swingset

I did the MSF and ARC and both were very good, and the beginners got a lot out of it. I guess there's good and bad, mine was excellent.

I'm torn, one one hand there's a Hypestrada to drool over, then there's the 20-somethings behind the checkout counter. I just never know what to focus my creepy rape stare at.

Deer are fucking stupid. Worst thing I ever hit was a turkey buzzard in a dual sport ride down in Zanesville. Flew off a post and right into my chest at about 50mph. It kind of "ruptured" the thing, it puked up bile and blood and shit all over me and up into my helmet....about blew me off the bike, too, they're not little birds. That was a miserable thing, thank God I was only about 10 miles from town. I stripped down to my undies in a pressure wash booth and blasted everything I had, and it still smelled like poo/death. Threw that helmet away, there was no getting that awful crap out of it. I still cringe when I see one.

My deer story is pretty weird. I was sitting with my engine running at a dirt road intersection up near Loudonville, looking at my GPS. I kind of saw a blur of brown and then felt something smack into me, hard. Bike went over, I fell off and I heard "clump clump....shhhhhh" as the deer bounced over me and into the brush. I caught sight of its ass end I as I rolled over to see what the fuck just happened. It was big, too, I suspect it was playing the very popular woods creature game of "Strom tipping".

Taking out the trash, I guess. And people say they don't protect and serve...clearly if that's what went down it was pro-active community policing.

People take their Sons of Anarchy fanship just a touch too serious. What a putrid culture.

I commute, so rain riding is just part of the gig. I either use waterproof goretex riding gear in the cool seasons, or Frogg Toggs over mesh in the summer. If your helmet leaks, you got a poorly made helmet. That's where the $$ comes in, honestly, comfort and design...not safety. They're all pretty safe, but a cheap lid fogs, leaks, sweats your head, etc. And, if it's raining hard enough, for long enough, it doesn't matter what you're wearing, you're getting wet.

Nice bike, shitty gear. Remember, no one tells you to gear up because they don't like you. If you ate shit (through no fault of your own), and paid a heavy, lifelong price for that choice, we'd be the ones wishing you a speedy recovery. Some of us know how god-fucking-awful that recovery feels when you've ground your skin off on hot pavement. At the very least, wear some boots and proper gloves. It's a guarantee your hands are going out and will be mutilated in a get-off, even a slow one. Same with boots. If you simply must squid in the hot weather (they make mesh gear and cooling products, btw), at least be able to walk and beat off while you're all ugly from shin to chin.

I'm not optimistic, just wishing out loud. At least from the teaser it's got the right stance and wheel set for more robust adventure touring, and it's sure to have a decent engine - right there it's ahead of the pack. Weight is a big issue, but more important than weight is where it carries it. What makes the 990 so good is it's COG is low and it handles like a dirt bike. The A/T could pull that off, even if a bit piggy. Honda COULD do this right, or they could just slap "adventury" shit on a big fat frame and then everyone has to aftermarket the shit out of it to make it decent. There, right there, is where KTM kicks the Japanese right in the jewels. Unfortunately, they can't get "ease of ownership" and teething issues right.

Parts would be my biggest concern.

When in Rome.

If Honda really does this one right, I'll be very tempted to buy it - I really want the capabilities of a 990 or F800GS, but Honda's ease-of-ownership. So far, the trade has been heavy, undersprung and not-really-made-for-actual-dirt Japanese offerings or the Eurobikes and I've been down that road once too many.

That's more than adequate for the amateur porn ideas I have.

270 is a toilet bowl where the turds are mostly in the middle. It's not surprising that there is a high concentration of retards on bikes hovering around said bowl. I just try to steer clear of idiots, no matter their modality of travel. Thankfully, most squids and pirates broadcast their ineptitude with convenient uniforms so we can tell who's who.

Strange things are always afoot.

So, you're saying the Hocking Hills roads are in their usual condition? Roger that.

The ones I prefer are the One Industries EXO, which are marketed to MX and downhill bike guys. I use mine dual sporting, and also mountain biking, but the reason I like them so much is they have a really excellent chamois crotch/taint pad which really helps to reduce soreness in the saddle. Excellent protection, too, I've crash tested them many times. http://www.artscyclery.com/One_Industries_Exo_Liner_Short_with_Elite_Chamois/descpage-OIELSWC.html?crumb=SALEITEMSM EVS makes a decent breathable mesh version of these, but I can't remember the name...they're good in the summer on hot days, to reduce that not-so-fresh feeling down there, also known as weapons-grade swamp ass.

I've had nothing but good experiences with LE on the bike. The two times I was pulled over (one was totally my doing, flying down a country road and a sheriff lit me up), he was cool and issued a warning. The other was mistaken identity...they were looking for a guy who ran on a silver bike, pulled me over and immediately realized they had the wrong dude and he sent me on my way. I've had a couple bad experiences with LE, looking at you Gahanna PD, but overwhelmingly positive.

Yeah, but you know how those vets are, always dressing proactively. They're practically asking for it.

You're right that hill is no joke. Did it on my DL1000 and it was quasi scary.

I hated to be right, but I called this one as soon as they started releasing pricing. I hope Erik finds a way to find a success in this business, but exotic pricing in performance bikes is an uphill battle, and he doesn't carry the panache or world-wide name recognition of Ducati.

Scorpion (which I believe is a Yuasa re-branded) is a great batt for the $$. I've used 3 so far and they always did as well as the OEM batts.

664 from Dresden South is good....taking it all the way down is fun. I catch 374 off of 33 in Rockbridge to get down there, and loop back on 664.

Plug it. As long as you monitor your pressures (you should anyway), even in case of plug failure what's going to happen? It's going to slowly leak. They don't explode when they fail...you should have ample warning, and you can re-plug the failure. I've plugged probably 5 or 6 tires and ran them to the end of the tire without any issue. I don't even hesitate now, as long as you use a good plug quality.

Without a sustained and well-done media campaign by DOT, lane splitting will be contentious and problematic here because few people outside of super-congested California understand or appreciate the benefits (to them) and the safety increase to us. Every time I talk this over with non-bikers, their objections are either: It's unsafe (they just feel this, with no substantiation or experience), or ultimately it's not fair that you get to "cut ahead of everyone"....even if you explain reducing the traffic load gets them them to their destination faster and reduces the chances of bike collision which REALLY snarls traffic....they still cling to "it's not fair". Ohioans are stupid, and narcissistic...by and large...but many people the nation over are. Californians only have a slight leg up on them in that they're slightly conditioned to the practice. Hell, 90% of the people I know can't handle a round-a-bout.