Bubba

Rhinegeist brewery is hosting the 2017 Garage Brewed show this Saturday from noon to midnight. Free admission! Food and beer...and beer...and more beer. http://garagebrewed.com/2017-show/

WS: Maybe I'm reading it wrong, too, but I was assuming he was referring to the area in front of the firebox that's typically flush with the floor and made out of non-combustible material to keep sparks at bay. If he' referring to the firebox itself, don't take my advice...

Sounds to me like you're on the right track. I'd make a shallow frame and use something like quickset mortar, or even the latex floor filler (you can buy this pre-mixed in a can but would be pricey) to create a flat surface at whatever height you desire above the sub-floor. Then simply lay down ceramic tile, marble, natural stone to finish for appearance. If you're really worried about "flat" use the concrete underlayment boards--they used to come in 3' x 5' size and either 1/4" or 3/8" thickness--before you install the tile/stone. Whatever finish material you choose, be cautious about how fragile it is, i.e., ceramic tile, as you may end up with cracks if you drop a piece of wood on the hearth.

Most of the anecdotal advice on break-in is based on old wives tales from decades ago before cylinder bore machining and low-friction cylinder wall coating was as advanced as it is today, and before oil chemistry was as good at keeping things lubricated. The old saw about running a motor hard after a rebuild--or from new, for that matter--comes from the old racer mentality that you had to "mate" the cylinder bore to the rings quickly, else once the motor had gone through several heat cycles the rings would never seat properly. Of course, you gotta remember those old racer boys needed to quickly have their engine running smoothly on Friday night after spending all week rebuilding it...and of course, they were also rebuilding it a second and third time later that season! Not a whole lot of time for that 500-1000 miles of gentle break-in. May have been a small kernel of truth to it 50 years ago, but it's as false today as the other old wive's tale that you should never use synthetic oil to break in a new engine, because the oil is "so slippery" that the rings won't ever seat properly. I suppose that must be the reason why Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes and GM's Corvettes are all filled with Mobil 1 synthetic from the factory, because....well, never mind. What do they know? The recommendation to run the engine at mid-RPM with less than sustained full throttle for extended periods while using varying throttle inputs during the first few hundred miles does several things: first, full-throttle acceleration produces lots of upper cylinder pressure, actually pushing the rings AWAY from the cylinder walls allowing unburnt fuel to leak down into the crankcase and dilute the oil, as well as putting excessive loads on rotating parts like main and rod bearings and crankpins which are still wearing in; second, by varying throttle input, you create a partial vacuum in the upper cylinder when you close the throttle plate, which helps pull crankcase oil past the still-seating rings, helping to lubricate the rings, cylinder walls and combustion chamber early in the engine's life. If you like your new bike and want to get the best performance from your new motor, follow the manufacturer's recommendation.

Presumably, it wasn't oral sex? https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/0132196e-53f8-324d-afcf-aff55cbffad6/ss_man-accused-of-repeatedly.html

Meh. I'm more of a thigh man...

@Casper Yo. Looking at the OP, I assume this was an event that was to take place this past fall? Prolly a wee bit late to plan anything... @AngieMarie Feel free to shoot me a PM if you still have interest in exploring the backroads in NKY. So many great roads south of the river!

Truth for most risk-takers--and that would include those of us that have ridden our entire life--is that 99% of our "stared-Death-in-the-face-and-won" moments were as a direct result of our own inexperience, immaturity, and stupidity. And while age, hopefully, does imbue a measure of judgement and some amount of learned survival skills, the odds of the SHTF are exactly the same every time we throw a leg over a motorcycle.

@trentwilson43056 Sorry about that. Previous years, I've posted a link here to the LocalRiders forum once the ride plans were formalized. Never got any takers, mostly because the majority of OR folks are far enough north of Cincinnati to make a long winter day ride less than enjoyable. You can always lurk on the LR site--it's an open forum for viewing. And the ride is almost always on a Sat or Sun before/after the Solstice, weather depending. Occasionally, if the weather is completely horrible around that time frame, we'll combine the Solstice ride with a short New Year's Day ride just to say we tempted fate. NY's ride could happen this year, but nothing's posted yet... Here's the forum link: http://www.localriders.com/ and there's a FB page for the group as well. Not as large a forum as OR so it gets kind'a dead during non-riding months, and mostly older "mature" guys, many of whom are ex-racers from the 70s and later. Nearly all are very competent riders, prolly somewhere between a medium and a fast pace on the road. Our big group trip is always in the fall the week after Labor Day, to the Waynesville area of NC. Link: http://www.localriders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18323

LocalRiders crew annual tradition of the Winter Solstice Ride to Serpent Mound to lobby Old Man Winter to take it easy on us. Roads were pretty wet and greasy and I got dumped on during the return trip with the torrential rains in late afternoon. I got in about 180 miles in the rain, but it was a great ride with good friends. Toasted a loved and admired LR member who passed away from cancer almost exactly one year ago. Kudos to Dave Bannister for bringing the Bailey's and coffee! Thanks to George DuChaine for the pics!

Here ya go, @Bad324. 2005 FZ6 for $1400. Even says he'll take ANYTHING in trade!!! Thinkin' maybe a pool table? clean bike has some scratches and missing right mirror priced to move fast will deliver it up to 100 miles for $100 will take anything towards trade will take payment and hold it till tax returns comeon the eastside of cincinnati email for more pictures and details http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/mcy/5917161984.html

I agree with Tonik. Unlikely that it's actually overheating. Given the rapidity that your seeing temp swings, I seriously doubt it's your t-stat, either. Most likely the sensor, but could be just as easily be a loose/corroded connection. Find the sensor and trace the wiring back thru the loom, pull each junction apart and put some dielectric grease on them. If that doesn't remedy the problem, the sensor should be an easy and cheap replace. Not sure what the high idle was all about, but electric gremlins can cause a plethora of problems in modern FI bikes, and unfortunately, Trumpets have always been notorious for them.

I've always been wary of leaving a firearm in my vehicle, locked or not. Too many break-ins these days. I suppose if the lot is secure and only accessible to employees, I'd consider it. Biggest issue I see is that it negates any possibility of using your weapon in the event of a workplace shooting incident.

Chris: I'll offer a counter-position about full-suspension bikes. As you rightly point out, unless you're gonna drop $3K on a well-built free ride bike, a "cheap" one isn't gonna fill the bill. However, unless you plan on doing DH extensively, there's no reason a good rigid frame hardtail can't run any trail as well as or better than a full suspension rig. F&R suspension is mostly useful for high-speed descents and jumps/ramps/drops. It'll also keep your body from feeling quite as beat up after a day's ride, but if you're not an old guy and in pretty good shape, a hardtail will keep you entertained in the woods for a long time at much lower cost. Might even be able to find a 29'r at a reasonable price, and they ride much more smoothly than a 26".

Scott: I posted your ad link on the Cincinnati Cafe Racers facebook page and there was a ton of interest. No clue if anyone followed thru, but if the seller doesn't offer your price, don't jump at a low-ball too quickly. There were several comments that the trip from Cinti wouldn't be worth it because it would be sold before they could get to C-bus. I can update the FB post if you don't sell this weekend.

If I had a nostalgic bone in my body, I'd buy this. The exact same bike as my first real ride...'cept mine was a '65.

The A-spec has a 2-layer construction--presumably the sidewall--for increased stability on the large sport tourers. I'm almost certain that Pirelli makes an A-spec front as well now. However, if this translates into increased mileage, I'd bet the front would last longer and you'd be swapping rears twice as often as fronts. Prolly save some money, but I've never been a fan of pairing a new tire with one that's at half-life. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd classify your Zed1K as a "heavy" sport tourer. My guess is that the weight target for the A-spec is 600# and up.

Truthfully, if you're an average recreational cyclist, you'll be the tail end of the dog. Most of the CX riders I know--even the merely above average Cat 4 racers (lowest rank)--are nothing but muscle, sinew and bone. Fly-weights, everyone of 'em. Even for a well-conditioned aerobic monster, the CX races are an anaerobic torture trial. The good thing is that none of the courses are very technical...well, except in the case of that mud thing. The course will consist of mostly grass, up- and down-hills, some barriers that you're forced to either bunny hop or dismount and run over, and prolly a sand pit section that you'll fall down in. The best part is that CX is an absolute blast because it's spectator intensive, with the crowd shouting both encouragement and hooting/catcalls, bells, whistles, and clapping. You'll prolly have a lot of fun even if you come in "dead" last and puke doing it!!!

My entire family is originally from the Vancouver area of BC. I think you'll find that you pretty much need to be multi-millionaire to move there and raise a family now. The influx of well-to-do families from Asia and the Middle East over the last 2-3 decades has driven property prices to astronomical levels. In addition, income tax rates levied by the government to pay for social programs like free medical care--which ISN'T that great, BTW--and free college, along with very generous welfare programs, is much higher than rates in the US, approaching 70% in some provinces. Might want to settle just south of the border in the central WA or ID area. Lots of preppers and predictors of the zombie apocalypse there already.

Easiest way to accomplish this is to change out the blue power bands for the red ones. They don't last as long but they make the most HP.

What's a morning pee boner? Not a problem at 66. :o(

My votes for foldable...for what it's worth. You won't gain that much rigidity by sheeting the floor in one piece.

Mmmm. Sorry, I can't make that date. Checked the calendar and that's the day I'm washing the poodle.

For that kind of money, I'd look for a nice used trailer. POS trucks that you can buy for $800 are gonna be nothing but headaches, especially if it sits outside and unused 95% of the time. Dead battery, moisture intrusion into the ignition system, rusty drums/rotors, flat/rotten tires, mice in the air filter...or some combination of the above. Trailers will rust, but it'll be mostly a cosmetic issue for quite a few years. Tires will dry rot over the course of 5-7 years, but you can slow it down a bit by getting cheap tire covers from HF. Yearly tags are a bit cheaper, too.

Pontiac = 4 wheels = 2 motorcycles. Perfect!!!