Washing a bike is obviously not the same as washing a car, here’s how:

Steps

1. Take sufficient amount of cleaning product is a bucket. Fill the bucket with warm water until the foam reaches the edge (avoid using products containing detergents or salt and can be corrosive).

2. Apply degreaser to areas that are too dirty. They are usually areas such as tires, motor and chain.
3. Remove the degreaser with a cloth so they can wash these areas with soap and water after.
4. Check more degreaser on a rag (preferably with the rear wheel in the air) and put him to the chain starts to roll the rim so that the chain is clean. If you can, also clean the wheel and the rear suspension. The dirt and grease build-up can take a while.
5. Moisten well the bike with a sponge, wash all over, like you’re bathing or showering to you. Spend more time on areas such as tires, rear suspension and the plate.
6. Remove very good degreaser.
7. Throw a bucket of warm water on the bike watching the electrical parts (you could put WD40 before you do this.) Repeat this as necessary. If you have a hose use it.
8. Let dry for 5 minutes and then move the bike to a dry place.
9. Take a chamois cloth and dry all surfaces. Turn on the bike does not help to dry the remaining soap may burn and then it would be more difficult to remove.
10. Use spray wax and put it in the chain. Follow the instructions on the container.
11. WD40 to clean the handle with care not to damage the brake disc. Then you can clean the WD40 on a rag.
12. Spread motorcycle polish on a rag and wipe all over the bike.
13. When dry, remove the wax with a clean cloth.
14. Put Autosol / Brasso in another cloth and wash the pedals, brake, clutch, etc..
15. Clean after it dries.

Tips

Make sure you have many rags, and always will use it.
Get gloves to keep your hands clean.
Warm water always cleans better than cold
Use dry cloth to finish. This removes all the water droplets.
The WD40 helps keep metal clean and bright, it also prevents corrosion.

Warnings

Never run the engine to help you wash the bike. You could lose a finger … or ten.
Keep the WD40 and degreaser away from your eyes. Always put it on the side of the disc to prevent pollution.

Things You’ll Need

A large bucket and a sponge.
Liquid detergent or shampoo to car.
Degreaser.
WD40 or similar spray some oil.

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There’s nothing like it out there. Is that a good thing?

IN A SEA OF RECESSIONARY conforminism, the Nissan Juke stands out like a clown
at a tax convention. While all the comb-over bean counters are wearing sensible shades
of black from Woolworths, Juke Nukem is the guy with the Elvis sidies, the Disney tie,
spikey mullet and a killer white slacks/yellow jacket combo. Fashion disaster or a
trendsetter? The jury’s out, but grudgingly agree that he’s surprisingly good at his job.
Since he’s always smiling, he must be happy. Or mental.

The Juke is a schizo car. From the bulging wheel arches up it mirrors the 370Z, with a
sloping roofline, arrowed headlamps high up on the bonnet line and Z-shaped tail- lamps.
The lower half is all chunky SUV though, with another set of large round headlamps
flanking the grille backed up by a third set of lights nestling in the front bumper. Stare at
it from the front and it’s like looking at a six-eyed Martian from a 1950s Marvel comic. A
smiling Martian. Ag shame man, it wants to be friends.

Since crossovers are all the rage at the moment, Nissan reckons there are plenty South
Africans that are looking for a small B-segment crossover, a gap in the market that isn’t
being sufficiently plugged by the expensive Mini Countryman.

So the Juke’s no joke, as world-wide sales of 180 000 units in 2010 attests. Locally
Nissan want to shift more than 400 Jukes a month in 2012, a tall order considering the
very capable Qashqai sells slightly less in a good month. Then again, the Qashqai showed
that South Africans like cars that are well- priced, well-built, suited to our outdoor
lifestyle and able to handle roads ranging from smooth freeway to crumbling secondary
roads and the occasional gravel jaunt.

The Juke, with its younger in- your-face styling, ticks all of those boxes. But first ignore
the market¬ing hype that this is a sports car on stilts. Sporty? Maybe. Sports car? No.
Here’s why. It launches locally with two engines, a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre Acenta
with only 86kW of power and 157Nm of torque mated to a five-speed manual box, and
the far more desir¬able turbocharged 1.6 Tekna. This little engine is good for 140kW and
240Nm. Wring its neck and it sounds a bit tinny at the top end, but the surge is good and
the six- speed manual throws are slick.

Three driving modes are on offer, ranging from Eco to Normal to Sport. Each setting
alters the throttle map, steering weight and even the performance of the aircon. Even
though 0 to lOOkph should come up in 8 seconds, it’s still not a hot hatch. It’s just too tall
and it rolls a bit in corners. The flip side is that there’s none of the jitteriness of a hot
hatch thanks to decent ground clearance and long travel suspension. It’s a compromise
that works well in an urban crossover like the Juke, where a comfortable and supple ride
coupled with enough torque to manage quick overtakes more than compensates for teeth-jarring dynamics.

But your choice should be Volkswagen UP

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The brand new Koenigsegg Agera R is capable of sprinting from 0 to 200 kph in 7.5 seconds and then it only needs 4.9 seconds to stop.

Koenigsegg officials have raveled the technical specs of the new Agera R. The Swedes’ latest product sprints from 0 to 100 kph in 2.9 seconds, and from 0 to 200 kph in 7.5 seconds. Moreover, the top speed of this supercar is of 420 kph. And the braking times are impressive, too, as Koenigsegg Agera R can sprint to 200 kph and then stop in a total time of 12.4 seconds. With E85 gasoline, Agera R delivers 1,115 HP and 1,200 Nm, while the customers that will use regular gasoline will only enjoy 940 HP and 1,100 Nm.

The new Koenigsegg creation is 4.29 m long, 1.99 m wide and ha hight of only 1.12 m. The wheelbase of Agera R is of 2.66 m. The Swedish supercar weighs in 1,330 kg with a 45 / 55 weight distribution. Koenigsegg Agera R features a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but the displacement of the V8 powering the supercar is still a mystery.

But Koenigsegg are proud to announce that the passengers of their supercar can experience forces of up to 1.6 G and enjoy an average fuel consumption of only 15 l/100 km.

Koenigsegg Agera R

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Nissan estimates that about 1,300 Infiniti M, FX, and EX units have been destroyed by the Japanese tsunami waves. Other 1,000 Nissan units, among them 370Z model, add to the number of vehicles swept away by tsunami.

The Japanese continue to count the losses caused by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami waves produced at the end of the last week. In the same situation are the automakers that owned production lines and dealerships in that area.

Nissan Group published today a press release announcing that the Japanese tsunami damaged at least 2,300 cars, waiting on the Pacific coast to be loaded and transported to USA. From the 2,300 cars damaged, it seems that 1,300 are M, EX and FX units of the Nissan premium division, Infiniti, for the US market. The Japanese vehicles were in a parking lot next to the loading point when the tsunami wave hit.

Nissan cars swept away by the Japanese tsunami wave

In the same Nissan press release it is said that among the cars damaged by the Japanese tsunami were some Nissan 370Z units, as well. Pictures show a pile of Nissan and Inifiniti cars, many of them ending in flames. The cars damaged in Hitachi harbor were built at the Japanese plant in Tochigi, close to the area affected by the tsunami waves.

In Miyagi area, hit by tsunami too, other 1,000 cars built for the local dealerships were damaged by the destroying wave.

The Japanese earthquake produced on Friday, 90 miles away from the Japanese coast, seriously affected the activity of the Japanese brands. Four Japanese automakers seen their production affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

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Sergio Marchionne, Fiat CEO, decided that the New Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato to enter production. It will be produced in a limited series in the Fiat plant, in Mexico.

At Geneva Motor Show 2010 the Zagato designers came with their own version of Fiat 500 Coupe. It attracted a lot of looks, so Sergio Marchionne decided that the small city car, wearing Zagato’s signature to enter production, and to be built in the Fiat plant in Toluca, Mexico.

Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato will be built in a limited edition, but the number of copies to be built or the price have not been unveiled yet. The main change of 500 Coupe Zagato is the arching of the roof line, visible when compared with the series version.

Under the hood of famous designer’s creation we would find a TwinAir engine, developed by Fiat PowerTrain, producing 105 HP at 5,500 rpm and a torque of 155 Nm at 2,500 rpm.

Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato

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All 12 Toyota plants in Japan have stopped their production, at least until March 16. Other Japanese corporations might follow their example.

Toyota officials announced they will stop production in all the Japanese plants, at least until March 16. As a result of this planned production stop, the Japanese of Toyota will produce 40,000 units less at the end of this year. All 12 Toyota plants in Japan will halt their production for preventing any accidents or deaths, that might be caused during another earthquake in Japan.

Toyota built 234,045 cars in Japan in January 2011. The biggest automaker in Japan and in the world builds 38% of the cars they sell annually on the domestic market. Because of this production stoppage, Toyota shares dropped %7.7, reaching 3.320 yens. Meanwhile, the Nikkei 225 index dropped %6.1, so Toyota shares drop was expected.

Toyota Logo

Some of the Toyota plants were closed since Friday, because of the earthquake. Honda, Nissan, Subaru and other big Japanese brands (like Sony) closed their factories that day. Rumor has it that the other big Japanese companies will do the same as Toyota. In addition, besides lowering the risks, the production stoppage also lowers the power consumption, now Japan providing energy. with one nuclear plant shut down.

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An anonymous source inside GM said that the American giant might develop a cheaper version of Chevrolet Volt, at the expense of a smaller mileage.

While the new Chevrolet Volt have not been launched on the markets yet, Chevrolet is seriously thinking at developing a cheaper version of it. The cheap Volt might be a rival of the hybrid and diesel models with smaller prices and will have a mileage of around 20 miles in full electric mode. Chevrolet Volt can run in full electric mode between 25 and 50 miles, then the internal combustion engine starts to recharge the batteries. The exception is the barrier of 100 mph, when the engine starts automatically.

According to some sources inside General Motors and quoted by Favstocks, Chevrolet might cut off $10,000 from the production price of Volt, only be redesigning in, raising the production numbers, a new battery, or a combination of the three. As well, they might reduce the autonomy in full electric model, a move that would increase the fuel consumption and the CO2 emissions, but would transform Chevrolet Volt into a cheaper car.

For now, GM officials didn’t speak about the rumor. Chevrolet Volt would have a major advantage, at least on the US market, if it has a starting price of $31,000, getting support from the US Government, that would offer a price reduction based on environmental funds specifically collected. On the other hand, increasing Volt’s production might lead to other problems, as the dealerships are already overworked, as the plant producing Volt’s batteries is already working at full capacity.

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A unit of the fastest Ferrari in history was seriously damaged on a highway in Germany. The driver lost control of the car at 130 kph and hit the protection fence.

Even though is one of the rarest exotic apparitions of the moment (only 599 units being scheduled for production), it seems Ferrari 599 GTO is not immune to unpleasant incidents. Tagged as the most powerful and fastest Ferrari ever made, 599 GTO has all the ingredients of an exotic car crash.

A unit of the Maranello supercar ended bad on a highway in Germany. Behind the steering wheel of the Ferrari 599 GTO involved in the crash was Peter Stoll, Honorary Consul in El Salvador, established in Germany. It seems that Stoll tried to overtake another car, at a speed of 130 kph, and lost the control of the Italian supercar, hitting the protection fence.

The driver had no serious injuries, but the Ferrari 599 GTO is not looking too nice after the crash. Stoll will fix the car with the help of Ferrari, but until everything is solved, the German will have to drive a Maserati.

This is not the first crash of a Ferrari 599 GTO, as the Italian supercar was involved in an easier accident, in Great Britain. Chris Evans’ 599 GTO was hit in the parking lot by a friend. The only damages to the car were some scratches of the spoiler.

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Artega presented at Geneva Motor Show 2011 the electric supercar, SE. The Model is powered by two electric motors together developing not less than 380 HP.

The German automaker, Artega, prepared for this year’s edition of Geneva Motor Show, an electric version of their Artega GT. Named Artega SE, acronym for Sport Electric, the new product is underpinned by the petrol engine version of the model.

The coupe is powered by two electric units, one for every traction wheel, capable of working independently, but together developing a power of 380 HP. The resources are enough to give the electric concept better performances than of the Artega GT.

So, Artega SE sprints from 0 to 100 kph in 4.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds faster than the petrol powered version. The top speed is pretty high for an electric powered vehicle, 250 kph. The performances are possible thanks to the low weight, of only 1,400 kg, with an 43:57 weight ratio.

A lithium-polymer batteries pack keep the electric motors alive, with a capacity of 37 kWh and nominal voltage of 350 V. The automaker announced that the new Artega SE will be capable of offering an official 300 km mileage. For a fast complete recharge of the batteries, Artega SE needs 90 minutes.

The German automaker have not ruled out the production version of Artega SE, but rumor has it that only a small number will be built.

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Jeep is set to launch a B segment SUV in 2013. The model will borrow the design language of Wrangler and apply it on a Fiat B segment platform.

The Jeep line-up will extend in 2013, when it will also include a subcompact car. The model will be an SUV, which will be underpinned by a platform of the Fiat Group. Rumor has it that the platform will be the one of Fiat Grand Punto, but this information was not confirmed yet by the officials of the Fiat – Chrylser alliance. The model will feature Fiat JTD engines, the 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter units, next to 1.4-liter MultiAir engines. The entry-level version will only feature front-wheel drive, with the flagship will have four wheel drive.

The new Jeep model will have a look reminiscent of Wrangler and wants to attack the segment opened by Nissan Juke. Regarding the optionals, the model will offer premium materials and equipment, for attracting young customers. Jeep officials are delighted by the first sketches of the next model and believe that the next B segment SUV will be a very special model.

Regarding the design of the new model, a Jeep official said that it will have a Wrangler-inspired front grille. Of course, the size will be adapted to the dimensions of the smallest model of Jeep line-up.

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