Iron Horse Motorcycle website

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Upcoming Events
Dec 24 and 25 -- We'll be closed for Christmas.

Dec 31 -- We'll close early at 1:00 p.m.

Jan 1 -- We'll be closed for New Year's Day

Jan 9 at 2:00 p.m. -- Tying down your motorcycle. You don't really want to, but sometimes putting your bike on a trailer is the only solution. Jim Strang will host a seminar for those of you who may want to learn the best way to secure your bike on a trailer or pick-up. Light refreshments. Please RSVP to Jim at 327-0773, ext. 11 or jstrang@ironhorsemotorcycles.com

Watching a child grow is the best way to realize that time is passing you by.  The next is to buy a business.  We are fast approaching the end of our first year under new ownership.  One goal, other than surviving, was to keep Iron Horse Motorcycles on a very similar, consistent path.  We wanted to build on a good thing, but we also wanted to be observant.  Although I had been at Iron Horse Motorcycles for eleven years before becoming the owner, this year has been very enlightening to me.  With the desire and now the ability to strengthen Iron Horse now and for years to come; and to continue to satisfy and strengthen relationships with our customers, we are going to implement a few changes for the upcoming year.

The first and most exciting change is the introduction of our loyal customer rewards program.  This program will replace the current “parts only discount” given to those who pay for membership to the MOA or AMA with an all inclusive program.  The new program will reward customers based on their parts and service purchases.  For most of our customers, their service needs far outweigh their parts purchases, which is why we really wanted to be able to offer some kind of discount to them as well.  This is how the program will work.  For every $500 dollars spent in service or parts, you will receive a 3% reward certificate.  This program will give our loyal service customers the rewards they have long deserved.  

Based on customer feedback, we are going to change our hours of operation.  As of January 4th 2005, we will be open from 9:00am to 6:00pm Tuesday through Friday, and from 8:30 to 4:30 on Saturday.  We will install a drop box for customers who want to drop their bikes off in the morning, but the extended hours will also enable customers to drop their bikes off the night before. 

This year has been scary, exciting and rewarding, but we have had a great time.   I have learned a lot more than I really wanted to know.  Our main desire is to make Iron Horse Motorcycles stronger and better equipped to take care of our customers now and in the future. 

All of us here at Iron Horse Motorcycles wish all of you and your families a very safe and happy holiday season. 

                                                John, Jen, Laine and soon to be ( Ella )

Holiday Gift Ideas! 

Buy a gift Certificate from Laine...our little Christmas elf

BMW Wings
$24.95

BMW Pocket Knife
$24.95

BMW Scanning Radio Pen $18.50

BMW Pen
$5.95

MS Moto Pin
$3.99

BMW Key Case
$6.99

Iron Horse
Mousepad $2.95

Redline
Funnel
$9.95

BMW Pen and
Case $42.50

BMW Roundel
Key Ring $4.25

BMW
Pocket Tool
$32.00

BMW Sun
Glasses $69.50

BMW Belt $49.50

Boxer Cup
Lanyard $3.99

BMW Travel Pen $45.50

BMW Micro
Umbrella $34.50

BMW Cup $5.95

3" Roundel
Patch $3.95

BMW Locking Oil
Filler Cap $35.50

MS Moto Travel
Bag $36.50

BMW Travel
Journal $25.99

BMW Key Case
$14.50

MR/MS Moto
Post-its $14.99

Motorrad Key Fob
$4.25

Boxer Cup Pullover
Special Price!
Was $49.50
Now $35.00

80th Anniversary
Fleece Pullover
Special Price!
Was $59.50
Now $32.50

Boxer Cup Jacket
Special Price!
Was $75.00 Now $59.95

Books and more books!

Travel,Technique,
Adventure, History

necessary to operate various electrical systems such as the starter, ignition system, lights, radio etc.

Battery Basics:
All batteries provide electrical storage via a chemical reaction using lead, sulfuric acid, water etc. As these chemicals react, the battery stores and releases this electrical current. Very much like a water tank stores water, a battery stores electrical current for later use. (Those who wish to learn more in detail, we suggest you search the web under: Battery/Batteries).

Electrical System – Movement of Electricity – It’s like Water
Please view image above for a simplified view of the basic flow of electricity.
The battery can be viewed as a tank of water and the Generator/alternator as a water pump. Visualize the flow of electricity, very much like the flow of water. Electrons flow from the water tank (battery) to the electrical consumers (lights, ignition system/spark plugs, radio, etc) where the electrical electrons are “used”. The flow continues back to the generator/alternator where it is “pumped” back into the battery. The important thing here is that the overall electrical system has limits as to what work (output) it can perform and how much electricity it can store. Once the battery (water tank) is empty, there is no more electrical power. If there are too many electrical consumers (e.g. accessory lights, heated vests, PGS/radar detectors, then the flow back to generator/alternator is reduced and the battery doesn't fully recharge (the water tank fails to fill up). In this case, the battery remains in a low state of charge. Likewise if the generator/alternator is too small for the electrical requirements, it will not be able to recharge the battery fast enough to maintain a full charge (the pump is too small to rapidly fill the water tank).

CAUTION:
Always wear protective gear such as gloves, eye protection, and protective clothing when working around and or replacing batteries. Battery acid can burn eyes, skin, and damage clothing, paint, etc. Never charge a frozen battery. Never expose a naked flame/sparks near a battery, especially those that are being charged, as the risk of explosion is possible (the flammable gas hydrogen is a by-product of battery charging).

Types of Batteries

Lead Acid
This battery is also called a “Flooded Battery”, meaning the lead plates are surrounded with a liquid sulfuric acid solution. These batteries have cell caps for adding water, as the acid level drops with use, humidity and age.
CAUTION: Never add acid to a battery. Only add water to each cell to raise the level of fluid to just above the lead plates.

Gel Cell
These batteries contain acid that has been “gelled” with the addition of Silica Gel to turn the acid into a Jello-like goo. Thus if they are tipped over, or worse yet, the case is damaged, they will usually not leak out the acid.
CAUTION: These batteries cannot be charged using a conventional automotive charger, since they must be charged at a slower rate (trickle charge) to avoid permanent damage. If over charged, bubbles or “voids” can occur in the gel which will never heal, thus causing a loss of battery capacity. 

AGM
These batteries are the latest trend. They use an “Absorbed Glass Mat” (AGM) between the lead plates, which is actually a very fine Boron-Silica glass mat saturated 95% with acid. They have all the advantages of the Gel Cell battery, plus they can take more abuse, including vibration and shock, since the plates and mats are tightly packed within the battery case. Additionally, since there is no liquid to freeze, they are immune to freezing damage. Further, they self-discharge at a much lower rate (1% to 3%) than a lead acid “Flooded Battery”.

Battery Output
Batteries produce approx. 2.14 volts per cell when fully charged. A 12 volt battery will supply approx. 12.7 volts total if checked with a voltmeter across the negative and positive terminals. A battery that has lost 50% of its charge will only supply approximately 12.06 volts total.
Once the battery voltage is below 12.0 volts, there may not be enough voltage left for the starter to rotate the crankshaft fast enough and also provide enough volts for a hot strong spark for the spark plugs.
Hint: On some oilheads, if the battery voltage is low, then the ABS lights may flash after starting. This is due to the control module for the ABS not seeing enough voltage. We have generated a check/test sheet to check and verify this condition. The battery is charged up and load tested as a test for proper function.

Batteries – Cold and Hot

Cold
Batteries are lazy when cold! They do not like to give up their electrons when the temperature goes below 40F, meaning that voltage (electrons) will not want to flow when it is cold. You can turn on the lights for a few minutes to make the battery work (this causes the chemical reaction to get going) and then attempt to crank the engine over. At 22F, the battery has lost approx. 50% of its capacity in amp hours. That is why a battery can be just fine on a warm winter afternoon and yet fail crank that engine over the next morning when it is freezing. 

Hot
On the other hand, batteries are very active and will self-discharge when the battery cell temperature is above 77F. The self-discharge rate will vary with battery type, age and temperature; it can be as high as 1% to 15% per month! Generally, the new AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries are the lowest (1% - 3%), where as a “Flooded Battery” can have the highest rate from 1% to 15%. Interestingly, battery capacity can be as much as 12% higher when the temperature is very hot.

Battery Limits for Both Hot and Cold Temperatures

Hot
Most batteries can loose 50% of their lifespan for every 15 degrees above 77F. 

Cold
When it is cold outside the battery will have an increased lifespan, but its capacity will be reduced.

We'll continue this discussion in the January Newsletter.