what

This is interesting as I received a phone call last week from my mom saying she got pulled over for being out in the middle of an intersection like that and she never knew it was illegal; apparently it is. Not sure who insurance would hold liable for this though my guess is the biker as the car was already in the space clearly visible to the biker and clearly blocking his lane (a defined obstacle in the roadway). 

That said, the biker is a complete idiot for doing what he did. 

My Bell Star came last week, got my first ride with it in on Friday... I love it. I can actually head-check now without my helmet wanting to lift my head off of my shoulders. The anti-fog on the visor works amazingly well, the helmet is nice and bright, hopefully easier to see than my old black Shoei RF1100 and it is amazingly light-weight. The only issue I have is that the cheek pads are pretty tight but I have some $15 replacement pads coming this week that should fix the problem. 

I'd be interested to hear how OP's shopping experience turns out. 

*as for price matching, I doubt they will match a price on a closeout helmet if someone goes that route. My helmet was on closeout since it is a year old and now only has a shelf life of 4 years, but I ended up with about a 60% discount on it from the 2015 model. I do enough shopping for other parts / tires / etc at IP that I don't feel bad about trying on the helmets there and then ordering online. I like to buy local from mom & pop shops when I can but IP might as well be motorcycle wal-mart. 

Kinda late notice but something came up for work and looks like I can't make it. Next time I guess :/

I'd be down for noon-ish. After last nights ride I'm not too keen on sub 50 temps and mesh hehe.

So, what's the plan? No plan?

That's a heck of a lot to lose in the span of 2 months, good job! Keep an eye out for gall stones though.

Figured I would weigh in on this thread too since I've been doing some "get healthy" kinds of things over the last 10 months as well. Currently I'm down about 70lbs overall, averaging a bit under 10lbs a month taking things slow and steady. I haven't started into working out yet, the majority of my progress has been just through diet changes (keeping track of calorie intake). I will be starting up this weekend with the whole gym thing as I just got my free universal membership from my work's health plan in the mail this past week, this should accelerate things a good bit... I plan to be down another 20-30lbs by mid to late June.

My overall goal is to be at around 240-260 range which for me is another 60-80lbs. I'll probably do a monthly post here just to help track progress. Feel free to kick my ass on here if I stall out!

Looks like it will be in the 40's until around noon. 

Awesome, I'll look into getting it set up. Definitely going to invest in a trailer hitch once I pick up a new car. :|

Option 5: invest in a sport tourer.

Option 5 can only happen when I can afford to have multiple bikes   I need to pick up a Street Triple first.

Well, I do have a trailer that MIGHT be able to handle 2 bikes, I just can't pull it with my car (no hitch). It's the Tractor Supply Co. 5x8 trailer (I believe). I figured I would see if anyone had any open spots before trying to figure all that out though. I'm also considering just slabbing down with jschaf & friends although after riding I-75 from GA to Dayton a few years ago, I'm not sure if my butt will be in the greatest of moods once I arrive at the gap. Stock SV seat might as well be a jackhammer after a couple of hours.

Essentially these are my top options (in order):

1. Carpool with a trailer + bikes - split fuel costs

2. Figure out if I can get a vehicle with a trailer hitch, see if I can fit 2 bikes on my trailer - split fuel costs if so

3. Trailer myself down - forever alone

4. Slab down to TN/NC - hope to find a replacement butt upon arrival

May be looking for a trailer down. Nothing on the work calendar for that weekend so...

Wouldn't mind meeting some of the Columbus crew. Give my stock springs and rear shock a farewell ride?

I actually just picked up a new helmet yesterday online after trying on a number of different brands/styles at iron pony. My top 3 came down to:

Bell Star

Bell RS-1

Scorpion Exo 1200

The scorpion was really cushy but it felt like it would be hot for summer riding. I ended up getting a Bell Star (year old close-out) for about 65% off online. Granted the helmet will need to be replaced in 4 years instead of 5, it's still not a terrible deal.

Definitely try on what you can and see what fits. The star won out for me because it felt spacious and comfortable, had a feeling of quality, has transition visor option and is really light.

been looking for a good shop in the columbus area, might check this place out... need some work done to the ol' SV and the place I took it last time took forever and was fairly rude (the service department at least). 

everyone knows your life is pretty much over at 30. i guess that means you can ride like you're already dead so at least there's that. 

CORRECTION: Need to attend son's 30th BDay. Have fun guys!

 

Sign me up. Medium group, or slow if the group size works better.

it makes me feel a bit better that I'm not the only poor bastard on the 30YO chopping block this year. Make it a good one.

This thread has made me super paranoid. :|

Good to know to keep an eye out for at least.

Howdy, from a guy sitting in Hilliard at work right now.

I blocked off the weekend from work so I should be able to attend this year.

Since it's my first ride with you guys I'll opt for the slow group to start.

oh no, the dreaded "design by committee"!

this may have been a bad post fo me to find.

So how does one reconcile picking a good line through a given curve, bend or corner with lane position. The two often seem to conflict. Slow down even more and avoid the center scum?

Intersections are the worst offenders, I wouldn't go blasting into them. Generally cars aren't stopped or moving terribly slow through normal turns so the amount of muck is less of a problem. That doesn't mean you should trust every corner though as you will find gravel or other debris / pot holes / random obstructions in the road mid corner every now and then. If I'm on an unfamiliar road I generally take it easy. You don't want to be riding at the edge of your abilities and run into something unexpected. Not to mention it's pretty stupid to ride like that on the road in the first place. 

You've got to get out more Andy.

Will be doing some maintenance on Friday and probably going for a ride Saturday. Not sure where I'm going to go though. 

Life is way too much. Negligent homicide yes, but I would expect life sentences to be given to people that were aware of the fact that they were killing someone and felt no remorse doing so. Life in prison means that the person is not nor ever will be able to live in society. This lady has to live with the fact that her actions led to the death of a father and son, I don't see the reason for much more than a hefty fine and a small amount of prison time. 

Was what she did stupid? yes, incredibly, but it wasn't malicious. I kind of wonder what her driving record looks like, though. If she has more accidents / injuries under her belt then that changes things. 

You're making me miss the roads down there Jim...

It took me a little while to get over the "what if" jitters after I went down the first time. I learned 'when I should stop riding due to mental fatigue' that day; luckily the bike and I weren't terribly injured but things could have been a lot worse. 

Best thing to do is figure out why you went down so you can correct any mistake you may have made or be more aware of things that weren't previously on your radar and then start riding again. Lane position while riding around town is pretty important, try to stay out of the middle of the lane during corners as that is where oil and other slippery crap usually ends up. Other than that I guess just watch out for dark spots on pavement… sadly there's not much you can do except be more vigilant when scanning for potential hazards.