BIKER’S MADNESS MALADY

Eghad!  You thought you were in control of your life.  Things seemed to be going OK.  Your bike’s been running fine.

And then…it dawned on you.

You had succumbed to the bikers’ madness malady: Motorcycle Farkles Disease.

In retrospect, and early on, there was no thought of anything awry.  Heck, lots of motorcycle enthusiasts buy and install accessories, called farkles (also spelled farkels), to customize their bikes.  The word itself seems pretty benign: Farkles is a combination of “function” and “sparkle.”

TYPES OF MOTORCYCLE FARKLES

Farkels can include all manner of nifty gadgets, including…

♦ Radar Detectors

♦ Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers

♦ Heated Grips

♦ Music, Radios and Audio Systems

♦ Wireless Communication Systems

♦ And of course lots of SHINY THINGS

… to name barely a few.  The list is endless.

MOTORCYCLE OBSESSION OUT OF CONTROL

It may be arguable when the malady should have been spotted and addressed, but certainly at the point when the obsession to buy things to personalize your bike and/or to make it more suitable for your individual riding needs included owning more accessories than could fit on all the bikes you do not own anymore, and all the bikes you may or may not own in the future.  Somewhere in there a little mental alarm bell should have given a jingle.

But even if your mental jingler was out of whack, it’s hard to argue that the madness had not extended beyond the fringes when your investment in farkles surpassed that of your house.

All of this is indicative of a disease in need of a standard remedy: You need to ride more!

ALL KINDS OF MOTORCYCLE GEAR AND ACCESSORIES:

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LUGGAGE RACKS AND MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES

Going on a motorcycle adventure?

Or, need some additional storage space for your daily commute to work?

Luggage racks are one of the first things you can add to some bikes to easily increase storage capacity.

Keep in mind that most luggage racks are designed to carry a huge amount of traveling luggage. Some judicious decisions will still need to be made as to what is best to bring. (Think in terms of what is really needed, as opposed to what would be nice to bring).

Click on the following link to check out these luggage racks and see if there’s something that strikes your fancy for your next adventure….

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MOTORCYCLE FARKLES YOU GOTTA HAVE

Which farkels are on your “must have” list?

♦ Gotta have a MOTORCYCLE GPS?

♦ Can’t live without MOTORCYCLE CHROME upgrades on everything visible on your bike?

♦ Love all them MOTORCYCLE LIGHTS illuminating your night rider?

The preceding may NOT be the most mandatory farkels (also spelled farkles) for some bikers, but few riders can own a motorcycle without adding any gadgets or accessories to personalize it.

MOTORCYCLE BACK RESTS are mandatory on my bikes, since I ride passengers with some regularity and back rests give passengers a greater sense of comfort and security. 

HANDLEBAR RISERS on my sport-touring bikes add some desired comfort since they allow me to be seated a little more upright.

On any of my bikes, I like the added protection of ENGINE GUARDS, since over the years, gravity has sometimes (albeit rarely) won out over my best efforts to ALWAYS keep my bikes upright.

And to me, a well-utilized, dual-purpose bike, will benefit from an upgraded BASH PLATE as protection from the inevitable scuffle with the elements.

What are your mandatory farkels?

ALL KINDS OF MOTORCYCLE GEAR AND ACCESSORIES:

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GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS FOR MOTORCYCLES

What type of Motorcycle GPS system is on your bike? None yet?

Well, you and I may think alike, but there’s a growing number who consider GPS as standard motorcycle gear for any 21st century rider.  (Well, maybe not “any” rider, but certainly “touring” riders, and especially “adventure touring” riders: both categories which include yours truly).

But do YOU need that nifty technology gracing the front of YOUR motorbike?

Don’t know for you. But for me, I respect GPS technology, but I don’t need it – yet.  And that’s in spite of the fact that I’m somewhat of a techno buff, at least when it comes to the non-motorcycle world.

GPS first appeared on my radar screen in 1998 in a rental car.  I certainly had no need for it, but it was kinda cool as a novelty.  You see, I’m a die-hard paper map guy. (Don’t ask how many maps I have on my shelves and attached to my walls).

Bear in mind that I’m also one of those guys who still does manual long division as well as manual adding and subtracting (although you may be diappointed to meet me and observe that I don’t wear cave-dwelling apparel, regardless of how neandathral manual math skills may be relative to calculators – which I ALSO use when needed).

Will any of MY bikes ever boast a GPS unit?

Well…there have been times I could have used one.  But I’m talking about times far away from pavement in locations well off my maps.  At times like that I would have located civilization sooner and in a more civilized fashion, utlizing some GPS hardware.

Regardless of all that, for routine, run of the mill, multi-state, sport touring, GPS just ain’t for this old-fashioned, long-distance rider.

Having said that, I do marvel at the technology and will keep an eye on the stuff as GPS receivers continually improve.

In spite of what I write today, you may very well see one of those gizmos on my bike in the future….

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