Automobile Journal

01:51 pm May 2nd, 2007




			Automobile Journal

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Razor Scooters

Razor Scooters

The Razor scooter was originally developed by the JD Corporation. Its design took over 5 years to perfect by a then 44-year-old mechanical engineer named Gino Tsai, the owner of JD Corporation. His inspiration came from the ease of mobility of old- fashioned scooters, but he needed something smaller to ride around his sprawling bicycle factory so he wouldn't have to walk so much. This led to the eventual design of a collapsible aluminum kick scooter.

In the late 1990's, the Razor Motor Scooters became a hit in Japan, so JD corporation decided to launch it in the US. Carlton Calvin, who at the time was manufacturing and selling miniature skateboards throughout the US, saw it, and decided to distribute the JD Razor. Demand was so high, that in June, 2000, RazorUSA was incorporated and bought the copyrights. They are the current distributors.

The scooter design consists of a steel or aluminum construction, polyurethane wheels, and a lever near the rear wheel which acts as a brake. The neck uses a 1 1/8" bicycle headset, and is collapsible by a cam and lever system, so as to provide easy carrying.

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Pit Bikes

Pit Bikes

A pitbike, also known as a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniaturized version of a motorcycle. Traditional minibikes usually use four stroke motors that power a chain to turn the rear wheel. These four stroke motors are similar to a lawnmower, but not identical. The main difference is the shaft direction. A minibike requires a horizontal shaft while a lawnmower uses a vertical shaft. Contrary to popular belief, old lawnmower engines cannot be used to make a minibike since the crankshaft is oriented in a vertical position instead of a horizontal position like a minibike would need. Some models may use two stroke motors although electric-powered models are also available. The 2-stroke motor produces a loud, whining buzz and a more polluting cloud of smoke as exhaust if not properly tuned. These features, along with the minibike's tiny size, mean that minibikes are almost never street-legal.

Tags: 125cc pit bikes, 50 pit bikes, orion pit bikes

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Quad Bikes

Quad Bikes

The quad bike or tandem bicycle or twin is a form of bicycle (occasionally, a tricycle) designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement (fore to aft, not side-by-side) instead of the number of riders.

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Lowrider Bikes

Lowrider Bikes

A lowrider bike, also known as a chopper or muscle bike, is a highly customized bike, with stylings inspired by both lowrider cars and chopper motorcycles. These bikes often feature a long, curved banana seat with a sissy bar and very tall upward-swept handlebars known as apehangers. Excessive chrome, overspoked wheels and fur are common accessories to these low and bizarre custom bicycles. Some stock bicycles are particularly popular among lowrider builders. Most well known of these are the American-produced Schwinn Stingray and the British-produced Raleigh Chopper. Another favorite of the period was the Iverson Dragstripper, which featured a long "exhaust pipe" body that gave it a distinctive look. The new lowrider trend is also related to the trend in Cruiser or Beach Cruiser style bikes. Today, one of a kind lowriders are available from a handfull of Custom Chopper Bicycle Designers.

Tags: custom lowrider bikes, original lowrider bikes

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Motor Bikes

Motor Bikes

A motorcycle or motor bike is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle powered by an engine. Styles of motorcycles (i.e Street Bikes</b>) vary depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions. Motorcycles are among the least expensive and most widespread forms of motorised transport in many parts of the world.

Tags: honda motor bikes, mini motor bikes, motor cross bikes

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Chopper Bikes

Chopper Bikes

A Chopper is a radically customized motorcycle, archetypal examples of which are the customized Harley-Davidsons seen in the 1969 film Easy Rider. Many of today's custom built motorcycles are mistakenly called choppers. These custom built motorcycles have additional (usually chrome) accessories and billet parts added on to the bike for aesthetic pleasure while originally modifications were only functional in nature.

Tags: chopper mini bikes, custom chopper bikes

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Honda Dirt Bikes

Honda Dirt Bikes

A motorcycle or motorbike is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle powered by an engine. Styles of motorcycles vary depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions. Motorcycles are among the least expensive and most widespread forms of motorised transport in many parts of the world.

Tags: mini dirt bikes, speed dirt bikes, used dirt bikes, vintage dirt bikes

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ATV Trailers

ATV Trailers

The term "All-Terrain Vehicle" or ATV is used in a general sense to describe any of a number of small open motorized buggies and tricycles designed for off-road use. However, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) defines an ATV as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, and with handlebars for steering control. By the current ANSI definition, it is intended for use by a single operator, although a change to include 2-seaters (in tandem) is under consideration. The rider sits on and operates these vehicles like a motorcycle, but the extra wheels give more stability at slow speeds. Although typically equipped with three or four wheels, six-wheel models exist for specialized applications. Engine sizes of ATVs currently for sale in the United States (as of 2007) range from 50cc to 800cc.

Tags: aluminum atv trailers, atv tent trailers, atv utility trailers, custom atv trailers

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Mini Choppers

Mini Choppers

Mini choppers are scaled-down versions of the custom-built motorcycles known as choppers and are generally constructed from 1" steel tubing or 3/4" steel black pipe. The tube or pipe is bent and then welded together to get the desired angles and shapes of the frame, which is usually custom made. Mini choppers often use bicycle or moped rims and tires up front and large pneumatic tires in the rear. Commonly golf cart wheels or 205/50-10 style tires are used in the back. The rear also needs something to let the wheel spin,and that's where that axle comes in. There are two different types of axle setups used, a live and a dead axle.

Tags: custom mini choppers, gas mini choppers, mini choppers, pocket mini choppers

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Mini Bikes

Mini Bikes

A minibike, also known as a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniaturized version of a motorcycle. Traditional minibikes usually use four stroke motors that power a chain to turn the rear wheel. These four stroke motors are similar to a lawnmower, but not identical. The main difference is the shaft direction. A minibike requires a horizontal shaft while a lawnmower uses a vertical shaft. Contrary to popular belief, old lawnmower engines cannot be used to make a minibike since the crankshaft is oriented in a vertical position instead of a horizontal position like a minibike would need. Some models may use two stroke motors although electric-powered models are also available. The 2-stroke motor produces a loud, whining buzz and a more polluting cloud of smoke as exhaust if not properly tuned. These features, along with the minibike's tiny size, mean that minibikes are almost never street-legal.