Episode 045 - Black Friday - Top 10 Gifts for Motorcycle Riders
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[00:00:00] Todd why did the motorcycle go Black Friday shopping? I have no idea. It needed a break from all the writing. Oh
Bottom Line
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the bottom line is if you have motorcycle people in your circles get them something motorcycle for Christmas man. Perfect. Yes
Top 10 Gifts for Motorcycle Riders
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yeah, so maybe we should start with our kind of we're gonna do 10 Black friday ish Motorcycle gifts that you can get for the motorcycle lover in your family. Yeah Yeah, not not necessarily black friday, but yeah leading up to christmas We're going to release this near black friday.
So, you know, you can feel good about it. There you go 2024 so we've got a variety of of price ranges. Yeah anything from free to 500 bucks, right? Uh, yes, that's about right ~Um ~And I'm sure you can spend more if you try hard. Oh, yeah Let's start with a one. That's a great one, and you [00:01:00] don't think about it always Especially if you're in the like middle north, but our
Number 10: Kickstand Pad
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number 10 idea is a kickstand pad And so kickstands pad is kind of what you think it is It's a plastic generally speaking pad that goes underneath your kickstand and where it's important Is when it gets hot And sometimes if it's muddy,~ um,~ if you end up having to park in a In a grass, you know, a grass field, which does happen from time to time.
So, it basically just creates a bigger surface for your bike to kind of lean on. And doesn't let the kickstand drill itself into the ground. It's like a puck, right? Which I believe when we came from,~ um,~ Nashville. We did come back to, I think one of our guys bikes was literally in the asphalt and you just don't realize that it's like, Oh my, like this thing really did that.
It was so hot that day. I, my kickstand was buried in the pavement, in the pavement, and it was a street, it was just on the street, right? Gold wing, but it's heavy, you know? So it, and then if you want to go pro tip, and this is a pro tip for [00:02:00] all kickstand pads, but grab a. Five foot piece of paracord to go with it.
And what you do is you some, some kickstand pads have a hole, some need to get a hole drilled into them, but you put paracord in and then you,~ um,~ two reasons, most of the time, like, cause of the way I've lost learned this lesson was I left the kickstand pad back there. And then the second thing is to get your kickstand pad out.
The easy way is get on your bike, lean it back up. And then, but then it's really hard to reach down and grab. The kickstand pad. So yeah, you attach the paracord on and then you can just reel it up. Yeah So you put the paracord on and wrap it around your handlebars I usually just make a loop so that I see it and remember it Oh, yeah, or at least it makes a jingling sound when it's careening down the road after tick off with it on there, but and then what's nice about most of them, they're so small that they ~um, ~Just wrap up and then can either fit in a tank bag or just a quick bag But, and there's some fun ones too.
I mean, they have some plain ones. They have some, it looks like a foot. They have some,~ um,~ ones that [00:03:00] look like you put your kickstand on a frog and his eyes are bulging out. So like, you know, it depends on the person that you're, uh, kind of buying for. But so this is a perfect stocking stuffer for a motorcycle rider that you want to get something and you know, you're talking with the paracord probably under 20 bucks.
Yeah. Perfect. Perfect.
Number 9: Flashlight
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Number nine? Alright, the number nine idea for, uh, the motorcycle person in your, in your life. This will be a stocking stuffer, would be a flashlight that has, uh, some sort of a movable, uh, ~Um, ~or flexible head so that, uh, when they pull over it's dark, they can either, you know, use that to like put a, if it has a magnet magnetize it onto the side of the motorcycle and then bend the flexible head to wherever they need or set it on the ground.
Some of them have a little stand or it's like a little clamshell. Yeah. ~Um, ~something like that. Even, even a headlamp would work too. But, uh, What, what else do you think about? Yeah. I mean, I just, [00:04:00] you know, I have a bunch of small ones that I usually carry, but they're so small sometimes that, you know, it's in your mouth, you're trying to like move your head and see, and it just doesn't work very well.
Or you have to have someone else hold it for you. Yeah. We know how that ends up. So no, yeah. I mean, it's just a great, easy,~ um,~ cheap, what probably 15 or less. And then led is always good. ~Um, ~since the LEDs have really come on the scene, I mean, they last forever. Oh, yeah. I mean, they just, you don't have to worry about the batteries dying and things like that.
You have to worry about the battery exploding inside of it. That's true. Sometimes even rechargeable,~ um,~ which is nice too, so.
Number 8: Motorcycle Dolly
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So, on the number 8 spot of our best gifts for, uh, motorcycle peoples is something that we would call, I guess, a motorcycle dolly. So, if you can imagine,~ um,~ a 2x4 with a little leg off it.
So you basically ride into a small channel. And then you can put your kickstand down and the kickstand goes,~ um,~ on this kind of the leg that kicks [00:05:00] out. So what it's for is,~ um,~ to easily move your bike around in a smaller space. ~Um, ~there's different versions. There's some that have like a wheel chalk attached.
There's some that,~ um,~ most of them usually put it in the kickstand position though. And so basically what happens then is you can then, it just has little dolly wheels on it. You get it up there, you set it down, you kind of adjust, you can adjust so it's adjusted for your bike. But once you get it adjusted, then you ride up on it.
And then you put your kickstand down and then you kind of can get off and roll it around. I mean, you have a situation that this is perfect for, right? Yeah. And I haven't purchased one yet, but I'm going to go ahead and get one today. Maybe you'll get one for Christmas after Black Friday, Todd. Maybe I should wait.
~Um, ~so in my, I just have a two stall garage. Plus I've got my Goldwing motorcycle. The good news is right in front of my vehicle, there's enough room to park it. So it's deep enough. It's deep enough. Yeah, I can park it perpendicular in front of the car or behind the car, which are the way I pulled it in, but, uh, between the wall [00:06:00] in the car, but side to side, there's not a lot of space cause I have like a tool kit on one side and some file cabinets.
So I really need to slide it into place in this type of dolly would be perfect. And because like, you just can't kind of maneuver it. And then the other thing that's really nice is you can. You can spin the bike around, you know, too. So, you know, I mean, sometimes again, they're small. Based on the driveways and all that junk you can just spin it around for you So yeah, one of the places that has a great deal on these is Harbor Freight It's just one of their you know, it's a twelve hundred and fifty pound which pretty much covers most motorcycles.
Yeah That's a hundred and twenty bucks now. They do have some really nice aluminum, you know nicer ones You can spend your way all the way up to four hundred or so dollars But honestly, they they seem like they all pretty much work the same and then you know On the ends they usually have some sort of a mechanism that chocks the wheels and kind of gets the dolly wheels off.
So then they can't move. Yeah. Which is, which is handy. So, but [00:07:00] it's great for situations like yours or, you know, even if you had a bigger space, but you kind of want to like, Get everything a little tighter for like storage. Yeah, another great option. Well, and like you said Depending on driveways if someone's on a steep drive, you don't want to back out.
No roll backwards So exactly just spin the motorcycle around and then head out that way But I can do a report on this after I get one because I am gonna get one very soon. That sounds good. Yeah
Number 7: Motorcycle Lift or Jack
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Okay, uh, number seven best gift. So, yeah, we're kind of talking about a dolly, but this is a motorcycle lift.
Uh, for people who want to work on their motorcycle, need to get both tires up off the ground. Oil changes, tire maintenance, those kind of things. Yeah, all that stuff. ~Um, ~You know, when you don't want it leaning on a kickstand, you need, you know, you want it to be flat and square. So they make small ones that, uh, just like a, well, go ahead and explain to you.
Well, I can tell you too. Yeah, there's two sizes. Essentially you got what I would call the small and then you got to take, I call it a [00:08:00] tabletop. It's not really, but so one of them, you basically drive your entire motorcycle up and on and it has dropouts,~ um,~ for like changing tires. If you go that far, but you can kind of lift it up and down.
~Um, ~for yourself and that like both wheels would sit on it. You drive up, it's, you know, it'd be like two or three inches off, probably five inches off the ground. And then you can jack it up and it'll lift the whole entire motorcycle. The small ones are if think about a two by two square And those then you drive you roll it under your motorcycle And then you lift it up and that's very common for like oil changes and things But what it's really nice for too todd and this one i'd probably suggest the bigger one for It's just just getting to eye level with your bike.
Sometimes it's like when you're working on trying to do all these things It's so low, you know, like you're trying to run a wire somewhere and it's just a really pain So the big ones Harbor Freight, 500. The small ones aren't a whole lot cheaper at 200 because they both kind of have to lift the same weight.
~Um, ~and again, you can spend a lot [00:09:00] more or a lot less. You can spend a lot more and get ones that are pneumatic and raise up,~ um,~ the big ones. And most of the small ones are just like a foot lever jack. ~Um, ~so they're, they're really handy. If your motorcycle people in your family,~ um,~ do their own work, this is a must.
Harbor Freight. And do the small ones still lift the amount of weight if you have a heavier bike? Yeah, they do. ~Um, ~but they're just, I wouldn't be, what you don't get with those is like if you were trying to like take apart your fairings or something. They're not quite as stable as the big ones. So that's kind of the big difference.
That totally makes sense. So that one was our most expensive one there at seven.
Number 6: Motorcycle Cover
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So the number six idea is something that we've all had a few of, but they go, you go through them, you know, every once in a while, it's a motorcycle cover. So there's basically two versions, right? ~Um, ~yeah, there's a full cover that covers from the top of the motorcycle, all the way down under the wheels, down to the pavement, excuse me, and then a half cover, uh, [00:10:00] which is something that I use quite a bit.
And it's just really to take the sun off your bike and kind of keep people from looking maybe at all the stuff that's on your bike. So it's, you know, wraps over the top, but it really just goes down to about seat level. Doesn't cover the wheels doesn't cover the wheels or the bottom part of the frame.
Yeah at all Yeah, and those run anywhere from thirty to ninety nine dollars not really I mean the half and the full are about the same price and it really just kind of depends on the quality Yeah of what you get but we do like the half especially even when we're on a trip ~Um, ~just depending on the time of year, sometimes you get just dew and wetness from the overnight.
And just keep the sun from baking on it if it's sitting outside during the day. Right. And even when it rains, it's nice because it keeps everything dry. But to your point, too, I really like that the,~ um,~ like the electronics they get,~ um,~ People don't see them. You know, the way we have them all attached, they can't really come off, but like, I don't really need someone with a screwdriver trying to decide if it can come off either.
So yeah. And, and, and I, I [00:11:00] really liked the one that I have. It's a real thin nylon, uh, cause one of my first covers was like a canvas and boy, you wrap that whole thing up and it was a full cover. It would take up a whole side bag, you know, or my trunk. It would take up the whole space I'm glad you said that too because there's another piece and sometimes some are a little stretchy and that's good because I know when I Relocated my trunk back a little bit things got a little tighter, too But it is I like and I like kind of look When they're stored it and even in for the like if they're storing bikes over the winter The full one is nice and just kind of keep the dust off.
Yeah. Yeah all that stuff.
Number 5: Motorcycle Legos
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So What do you have at number five best gift for motorcycle lover Todd? Kind of a fun one here, uh, a Lego motorcycle kit, actually. Uh, they, you know, there's all different,~ um,~ numbers of pieces for difficulty level. And, and you can spend anywhere from 20 bucks for a little motorcycle one up to a hundred.
Yeah. You know, and those, those may have a thousand pieces. There was one I saw with a thousand pieces and those are like, I think the Technic, I think that's what they're called the [00:12:00] Technic models. Yeah. They're pretty realistic looking. I mean, now I'm kind of interested. I might have to put one of those on my list, but, and they have a bunch of different models,~ um,~ which is cool.
So like, if you're thinking about this, maybe try to sneak a peek at what brand of motorcycle,~ um,~ you, your, your person has, and then,~ um,~ maybe be able to find the model and color, but this was fun thing we found and it's just, uh, it's just something different. Yeah, for sure. It's hard to find things for everyone to buy.
Right. Thank you.
Number 4: Battery Tender
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The next, uh, item is number four, uh, gift that we probably got to have, right? It's either battery tender and or like a battery jump pack. The jump pack has gotten so small these days. They're just so handy. And I think some of the jump packs actually maybe even come with like a tire inflator as well.
And so we're talking about the difference between 99 and 35. Battery tenders are good for bikes when they're going to sit for a little while. They just keep the battery from going dead. I use one all the time. Yeah, it's really good. And a [00:13:00] lot of times they'll have a quick connector that comes with them.
So you can yeah, plug in really nice and easy. And the jump packs are just basically a small battery that helps you jumpstart. ~Um, ~if, if something happens, the other thing that's jump packs now also have is USB. ~Um, ~so you can use them to charge things. ~Um, ~I like doing that now and you know, I wired my old dang bike to have full power or some power.
And then I use the jump pack to charge up my headset. Oh, when we're breaking anyway. So I'm not sure why I did all that work, but,~ um,~
Number 3: Motorcycle Deatailing Kit
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what about our number three item, which, uh, you can buy for your motorcycle person for holidays. It's nice to get them a kit for cleaning a motorcycle. You can get all the detailing products, you know, put them in a little basket or put a little bit in a bag.
Everything from, you know, waxes to, uh, ~Um, ~you know, things for cleaning the plastic, like the windshield, you know, to polish those and well, and cleaning the windshield is important because we do it a lot, but you got to be careful because it can scratch pretty easily the plastic [00:14:00] and I've used the chemical guys stuff before, but there's tons of these.
It doesn't just have to be them, but their stuff is pretty quality product, but yeah, and this is like 12. You can get a kit all the way up to like 150. And even like I was thinking conditioning seat conditioner to like, especially if it's leather, you know, you just keep all those things really nice. And it's a, it's a nice thing.
And they probably have some of these things already, but it's, it's cool. Like microfiber towels. There's just a lot that goes into it. The things that don't scratch. And one thing I've, I've noticed too, with bikes I've had, uh, when they sit in the sun a lot, you know, like the plastic parts on the handlebars where your switches are, or even, uh, maybe at the back tire, you know, there's a bit of a fender that's black.
Yeah. They'll start to bleach out and get a little white and there's products out there. I think it's Meguiar's or Mother's that makes, it's called back to black. Yeah, and put a little on the rack, put a little on the rag and wipe those things down and they do, they, they look black again. It's, it's pretty nice.
I think it's, you know, the sun, the UV pray has, it probably [00:15:00] just fills in whatever the heck that thing pulls out of it. I know you can use a flame. I've heard too, but. You want to be careful. Yeah, sure. I would try it. We're not going to recommend it But it does I think work if you watch the youtubes. Yeah.
Yeah~ Um, ~so
Number 2: Motorcycle Computer
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what comes in at number two is something that a couple of our people that have added onto their Bikes is i'm going to call it a motorcycle computer. I don't know exactly what's called It's basically carplay and android auto for your bike so this usually attaches to the handlebars somewhere and it's basically, uh It connects to your phone You And so, you know, we've talked about this a little, especially in the motorcycle statistics episode about,~ um,~ writing safer, right?
I mean, so what this does is it Bluetooth to your phone and your headset and allows you to kind of communicate to this computer to say, Hey, read me that text message or puts your Google maps on there. And so you don't have to have your phone up there. And one nice thing about that is then you can put the phone away.
It's a little bit safer. It can be charging in your back on the jump pack. [00:16:00] And while it's doing that though, you, you can still interact with this device, but it's more of a simplified interface for maps and everything. Cause I mean, as it comes, you know, everything's maps these days, right? We use these devices for everything.
Yeah. It, and. Those would even, if you had a headset and you're like a Bluetooth headset inside your helmet, you could Bluetooth it that way as well, right? Yeah. Well, and you still Bluetooth your phone, but then you also Bluetooth the headset. Yeah, you can Bluetooth both. And so then you can do music, you can do audio controls, and a lot of times it'll do the voice commands, which is the thing we really recommend.
And it's funny because I have, uh, I have an Android device in my car. and actually on my motorcycle it's built in. So I have a thumb switch that I can actually navigate and I find myself trying to figure out how to navigate my one in the car, in the car, and it's like, come on, car people like, let's get with it.
But yeah, these can be had, the add-on ones are 130 to to $99. Some of them include cameras with them,~ um,~ so that people can,~ um,~ you know, take, take video,~ um,~ all kind of all [00:17:00] in one. And some of 'em even do tire pressure sensor monitoring, . If it's an older bike, this is a great option. ~Um, ~especially,~ um,~ for people that are kind of techie and reasonably priced on it.
I mean, for the most part, you said 99 at one 30 to one 90, depending on the features. If it has the cameras and the,~ um,~ tire pressure sensors, it's a little bit more. ~Um, ~but those are again, nice things to see. I know. You can get tire pressure sensors. It's kind of a bonus one that, that is Bluetooth and attach your phone.
It'll give you an alert if they're low, which is nice, but this is just one of those things you can check it and see. So yeah, for sure.
Number 1: Bohn Body Armor
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What do we have coming in at our number one favorite? Our number one favorite has to be Bond body armor. It's so good. Yeah. You know, we'll talk about this a lot. I'm sure for a little while here, but.
It's such a. It's I've frustrated with my gear for so long and now that I have the bond body armor. It is so amazing [00:18:00] Yeah, i'm looking forward to getting some myself. I don't have it yet, but i'm looking forward to getting well I have good news for you. Okay We talked to the bond body armor people and they're going to give our listeners and our viewers ~Um ~20 discount.
Oh, ~um ~for black friday week. So tuesday the 26th through the 2nd of december, ~um ~You If you use the coupon code BMR holiday, B-M-R-H-O-L-I-D-A-Y, 20% discount, and also throw in a free skull cap helmet liner, which I love those. Oh yeah, we've talked about 'em before. My, I must have a acidic sweat because like I will break out if I don't use mine on my forehead after a day or two.
And so this keeps that protected. So 20% off. And that, so I know you're looking at the ~um, ~oh, for sure. The cool, you're looking for the cool mesh gear, which Yeah, that's like Lycra style,~ um,~ with armor in it. Mm-Hmm. . And then you can wear your pants over the top, right? Yeah. Jeans or any kind of [00:19:00] jacket or shirt or whatever you wanna do.
You sweatshirt. Yeah. You can pretty much wear anything. ~Um, ~so. Mesh armor is great. The armor is you can take it out wash the stuff really easy It just becomes like a piece of clothing at that point I've loved mine so far. I've got the mesh pants and the and the cold air mesh ~Um ~or cold air, uh top and bottom both.
Yeah, and it's wonderful But I think i'm i'm actually going to look at the kevlar jacket. So they have a flannel a kevlar line flannel ~um, ~and And I'm going to get it without the armor because I already have the armor for, uh, in the thing. So it's just a really nice Kevlar jacket with a bunch of extra pockets.
Yeah. No, I think it's, it's a great idea. I like the idea of having the, the armor attached on the inside layer because then it's right up against your skin. It doesn't move, right? It doesn't move. I mean, when I had mine, it, and it's more armor than the rest. It's got hip pads and this is probably in my head But I felt like I was more comfortable for longer Like I almost felt like I could ride longer [00:20:00] and I don't know maybe it's because like the armor that we were wearing before we're always adjusting and you're trying to do this and It honestly turned invisible for me after the first about 20 minutes of writing.
Mm-Hmm. didn't even know I had it on. In fact, I think we went into that Ollie's garage place and I don't think I even took it off and I was like, oh, that's kind of weird looking. But , I'm already weird looking, so it doesn't really matter. But yeah, we can of recommended more. So 20% off BMR holiday, and we'll put that in the show notes as well.
That starts today, right? It will start today, the 26th of November. 2024. 2024, right? Yep. Run for a week. Perfect. And then one more thing, because, you know, we have everything from 12, but we also have something that's free, Todd. What's free? You can give them this podcast. Oh, perfect. Oh, no. But for all fun, we are hoping to find things that list and will get everybody something that they need or could want.
And these are just good things. I mean, all of [00:21:00] these things, even if we had another one of them, If I already had it, and that person, you don't know they have it, but they do, they'd still like all these things again. Oh, for sure. Good? Yeah.
Thank you
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