CBBaron

Always loved the simple small sports car. Lotus Elise and more recently the Exige have seemed to exemplify that concept.

Though Im not sure I could stuff myself into one.

Craig

I think he isn't far off, but not explaining it well.

There is a gyroscopic effect that occurs. The gyroscopic effect wants the bike to stand up straight while leaned over. Without your (rider) control, the bike will tend to stand up. I think that is the idea you are referring with the belly pan gyros in some bikes... The effect is always at hand and wanting to be working against the rider.

As for trail, he is correct. Kinda... He is saying that the front end's trail is what determines stability. He is correct. Get it wrong and the bars slap like a pissed off girlfriend. Get it right and the bike is stable. But, trail alone isn't the end all. The rear DOES cause issue with handling. You can add or reduce trail with rear ride height. He's trying to say everything is related to the front only and not the rear. Steering or maintaining that angle of trajectory can be done via the rear wheel.

The steering geometry is primarily responsible for the bike wanting to stand up in a turn, not gyroscopic effect. Gyro bikes use different mechanisms to make the bike stay upright. However with out controls on the bike will not lean in a turn. If you the steering geometry wrong the bike will dive into a turn and keep turning sharper unless you muscle it out.

Trail is a function of the frontend. Lowering the rear does change trail but only because that changes angles in the front end. So that is just a matter of semantics. It is a front end function as long as you keep the bike level.

Many times when trying to dumb down an explanation to a level that is useful for the average user, the explanation starts to not make sense when examined in detail. This happens with most complex concepts.

Craig

Officially redecorated the master bath. (Paint, rugs, towels, curtains, etc)

Realistically those were what the wife wanted. I bought myself rain gear on closeout and didnt get too many additional trinkets I didnt want or need.

Best part my back is getting better and the rest of the family has been healthy and all are relatively happy. What more do you really need.

Craig

Thank you everyone for letting me win this league

Thanks for putting this on Bad.

Has anyone else looked at the "recap" for the matchups.

First it amazing how the recap almost sounds like the "recap" you get from sports news for real games despite being automatically generated.

Second it points out some interesting statistics.

Like for instance my team outperformed projects for the last 5 weeks and if stevemcgreen swapped schedules with me he would be 12-2 and I would be 9-7.

I think it points out it is better to be lucky than good

Craig

I've got a herniated disc myself ( miserable pain this fall) riding my Vstrom (adv bike) is more comfortable than driving a car.

If you improve your flexibility and maintain your posture while riding the GS should be pretty comfortable. An ADV bike will be a little better riding position.

As for cruisers some are fairly comfortable but most are not good if you have a back problem as they force sitting on your tail bone. I don't think any of the Sporters are very comfortable and that is the only Harley model you are likely to find at a decent price. However Japanese cruiser are usually pretty plentiful on the used market and can usually be found at good prices. Just be careful about temporary comfort of sitting on the bike vs what it will be like to sit in that same position for hours. Often a less comfortable initial position is better long term.

As a warning the members of this site are primarily sport bike or standard riders, not many cruiser riders. So the opinions may be more anti cruiser than the average. Of course I agree with the majority opinion on cruisers here but others may not.

Craig

<edit> Already covered

9 months of heavy bombing after the B-29 was introduced.

"The Operation Meetinghouse firebombing of Tokyo on the night of 9/10 March 1945 was the single deadliest air raid of World War II;[12] greater than Dresden,[13] Hiroshima, or Nagasaki as single events."

What really is amazing is what it took for the Japanese to finally say enough is enough. Read the part of the B-29 bombings in the link. You never hear about these bombings but yet were way more devastating as far as casualties.

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

Was just going to look for that info.

I knew there was a single bombing raid (multiple planes) that killed more people than either nuke. It was not until the second nuke that the Japanese were fully convinced enough that a single bomb was responsible.

However as mentioned by the time we were firebombing or nuking Japan there was no possibility that the Japanese could attack the mainland as there military was in shambles.

Actually we were very worried about invading the Japanese mainland due to the ferocity of the fighting they did in defense of relatively small islands. Hence the reason we dropped what was basically prototype weapons.

It is interesting that gun ban advocates will use gun death statistics as a sum when almost 2/3 of the deaths are suicides (19k out of the 32k). And as mentioned a good percentage of the rest are drug/gang related. Unfortunately there are too many gun deaths of innocent people caught in the cross fire or mistaken for rivals. So the gang violence does spill over into other areas. Especially for those without means to move to safer neighborhoods.

Craig

They have a way to make NG into fuel so their is no conversion. Let me try to find the link i read.

I think you may be thinking of their "Diesel Natural Gas"

This is actually a conversion for Diesel Engines that adds a Natural Gas injection to the fuel system of a Diesel Engine. The NG is added to the diesel air mixture to cause a more through burn and improve efficiency.

And Bad I still think the biggest obstacle to CNG cars is lack of infrastructure.

You buy a gas car and you dont need to install anything at your residence and you can fill up at a million convenient locations. For CNG you have to install a refueling system in your home at considerable cost or track down one of the few commercial fueling stations. Even worse when traveling.

Most are not willing to make the effort. Especially when with most CNG conversions you lose performance and range.

Craig

5 yrs before we every see one of these somewhere. 10 before they become somewhat common.

Umm

Honda has been selling a CNG powered Civic with an optional home fueling station. So we already see it.

However 10 yrs to be some what common might be reasonable.

Problem is infrastructure. Not many will buy a vehicle that they cant take on a trip and just refill along the way.

Craig

<edit>

http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-natural-gas/

OK Honda does not sell the refueling but you can buy the refueling station for your home.

Requiring locked storage of firearms not on the owner would be a reasonable law. However it is only enforceable post event. Most gun lockers are reasonably easy to defeat for a determined person and requiring a heavy safe for storage I would deem unreasonable.

So I don't that type of law having much effect other than perhaps slightly reducing the accidental deaths among curious kids.

$20k a year for an armed vet to protect a school is an very unreasonable suggestion. $40k is still underpaid.

The school marshal concept could(should) be opened to janitors, office assistants, teachers aids and other non teachers within the school building. as mentioned of the suggested changes this is the only one that would have made an impact on the Conn tragedy.

Craig

Eh....I doubt anything the govt does during the knee-jerk reaction to this shooting will have any basis in common sense or our rights as a free society. The old adage is 'never waste a good tragedy' and Obama and Pelosi are going to ride this one till the wheels fall off.

+1

Law makers seem to be nearly as opposed to "making sense" as they are to compromise.

Unfortunately the most vocal advocates on both sides kinda of drive the discussion and they tend to be the "out of my cold dead fingers" or "ban all guns" crowd

As much as I hate to see govt impose more on freedoms I expect that closing the "gun show loophole" will be a necessary compromise to avoid further restrictions.

Proving you are mentally sane will be too invasive of privacy to ever fly in the US. It would be more likely to pass a ban on all removal magazine firearms which I dont think it will come to either.

I like the School Marshal plan. It might work in some areas but in many locals teachers tend to be on the more liberal side of the fence and are more likely to be completely anti-gun. Means that it will be hard to have a reasonable deterrent or effective response in most schools.

I think I need to go pick up a decent off the shelf AR before they become unavailable. Unfortunately I think its quite possible that will happen again.

Craig

Shut the hell up and let us have our kid dreams!!!!!!

I believe that this is a kit you can purchase that can convert any MTB that does not have rear suspension. I know Ive seen other pictures of that configuration.

Look it up you may be able to purchase your "kid dream"

On the other hand, those that actually ride on the snow in winter use one of these.

4" tires with about 10psi

Craig

probably not as much fun as you might think, skis have WAY more frictional resistance than wheels with bearings in them... why my 400 pound snowmobile with a 0.34 liter, 2 cylinder engine gets worse fuel economy than my 3000 pound car with a 4.6 liter, 8 cylinder engine...

Skis on snow may be a little worse than wheels but most of the extra resistance on a snowmobile is the track. Tracks are great for traction but lousy for efficiency especially at speeds.

Craig

Coming from someone who has only handled firearms a few times.

Trying to hit something with a pistol was difficult even at what seemed like point blank range.

Trying to hit something with a shot gun at the same range was a piece of cake.

Yes you need to aim the shotgun but it is so much easier to aim that it almost feels like you are pointing it rather than aiming.

A 12 gauge has some kick. A semi-auto less so but a 20 gauge should be manageable for about any one.

I wouldnt advise a pistol grip shotgun as it just makes aiming and control from the kick much worse. But a short barrel (18.5") is suggested. Keeps the weight down and is more maneuverable. Ofcourse most short barrel guns also have extended loading tubes so the weight is still noticeable.

A 38spl is still a good kick in a snub nosed gun. If you go this route a 4+" barrel will have less kick and be easier to aim.

Craig

I understand your limitations. She says she wants to learn on a scooter then you have to get her a scooter. There are no options even if other choices would be more logical. Been there

However I really like the MSF course as a starting point. Atleast in my class there were several riders that had never been on a motorcycle and a couple women also. They start from the basics and dont seem to have preconceived notions about the students skill level. It cheap and you get to ride their bikes so its no biggie if you do drop. All the bikes available for my course had been dropped multiple times on both sides in their life. There was only a couple working turn signals in the group

I also think a bike like an XR100 or similar would be a good way to get used to riding. You can ride on grass so falling is much less scary. The bikes are so low and light they are not scary at all. Find a friends in the area that has a few acres and store the bike there. Or get a cheap trailer for transport. Lots of possibilities.

Craig

I dont get the worries about crash worthiness from motorcycle riders. If this is built with a halfway decent cage you are going to be much better off in this than a motorcycle. Plus by the sounds of it you are not going to "go down" while riding due to road conditions. The gyros should keep it upright.

Losing power to the gyros should be a minor problem if done right. At speed it should be stable like a motorcycle. When you stop it will fall over causing cosmetic damage to the car. Bummer but hardly a serious issue, unless this is a regular occurance.

Im wondering if these could be a good winter commuter for me. If the gyros keep it stable and its somewhat protected from the salt then it could work where I avoid riding the motorcycle.

Still too expensive from the cheap tastes but I like the idea.

Craig

Who cares.

He is a star who changed his mind. Especially if it means a bigger market.

Sounds pretty normal to me.

But what I like is how the new article states that south Korean sentiment turned against America due to an SK hostage begin killed by Iraqi insurgents.

How is the kind of protest song above comes out against the people fighting those insurgents. Looks like stupid mobs are a world wide thing.

Now the real question is why couldn't they find a musician to play the even?

Craig

Im not the best one to take investment advice from but for the most part i put my retirement funds in index funds and don't touch them.

Usually use ones based on a wide market range like the Wilshire 5000 though some is based on S&P 500.

My thought is that:

1) The market nearly always beats fixed investments over the long term

2) These types of funds provide some diversification within the market.

3) These types of funds have lower fees than managed funds.

4) I dont trust others to guess correctly on what to investment in.

I am very hands off with my investments and most analysis tools say my retirement investments are too aggressive in securities. So take my advice with a grain of salt.

Craig

I remember waiting 15 minutes for a GIF to load. My first internet connection at home was a 2400 baud modem in 1994. I had been using the gateway from JANET (UK's Joint Academic NETwork) to the internet for a couple years before that at university.

What were you doing with a 2400 in 94. 56000 was the standard by then

Actually I did not move off campus in college because we had internet in the dorm rooms. But didnt use the "world wide web" and Moasic until my last year.

Craig

Based on current information the force used seems excessive but we dont know much about what happened yet.

Though I'm sure the cops involved were on edge after being lead on a wild case involving at least a couple collisions.

Very interesting that this started in front of the Justice Center downtown.

Craig

Never heard about this but As they say, If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

I want to meet the person that buys a brand-new MacBook on quibids for $21.

Have you looked into qbids? The bid price is a minor price. The cost is in bidding. Each bid has a cost and prices usually increase by a penny for each bid. In addition the auction is extended each time a bid is placed.

So yes you can get a MacBook for $21 but you are likely to spend many times more trying to win the bid.

Seems almost like gambling

Craig

Youre thinking bacteria and living organism based contaminants. Boiling does nothing for chemical based contaminants..

Boiling is the easiest way to ensure a reasonably safe water supply. Boiling will kill all of the organisms that can make you sick. And these are very common, especially where there are many other people.

Chemical contaminants are a problem, but usually only for long term health. If the water looks and smells clean then it is probably safe for short term (days to weeks) with boiling.

Carbon filters will remove some of these contaminants. Carbon filters work by reacting and binding with various compounds. They usually dont provide much in the microscopic particle filtering. If a filter is claiming to remove bacteria then it has an additional microscopic particle filter. The carbon itself does not do the job.

As for calories. sugars, carbs, and proteins are all 4 cal per gram, fat is 10cal/g. Rice is primarily a carb. If you want the most bang per gram stock up on the fats.

I remember reading on Iditabike riders are required to carry so many calories as they may become stranded in sub zero weather and you will freeze much faster if you dont fuel your body. Most carry butter as you need to keep the load light to make the best time and butter has the most calories per pound.

Craig

It's not time to put them away yet....

+1

Ill ride as long as there is not wet salted roads or snow/ice. Ive seen what the salt does to a bicycle so i will avoid that for my motocycle. Last winter was ofcourse very mid, but the bike was in "storage" for about 6 weeks.

This fall was almost that long when dealing with a bad back but Im hoping to ride atleast once every month.

Craig

Its been my experience that it is much easier to find a Ninja 250 for less than $1500 than it is any dual sport less than 20 years old.

A DL650 less than $2500 is going to be a rare find indeed. Oldest ones are 2004 and like dual sports seem to maintain price better than average.

I wouldnt want to take a Rebel 250 or GZ250 on the freeway on a regular basis. Both are under 20hp and will struggle to keep up with traffic. Same goes for most 250cc and under dual sports.

EX250 and GS500 are pretty common for cheap as are some standards from the 80s. Buell Blast may be an option also. Otherwise its pretty hard to find a highway capable motorcycle ready to ride for much less than $2k.

Craig

I just bought a water bottle with a carbon filter in the nozzle, not sure how well it works exactly since I do not have the ability to test that, but I have noticed the water tastes better when using tap water. Not sure if something like that would work on bacteria though.

Carbon filters remove chlorine and some other contaminates. This does improve the flavor of water. However it does nothing for the safety of the water.

Craig