CycleGadgets.com

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the CycleGadgets.com newsletter! We hope that you find the information enjoyable and informative. If you're a motorcyclist with an interest in gadgets, you're sure to find something you like here.

Bluetooth De-Mystified

by Sean Franklin

Bluetooth, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a short-range wireless audio protocol that is predominantly used for wireless cell phone headsets. It's not uncommon to see people walking around with a little "gadget" attached to their ear at all times. I've been guilty of it myself on occasion.

For the motorcyclist, though, Bluetooth can mean a lot more than just talking on the phone. In fact, many motorcyclists use Bluetooth extensively - and NEVER make or receive phone calls on their bike!

The one thing that Bluetooth solutions are not so good at is flexibility. We can do a lot of things with Bluetooth, but not every Bluetooth product will support the same features. So, it's important to decide up front what features and functions you want to use now, and are likely to want to use in the future. Carefully evaluating the present & future capabilities of each product will help prevent you from purchasing twice.

Read the complete article here

Arkansas? Why Arkansas?

by Laurene Franklin

This is probably the most frequent question we get concerning our decision to move CycleGadgets out of Indiana. Everyone understands our desire for a milder winter climate but a lot of people simply can't wrap their brains around our choice of Arkansas.

My usual response is, "Have you been here?" Contrary to popular misconceptions and stereotypes, Arkansas has many vibrant, cosmopolitan areas alive with theater, art, music, and educational facilities. Large corporations such as Tyson Chicken, Little Debbie, JB Hunt, Daisy BB Guns, and of course Wal-Mart call Arkansas home.

Northwest Arkansas (where we are) is one of the fastest growing communities in the country. Our town of Eureka Springs also just happens to be a Mecca for all kinds of musicians and artists and… Motorcyclists! The roads throughout the area are considered some of the best in the country. They twist up and down the Ozark mountains through absolutely beautiful scenery. Plus, if you love to eat (and who doesn't) Eureka Springs has an unbelievable number of fabulous 4- and 5-star restaurants.

If you want to stay overnight, there are choices for every taste and budget. Choose from luxury cabins in the woods or cottages with spectacular lake views; historic downtown hotels and Victorian-style Bed and Breakfasts. There are even Motorcycle-only facilities like the Rider's Rest and a number of other "Motorcycle Friendly" Motels.

In future editions of our newsletter I will highlight great rides, restaurants and places to stay in and around Eureka Springs. Hopefully this will pique your interest and prompt a visit to our beautiful state. Let me know if you have any suggestions or places you'd like me to investigate.

Guaranteed 3-Day Shipping

by Don Hill, Warehouse Manager

Eureka Springs is a beautiful place to live and to ride a motorcycle, but we discovered one drawback to this area. Shipping time to many parts of the country increased by a day or even two, as compared to when we were in Indiana. New York State and most of the Northeast went from 3 days to 4. Most of the West Coast went from 4 days to 5. Some parts of Oregon and California became 6 business days!

This was a great concern to us, and we discussed this issue with a variety of shippers. UPS, the shipper we've been using practically since Day One, came to us with a solution. In a nutshell, if you choose UPS Ground shipping from us, and you're within the Continental USA, you will get your package in 3 business days. Our shipping software will check UPS's guaranteed transit time to your ZIP code, and if it won't make it in 3 days or less, your package will automatically be upgraded to UPS 3-Day Select service - at no additional charge! All you need to do (on either Web or telephone orders) is specify "UPS Ground" service, and we'll take care of the rest.

The CycleGadgets.com newsletter includes information on products and technologies of interest to touring motorcyclists, as well as information about the Eureka Springs, Arkansas area. If you have suggestions for future Newsletter articles, please let us know.