You know it's been a slow and rainy month when I start to review my motorcycle insurance policy.

For the past year or so I've been searching for something like the AAA of motorcycles. Something in my pocket to give me a bit of peace of mine in the event I blow a tire (only if the tire buys me dinner first) , breakdown, wreck, whatever and left stranded in the middle of no where. Reducing some cost and headache if it ever happens with a go-to guy to call.

Tho AAA does offer some motorcycle packages as do a few other organizations. I was unable to find one that sounded like it'd be worth the money.

Was watching an episode of Dirty Jobs on Discovery and got bombarded with Progressive Insurance commercials in the process of. They mention road-side assistance, not specifically for motorcycles in the advert, but that got me thinking. Called up my then present insurance company State Farm to see what exactly they do offer as services and amenities for my bike. Come to find out, they don't offer squat!

No medical, no road-side assistance, no personal injury... and not much else. Now I can't complain about the price that State Farm has gotten me, I've got a car and a house insured with them both for over 15 years. But I wasn't getting much for my $96 a year.

Did some Googling and found that Progressive offers medical, personal injury, roadside assistance, $1,000 accessory coverage, etc, etc, etc. Gave them a call to discuss it further and just get a quote to see what my damage would be. $136 a year.

Now this isn't me advertising Progressive, I'm sure there are reasons to elect one insurance company over another. But just a suggestion to take a moment to evaluate what you're getting for your money with your current insurance company. When it's raining that is...

Been slow days for news so I'll show off what my other hobby outside of motorcycles. Painting and chicks. Work in progress and got a lot more to do, but it's getting there.

Update:

Works better than dorking around with a syringe or a tube on a spraycan. Alll you need is a plastic bag, rubber bands and gravity.

1. Cut off a sizable portion of the corner of a Ziplock freezer bag and fill it partially with lubricating oil.

2. Insert your clutch/throttle cable into the bag. Secure the bag with rubber bands tightly around the throat of the bag and the cable jacket.

3. Invert and secure your oily bag of goodness up high, place a second rubber band over the top of the bag. The second band will give constant gentle pressure to the air and oil concoction inside the bag. Forcing the oil into the jacket slowly.

Do some of those chores your wife is nagging you non-stop about. When she’s out of nagging range sneak off to see if the lubricant has worked it’s way to the end of your cable periodically. But keep a sharp lookout... she could be anywhere.

Honda will be showing off a concept bike dubbed the EV-Cub at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show October 24th.

Not a hell of a lot of info out there yet about this concept. Gauging from the photos it looks like it has in-wheel motors (and possible two wheel drive). Turn signals are right out of TRON, and there was no DOT approval signals required for LightCycles in TRON either.

The original Honda Cub is the most successful motorized vehicle of all time. In production in one variation after another since 1958. Leaping forwards 50+ years with staggering production numbers up over 65 million. More than just a corporate achievement but worthy of a Nobel Prize. The machine that enables millions for a better quality of life.

What will be the true test of electric motorcycles is when we see people in Asia able to carry: 17 wooden palettes, 8 duffle bags full of potatoes, a cage stuffed with 10 chickens, a full sheet of 3/4" marine plywood, 1 rider, 2 passengers... on one EV-Cub. Then and only then will the bar raised by the internal combustion engine be matched by electric motorcycles .