Fit Club Thailand

Todays motorcycles are everywhere and there are lots of different classes or kinds of motorcycles as well. But the motorcycle, like the automobile, is a relative newcomer to the world stage.

The first motorcycle ever assembled was built by the German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in 1885 in Bad Cannstatt in Germany. They were actually focusing more on the motor that was installed to power the two-wheeled contraption and not so much on creating a new kind of vehicle, but the resulting impact on motorized travel would be tremendous. There were earlier versions of steam powered bicycles, but this was the first petroleum powered motorcycle.

Not long afterward in 1894 the very first production motorcycle went on sale as the Hildebrand & Wolfm

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Nissan to Market Infiniti Cars in China

The Chinese luxury automobile market is booming and Nissan plans to enter the market in 2007 with its Infiniti brand of automobiles.

Nissan is planning on setting up dealerships across China, particularly in major cities. China’s auto market is exploding with year to year sales growth of 20% being recorded. Luxury cars are also in demand as sales of this all important and lucrative category is increasing at a 10% annual rate according to Xinhua.

GM Pulls Plug on GTO

General Motors has announced that the automaker will no longer be producing and importing the Australian built Pontiac GTO to the US market opting to discontinue production altogether.

Derived from the discontinued Holden Morano, the GTO hearkened back to GM’s muscle car era with its 400 h.p. V8. Still, the car was a disappointment to some as they complained about its bland styling. GM cited the Morano’s earlier termination and the GTO’s lackluster sales as reasons for killing the model. Instead, the automaker is expected to soon announce the return of the popular Chevrolet Camaro as well as its Pontiac sibling, the Firebird.

Toyota and Simple Slim

Toyota is incorporating an important engineering method in its quest to cut costs. The Camry, Toyota’s most popular vehicle and the number one selling car model in America, uses “simple slim” to reduce engine costs.

According to company news reports, Simple Slim is

“a new technology for pouring molten aluminum into moulds to create engine parts. The new equipment, part of a larger Toyota cost-cutting program called Simple Slim, allows Toyota to use smaller and cheaper moulds.”

So, what does this all translate to? Big cost savings up to 50% on Toyota Camry engines. Instead of an engine costing $2000 to build, it now costs the company $1000. This same engine is also available in various other Toyota and Lexus models.

A Scion Fighter For Dodge?

Dodge’s newest and smallest model is the Caliper, its replacement for the compact Neon. As the current entry level car in the Dodge line up, the Caliper is actually too big and too expensive for many new car owners. With that in mind, Dodge is toying with building a Scion-like vehicle, the Hornet to compete effectively against Toyota’s Generation “Y” vehicle as well as against the Honda Fit.

Dodge will be showing the Hornet at the upcoming Geneva Car Show in March. The car to be displayed is a full two feet shorter than the Caliper. According to a published report in Newsday, Dodge is looking for an offshore partner to build the vehicle for them.

Copyright 2006 - Matt Keegan is The Auto Writer, who writes on a variety of automotive topics including new models, classics, auto parts and accessories, insurance, and news.

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Although the first motorcycle was invented over a hundred years ago and has seen many major changes since its first inception, one item which seems to have been forgotten and left out of the technology advancement is the motorcycle gear shifter lever.

And, it’s this motorcycle gear shifter lever that, after all these years, has never failed in ruining every motorcyclists’ boots and shoes by leaving those tale-tale ugly black shifter marks on them.

Amazing as it sounds, up until now no one has done anything as far as changing or upgrading the gear shifter lever to prevent this irritating problem - which occurs during gear ‘up-shifting’ actions.

The other problem with the current hard rubber that comes standard on all motorcycle gear shifters is that many motorcycle riders also may experience discomfort to the upper left foot during long rides having numerous ‘up shifting’ actions.

While there are a couple of products out on the market today which do sell slip on boot/shoe protectors, the drawback with these is that they have to be placed on and removed from the riders shoes each time the rider starts or finishes riding. These products also don’t offer the rider any type of cushion or comfort while riding.

However, motorcycle riders are in luck now because all of this is about to change. Shiftcush, the revolutionary company which invented the product bearing the same name, designed their Motorcycle Gear Shifter Cushion exactly to prevent all of the above from occurring.

The best part about Shiftcush is that their new easy-to-install gear shifter cushion not only prevents shoes from being ruined but also offers unrivaled shifting comfort by providing an air cushioned padding between the riders foot and gear shifter lever.

This revolutionary air cushion is made by the same technology as used in the Nike Air-Max tennis shoes.

Thanks to Shiftcush, now motorcycle riders can say good-bye to black/ugly shoe marks and any shifter discomfort caused by gear ‘up-shifting!’

Anyone wanting more information on the Shiftcush can find can it by visiting their web site at; http://www.shiftcush.com/

Tony Wells is the inventor and owner of Shiftcush. He has also written articles for several magazines and is the author of the book, Shipwrecks & Sunken Treasure In Southeast Asia”. At this time Tony is also writing his autobiography about his colorful and close call experiences while working as a Commercial Deep Sea Diver in the offshore oilfield industry in Southeast Asia during the 80’s and 90’s.

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