jbot

i am planning on going to this, but will watch the weather all the same.

damascus blade, carbon fiber scales for the handle, sheath should be made of crocodile.

funny you should say that... i ended up with a 690SMC. the seat is "prison shower, dropped the soap" bad, but the bike is incredible. i love it. ...but not as much as my fucking awesome scooter.

i'm hoping the patching won't be bad once it settles in. it was pretty fresh when we rode it, and it made the bike squirm a little here and there.

i got him for you, craigory

here is an interesting article i read some time ago. somebody might've even posted it in a thread somewhere before. I think it pertains to this discussion. i have mixed feelings about it, but that's what makes it interesting for me. by Hiro Minowara THE FAST GUY. Everyone knows him, or has at least heard of him. Almost everyone, anyway. For those few who may not have made his acquaintance, here's a brief introduction (insert the location of your choice for local color): "You know so-and-so, right?" "No, never heard of him." "He's the fastest guy on the mountain. He's been riding up here forever. Knows the road like the back of his hand. He's the smoothest rider I've ever seen. Rides a such-and-such brand bike, bone-stock. No one's ever been able to keep up with him. One time, I had him in sight for a couple of turns, but then he just disappeared..." The Fast Guy is legendary no matter where one hears of him. Many riders believe he possesses such a high level of skill it would be quite impossible for him to crash, no matter what the road conditions might be. I queried one middle-aged sportbike pilot about this phenomenon. He explained that if a rider could turn such-and-such a lap time at a certain race track, said rider would then have proven sufficient skill to run at a blistering pace on the street and never crash. I found this perspective rather peculiar, as I had turned similar times at that self-same track, and didn't feel myself especially immune to crashing. Other riders—the sort who never see the Fast Guy until he's finished his third cigarette while waiting for them to catch up—seem to think being smooth is the key. The Fast Guy's ethereal fluency is lauded ad nauseam, until the listener becomes so disheartened with his own riding he very nearly pushes his bike off the nearest cliff. But is it really a seamless and facile style, or the ability to turn a certain lap time, that gives the Fast Guy his amazing speed and status? I think not. No, belay that qualification. I know not. The thing that makes the Fast Guy fast is denial. Denial that anything could be waiting around that blind curve he's entering at triple-digit speeds and maximum lean angle. Denial that he has any responsibility whatsoever to other motorists to ride responsibly. Denial that the rules apply to him in any way, shape, or form. Rather, the Fast Guy's main trick is to memorize the road from years and years of riding it, and behave as if nothing will ever happen. Yes, there is a modicum of skill involved, but nowhere near that demonstrated by even midpack club racers. On the rare occasions when fast guys sign up for a track day or riding school, they are invariably bested by moderately skilled club racers on machines much older and smaller than their own. No, it's not skill, it's denial—and luck. Luck notwithstanding, Fast Guys are frequently involved in tragic circumstances, even if the crash is not their own. The Fast Guy is often at the head of a pack where a rider or two crashed trying to keep up. Or maybe he's chopped off another rider to show him who's best, angering one or more of the group with his irresponsible actions. Either way, he's generally mixed up in the kind of mischief that leads to accidents, citations, lawsuits, and tragedy. But every Fast Guy's luck runs out one day. It may take decades, but all Fast Guys eventually encounter a set of circumstances well beyond any rider's ability to manage, regardless of the lap times they can turn. I can think of five "Fast Guys" right now, and for each there was a different way to die. For one, it was a locked snow gate, impacted at 90 mph. For another, it was a 30 mph turn taken at 130. For a third, it was a stalled bus in the apex of a blind turn. There was the hidden layer of fine sand for a fourth, and a vicious high-speed tank-slapper for the fifth. All dead, and all because they had doubled or tripled the speed limit. There was no time to react and no room to maneuver at the speeds these riders were traveling. Fast Guys may enjoy local notoriety, and attention from slower riders that approaches deification. But in the grand scheme of things, they've earned nothing. They endanger the lives of others, scoff at common sense and the basic speed law, and generally believe they are above and beyond the rules that apply to ordinary people. But they are not. The odds always catch up with them one way or another. What the Fast Guy has done for us is to show us what not to do, and where not to do it. High speed belongs on the racetrack, not the street. There is a long list of corpses that, if they could speak from the grave, would likely agree.

oh no, not again... what are you trying to do? start a bike dealership? lol jk good grab, and congrats! my condolences to mr. mathis.

so, the monday track days are not very well known yet... but for that EXACT reason it is fucking spectacular. there were less than 5 people in each group (well, i think novice had more due to coaches), and the track was WIIIIIIDE open. if you do a novice day on a monday, it is basically 1 on 1 instruction, with clear track. from what i could tell, the novice guys were doing very well due to the personalized attention. 2 of the guys in novice ran 1:23's there and it was their FIRST track day ever. craziness.

unless you have a KTM... then you have to buy a bunch of shit, solder a bunch of shit, and curse a lot... and shit. glad you're having some luck with the program! if this does turn into a decent avenue of business for you, please consider donating to the developers. it really is a great program, and they're constantly releasing updates. let me know once you feel comfortable working with it... i'd love to bring my KTM by.

this is one fantastic bike, somehow even better in person than in pics. i wish i wasn't trying to downsize my toy bin, as well. i'm sure you will sell this bike quickly.

my 03 runs great on anything. did you put in diesel or something? if it's just a slip on, i can't imagine what it could be. maybe something came loose, and the slip on is not on there right? maybe a sensor came loose or off, or reinstalled incorrectly?

this is really awful to hear. jeff has always been quick to offer advice and help every time i've talked to him. Best wishes for you, jeff!

you guys did great! i had a really good time at the one race i managed to do. note to self, don't put off changing tires for the last minute, only to find yourself worrying about scrubbing them in before the actual race. i got a decent start, then was lucky enough to get passed by some super fast guys and learn a thing or two from them for the whole couple of seconds i had them in my sights in different sections (ah, the joys of getting lapped), and started dropping a bit of time here and there. i stuck around for the monday track day afterwards to have a bit more fun and had an almost clear track. that was one of the best track days I have ever done. perfect weather, not too many people on track, and lots of time to have fun in.

very sorry to hear about your crash, steve. i was looking forward to getting a good beat down at the races by you, but i'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity once you heal up. feel better soon!

grattan is my absolute favorite track overall, although a dry mid ohio is hard to beat. i tried to describe just how glorious and smooth grattan is now, but the esses are almost beyond words. the bathrooms, hopefully, are next lol glad you had fun there!

i had a very good time as well. also, very very tired.

blue03245438396 and I will be at the June 6th monday event at nelson. post up if any of ya'll are gonna be there so we look for you.

iphone4s or iphone 5 (and their release dates for verizon) will probably be announced this month at the conference they have. or maybe it won't. anyway, i would wait til the conference is over at least.

i think there is a place called Rick's electric or something like that. they are well known in the aprilia community (and apparently, others) for fixing shitty electricals on big V-Twin bikes. I'd try the mosfet units though.

i might do a sprint or two. we'll see.

i saw this bike and it is pretty baller sauce.

i'm also considering doing monday.

for something like this, get at least a basic consult from an attorney. or at least talk to your local LEO office about it, or maybe clerk of courts for your county.

if you're just looking to give track days a try, and you'll be doing novice group (if it's your first track day, that's a must), then depending on where you're going you just need the following: full gear (helmet, suit of some kind, gauntlet gloves, recommend race boots, etc). All gear should be in good condition. bike prep: RTV silicone the oil fill and drain (wiring is recommended, not required for novice) Painters tape over your headlights, tail lights, and turn signals and unplug them if you can so the light doesn't come on and distract other riders. remove plates (and touring bags and the like if you have it). all in all, as long as you have your gear, track prep takes all of 10 minutes. if you don't have a suit, rent one from the track day org (call them ahead of time). the biggest problem is getting hooked and dumping thousands of dollars into the "hobby" every year after your first track day.

thanks for leading! i had a good time. imprez, can you check in when you can? we assumed you split since we were rapidly getting away from where you were headed, but hopefully you're alright. nice to meet up with lost, magley, imprez, elcapitan. the ride before and after the super awesome bike night was the redeeming factor.