jschaf

1st ride of the season yesterday. 93,83,377,550,26,800,78,209,83. Roads were in better shape than expected.

Affirmative on the route.

Thanks for the 'grats. Got the bike yesterday. Can't wait until break in is finished. 4000 rpm max till 500 miles, 6000 rpm max till 1000 miles.

Picking up a new 2013 Ninja 1000 at Kennedy's tomorrow. I was going to get a new Super Duke but the more I thought about it the less sense it made. Keeping the 1000rr. Selling the 250r.

I do plan on attending. I don't mind leading the Northeast crew, If someone else wants to that's fine too. I'll keep my eye on this thread.

That goes to show you. Don't text & ride.

On the 1000rr , factoring in the change from a 50 profile to a 55 profile rear tire I am currently running a 6.8% higher ratio than stock with +1, +1 sprockets. There is still sufficient torque for 2nd gear power wheelies & I get better gas mileage. I went the other way (-5.7%, -1,+1) for a while & it was fun but I do prefer the "taller" gearing I have now.

Thanks. Do you happen to know how long this is expected to take?

Whatever group you ride in, ride your own ride. Do not feel compelled to keep up & ride over your head. If you do, you drastically increase your chances of having a really bad day & preventing others in the group from enjoying the ride as well. If you do end up in a group that is outpacing your comfort zone there is no shame at all in waving other riders by. The group will & would much rather wait for riders to catch up at all turn offs than to be tending to your broken bones & bike. Just my two cents but I think way too much emphasis & worry is being put on pace here.

Sounds like maybe the now departed rider wasn't going fast enough. Higher speed would have kept the tires from dropping as far into the chuckhole & would have added more gyroscopic stability. RIP rider.

I'm way ready for the season to start. You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

Proper tension (refer to your owners manual, usually around 1 1/4" freeplay mid chain) is also pretty important for a long chain life. Also, a bit too loose is better than a bit too tight.

Congrats. Nice bike.

Ohio isn't miserable for me. Any location is what you make of it.

Instead of whining about this, the OP should right the wrong & be thankful he isn't getting his ass sued off for a more serious accident. Not a lot of sympathy from me for people that drive without insurance, whatever the excuse.

Pro Honda Chain Lube with Moly is what I use & it has served me well. I got 26,000 miles out of the stock chain on my 1000rr. I replaced the stock DID 530 (9,220 lb tensile strength) with an EK 520zzz (9,400 lb tensile strength), so I could be cool too, lol. I only ever clean my chain with a rag as more aggressive cleaning rituals do more harm than good. By the way, chain "stretch" is a misnomer. The chain pins & side plates wear on each other & the total cumulative wear gives the illusion of stretch. No stock or near stock motorcycle is going to come anywhere close to exceeding the elastic limit of the chain alloy & permanently stretch the chain.

I also bought a Bell RS-1 (dayglow yellow for safety) from Nathan for a great price. I always had Arai helmets before. I am really impresses with the fit, finish & aerodynamics of the Bell. In hindsight it seems that the high prices on many of the "premium" helmets may be due to their high advertising/ sponsorship costs rather than the quality.

Welcome whippersnapper.

I did my first track day at Mid Ohio when I was 51. Don't worry about riding the FJ, it will do just fine. You will definitely increase your skill level. The coaching there is very good. Riding Mid Ohio in the rain is not a good idea unless your goal is to experience crashing in a controlled environment. The pavement there has great grip in the dry but terrible grip in the wet.

Does anyone else here ski (or board) the black diamonds. If so, you are probably finding this thread as amusing as I am. I've noticed that the vision skills I developed in skiing cross over to motorcycle riding very well. The concept of having your body not quite perpendicular to gravity to compensate for the centripetal forces generated by turning is also similar. The actual physics of how a turn is initiated, not so much.

Same here. No use for one of these.

Welcome to the forum. My sister lives down by Cross Lanes so I ride to your area on occasion. WV 34 is a nice ride. Any road recommendations? Glad to hear about your track plans.

I'll check back in late April for the specifics.

Good to hear that we're welcome back next year. It was nice to see everyone even in the dead of winter. Spring is just around the corner.

My better half & I will stop by to meet & greet & eat. Looking forward to it.