Want a chopper? Build your own!

Written by Michael Holmes


Motorcycle chopper kits are a growth industry. But what does that mean to you and me? Well one thing that we know is that we will have more choppers to ogle at. There is not a single day that goes by without more and more pictures of chopper bikes that have just been finished showing up in allrepparttar motorcycle magazines. Then atrepparttar 102771 weekends, when we are on our “hot” rides, we will see four or five show finish level bikes. There are more choppers around now than there have been inrepparttar 102772 last twenty five years.

Most of these choppers have been built from motorcycle chopper kits,repparttar 102773 “bike in a box” approach. But hey, don’t knock it! Building your own chopper has never been easier. There are rolling chassis kits, complete bike kits, and frame manufacturers give you a multitude of choice when it comes to takerepparttar 102774 plunge and buy a motorcycle chopper kit.

Thirty years ago,repparttar 102775 old school chopper builders had to start with a stock bike off-the-shelf and literally chop it to pieces. Withrepparttar 102776 modern chopper kits, there is a viable alternative to takingrepparttar 102777 cutting torch to your favorite soft tail!

Nowadays, you have a cheap and easier way to buildrepparttar 102778 bike fromrepparttar 102779 ground up. When you takerepparttar 102780 cost of buying a new bike andrepparttar 102781 expense of chopping it, it works out much cheaper to start from step one, and your chopper kit. Instead of tossing awayrepparttar 102782 parts that you'll never use again, you can start building your own bike withrepparttar 102783 parts that you really need. Allrepparttar 102784 parts are included inrepparttar 102785 motorcycle chopper kit, along with comprehensive instructions.

One ofrepparttar 102786 first questions that people ask when considering buying a kit is how will my bike stand outs from allrepparttar 102787 other chopper kits? Well think of it this way, you are going to buy a chopper kit. A pile of unassembled raw metal. No paint, no real finish, just a blank canvas. Is your taste in paint jobs likely to berepparttar 102788 same asrepparttar 102789 next guy, who buysrepparttar 102790 very same kit? I don't think so. What about your taste in bolt-ons, seats, exhausts? Just because you buyrepparttar 102791 kit doesn’t mean every little thing has to be just so. That isrepparttar 102792 whole point isn’t it? It's very easy in this way to build your own custom chopper from a chopper kit.

Another big question is, “How long”? The answer to that is as long as it takes. Even onrepparttar 102793 kit bikes, which are supposed to be designed to fit together like a glove, you are going to run into some snags. It can’t be avoided!

Buying A Fuel-Efficient Car

Written by Andrea Susan Glass


Whether you buy a new or used vehicle, fuel efficiency--good gas mileage--is high onrepparttar list of most buyers' concerns. The difference between choosing a fuel-efficient car or one that guzzles gas, will either save or cost you money overrepparttar 102770 life ofrepparttar 102771 vehicle, which could be substantial. Fuel efficiency varies widely from one car torepparttar 102772 next. Obviously you can checkrepparttar 102773 EPA rating for city/highway MPG onrepparttar 102774 window sticker, although most of us knowrepparttar 102775 average car never reaches those numbers.

You can also check consumer guides, car magazines and Web sites, Web site forums or ask friends, relatives and co-workers which vehicles they recommend as fuel-efficient cars. Don't buy more car than you need, as larger vehicles generally have bigger engines that are less fuel-efficient. Findrepparttar 102776 most fuel-efficient car inrepparttar 102777 size group you're interested in, whether a two-seater, compact, mid-sized, SUV or pickup truck. There are several online sites where you can compare fuel consumption ratings of any car.

Your choice of transmission can also affectrepparttar 102778 fuel efficiency ofrepparttar 102779 vehicle. Generally, a car with manual transmission is a more fuel-efficient car than one with automatic-assuming you shift properly. And a manual with overdrive, tachometer or shift indicator isrepparttar 102780 biggest fuel saver, saving up to 10% on fuel costs. If you do buy an automatic, which makes more sense for larger cars,repparttar 102781 more gearsrepparttar 102782 better.

Under normal driving conditions, smaller engines offer better fuel efficiency and economy than larger ones. All other things being equal,repparttar 102783 larger engine andrepparttar 102784 more cylinders it has,repparttar 102785 more fuel it consumes. Additionally, cars with smaller engines usually cost less and gas costs are lower because you don't need higher octane gas. That doesn't mean a bigger engine is never a good choice. In some cases, a larger, more powerful engine may providerepparttar 102786 greater fuel efficiency. If you use your vehicle for work or often tow heavy loads, a smaller engine could burn more fuel if it has to work too hard and function beyond its most fuel-efficient range.

Depending onrepparttar 102787 type and size of motor vehicle you purchase, you may haverepparttar 102788 choice of front-wheel, rear-wheel, four-wheel or all-wheel drive. The majority of passenger cars and minivans have front-wheel drive, a design that supplies better traction and more interior room than rear-wheel drive. Although front-wheel drive was originally adopted to improve fuel economy over rear-wheel drive by reducingrepparttar 102789 weight and size of cars without giving up driving performance or interior space, there's really not much difference in fuel efficiency betweenrepparttar 102790 two.

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