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If you’re a first time rider, you might hear talk of so-called DOT Motorcycle Helmets.  But if you’re like I was when I first started riding, you’ll have no idea what a DOT Motorcycle Helmet actually is.  You’ll hear people bounce the word around and maybe you realize it’s related to safety, but the question will remain: what does “DOT” mean?  Even more though, what’s the relation between DOT and Motorcycle Helmets?

Well, fear not. I’m here to set the record straight and help you understand just exactly what a DOT Motorcycle Helmet is, and what it means for you.

First things first: DOT stands for “Department of Transportation”.  It’s pretty straightforward: a DOT sticker on a motorcycle helmet means that helmet meets the safety standards of the Department of Transportation.  This is important because if you live in a state with helmet laws, a DOT-approved helmet is generally required by law.  Luckily for you, finding a motorcycle helmet that *isn’t* DOT certified is actually quite difficult these days.  The reason is simple enough: any motorcycle helmet sold in the US today has to meet or exceed the DOT criteria.

But what do those requirements mean, and before we answer that, just what the heck even ARE they?

That’s a reasonable thing to wonder. So here’s the deal.  The facts of what goes into the design of DOT Motorcycle Helmets can be explained in a few broad categories (by the way, you can always wander on over to the NHTSA website for further, though somewhat boring, explanations).  And by knowing these few basic criteria, you can learn how to verify whether a DOT motorcycle helmet is a genuine or a fake if you’re buying from an unfamiliar dealer.  

So here ya go folks, the basic criteria by which you can recognize a genuine DOT motorcycle helmet:

Number 1: Inner Liner.  Inner Liner is another way of saying the polystyrene foam that does the real work of protecting your skull in a crash.  If you’re looking at a helmet with a DOT stick on it, but the shell and liner combined are extremely thin, then you have reason to be suspicious. The lining of real DOT motorcycle helmets will be around an inch thick or so.

Next: Rivets and Chin Strap, Weight, and Design.  These are a few design features that give you a “quick glance” idea of whether a helmet is legit.  Rivets and chin strap are easy to recognize: does the DOT motorcycle helmet look like it’s gonna hold together?  Is there a chin strap?  What about weight?  A legitimate DOT motorcycle helmet is going to weigh in the neighborhood of three pounds or so.  Again, this isn’t an exact science.  The point is it’s not featherweight when you pick it up.  Finally in this group: design.  DOT motorcycle helmets can’t have protrusions exceeding two-tenths of an inch, so if you’re looking at a german-style motorcycle helmet with a giant spike coming out of the top, it’s not a DOT helmet. 

With that I’ve provided you with some simple ways to help verify whether a motorcycle helmet is truly DOT certified, or whether some nut job just slapped a fake sticker on there.  Usually there’s not a thing to be anxious about, but in a less trustworthy situation, it never hurts to be prepared.  Just because there’s a sticker on a helmet doesn’t always mean it’s the real deal.  So next time you end up in an unfamiliar shop, just make sure you’re prepared with these basic criteria regarding what DOT motorcycle helmets look like!

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Wanting to sell a car and you realize that you have a whole bunch of those little dents and dings on your it? Dents from other car doors knocking into your doors in the parking lots, or tiny stones hitting your vehicle as you’re driving? It doesn’t matter how the dents got there, but what does matter is that it makes your car look unsightly as you’re trying to sell it.

You should get this great service called paintless dent removal or paintless dent repair. It’s truly awesome. It cost much cheaper than taking your vehicle into the repair shop, and the time in which the dents and dings are done is much faster, like 10 to 20 minutes per ding or dent if you have an experienced PDR specialist. If not, it might take a while longer, but it really doesn’t take that much time.

There are special methods that these PDR technicians get at the dents and dings from the inside of the vehicle, and then what they do is basically massage the dent or ding out of the car. It’s a very ingenious method, and if you know how to do it, you can make a bunch of money helping others sell their cars by making them appear as good as new and without dings.

So if you would like to sell your car and you want to get the best deal out of the sale, you should look into paintless dent removal services and check out if they can make your car appear sharp. You will surely make more money from a car that has no dents and dings than one that is covered by them. A vehicle that is looks sharp without dents will raise a higher price than the one down the block that has a couple of dents.

So with this option of paintless dent repair, you can get possibly a few hundred dollars or pounds more on your car than what you had planned to get with all those dents from the cars parking too close by you in a parking lot.

Get a hold of either a auto body shop that provides this nature of work, or a mobile PDR technician. Find out how many cars they have repaired and see if you can compare the prices with a regular car repair shop. You will be surprised at how much money you will save and the amount of time that you will have to leave your vehicle at the shop to get the repair done, or to have the PDR done.

Like stated before, if you find a PDR specialist who knows what to do, each ding or dent should only require 10 to 20 minutes. If you go to a shop and put the car in to be fixed, you will to have to leave it over night at least. It could even be longer depending on how many cars they have going in front of yours. So check out paintless dent repair and get extra money from your vehicle!

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Every man loves the James Bond cars seen on the silver screen. Fully loaded with gadgets and features any guy would wish he could have with his car, though he might get arrested for it. But what car could any fan not see the legendary British agent in? By far an RV, though with the special features a Coachman recreational vehicle has, it might not be such a far stretch.

Features to Tickle Fancy

Having many specialties, including a utility panel that helps drivers winterize their vehicle to a specially angled dashboard for increased driving vision are all standard in a A Coachman recreational vehicle.  Even an air conditioning unit that is made for maximum cooling is installed in every Coachman. Is that not enough to peak interest? There’s plenty more to discuss. They certainly weren’t trying to turn away any business they might receive.

Having a very large storage space, even with shelves is another feature is called Stow-N-Go. There are two spaces for child seats that have 3 point anchoring which is called the children first feature. For a growing family this definitely comes in handy. For their Coachman recreational vehicle a buyer can even order color coded electrical wiring. In the middle of that great vacation site with no one around this would make it a lot easier to get out of an electrical fix.

Coachman also utilizes an aluminum frame for each of its vehicles. The bargain here is that a Coachman recreational vehicle is very safe because of its strong skeleton. One of the more comical features is the special tubing used for anti corrosion. This may sound funny, but it is also comes in handy, after all, who likes to clean up that kind of mess? The last feature is the no-lip storage units under a Coachman recreational vehicle. They allow for easy storage of heavier objects and gear for the real adventurous drivers.

So maybe these features aren’t quite what James Bond looks for in a car, but with that much quality, it might at least make it on the list. Having so many features and yet still being affordable, is the nice thing about a Coachman recreational vehicle. Basically, all these pluses are just part of the package, so customers can feel confident in their purchase. When looking for a top notch RV, Coachman makes customers shaken, not stirred.

Looking to buy an RV. Check out this excellent article, the Coachman Recreational Vehicle. You just may have found your RV! To browse articles on recreational vehicles visit, http://rv.jsgenterprises.com

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