CBBaron

Pauly has picked up my bike in Shaker Heights for service for a very reasonable price. I'm sure he can do right by you. And Ravenna is much closer than 2+ hours away, he is barely further than State 8 from where the bike is.

This article can't be serious; http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/15/living/parenting-black-sons-ferguson-missouri/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

Unfortunately it is serious and somewhat true.

First many inner city teens feel the world owes them something and/or havn't been taught to show respect to others, especially those in authority. So they need the lesson to diffuse the situation.

Second because so many similar youngsters are rude and difficult many police assume that is the attitude they will get, which just escalates the problem. 

Both sides make the interaction worse than it should be which leads to this.

However the fear is over blown. There are very few incidents like this or Martin and nearly all are more complicated than first reports. If atleast one side shows respect during interactions the interaction is usually going to end peacefully.

Craig

Cool product and hope it takes off as a good line of business. IMO the video is over produced, almost to the point of being unwatchable and taking away from your product. Not try to be a dick just wanted to provide some feedback.

+1

Neat product but the video just gives me a headache and makes it very difficult to see the product.

Found my account from last year, so I should be good to go with your original invite.

One reason heavier motorcycles have wider tires is that motorcycles have pneumatic tires. Which means they are full of air and flex under load. The contact patch of a tire is basically the load/pressure. So at the same pressures a heavier vehicle needs a wider tire or higher pressure. Since higher pressure requires stronger tires and a harsher ride the easier solution is a wider tire.

In addition the heavier vehicle will put more stresses on the tire wearing out the rubber faster. If this is spread over a larger area then the wear is reduced and the tire lasts longer.

Craig 

Did you not get the email invite?

I got an invite but unfortunately I cannot get into my Yahoo account and had to create a new one.

Any chance I can join again this year with the new account?

Craig

No one buys a hyper bike for fuel mileage.

Which is why i won't buy a hyper bike

I too like the looks, but hate the scene.

However practicality is a much higher priority for me than style or power and a bike that uses more fuel than my car doesn't seem right to me.

We've committed to being a Slingshot dealer. We will post up more information when we have it. Word is we will have a demo model.

I think it is pretty cool.

 

I personally am committed to two wheels, but I applaud Polaris for pushing the limits and trying something new and innovative.

The X-Bow is really cool, but we will never see it allowed on American roads. VW actually had something in the works like the Slingshot 10 years ago, but pulled the plug over liability concerns.

 

Depending on demand and feedback I think we will add a Slingshot to the EagleRider rental fleet. I can see myself renting a Slingshot for a weekend or two each summer.   

Cool, I think one would be a fun rental. Might even get my wife to ride with me on one.

Look forward to hearing more details

Looks pretty cool but way too expensive.

Its the logical succession of the CanAm. Sure an Atom or Xbow make more sense but US DOT regulations being the way they are you cannot sell on of those for the road. A 3wheel vehicle is a motorcycle and does not have near the requirements for pollution controls or crash tests. So it makes sense for an open air roadster.

Just because its not a bike does not mean it would not be alot of fun to drive.

Craig

Whatever you want! $5000 will buy you almost any bike if you don't mind 20,000 miles and 5 years old.

If this is your first bike, I would spend no more than $2k, and then plan on selling it for a newer/better bike in a year or two.

The ER6 you posted is a nice ride that you could keep forever, but I would buy the clean SuperHawk or the used Z1000 posted before paying more for the ER6.

+1

Get a bike 5 years old at a good price and ride it for a year. If you don't like you can nearly recoup your cost, or better. In the mean time you are riding.

After you have been riding a year or 2 you will have a much better idea want you want and then you can shop for a bike to keep, if that is your choice. 

Me i got lucky and got my first 2 bikes at a great price, and the second has been a keeper. Ofcourse the second has depreciated considerably even from my great initial price because I have a bad habit of getting in over my head on back roads and breaking thinks

Oh well a few scratches just add character, right  

Craig

I wasn't asking for sympathy so much as I was venting and asking if the percentage i'm looking at paying is typical.  My estimated loan debt was actually higher than my current balance, and my payment amount is in line with what I had anticipated.  What's vastly skewed is what I had projected my income to be.

 

I started law school in 2009 when the legal profession was still pretty solid.  During the 3.5 years I was in school, the bottom dropped out of the big law machine.  There are still places that hire starting at $120k/year for first-year associates, but there are a LOT fewer of those jobs than there used to be.  Like 10% of what was available when I applied to law school.  Competition for the sub-$100k jobs is proportionately more fierce.

 

During the time I was in law school, the average starting salary for attorneys in Ohio dropped by close to $25,000...  a 30% drop in projected income hurts a lot when average salary was part of your considerations for debt repayment.  

 

Now i'm looking at leaving a job that I like quite a bit :-/

Thats the part that sucks about deciding on college. You go in anticipating finding a well paying job once you are able to complete your degree. But if the economy falters the first thing that happens is companies stop hiring, especially new graduates. But you can't predict that when you start. And once you start if you decide to exit before the degree then you just have the debt with little to no return.

Thats why grad schools see increases in applications when the economy sours. Undergraduates can defer the loan expenses and job hunting for 2-6 more years by pursuing an advanced degree.

Good luck and it sounds like you will come out OK even if things hurt right now.

Craig

Just got an ass-fuck from Sally Mae.

 

I'm looking at paying close to 10% of my (pre-tax) income toward student loans from August until eternity.  Is this par for the course?  The last time I had loans (undergrad) I don't recall what my payment was, but I know I didn't qualify for income-based, because my balance was pretty low.  I all but killed those loans in a few years, and have a few thousand outstanding that were added to my law school loans.

 

The killer about law school is that no one has a job when they graduate - you have to study for the bar, which for 80% or more of bar applicants, is a full-time job of its own.  So you exhaust your grace period before ever even having a whiff of a paycheck.

 

I did some temp work for a few months, then landed my current gig in September of 2013.  Based on my $0 income at the time my loan payments were scheduled to start, I haven't had to pay until now. 

 

I only have an estimated figure at this point, but it's not an insignificant amount.  More than a car payment (which we don't have right now).  My concern isn't so much about how we'll afford this, but rather how we'll afford things like a car payment the next time a vehicle needs to be replaced.

 

My wife (thankfully) has no college debt.  I'm an educated guy who doesn't live extravagantly, and has never paid interest on a credit card - if I'm struggling, how the fuck are everyday morons surviving in the world?!

 

/rant (for now)

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law both went to law school with significant loans. Even after consolidation and extension on the loans they figure they have 2 house payments, one for the house and one for the student loans. Luckily they both had high paying jobs lined up even before passing the bar so it hasn't been an issue but I could see that being a serious burden on some that didn't land the big bucks.

Seems student debt is getting worse and worse. Even public school grads are significantly burdened.

Craig

"The Letter" will definitely make "The Decision" hurt a little less to many Clevelanders.

If the Cavs start really winning that will do even more.

I'm amazed that one athlete can have that much impact on a team, franchise and city.  

The city really could use a championship, I don't see that the Browns are going to do that in my lifetime and the MLB structure make it extremely difficult for the Indians to accomplish it.

Craig

SpeedyTriple got the last tag, but the links to the new tag aren't working anymore.  Sort of a break in continuum.

Missed that Speedy had the tag because i didn't see the pictures. Does make it difficult to get the tag

Just giving you a hard time Josh, enjoy the new bike.

Craig

Okay, it's been two years, bitches.  I got tired of waiting for you guys, so I'm gonna have to get another bike and start this thread back up m'self!

So why didn't you get the previous tag? Its a short ride for you.

Craig

Cool, now we just gotta snag the dnc.

Can't. Dems have a clause that their convention must be exclusive. They won't use the same city as the Repubs.

Ohio needs to be sure to keep the vote close between the parties. Being a swing state is a nice way to get both parties to spend more money here.

Craig

you think so?   I haven't seen many 250's with aftermarket pipes.  I have no major objection to allowing the 2008+ 250's and the 300 in the same class, but the idea was to have the first generation 250 with 16" wheels not be completely out-classed.  I guess if people want to waste money on a pipe, they're welcome to do that.  I wouldn't though.

 

Something like this would be my race bike.  http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/4509764575.html

 

They're asking $850.  I would throw $600 cash, or walk.

The older gen Ninja's have 2 cans so aftermarket pipes get expensive, and its a cheap bike. I don't see many with aftermarket cans either. Even the newer gen doesn't usually have aftermarket cans at the same rate as the bigger bikes. Not much point in performance mods for such a cheap low power bike.

Craig  

The CRF250L is much cheaper than the WR250R, which is the bike most similar.

The CRF is also shorter and ergonomically smaller. Good if you are short, but feels cramped to me.

General consensus is that the CRF is similar to the WR in power but far behind in suspension and off-road handling. 

I wouldn't mind one, especially for roads, gravel and light trail work, but would prefer the WR for larger feel and off road capability.

I would think the XR650L would be a very different machine. Considerably heavier, taller and much more low end grunt. That is definitely a much bigger bike than the CRF in every measure.

Craig

he odyssey and the Pilot are built on the same chassis and have the same motor and transmission.  When you buy the Pilot as an SUV, you are buying a FWD minivan chassis with a transverse engine/transmission combo just like the Odyssey.  Towing is a joke on either platform.

Most light SUV's are based on FWD car/van platforms. The truck based SUVs are getting fewer and fewer over the years as they have less interior space, don't ride as well, get worse fuel economy and cost more than the unibody FWD based models. If you don't need to tow large boats, campers or other trailers then the light SUVs are usually a better solution.

Craig

the more i've looked at some vehicles the more I think I'm definitely leaning towards an SUV. Spent the morning looking at Terrain's and Explorer's though the Explorer is at the extreme high of my budget and not sure I want to go that route

We have a 2010 Chevy Equinox, which is the Chevy twin of the Terrain.

While the car is very nice in terms of driving and comfort it has had a number of problems. Most concerning are the oil burning issues that have resulted in a couple significant repairs. All repairs were under warranty but still a concern.

However my parents have a 2012 and we know of several other newer models that have been trouble free. So it may just have been some first year model issues.

So I wouldn't recommend for a Terrain if reliability was a high concern.

If you put alot of miles on an auto and like driving a car why wouldn't you get a car to drive. At the same price point a sedan is going to get better fuel economy, be faster or both. SUV's are just not going to drive as well unless you really pay for it.

Craig

Vstrom and Versys are decent lightweight 2up bikes. But are probably a little tall for most newbie women to ride solo. 

Seems something like a Ninja 650 or CB500F/R is a reasonable compromise. 

An NT700v is probably more comfortable for passenger but maybe hard to find.

Craig

I'm in the same position with my 47" Vizio LCD. 

The front light indicates its on but the display is black. I may open it up to see if anything obvious is wrong but i am guessing it is a board that needs replaced, which appears to cost more than its worth.

Slow down gradually to create a gap in front. Keep an eye out for the person and pick the lane that allows them to go past in the least dangerous manner. When you see someone coming over that was already aggressively tailgating, slow down and let them come over. Keep slowing down in case they brake check you. Goal is to get them in front of you and let them be on their way. Who knows what's in their mind at the time. Maybe in a hurry maybe just a dick.

Speeding off only works if you are going to be faster than them for the foreseeable future. I don't recommend it. It's a tough balance whether they are being aggressive towards you or to everyone.

I will also gradually slow down and sometimes look back directly at them or gently raise my hands in the universal 'what shall I do or what's your problem' sign language. Try not to be too aggressive with the hand motions.

From my experience on a bicycle shoulder shrugs and serious glances in their direction seems to only make them more upset/aggressive. 

Obviously based on his reaction he took issue with the slow down/brake check. I'm kindof surprised he didn't try to pass at that point, though he may not have though of that at the time.

Some drivers take very little to go off the handle. My wife had someone try to run her off the road because she flashed her head lights to indicate she wished to pass someone going slow in the left lane. Who knows what goes through their minds.

I think most tailgaters are aggressive drivers but are not usually at that point intending to injure you. My solution to a driver like that is just open a very comfortable margin between myself and the car ahead and use brakes early when slowing to ensure he/she has time to react. That kind of driving does not give one much reaction time

Not much more you could have done in that circumstance without lane splitting to get away from him.

Craig 

Hmm...  the aesthetics are really "busy."  Doesn't really look like a naked bike to me.

It looks very naked to me.

It looks busy because nothing is hidden. I don't see hardly any plastic pieces that are not a functional part of the bike. 

For that reason I like it. However I know an EBR price and performance are outside my reach so I wont be owning one.

Craig