Mary#17

I personally think 555 is overrated. There are some much better rides down that way. The farmers, loose cows and other junk on the road are just more of a pain than the road is worth. Just my opinion of course. Mary

Comparing two years of data is not statistically sound. In addition, for there to be any validity to this, they would actually need to have data from year to year that compares accidents with helmeted riders vs unhelmeted. From the data given, helmet usage may have actually gone up or the accidents that occurred may have been with riders wearing helmets but there isn't enough info provided. Finally, accidents in general are really difficult to track as severity is not a constant. All accidents are not the same. Some groups have been citing increases in accidents, injuries and fatalities on the Ohio turnpike since the speed increase but they failed to measure for weather and also a couple of severe unusual accidents (i.e. several incidences of wrong way drivers killing 4 or more people at once). The helmet stance is one of the reason I can't stand the AMA. Mary

Welcome! Yes, under 4 grand is not fun on a Duc but you will love it once you open it up. My husband used to have a RSV Mille R Factory. The riding position on that makes the Duc feel like a cruiser. We did a 1200 mile weekend once on the Mille (and my then F4i) in the Blue Ridge area and it was shortly later that he sold it and got a Monster. Mary

Uncle Punk - if go just a little further south you can hit 691 and 685 which are awesome. Mary

I have found this site to be more useful although ride quality is a matter of perspective. http://www.motorcycleroads.us/

I would think the insurance costs would be scary enough. If his parents didn't teach him any common sense in the first 17 years of his life, you won't be able to now. He might just be interested in the name (aka a poser) and being able to tell all his buds he's got a fast bike and may not ever get on it. But who knows. Hopefully he scares the crap out of himself before he does too much damage to himself or others. Mary

Welcome!

Excellent! so when the local dealerships tick me off I know who to call! j/k That's cool. Seems like an interesting job. If you ever any cool freebies, feel free to pass them on to me!

Congrats! What does an Area Manager do? Do you work with the dealerships? other? Mary

They both sound like turds. Shame they didn't take each other out and do the rest of us a favor. Mary

That's awful! Thoughts and prayers for a quick and easy recovery. Mary

My husband was in Spain last week for work and he found this next to his hotel. Ducati was there doing a the press release for the 2013 Multistrada. Nice coincidence for him. http://ducati.com/news/new_ducati_multistrada_1200/2012/09/18/2664/index.do This is a picture he took. The rider said all the journalists would be there later.

Why don't you get the reimbursement and buy another one? BTW - it's Panigale with an I.

Welcome! Shame about the Duc. Need to get an exhaust on it really quick to warn the deer you're coming. Mary

60 has less traffic. Lots of new pavement especially further south. You need to watch your speed as you go through the towns especially Nashville. There has always been a cop there with somebody pulled over - usually a bike. More sweepers and straights. I find 60 less annoying than 83. 83 north of Millersburg isn't really that exciting. The nicer stuff happens when you leave Millersburg south. The traffic on 83 has become pretty annoying. Lots of dump trucks and semis. I've also found many of the other traffic to be very anti-motorcycle. I can't tell you how many times we've tried to pass cars/trucks who aren't even going the speed limit and they gun it or move over onto you. Seems to be mostly pickup trucks. Those are times I don't feel bad that I don't have my db killers in and I hope it blows their ear drums out. Mary

I've considered that area before. What were the road conditions? The pavement is just so much nicer down south that it makes the northern routes iffy for me but it's tempting. Mary

Beautiful bike! Welcome!

It wasn't any louder than any of the other generators at the track. We usually did the long extension cord or put it on the other side of the trailer and it was fine. Certainly not quiet but not deafening either. Mary

Would consider trading for dirtbike. PW50 or similar kids bike. Possible an older trail bike for an adult.

On Friday we hit 374 and then tried a couple of new roads and one's we haven't been on much. Kreashbaum - Freshly paved this year. Still no edge lines but pretty clean. This road is a little more technical. Harble Griffith and Illsboro Road - Not freshly paved but in decent shape. These roads are a bit tricky so use your head. 664 road work is done. Very interesting change. The new section completely bypasses the touristy area of congestion. I like it as it makes it easier to get to the nice section of 56 between 674 and 374. 356 from 56 south to 50 is pretty clean. I saw lots of debris in the other lane though. Be careful for the crazy FedEx trucks though – those trucks should not be going that fast on this road. Crazy and very dangerous for the rest of us. 278 is turning into one of my favorite roads. There are some really nice flowy sections and it’s pretty clean. We tried a side road near lake hope and it’s a twisty road but not suitable for a bike really. Tight, dirty and probably monitored. 685 is also another road that is becoming a favorite. Freshly paved but dirty in some areas. They are doing some work along the road bringing mud onto it in areas. 691 is still looking great! Fresh pavement and mostly clean. That’s pretty much it. Saturday we were dodging rain all over the place and finally got poured on so not as much to report. Oh and Friday was just plain hot! The humidity was a killer. Almost worse than some of the 100 degree days we did earlier this year! Ride safe! Mary

Thank you. He's actually bummed that it is done and wants another project to work on. Maybe next year. Zorro, PM me and I'll get you connected. Mary

I'm getting rid of my 2 pc leathers. I still have my track leathers. Just need a track bike now. Way too anal to put the 1098 on the track. In a couple years when the kids are a bit older, we'll get back on the track. I miss it for sure. Mary

Hello all, I'm considering a trade of some of my gear for a 2004 TTR 225 but it's missing some plastic and such. What's the least expensive place to purchase parts for this bike. I haven't had a dirt bike in a while so I'm out of the loop. Thanks. Mary

This is my husband's bike. It started off as a CB360. Lots of people on this site use the CB's as the basis for their builds. You might find some good info there. http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=29626.msg318260#msg318260

My husband has an Icon Lifeform Carbon and at $515, it's far from a cheap helmet. It's very light. I also did a lot of research on this before we bought it (as we typically by Shoei and Arai) and the reviews and safety were pretty top notch. Biggest issue with this helmet is my husband's head is longish in the forehead and we had to work that a bit. It's also loud but that has a lot to do with the amount of ventilation it provides which is substantial. This is typically complaint on a lot of helmets. We don't skimp on safety gear so I don't know if yours was an older model and they have improved since then, but this helmet is fine. I've got at least 15 "retired" Shoei's and Arai's at my house so we've been through quite a few helmets. Mary