Customized Motocycles..I love my Bike

Someone ask me to do a blog on motorcycles because they were curios as to how someone can actually 'pimp out' their bike. I was also a little curios and was enthusiastic about doing a blog on bikes. Some would say that bikes are just purely magnificent and they have endless possibilities. What is even more magnificent is that you wont find two bikes that are exactly alike.

What is even more special about it is that you can personalize your bike in any way , with many different colors or design.

Some ways in which you can customize your bike are:
1. Changing the handlebars.
2. Bob the rear fender.
3. Paint the bike by personalizing it.
4. change the seats. It increases comfort and makes long rides more enjoyable.
5. Add highway pegs
6. Change the exhaust.It can add torque and horsepower as well as great sound.
7. Add chrome. This is the most common aftermarket accessory added to motorcycles, any part of your bike can be chromed from front wheel to tail lights.
8. change the Wheels. The wider the better.
9. Lights. There are a variety if light to make your like shine bright like a diamond and stand out at night. Beyond headlights you can also mount lights in engine cases, forks, mirror stems, crash bars, light bars, fairing or more. Just be sure not to mount any light higher than the headlights.

So feel free to design your bike as you choose and make it stand out above the rest.

Alarm, Alarm, Alarm... Car Alarms you should invest in.

Having a flashy car means that you have to upgrade your anti- thief system. I have compiled a list of them just for you. Car alarms have some very useful features like:

Keyless Entry
This can be used to arm and disarm your car as well as unlock your door and release the trunk. It eliminates the need for another key in your pocket and the remote also receive alerts when your car alarm is sound. Most have LCD screens with displays that will tell you exactly what is happening to your car. Some even work with your smart phone so you can receive a text message when your car alarm sounds.

Starter Kill
After your car alarm begins sounding and your remote buzzes, you'll need to take action. Most often an alarm alone wont stop a thief  from stealing your car. With this feature, a simple click of the button can stop your car engine from running until you disarm the alarm.

Full vehicle Sensors
The car security system will detect every single movement and disturbance to your car and alert you of each change. There are even shock sensors installed so you will know if someone is towing your car or attempting to jack it up to steel your rims. It will alert you on any change.

I have installed a Mul-T-lock in my car and its been 4 years. It's one of my greatest investment ever. The Mul-T-Lock is sold at Oscar Francois and offers a broad range of advanced mechanical, electro mechanical and electronic High Security product for cars, trucks and motorcycles. Specially developed for vehicle application and based on 3 decades of experience, these robust systems incorporate Mul-T-Lock's high quality cylinders. Its highly attack- resistant vehicle protection systems  lock the gear lever, steering wheel and /or hood and fit a vast range of vehicle models.

2. Another system is the Alarm System, VIPER is the world's best selling vehicle security and remote start brand. They use precision engineering and cutting edge technology t make sure you are in control. Their Viper systems offer range and systems you can count on every time.

Car Alarm systems can cost you between $600 and $2500 TTD, so my advise is car owners is to invest in a good alarm that will at least have your mind at ease.

Flashy Cars can attract thieves!!! Watch out

 Having a flashy car with nice rims, lambo doors and loud music is all good, it even adds value to your car. But the downside to that is that thieves are on the prowl and the lookout.

I remember there was a time in sweet Trinidad where thieves would be lurking at Trincity mall waiting for those best rides to park and then when the owners come out, their cars were long gone. With rims costing from $5000.00 to $15,000 a set thieves see more than chrome, they only see dollar signs. All the money that you spend to customize your car...Gone.

When you park your vehicle with the flashy rims, crisp paint job and visibly expensive audio, you ar e basically saying to thieves "come take me". One of my colleagues Michael was a victim of car thief, he loved his car, he had at least $15,000 worth of music in it and withing six months, his car was stolen. He believes he was monitored for over a period a time and then when the time was right, the thieves struck.

Changing your rims is one of the most visible things you can do to make a statement on the road and it can also be the worst thing for you. One of the biggest mistakes car owners make is that they done inform the insurance about their newly flashed car so if it is stolen, they are not compensated or covered for the value of their customization.

Check out a car thief in action.

One of the things you must have is an excellent anti thief system, which I will discuss in my next blog.

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Be aware of your surroundings while parking and at all times.

Car Shows in T & T

hey all, just wanted to post some videos of car shows in Trinidad. I still don't think I want to spend thousand of dollars on customizing a car, so i will hold back on that.
Anyway here are a few videos of Trini cars on display. I will let the videos do the talking for me.

I will start off with Music...Fellas really like their 'hard pong' yes.

I cant forget my Tobago crew at all. Check out Tobago on display.

Next up, more customize cars.

The most expensive Pimped out cars!!!

Well I may not spend thousands of dollars to customize my car but there's a whole lot of folks who will. Today I will feature some of the coolest and most expensive customized cars.

The winner of this category goes to the 1/8 scale model Lamborghini Aventador that is likely to take in $7.5 million dollars when it is auctioned off. The car is a one-off gold, diamond and platinum encrusted model and contains at least $2.7 million in precious metals and stones. The wheels are cast from solid gold and platinum and the whole car is milled out of 500 kilogram solid block of gold and the seats contain 700 diamonds. Damn!!!

Now to actual cars, introducing the customized Mercedes-Benz SL600, Luxury Crystal Benz, studded with 300,000 Swarovski crystal glass. It was on display at the pavilion at Tokyo Auto Salon in 2009.

My third and choice is the custom-made Bugatti L'Or Blanc porcelain super car for an estimated 2.4 million USD. Inside the vehicle is a porcelain caviar tray. Bugatti's sales chief said that installing porcelain in the world's fastest car was a pretty good idea. The vehicle has a white exterior with royal blue lines and was also fitted with porcelain wheel badges, fuel caps and oil caps.

So while some of us may find it hard to spend a few thousands to customize our cars there are people out there who have no problem spending millions.
Until next time....chao!

Car Customizing Done Woman Style.Ouch!!!

Now after posting all the possible ways you can customize your vehicle like the nice rims, music and paint job, I decided to step away from the original customizing to something different. Customizing woman style!
Ladies, have you ever sat in the front seat of your man's car and put your foot on the dashboard??? What comes next??? He flips out. He doesn't want you to leave empty packets behind, no eating in the car and sometimes he doesn't even want you to drive his car because he is afraid you will scratch it.

Men love cars and we all know that and every woman knows that a man takes care of his car maybe more that he takes care of himself. But for some reason or the other, when a relationship goes sour, women feel compelled to target the one thing that her man cares so much about if he hurts her emotionally, because she knows it will hurt him more than a kick in the balls.

Yep, you guessed correctly, his car.

Most men would say that 're-customizing a man's car because he cheated on you or was cruel to you in some form is an act of malevolent and spiteful wickedness but for some women it's just seeking revenge and settling the score. Ouch!

I spoke to ten women who customized their man's car and I have compiled the ways in which they did it as well as the best instruments to used. Ouch!

Ways to re customize a man's car:
1. spray paint
2. a sharp object eg knife, iron for puncturing tyres and scrathing rims
3. some big stones
4. oil paint (to re do paint job)
5. garden tool eg. pick axe or shovel for denting bonnet

A the saying goes, " Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned". Believe that!

Disclaimer- This blog in no way encourages or endorses the destruction of any vehicle, perpetrators will be subjected to the full brunt of the law.

Music a.k.a Hard Pound

I am thinking of adding a sound system in my ride above, hmmmm.

I remember when I was in Secondary school, I wouldn't be caught dead in a Maxi that wasn't overloaded or had loud music. I didn't care if it may have ruptured my ear drums. lol

In all car shows, you must find cars that are present just for a 'sound clash' to out do or should I say drown out each other's music. Thousands of dollars is spent on music just to claim the top spot of champion sound system.
Now depending on how good you  want your sound system to be will determine how good your music will sound, so basically you get what you paid for. In order to compete with the best of the best you must fit your car with the following:

A good sound system should include,
A good stereo with enough power to run all the interior speakers
A good set of front speakers or component set
A good set of rear speakers
A good amplifier
A good sub woofer

These owners went all out to ensure their music is on top.

Checj out this video where A DVD PLAYER was placed IN A PARK LIGHT??? LAWDDDDDD!!!. Some people are just very creative.

For the music lovers out there how much do you think I should spend on a sound system???

Drop Low!!!

Now when you decide to customize your car, there is one thing that you must also do other than the blinging rims and Lambo doors. DROP LOW!!! To do that, you must lower your suspension. Car enthusiast say that lowering your car gives it better handling characteristics but you also have to keep in mind that in Trinidad and Tobago our roads are full of 'pot holes' and speed bumps.. Now remember a car suspension allows the car's weight to shift around maintaining speed and balance, so going too low may not be a good idea. Most times cars that are drop very low are only for show, not regular daily use.

Some car that drop low modify their suspension to make the car buck up and down also called dancing and hopping.
Have a look at some hopping cars on show.

So if you are considering lowering your car, the first question to ask yourself is whether you want your ride to look good, a better ride or even both. Knowing what you want will help you figure out how to lower your car correctly. 

Love me some Lamborghini doors!!!

Lamborghini doors also known as scissor, beetle-wing, jack-knife, switchblade and lambo doors are automotive doors that rotate vertically at a fixed hinge at the front of the  door, rather than outwardly as with a conventional door. When you fit your car with Lambo doors, the ladies tend to be attracted to you even more (that's what my friend said).
Now remember a Lambo door kit don't come cheap and can cost around $2600.00. It can open 90 degrees or 180 degrees for your front and rear door,

If you are wondering what the kit contains, it's two high strength lambo door hinges that replaces your stock door hinges, a set of gas shocks to hold the door open, and a set of bolts to attach the hinges to the car.
Have a look at some of our local lambo cars. Damn, don't they look good?

Even maxi taxis are pimpin their buses...hmmmm

SPLIT BONNET
If you are thinking of customizing then you may as well go all out. Why settle for the conventional boring bonnet? The most dramatic bonnet styling is the split bonnet, instead of opening on a hinge at the top or bottom, the bonnet will open from the middle to each side.
Custom split opening bonnets are the ultimate style statement and are fairly easy to do. But be warned split bonnets are for show cars not street cars!!!!

CHOSING THE RIGHT RIMS!

This week we would look at different types of wheels. When i say wheels i am talking about rims and tyres. A man's outfit is not complete without some damn good shoes and so is a pimped out ride. You cant have lambo doors, a remarkable paint job and you're rolling on some busted, scratched up rims. Hell No!

No car can be considered customized without a fresh set of either alloy rims or chrome rims and they must be between 17" and 22", anything less you may as well just ride a bike. Some people add light to their rims and other add some color, it all depends on your like and style.
Adding a new set of wheels to your ride changes the entire look of the car but car enthusiast will say that choosing the right rims can be a bit confusing.

According to Rimtyme, changing the tyre and wheel size drastically from the factory specifications may affect the way the brakes work and impact wear and tear on the drive train and engine. For example :

Bigger tyres can cause stress on the brakes because they have to slow more rotating mass and Larger rims may also cause the vehicle to handle and steer differently.

So when shopping for the perfect shoes for your ride, consider the following information to optimize your car's performance.
1. Choose light alloy wheels if you need high performance or plan on racing a vehicle. Heavy, steel rims will only slow down your car by adding unnecessary weight and lower the driving performance.
2. Installing rims that are one or two inches larger than the stock factory wheels can help improve performance.
3. Choose custom wheel with a maximum load rating compatible with your vehicle.
4. Wider rims will improve your vehicle's handling because rims with a wider base are proven to be best for acceleration and cornering.
5. Cheap prices often mean cheap quality in aftermarket wheels, so go for quality.

photo credit: car craft and street concepts

Where can you go to pimp your ride???

I was excited to find out if I wanted to customize my car where do I go. At first I thought you had to head to your normal community straightener and painter and he would give you a nice body job and you were set to go, only to realize that it takes more than just a paint job to really be part of the pimped out car family.

Now it doesn't mater where in Trinidad  you live East, West, North or South, you can find at least one shop in each city.

I live in the East, so I was well aware of one of the most popular shops located there at  Lynton Gardens Phase 2 Dabadie Arouca. Car Craft Customizing, known for its impeccable job in car modification, has over 15 years experience and has been the talk of the town among many car enthusiast.

Here are some of the work done to its very satisfied customers.

Who would think about putting a pool at the back of a van? Well DragStarz Customz

 thought about that and it came off to be a damn good idea. Here's a look at the mobile pool.

If you are from central you can check out Exclusive Designs at John Peter Road Charlieville. They specialize in customization, rim and underbody kit and fibreglass enclousures. 

These customized cars are making me feel to head to one of the shop asap.

I love my ride!

Trinidad and Tobago men love a good meal, a good woman and a pimped out car or van. When I say pimped out I am talking about big rims 17"-22", flawless paint jobs, Lamborghini doors, out of this world speakers and neon lights. You can see these cars sparingly on the highways and main roads but if you are really into customized cars then you should find yourself at one of the car shows.
This blog will display local popular vehicles, showcase all the different styles, modification,  colors and designs of local cars and highlight my absolute admiration of what i would call a good looking car. Customize shops exist in every major city and they take simple vehicles and turn them into a completely eye catching piece of artwork.
Believe it or not some guys will spend their last cent to make their vehicle stand out and prepare for months to compete at car shows. 
My goal is to excite your senses, blow your mind and hopefully make you too a lover of customized cars.