Bubba

BTD: I might be interested in the Cats and/or the RWs. 1) What's width on these? 2) You know I'm way south of you, so not economical to drive long time to pickup. Can you guess on shipping costs?

True that trail design is of great importance for sustainability, but truth is the soil in the Midwest just plain sucks for drainage. I've been involved in helping to build trails around here (Cincinnati/NKY) for years and no matter how well they're designed, our mucky clay is a problem after a rain and especially during our freeze-thaw cycles. The soils out west are much better at draining water quickly and thus, offer better traction and stand up better to year-round traffic. I've ridden MTB and MX in CO, NM and UT and it's a whole different game out there.

Should be able to lurk on CL and get yourself a decent hardtail for $300-400. Not gonna be a race mobile, but would allow an ample amount of trail goodness.

Yer on, dude! I don't get out to SE OH much 'cause it's easier and shorter for me to head south. I've got a 2+ hour drive just to get to the good stuff out there, but I know there's a bunch of roads that are beggin' to be ridden. I'll have my people get with your people.

If you like BC, stop in at Versailles SP on 50W. Definitely closer than BC and certainly as good, altho without the total mileage. Even closer to you is MOMBA @ Huffman Park. Very neat trail system and worth a visit. EDIT: Caesar Creek and East Fork are good trail systems, too.

Sorry our paths didn't cross today, dude. You missed a great ride on awesome roads. Maybe we can hook up again later in the spring. Hope you got out and enjoyed the weather anyway.

Well, I was right. God DID want me to ride today. Good weather, great roads, tolerable companions.... Dice, Zach (Bitani) and I met up at the AA Speedway and rode toward Mt Olivet on 915/10, then jogged onto 62/1504 and railed toward Cynthiana --what a great road that is. We ate lunch at Bianchi's and headed west on 356, ending up in Williamstown. Gassed up and rode more west on 36 and then hit up some of Dice's FAVORITE goat paths like Ford's Mill and 1942. Ran out'a time, so we jumped on 71/75N at Walton/Verona and blew north, scattering the cagers as we went. Thanks for the good time, guys. I ended up with just under 210 miles on the day, but Zach must be the big winner with at least another 75-85 more miles. It looks like it's gonna be 'hunker down time' for a few days. Stay warm!

Wanna meet us in KY? You're not that far away. 275S to KY and get off at Rt9/AA Hwy. Head south 1.2 mi to the Speedway on the right.

Meet up between 10:30 - 11:00 AM at the AA Shell/Speedway/?? in Alexandria with kickstands up at 11 sharp. Heading south on usual roads toward Cynthiana and/or Williamstown . Lunch along the way before 1-ish. Prolly somewhere around 150-175 mile route. Warm moist air and cold ground temps mean damp/wet roads all day unless the sun peeks out, so be careful out there today!

Good on ya, Zach. Not sure what the plan is yet, but will post up in the morning when the "whether" idjits decide if it's gonna rain all day...or not. I can see worrying about some salt if yer riding a vintage Norton/BSA/Enfield--or any bike that's appreciating in value--but the stuff I own isn't going up in value, whether it sits in my garage or gets ridden. If I was worried about keeping my 'spensive shit purty, I'd be riding my beater bikes in the winter so I could leave my $20K Ford pickup in the garage.

There ain't no salt left on the roads...the rain washed it all off. And as far as potholes, that's why I heading south. For some reason, the state of KY looks on their road system as an asset, as opposed to Ohio that looks on theirs as a liability. And it shows!

Leaving from SW Ham Cty (Cinti) and heading south into KY. No planned route, no timing, no sense, but there will be twisties.

So what the heck does that mean, anyway? Well....I'm purty sure it means that God wants us to ride motorcycles tomorrow, Bubba, that's what. Anyone else up for a spiritual adventure? (dontsecondguessGod)

Damn. I knew "blank" was the wrong term. Thx for the help.

Prolly a dumb, or at least, uninformed question: Can you get blank shells for a 12g pump to use for training kids/wife/mom? Want something so they can get used to loading/racking/dry firing without the issue of safety. I presume this wouldn't damage the firing mechanism. Thx!

Never on the street. Did get caught above tree line this past summer riding over Engineer Pass in CO in a storm that brought rain, lightning, thunder snow and quarter-size hail. Went from this: To this in a matter of minutes:

Disclaimer: I designed and built my own house--using a GC--back 1999. It's a royal pain-in-the-ass!!! If you're married, you will likely be divorced by the time you build. If you're single, you will have tried to kill yourself several times by the end of the process. That bein' said.... 1) There will some fun and 'excitement' along the way. Even if you use a GC, be as involved as you possibly can and visit your build site at least once every other day. Shit can go wrong real fast. 2) It is a rewarding experience....when you're done. And you'll have lots of stories to tell your friends....like the time I caught one of the drywallers shitting down the floor vent. And he wasn't Mexican. 3) Single stories aren't cheaper to build per sq ft than two stories, nor are they as energy efficient. 4) Never build a house with less than 3 BDRMs unless you plan on living there until you die. Resale sucks for anything less than that. 5) Basements are worth the investment IF THEY'RE ENGINEERED AND BUILT CORRECTLY!!! The key to this is drainage-drainage-drainage. I have a strong preference for sloped lots with walk-out potential. And to be honest, there are some areas of the country that are not suitable for basements. Floor plan should keep kitchen/LR/master BDRM/bathroom/laundry on the main floor. Bump the side of the house opposite the master suite to situate additional BDRMs on the second story. I'm not a big fan of huge master suites; you'll spend nearly 99% of your time there asleep with your eyes closed. Put a lot of thought into the areas you'll be in most of the time--kitchen, great room (or LR/family room) and throw a bit of extra money at the master bath. Ground level entry, walk-in showers, minimum of 36" interior doorways should take you into old age; you can always change out your fixtures later to accommodate mobility issues. In areas with snow/ice, I recommend a minimum roof pitch of 6:12 with membrane barrier at he eaves to eliminate ice damming. If I was doing my house over, I would have tried to use either steel or engineered wall studs and pre-engineered floor trusses/laminated beams to minimize quality issues. Over-insulate walls/ceilings/above-grade basement areas. Put in as high a quality window as you can afford. My windows ran $18,000 and they're worth it everyday. Garage space is fairly inexpensive compared to finished space; go as big as you can with available money/lot siting. I put in a 36Wx28Dx10H and it was too small by the time I moved in. You will have be the deeded owner of the land you plan to build on. Unless you're paying cash up front, no one will give you a construction loan to build on property belonging to someone else, even if it's Mom 'n' Dad. You will be able to use the equity value of the property as a down payment on the loan amount. Good luck and be sure to share your experience as you go.

Believe that "dranks 'n' skanks" would be a more accurate description....

WeeStrom is a great bike! I've got an FJR and loved it....until I bought my DL650. Haven't put 1000 miles on the Feejer since. Ridden the Wee all over CO--both dirt and paved--and done several trips to NC on it. Might not be ideal for interstate if you're two-up + gear, and it's too heavy/not enough ground clearance for technical/hard-core dirt, but anything else and it's totally capable. Only issue I see is that when you get home, yer gonna want another bike....

Oil or oil-less?

Gonna take advantage of the nice weather and head across the ferry and meet some folks in Rabbit Hash and maybe do a short roll to parts south. Be leaving from the west side of Cinti noonish. Any interest?

Was on the fence and actually thinking about rolling up from Cinti--even dug my Hippo Hands out of the closet--but the sub-freezing temps in the morning convinced me that a 2 hour ride was not in the works. I'll have to catch up and meet with some OR folks on a warmer day or somewhat nearer to home. Have a beer for me; I'm headed to Perfect North for a morning of skiing instead.

I can't disagree that there are some awesome roads in GA. But don't kid yourself if you think that yer gonna get over like a fat rat in cheese factory down there. Beware the Super Speeder Law! An EXTRA $200 tacked onto the original fine. So we're talkin' maybe $400-450 for havin' fun in GA!!! Y'all be be safe now, ya heah? http://www.dds.ga.gov/faqs/index.aspx?faqcategoryid=34

Recon: This so true. The crack of my ass is almost always moist....

Nathan: So....humor me. Do these actually come with bar-end plugs? In addition to the clamps? If they're just clamp-on, I wouldn't call 'em bar-ends.... If they are true bar-end mirrors that fit inside the bar, send me a PM with price, please. (They look 'spensive!) I've been thinking of losing the stock mirrors on my DL650 to see if I can get rid of some of the turbulence. Thx--Bubba