Tpoppa

I totally blame Obama for this.

Yeah, pretty sure the US Navy knows how to use radar.

I wound up ordering a set of Ricor Intiminators. They should be at least as good as Race Tech, and the install is easier. No drilling, and less disassembly required.

Isn't that about the same price as a upper end hd bagger?

Thanks Paul. I found a write up for the Gladius. It looks like the only special tool I'll need is a cut 6mm hex: http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141538 I'll buy the parts and wait for a rainy weekend to do the install. It looks like a solid afternoon of work.

W_W, How did you decide on oil weight? Trial and error? was 20 to 30 just for track or did you ride it on street? OOC, how much do you weigh?

Wouldn't I need to worry about the fender & brake bolting up correctly? And I would need 41mm conventional forks unless I swapped the whole frent end, which I don't want to do.

Good info, thanks. The Gladius has 41mm forks (adjustable only for preload) and come stock with 10wt oil. I will at least go up to 15 wt. I put a GSXR rear shock on it and it made a huge difference. Mid corner bumps will get the front end to 'float' a bit. I maxed the front preload to compensate for the underdamping and it helped some, but it's still not 'right.' It feels like it needs 1 turn for rebound and compression. I was thinking about trying 15wt oil in the stock forks, but while I have them apart might as well install some emulators.

Thinking about installing them on the SFV650. Are they a PITA to install? Do they make much of a difference? The spring rate in the forks is about right for my weight, they are just under damped for both rebound and compression. I am thinking about going with heavier fork oil and installing the cartridge emulators.

I like the design of these: http://www.dan-moto.com/DM_US/adjustable-billet-clip-on-s-wholesale-113.html?zenid=1n59l8gggdukj0dmds66suu1t0 I don't know their record for quality.

I had one pull up along side me as I was coming back from SEO on 77 last weekend. I was going through Akron and a guy on a GSXR1k pulls up next to me. Helmet dangling from the passenger seat as is customary in Akron. He slows down then wheelies past me, then slows down to...I guess give me a chance to congratulate him on being a dumbass. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to start clapping or if it was my turn to be a dumbass, so I just shook my head. I must of taken too long to decide because he started to do some stand on the seat maneuver, then changed his mind, sat down and got off on the exit ramp. Why is it always a GSXR and why is it always Akron?

Maybe, I'll put goldwing tires on my car...Like A Boss

Not the first time she's had balls coming toward her head.

I picked up a new SFV650 cheap at the end of last year. It has about half the power of my other bike, but is still lots of fun. An '07 GSXR600 shock ($25 on fleabay), transformed it from a softish beginner bike to a capable corner carver. I like it a lot.

Dragging hard parts on a wing or a cruiser based bagger isn't exactly 'tearing it up.' There are obvious limitations to lean angle. A tire with a round profile like a PR2 falls into a corner differently than a triangular profile like a Corse III. On a car tire, you need to flex the carcass in a way that is wasn't designed in the first place. If the bike or rider has limited cornering capability, perhaps you wouldn't overwhelm the car tire, but still I wouldn't trust it. I'll bet a dollar that any tire engineer would agree. It seems kinda dumb to spend $18k (or whatever they cost) on a wing then cheap out on tires. Just because you can, doesn't mean it's a good idea

The Suzuki came stock with Noh-leenz. The gsxr shock made a nice improvement tho.

I must have the Noh-leenz

Sure no problem. The rubber compounds are much different due the the intended application. The carcass of a car tire is not designed to flex under the weight of a motorcycle and provide an optimal contact patch. A car tire will actually give a bigger contact patch when going straight, but a smaller contact patch while turning. This gives inconsistent handling. It may be a good choice for drag racing, but not for street bike riding. When transitioning from a left to right turn or vice versa, the round profile of a motorcycle will smoothly track from one side to the other. With a car tire the track of the rear end will 'jump' side to side by the width of the tire (try this at home with that spare tire in your garage), which could result in a crash. Of course a crash in no big deal when you just saved 175 bucks on a tire.

Lots of excellent reasons that motorcycle tires look different that car tires.

Dave (CORE) and I covered somewhere around 350-400 miles today. Roads were in better than expected condition and it was unseasonably awesome weather :hellyeah

A good friend of mine does some serious backpacking trips in WV. something like a 25 mile loop over 3 days. I have been seriously considering doing one of these trips.

I'll probably be riding on Sunday not sure exactly where yet. I agree, early spring conditions call for the pace to be dialed down a notch or 2.

Selling Buells at HD dealerships was a great idea they go together like orange juice and toothpaste. HDs plan was that sportbikes are beginner bikes and Buell owners would eventually move up to a big twin HD. That didn't really happen. TOward the end the Buell Ulysses was actually thought to be pulling sales away from HD baggers. Just one of many reasons HD pulled the plug. For Erik Buell Racing to be sucessful, they need to sell EBR bikes alongside, Ducati, Triumph, BMW, Aprilia, etc.

PR2s are the best STREET tires I have used to date. Never ridden on Contimotions, but I did go through 2 or 3 sets of Conti Road Attacks which I liked a lot. The grip was about the same between the PR2 and CRA, maybe a slight edge to the PR2. PR2 lasted longer due to the dual compound.