Monthly Archives: February 2011

What To Find In Quad Bikes For Sale

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Trying to get the best bike to ride can be hard to do if you do not know about what to find in them. However, with the proper information it will be easy to find the best quad bikes for sale. Once you know about this, it will be easy to locate the best one for your needs. Some of the items you should look for includes the motor type it has, how many hours the motor has on it, and even the type terrain this can go through when you are riding on it.

Looking at the motor type the vehicle has is rather important to do. When you know about this, it will be easy for you to select the proper one for your needs. Then you will be able to get the best one which will be able to go over all the items that you have because the motor is strong enough to transport you with it.

The number of hours the motor has on it is rather important for you to look at as well. By looking at this, it will be easy for you to know if the motor will last you for a long period of time or not. Without this type of information, though, the motor can be older than what you thought which can lead to you having to take care of the issues you can have earlier than what you thought.

Types of land these can go over is rather important for you to look at as well. By knowing about the land these will be going over, it will be easy for you to find the best one available. The you can finally go exploring in the countryside like you want to, but also be able to get to the areas you always had to hike to before faster than what you thought.

Having the best time on a bike can be a good thing to do. The issue that comes up is not knowing about what to find in the quad bikes for sale and selecting the wrong one. Some of the items you should be looking for in these will be the type of motor the vehicle has, how long the motor has been in use, and the terrain this vehicle can go over for you. With this information, it will be easy for you to find the best one for your needs.

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CAFE Standards And The Cars We Drive

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There has been a lot of concern about the effects of pollution and emissions on our planet and health. The government has been trying to solve this problem for a long time and it looks as if the CAFE regulations is the first step towards the production of vehicles that are more greener and fuel efficient. Auto makers will have to meet deadlines; their fleet of cars will have to reach certain mpg requirements. Violators will be fined.

Don’t expect to see SUV’s and bigger cars completely eliminated. CAFE is not actually applied to individual car models but to the entire fleet of vehicles. We’ll see car companies build more hybrids and efficient cars in order to offset their bigger cars.

Will these new regulations affect the cost of buying a car? We think so. Automotive companies will need to dedicate more funds and hire more experts in order to produce these super efficient cars. The additional cost will be reflected in the vehicle price. As a result, it will be more expensive to make the initial purchase. However, consumers will save in the long run via reduced fuel costs.

Accidents are another concern. It’s natural to assume that car companies will make cars lighter; this is probably the most cost effective way of improving mpg. However, lighter cars can be dangerous during car accidents; especially if the other vehicle is a big truck or SUV. The regulations will only apply to new cars. This means we will still have plenty of older big trucks and SUV’s on the road. A mix of very compact and big heavy vehicles could be dangerous indeed.

However, it is possible that advanced safety features may offset the weight factor. Cars of today boast a large array of advanced safety features that weren’t available ten years ago. We can expect CAFE to prompt auto makers to attempt and build autos that are safe while still meeting the new regulations.

As we all know, luxury brands generally boast V8 engines and are known for their horsepower. How will they meet these requirements? There is talk right now that the current administration will actually make an exemption for luxury car makers even though they won’t be able to meet requirements. We can expect the price of luxury autos to rise even further; consumers may have to pay extra for driving a vehicle that doesn’t meet the requirements.

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Suzuki Offers Seven Updated Motorcycles for 2012

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It’s the time of year when motorcycle manufacturers roll out their new or newly reworked models for the coming year, and Suzuki has a passel of new offerings. Using the company’s own categories, there are four new motocross bikes, one newly revised dual-sport, and two new off road bikes. Two of the motocross bikes and both of the off road bikes are also classified as kids’ bikes.

The motocrossers all share the RM designation. They include the RM-Z450 at 449cc, RM-Z250 at 249cc, RM85 at 84.7cc, and the same-sized RM85L. The difference between the RM85 and RM85L is that the latter sports larger wheels, an extended swingarm, and its wheelbase is designed specifically to accommodate larger riders.

The RM-Z450 has a fuel-injected, DOHC, four-valve engine and comes with a 5-speed transmission. It has inverted forks with adjustable compression and rebound damping. The rear shock permits wheel travel of 310mm to eat up the bumps.

On the RM-Z250 the engine is also a fuel-injected DOHC, with titanium four-valve, semi-dry-sump, four-stroke configuration. RPM peaks at 13,500. It has a 5-speed transmission. Says Suzuki, “Tuned to offer superb handling for a wide range of riders, the suspension delivers excellent traction without sacrificing quick-turning ability.”

The RM85 is a two-stroke, as is the RM85L. Both the 85s come with a 6-speed transmission, inverted forks, and adjustable compression and rebound damping. Significantly for racers, the RM85′s wheel sizes meet AMA 85cc class regulations.

All four bikes come with electronic ignition but use kick starters. MSRP is listed for the RM-Z450 as $8,399; $7,399 for the RM-Z250; $4,149 for the RM85; and $4,199 for the RM85L.

The 2012 dual-sport is not a new bike, but the venerable 650cc V-Strom with significant new features. Most notable of the upgrades is ABS. While ABS is considered undesirable on the dirt by many riders, Suzuki reportedly determined that 97 percent of the V-Stroms sold never leave the pavement, and thus ABS would be warranted and welcome. If you do want to take the bike off the pavement, an aftermarket kit is available to switch the ABS off and on.

Suzuki is billing the 2012 V-Strom as “The Comfortable Adventure Tourer.” The company boasts improvements in engine performance in the low- to mid-ranges, better fuel economy, and styling and bodywork design changes that offer the rider better wind protection. It has an electric starter. MSRP on the new V-Strom has not yet been released.

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2008 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Is Like Adding Steroids, Gel and Makeup to The C350

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In 2007 Mercedes Benz introduced the new body style for the C-Class, which admittedly, was like your girl/boyfriend going from a 6 to an 8. The new model was re-inspiring and gave the C-Class a new more modern look. Take a look for yourself in the difference of styling in the pictures below.

Then in 2008, they came out with the AMG version of the C-Class, which was the equivalent of your girl/boyfriend working out, gaining some muscle and wearing make-up or gel (assuming that gel still makes you look cool), respectively. By working out and gaining muscle, I mean by about 68% and 72% in the horsepower and torque department, respectively, to 451 hp and 443 lb-ft. What happens after such an increase in muscle is you can now do a sprint to 60 mph in only 4.5 seconds rather than a measly 6.2 seconds in that less attractive C 350.

When launching an AMG version there will always be cosmetic upgrades alongside the above mentioned power upgrades. For a guy, this is sort of like adding gel to your hair, but I’m not talking about Pauly-D type of gel, as seen below, but rather a more sophisticated refined look sort of like the picture below Pauly-D. On a more feminine note, the cosmetic changes from the base-model to the AMG is sort of like adding makeup to one’s self, also seen in the pictures below… okay well it’s not as bad as the pictures, but you get what I’m saying.

Okay, enough ranting back to the C63 AMG… the base model was already a good looking car, but with the added AMG gel and makeup, it is now a dime piece. And this is a huge reason why the C63 AMG is one of my favorite luxury sports sedans, next to the 2010 M5 of course J. The cosmetic/structural improvements include a 35mm wider road-hugging stance which is hidden by the larger fender flares. This not only looks better, but also improves the car’s handling around corners. Another cosmetic upgrade is the lower bumper and the hood, which when mixed with everything else, subconsciously says that this Merc means business.

Despite this being a serious AMG performance car, we know that Mercedes Benz frowns upon a manual gearbox as it is not proper for a luxury car. That is why this one is fitted with an AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic transmission. There are 3 settings, “Manual”, “Comfort” and “Sport” and the difference between the modes is shift speed/smoothness. A benefit of the transmission is that the power is distributed across 7 speeds rather than 6, allowing the C63 to hit 60 mph (4.5 seconds), 75 mph (6.3) and the quarter-mile (12.5 seconds @ 114 mph) quicker.

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