Holding it Big Motorsports

MOTORCYCLE HELMETS… NOT JUST FOR RIDING ANYMORE

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:36:02 +0000

Have you ever stopped at the gas pump to fill up your bike and ran into the gas station to pay without taking off your helmet? Or what about stopping at the bank for that extra bit of cash before your long Sunday ride? As riders, sometimes we don’t realize the potential threat of what is perceived when we walk into a public place with our helmet on. And why would we? For the majority of us riders, we are just laid back; enjoy life, peaceful kind of people.

GIMME ALL YOUR MONEY!

Well unfortunately there are some strange rangers out there that are using what we consider life savers, helmets, as a way to disguise themselves. Saturday, May 5, 2012, authorities in Orange County California nabbed a 29 year old male, dubbed as the “Snowboarder Bandit” that has been on a streak of what they think is about 10 bank robberies so far. The last few robberies he committed were done wearing a black full face motorcycle helmet! And after a little bit of research, this guy isn’t the only one that has used a motorcycle helmet to try and get away with an armed bank robbery. This unique way of disguise has been used to rob banks in Chicago in December 2011, in Seattle in June 2011 and many other parts of the world. Who would have ever thought someone would use something that means so much to us bikers in such a negative way?

They have already passed laws in certain cities making it illegal to walk into places of business wearing your helmet and certain banks have already put safety procedures in place to push the silent alarm when anyone comes in the bank wearing a helmet. So the next time you consider walking in anywhere, as innocent as it may seem, please make sure you take off your helmet! We don’t want any of our fellow riders being mistaken for criminals

REVIEW on Diversified Tag & Title service and the Frederick MVA

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:02:01 +0000

So here’s one of our REVIEW blog posts for everybody. This week’s post is unique because it actually is 2 reviews in one.

Ok, so if you are in or around Frederick, MD or anywhere in Maryland for that matter, you’ve probably had the DISpleasure of having to use the MVA at some point. Obviously if you’re getting your drivers license for the first time, the MVA is the best place ever! But other then that, the MVA is a terrible place to spend your day. The Maryland MVA is severely UNDER-staffed, and there’s way too many people that need help & service. It’s basically a broken system over there and the setup they have in place keeps people waiting for HOURS to get anything done. We’ve personally had experiences where we’ve been at the MVA for over FIVE hours to get 4 minutes worth of work done. It’s unbelieveable how long it takes to get anything accomplished. We could go on for days about all of the issues that the Frederick MVA has …… bottom line, the MVA sucks. 1 star. Avoid whenever possible

Now change the station …. here’s something you may not know. There’s an alternative to the MVA for almost every service they offer. There’s a local Frederick business called Diversified Tag & Title. They are a local tag & title service on Patrick St (which is actually on the way to the Frederick MVA, but closer). They provide the same services you go to the MVA for, but without the hastle, and the long lines, and attitude from the staff. Diversified Tag & Title can have you in & out in minutes for whatever you need. We have personally used their service several times, and it’s always a pleasure. Just like we are your one-stop-shop for all of your motorcycle needs, they are the only place you need to go for anything related to tags, titlework, address changes, insurance compliance, etc etc. Most of us cannot afford to lose and entire day waiting in line at the MVA.

Give these guys a shot whenever you need to go to the MVA for anything. They’ll shock you at how quick & easy they handle your motor vehicle needs. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATV’s, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, and even trailers …. whatever you have, they’ve got you covered. They are located right across from the fairgrounds in Frederick.

Diversified Tag & Title
430 East Patrick St
Frederick, MD. 21701
301-846-0900

Motorcycle Tires . . . . . what you may not know!

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:47:48 +0000

As many of you know, we are a motorcycle service shop in Frederick, MD. We have been involved in the motorcycle industry since the late 90′s and have seen everything. One of the more daily conversations in & around our shop is about motorcycle tires. If you ride a lot, I’m sure you talk about them regularly too. They’re obviously important.

this is where your internet tires come from

One thing you may not know about your precious motorcycle tires, is that they have an expiration date. Yes, believe it or not, just like food and your vehicle registration! Unfortunately for the motorcycle industry though, there’s no official regulation for this. And there are no specific laws against selling older & out-of-date tires. At least not in this country. Europe and Asia have lots of regulations & laws about this, but the there’s nothing in our country that protects us specifically. So we thought we’d post up some information on it, and hopefully better inform our fellow riders, & soon-to-be riders out there as well.

These days everyone shops on the internet. You can shop online for a date, buy an engagement ring, or buy groceries & have them delivered right to your house. We are totally in favor of finding a deal and using the internet advantageously. So, it only makes sense that more & more people are shopping for their motorcycle tires online now instead of at their local hardworking motorcycle shop. Ok, fair enough. At our shop, we don’t turn anyone away that brings us a set of tires to install for them that they purchased elsewhere (usually on the net). The problem we’ve been seeing for a while now though, is that people are buying motorcycle tires from these online “superstores” and “auction sites” for pretty cheap prices, but they aren’t always getting what they THINK they’re getting. Some are legitimate deals absolutely, but others can be a little suspect ….

Motorcycle tires are obviously made of rubber. Rubber of course is an organic material that breaks down over a period of time. Ever stretched an old rubber band and it’s cracked & just snaps or crumbles? Tire manufacturers like Michellin, Dunlop, and Pirelli all produce motorcycle tires by the 10′s of thousands at a time. After they are produced, they are sprayed with an oil-based ‘film’ before they sit on shelves and in warehouses. This ‘film’ is a protectant of sorts and is meant to extend a tire’s shelf life before it ever kisses the asphalt. When a tire is installed on a motorcycle, the film is quickly ridden off after a couple of miles on the street. This is why its always recommended to take it easy on your tires when you first get them. However, even with the tire film, there still is a slow deterioration process that is taking place within the rubber compound itself. And because of this, all tires are required by the DOT to be stamped with a manufacture date. Very similar to a ‘born on’ date on a Budweiser bottle (DO NOT DRINK & RIDE). For motorcycle and car tires, the date stamp shows the WEEK and the YEAR the tire was produced. For instance, your tire might have the stamp 0809 on it … which would mean the 8th week in 2009. Here’s a visual:

: 1910 = 19th week in 2010

The type of rubber that is used to produce tires dries out anywhere from 4-6 years, even while it’s sitting unused in a storage facility. So, the “new” tires you just bought online last month for your bike could actually have already been a couple of years old and well into the disintegration process before you bought them. The tread can even look perfectly fine as if it just rolled off the assembly line, but the structural integrity can be weakened and possibly deadly. Then, the dried out rubber being susceptible to the elements, can start to visually dry rot on the outside. There’s no rhyme or reason to how long it takes a tire from here to actually become ‘unsafe’, but who wants to find out? No thanks.

The purpose of this blog post is really 2 things. Obviously we want to communicate to our fellow riders out there a little bit about tires, & to possibly be a bit informative at the same time. And then to also bring to light that the online tire “superstores” and “auction sites” don’t always have NEW/RECENT tires. A lot of times they are the leftovers from the manufacturers that they don’t want to sell anymore because they are out of date. Again, we are totally in favor of finding good deals online and elsewhere …. just be aware of the manufacturer dating system for tires and be on the look out for OLD and OUT OF DATE tires being sold as “new” ! Even motorcycle shops will sometimes offer deeply discounted tire prices because they know the tires are out of date. Check those dates people! Here at the shop, we GUARANTEE any tires we sell are direct from the ACTUAL manufacturer and are well within the “new” period, & not out-dated.

The next time you purchase tires look for this number located on the sidewall. Your internet bargain may be too good to be true after all. And if it’s not, at least you did your due diligence!

- Ben Meacham for Holding it Big Motorsports. Ride safe. Ride tomorrow.

The Great Helmet debate back at cha! by ben meacham

admin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:01:03 +0000

Ben Meacham here from Holding it Big Motorsports -

Ok, so there’s been a couple of MAJOR motorcycle accidents lately in Frederick, MD that have prompted this blog post. What is the deal with our fellow bikers DYING left and right these days on their motorcycles because of serious head injuries from an accident? Coincidentally, these riders that have been involved in accidents that sustained life threatening head trauma, happen to be wearing the ever-popular “half shell” helmets. These helmets are also referred to as “brain buckets” or “skull helmets”.

half shell helmet

These types of helmets are the cheapest, most light weight, most basic form of a helmet, and the least constraining. Its not hard to understand the appeal, and why a lot of people wear them. The main reason is just an attempt to ‘be legal’ … because these helmets offer nothing more unfortunately. And by “be legal”, I simply mean visually being seen wearing a helmet in order to not get pulled over. These types of helmets are actually ILLEGAL because they are not safe and not approved by the DOT or SNELL or the other saftey standard bodies. They actually have to be sold as a “novelty” to be legally sold most of the time. They offer virtually no crash protection. However, it’s almost impossible to ‘prove’ that the type of half shell helmet being worn is not certified. It’s not as simple as a DOT sticker being on the back of the helmet or not.

Here’s some interesting info: “According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, head related injuries are the main reasons for death in motorcycle crashes. ‘Legal’ helmets in the U.S. that meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 218 standards reduce accident fatality risk by 37 percent by lowering brain injury probability by 67 percent.”

So what’s the problem here? Listen, this debate could go on for days. I’m not about to delve into all of the pros and cons on each side here. Believe me, there are plenty of both. I think ultimately it should be up to the rider to make their own choices on how to protect themselves. But don’t sell your safety or health short by choosing sub-standard protective gear for riding your bike. A quality helmet is the single most effective way to protect yourself in the event of an accident. Don’t be a statistic!

This blog post is really just meant to bring some awareness to a growing trend/problem within our tight knit community. At the end of the day, if anyone gets seriously hurt or dies on their motorcycle, its still a horrible situation & completely tragic, no matter who’s at fault. We all want to live to ride another day. RIP to all of our fallen riders.

Ducati Monster 695 for sale

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 16:08:42 +0000

Another motorcycle for sale. Come and get it. Deal of the week.

2007 Ducati Monster 695. Bike starts right up and runs well. 18k miles on the bike. Was involved in a light lay over on the right side of bike. Went through insurance company so it has a rebuildable salvage title. If you are un-familiar with that process, it’s very simple. Just needs to be inspected first. Bike had frame sliders on it so there wasn’t any serious damage to it. As you can see in the pics, it just rashed the right frame slider a little bit. Gas tank has a light scuff on it, needs right side footpeg bracket, and it has a little rash to the end of the front brake lever. Nothing major. Bike does come with Dual Ferracci pipes in carbon fiber and Power Commander 3 as well. Pirelli tires on it front & rear are newer. Normal retail on this is over$5000, so this is almost HALF that. Call 301-418-6200 anytime for more information. Selling for $2950 … We can deliver this bike anywhere in the country for cheap! We ship out bikes regularly and its usually just a few hundred bucks or less depending on your location.