Saturday, October 10, 2009

Factors Affecting You Motorcycle Insurance Premium

Though it isnt officially required in several states, many motorists prefer to get a motorcycle insurance. It is a good and extremely significant coverage in case the inevitable happens. After all, simply being careful while driving your motorcycle and wearing safety gears isnt the only insurance you need.

Most of us are aware that motorcycles have higher rate of accidents per unit distance compared to cars. This is because of the exposed driver and the reality that most vehicle drivers are unable to see these smaller driving machines in the traffic line.

If you are transferring to a new state or you have just purchased a motorcycle, you should check first the insurance law of your state before whooshing down the road with your bike. This way, you can be sure that you are driving or riding legally. In case your state requires you to have liability coverage, then there are lots of motorcycle insurance options available for you.

To find the best deals on motorcycle insurance, it is always advisable to inquire first before setting your hands in a particular policy. There are key factors that affect your motorcycle insurance premium. Among them are:

1.)Engine displacement size (in cubic centimeter) of your motorcycle. Most of the times, youll have higher motorcycle insurance premium if your bike employ a larger displacement engine. This type of motorcycles is generally more expensive and they boast superior performance.

2.)Make or brand of the Motorcycle. It isnt such a big factor, but it is usually considered in calculating the motorcycle insurance premium. A motorcycle brand with few models usually cost higher than a usual brand.

3.)The age of the driver or the owner. Older drivers normally benefit from cheaper motorcycle insurance rates than younger drivers using the same type of motorcycle.

4.)Type of bike. The type of bike you own and you are planning to insure also affect the rate of your motorcycle insurance. Sport bikes are normally expensive and thus require higher premium.

5.)Is your motorcycle garaged? If your bike will be parked in a garage if youre not using it, your premium wont be as high as those who are leaving their motorcycle parked out along the pavement. In the latter case, the motorcycle will be prone to accidents and theft and consequently, it will require higher insurance rate.

6.)Driving Record. Your driving record as well as your experience affects your motorcycle insurance payment. If your driving record has been messed up by too many tickets and accidents, then you should expect to pay for higher rates.

7.)Number of miles driven every week. It is an important consideration in calculating your motorcycle insurance payment, since the mileage you are likely to put on your motorcycle will push your premium up or pull it down. So you have to decide first if your bike will serve as your service in your daily commute or it is intended only for leisure. If you will use your motorcycle in your everyday activities, then expect to pay higher premium.

8.)Locality. This factor also matter in the computation of the cost of your motorcycle insurance. If you are residing in a big city, expect slightly higher rates compared to those who are living in a rural area but are insuring the same type of bike.

To get a full motorcycle insurance coverage, make sure that your insurance covers liability coverage, no-fault coverage, passenger coverage, collision coverage, uninsured coverage, collision coverage and service coverage.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

ETQ Generator Review ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt Portable Gas Generator

Our ETQ Generator Review Team gathered and surveyed all the reviews given by the real users of ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator. Then it studied everything in detail. After this it extracted the most important gist out of it. The same extracted gist is now being presented in front of you. It will give each and every kind of detail about the product. After going through it you can very easily decide for yourself whether to purchase this product or not.

This product is a real sturdy one. You can run it on several appliances. It is so light-weight that you can easily take it from one place to another. It is a perfect generator for trips, camping, hunting and traveling. You can make your life more comfortable with it. It operates very quietly. Vibrations are generated but are very low. It is very easy to start. It has a two-cycle engine which can generate 1,000 continuous watts. You can run it for 8 hours on 50% load. But when you shift it on 100 per cent load, it can run up to 5-1/2 hours.

You can run your portable air conditioners, fans, TVs, computers, blenders, lamps and microwaves with the help of it. It produces very clean electricity. This facility makes it a very safe generator. Total harmonic distortion (THD) produced is less than six per cent. But when it crosses six per cent, it can damage your appliances. You can also store it easily because of its small size. It is backed by a 1 year warranty.

Our ETQ Generator Review team spotted some important features of ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator which are listed below:

1.Surge Watts: 1,200

2.Rated Watts: 1,000

3.Start Type: Recoil

4.Engine: 2 stroke air cooled OHV engine

5.Fuel type: 1 gallon fuel tank

6.Noise level: Less than 65 dB

7.Engine Displacement: 63cc

Our ETQ Generator Review team also marked some important details about ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator which are listed below:

1.Product Dimensions: 15 x 16 x 13 inches

2.Shipping Weight: 47 pounds

3.Shipping: Possible within U.S. only at no extra charges

Now let our ETQ Generator Review team tell you about the reviews by the real users of ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator. Overall 115 users rated and commented on it. It has got 4.1 out of 5 stars. 62 users rated it as a 5 star product. 29 rated it as a 4 star product. 6 gave 3 stars to it. 4 gave 2 stars to it. The rest 14 users gave 1 star to it.

Titles can address everything in nutshell about the text under them:

Our ETQ Generator Review Team analyzed various types of titles given by the real users of ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator. You can guess quite accurately everything about the product with the help of titles alone. Some of the titles are listed below:

"Much better than expected..."

"Will not power too many appliances but enough to avoid damage"

"Excellent way to survive the heat camping in TX in August"

"Good so far"

"Great Little Generator"

"exactly what I needed"

"not bad at all"

"Great for the price"

"One terrific generator for the price"

"Excellent generator"

"Wonderful Product for Price"

However a very small segment of the users, who were not fully satisfied, also titled it like:

"High hopes but defective!"

"Buyer beware this is a rip-off"

"Waste of money or I got a lemon- Quits after 5 minutes"

By now ETQ Generator Review team must have made it easy to decide whether to purchase it or not. You can yourself judge the quality and the goodness of ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator.

ETQ Generator Review team highly recommends ETQ TG1200 1,200 Watt 2 HP 2-Cycle Gas Powered Portable Generator as an excellent return on your investment.
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Friday, October 2, 2009

Engine Displacement

This one is for all of you younger Hot Rodders out there who have been looking for a simple article explaining Displacement, Bore and Stroke but only found Wikipedia and a bunch of forum threads. Some of these forum threads may actually be helpful but you're not sure if you should trust these forums, so you want a real article and not a wiki. So I decided to write this and help people like you out.

First thing is first lets, go over what engine displacement is, if you are into hot rodding you already know the names of several engines such as the Chevy 350, Ford 302, Chrysler 440, etc. Well the numbers are the cubic inches of engine displacement. What displacement is, it is the measure of how much fuel and air you can fit in your cylinders.

Now how you figure out engine displacement is by a simple calculation (oh no, not math!) Now how you figure out displacement is (3.14)/4 X bore (squared) X stroke X number of cylinders.

An example the Chrysler 3.18 LA

3.14/4 X 3.91^2 X 3.31X 8= 317.79ci (aka 318ci)

Now some of you maybe be wondering why use PI? Well because Cylinders are round and we are figuring out a volume, PI is used in volume so it is used to figure out engine displacement which is volume. As for those wondering why the 318 LA in the example, well because the SBC 350 is to common.

Now for those of you who are too lazy to use paper, there are plenty of online displacement calculators for your convince. The best one I have found is here at the csgnetwork, not only does it calculate displacement it shows you all of the bore, and stroke for all of the stock hot rod engines. That way when you bore it out, or do a custom stroker job, you can calculate it right there.

Now getting on to bore (yes your calculator will come in handy for this), watching or attending drag races you may have heard people say they something like this "I've got a 350 SBC, 30 over..." which is the most common. What the 30 over means (its actually written out.030) is that he bored out his cylinders by thirty thousands of an inch increasing his displacement which if he didn't stroke the engine it would bring it too 355.

Now you have probably heard of stroker motors, such as the 383, the 331, the 496, etc. What is a Stroker motor you may ask? Well first lets go over stroke.

What Stroke is the measurement of how far down a piston is from the Top Dead Center of the Cylinder to the bottom dead center of the Cylinder. As mentioned early the 3.18 has 3.31ci of stroke, that is 3.31 cubic inches from the Top Dead Center of the Cylinder to the Bottom dead Center of the Cylinder.

A Stroker motor is when you increase the engines stroke so the piston distance can increase and more fuel and air can get in the cylinder. To do this you will need to bigger crankshaft and longer connecting rods for your pistons.

Now I hope that helps you guys out. If you are planning one doing a bore or a stroke job please research it before you do it! Most engines have kits available for both so look into that as well. If there is any engine that you want me to do a tech article on I will do that.
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Sunday, September 27, 2009

Electric Scooter Parts - Replacing a CDI Module

One of the most common of electric scooter parts in need of replacement, the CDI module is as essential to the scooter ignition system as the spark plug. Thought to be an invention of the brilliant Nikola Tesla, the Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI) is the standard system used on most of today's gas-powered motor scooters, as well as on many motorcycles, marine outboards and other small engines. A complete CDI module is made up of a transformer, the charging circuit, the rectifier, a capacitor, and the trigger circuit.

How the CDI Module Works
The transformer first raises the voltage to 400 to 600 volts. Moving along the charging circuit, the electric current charges the capacitor, with the rectifier preventing the capacitor from discharging before the ignition point. Receiving the triggering signal, the trigger circuit stops charging and allows the capacitor to discharge to the low inductance ignition coil. This increases the original 400-600 Volt capacitor discharge to as much as 40 kV at the secondary winding, jumping the spark plug gap, and igniting the gas/air mixture in the cylinder. The charging circuit is then reconnected and resumes charging the capacitor all over again.

AC or DC?
Most current scooters us an alternating current (AC) system; however the popular KYMCO scooter brand uses direct current (DC). As a result, electric scooter parts for KYMCO machines, including the CDI module, can sometimes be difficult to find.

Engine Size
It is always best to match the engine size to the CDI specifications. A CDI module made for a 50cc engine might work on a 100cc, 125cc, or 150cc engine, and some are designed to function over a range of engine sizes. Others however, will only work for a particular engine displacement. Always check the specifications to be sure of getting the correct scooter ignition parts.

2-stroke and 4-stroke Scooter Ignition
The 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines are completely different, and as a result, their engines' ignition timing is totally different as well. You cannot use a CDI made for a 2-stroker on a 4-stroke scooter. Conversely, you cannot use a 4-stroke scooter's CDI on a 2-stroke scooter.

Connectors
On many current CDIs, the connectors are integral to the unit's case, forming a plug that snaps directly on to the scooter's wiring harness. On other models, the connectors may be located on wires, allowing some leeway on exactly where the module is mounted. The skillful mechanic may shorten or lengthen these wires as necessary. The most common CDI connector style uses two plugs side by side; one 4-pin plug, and a 2-pin plug. These connectors may be square, rectangular, or simple spades.

Note: Photo illustrations of many CDI connectors can be seen at the website listed at the bottom of this article.

Unrestricted or Restricted?
An unrestricted (or racing) CDI provides the current no matter how high the engine RPMs go. As the CDI controls the spark plug, the plug will continue to fire at high RPM. For reasons that should be obvious, these CDI units are made for racing use, and are not very suitable for regular highway use. A restricted CDI module however, will stop firing once a pre-set engine RPM is attained. Without current reaching the spark plug, the engine RPMs slow to below the pre-set limit and only then will the CDI resume providing current to the plug.

When replacing a CDI module, or any other scooter ignition or electric scooter parts, it is always a good idea to reference your owner's manual. If the manual is lost or otherwise missing, many manufacturers and brands have downloadable manuals available on their websites.
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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Dodge Rampage

The Dodge Rampage concept is a vehicle that was developed by the Chrysler car company. This car is designed to be a coupe utility vehicle but a very stylish one indeed. The whole concept of the Dodge Rampage car was based on a vehicle that was produced between 1982 and 1984 which was known as the Dodge Rampage and was a utility truck. The Chrysler car manufacturing company decided to bring the concept back to life and brought the Dodge Rampage back into the market in the year 2006 and it proved to be a great vehicle to drive.

The Dodge Rampage concept vehicle is equipped with a V8 internal combustion engine which is currently one of the high performance engines available in the market today. The V engines are the engines that consist of cylinders and pistons that are arranged in a way that their layout looks like the letter V. The V8 engines, just like their name suggests, have eight cylinders that are placed over the engine crankshaft and each of the cylinders is comprises of two valves. The V8 engine installed in the Dodge Rampage car has a compression ratio of about 9:6:1 which is very good.

The Dodge Rampage has a maximum engine displacement of about 345 cubic inches. Engine displacement simply means the total volume of all the eight cylinders that the V8 engine has. The V8 engine makes the Dodge Rampage a very fast and powerful vehicle because it has a maximum performance of about 5,000 revolutions per minute which produces about 340 horsepower. The vehicle has a five speed automatic transmission system. The Dodge Rampage is an all wheel drive vehicle which can function well both on roads and also off roads. The Dodge Rampage car is a great car to own and one would have the most wonderful experience with this car.

The overall weight of the Dodge Rampage concept vehicle is about 5,000 lbs. The vehicle's wheelbase measures between the mid sections of both the front and rear wheels and measures slightly over 142 inches. The Dodge Rampages' overall width is about 80 inches, its height is about 73 inches and its length is about 215 inches. The interior of the truck is not like all the other utility trucks because it is very stylish and also beautiful. All the other truck models were very shocked when they got to view the interior of the Dodge Rampage concept because there is no car manufacturer that has ever produced such a utility truck.

The rear doors of the Dodge Rampage concept slide back which is one of the great features that this vehicle has. All the other traditional utility trucks have no extra features but his truck is one of the best in the world market. It may have good looks, which is a feature usually not on the mind of any designer when designing a utility truck but it is also very powerful and should not be underestimated. The bad thing about it is that it is only a concept and many people are waiting for the day Dodge decides to manufacture this vehicle.
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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Definition Of A Classic Car

The term classic car is often used in the description of older cars, although the correct meaning is generally subjected to different opinions. There are hence a variety of applications that can be applied in defining a classic car especially when classic is applied in the form of an adjective and this is also true in the case of a dictionary definition. A certain dictionary defined the term "classic car" as "distinguished by outstanding engineering, fine workmanship and elegant styling built around 1925 to 1948 ."

The above definition sounded quite close to one given by CCCA (Classic Car Club of America) whose definition was, unusual or fine motor cares built between as well as inclusive of the years 1925-1948. These are all special cars respectively distinguished by their fine design, superior workmanship and advanced engineering standards. Classic cars were generally high-priced while in new conditions and the built quantities were limited. Certain factors including custom coachwork, engine displacement as well as luxury accessories such as power clutch, power brakes and one-shot lubrication systems assist in determining whether a car can be considered as being a Classic.

CCCA maintains an endless list of vehicles considered to be classic and although all members are permitted to petition for a preferred vehicle to be part of the list, there is careful scrutinizing of such applications and it is rare to find any admittance for new types of vehicles. This definition is rather exclusive and hardly followed universally, and while CCCA acknowledges this, it still insists that its own definition of the term classic car is true. However, to avert confusion, certain terms like CCCA Classic or Full Classic are used. Most states in the US have legal time-based rules regarding this definition for certain purposes like registration of antique vehicles.

The definition in Pennsylvania is "motor vehicle" unlike a reproduction, the manufacture date being 15 years before the present year and it has been restored and maintained in a condition that conforms with the manufacturers appearance and specifications. United Kingdom does not have a classic car definition although there are two issues on taxation that have an impact. All vehicles manufactured before 1st January 1973 are not required to pay the road tax excise duty which is paid annually. It is usually inclusive of the license disc as part of the windscreen.

There are certain insurance companies that deem any car that is 20 years and above to be eligible for a policy of classic cars, although the car must be 25 years or above to qualify for the license plate of historical vehicles in most states. In comparison to modern cars, classic cars lack the basic features of safety as they are nowadays referred to. These lacking basic features include rollover protection, crumple zones and seat belts. The handling characteristics of the vehicle especially the suspension and the steering as well as the brake performance prove to poorer in comparison to the current standards. Extra care is needed for classic cars.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Classic And Muscle Cars

Classic cars are those which were produced or built between 1946 and 1985. Some qualities make a car a classic, such as having a power clutch, power brakes, automatic lubrication system, engine displacement or luxury accessories. Usually, these additions determine whether or not a car is classic. These cars were very highly priced because of their limited quantities. These cars are antique vehicles, which are made a minimum of twenty years prior to the current year. The billion dollar businessmen like to purchase such classical cars as luxury items. Some models include: Alfa Romeo, Du Pont, Triumph, Packard, Lincoln, B.M.W.

After the second World War, manufacturers of classic cars decided to change the styles and models and tried to make more improvements in the engines and other parts. In 1946, Kaiser-Frazer and Crosely made some changes, so all kinds of automobiles were developed, and new plans were made. Such cars were also use in old Hollywood movies. Some of these new additions included the removable trunk, headlights and other accessories. Classic muscle cars were low speed. There are some classic model cars that were never mass produced and are only shown at the classic cars shows. Some makers of classics introduced their new models in nineteenth century, such as Ford. This company is now making high-speed cars, which are famous all over the world.

In these types of cars, safety was usually not a priority. A driver of this type of car must be very careful while driving. Mostly, cars had no seat belts, crumple zones or rollover protection. Brake performance was also very poor as compare to the current standards. The driver had to control its speed. Sometimes, spare parts for classic cars were not available in every city. The driver had to find such spare parts in different cities. So, in many parts of United States, using classic cars for daily vehicles is strongly discouraged and is even prohibited in some places.

A Volvo Amazon is considered to be one of the best classic cars. In 1956, it was quite a piece of work. This company offered a good safety level on all of its cars. This model was the first car which had three seat-belts. The Volvo Amazon is still in use, which has proven that it is a very reliable car. Other accessories, like headlights, brakes, etc. were also available to replace any damaged parts. These qualities made the Volvo a great and successful car out of all of the classic cars. You can see its classic models in old cars museums.

Now, classic cars have antique value on the market. We can see them in large classic and old car museum. Such cars are also purchased for use in hobbies. The main important qualities for classic cars are their strong bodies and their strong engines, which last for a lifetime and never need repair. Also, other accessories like headlights and brakes etc are of the best quality manufactured.
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