Revelstoker

One badass looking machine. They certainly seem to be chasing the Ducati Streetfighter and BMW K13R in terms of power. 150-200hp in a sub-400lb bike is insane. My Nissan SER had 150hp and my Mini is as 211. Both weigh, around 2000lbs. Love to have one but the 50hp Guzzi V7 Racer seems to be more practical.

We have 5 machines with 2 flavors in each machine. We change at least one machine every day, sometimes more. The machines are not connected to the internet and we are also not big fans of Twitter. Issue that we are really after is that our customers have their favorites and want to know when X or Y flavor is available. We can do the Facebook thing and that is more of a pull mechanism. I was thinking of some app that would send an alert to the customers when a flavor they choose to track is a match for the inventory (we would have to update the inventory). I thought of a more database approach and that is still possible where our loyalty customers could opt in for messaging set favorites. server could cycle and send emails but I thought an App might be more trendy.

Adding PR adds what value? I see just increased social costs. It would be better to sell the property to Canada.

Only states that could make it alone would be the Midwest. They can grow more than enough food to support the populace and water is plentiful. Screw the gold standard, we could put the world on the CORN and SOYBEAN standard. The U.S.A could easily be broken up into about 7 regions where the majority of the people share roughly equivalent values and standards of living. More than complete breakup, I would much prefer a return to a system of government by the people for the people. In far too many instances (Patriot Act) the federal government has taken on a life of itself and almost acts as dictatorship or at the very least, an aristocracy of special interest service. Greater power to the people through decentralized State control has merit. Taxation of states for mutual benefit (roads, military) could be implemented. The Fed. government and corporate CEOS would be good to go back and restudy prior socialist movements and the labor unrest of the 1900s. If the secession serves no other purpose than to serves as a catalyst for the people to assume and exercise control of the federal agenda, then we will all benefit. I see no CEO pay worth millions or billions with a refusal to pay for $50k worker salary. Microsoft would sell no software without engineers to write code. Ford would sell no cars without engineers to build them or workers to program the robots. If you want people to excel in math and sciences, then the pay needs to reflect the contribution. HP, CitiCorp, Walmart can easily run for years without a CEO but none can operate for long without key workers to generate proprietary products and file patents. Is the CEO of a biochemical worth $30M in pay or is the biochemist worth $30M? Outsource, sure, go ahead and transfer that knowledge and see how long your corporate history is when your competitive advantage is sold the the cheapest bidder or contract price is raised. In short, if you want change - you have to create change. If succession is the path, then I would walk it.

So, 2008 http://www.fotosymotos.com/fotos/big/BMW/BMW_Lo_Rider_10.jpg I like concept, now to see the execution.

So, the CB1100 is coming to the states? The last I heard, it was not coming. Also, I wonder if those 500's are statebound. I would have to think there is little to no market for the 500's here. 500 makes more sense for Europe where I think they put a 100hp limit in place. I guess the new V4 race bike is going to be a 2014 model?

Not sure but maybe this will help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqRvqw4YXtY&feature=fvwrel

Anyone write apps for Apple, Droid or know someone that does? I am looking for an app that would allow us to post the yogurt flavors we have in the machines and let people set an alert to a specific flavor or two.

Congrats on the purchase. Nice job on the price. Now the fun begins.

Just to muck up the plans but Jan 25 is CW IMot Show is in Cleveland Jan 25th. Any thoughts to doing it Sat. night after going to the show? As for the wrenching: Sag = yes, I could be up for that. Tires = anyone able to change out a tire (pull the wheel off the bike and change the tire)?

Defensive Riding: #1) Ride like you are invisible #2) Always have an out #3) you go where you look #4) slow in, fast out #5) Old and Bold riders, no old bold riders #6) ride where they ain't (less traffic roads) #7) buy a damn patch kit, keep it on the bike #8) gear is cheaper than grafts #9) go as fast as you can stop #10) your only as good as your next ride (ride to ride again).

Got me on the S and I understand the tastes. Ducati always seems to have a base and S. Evo or Evo SP model. I am just not that up on the Monster offerings as I am still in mourning at selling my Hyper. Bike is a 2012 with 1k miles that retailed for $12 and he probably paid the $500 or more for the break-in service. $9k seems like a very fair price for what you are looking to buy and is priced to sell. If he was starting at 9.8, then I would agree you have room to move him down. I think 9k is fair and wouldn't want you to miss the deal. I know you said 8.5 was your limit and you can try. My only haggling points was the lower spec model but that isn't valid. I hope it works out.

OK, I am going to take the other angle. Your talking about a lightly used 2012 bike that retails for $12k. And, you want to go in offering 60% of the value? The bike is a good buy at $10k. I would offer him $9 and be happy that I got a good deal. If you look around, you can find late model Monsters with some of the common mods/aftermarket equipments for similar money. But, they will have more miles. Here is an 1100S for example: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/128-bikes/148546-ducati-monster-1100s-ohlins-carbon-fiber-termignoni.html Your only real bargaining point is that it is not an S and it doesn't have the Termis added. So, you will be looking at $2k for a those and another $1.5 for a Racetech or Ohlins cartridge on the forks. Don't be a cheapass and hold firm at $9k.

Cruisers make great 2-up bikes and very gal friendly. Go for it if it is in nice shape. I had an 85 VT1100C Shadow, awesome bike that is still running today.

I don't know of any track day orgs are going to rent you a bike. However, track days are not races and you don't need a super bike to enjoy the track. Especially in Novice, the speeds are more equivalent to a spirited road ride and as such, just about any modern road bike is appropriate for a track day. Goldwing would work and I followed a guy on a Victory Hammer one weekend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=367VyUFdBdI (i was at this event, not taking the video) Bike rental means you would have to run with a more formal school: Penguin Racing, California Superbike School, Yamaha Racing, Schwantz,...

Well, since you are talking of taking the Northern route towards Glacier, You have Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, North Cascades, Banff, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. Grand Coulee damn, Snake River, Columbia River Gorge (multnomah falls), Tahoe, Monterey, Yosemite. Mt Shasta, Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, Mt Whitney. Moab (slick rock trail), Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches Wine in Walla Walla, Sonoma, Pasa Robles. Personally, I would not try to tie in Grand Canyon and Glacier in one trip. Well, unless you have two months. Go North and do the stuff around Yellowstone. Then take another trip and head south through the Ozarks, OK, TX and do some of the S. CA sites.

No, it is a scooter on a bike platform. But yes, I know the NC700 and Integra are the same chassis. http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Urban_Scooter/NC700_integra It still doesn't change the fact that you can get a quality bike, that looks pretty cool, gets 80mpg, torquey motor and capable of handling most motorcycling duties for $7k. With most bikes priced from $14K-$20k, a person could get one of these and a nice track bike or even a dirt bike for the same amount of coin.

Ducati's bad rep on reliability mostly comes from the older pre-2008 superbikes. The service interval and cost issue was addressed with the launch of the 1098 series. Parts can be expensive and it can take additional time to get parts out of Italy. Service costs may be a bit higher than a Japanese bike but Ducati is a premium brand (positioned as such) and you can expect to pay more for the privilege . :-) The 2v air-cooled motor in the Monster is as old as Ducati and is very reliable. No issues there. Service costs are pretty reasonable and the intervals are around every 7,500 miles after break-in. The bikes are supposedly pretty easy to work on, if you are into that kind of thing. Other knock on Ducati has been a plastic tank expanding issue that is presumed to be related to ethanol in gas. Some models and years have it worse than others. I don't remember too many or any Monster customers complaining. Check out www.ducati.ms and ask up in the Monster forum. Great street bike that can do track days really well. 100% usable power with plenty of torque. Also, yes, get the 1100. The bike makes around 90hp and 65ft lbs or torque. Don't forget the Termis! You will enjoy the extra displacement if you do any 2up.

Nothing against the Versys but if I was in the market again to buy a bike like that, I would have to give a serious look at the new Honda NC700. 80mpg and $7k new. Torquey motor with storage for a helmet in what looks like the tank is pretty attactive package. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZtaCdyrYwM

You have it all wrong. You are supposed to drag elbows not knees.

Not sure. I also want to know if I sign up for both weekend days, is that the equivalent of their two day school. I guess Code has a 4 step program and I would hope the second day is not a repeat of the first day. The only thing that I have read or heard (I have not confirmed) is that you don't get to use the skid or lean bikes unless you do the full two day school on their bikes. I want to use the lean bike as I just want to experience how far one can go over in a controlled environment. I finally got comfortable enough on my bike this year enough to think I might benefit. The Pridmore school at M-O was tempting but the weekend just didn't work out and my bike wasn't put back together from my Putnam mishap. The two up ride seems like it would be worth the price of admission. Though, the clean up post ride may not be fun.

$490 or something per day, on your own bike. That is the one I am interested and I don't want to spend a whole day readjusting, learning or being freaked out about the speed of a S1RR or the thought of paying for it if I drop it. Location Type CostYour Bike/Our Bike Jun1 Barber Motorsports Park All Levels 490/690 Jun 2 Barber Motorsports Park All Levels 490/690

Ditto. I have asked for help and recieved it but not a whole lot more input or analysis that what you said. Almost word for word. As such, I am thinking of Code school at Barber or one of the other schools. Intermediate sessions with class room, critical critique would be welcome. To the point of just an intermediate day that would be broken into slow, med and fast groups. Focus on BP, braking, countersteering, passing theory and some of those elements that Brian mentions. Personal holdback: 1) seat time due to family commmitments 2) not knowing the limits and fear of pushing too hard to find them. (actually lost the front in T4 at Putnam and had a nice slide and tumble. Tire issue I believe so not too much wind out of my sails) 3) don't give a rats ass about lap times = not aggressive 4) technical issues (not weighting front end enough, counter steer, BP) 5) tendency to weight handle bars = out of physical shape 6) bad lower back which makes trunk strengthening hard to impossible 7) not committing and looking through the corner as a function of not setting up for X, Y, Z corners correctly 8) chasing the guy in front of me, not concentrating on myself. ....

By all means, keep riding the wife. She will eventually cut you off and then you can bike all the bike parts and track days that you want because it has no implications on booty time.