Bubba

Been following this for a while....like everybody else. Prayers for the victims and their families. The only good thing I could see coming out of this is: If I was a sportbike rider that lived anywhere near the outskirts of the Boston metro area, this would be THE DAY to get out on the highway and have some serious high velocity fun. Based on what I'm seeing on TV news coverage, there ain't any LEOs that are gonna be on regular patrol within 50 miles of the city. Not that I would do that, as a law-abiding citizen.

Don't know much about the model cruiser you're rockin' but there are several potential problems/reasons your bike could feel different turning right vs left: 1) Rear wheel alignment is off. Check that the rear axle alignment marks are the same on both sides. It is possible that the alignment could STILL be out even if the marks are lined up, so before you give up, check it using the string method. 2) Front forks are tweaked/out of alignment. Usually caused by a drop or fall. If there's no evidence of damage and no visual evidence of a problem, best option is to have the frame/fork alignment checked by a shop. If neither of those pan out, I'd hazard a guess that it's a rider issue. Most of us have 'strong' or dominant side and a 'weak' side when it comes to sports activities. MCing isn't any different.

4464

Posting this up for Rob. He's confirmed that the ride is on in spite of the cold temps at the start. Bundle up! YES this ride is still ON for Saturday, even though it's gonna be a chilly start. If we depart at the start on time at 9:00, then we should be at Willow at 10:00 for a short break, so you could meet us there if you're running late. Have enough gas to make it 80 miles from there though. Also, if the early morning temps are just too cold for you, then meet us in Williamstown around NOON. We'll be fueling up at the station there off I-75 exit 154 (route 36), or turn left on 25 to join us just up the road on the left at the Red Carpet Restaurant where we'll be eating lunch till about 1:00 or so. After lunch it should warm into the 50's, when we'll be riding some of the BEST ROADS on that part of the route anyway. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THESE! And if you need to break off early at the 2nd fuel stop about 4:00-4:30 in Falmouth, that's ok too. Some of us brave souls will still be riding the entire 300 miles from the start in Wilder to the finish at Rabbit Hash, or at least I will be, so I hope I'm not the only one...lol! I have plenty of copies of the route to hand out for your tank bag, or just to take home and keep for a future ride when you might have more time to explore the area again. So BUNDLE UP & COME JOIN US!

Askin' n gettin' .... two different things. Jus' sayin' At these prices, paranoia levels must be pretty high.

Mmmm, a little early to be pullin' stitches at 8-9 days. Stitches are easy to remove yourself--I've done it myself from my face--but most MDs will recommend minimum 12-14 days for removal. Given that it's in your finger, a place that is likely to get 'whacked' on a regular occasion, I'd say as long as there's no sign of infection, swelling, smell (eeew!), pull 'em out at 14 days. And in case you're not 100% with it....snip the loop and pull on the end WITH THE KNOT!!! Be sure to protect the new skin with a Bandaid or gauze for a week or two to keep the area clean and dressed with a bactericide.

Did you get checked out after your drop? Could be just an adrenaline rush from the incident, or it could be a concussion, assuming you hit your head. If there's rash on the helmet, wouldn't hurt to go to clinic to have it checked out. Head injuries, even minor ones, are nothing you wanna wait out!!!

Quick glance at the video looks like your buddy overcooked the corner first and was WAY over the center line. I'm guessing you lost your concentration looking at him, then you over-reacted and washed your front tire by grabbing too much brake. Really glad you're OK and you had your gear on. Bikes can be fixed.

One of the things to steer away from that's well documented on many forums is the 99-03 or 04 5.4L modular engines. They had some sort of a weird 2 pc plug that was scheduled for change at 100K mi interval, but the problem was that they had a deep-reach cutout in the head that built up carbon, which usually resulted in the plug(s) breaking apart when you changed 'em. Took a special tool or pulling the heads to do a fix. I heard of some shops--even Ford dealerships--charging $500 for the 100K maintenance to cover the possibility of breakage. I couldn't tell you if the V-10 had the same plug design, but it's gotta be searchable.

Can't give you much guidance about Maui, but my GF and I stayed at the New Otani Kaimana Beach hotel on Oahu when I went out to Hawaii for a select soccer tournament a couple of years ago. We got an ocean front 6th floor suite for about $1300/wk in the first part of January. It's a really sweet place that's just off Waikiki beach--very little of the commercialism and wall-to-wall traffic but within easy walking distance of anything you could possibly imagine. Nice beach right out front, surrounded by parks and close enough to Diamond Head to walk (if you're in pretty good shape, maybe an hour or so). Worth the trip fer sure! http://www.kaimana.com/

I got rid of the DRZ, so I have no need for this stuff. Gotta go! Fox Comp 5 boots, sz 11, nearly new (worn once, literally!), $190 online sale price - $95 Sixsixone Roost Chest Protector, sz L, NEW!!!, $25 or free with boot purchase! Moose Racing Work Stand - $25 Trackside Work Stand (250# cap) - $25 OBO

Have ya seen this one yet? http://dayton.craigslist.org/mcy/3716962077.html

Ummm, weed? No idea what yer talkin' about. I know this shit will take care of it: 2.13% Quinclorac, 6.42% 2, 4-D, 0.60% Dicamba

Nick: Man, you gotta try to get down here and ride with us. Dice has laid out a killer route that hits almost all of the great MC roads in NKY. I can't remember if I posted this on OR--if it's a repost, mea culpa--but here's a link to one of my ride reports on LocalRiders from last fall. I doubt if Dice will be hitting many of these roads--he likes the smoother, faster ones--but it'll give you the flavor of the country you'll ride thru during the day. http://www.localriders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17225

Don't forget the FJR option. Just as competent a two-up sport tourer with hard luggage as the C14, but you take off the bags and it becomes almost the Superman of sport tour bikes in the twisties.

Indeed! And you can show us how it's done.

You, sir, must be exceedingly jaded and hard to please, and a true curmudgeon as well. If you're married, your wife is a saint.... Reminds me of this:

Joe: Might be able to roll thru for a beer around 7ish. Gotta be at my sister's house in Greenhills at 6 to help her meet with a contractor about some remodeling she's having done. Not 'zactly sure how long it'll take. So, you gonna ride the TE?

^^^ Now that right there is funny. Thanks for my new signature line!

Max: C'mon. Up at 5, quick shower, gear up for the 2 hour roll to the meet-up, play all day, roll north by 6 and home with a cold beer in hand at 8 PM. Puff-puff-pass and beddie-bye by 9. From Canal-Winchester, we're talkin' what....maybe total of 500 miles? Peezocake for you hardasses!

Ouch! Heal up, man. I just completed the Lee Parks Total Control L1/L2 course down in Lexington, KY, this past Wed/Thur. It was VERY tiring trying to execute the teaching maneuvers in a flat parking lot at speeds of 30-40 MPH at most. What was really an eye-opener was that there were a couple get-offs, prolly at between 20 and 30 MPH. One of the riders ended up with a broken collarbone, and BOTH riders had significant road rash on the front/sides of their helmets. Even at those low speeds--relative to street speeds--they would have been seriously injured if not dead had they not been wearing gear. I've been a gear freak for years, but always assumed that I could 'control my body' and protect myself in a low-speed crash, but I'm a wiser man now.

You fellas DO have some tough initiation rites in OR.

MT: You ain't met Dice yet. He ain't 'zactly NBA material, either. You both better be aiming low!

Throttle it back? I already told ya we only go 33 MPH. If we go any slower, we'd git run'd over by all you fast guys....