swingset

I'll be there the 22nd on the bike, weather permitting. 28th maybe.

Yup. Oil companies don't pay taxes. We do. Raise it on them, we pay more. You have to be a special kind of retarded to believe otherwise.

There's some logic to it, but it just makes you a purposeful road block. I can't bring myself to stand in the way of traffic like that. Just don't have it in me, for the same reason I can't stand in the doorway of a store while people are waiting. I think you have to enjoy pissing people off....or you're utterly oblivious to your impact on others...neither is good. If safety is the concern, why not pull over when cars approach from the rear? Why not yield to the faster pace of traffic behind you. I know cyclists have an answer for that too (I don't wanna break my momentum/rhythm....again, "all about me"). I might have every legal right to be in the middle of the lane, every safety-minded rationale on my side, but it's a dick move to hold up the rest of the world IMHO. I'll take my chances on the berm, and let people pass me or find a better way of traveling.

You choose to avoid traffic because people are morons and it's not safe. You're making my case more than debating it, but that's ok.

It's a great bike, I'd own one if I didn't have the Vee...but I still think I'd choose the Wee if I were doing solo adventuring with some dirt involved.

It negates some of my points, to you personally, but not all. You're still a guest of road designed for cars, engineered for them, and unless you have dedicated bike lanes you're in the way. You may contest that point, but it's true. You may feel justified in having equal ownership and right to the road, but that's only partially true. You have legal right, as a pedestrian does, but you use the roads in spite of contributing no fees or registration that other vehicles do. If you do commute, do you ride using the whole lane, as a car would? I know cyclists who refuse to ride on the shoulder, citing things like debris which is hard on their tires, or that doing so prompts people to pass them without going around, but not doing so purposely slows down traffic and forces everyone to work around you. Safer? Possibly, but then you're knowingly standing in the way of pretty much everyone else...and does that not bother you?

The roads are now designed for and completely inhabited by cars and trucks, tho, and as a cyclist I'm keenly aware of this. I pay no registration, fees, or have any claim on the roads and I'm a slow-moving roadblock if I choose to ride amongst fast-moving traffic. In a state where rail-to-trails and designated paths are so numerous, I can't wrap my head around why a cyclist would want to tangle with 6,000lb SUV's and idiots who pilot them, or stand in the way of traffic needlessly for enjoyment...unless it's a passive-aggressive need to stand in people's way. I don't have that, I want no part of it. I can never ride comfortably knowing how easy it is to be hit, and how I'm in the way of people going to jobs or doing business on the roads. Whatever problems there might be on the bike paths, surely they pale in comparison to tempting death and serious injury from a cager. I ride the bike paths 3-4 times a week, and have never had a problem.

I shot highpower for a bunch of years, got tired of the travel but I miss the shooting. I still have my White Oak AR, shooting jacket and all the goodies but I haven't shot much lately.

That's the nice thing, you can use it for about anything and the aftermarket is there to make it happen. I had my Vee set up for more offroading and did a lot of it, but I mangled the bars and panniers in my wreck a couple months ago, so on went the frame sliders and soft bags and it's a sport tourer now!

And who says you can't offroad one?

Well, it's about as ugly.

I had a '86, ran the piss out of it. Great little bikes, really, durable and fun to buzz around on. I enjoyed mine a lot for what it was.

This. Unless you're REALLY going to do offroad, and I'm not talking about a groomed firetrail, you'd like everything about the WeeStrom better than the KLR. The Strom will have way better road manners, more comfort, more reliable, last longer, look better, have way more power, and will still do backroads and 2-track just fine if you want to use it that way.

It's not like there aren't some regular roads in Franklin County that are halfway interesting (at least by comparison to 270) and have a restaurant or two that don't involve McNuggets. Why on earth restrict yourself to featurless, multi-lane expressway around the city? It's like going to a bad strip club and sticking your dollar bills in the doorman's jeans instead of the skanks. If you wanna argue it's better than nothing, first make the case that it's your only option (because it ain't).

It's like the world's worst NASCAR course.

Good timing, just saw Rich on ADV post this up this morning...not sure of the details: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=19082598&postcount=50678

At a certain point, and desert riders can attest to this, airflow works against you. That's why people who live in the Sahara wrap up in insulating fabrics rather than open ones. It's cooler to stay wrapped up, insulated from the heat rather than being exposed to it. When it gets to 95+ and humid, you're better off with NO vents open and having some cooling going on underneath the jacket. The recommendation for base layers is good. If you have some long sleeve heatgear or similar material on under a jacket, and wet the sleeves before riding, you can stay cool a long time but the more air that gets to them the faster that effect wears off. Instantly, in some cases.

Vests work but need recharged, which takes a while. A cooling towel can be re-wet and put under your short more often, and less cumbersome, and cheaper.

I love Ceramics. They are disposable, but while they're good nothing is better or faster. Cost, really, is about the same as good metal if you factor that you're going to buy a big knife 3 or 4 times at $25 a piece, instead of once at $100 or more.

Two well-placed nukes in the Ukraine and Nigeria would fix this.

OGCA is a private membership org., you have to be recommended by another member and 95% of the folks there are reputable, normal collectors. There's no riff-raff in their shows, it's worlds different than a normal gun show. Some of the guys at the booths are authors, experts, collectors of very high end stuff. It's interesting and a good place to get stuff valued or pick up neat weapons.

I love old guns, had quite a collection going but had to liquidate some things in the last few years. I still have some heirloom stuff that's pre-1900, but it's nothing terribly interesting mostly break action stuff and a couple lever guns. If you don't have one, you should get an OGCA membership and hit the shows. They're great.

Wix or Napa Gold.

Yes you do. I'm ready for some trails, let's figure out a weekend and hit it. I'm gonna be pretty conservative, still not 100%, but Wayne is wide and non-technical so it's a good place to get my sea-legs back and good dirt for you. Good thing is, unless it's wet, your 50/50 tires will be perfect on it.

I get it, it makes sense. Why not fill the pockets of folks who make bad choices with more opportunity to make bad choices? Then, next month when they're all still poor and still hating The Man for holding them down, we can give them free Iphones or cheese. I'll feel better going to work tomorrow, knowing that I helped a little. Afterall, they had to sit around in the heat. I mean, I did too, but they had to sit around and be poor. So, government to the rescue.