Aerik

Given that there are some cheapish new ones around $200, I was hoping to get an older used one for less than that, but I could be flexible. I have a fairly nice laptop I'm thinking of selling for cash to put toward it, so that might give me more range. How much were you thinking?

I know, but I figured I'd try here before dealing with the genpop on craigslist. Eww, commonfolk.

So I'm finding that my giant monster laptop is a real pain to haul around when all I need is to sit and either surf the web or type on school assignments while I'm out and about. To that end, I'm interested in any used netbooks people have laying around-- cash, trade, whatever, I'm open to offers.

Cool, thanks for the help all. I bought an assortment of nylon and brass gaskets at Autozone on the way home, so hopefully one of them will work.

Ok, so my mom just bought an '85 Honda Nighthawk 650. It runs great, looks clean, and is overall a nice little bike, but I noticed an oil dribble around the filter bolt. My question is this: What's the best way to go about getting/ making a new gasket for that bolt? It's pretty similar to any oil drain bolt on a car, as far as diameter and such. Could I just autozone one of those in the right size and use the gasket? Thanks any and all

We give police officers special privileges and powers (the ability to carry guns everywhere, pull people over, etc.) so that they can perform the job we need them to do. In exchange for those privileges, however, they do need to be held to a higher standard, for exactly this reason. A janitor makes a stupid decision or loses his temper, and maybe the floor's not clean. A cop does it, and someone gets killed or paralyzed. They should put this scumbag under the jail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NMLs3QlPEE

Agreed. At least Rice's crappy androgynous vampire porn had its good parts.

I've never seen a Ninja, therefore Nin-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word

Update: Carquest had it, for just $7! I feel stupid that I never thought to check there, but it's a dinky store that tends to just pass unnoticed when I drive down Main St. Now, if I can get motivated enough to clean the oil off the damned thing, hopefully I'll be able to find the leak! Thanks again all

Thanks all for the good advice, tips, and offers. I actually tried autozone first, but they claimed never to have heard of the stuff (apparently I got a moron clerk), and the website now says it's out of stock. F4i, I really appreciate the offer, but let me check Carquest and Napa as JPorter suggested first-- both are nearby, and I'd hate to do anything that might get one of our people in trouble at work. If I can't find it at either of those places, I'll send you a PM and you can tell me how much you want for the bottle + shipping. Thanks again, all!

My GS750's slow oil leak has suddenly become quite rapid (at least when riding), so I need to figure out where it's coming from-- the whole front of the engine is covered with oil. I've heard wonderful things about this blacklight-responsive dye you can add to the oil to easily see where it's coming out. Anyone know where I can find such a thing? I already have a huge blacklight (the old lady used to work at Spencer's).

Awww. I love English mastiffs. I've had two really great Bullmastiffs over the years (very similar, just shorter, stockier, and lazier), and miss them a lot. Congrats and good luck.

It's kind of bound to be this way, bombarded as we are by biased mass media from one side or the other (depending on which side benefits the company that owns a given outlet). A lot of people lack either the time, education, or motivation to try and dig through the various kinds of spin to figure out what's really happening. As a result, a large part of the population has some really fucking strange views based entirely on what they heard from somewhere.

I'm fairly certain he's thought of the danger; however, like the rest of us, he's probably weighed the risks vs. benefits and decided it's worth it. Of course, I could just be putting words in someone else's mouth.

I'm not much of a fabrication guy, but definitely an extra pair of hands (and a truck) available here if you want more help.

That thing is a whole bucket of badass with a side of winsauce for dipping.

Booze and riding, stupid mix. That said, I think to wear or not wear a helmet is a personal choice that everyone has to make for themselves. About half the people I ride with wear them, and the rest of us don't. We all understand the risks/ outcomes we're willing to accept.

Please. 'You fit a description' has been used by cops to harass black folks since Reconstruction. The problem isn't really the initial questions, it's all the potential shenanigans they can pull afterward. Certainly, not every cop does it, but it only takes one total bastard to put you in jail (with a side of tasering / mace / beating) for some piddly shit that didn't actually happen. When it's your word against some cop's, guess who they normally believe? 'Playing the race card' is what it's called when race wasn't actually involved. In this case, race is a part of the motivation behind the historical harassment these laws can create and (often) the laws themselves. Our friends on the right need to make a decision: Either you can complain that we liberals are infringing on people's personal liberty, or you can push for cops being able to stop and harass anyone at any time. You can't have both, so pick a fucking side.

I'm all for enforcing the laws against illegal immigration, but there's a right way and a wrong way. How many people have been in this country for multiple generations but look foreign? There are certainly plenty of second or third generation US citizens that have accents all along the border states. I think that if someone is found to be here illegally during employer audits, legitimate traffic stops, or whatever, then fine, deport them. But allowing the cops to just randomly stop people and demand their papers is only asking for trouble. There's just too much likelihood that real US citizens will get caught up in that dragnet, raising a whole pile of Fourth Amendment issues. I think a far more effective way (and one that would be less likely to step all over US citizens) is to attack the motivation that causes people to come here illegally in the first place. They come here because their home country has basically no economic opportunities. A result of corrupt government, exploitation by foreign corporations and governments, and the catholic church's ridiculous tenets regarding contraception, there are millions of people in Central and South America with too many mouths to feed and no real way to feed them. Right now, they come here to try and alleviate that strain-- getting here is difficult and dangerous, but millions of people take that risk for one reason: there are lots of jobs here that are crappy by our standards but which allow them to send enough money home to support their families. If those jobs dried up, would the risk of getting here be worth it? I say we step up enforcement on the employer side. Do you think Walmart (or their contractors) would risk it if they knew all their assets would be seized? I once worked at a major chain restaurant, where one of the kitchen staff was put on temporary leave (for a week) when an audit showed his Social Security number was invalid. When he gave them a new number, he was back to work, no questions asked. Would they have so blatantly flouted the law if it could wipe the company totally off the map? Since the basic mechanism is in place already (just needs funding, stiffer penalties, and personnel), it seems a far better thing to try than having cops running around demanding people's papers.

I agree. I'm not trying to tune this little thing, just to get it running. The jet kit was suggested because it contains matching needles and jets, and it looks like the aforementioned amateur tuner moron may have replaced the stock needles with some short ones for some reason. The pods were put on just to see if the airbox was the problem, so if I can get a functioning set of stock needles/jets I'll probably put the stock box back in.

Ok, so I acquired Kermit (a 2001 Ninja 250) from Raincheck, and I'm trying to get this thing fixed. I'm not trying to get unrealistic performance out of it, just to get it back to stock/functioning. It's had an ongoing issue where it refuses to idle well, generally idles waaaay up or dies completely (especially when you give it gas). Pre-pre-previous owner was a backyard tuner of the most unskilled sort, and we've spent a fair bit of time finding all the wonderful presents he left in it. Mismatched parts abound. Where we are right now: I've cleaned, re-cleaned, and re-re-cleaned these carbs. I've replaced the float needles, vacuum lines, fuel line, and pilot screws/springs/washers/o-rings. Also rebuilt the petcock, because I have no life. The pilot screws are set around 2 1/2 turns out, and the idle screw is just past barely on. Adjustments to either of these have little to no effect. The airbox has been replaced with pods. Taping/ covering these has produced little to no effect, and I still have the stock airbox as well. The jets are not stock (we have acquired a vast collection in many different sizes and styles). The needles also appear to be of the non-stock variety, and look to be too short for this application. Basically, I'd like to buy someone's old stock needles and jets, if anyone has upgraded and doesn't need them anymore. Failing that, if one of our more experienced mechanical people could tell me whether a Stage 1/2 Dynojet kit might be a worthwhile next move, I'd be appreciative. It seems like the bike would be great if I could just get the parts to more or less match each other. Right now, it's not really rideable. So, lemme know whatcha got, or if you got nothing, lemme know whatcha think. I'm pretty well open to any and all suggestions at this point-- trying to find a matched set of jets and needles is just my logical next step. Thanks all

Sounds like I might need to check this dude out-- I've had only one key for my Shadow for like 5 years, and it's too stubby for most places to cut a copy. Actually, I don't think I have spares for any of my bikes.

I totally forgot to keep track on this. I ride way too often to log it all. Oh well