The government, with the help of local automotive parts makers, will try to convince Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturers to make the Philippines their production hub in their foray in the Southeast Asian market.

Dita Angara-Mathay, director of commercial affairs of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) in Taipei, said Taiwanese firms are now training their sights on the 500-million Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) market, where there is a rapidly growing preference for two-wheeled vehicles.

In the Philippines alone, Angara-Mathay said there are about 1,000 motorcycles being registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) daily.

With its focus on Asean, Angara-Mathay said the fully integrated motorcycle-manufacturing industry of Taiwan would naturally look for a location in the region which would host their plants that would serve the market.

“The Taiwanese want their manufacturing to be near their market. So we are positioning the Philippines as their Asean hub,” Angara-Mathay said.

Meco, they said, will start bringing local parts makers to Taiwan in April to help in convincing the Taiwanese that the Philippines is a viable manufacturing destination for them.

The domestic parts industry, they said, will talk to potential Taiwanese partners who would surely find the Philippine proposition advantageous because they would be able to access the Asean market at the preferential tariff rates under the Asean Free Trade Agreement.

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Motorcycle makers showcased cheaper and more fuel-efficient models at the nation’s premier motorcycle show, as the industry tries to navigate a tough road of crippled consumer confidence and tighter access to credit that are weighing on sales.

The companies sought to drown out the gloomy news with the revved engines of 600 bikes from more than 250 exhibitors at the International Motorcycle Show, which ran through Sunday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

“We’re definitely seeing where manufacturers are taking advantage of the smaller motorcycles in their lineup, the motorcycles that don’t get the kind of attention when things are sort of economically strong,” said show spokesman Robert Pandya. “We’re seeing motorcycles coming in that were originally designed for other markets that, because of people’s consciousness for fuel economy and ease of getting around, are all of a sudden finding a home in the U.S.”

Motorcycle sales tend to take a beating when the economy slows, and sales industrywide fell 2.2 percent in the third quarter of 2008, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. In 2007, sales ended a 14-year growth streak by falling 6 percent.

In October, the top-selling U.S. motorcycle company, Harley-Davidson Inc., cut its 2008 sales forecast to between 303,500 and 306,000 motorcycles, down from 330,619 in 2007. The Milwaukee company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 23, and analysts widely expect it to report that profit for the full-year declined from 2007.

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There are several reasons why it is essential for a biker to use these boots but the most common is to avoid you from being burned from the heat that is coming out from the exhaust pipes of the bike. The durability of these motorcycle boots will help a lot every time your foot touches the ground whenever you are maneuvering the bike to a stop. Regular boots would most likely be damaged easily with the friction. While these boots are primarily made for practical reasons, top boot manufacturers are creative enough to incorporate fashion into each pair without sacrificing its efficiency. This is the reason why there is a wide variety of motorcycle boots that are offered to consumers. They come in different colors, cuts and designs. The rugged working boots has come a long way and with the help of technology, they have become not only functional but fashionable too.

Today, you will see even the non-bikers grabbing a pair of boots meant for motorcycling. It has also become increasingly popular with women as it has become a fashion statement to some of them. More people are becoming aware of the kind of comfort it offers to the user. Compared with regular boots, boot designers are acutely aware that they need to put more emphasis on the comfort factor as the feet stays at the foot peg for so long during a motorcycle ride. Motorcycle boots makes riding easier for the riders. Instead of getting sore feet at the end of the day, the right pair of boots will make sure that it will be comfortable during the ride. Some of them even has extended lower heel for easy maneuvering.

Honda

A Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, for example, needs almost as many parts to complete it as a Honda Civic automobile. Today, the Japanese manufacturers, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha dominate the motorcycle industry, although Harley-Davidson still maintains a high degree of popularity in the United States. On a few, including the Honda Gold Wing and BMWK1200LT, it is not really a reverse gear, but a feature of the starter motor which when reversed, performs the same function. An example of a fairing on a Honda CBR1000F. A Harley-Davidson “cruiser” Russian moped ZiD-50 “Pilot” An Italian standard motor bike A Kawasaki ZX-7RR sport bike A BMW touring motorcycle A Honda motocross bike A dual-purpose Kawasaki Street Choppers: Highly customized motorcycles based on a cruiser-style frame with long rake (longer front forks) and wild paint jobs. When you take a basic rider course with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the motorcycles they provide are Honda 250 Nighthawks, again a basic no-nonsense ride that are considered standard or naked bikes.

Engine

Engines with more cylinders provide more power for the same displacement, and feel smoother to ride. Engines with fewer cylinders are cheaper, lighter, and easier to maintain. Engine sizes range from 50cc to over 1300cc with various cylinder sizes. The motorcycle is “a form of entertainment that can appeal only, one would think, to the most enthusiastic of mechanical eccentrics,” Engineering magazine stated in 1901. In 1879, Giuseppe Munigotti of Italy patented the first gas-burning internal combustion four-stroke engine for the new motorcycles, although his invention existed only on paper. Nicolaus Otto and Eugen Langen were developing four-stroke stationary engines, which ran on coal gas supplied from mains. Gottlieb Daimler took the invention further by developing an engine that ran on benzine. Davidson’s older brothers, both toolmakers, assisted, as did Ole Evinrude, who later became famous as a designer and producer of outboard motor boat engines. The engine also contains a cylinder barrel, typically made of cast iron or light alloy. The engine is mounted in the painted frame, and various other components are fitted as the motorcycle is sent down the assembly line.

Motorcycles must be leaned in order to turn. Motorcycles from a number of manufacturer snow have electric windshields, which raise and lower the windshield with the push of a button to the optimum height for conditions. Motorcycles are also exempt from toll bridge charges at some crossings, such as the Severn Bridge and Dartford Crossing. Motorcycles have a far higher rate of crippling and fatal accidents per unit distance than automobiles.