CBBaron

Rode 2-wheels to work yesterday and today. However they were unmotorized. Will get the bike out of storage this weekend and hide the snow blower back in the shed. Craig

Sorry, you are definitely correct on this. I was thinking of the pad my dad poured on his farm, he had to get another yard delivered over a full load, but that was likely a much larger pad and probably thicker than needed here. I didn't know you could rent buggies capable of hauling concrete. Learn something new every day. The problem with foundations is something for me to think about when I need to replace my driveway in the next year or two. Craig

Given the huge amount of farkles available for the Wee, many I'm sure you will convince yourself into needing, I would go with a used Weestrom. All the reports I've seen seem to indicate a very good light touring bike and very reliable. Tons of options for luggage, windscreens, controls, electrical, and on and on. So you can set it up the way it works for you. I'm not sure why people need a bigger bike to do miles. Even my Ninja 250 was sufficient to run on the freeway and the Wee has 2 and half times more power. And I'm no light weight and 6'2" 225. I just picked up an `04 DL650 so I can't tell you how it performs for me but the reasons above were some of why I bought it. Craig

Getting concrete delivered is going to be cheaper than a properly installed paver. A thin layer of sand under the pavers will only result in them sinking. When I tried to get some rough estimates for doing a driveway the companies doing pavers would only do them over concrete or asphalt. However I know you can do it on a solid base. The problem is you need a deep solid base. Trying to mix enough concrete to do your own is going to be difficult. It will probably take a good part of a concrete truck load to do a pad big enough for a car. At that amount it will be cheaper to get it delivered than to make your own, and much easier. A cheaper option yet may just be to dig up the grass and put down gravel. Its not as neat but it is fairly easy and cheap. The gravel option may also get you around permit requirements. Still you should first start with checking your local ordinances. Craig

+1 We still have a bunch of snow on the sides of the roads and plenty of wet salt spray to go with it. I'm itching to get my bike out but it won't stop snowing. Craig

sweet machine. Looks like a ton of fun. Enjoy. I assume you know that Ohio Motorcycle in Oakwood (I-480/I-271 and Broadway) is a KTM dealer. So should be fairly convenient from most of NEO. Craig

Rain would be nice. Got about 8" of the white stuff here. However did have to slow for a skunk trudging through the drifts across the road this morning. He was already have a bad day I didn't want to make both of ours worse Craig

You are missing the point of the bike. The first gen is a limited production model with lots of extra carbon fiber and priced like other special models from the likes of Ducati or Bimota. Once production ramps up a more main stream model will probably be available and probably be priced like Italian superbikes. Is the current bike worth it? Depends on the buyer. To most people, No. But I think he has a good chance of meeting his goals for this year. The bike looks very nice. Not like the "take it or leave it" aesthetics of previous Buells. Will EBR be able to compete with Ducati or Aprilla and survive? Time will tell. Atleast the bike is not hampered by an aircooled Harley engine. Craig

Not this bike!!! This is the carbon fiber high zoot version that is going to be priced like a Bimoto or special edition Duc. I expect $30k+. Though I would expect that EB wants to bring a $15-20k bike to market soon but I think he's being smart by starting with a high priced special edition model where they can afford to inspect every detail on each unit before shipping and still make money. Once the bugs in the manufacturing process are worked and and things are streamlined a little better then a reasonably priced model can be introduced with more cost effective components. Craig

+1 on this. Not that the MSF is necessary to learn how to ride safely, though it does help, but because you need some more practice and experience before running that type of commute. You really want to be comfortable with the handling of your bike at speed before mixing it up with high speed traffic, that way you can concentrate on the traffic and not on your bike. April is not that far away so use that time to practice. I had a Ninja 250 for a year. Would probably still have it except for a great deal on a Vstrom which fits a 6'2" guy a little better Its a great little bike. Fun to ride and easy to learn on. Craig

Pinlock - Stock shield on my HJC was always fogged. The Pinlock shield only fogs outside the double shield. I use CatCrap on my glassed for cycling. It does help but does not eliminate fogging. Have not seen any thing you can apply that works better. You pretty much have to go with a double layer to eliminate the fogging when its cold. That why all the good ski goggles are double layer. Thats what Pinlock does. Craig

Rode motorcycle to work Monday, bicycle to work today. Why is that surprising? . . . . . Actually it was a little chilly and my hands were cold. But my commute is urban so speeds are low. And I have decent gear but no electrics. I wanted to ride on the weekend but several inches of snow discouraged that attempt by this inexperienced rider. Craig

I think the big advantage of the private courses is you can sign up for a class in a couple weeks and have a opening. Or you can sign up 6 months ahead and save $25. I'm a cheapskate but didn't have the time to try walk in so I waited signed up for a late season class that still had openings. Good thing there were not any walk ins when I took the course last fall. It was one of the last classes of the year. I arrived early to the college campus where the course was offer and asked where the class was. They told me the right building but wrong room. A couple phone calls to the registration and I finally figured out where the room was and walked in 5 min late. No problem as it wasn't even a full class. It was cool with a slight drizzle the first day and a little better weather the second day but I really enjoyed both and learned alot. Good thing too as it was my first time riding a motorcycle and the test at the end of the second day was not the easiest to pass with so little experience. Craig

Parking outside in daylight in a decent neighborhood its pretty unlikely the bike will disappear, especially a low value bike like a 20 year old 250cc. However if you park under different conditions and theft is a serious concern then there are several security options. A disc lock will immobilize the bike for someone looking for a joy ride or just trying to hot wire it. However it does little to stop someone that can pick up the bike and throw it in a van. For that the addition of a cable attached to a secure object helps a little. However most cables are pretty easy to cut. A heavy security chain and lock like made by Kryptonite and Onguard attaching your bike to a secure object will discourage all but the most persistent thieves. However they are expensive, heavy, bulky and you have to find something to attach to. If you are parking in an area with a high theft rate on a regular basis. Buy the chain and lock and leave it where you park. For most other situations I would just use a disc lock or don't worry about it at all. Craig

My first and so far only bike `06 Ninja 250R Bought it last fall after taking the BRC and have been riding since March. Only about 2500miles so far but enjoying all of them. Craig

My first question was "How could they steer that thing?" That modestly loaded front tire would have difficultly overcoming the strong forces from the tracks keeping the vehicle going straight. However apparently it has track brakes which are activated when turning the handlebar making it act like a skid steer or any other tracked vehicle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SdKfz_2 So now my question is "Why bother with the front wheel?" Either way it is not a motorcycle, but it sure would be cool driving one. Though I'm guessing very modest top speeds. Craig

I think it will be a while before I start pushing the limits. Need to get some experience to feel comfortable riding first. Working on getting the gear and should have everything I need before much riding weather opens up. Craig

Finished the BRC and got my endorsement. So last weekend I picked up a bike. I know its a little bike but it is basically new and was cheap. Should be lots of fun to really get comfortable riding on. Craig

Nope Issue 6 does not affect the government of Cleveland, just the government of Cuyahoga County. It replaces the county commissioners with an executive and a council voted in from regional districts. It is very similar to the government of the city of Cleveland. Mayor Jackson is not going any where soon. Craig

Passed the riding exam at the end of the BRC yesterday. Fun couple days learning to ride. The beat-up TW200 I was using was a fun little bike. Now I just need to find a bike. Looking for a good value on a light dual sport (no KLRs or V-stroms ). Craig

Depends if I see a bike I like at a price I can handle. Never rode a motorcycle before so I'm taking the $25 MSF course in a couple weeks then I will probably start looking for an actual bike to buy instead of just surfing for bikes that are cool. Probably be next season before I'm riding much. Craig

Hello, I'm your neighbor to the south, but I am a long way from from riding insane speeds. I just got my motorcycle temp license and don't yet have a bike. Craig

Thanks for all the great responses. I'll update this once I finish the class and you can find out how big of a clutz I am. I will indeed dress warm. I expect it to be pretty chilly outside all day on Halloween. Craig

Well it opens up the tall and big bikes, however many small bikes become very uncomfortable. Small cruisers/standards put my knees above my hips and often my hands hit my knees when trying to turn. On bikes like the 250r and 500r the ridge on the tank that is supposed to be above your knees, isn't. None of those issues prevent me from riding those bikes but they are less comfortable, so finding a cheap small bike with great MPG to start on becomes a little more difficult. Craig

Hello, I'm taking the MSF basic rider course at the end of the month and researching bikes I might be interested in. I've promised myself I would not buy anything until I finish the course and get a better feel for what I might be interested in. Right now I'm leaning towards a dual sport or supermoto. I'm 6'2" so the seat height is not a problem and I like the light weight and ability to take a drop. Plus I think trail riding might be fun. Many years ago I rode ATVs and wouldn't mind going off-road. We will see what happens. First have to convince my wife I won't kill my self just by considering a motorcycle. Craig