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AtricleZine - Packing Up for a Long Motorcycle Trip
What it Takes to be a Virtual Assistant
To be a successful VA it's not enough to just be good at administrative tasks, you also have to be able to run your own business. If the focus of a VA is to support our clients with building a successful business then it stands to reason that the better you are at running a successful business the better you will be at supporting your client with creating a successful business.In order to run a success practice there are skills you need to have or develop. The ability to get really clear on, why you are in business, what impact you want your business to have on the world and document, in detail, all of the systems, procedures, standards and protocols for your company are instrumental to success. Laying a strong foundation is the key to success.Continued work on your business is essential to sustaining success. Business and strategic planning, marketing, networking and relationship building will continue and sustain the growth of your business. All of this translate to working with your clients.Good communication is important in any situation however when developing virtual relationships it is critical to success. Due to the fact that everyone has different styles of communication you need to be able to adjust to various styles of communication and flow between clients matching their style. If you have a client who is very detailed don't give them just the bottom line and the opposite is true for clients who are bottom line oriented and are not interested in the details. Matching your clients communication style by adjusting your style when necessary will create synergistic
ystal cooling bandanna is a great piece of gear to be carrying. I usually carry this in a small baggie that helps keep it fresh and keeps other things from getting wet from it when not in use.
To be a successful VA it's not enough to just be good at administrative tasks, you also have to be able to run your own business. If the focus of a VA is to support our clients with building a successful business then it stands to reason that the better you are at running a successful business the better you will be at supporting your client with creating a successful business.In order to run a success practice there are skills you need to have or develop. The ability to get really clear on, why you are in business, what impact you want your business to have on the world and document, in detail, all of the systems, procedures, standards and protocols for your company are instrumental to success. Laying a strong foundation is the key to success.Continued work on your business is essential to sustaining success. Business and strategic planning, marketing, networking and relationship building will continue and sustain the growth of your business. All of this translate to working with your clients.Good communication is important in any situation however when developing virtual relationships it is critical to success. Due to the fact that everyone has different styles of communication you need to be able to adjust to various styles of communication and flow between clients matching their style. If you have a client who is very detailed don't give them just the bottom line and the opposite is true for clients who are bottom line oriented and are not interested in the details. Matching your clients communication style by adjusting your style when necessary will create synergistic
Of course as has been said millions of times “Dressing in layers is the way to go”. Being able to add layers and take off layers can substantially add to your riding comfort. As far as clothing is concerned keep it to a minimum. Carry enough for a few days and plan wash stops into your trip. This will help keep your load manageable. The key is to pack for all the conditions you are likely to run into but keep the load as sparse as possible. Get creative and figure out multiple uses for different pieces of clothing and the best way to extend the wear-ability of the clothes. After all if you get caught in the rain without your rainsuit, those clothes are good for another day. Aren’t they?
Hygiene
Even a scummy old biker like me likes to clean up every once in awhile. And since I often alternate between camping and motels I carry things to wash up with. These would include a towel, washcloth and those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo you can get at most motels. It helps that in my day job I travel all the time so I’ve got a life time supply of those.
I’m also trying to keep the last few remaining teeth that I have so that means I have to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste. Since I’ve got long hair I have to carry a brush to get the rat’s nest that forms in my hair every day out. Usually on long trips I don’t shave, but I always have a razor with me. I just use the soap to lather up on my face instead of carrying shaving cream.
One last item you should never leave without is toilet paper. There’s nothing worse than suddenly needing it when you’re out on the road and
Internet Addiction and Children-Hidden Dangers and 15 Warning Signs
Timothy was twelve when his parents bought him a computer for his room, thinking it would be helpful to him with his homework, as he was entering junior high. Timothy took to the Internet immediately and soon discovered chat rooms and email. At first, Timothy's parents watched over his shoulder frequently to make sure he was using the Internet safely. After a little while though, they stopped monitoring his online habits. Soon problems arose, however. Timothy began to spend all of his free time in his bedroom, and was moody when asked to spend time with his family. His average grade dropped from an A to a D and he became irritable and angry when he was away from his computer. Timothy is a high risk for Internet addiction.Computers have long been used by both children and adults as reliable sources of information. Over 20% of children now have computers in their own rooms and through the Internet have access to an unlimited supply of information and interaction. However, the risks of addiction are very great among children who are exposed to the Internet without strong parental guidelines.Excessive Internet use in children can lead to health problems like obesity, headaches and general ill health due to lack of physical activity. Children may become socially maladjusted and less able to communicate well with friends and family. Pedophiles can and do target children online. There is a high risk that children who use the Internet excessively will be exposed to inappropriate sexual content as well as scams. Excessive game play and use of online services can also result in children sp
Weeks before I’m ready to leave on a long motorcycle trip, I start getting excited. Often I get to the point where I can think of anything else. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that I spend the time getting prepared for it. I usually put this off to the very end. I’ve learned however over the years that this means that my packing never matches what I will really need for the trip. Proof, last year I was in Sturgis with nothing more than a sweatshirt and leather vest riding around in 45 to 55 degree weather. DUMB MOVE.
Anyway, to try to avoid that I’ve started putting a list together of the stuff I need to pack for every trip and where I want to store it on the motorcycle. To help me build the list I put everything in categories to help keep it a little more organized. The categories I use are:
Timothy was twelve when his parents bought him a computer for his room, thinking it would be helpful to him with his homework, as he was entering junior high. Timothy took to the Internet immediately and soon discovered chat rooms and email. At first, Timothy's parents watched over his shoulder frequently to make sure he was using the Internet safely. After a little while though, they stopped monitoring his online habits. Soon problems arose, however. Timothy began to spend all of his free time in his bedroom, and was moody when asked to spend time with his family. His average grade dropped from an A to a D and he became irritable and angry when he was away from his computer. Timothy is a high risk for Internet addiction.Computers have long been used by both children and adults as reliable sources of information. Over 20% of children now have computers in their own rooms and through the Internet have access to an unlimited supply of information and interaction. However, the risks of addiction are very great among children who are exposed to the Internet without strong parental guidelines.Excessive Internet use in children can lead to health problems like obesity, headaches and general ill health due to lack of physical activity. Children may become socially maladjusted and less able to communicate well with friends and family. Pedophiles can and do target children online. There is a high risk that children who use the Internet excessively will be exposed to inappropriate sexual content as well as scams. Excessive game play and use of online services can also result in children sp
- Things to keep the Motorcycle Rolling
- Things to keep the Motorcycle Secure
- Things to keep the rider going
- Protective clothing and gear (Riding Gear)
- Hygiene
- Camping Equipment
- Miscellaneous Stuff
Things to keep the Motorcycle Rolling
Regardless of your mechanical skills, on long trips you will usually end up having to fix something on your motorcycle. It’s just the nature of motorcycles. At a bare minimum I always carry tire patch and CO2 cartridges to perform those road side tire problems and hope I don’t have far to go till the next motorcycle shop. If the shop is a fair distance away you should have tools that would allow you to remove the tire and hitch a ride. Since I ride a Harley Davidson (not balanced and not rubber-mounted) I always carry a complete set of wrenches, Torx, and Allen wrenches, along with a bottle of LocTite to tighten up those parts that think it would be better to end up on the side of the road. I also carry a small multi-tool that includes a small LED flashlight because it seems I always breakdown after dark. In my tool pouch you can almost (important word there) always find extra fuses, an extra sparkplug and extra light bulbs. And the two most important things, zip ties and electrical tape. After all with those you can fix just about anything that would keep you from making it down the road. I’ve found that for most brands of motorcycles you can find pre-packaged tool pouches that have a good set of tools lined up for you. Sometimes the quality of the tools may be questionable, but hey all they’re going to do is ride around in your saddlebags and they’ll do in a pinch.
Things to keep the Motorcycle Secure
If you plan your trips like me (NOT) you don’t always end up staying at the most reputable establishments. It’s always a good idea to lock your bike and have some way of locking the wheels. At least that way you’ll keep the lazy motorcycle thieves from getting away with your bike. I always carry two keys for every lock with me when I travel. There’s the ones that I carry in my pocket or attached to my belt, and the ones I carry deep in my bag for when I lose the other ones. As for disc lock I really recommend them. They are small, strong and provide a pretty good deterrent. They don’t however address the case where someone comes with a lift and just hauls your bike away. For that you need to carry a heavy duty cable or chain lock to tie your bike to a solid structure. I personally don’t like these due to the bulk and weight that they add to the saddlebags, but then I have pretty good insurance to replace the motorcycle if it’s stolen.
Things to keep the rider going
Taking care of the rider is every bit, if not more so, important as keeping the motorcycle going. When we are out there in the wind there are millions of things that affect our ability to be comfortable and safe. Some of these I’ve discussed in other articles. First and foremost we need to make sure that we are protected from the sun. Getting sunburned on your arms, hands and face can absolutely ruin a good day of riding. I carry a stick sunscreen that has a SPF-30 rating and is waterproof and dries instantly. I use it on any skin that I have exposed to the sun. In addition I always carry a lip balm. Chapped lips can be a very painful thing on the road.
Both sunburn and chapped lips can sneak up on you without you being aware of it. Other things that I pack are a first aid kit that includes bandages, pain reliever and antiseptic ointments. Injuries on the road can become infected very easy due to the road grim that we are constantly hit by.
Perhaps my most important piece of equipment is my cell phone. I always carry that with me and make sure that it’s always charged. Today, there is probably no piece of equipment that is more important than a cell phone in case of emergency. I usually carry a charger for use at night and a 12v car charger. Luckily I’ve installed a lighter on my motorcycle that allows me to charge my phone from the bike. This way I never have to worry about being stranded with a dead phone.
While I’m talking about phones, please make sure that you have I.C.E. number coded into your address book on the phone. I.C.E. numbers are the first thing that emergency workers will look for In Case of Emergency. Having these number(s) in your phone can greatly increase your chances of getting proper medical care. Two basic considerations for the numbers should be:
- Make sure the numbers are current. It won’t do any good to have a number that is no longer valid specified as your ICE.
- Make sure that the person that answers that call has some basic knowledge about your medical history. Things like known allergies, blood type and doctors’ name. By providing this basic information the emergency medical workers will be able to make much more informed decisions.
On long trips you are most likely going to hit every kind of conceivable weather. No matter how hot it may get in the middle of that sunny summer day, there’s probably some cold miserable weather waiting out there for you. If you’re in the middle of the desert you’re sure to run into some rain. After all you are on a motorcycle. To be prepared, I save all of the space in my saddlebags for riding gear. My usual list is:
- My colors. Can’t ride a bike without those.
- Leather Jacket preferably one that has a removable lining and good ventilation.
- Chaps. Make sure they fit well and are in good condition.
- Fingerless gloves and full fingered gloves
- A couple of extra doo rags. I’m always losing those things.
- Face mask of some sort. I’ve got a windshield on my bike and that protects me most of the time but in heavy rain, hail and the cold a neoprene face mask really helps.
- Sunglasses and/or goggles. I personally like the convertible combos, which can change from sunglasses to goggles and have interchangeable lenses. My personal favorites are the SG-1 from WileyX.
- Rain Suit. One of those cheap sets from Wally World won’t do. Sure they may keep you dry for awhile, but more often than not you’ll get 30 miles down the road and the suit will be flying behind you like streamers. Don’t skimp here. A couple of bandannas will always come in handy.
- If the weather is going to be extremely hot then a polymer crystal cooling bandanna is a great piece of gear to be carrying. I usually carry this in a small baggie that helps keep it fresh and keeps other things from getting wet from it when not in use.
Of course as has been said millions of times “Dressing in layers is the way to go”. Being able to add layers and take off layers can substantially add to your riding comfort. As far as clothing is concerned keep it to a minimum. Carry enough for a few days and plan wash stops into your trip. This will help keep your load manageable. The key is to pack for all the conditions you are likely to run into but keep the load as sparse as possible. Get creative and figure out multiple uses for different pieces of clothing and the best way to extend the wear-ability of the clothes. After all if you get caught in the rain without your rainsuit, those clothes are good for another day. Aren’t they?
Hygiene
Even a scummy old biker like me likes to clean up every once in awhile. And since I often alternate between camping and motels I carry things to wash up with. These would include a towel, washcloth and those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo you can get at most motels. It helps that in my day job I travel all the time so I’ve got a life time supply of those.
I’m also trying to keep the last few remaining teeth that I have so that means I have to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste. Since I’ve got long hair I have to carry a brush to get the rat’s nest that forms in my hair every day out. Usually on long trips I don’t shave, but I always have a razor with me. I just use the soap to lather up on my face instead of carrying shaving cream.
One last item you should never leave without is toilet paper. There’s nothing worse than suddenly needing it when you’re out on the road and
The Components of a Valued ADD/ADHD Private Evaluation
It is not uncommon for parents to feel uncertain about finding a private practitioner to provide a comprehensive evaluation for ADD/ADHD. Generally parents will approach this need by first consulting with their child’s pediatrician. This tends to be a good first step in the process given the pediatricians familiarity and expertise with ADD/ADHD. A pediatric office generally will treat a good number of ADD children in their practice either as products of community diagnosticians or their own internal office evaluative process. The high frequency of ADD referrals will often prompt the pediatrician to seek consultative evaluations completed by a familiar mental health practitioner usually a child psychologist. The framework of this professional association will then allow the pediatrician the opportunity to evaluate the child patient medically to rule out any physical problems that may be presenting. Following the completion of a routine physical exam, the pediatrician or family physician would then form a cooperative partnership with the mental health provider to complete the remainder of the evaluation.Child psychologists are more frequently involved in completing the remainder of the evaluation which will include a choice of various child rating scales and behavior checklists provided to the parents and classroom teacher for completion. Although the rating scales can be a useful piece of information on child behavior and performance, greater emphasis should be placed on additional child and family information that is available. The following areas will provide extremely useful d
ll multi-tool that includes a small LED flashlight because it seems I always breakdown after dark. In my tool pouch you can almost (important word there) always find extra fuses, an extra sparkplug and extra light bulbs. And the two most important things, zip ties and electrical tape. After all with those you can fix just about anything that would keep you from making it down the road. I’ve found that for most brands of motorcycles you can find pre-packaged tool pouches that have a good set of tools lined up for you. Sometimes the quality of the tools may be questionable, but hey all they’re going to do is ride around in your saddlebags and they’ll do in a pinch.
It is not uncommon for parents to feel uncertain about finding a private practitioner to provide a comprehensive evaluation for ADD/ADHD. Generally parents will approach this need by first consulting with their child’s pediatrician. This tends to be a good first step in the process given the pediatricians familiarity and expertise with ADD/ADHD. A pediatric office generally will treat a good number of ADD children in their practice either as products of community diagnosticians or their own internal office evaluative process. The high frequency of ADD referrals will often prompt the pediatrician to seek consultative evaluations completed by a familiar mental health practitioner usually a child psychologist. The framework of this professional association will then allow the pediatrician the opportunity to evaluate the child patient medically to rule out any physical problems that may be presenting. Following the completion of a routine physical exam, the pediatrician or family physician would then form a cooperative partnership with the mental health provider to complete the remainder of the evaluation.Child psychologists are more frequently involved in completing the remainder of the evaluation which will include a choice of various child rating scales and behavior checklists provided to the parents and classroom teacher for completion. Although the rating scales can be a useful piece of information on child behavior and performance, greater emphasis should be placed on additional child and family information that is available. The following areas will provide extremely useful d
Things to keep the Motorcycle Secure
If you plan your trips like me (NOT) you don’t always end up staying at the most reputable establishments. It’s always a good idea to lock your bike and have some way of locking the wheels. At least that way you’ll keep the lazy motorcycle thieves from getting away with your bike. I always carry two keys for every lock with me when I travel. There’s the ones that I carry in my pocket or attached to my belt, and the ones I carry deep in my bag for when I lose the other ones. As for disc lock I really recommend them. They are small, strong and provide a pretty good deterrent. They don’t however address the case where someone comes with a lift and just hauls your bike away. For that you need to carry a heavy duty cable or chain lock to tie your bike to a solid structure. I personally don’t like these due to the bulk and weight that they add to the saddlebags, but then I have pretty good insurance to replace the motorcycle if it’s stolen.
Things to keep the rider going
Taking care of the rider is every bit, if not more so, important as keeping the motorcycle going. When we are out there in the wind there are millions of things that affect our ability to be comfortable and safe. Some of these I’ve discussed in other articles. First and foremost we need to make sure that we are protected from the sun. Getting sunburned on your arms, hands and face can absolutely ruin a good day of riding. I carry a stick sunscreen that has a SPF-30 rating and is waterproof and dries instantly. I use it on any skin that I have exposed to the sun. In addition I always carry a lip balm. Chapped lips can be a very painful thing on the road.
Both sunburn and chapped lips can sneak up on you without you being aware of it. Other things that I pack are a first aid kit that includes bandages, pain reliever and antiseptic ointments. Injuries on the road can become infected very easy due to the road grim that we are constantly hit by.
Perhaps my most important piece of equipment is my cell phone. I always carry that with me and make sure that it’s always charged. Today, there is probably no piece of equipment that is more important than a cell phone in case of emergency. I usually carry a charger for use at night and a 12v car charger. Luckily I’ve installed a lighter on my motorcycle that allows me to charge my phone from the bike. This way I never have to worry about being stranded with a dead phone.
While I’m talking about phones, please make sure that you have I.C.E. number coded into your address book on the phone. I.C.E. numbers are the first thing that emergency workers will look for In Case of Emergency. Having these number(s) in your phone can greatly increase your chances of getting proper medical care. Two basic considerations for the numbers should be:
- Make sure the numbers are current. It won’t do any good to have a number that is no longer valid specified as your ICE.
- Make sure that the person that answers that call has some basic knowledge about your medical history. Things like known allergies, blood type and doctors’ name. By providing this basic information the emergency medical workers will be able to make much more informed decisions.
On long trips you are most likely going to hit every kind of conceivable weather. No matter how hot it may get in the middle of that sunny summer day, there’s probably some cold miserable weather waiting out there for you. If you’re in the middle of the desert you’re sure to run into some rain. After all you are on a motorcycle. To be prepared, I save all of the space in my saddlebags for riding gear. My usual list is:
- My colors. Can’t ride a bike without those.
- Leather Jacket preferably one that has a removable lining and good ventilation.
- Chaps. Make sure they fit well and are in good condition.
- Fingerless gloves and full fingered gloves
- A couple of extra doo rags. I’m always losing those things.
- Face mask of some sort. I’ve got a windshield on my bike and that protects me most of the time but in heavy rain, hail and the cold a neoprene face mask really helps.
- Sunglasses and/or goggles. I personally like the convertible combos, which can change from sunglasses to goggles and have interchangeable lenses. My personal favorites are the SG-1 from WileyX.
- Rain Suit. One of those cheap sets from Wally World won’t do. Sure they may keep you dry for awhile, but more often than not you’ll get 30 miles down the road and the suit will be flying behind you like streamers. Don’t skimp here. A couple of bandannas will always come in handy.
- If the weather is going to be extremely hot then a polymer crystal cooling bandanna is a great piece of gear to be carrying. I usually carry this in a small baggie that helps keep it fresh and keeps other things from getting wet from it when not in use.
Of course as has been said millions of times “Dressing in layers is the way to go”. Being able to add layers and take off layers can substantially add to your riding comfort. As far as clothing is concerned keep it to a minimum. Carry enough for a few days and plan wash stops into your trip. This will help keep your load manageable. The key is to pack for all the conditions you are likely to run into but keep the load as sparse as possible. Get creative and figure out multiple uses for different pieces of clothing and the best way to extend the wear-ability of the clothes. After all if you get caught in the rain without your rainsuit, those clothes are good for another day. Aren’t they?
Hygiene
Even a scummy old biker like me likes to clean up every once in awhile. And since I often alternate between camping and motels I carry things to wash up with. These would include a towel, washcloth and those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo you can get at most motels. It helps that in my day job I travel all the time so I’ve got a life time supply of those.
I’m also trying to keep the last few remaining teeth that I have so that means I have to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste. Since I’ve got long hair I have to carry a brush to get the rat’s nest that forms in my hair every day out. Usually on long trips I don’t shave, but I always have a razor with me. I just use the soap to lather up on my face instead of carrying shaving cream.
One last item you should never leave without is toilet paper. There’s nothing worse than suddenly needing it when you’re out on the road and
General Motors & Ford-It's the Cars “Stupid” Part I
When Bill Clinton ran for the Presidency in 1992, his platform was basically, it’s the economy “Stupid”. When we look at the state of the American automobile industry, we believe both companies are on the wrong track. General Motors stock bottomed at $17 per share, and is now trading in the $30’s. Everybody is excited about chopping employees, closing plants, and potentially hooking up with Renault’s formidable Carlos Ghosn. This is all financial engineering, which is great for what it is, but it’s not what car manufacturing is all about. It’s all about cars, does anybody remember that GM, and Ford make cars.What gets you into trouble is what has to get you out of trouble. The 25 year problem with American car companies, is that we manufacture cars that are less than desirable. Is anybody listening out there? If you look at sales patterns on the East coast, and West coast of the United States, you will see that Japanese manufacturers dominate both coasts in sales. The car companies are selling to long-time loyal Americans that buy American in the Midwest and Southeast. They are not selling on the basis of quality, and bang for the buck. They can’t compete on that level.The problem comes down to this. The Japanese companies have mastered zero defect manufacturing. This means the car comes off the assembly line perfect. There are no (zero) problems to be fixed at the dealer level. When a person takes delivery from the showroom, he rides out with a car that doesn’t have to come back until the first major service. The reason why so many Japanese companies have instituted free oil cha
in the wind there are millions of things that affect our ability to be comfortable and safe. Some of these I’ve discussed in other articles. First and foremost we need to make sure that we are protected from the sun. Getting sunburned on your arms, hands and face can absolutely ruin a good day of riding. I carry a stick sunscreen that has a SPF-30 rating and is waterproof and dries instantly. I use it on any skin that I have exposed to the sun. In addition I always carry a lip balm. Chapped lips can be a very painful thing on the road.
When Bill Clinton ran for the Presidency in 1992, his platform was basically, it’s the economy “Stupid”. When we look at the state of the American automobile industry, we believe both companies are on the wrong track. General Motors stock bottomed at $17 per share, and is now trading in the $30’s. Everybody is excited about chopping employees, closing plants, and potentially hooking up with Renault’s formidable Carlos Ghosn. This is all financial engineering, which is great for what it is, but it’s not what car manufacturing is all about. It’s all about cars, does anybody remember that GM, and Ford make cars.What gets you into trouble is what has to get you out of trouble. The 25 year problem with American car companies, is that we manufacture cars that are less than desirable. Is anybody listening out there? If you look at sales patterns on the East coast, and West coast of the United States, you will see that Japanese manufacturers dominate both coasts in sales. The car companies are selling to long-time loyal Americans that buy American in the Midwest and Southeast. They are not selling on the basis of quality, and bang for the buck. They can’t compete on that level.The problem comes down to this. The Japanese companies have mastered zero defect manufacturing. This means the car comes off the assembly line perfect. There are no (zero) problems to be fixed at the dealer level. When a person takes delivery from the showroom, he rides out with a car that doesn’t have to come back until the first major service. The reason why so many Japanese companies have instituted free oil cha
Both sunburn and chapped lips can sneak up on you without you being aware of it. Other things that I pack are a first aid kit that includes bandages, pain reliever and antiseptic ointments. Injuries on the road can become infected very easy due to the road grim that we are constantly hit by.
Perhaps my most important piece of equipment is my cell phone. I always carry that with me and make sure that it’s always charged. Today, there is probably no piece of equipment that is more important than a cell phone in case of emergency. I usually carry a charger for use at night and a 12v car charger. Luckily I’ve installed a lighter on my motorcycle that allows me to charge my phone from the bike. This way I never have to worry about being stranded with a dead phone.
While I’m talking about phones, please make sure that you have I.C.E. number coded into your address book on the phone. I.C.E. numbers are the first thing that emergency workers will look for In Case of Emergency. Having these number(s) in your phone can greatly increase your chances of getting proper medical care. Two basic considerations for the numbers should be:
- Make sure the numbers are current. It won’t do any good to have a number that is no longer valid specified as your ICE.
- Make sure that the person that answers that call has some basic knowledge about your medical history. Things like known allergies, blood type and doctors’ name. By providing this basic information the emergency medical workers will be able to make much more informed decisions.
On long trips you are most likely going to hit every kind of conceivable weather. No matter how hot it may get in the middle of that sunny summer day, there’s probably some cold miserable weather waiting out there for you. If you’re in the middle of the desert you’re sure to run into some rain. After all you are on a motorcycle. To be prepared, I save all of the space in my saddlebags for riding gear. My usual list is:
- My colors. Can’t ride a bike without those.
- Leather Jacket preferably one that has a removable lining and good ventilation.
- Chaps. Make sure they fit well and are in good condition.
- Fingerless gloves and full fingered gloves
- A couple of extra doo rags. I’m always losing those things.
- Face mask of some sort. I’ve got a windshield on my bike and that protects me most of the time but in heavy rain, hail and the cold a neoprene face mask really helps.
- Sunglasses and/or goggles. I personally like the convertible combos, which can change from sunglasses to goggles and have interchangeable lenses. My personal favorites are the SG-1 from WileyX.
- Rain Suit. One of those cheap sets from Wally World won’t do. Sure they may keep you dry for awhile, but more often than not you’ll get 30 miles down the road and the suit will be flying behind you like streamers. Don’t skimp here. A couple of bandannas will always come in handy.
- If the weather is going to be extremely hot then a polymer crystal cooling bandanna is a great piece of gear to be carrying. I usually carry this in a small baggie that helps keep it fresh and keeps other things from getting wet from it when not in use.
Of course as has been said millions of times “Dressing in layers is the way to go”. Being able to add layers and take off layers can substantially add to your riding comfort. As far as clothing is concerned keep it to a minimum. Carry enough for a few days and plan wash stops into your trip. This will help keep your load manageable. The key is to pack for all the conditions you are likely to run into but keep the load as sparse as possible. Get creative and figure out multiple uses for different pieces of clothing and the best way to extend the wear-ability of the clothes. After all if you get caught in the rain without your rainsuit, those clothes are good for another day. Aren’t they?
Hygiene
Even a scummy old biker like me likes to clean up every once in awhile. And since I often alternate between camping and motels I carry things to wash up with. These would include a towel, washcloth and those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo you can get at most motels. It helps that in my day job I travel all the time so I’ve got a life time supply of those.
I’m also trying to keep the last few remaining teeth that I have so that means I have to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste. Since I’ve got long hair I have to carry a brush to get the rat’s nest that forms in my hair every day out. Usually on long trips I don’t shave, but I always have a razor with me. I just use the soap to lather up on my face instead of carrying shaving cream.
One last item you should never leave without is toilet paper. There’s nothing worse than suddenly needing it when you’re out on the road and
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB is the result of a merger in 1995 of two formidable financial institutions: Lloyds Bank Group and the TSB Group. Today, Lloyds TSB has offices in 27 countries around the world. As a major player in the financial arena, its offices are located in all of the world’s financial hot spots including Dubai, Switzerland, the United States, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.Online banking with Lloyds TSB is the preferred banking method of the majority of its 27-million customers. The Internet has definitely changed the way people live and many are taking advantage of its convenience to perform time-consuming everyday tasks such as banking, shopping, and making travel arrangements. No longer fearful of transacting business online, more and more individuals around the world are logging on.Lloyds TSB is the perfect online banking solution for those individuals who travel and conduct business internationally. The company also offers a wide range of services for those who don’t travel very far from home.On the international side, Lloyds TSB customers can receive and make payments in Euros so they no longer have to bother with changing currencies. They can also set up foreign currency accounts making the process of exchanging currencies less risky. International money mover services facilitate the process of sending and receiving money when trading abroad. Its documentary letter of credit program helps customers save money and expedite payments, both of which help improve cash flow.Most international services are offered free of charge to Lloyds TSB account holders and that
ke sure that the person that answers that call has some basic knowledge about your medical history. Things like known allergies, blood type and doctors’ name. By providing this basic information the emergency medical workers will be able to make much more informed decisions.
Protective clothing and gear (Riding Gear)Lloyds TSB is the result of a merger in 1995 of two formidable financial institutions: Lloyds Bank Group and the TSB Group. Today, Lloyds TSB has offices in 27 countries around the world. As a major player in the financial arena, its offices are located in all of the world’s financial hot spots including Dubai, Switzerland, the United States, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.Online banking with Lloyds TSB is the preferred banking method of the majority of its 27-million customers. The Internet has definitely changed the way people live and many are taking advantage of its convenience to perform time-consuming everyday tasks such as banking, shopping, and making travel arrangements. No longer fearful of transacting business online, more and more individuals around the world are logging on.Lloyds TSB is the perfect online banking solution for those individuals who travel and conduct business internationally. The company also offers a wide range of services for those who don’t travel very far from home.On the international side, Lloyds TSB customers can receive and make payments in Euros so they no longer have to bother with changing currencies. They can also set up foreign currency accounts making the process of exchanging currencies less risky. International money mover services facilitate the process of sending and receiving money when trading abroad. Its documentary letter of credit program helps customers save money and expedite payments, both of which help improve cash flow.Most international services are offered free of charge to Lloyds TSB account holders and that
On long trips you are most likely going to hit every kind of conceivable weather. No matter how hot it may get in the middle of that sunny summer day, there’s probably some cold miserable weather waiting out there for you. If you’re in the middle of the desert you’re sure to run into some rain. After all you are on a motorcycle. To be prepared, I save all of the space in my saddlebags for riding gear. My usual list is:
- My colors. Can’t ride a bike without those.
- Leather Jacket preferably one that has a removable lining and good ventilation.
- Chaps. Make sure they fit well and are in good condition.
- Fingerless gloves and full fingered gloves
- A couple of extra doo rags. I’m always losing those things.
- Face mask of some sort. I’ve got a windshield on my bike and that protects me most of the time but in heavy rain, hail and the cold a neoprene face mask really helps.
- Sunglasses and/or goggles. I personally like the convertible combos, which can change from sunglasses to goggles and have interchangeable lenses. My personal favorites are the SG-1 from WileyX.
- Rain Suit. One of those cheap sets from Wally World won’t do. Sure they may keep you dry for awhile, but more often than not you’ll get 30 miles down the road and the suit will be flying behind you like streamers. Don’t skimp here. A couple of bandannas will always come in handy.
- If the weather is going to be extremely hot then a polymer crystal cooling bandanna is a great piece of gear to be carrying. I usually carry this in a small baggie that helps keep it fresh and keeps other things from getting wet from it when not in use.
Of course as has been said millions of times “Dressing in layers is the way to go”. Being able to add layers and take off layers can substantially add to your riding comfort. As far as clothing is concerned keep it to a minimum. Carry enough for a few days and plan wash stops into your trip. This will help keep your load manageable. The key is to pack for all the conditions you are likely to run into but keep the load as sparse as possible. Get creative and figure out multiple uses for different pieces of clothing and the best way to extend the wear-ability of the clothes. After all if you get caught in the rain without your rainsuit, those clothes are good for another day. Aren’t they?
Hygiene
Even a scummy old biker like me likes to clean up every once in awhile. And since I often alternate between camping and motels I carry things to wash up with. These would include a towel, washcloth and those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo you can get at most motels. It helps that in my day job I travel all the time so I’ve got a life time supply of those.
I’m also trying to keep the last few remaining teeth that I have so that means I have to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste. Since I’ve got long hair I have to carry a brush to get the rat’s nest that forms in my hair every day out. Usually on long trips I don’t shave, but I always have a razor with me. I just use the soap to lather up on my face instead of carrying shaving cream.
One last item you should never leave without is toilet paper. There’s nothing worse than suddenly needing it when you’re out on the road and
Google AdWords, an Advertising Tool With Lightening Speed
Google the worlds busiest search engine came out with its paid advertising tool in back March 2002 called as AdWords and marketers all around the world have been making some decent amount of money with their ad campaigns.What's so unique about the tool?To find this out we will have to compare AdWords with other digital ad media in general. By digital ad media I mean ad campaigns that are run on TV's ,radios, and also other ad formats and types on the internet.Let's take an example. If I am a bicycle manufacturer and am interested in selling my bikes to teenagers, I would probably advertise the bicycle on related magazines, buy ad slots on some sports TV channel, promote the product on radio, may be personally visit college groups, sponsor bicycle races, etc...All these activities have an investment in terms of money and time. Now the amount of money I will have to spend is directly dependant upon the type of media I choose. I will have to pay the TV channel what they say and then my ad goes on air.Now after studying the statistical reports and all other things I will have to check on the sales of my product. So in any business, small or large the ROI(return On Investment) matter a lot.Now Google has developed a very smart system called as AdWords, where YOU decide the amount of money you want to pay. This is different from all other medias mentioned above. See their strategy, "customers first" is what has driven them ahead.The AdWords system allows the user to decide some of the following factors.1) Select the keywords for which you want
ystal cooling bandanna is a great piece of gear to be carrying. I usually carry this in a small baggie that helps keep it fresh and keeps other things from getting wet from it when not in use.
Google the worlds busiest search engine came out with its paid advertising tool in back March 2002 called as AdWords and marketers all around the world have been making some decent amount of money with their ad campaigns.What's so unique about the tool?To find this out we will have to compare AdWords with other digital ad media in general. By digital ad media I mean ad campaigns that are run on TV's ,radios, and also other ad formats and types on the internet.Let's take an example. If I am a bicycle manufacturer and am interested in selling my bikes to teenagers, I would probably advertise the bicycle on related magazines, buy ad slots on some sports TV channel, promote the product on radio, may be personally visit college groups, sponsor bicycle races, etc...All these activities have an investment in terms of money and time. Now the amount of money I will have to spend is directly dependant upon the type of media I choose. I will have to pay the TV channel what they say and then my ad goes on air.Now after studying the statistical reports and all other things I will have to check on the sales of my product. So in any business, small or large the ROI(return On Investment) matter a lot.Now Google has developed a very smart system called as AdWords, where YOU decide the amount of money you want to pay. This is different from all other medias mentioned above. See their strategy, "customers first" is what has driven them ahead.The AdWords system allows the user to decide some of the following factors.1) Select the keywords for which you want
Of course as has been said millions of times “Dressing in layers is the way to go”. Being able to add layers and take off layers can substantially add to your riding comfort. As far as clothing is concerned keep it to a minimum. Carry enough for a few days and plan wash stops into your trip. This will help keep your load manageable. The key is to pack for all the conditions you are likely to run into but keep the load as sparse as possible. Get creative and figure out multiple uses for different pieces of clothing and the best way to extend the wear-ability of the clothes. After all if you get caught in the rain without your rainsuit, those clothes are good for another day. Aren’t they?
Hygiene
Even a scummy old biker like me likes to clean up every once in awhile. And since I often alternate between camping and motels I carry things to wash up with. These would include a towel, washcloth and those little bars of soap and bottles of shampoo you can get at most motels. It helps that in my day job I travel all the time so I’ve got a life time supply of those.
I’m also trying to keep the last few remaining teeth that I have so that means I have to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste. Since I’ve got long hair I have to carry a brush to get the rat’s nest that forms in my hair every day out. Usually on long trips I don’t shave, but I always have a razor with me. I just use the soap to lather up on my face instead of carrying shaving cream.
One last item you should never leave without is toilet paper. There’s nothing worse than suddenly needing it when you’re out on the road and not having it. I usually start out with a small quantity which would take care of the duties a couple of times. If I end up using that up, I usually restock courtesy of the next gas stop or hotel.
All of this is carried in a small bag that I always have packed so I never have to worry about it. If I use something, I replace it and it’s a thoughtless act to throw that in the T-Bags.
Camping Equipment
Camping equipment is probably one of the hardest things to carry and pack on a motorcycle. This is based mostly on the fact that it usually bulky and doesn’t necessarily pack down real well. Even when they pack down the bags seem to be longer than you would want. They usually end up being to tall if you tie them on standing up, or to wide if you try to have them laying down.
For a tent, I’ve found that the small two man dome tents work best. They are easy to set up, have plenty of room to spread out in at night (if there’s only one person in it), and they pack down pretty nice. My tent originally came in a flimsy nylon bag that I knew would hold up to rolling down the road so I replaced the bag with a sturdier one. My tent is usually bungeed onto my T-Bag and additional one to attach it to the motorcycle.
On the other side of the T-Bag, I have my mattress. As the years have gone by that ground has gotten harder and harder. I use one of those self-inflating mattresses that blow themselves up. While they’re not the most comfortable, it sure beat sleeping on the ground. In the morning all you have to do is open the valve, roll it up and it’s ready to go. I got a bag to carry the mattress in too.
Miscellaneous Stuff
I’ve always found that carrying cameras on a motorcycle trip can be a pain. The old styles (film based) have a tendency to take up to much space. And the digital camera require to much accessory stuff, like chargers, place to download the pictures and such. For a while I was carrying Advantix cameras, since they can be relatively small and take good quality pictures. Now I’ve never been a fan of the panoramic views but that is available on them. I’m now carrying a digital camera and have bought several different memory cards for it. This way I can use the cards like regular film and don’t have to carry all the stuff to download the pictures until I get home.
Other important items are a wallet, credit cards and money. Can’t keep going without these. And the one thing that I consider the most important, a notebook and pens. When I’m on a trip it’s great to be able to keep notes about what you saw, how the motorcycle was running, where I stayed and interesting characters I meet along the way. It’s also important cause if you’re like me and suffer from CRAFT disease (write me if you want to know what that stands for) it’s a great way to refresh your memories of the trip years from now.
Now that the bike’s all loaded up one last thing to remember is that with all the additional weight of the stuff you’re carrying the motorcycle is likely to handle differently. Remember to try to keep the weight as low and as close to the center of the motorcycle as possible. This will help keep the front wheel from getting to light or making the motorcycle a little top heavy. Make sure everything is strapped on real well. Good straps and bungies will give you a good dose of peace of mind knowing that your load is secure.
Be Safe … Enjoy the Ride
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