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A beautiful ride across cities and places named World Heritage by the Unesco, through an splendid protected natural area and ending in a surrealistic garden by artist Sir Edward James. Just keep reading…
The ride starts in Queretaro City at 5,970 ft above sea level.

Queretaro is a colonial city founded more than 500 years ago and named World Heritage by the Unesco in 1996 . It’s located in the center of the country two hours North Mexico City. Nowadays it has become one of the most dynamic cities in Mexico due to the surrounding industrial parks where many international companies are located.

The first stop is just 45 minutes away: “La Pea de Bernal” (The “Rock of Bernal”). We are talking about the third biggest rock in the world and the highest in Mexico. At its feet a quaint little town were you can stop for a soda, lunch or spend the night. You can also find nice little souvenirs. Whatever you decide to do, this place is a must.

If you like rock climbing, you are in the right place too!

The road to Bernal doesn’t present any major challenge, most of the road is straight with just a few extended curves… but just after passing Bernal it starts to get fun!

Surrounded by an arid landscape due the high content of lime in the soil, you start with a very interesting section of twisties, one after another, up and down, a technical road between the mountains for about 30 miles. The landscape changes a bit as you advance and a few miles later you are in the middle of a semidesert.

After this twisty section you then continue on a straight part of the road. A few more miles down the route and you find a military checkpoint… Don’t worry about it, they are normally courteous people just looking for arm and drug smugglers.

After the control point the curves and the fun start again. As you get to “Pea Blanca” (”White Rock” in English) - by the way if you need gas, this is the place to stop and fill it up - you start climbing the mountains twist after twist.

I love this part: most of the ride you can clearly see three or four turns in front of you, and as it is a low traffic road, you can enjoy yourself taking the best lines (always keeping it in the safe side if you know what I mean!).

After climbing for a while you notice how things start to change and suddenly what were rocks, sand and cactus are now pine trees. It’s beautiful.. You feel the change of temperature and then you reach “La Puerta del Cielo” (The Door of Heavens”) the highest point in this ride.

We are now at about 9200 feet above sea level… The turns continue but now you are going downhill. Remember to adjust your riding to that fact. Unfortunately I have seen more than one forgetting about it that and paying the consequences.

As you start descending you ride through a small town called Pinal the Amoles… descend, turn turn, descend turn turn, descend turn turn… I love it! About 10 miles after Pinal de Amoles, the weather starts to change again and gets warmer. The vegetation also suffers a sudden transformation.

You keep devouring the road and you cannot help but getting marveled of the landscape around you… Just remember to keep your eyes on the road! Turn, turn… You are in the middle of the Sierra Gorda protected area and home of multiple plants and animals.

You continue descending till you reach Jalpan de Serra the most important town in the Sierra Gorda and place where Father Junipero Serra built one of his most important missions in the area before heading north to build the Missions in California. These missions were also named World Heritage by the Unesco in 2003.

In Jalpan you can find a couple of simple but nice hotels and some restaurants. Another possibility to spend the night is to ride a few more miles west to a place called Conca where you ‘ll find a hotel with Spa to relax from the day’s ride and get ready for the rest of the trip.

After Jalpan our next stop and final destination is Xilitla,
so you head north-east till you reach the state of San Luis Potosi.

A few miles after crossing the state limits in the middle of the mountains, at about 3,300 ft asl, in a rain forest of incredible vegetation you get to Xilitla.

This town was chosen by Sir Edward James, a surrealistic British artist - also noble and rich -, to spend the rest of his life. It is in this place he built a huge garden, a private zoo and a meditation place in the middle of the jungle. Its very difficult to describe it with words… Maybe the photos in this site can help: http://www.junglegossip.com/.

In Xilitla you can stay in the Castillo “The Castle” the house of former Sir Edward James’ right hand and friend: Plutarco Gastelum. This exclusive Bed and Breakfast is unique in its kind and you can see, feel and breath the influence of the artist everywhere.

Another possibility to spend the night is to ride a bit more to the north and stay in Ciudad Valles an important city of San Luis Potosi state where you will find all kind of hotels and restaurants, night life etc.

My recommendation… stay at the Castillo, forget about your ride and enjoy for a whole day this Mexican Shangri La.

After spending the whole day in Xilitla prepare for a long ride back to Queretaro. For this one I like to leave early in the morning and keep, if possible, a fast pace. Turn, turn…

We are talking about many miles and literally hundreds of twisties… Once my wife counted them… She stopped when she was at the 500th and we hadn’t arrived back to Queretaro City yet!

It’s so fun that the time flies and suddenly you realize it’s all over and you would like to turn around and do it again…

You know the feeling right?

Another possibility from Xilitla is to head to the famous Huasteca Potosina a zone of exuberant rivers, waterfalls and springs… But that area deserves a whole article by itself. I will be writing it in the future.

If you liked the trip I described and want more information about great motorcycle rides in Mexico and/or to contact me for any other issue please visit my site at www.japanese-motorcycles-only.com.

Enjoy the ride!

Daniel Levy

P.S. Below you will find a few facts about this ride.

Facts about the ride:

Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced
Recommended time to enjoy the trip: 3-4 days
Total length of the ride: about 600 miles
Checkpoints:
Queretaro-Bernal
Bernal-Military Checkpoint
Military Checkpoint-Pinal de Amoles
Pinal de Amoles-Jalpan de Serra
Jalpan de Serra-Xilitla

Weather: normally clear and dry with the exception of the rainy season from July to September where you can find some heavy rain.

Recommended Map: Guia Roji Mexico Tourist Road Atlas. You can find it at Amazon.

Daniel Levy is the owner and contributing writer of Japanese-Motorcycles-Only.com. He loves motorcycles and Web development. For more great info about Japanese Motorcycles visit his site or his blog at: http://japanese-motorcycles-only.blogspot.com/

Whether you are a motorcycle owner or an occasional rider, one of the most important accessories you need is a pair of motorcycle sun glasses.

Many avid motorcycle riders prefer to wear motorcycle sun glasses underneath their visors and goggles to help with glare, UV light protection, light reflection, and depth perception. Although the law in most U.S. states does not require motorcycle riders to wear visors or goggles, state laws do require that riders have their visors and goggles tinted below a certain percentage. By law, 50% is the darkest tint allowed. If a visor or pair of goggles is too dark or mirrored in any way, it is not legal. Because of this, many riders choose to wear motorcycle sun glasses beneath their visors and goggles to enhance vision and make riding more comfortable.

If you are a motorcycle rider, you must consider a few points when deciding which motorcycle sun glasses to purchase. First, you must make sure that your motorcycle sun glasses have straight arms. This feature is often referred to as a “skull fit”. A skull fit will allow you to put your motorcycle sun glasses on and take them off with ease while wearing a helmet.

Another wise option to consider when purchasing motorcycle sun glasses is whether or not you want polarized lenses. Many riders prefer polarized lenses in their motorcycle sun glasses, as this type of lens takes away the glare that can sometimes cause problems seeing the road. Polarized lenses eliminate eyestrain, allowing for a much more comfortable ride. Popular motorcycle sun glasses that have polarized lenses include Oakley Polarized MINUTE glasses and Velocity CV glasses.

When shopping for motorcycle sun glasses, you should select a pair that is approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). If a style of motorcycle sun glasses is ANSI approved, it means that it has undergone testing to ensure that it can protect your eyes in the most extreme conditions. Two popular pairs of ANSI-approved motorcycle sun glasses are Neptune Riding Glasses and Rider Plus Riding Glasses.

Lens color is also important to consider when choosing motorcycle sun glasses. For example, lenses that are smoked (dark) in color are best for daytime riding, as they provide the most glare protection. Clear lenses, on the other hand, are best for night rides because they do not distort color. And, clear lenses that are mirrored provide the extra benefit of reflecting the headlights of oncoming vehicles. Yellow lenses are best for cloudy days, as well as foggy situations. Yellow lenses allow for depth perception when there is low visibility. Finally, both red and blue lenses take care of all of these problems - they can reduce glare, reflect very bright light, and enhance depth perception.

If you happen to need prescription motorcycle sun glasses, you can speak to your eye doctor about which brand and style is best for you. Your doctor may suggest that you get motorcycle sun glasses with UV protection. Lenses with UV protection will protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun, which are known to cause serious eye problems.

The type of motorcycle sun glasses you end up purchasing should be a result of your personal needs as well as the condition of your eyes. Once you find the perfect pair, you will be ready to ride like the wind and be protected from it at the same time.

Mini pocket bikes are targeted at those who are too small or too young to hold the handles of a normal motorbike. A mini bike is the most stylish of the other lots of pocket bikes, and it is an advancement to the concept of pocket bikes. Mini pocket bikes are not only appropriate and fast, but they are a realistic way to begin motorcycle racing and riding. These bikes are more popular for off-road riding.

Mini pocket bikes weigh around sixty-five pounds, with a height of about four feet. The diameter of wheels is about ten inches. The mini pocket bike can be driven at speeds of twenty-six to sixty miles per hour, depending on the engine horsepower of the bike, which ranges from 2hp to 8hp.

These bikes have a fully adjustable rear swing-arm suspension, which provides the exact amount of dampening and street feel to suit each individual rider’s tastes. This racing suspension setup is, in fact, the first in this class of racing sport motorbikes. The mini pocket bike has become a craze among the new generation. The passion of the new generation is to get a mini bike and then fully modify it into a super pocket bike. There are many additions available to increase the power of the mini motor bike.

The additions available to increase the power of the mini motor bike are custom saddles, headlights, chrome for everything, and engine kits.

Mini pocket bikes have banned in some cities, with the bikes becoming more popular and faster; and other cities have imposed strict safety rules for riding these mini motor bikes. For instance, a rider of these bikes should be at least sixteen years old and riders are prohibited from riding after sunset. Children under eighteen should operate the bikes only under the supervision of an adult. Wearing of a helmet and other protective gears like elbow pads, knee pad and cloves, are a must for safety reasons.

There are many reasons why you might like to sell your motorcycle, and each person has their own reasons. Sometimes insurance can be expensive, or you don’t have room to store your bike anymore. If you are buying, new most dealers will probably take your current bike as a trade-in. There are several different services around to help you determine what your bike is worth so make sure that you have checked this out before you start negotiating a price.

One of the best ways is to sell your motorcycle is on eBay. It is becoming immensely popular, and they offer a great service by allowing you to auction off your bike. A good clear picture is necessary, and make sure that you look at comparable bikes that have been bought and sold to get ideas. Of course remember to let all of your friends know as well that you are selling your bike, as someone may take an interest and purchase it from you.

Another great way to sell your motorbike, especially if you belong a motorcycle club is to make an announcement that it is for sale. Remember to get listed in the club newsletter and spread the word around. You may get a fast sale, since everyone will know you from the club. Some dealers will also take your bike on consignment and charge a small commission to sell it on your behalf. They will also make it known to others that they have your bike for sale. Remember to write a good newspaper ad that will stand out, and there are also many great web sites that offer want ads for motorcycles. You may want to list your motorcycle for sale on various forums throughout the Internet, too.

By Terry Price - Remember to visit http://www.motorcycle-atv-exhaust.com/cobra-exhaust.html for other fun articles and information on atv’s, motorcycle exhaust and other performance enhancement products. Installing cobra performance exhaust on your bike has never been easier! http://www.motorcycle-atv-exhaust.com/117-cobra-exhaust-system.html

VFC Installation on a Victory Kingpin Motorcycle

For this How-To article I am using pics of my install of the VFC with highlighted areas of some components that should make it easier to follow.

First start by removing the seat and then the fuel tank bolts and lift the tank enough to disconnect the fuel tank wiring connector.

At this point rather than diconnecting the fuel line at the tank or emptying the tank(I had a couple of gallons in there) I opted to disconnect at the splitter block underneath and inserted a bolt of the appropiate size and retightened the hose clamp.

Now with the available slack provided by the overflow vent tube I was able to lay the tank on a stool next to the bike giving me enough room to work.

Locate the rear injector behind the throttle body (small red circle) which is switched with the one on the VFC as per the instructions.

Locate the front jumper for the front injector located on the right side of the frame at the center of the airbox, which are switched with the VFC.

I mounted the VFC on top of the Fusebox under the right side cover, be sure to decide where you want to mount yours and route the VFC wiring harness accordingly.

NOTE: Make sure there are no pinch points of the harness when reinstalling the tank and seat.

Finally the last connection you will make is the VFC ground wire to the NEG side of the battery(yellow line).

Once this is done you need to set your fuel tank back on the bike and connect everything back up so you can test your VFC.
Note: Bike must be warmed-up to operating temperature before making any adjustments.

REMEMBER this unit is recommended for bikes that have a minimum of,

1.High Flow Intake system.

2.Performance Exhaust.

3.Stock Mapping

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask, I’ll be glad to help any way I can.

Contributing author to Cycle Solutions.
http://www.CycleSolutions.net

Research performed using Kingpin Cruisers.
http://www.KingpinCruisers.net

Have you ever strapped yourself into a racecar or tightened up every muscle in your body on a high-performance race bike motorcycle? What if your body became one with the machine and your hands connected themselves physically to the machine? Your body organic became one with the inert structure?

What if your vibrational energy in your body sent messages from your nerves to the nano-tech construction, which sensed ever twitch and move, anticipating them from brain waves and nerve firings; could that be possible; too Sci Fi for you? Well, lets enter the future for a moment shall we? This recently became a topic of conversation with a couple of think tank folks, when Swift from Las Vegas stated;

“An interrelatedness would make driving a lot more fun and I would think it would also make it a lot safer in a comprehension of movement sort of way.”

Sure why not driving at the speed of thought. Cut down on reaction time, good for evading enemy missiles in aircraft or dog fighting, good for efficiency and fluidity of motion. Now that is ALWAYS a good thing. I completely concur.

Swift then stated; “Driving a machine seems like of a limited experience as opposed to being one with the machine.”

I can tell you in my life I have been one with the running track in competition, one with a motorcycle in racing, one with a jet ski and surfboard on the water, one with an aircraft flying. Sure, I was not connected yet, but in a sense we are connected to everything anyway. I mean waves of energy, light, trading electrons, etc.

So, being one with machine is simple enough. You could have a portal inside your skin or a set of cords to attach, which were 100 percent organic and attach them to sensors or electrodes to pick up brain frequencies?

Sure human scientists, well the really sharp ones can do this now. Who will fund it becomes the problem, due to the ridiculous human religions, which clearly need to get out of the way of the forward progress of mankind. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

What is the method behind the sizing of motorcycle tires? Why do certain motorcycles have certain tire sizes? Do the fatter tires you see on most bikes make the motorcycle handle better? How does one read the tire specification numbers on the tire sidewalls?

These are some of the basic questions I had when I first got into motorcycling. I will address each of these questions based on my research and personal experience.

There are numerous reasons why certain motorcycles have certain tires. As any sales person will tell you in their showroom, the intended use and desired performance of the motorcycle help determine the tire size. For example, most dual-purpose motorcycles like the BMW GS 1200 R and Kawasaki KLX 250 and KLR 650 will have tires suited for both off-road and street use. The KLX 250 tires will be more aggressive on the knobby side than the other dual-purpose motorcycles. Street bikes like the Kawasaki ZZR1200, will have a differently size tire than a touring and dual-purpose bike. Again, it all comes down to the intended use of the motorcycle.

When it comes to replacing the OEM stock tires, it is always wise to use a replacement tire with the same size as the stock tire for which you are replacing. The main reason for this is that the rims on your bike were designed to be outfitted with certain sized tires. Therefore, you need the correct size to fit on the stock rim.

Installing the correct size also implies that the tires have the same circumference. Having two different tire circumferences will have negative effects on your motorcycle’s tire grip and overall handling. Why is this so? A motorcycle’s rake and trail and the front and rear weight bias are affected by the ride height of the front and rear ride height. This is why tire circumference is important.

Recently with motorcycles like the Victory Hammer, you see more fat and wider tires being installed on motorcycles for both performance and style. Be sure the stock rim is designed to handle these wider tires. If you are installing a wider tire on a narrower rim for which it was not designed to handle, the footprint of the tire diminishes due to the profile being wrong. Another thing to be cautious of is that a wider tire may not have enough clearance once installed and rub against the fender or swing arm.

The bottom line is that the sizing of tires for certain motorcycles is determined by the factory motorcycle and tire engineers. They know their science well and know what works best on certain motorcycles. They have devised a numbering system which is used when replacing your tire. It is not a user-friendly numbering system but it makes sense to the tire manufacturers. For example a 100/80-18 tire means the 100 is the nominal width in millimeters. The 80 is the aspect ratio, and refers to the height of the tire as a percentage of the width (in this case 80 percent of 100mm). The 18 is the wheel’s diameter in inches for which the tire is designed to fit. So replace your tires based on what your manual says. Why risk putting on a different size tire just for looks at the risk of safety and performance.

Contributing author to Cycle Solutions
http://www.cyclesolutions.net

And Kingpin Cruisers
http://www.kingpincruisers.net

A range of scooter searches might very well have led you to a scooter or motorcycling related internet merchant, searches like “price comparisons on itailian vespas” or “write ups on 50cc yamaha scooters”, the real trick with any motorcycling portal is to go straight to the site menu, if you do this you should not be side tracked by scooter guides which are about an area of scooters that is not applicable .

For the most part motorcycling research can easily lead you to far too many scooter items, a good number of scooter websites will often have a ton of products, this may often be remarkably overwhelming, itailian vespas, cushman motor scooters, so many products to choose from, it might then be difficult to select which product to buy.

Another thing to consider when you research this area of motorcycling that you might very well be overrun with a large selection of truly varied search results, such items as micro scooters and new scooters may however be fairly relevant to your necessities.

If you couldn’t get the motorcycling feedback you are needing from a scooter manufacturer then possibly you are researching in the incorrect place, for example, imagine your subject of interest was folding scooters, it would possibly be smarter for you to check out a particular motorcycling portal.

Now if you should happen to want guidance on electric powered bikes it may be better to use a scooter directory in order to make contact with a scooter supplier, if you do this you will certainly obtain a good quantity of scooter knowledge for free.

The scooter specialists will be capable offering you a lot of prime niche assistance on matters such as obtaining the best deals on maxima scooters and how to obtain the proper item guarantee whenever getting a scooter, their scooter expertise will surely help you get the best product for your needs.

It could very well be you purchase a scooter helmet and later on discover the scooter site you sourced it from didn’t supply it at the lowest price, to be confident that this type of thing never comes about on a different occasion make an effort to proceed with an online price review or check a decent range of scooter directories prior to purchasing, it might happen that a vintage scooter is selling for a set price on one site but is being marketed for twenty percent less on another one, you can find some great deals if you look in the right places.

Many scooter experts and other people that may work with or have some involvement with scooters can easily be discovered via the regional telephone listings, there should be numerous listings of people who are associated in some way with scooters and such people might save you a considerable amount of your valuable time by assisting you with your scooter focused issues.

Most scooter info with the help of the web can be acquired in the United Kingdom, Australia and a ton of continents, motorcycling directories should offer you the contact info of nationally focused scooter portals so purchasing scooters from your global area is quicker and more effortless than ever before.

Free Scooter Parts tips by Gustav Cronell the author can be located at : www.atozscooters.com

When I was younger I always wanted to tone up my stomach and achieve the illusive six packs. I remember buying a work out video that was all the rage. It promised to give me killer abs in a workout that lasted about 8 minutes. I tried it for a few weeks and didn’t feel many results. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. It wasn’t until recently that I learned the secret to getting six packs.

Six pack abs means that your stomach is so toned that you can see the muscles and the lines between them, and it looks like a six pack of soda. In order to define the muscles to this extent you have to lose the fat on your stomach that is covering them up. No wonder my 8 minutes of exercise wasn’t effective! I needed to lose weight too. Doing a lot of abs exercises won’t make you lose the fat on your tummy. You have to eat right and do cardio exercise to lose the fat and let the muscles show through in that gorgeous six pack pattern. Now you know the secret of getting six packs so get yourself to the gym!