows short riders to reach ground more easily, as BMW has lowered the triangle formed by the foot pegs, handlebars and seat by an inch. Another top feature of BMW’s R1200RT is that it has a power-adjustable windscreen that along with the new body design gives riders better protection in various weather conditions. 

However, it’s the Hill Start Control feature of the R1200RT that makes it a supreme choice for riders, as this new technology prevents the bike from going backwards when it is going up on hill slope. Above all, the BMW R1200RT has an extremely powerful air- and liquid-cooled 1170cc engine that gives it the thrust to carry the heavy frame on it without any trouble. 

MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 

To give BMW’s R1200RT a good run for money, MV Agusta is planning to launch its Turismo Veloce 800 sport-touring bike, as according to the manufacturer it was their effort to produce a Porsche Panamera of bikes. To achieve this task, engineers at MV have done a lot of hard work, as apart from designing a new frame for the Veloce 800 they have also incorporated the 798cc triple engine of the company in the bike that features brand new MVICS electronics to give riders three riding modes and eight different levels of traction.

Furthermore,the hard bags plus standard quick shifter and TFT dash on the upcoming Turismo Veloce 800 has made this 428 pounds beast the looks of a true touring spots bike that is specifically designed for a tailor-made weekend trip. 

Motus MST & MST-R 

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Although, the new sport touring bikes of Motus, MST & MST-R did not have the looks of BMW’s R1200RT and MV Agusta’s Turismo Veloce 800, but they surely have the torque to climb the hills and tackle the twisty turns without any problem. This can be judged from the fact that Motus MST & MST-R cruises on the road with 3,000 rpm when the rider puts it in the top gear. It is said that the standard model of the MST will produce 160 horsepower, while the supreme version of the bike known as MST-R will give 180 hp. To handle this kind of power and thrust, Motus has incorporated Ohlins suspension, OZ wheels and Brembo brakes in the touring bikes that are expected to hit the markets in the near future.

The Largest Museum of Motorcycle Sees Rise in Turnover During 2013, Expects 2014 to be Even Better

The National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, England has witnessed a successful last year (2013), as the venue that has the largest collection of British motorcycles saw a 7.5 percent increase in turnover in contrast to 2012. The authorities at the National Motorcycle Museum also revealed that the credit of this increase in the turnover goes to a series of successful events like conferences, dinners and weddings. The last two months of 2013 particularly remained quite successful for the National Motorcycle Museum, as it saw 20 percent rise in turnover in contrast to the same time period during 2012.

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According to the National Motorcycle Museum this success truly depicts the findings of 5th annual British Meetings & Events Industry Survey, in which Birmingham was chosen as the best place for events after London. Now the museum is looking to build on this success in the New Year, as the venue expects to see increase in turnover during the first quarter of 2014 up to 10 percent as compared to the Q1 of 2013. On this occasion, the directors of the museum divulged that they were confident that the events industry would recuperate from the decline, as more events will be confirmed in the coming months.

The director of the museum, Nick Hartland said that they are pretty happy to see that the industry is on its way to recovery from the downward spiral and last year remained quite successful for them. Adding to it, Hartland admitted that though events during the past year were of short lead times, but it seems that this trend will continue in 2014 as well.

Besides an expected increase in the turnover, the year 2014 is of great importance for the National Motorcycle Museum for another reason, it marks the 30 years of the venue in October. Therefore, to celebrate this momentous occasion, museum has planned to hold an exclusive event in October. The guests that are expected to attend this showcase event will include wedding planners, event agents and bookers. During the event these guests will not only get the chance to discover what will be offered to them, but they also get to listen and see the amazing Mighty Whurlitzer organ that will pop out of the stage floor.

However, showcase event of the museum is not the only exciting event that is going to take place at this amazing motorcycle venue, as prior to that between February 19th and 20th, AVL Powertrain UK’s inaugural thought leader event will also take place on this very site in Bickenhill. To hold this Future Powertrain Conference 2014, AVL Powertrain UK has joined hands with Energy Storage Research Network (ESRN) that is supervised by Imperial College London.

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Mentioning the reason behind organising the powertrain conference at the National Motorcycle Museum, LMG Events’ Lynda Grice said that the venue not only has a great location, but it also has terrific transportation facility that makes it an ideal place to host an event. Therefore, they are quite thrilled to hold such an innovative event at the museum, said Hartland.

During this conference about 300 delegates from engineering and relevant fields are likely to visit the museum to talk about the solutions and challenges that powertrain will face in the next 10 years in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. In addition, the attendees of the conference will get to hear from speakers like Bob Joyce of Jaguar Land Rover and Michael Hurwitz of Department for Transport.

Apart from this, sessions regarding topics like future power sources will also take place at the museum, which will be organised by representatives of various organizations such as Ford and Oxford University.

Hopefully these and more upcoming events will enable the largest museum of motorcycle to see better turnover than 2013 in each quarter. More importantly, these affairs are likely to make the museum more popular among the event managers, as apart from having some excellent facilities the venue that spreads over an area of 8 acres also offers great scenery. 

How To Start A Motorcycle After It Goes Underwater

Flat tire, cracked case and loose handle bar are some of the common problems that bikers often face. However, having a bike underwater or briefly underwater is a problem, which many riders may not have experienced before. Therefore, when a biker gets stuck in such a situation they usually do not know what to do in such a scenario. As a result of that each year a huge number of motorcycle owners end up paying the expense of full disassembly of their bikes when they found them in the water during flood and storm season. But with slight care one has a good chance of avoiding this expense.

Here is what riders need to do: if a bike is completely submerged in the water then, starting such a motorcycle is a very bad idea as it requires a full disassembly. However, if the bike has went underwater for sometime then, there is good chance that it might come alive once again. Just as the variety of motorcycle accessories offered at RiderWear brings joy on the face of a rider. This can happen if a biker turns the ignition off before his or her bike completely goes underwater.

Otherwise there is high probability that connecting rod can bend because water cannot be compressed from the cylinder. After killing the ignition switch take your bike out of the water onto a dry area and then, remove the spark plug and air cleaner. Then, drain the exhaust pipe and airbox of the bike before laying it on its side. In case, the submerged bike is a two stroke trail motorcycle then, one can easily flip over the whole thing to take the water out.

After that lift your bike up and raise the rear wheel above the ground in order to give it a spin after putting the bike in gear. This will force the engine to turn over leisurely and throughout any water in the cylinder through the plug hole. Those, who have carburettors in their bikes should take out the float bowl or drain screw of the bowl in order to drain the gas before reinstalling it.

Now install the spark plug once again by drying its contacts then, squeeze and twist the air cleaner out to install it again. After which the bike will be ready to start once again and it is likely that the motorcycle will run fine. However, make sure that you should change both engine and gearbox oil of the bike as soon as possible.

Three New Sports Bikes of 2014 That Riders are Anxiously Waiting For

Motorcycle lovers have seen some amazing sports bikes during last year and now they are anxiously waiting for the new sports bikes of 2014. Given that various manufacturers have already revealed brand new models of their bikes, which will reach the markets sometime during this year. So we have compiled a list of new sports bikes of 2014, which riders are dying to ride:

Honda CBR1000RR SP

When it comes to producing stylish and high performance motorcycles one can barely forget Honda, as over the years it has produced some amazing literbikes, which have today given the company a huge base of loyal customers. Now the Japanese company is gearing up to make its new CBR1000RR SP sports bike available for sale that has become one of the most anticipated motorcycles of 2014. For the reason that besides its dashing looks the new 1000cc superbike of Honda is extremely fast thanks to its powerful engine that has got the best balance with handpicked connecting rods and pistons.

In addition, the new exhaust and cylinder of the Honda CBR1000RR gives more torque and horsepower to the bike. It is because of this very reason Brembo front brakes have been incorporated in the CBR1000RR to give riders a smooth and reliable breaking system. To the extent the price of the sports bike is concerned it is likely to be offered at $17,000, so those who cannot wait to ride this bike should keep their cash ready and also get a matching riding gear from RiderWear.

Ducati Superleggera

Ducati is once again looking to sweep its customers off their feet by introducing the 1199 Superleggera sports bike during this year. The special thing about the Superleggerra is that Ducati has used titanium in this expensive and limited edition of the motorcycle, which has made the speed monster extremely light weight. In fact, titanium has also been used to make the intake valves, exhaust and even the coil spring of the bike that swirls around the Öhlins TTX36 shock. In addition to titanium, Ducati has also used lightweight magnesium to build some parts of the sports motorcycle such as the airbox and front part of the frame.

As far as the engine of this beast is concerned, Ducati has incorporated 1198cc V-twin engine in Superleggera that will give riders a whopping 200 horsepower. In brief, Ducati Superleggera is a custom-built sports bike that will come with two years company and unlimited mileage warranty. More importantly, Ducati will produce only 500 Superleggera, so keep your cheque books ready if you want to get your hands on this amazing bike.

KTM RC390

Though, Austria based KTM is manufacturing motorcycles since 1954, but its experience in producing street bikes is limited as the company is more known for making off road bikes. In spite of this fact, KTM is swiftly making a name for itself in building sports motorcycles as well. This can be judged from its latest production KTM RC390 that is a race-ready sports bike with a 373cc four-stroke liquid-cooled engine. This four-stroke single engine of the RC390 gives riders 43 horsepower that is enough for them to enjoy a swift ride on twisty tracks and roads.

The powerful engine of this sleek bike is well supported by reliable WP suspension, good braking system and dynamic chassis geometry. Furthermore, KTM has also decreased the steering-head angle of the RC390 by 23.5 degrees, so it can give quick response. As a result of these new innovations, KTM’s electric-start RC390 motorcycle has become more of a Moto3 race bike rather than just a street bike. It is because these fine features motorcycle lovers around the world are dying to ride RC390.