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CBBaron

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Posts posted by CBBaron

  1. Speed cameras? WTF? I just got a lovely letter in the mail with a picture of my vehicle going through a green light at 48 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. Did I miss something? I had no clue that these even existed. It was dated April 4th in Downtown Cleveland. $100. One step closer to that mountain cabin to write my manifesto.

    They have been there for years. I think all of the red light cameras can trip on speed but I know there are a number of speed cameras also. There are some of the mapping apps that will highlight these for you. 

    Or office got a letter from Cuyahoga Heights announcing they would be using portable speed cameras in town. Most of the few roads in town are 25MPH so plently of people will be tagged.

     

    Craig

  2. meonmotorcycle1.jpg

     

    I'm your size and that me on an '06 Ninja 250R that I owned for a year.

    I do not like the newer ones as well because the fairings are shaped poorly for someone with my inseam. 

    However power and size was good until I got on the freeway. The 250 will do the freeway but it is wrung out so acceleration at freeway speeds is very slow.

    Stay out of rush hour on the interstates and its a great bike with excellent fuel economy.

    And if I still owned my '06 I could easily sell it for what I paid 5 years ago. Used versions definitely hold their value as there is always someone looking for a good starter bike for cheap.

     

    Craig

  3. Yeah....Brimfield just bought an mrap....for those unfamiliar Brimfield is a small rural suburb of kent. They justify needing a fucking bomb proof tank by saying they had an active shooter situation a few years back....so yeah...you need a tank.

    First a MRAP is not anywhere close to a tank, though it is armored against small arms like AR and AK rifles. 

    Second how in the world can a tiny community like Brimfield justify a MRAP, even at a purchase price of $0?!!! According to Wikipedia the 2000 census was about 3200 people. That is barely more than a cross roads!

    Borrow the SWAT vehicle from Kent or Akron for the once in a generation that your town actually has a need for one.

     

    Craig

    • Upvote 1
  4. By the numbers the

    DRZ400SM 35hp, 321lb

    CRF450R 55hp 243lb

    Ninja 250R 25hp 371lb

     

    I'm surprised that you think the Ninja was that much better than the DRZ given that the DRZ has considerable more hp, less weight and better suspension components (at least more expensive).

    However as is obvious the CRF450R is in a different league. The DRZ is a compromise to keep the costs reasonable and maintenance schedule in line with road bikes it is heavier and less powerful than the offroad race bikes like the CRF.

     

    I've spent some time on both the Ninja (owned 1 for a year) and the DRZ (> 300 miles around Deals Gap), but I've no track experience and only modest skill so I will defer to others on comparisons in performance.

     

    Craig 

  5. Here's my biggest question- does it have enough "go" to be able to run big track days? Obviously in the straights it will be down on power, but I've got two track days at mid O on the schedule, and potentially a putnam.

    I would expect a DRZ400 to be similar to riding a Ninja250R on the track. Should handle a little better and pull out of the corners with a little more grunt but top end will be similar. 

    I've never ridden track so can't say about that but speed and acceleration is nothing like a SV650, so I would think it would be much better suited to a small tight track.

     

    Craig

  6. I rented a DRZ400SM from sportbikes4hire a couple years ago when I was visiting the Gap.

    A lot of fun, especially on those roads. 

    They brought the bike right to the cabin we were staying in and picked up after I was done.

    Might be worth a try if you are considering buying one.

     

    Craig

     

  7. Cleveland downtown is decent, a number of cool neighborhoods west of the river and University Circle area on the east side is good too. But most of the rest of the east side is urban blight. Vacant lots and buildings vastly outnumber occupied ones and most of those are pretty run down. Crime rates are high and it just feels like an area where you roll up the windows and lock the door when you drive through, even in the middle of the day.

    Some of the suburbs are much better without being endless tracks of strip malls and cul-de-sacs but too many of them fit that mold. However after moving from the Boston are you cannot complain about housing prices or traffic in Cleveland.

    Uverse never made it to our old neighborhood in Shaker Heights (affluent inner ring suburb) so I'm guessing this super Uverse wont either. Not sure why as it seems like customer density would have been very high in our neighborhood.

     

    Craig

  8. WR250R, been wanting that bike for a while as a dual sport change of pace from my Vstrom.

    About $5k should be enough for a decent one. 

    For about $10k I could probably get a KTM 690 enduro which would be a little more exotic choice :)

     

    Craig

  9. I haven't hunted since I was young but I take from the conversation that 410 is now a legal round to hunt deer in Ohio. Didn't used to be.

    I think allowing rifles to hunt deer in Ohio is a good thing but they should be appropriate for the task. Good sportsmen will be mostly ethical about hunting even with light calibers but many hunters do not take that consideration. Taking a long range shot is all too easy with a rifle but a .38 is not going to be effective at that range.

    I think these changes sound like mostly a miss. :(

    Craig

    Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

  10. Columbus is larger than Cleveland because it has absorbed more of it's suburbs.

    However they are probably more concerned about hotel space, convention space, and downtown amenities. Plus whether they can sway some voters by the location.

    Not sure those favor Cleveland or Cincinnati over Columbus.

    Craig

    Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

  11. I don't have a 1200. I have the 1100. 4-valve Ducatis are for posers and yuppies. ;)

    I'm not sure if they are available for a multi but Madstat adjustable windscreen mount helps a lot with my Vstorm. Lots of Vstorm riders will use them with larger screens though I still run stock. During hot weather I run it low and titled back to minimize the air disturbance. When it's cooler I put it up and forward to provide the best wind protection.

    Craig

    phat fingered from my phone

  12. I typed it on my phone.  the "7" was supposed to be 75.   knew I'd get beat up on that...

    Math equations can be tricky to enter on a keyboard, on a smart phone with autocorrect you are almost assured of not getting what your meant. :)

     

     

    I should have taken a few more minutes to think about the math. The kinetic energy of the vehicle is 1/2 mass * velocity squared as mentioned above. Double the speed and the energy is 4 times greater. So a bike at 150 has about the same energy as a car at 75. 

     

    So just stupid of the cyclists and not good policy to chase as the most likely result is a fatality.

     

    Craig

  13.  

     

    A car doing half the speed of the bike (and within a real-world margin of the posted limit) still has more than twice as much force when it acts upon another object. But frankly I think people being scared idiots is the greater danger than the motorcyclist actually hitting anyone.

    So what you are saying is that rider would hit the car with the same force as a car traveling about 35mph...an no one is ever injured in those kind of accidents.

     

    Another likely cause of fatality to someone not involved would be a car taking evasive maneuvers and losing control. 

     

    Ofcourse police are also wary of doing something that would lead to the riders death even if the rider is unconcerned.

     

    And 176,000 lb ft/sec is a pretty big number.

     

    Craig

  14. For highway mpg car size is less of an issue. In general if you stick to cars and not SUVs large car are actually more aerodynamic than small. Short hatch backs like my Beetle are too boxy to be efficient. They make up a little by having a smaller engine but its not a big difference is cruising at 70+.

    On the other hand lighter cars will take less of a hit in stop and go driving. So if you spend alot of time on urban streets then mileage will blow with big cars but remain decent with small ones. 

    If you dont need a rear facing seat most 4 door cars will work. If you are tall then rear facing will rule out most compacts and many mid size. :(

     

    Craig

  15. Progressive and Geico both have easy to use sites for getting quotes on bike insurance and both are pretty good on rates. Definitely shop around as rates can vary wildly and where one person gets the best rate might give you horrible rates or not even insure you at all.

     

    I'm with progressive but I'm 40 and ride a Vstrom so my rates will be very different than a younger rider on a sport bike.

     

    What Tonik says is true, if you don't shop around every couple years you are probably paying way more than you could. I don't do that enough but I have cut car and home owners insurance rates in half at different times by shopping around.

     

    Craig

  16. Clearly we disagree about what a squid is.  I was always taught that a squid is anyone who doesnt wear gear and rides in an unsafe manner.

    Squids often wear helmets on the freeway because the wind hurts their face. Its the reason they leave them on the helmet lock when riding around town :)

     

    I always thought o a squid as you do unsafe rider, usually wearing no gear. Newbie doesn't have much to do with it though most either get injured and stop riding or grow up so there are not too many veteran squids. 

     

    Craig

  17. I have to admit, beyond salt and sand, my biggest fear around taking advantage of these brief warm days in the middle of Winter are all the potholes you discover.

    That look familiar :)

     

    There are advantages to riding a bike with some suspension (Vstrom) but thats not going to help much at 100mph.

    Frustrating hearing accidents like this that are completely avoidable by using your brain for something besides an air bag. :(

     

    Craig 

  18. For me it would be a good reliable used vehicle. A basic used sedan like an Accord or Camary should get good mpg, be easy to find on the used market and be reasonable price to repair/maintain. 

    Put off car payments for a few more years and use that time to build up a fund to pay for one instead. 

    Who cares what you drive to work. Commuting on I-90 is not going to be fun no matter what the vehicle. Stick with a model with smaller rims and tires will cost less. With snow tires you will be better off than you would be with all seasons and AWD. 

     

    Craig

  19. I've long wondered just how much an average rider would even notice the "loss of handling" from lowering links. To me it seems like it would be negligible but I've never ridden a lowered bike

    A lowered bike will have noticably less lean angle before touching. I think that is the main difference in handling. 

    And I think you lose some suspension travel which will affect how it handles rough roads.

     

    Luckily I don't have that problem. :) Instead I wish for more leg room on most bikes. :(

    Craig

  20. Who would want that motor in a big heavy touring bike? What a dog.... I don't see that selling well over the fjr1300

    That is assuming they put the motor in a platform like the FJ1300. I would more expect it would be closer to an FZ-09 with fairing and bags.

    Most of the rest of the world does not necessarily associate a touring bike with an 800+ pound couch on wheels.

    Given that mid range touring bikes like the Vstrom, NC700 and BMW F800 are selling pretty well this make sense.

    Ofcourse we know nothing about the bike yet so its hard to say.

     

    Craig

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