Today I’m going to be covering motorcycle light bulbs on your ride, how to see things better — and more important — how to be seen better. But in order to do that, I’m going to have to toss around a few electrical terms. You know, like watts and volts and amperage.

Wait! Don’t hit the Back button, because I’m going to try and make this as easy to comprehend as possible.

A watt is a unit of measure that takes into consideration the mathematical relationship of volts and amperage. What it looks like is this: Watts = Volts X Amps.

The standard motorcycle… Continue Reading

I’ve made no secret here on the J&P Blog about my opinion of “custom bike building” and how this segment of the industry has turned into a joke over the past few years. I have little use for super shiny themed “choppas,” built on reality television shows by folks with thin skin, getting their underwear twisted up when someone doesn’t care for their “design”.

And I’m no fan of these so-called production customs, which sounds like an oxymoron to me — with the emphasis on moron.

What I do have an incredible amount of love for is real ingenuity. I like functional bikes that are designed to ride. And… Continue Reading

Bike week started a week later than normal this year, but the party started the weekend before. Things are really rocking here at Daytona Bike Week.

A few rain showers didn’t stop the bikes from rolling in, and even made for an exciting Supercross race. The J&P Cycles Destination Daytona location is loaded to the gills with new products; the parking lot is filled with vendors like Klock Werks, Vance & Hines, Kuryakyn, Bikers Choice and many more. Along with our clearance tent, giant luggage and seat tent and on site mechanics, there is no reason you shouldn’t be on your… Continue Reading

Our participation in Daytona Bike Week began back in 1989 when we started selling parts out of a storefront building on Main Street. We’ve been an active part of this motorcycle extravaganza ever since, opening a superstore in nearby Ormond Beach in 2007 and sending our fully stocked semi-trailer down to Florida each year since 1995.

So we’ve got a long history with this event that began way back in January of 1937. The first Bike Week was highlighted by the inaugural running of the Daytona 200, a motorcycle competition that took place on a 3.2-mile course just south of Daytona Beach. The winner of that race was Ed Kretz… Continue Reading

I’m not in the habit of endorsing products, but every now and then I run across something that’s truly magnificent, and this is one of those times. I’m also not a big fan of trying out new stuff or gaining new experiences.

For example, I find that I order the same thing for breakfast almost every time I go out. I get up at the same time every day — weekends included. I tend to wear the same style of clothing at all times, and if I go to McDonald’s, I religiously order the same value meal.

I’m guessing I just know what I like, and to change things without… Continue Reading

On Feb. 14, while most of the nation dressed up in red or pink to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the employees here at J&P Cycles were sporting green in honor of National Donor Day. As you might know, J&P founder John Parham was the recipient of a donated lung back in August of 2010, and he’s doing quite well, thank you. In fact, you’ll likely not find more grateful or active supporters of organ donation that John and his family.

National Donor Day is a way to highlight the many ways people can help save lives through organ donations, blood donations, marrow drives and tissue sign-up events… Continue Reading

John Parham, founder and former president of J&P Cycles, picks up the Don J. Brown Lifetime Achievement Award today during ceremonies at the 2012 Dealer Expo and American V-Twin Dealer Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Doubtless you know that J&P Cycles is the world’s largest aftermarket motorcycle parts and accessories retailer online, and John will be recognized at a luncheon today for his lifetime of dedication to the motorcycle industry — most recently for his efforts in creating the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, which is also home to J&P’s headquarters. That main location, as well as our satellite location in Ormond… Continue Reading

Recently I received my copy of American Motorcyclist magazine in the mail, and it had a cover that really caught my eye. It had a picture of an older guy with a long gray beard wearing motocross gear. My initial thought was, “What’s that Harley dude doing wearing MSR gear?”

This is exactly the bias that I’d like to avoid! The theme of this particular issue of the magazine is to unite all motorcyclists in an effort to protect our right to ride and this cover hit the nail on the head!

This subject is something that I really hold close to my heart because when I first started… Continue Reading

J&P Cycles flew a crew out to the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati this past weekend so everybody could get a first-hand and up-close look at what our vendors have in store for all of us this season. A good part of the reason we all even work here is so we can attend exclusive motorcycle industry shows where our vendors debut all the products they have been developing over the winter.

What that means is, everybody who’s lucky enough get inside the doors of this exclusive exposition are laying their eyes on literally thousands of new motorcycle products and accessories for the first time.

And because J&P… Continue Reading

A few months back, Tim Barcz, who is my boss here at J&P Cycles, called me into his office, which in and by itself isn’t out of the ordinary. But what he said after I closed the door was something you don’t hear every day.

Seems he’d just received a phone call from producer of the top-rated TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and those folks were looking for a little help. They were filming a segment of the show in Iowa and they had called Tim to ask if we’d be at all interested in rebuilding two motorcycles for the family highlighted in the show. My response was brief:… Continue Reading