ATV & Dirt Bike Accessories - It's Winter, So Get Out There & Enjoy It!

Today is the first day of winter, at least that is what the astronomers tell us. This is the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. The geese are now on vacation down south in warmer climes, leaving the moles, the voles, and the rattlesnakes to hunker down in hibernation. But unlike the aforesaid rodents and reptiles, the Scooter Parts Professionals (SPFs) at Monster Scooter Parts absolutely love winter. Here in central Colorado, cold weather means outdoor recreation in a big sort of way, and a little fresh snow brings out the mountain bikers and ATV riders ready to revel in the glory of sub-freezing frolic.

The ATV really comes into its own when the roads and trails become sloppy. We have sold a lot of ATV parts over the years and have noticed that despite the many brand and model names on today's powersports market, there are really just a half-dozen or so unique designs that are slightly modified and replicated over and over. It is highly likely that Part 22 of Brand X may be identical to Part 22 on Brand Z's machine.

ATV Fender Sets
Our replacement ATV fender sets will have your mud-machine looking like new again. When you remove the factory applied brand & model stickers, most ATVs use one of the same four or five fender sets. These polypropylene body panels are manufactured by the thousands and are used across the board by most of the name brand companies. This is not a bad thing as it helps keep the price down as well as giving the consumer a number of choices. Just a few years ago if you needed an ATV fender you could get it in any color you wanted, as long as you wanted Red, White, or Blue. Today's ATVs can be found sporting Pink Camo, Autumn Yellow Camo, Spider Red, and a lot more colors and patterns.

When selecting an ATV panel set, let your front grill and headlights be your guide. Simply choose the fender set type that matches the grill and light configuration on your own machine. You might need to re-drill a screw hole or two in order to get a precise fit, but as stated earlier, most brands use the same four or five fender designs. So when that ATV looks a little worse for wear, don't buy a new ATV, just replace the old panels with a new set.

ATV Accessory Racks
One of our ATV accessory racks will increase any quad's utility. The ATV was designed for the rough road (or no road at all) and a good utility rack lets you take your gear in and out with the least amount of sweat. ATV cargo racks can be found mounted on both the front, or the rear, or both if needed.

We offer a variety of excellent, high quality ATV accessory racks to suit your mud machine's needs. Whether carrying heavy tools or equipment into the woods, or hauling that ten-point buck out, we can supply the right off-road ATV cargo racks to help you get the job done.

ATV & Dirt Bike Carriers
What good is an ATV or dirt bike if it's still under a tarp in your garage? You and a couple of your buddies can try to push it haphazardly up a pair of shaky wooden planks into the bed of your pick-up, or you can do it the civilized way with an ATV & Dirt Bike Carrier. Secure the carrier to your hitch, drive the ATV up the metal ramps, and snug it down with a set of straps and you're good to go. Your ATV was made to get you out of the house and away from the cul-de-sac. A carrier let's you get out of town faster, so what are you waiting for?

Mister Smiley ABS Valve Stem Cap Cover
The short, cold days of winter are not all about gloomy grey skies and longing for the warm sun. You can carry the happiness along with you when you ride with Mister Smiley! A few of these novelty valve stem caps may be all the reminder that you need to have you soon thinking of flip-flops and flowery Hawaiian shirts.

For more information on ATV & Dirt Bike Parts & Accessories, visit the experts at Monster Scooter Parts.

www.monsterscooterparts.com/

Labor, Leisure, & Saving Some Money with Lift Chair Parts

Labor Day, that traditional end-of-summer holiday, has come to symbolize the students' return to school, and the draw-down of the hectic vacation season. One of the truly wonderful attributes of the civilized life is the concept of leisure and its application. The dictionary defines leisure as free time spent away from necessary activities of business, domestic chores, or education. In other words, leisure means kicking back, goofing off, or otherwise relaxing away from the demands of everyday life. The concept is fitting this time of year as we (supposedly) put our collective noses back to the proverbial grindstone. We all know the kitchy image of a clock with wings signifying how time flies. I propose an image of a hammock slung between two trees sprouting a pair of wings and flying off to illustrate the fleeting nature of relaxation.

Hey, that's not a scooter!
The lazy and luxurious concept of leisure has me thinking of how nice it would be relaxing in the decadent embrace of a heat & massage lift chair. Our interest in lift chairs, (a style of recliner chair that mechanically lifts the sitter into a near-standing position), is a natural extension of Monster Scooter Parts' expertise in the realm of mobility scooters, power chairs, and other mobility products. For a few years now, parts for lift chairs have gone from a slow trickle to an increasingly vital category of our business. Our warehouse overflows with lift chair actuator motors, cords, cables, junction boxes, transformers, and more hand controls than we ever knew existed.

With so many lift chair parts passing through our hands we began to notice a thing or two about them. First up we discovered that for all of the different brands that sell lift chairs, there are less than a half-dozen or so companies that produce the actual component parts including Dewert, KD, Limoss, and OKIN. The other thing we learned about was cross-brand compatibility; some hand controls for Brand-X lift chairs work perfectly well on Brand-Z's models. For a perfect example; our Limoss-made Universal Hand Control for Pride Lift Chairs functions just fine & dandy on an array of lift chairs from Catnapper, Flexsteel, Golden Technologies, and more. Very often these "universal" hand controls have much more "user-friendly" price tags as well.

Don't Forget the Kids
The cooler days of Autumn make those leisurely weekends all the more enjoyable for powersports, and now is the time to get those ATVs, go-karts, mini bikes, and scooters cleaned up, filled up, recharged, and ready to go. Whether your machine needs a new recoil pull start, brake or throttle cables, or a set of mud-slinging tires, we probably have just the parts you need deep our vast canyonland of warehouse shelves and bins.

Over the last two or three years we have watched a veritable mushrooming of the electric mini bike category. Every day we get more orders from folks looking for Jetson Junior, Motovox, Monster Moto, and MotoTec parts and accessories. Most of these models are very similar in concept, design, and lay-out; almost as if the same crew of mini bike engineers drew up the specs for all of them. Suffice it to say that Monster Scooter Parts is here for your electric mini bike replacements. We have the electric motors, battery packs, and anything else you could want for your mini bike.

As the kids get older they put their little electric stand-up scooters away or pass them on to their younger siblings. Moving up to these quart-size electric mini bikes is the logical intermediate step that will no doubt lead eventually to 2-wheel street-legal gas-burners, a motorcycle license, and higher insurance premiums to go along with their rent, groceries, utility payments, taxes, and all of the other joys of living in the postmodern civilized world. So enjoy the shameless luxury of leisure while you still can. Summer's gone, Autumn's here, and it's back to school, back to work, back to the real world.

For more information on lift chair or electric mini bike parts visit the experts at Monster Scooter Parts.

At Monster Scooter Parts we like to say that we have the parts and the smarts to keep you rolling.

www.monsterscooterparts.com/

Don't Overinflate That Inner Tube!

Earlier today, as I was holding forth and waxing philosophic with my web colleagues, one of my friends from over in the Customer Service Department came in and asked me if I could write something about inner tubes. Monster Scooter Parts sells a astonishing number of tubes in an almost unbelievably copious range of sizes. We have tubes for electric scooters and electric bikes, tubes for kick scooters and tubes for motor scooters. Our warehouse is stuffed chockablock with power chair tubes and dirt bike tubes... well, you get the picture; we sell a lot of inner tubes.

The Wonderful World of Tubery
On the scale of sheer production numbers, these rubber balloons may not be as common as they once were. Sometime between the Iron Age and the PVC Age, the tubeless tire concept caught on for automobiles, but what is now considered as technological obsolescence for cars is still going strong in downtown Scooterville. Many scooter enthusiasts and  cyclists still prefer the smooth ride that only a pneumatic tube can give. Maybe it is due to their dwindling numbers in the auto world, but it seems that the fine art of properly inflating an inner tube is being slowly forgotten as well.

When inflating your inner tube, please use your best judgment. The recommended inflation pressure is usually molded on the tire's sidewall, and it is sometimes printed on an inner tube as well. Here in the USA, this is usually given in pounds per square inch (PSI).The recommended inflation pressure is just that, a friendly suggestion by the tire or tube manufacturer that gives a general average pressure for the average rider on an average temperature day. The recommended PSI for an inner tube can vary depending on elevation, weather, and air pressure. Because a manufacturer might produce the same tube for a variety of applications, the pressure rating is often a bit optimistic.

To reiterate; these are mere recommendations and should not be taken as an absolute. As an example, an MTB cyclist at a 6200+ Colorado altitude needs a different tire/tube pressure than that which her cousin requires down in his sea level beach town. In addition, a few pounds less pressure on a rainy day will provide you with a lot better traction on wet pavement than you would have if your tubes were filled to the max.

The very best tire gauge is your own sense of touch. A bike or scooter inner tube is best inflated just to the point where it feels right to you, when it offers just the right amount of squeeze resistance -- something halfway between spongy and rock solid. There are still some things that technology just can't improve upon, and experience is always the best teacher.

When Air was Free
Back in the proverbial heyday of pneumatic tubery, you drove up to the gas station's (free) compressor pump, turned a hand-crank until it dialed in the requested air pressure, put brass fitting to your tire's Schrader valve and let it fill until the "ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding" ceased. If you needed 36 PSI, the compressor stopped ding-dinging at 36 PSI.

Not so these days. Today you first search around town for a station that actually still has a compressor, then you drop in your four quarters and wait for the pump to run for two or three minutes. Instead of the comforting "ding-ding-dinging" to announce the right pressure, today's pumps make you release a little button and inspect the square brass rod that pops out from the hose end. Hopefully you get all of your tires filled in record time or it's another four quarters into the slot.

The Solution
The answer to this of course is to have your own electric compressor at home or a portable pump like the exceedingly handy & useful Portland Design Works Shiny Object C02 Bike Tire Inflator. A good compressor or bicycle pump is a necessary piece of gear for anyone who rides on pneumatic tires. Today's lightweight pumps and inflators can make a real difference between having a great day and a "we were all having fun until I had a flat" kind of day.

For more information on inner tubes & tires, visit the experts at Monster Scooter Parts.

At Monster Scooter Parts we like to say that we have the parts and the smarts to keep you rolling.

www.monsterscooterparts.com/

Bike & Scooter Accessories - Get a Grip at Monster Scooter Parts

The world of bicycle technology has certainly changed over the years. Just about every part that goes into making a bike; everything from the seat (or "saddle" as it's now called) down to the pedals has been redesigned with lighter alloys, plastics, carbon fiber, and other weight-saving materials. Change is usually a Very Good Thing, but it seems that the essentials remain. The cranks and pedals and handlebars may have gotten themselves reconfigured into a more 21st century type of stuff, but they all still do the same job as before, and they do it in the very same old way. The fenders still keep the cold water and mud from splashing up your back and the handlebar grips still give you something to hang on to.

The Inflator
Here for example is an item that totally represents a new way of fixing an old problem. The Portland Design Works Ninja C02 bicycle pump (or "inflator" as they're now called) can be used as a traditional hand pump, or the rider can make use of the ultra fast CO2 cartridge and pop the air back into that pneumatic doughnut faster than it takes to write about it.

Taking a retro full step backwards, every kid once had an Inner Tube Patch & Repair Kit but such handy & useful items as these aren't as ubiquitous as they once were. Years later I can remember using the little metal rasp to roughen up the surface of the tube to take the patch, and the sharp aroma of rubber adhesive.  

The Cup Holder
Maintaining proper hydration is essential to every cyclist, and a good bike water bottle and water bottle holder are must-have items for the MTB rider or in-town street cyclist. Monster Scooter Parts offers an incredibly diverse range of bottles and carrier cages to suit just about anyone's tastes. We also offer a selection of the hydropacks that seem to be the current fashion in bike accessories.

Speaking of fashions that come and go, the humble beach cruiser is a category of bikes that I hope never goes out of style. Fat tires and single speed coaster brakes were part of my life growing up in a beach town and whenever I see a cruiser style bike it immediately takes me back to my greener days growing up on the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Here's a cute and clever little item that will help turn just about anything with a handlebar into a bone fide beach cruiser; the Cruiser Candy Coconut Cup Holder, a unique drink holder made from real coconut husks. We sell a number of distinctive Cruiser Candy holders in a variety of models, so if you want to really dress up your handlebar in genuine beach town style just mount one on your bar and be the envy of the boardwalk.

The Trailer
As cycling becomes a family affair like no time before, bike trailers and trailer bikes become a great way to introduce the youngest cyclists to longer trips away from home. Child carriers & baby seats are certainly popular as well to keep the smallest kiddoes close at hand.

How is this for the ultimate bike accessory? You might not have needed one in the past, but sooner or later every cyclist wishes that they had a magnificent Cargo Trailer for their bike. Think of this as a bicycle-to-pickup-truck conversion kit. Once you attach the trailer your bike becomes a real pedal-powered hauling machine.

The Grip
Handlebar grips are one of the most economical upgrades that a rider can make to their bike or scooter. A good set of grips do two primary and necessary jobs as part of your steering system; they give your hands a good holding place to grab onto that isn't affected by sweat and moisture, and they provide your palms and fingers with a cushioned barrier against stress and vibration. Oh, and they improve your bike's good looks as well. OK, that makes three essential things that a set of handlebar grips do for you. Monster Scooter Parts carries a huge selection of grips for just about any cycling style. We have MTB grips and kids' grips. We offer flangeless foam grips and colorful flanged grips. And we have some of the most elegant leather grips that can ever go onto a bar.

Behold the utterly superlative Portland Design Works Whiskey Leather Handlebar Grips, the acme of grip design and luxury. The durable Whiskey Grips are crafted from the best full grain Italian leather. They are then vegetable tanned and conditioned with natural oils and waxes. Even the inside part is thoughtfully designed with sturdy machined aluminum alloy lockrings to prevent the grips from shifting while you ride. All in all, Portland's amazing Whiskey Leather Handlebar Grips are a real treat for yourself, or perhaps as a birthday or Father's Day gift for the favorite cyclist in your life.

A Very Good Thing
A bike or scooter is really an extension of the self. More than just a 2-wheeled leg-powered auxiliary vehicle, your personal machine says a lot about you and is a way that defines you as a whole person. Technology changes and everyone but the most lackadaisical or lollygagging cyclist or scooterist embraces the change for the Very Good Thing that it is. Embrace it and celebrate it.

For more information on bike parts & accessories, visit the experts at Monster Scooter Parts.