swingset

Didn't wanna cross-post, but in case you dirt & adventure types don't read the ride events forum... http://www.ohioriders.net/showthread.php?p=681248#post681248

Back by popular demand, I have another route of great back roads, dirt and beautiful countryside for those big, heavy beasts! The last ride was a blast, and I've tried to improve upon the route and most importantly, the weather! Here's the details! When: Saturday, July 9th. (in the case of severe weather, use your judgment). Where: Meeting at the http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.442157,-82.260627&num=1&t=h&sll=40.447564,-82.260158&sspn=0.016984,0.032015&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=40.442154,-82.260615&spn=0.005953,0.009152&z=17&iwloc=A in Danville, Ohio at 10am. Group rides out at 10:30 after a fuel-up. About the ride... This meandering route will encompass approx. 150 miles of forgotten back roads, with more gravel than pavement...including some great unimproved roads and light trails, taking us through hilly wooded areas, sweeping Amish farmsteads, and along some of the most scenic waterways in this area of the state. The start and end of the route are all centrally located, and we'll end the route with grand style at one of two very good restaurants to celebrate the day with some grub! Most of the roads are scenic gravel back roads, and a few connecting paved county roads.... There are also some old, unincorporated roads that offer a big bike a challenge with rocks, ruts and bumps (I'll get to the specifics of these later)...and a couple small stream crossings. That's a little teaser of what's on the route! The biggest question everyone wanted to know on the last ride is the severity of the trails and bad roads. Except for 3 or 4 short sections of trail/roads, all of it is no more severe than a gravel road, sometimes narrow, but the surface is passable by a street bike. The last photograph is a picture of the worst of the sections....it's a long grade with deep ruts that occasionally criss-cross the sketchy road. We'll be going DOWN this grade, which is much easier on a big bike than up, and the grade is not steep. If the road is dry, it's not a challenge if you've done any offroad riding. If it's wet? Forget it unless you've got knobbies. I have worked "outs" into the route for anyone who isn't comfortable with offroad on a big bike, and in case of wet trails. Last year's ride saw a few bikes struggle, but it was with greasy places where the previous night's rain left some trenches. If it's dry, this is all doable on a Vstrom 1000 wearing Shinko 705's...in fact I scouted this entire route with my 14 year old daughter riding pillion...but admittedly, I'm willing to put the big Strom where some people will not. So, be forewarned there are some challenging sections if you're a total noob to dirt, but no requirement that you ride them and they encompass a very short part of this ride...you'll still have a ball if you miss them. But, know this, my daughter and I will snicker at you for being a sissy. Seriously, it's no big deal whether you hit the gnarly sections, they're easily avoided...they're on the route for the challenge, but if you'd rather not that's fine. Now the next question I got is whether it's ok to ride it on a small bike? Answer: Of course! The route is laid out for big bikes, but I certainly don't care if anyone rides it on a small scoot. The one concern is that the 1st gas stop is at 75 miles, so if you do have a small bike or limited range, be aware of that! More details: If you want to trailer to the ride, you're 100% welcome to trailer at my place and ride up to the start with me that morning, my place is pretty much in the middle of the route, so it will be preferable to riding back at to the start (the route is not a loop). PM me for my addy. I will stop at the http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=50+Columbus+Rd,+Utica,+OH&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.291089,74.970703&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=50+Columbus+Rd,+Utica,+Ohio+43080&t=h&z=16 in Utica for some breakfast around 8:30, so if anyone wants to trailer or meet up there before heading to Danville, by all means! The ride will last about 5-6 hours, depending on the size of the group, so we'll be finishing for a late lunch, early dinner at the end...there's no early food stop, so bring something to munch on and some water/drinks. We will make a couple scenic rest stops along the way, and there will be time to snack or fill your belly at the fuel stop if you're peckish. You will not get a junior-adventurer merit badge and commemorative windbreaker if you bail early, because you forgot your lunchbox. Even more details: I will make the route available via .gpx/.gdb before the ride, this always helps when more folks have the route on hand. I may do a roll chart if enough people request. This is the approximate route: Also, if anyone is making a haul here to do the ride, and would like to camp out, again you're welcome to pitch a tent at my place....lots of wooded area, a fire-ring, and facilities...even some single track to hone your skills! So, with that long-winded, cover-all-bases description, I hope you come and enjoy the back roads it's a very enjoyable route! The pace will be a nice one, not screaming fast or turtle slow, just a good ride through the country side with some friends!

Just keep at it, you'll get more confidence. Bike looks good with the goodies on it.

Glad you're ok, and a fine testament for FULL gear.

I lived in So. Cal as a kid, and Arizona, loved both of them and miss 'em, but it got stupid expensive to live out there.

Let me cheer you up: Tax rate.

There's one motorcycle event you couldn't pay me to be part of....not even if you offered a sweet pension, lots of sick days, early retirement and a taxpayer-paid salary that's higher than the private market.

This. Measure your skill on a track day, and fuck whatever your riding buddies do.

Sounds like a cool idea. I'm an evening worker so I'd likely never make it on a weekday, but it's still a good idea.

1. Most motorcycle clutches will outlast the ownership of the bike, race & offroad bikes excepted. 2. Not all tires are slick new, but if you want to make it easy on yourself just take some sandpaper and go over the tread before installing them. Viola. 3. Zach covered above. 4. Rode my first bike for 4 years. 5. You can change the lever shape, sometimes (depending on bike) adjust for pull at the clutch, or change the clutch spring...but pretty much what you got is what you got. Lubing the cable helps. 6. Emergency kit depends on how far you ride from civilization, and how much repair you want to do roadside. For me, it's a comprehensive kit with a lot of stuff. For a city rider, a credit card and an AMA membership might be all you need. Zip ties, wrenches, vice grips, duct tape can fix a ton of shit.

Is there money to be made? Then the plates stay. The end.

Congrats, love the 1050, it's a sweet machine. I'm out east in Granville, but always up for some riding.

My brother bought a Nighthawk 650 for $900, and commuted every day (80 miles round trip) instead of his truck which got half the MPG. Considering his cheap buy-in on the bike, the almost non-existent maintenance on that particular bike (shaft drive, airhead, rock-hard shitty tires, reliable as hell), he reclaimed that $900 pretty quick and thereafter it was, absolutely, saving him money. Insurance on it was negligible, something like $80 a year. But, he set out with saving as a goal and the bike was primarily used to do just that. It's possible, but not likely for most people under most situations (as the OP lays out well).

It's happened 3 times at New Albany, my friend who's a CPD officer was at the range and saw the woman off herself last time. Some ranges are beginning to only allow rentals if you already have a gun (to prevent people renting one and offing themselves), but it sounds like it wouldn't have worked if this guy bought one and then did it at the range. It must be some strange need for attention to do it where people will see/find you, otherwise if you bought one why not just go out to your car or sit on your couch?

They should make little tiny pictures, say of faces or something, that could convey an emotion or intention so we didn't have to guess who was being serious and who was not. That would rule.

Unless you have three hands and mad skill, you're not shooting anyone from the bike while in motion, it's damned near impossible to do so tactically or practically. If you do so off the bike, after having confronted them or chasing them down, now you're the aggressor and you'll likely face murder charges. About the only feasible way it'll go down and you won't be a prison cum-catcher is for someone to chase you to a point of no-escape and escalate with violence or the threat of it, while you're off that bike. Possible? Sure, but anything less than that and you're going to face the wrath of a DA who will tear you apart for allowing the altercation to happen when you're on a fast, agile, get-away-vehicle. Have a plan, before your anger fucks your life forever. I've done a ton of homework on self-defense shootings that happened from or involving bikes, and there are almost zero good outcomes from the biker's standpoint, and the one I can remember happened like my "feasible" example above where a guy was confronted after stopping for gas.

Ok, you're dumb. Hitting their window is a sign of aggression, and because they're in such close proximity to that window someone who puts a .40 caliber into your forehead for swinging a hammer at their window will probably walk because you made a traffic altercation a self-defense situation. Did you mean to do that? Who cares? You did. Same will happen if they just roll right over you once you start swinging at them. Smart doesn't always feel the best at that moment, but it's still smart.

Doing ANYTHING to someone that is aggressive or antagonistic while you're on a bike is fucking stupid. STOOOOOOPID. First off, you're on a bike. Not only are you exposed while asshole is in a 5,000lb death machine, you're on a fucking bike. That means your greatest advantage is agility and speed. The smart thing is to get the fuck out of dodge. Angry guy is angry? Good, fuck him, get away and live a happy life. No fingers, no kicking, no ball bearings, LEAVE. Retaliating escalates the situation. That's bad for you. It's bad for your legal case should something reallly happen, and it could be what gets you killed, shot, or someone else hurt. I ride conservatively, so these issues are very rare for me, but I guess I don't go "hot" the instant someone is a fucktard, there's no upside. I carry pretty much 24/7, but the moment someone does something stupid when I'm on the bike I just get away from them. I'm not going to get into a scrap because someone has a Vin Diesel complex, the gun is for the dire extreme, not for teaching people lessons.

Gee, it's almost as if you took an aerodynamically awful bike with geometry meant for a parking lot and subjected it to forces that act against it's stability at high speeds!! IT DID WHAT!?!? It WOBBLED!?!? Tank-slappers are possible with all bikes, some more prone than others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmtoOmq3ppw

My barber, Mr. Wahl, takes care of helmet-hair.

I walked in in Knox County, first try. My brother walked in to Lucas County, first try, and two of my friends walked in first try recently in Franklin. Apparently it sort of depends on your location or luck. Ever consider that God hates you?

I'm probably the wrong guy to trust, since I ride a Vstrom, but I despise the look of trellis-framed bikes.

How hard is it to just step into a pair of overpants and zip them up? Takes me about 30 seconds. I admit it's the part of ATGATT I like wearing the least, but nothing short of abrasian-resistent, armored leg protection is any better than riding in your underoos. Jeans will tear away like they're not there, and won't stop the fall either. One of the driving forces of me both taking 20 years off of bikes and coming back to it vowing never to ride nekkid again is the memory of my legs being scrubbed in the ER. That sucks, and is harder than putting some mesh pants over your work pants.

Good movie, watched it a while ago.

Morons, both of them. I don't wish ill upon them, but they're both fucking morons.