Artmageddon

I don't think a 4WD is necessary, but it is helpful. Most of our snows are pretty light, and when it does really come down, generally we don't have to drive as much. MY last 4 cages were a Toyota pickup 4x4, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Mustang GT, and I currently have a Ranger 4x4. The Toyota was a beater, so I had fun in the snow with that, The Wrangler was awesome in the snow, I drove from Wheeling to Columbus when we had the blizzard 8-9 years ago, it was me and semis on the road, everyone else was in ditches. I had oversized all terrain tires on both. The Mustang was horrible, that much power on a rear wheel drive just didn't work for me. The Ranger is a beast. I have over-sized Firestone Destination A/T tires on it, and they are awesome. There have been times that I have tried to spin and play in it, and traction was so good in 4WD I couldn't unless I really crank on it. I don't even bother putting weight in the bed.

I thought about getting my wife one, but she can barely handle walking down stairs. She would scare the shit of me and everyone else on a bike. I let her go pick out some gear, but my bike isn't bad two-up, wouldn't do it it for more than an hour at a time though.

My torque wrench is a harbor freight click style, works just fine for how often I use it. Think I paid 15 bucks for it.

Bike looks great and Paul did a fantastic job(again). Glad I got to him before he gets too busy and expensive.

+1 Torque wrenches are your friend. Get one before you learn the hard way and snap a few bolts. Extractors, while useful when needed, are the enemy.

I have both and I turn my Mac on about once every 3 months. I am designer that is supposed to love Macs, I just find them to be slow and overpriced machines. I tend to think of Macs as more as a status thing nowadays. I bet I just really hijacked this thread now.

Tool wise, I would get a great set of hex wrenches. Get the best you possibly you can, I've got some cheap ones that consistently strip. I've been meaning to get a good set but always forget when I'm out. I know my father in law has a good set of the Craftsman T handles that he uses on his bike a lot, so I think they are pretty good. A good torque wrench is always handy as well.

Pretty hard for the average joe to go wrong with Craftsman. Generally well built and have replacement warranty against breakage, and there is almost always a Sears nearby anyone.

WOW is great. I think they have the best customer service of any of the providers, and I've tried them all. I have the advanced internet package and have no complaints about speed.

Dude, everyone makes mistakes. I know I do at work, and when I do, I own up to them, and do whatever I can to make it right. If something goes right, sure everyone is happy, but being correct is what is expected. When something goes wrong and a store does everything in their power to make it right, that's good customer service. I know in my experience, that's when you get customers to come back, because they are reliable in a pinch. I think the OP found that out about IP.

Chuck, see my post below, you should try to go. We should try to get a few other Shadow guys and roll together.

You are more than welcome to go with us. I'm pretty sure I'm going up with one guy on a gixxer and another in a cage. We will be leaving Thursday, June 11 in the morning, heading back Sunday the 14th whenever we wake up. I'm not sure if I'm camping or getting a room yet, I'll leave it up to anyone that wants to roll together to get their own accommodations. I've been finding some decent prices on hotels, I may go that route.

Wow, that surprises me about State Farm for some of you guys. I pay about $70 per month for an 04 Ranger 4x4 and my 02 Shadow Spirit, full coverage on both. My record is 100% clean and I'm 31. That may make a difference. I'm guessing you have tickets or accidents, I know State Farm is not very lenient with them. My wife had two very minor accidents and a speeding ticket, and her rate skyrocketed. State Farm was still cheaper than any other provider though, and she checked every one we could think of.

I didn't know anyone either, but all went well. It was nice to finally meet a few people, and I'm sure I'll see everyone again soon. A few more times and I'll start remembering names.

This is getting complicated, I'll meet you guys at Shell on Polaris at 7:00.

Why is Shell bad? There is a light there to turn into it going south, and going north to 270, the next right is the exit. Going to BP you have to cross the bridge and fight traffic north and south to and from 270.

We could do the Shell at Sawmill & Snouffer, it's right off 270. Let me know.

If you want to meet on Sawmill somewhere, I'll ride over with you.

Welcome!

I was really curious to find out if the stats you provided were true since I could not find one single article on the internet about deaths during Ohio Bike Week. I have a friend that is in the State Patrol and he put me in touch with a Sargent in the motorcycle division, and he said that is not true. He stated the event in Sandusky is one of the safer motorcycle events statewide. While there have been accidents in the past, most are from guys leaving the event and going on back roads drunk and trying to stunt. He even specified that it is typically young, inexperienced sportbike riders that this happens too, so be careful and smart if this is the type of riding you do. He said that accidents are rare at the actual event, and that Ohio Bike Week is just a really large, expanded version of a Bike Night at QSL. With a little vigilance, most people should be able to go and have a good time safely. Now some other events, like the Chillicothe Rodeo, are another story. That should be avoided, with lots of gangs and overall rowdiness. I was really surprised to hear both of the troopers talk about the amount of motorcycle gang activity in Ohio. It's hidden, but it is very much there. I just wanted to post this to set the facts straight so this post does not deter anyone from going. I did not ask about the thefts, so I have no info about that.

Keep it Ohio only. People in areas that border Ohio should know they are welcome. I like the fact that we could meet nearly anyone on the board within a a few hours. If it gets opened up, I think the sense of community would get lost some.

I would play it safe and at least call the vet and see what they say. What kind of dog? If it's bigger, she might be okay, but if it's small, I would be worried. My dog is allergic to everything, so I'm probably paranoid. Some dogs react to drugs very badly.

I was just reading that naproxen can be pretty harmful to dogs, maybe you should take her to the vet.....