smccrory

I'm putting my street-legal '91 XR250L up for $1500 soon. Has aggressive new tires and heavy duty tubes, new steering bearings, fresh valve adjustments, new fluids, 280cc overbore kit, mikuni pumper flat slide carb, 3 gallon Clarke tank, trail gearing, white brothers exhaust and adjustable alloy brake and clutch perches and levers. She's kick only, seeps a tiny bit of oil at the rocker cover gasket and resists starting below 50 degrees, but once warm, pulls strong and does biways into Wayne no problem. Let me know if you want pics before an ad goes up in a week or so.

XE.com

Subscribed! I can't promise yet (work is kicking my ass) but I'll be there if I can, either with a DL650 or cheating on a Beta :-P

Now hear this: Loud sound may pose more harm than we thought (from @AP) http://bigstory.ap.org/e228143c05594466afe622fb36c968ca

Round chambered plus an extra in an extended mag.

I do, but always with an extended mag if they're available for the gun and the extension doesn't limit how I carry the gun. I usually bring an extra mag but having an extra round in the slide is always good.

I think I'm getting to that point as well. When the Dems were in charge, I could justify collecting stuff just because it was different, odd, potentially on their ban lists or just cool, hip and happ'n. Those buys aren't getting any range time - I just don't have time for them. Same is happening with my folding knife collection.

+1000 to Scuba's post. I went from being a mechanically interested computer nerd to a kind-of competent shadetree motorcycle mechanic in 18 months by pouring over my motorcycles' service manuals, watching YouTube videos, leveraging this and other bike-specific forums and getting local friends' help with the trickier bits. I started small, like changing my own oil and filter, changing sprockets, cleaning the chain and replacing brake and clutch fluid, then moving on to valve checks, cleaning carbs and slightly modifying them for better performance. By the end, I had gone through three project bikes, multiple carb rebuilds, a full engine top-end, two repaints, multiple tire changes, three steering head and wheel bearing swaps, seat upholstery and more. As a result, I now have a far better idea about how to handle trail breakdowns and nearly all of the periodic maintenance I now do myself on my Suzuki, Beta and Honda. Oh, and I also know what I don't want to do myself anymore and am happy to pay a competent person to do for me while I speak in specifics to ensure it gets done right. My work schedule has been brutal and doesn't appear to be improving soon, but I'm certain I (in Westerville) and others would be happy to help if you want to swing it over sometime. Like Scuba said, the XR is a delightfully easy to work on (I have its little brother). You're welcome to join us at our next PM party - that's a great way to get through the basics with advice from others and I have pretty much every tool you'd expect to need on the XR.

The G43 has the nose of a german shepherd. Accurate that way too. Feels great in the hand and has a very Glock trigger, which I appreciate being a G26 owner. I'm still a big fan of the .380 and carry the LCP II around a lot, particularly in the summer. Much has been said about the relative power difference of a 9mm but if you can deliver first shots on target with a good defensive load, a .380 you carry is better than a 9/40/45/38/357/44 left at home or missed with. That's where these micro 9s try to sit - 9mm power with a nearly .380 footprint. They don't completely nail it, but they get close.

LOL shit, long damned week - my brain is scrambled!

I had a P290 subcompact in .45 for a year and it was a great-feeling pistol but way too big for my tastes outside of the home or range. I'm hardly svelte (damned belly) but I don't like to carry even more weight around than I need to.

Ah, right you are. I was thinking about the 938.

Sent to all 5 of my reps.

For me it's not just size but also weight. I found that a Kahr CM9 (economy version of the PM9) was about as ideal as I could find for a pocketable 9mm that was light yet still controllable, accurate, well-made and reliable (after break-in period anyway). With a Desantis Nemesis or PJ Holster sleeve, it just about disappears for all-day carry. I keep wanting to love the sig P290 but can't get over its weight or SA action.

Jebus Scuba, you gots the sickness! Looking forward to meeting up in Wayne, Perry or somewhere else this season, and welcome Marine!

Perfect! My mouth is watering for some hot Canton meat already. Wait, that didn't come out right at all...

Good deal! Yep, the rest is getting to know your smoker, meat, heat settings, time and permutations of all those things together. Glad you're enjoying it already!

+1 on these; I've been using a similar combo for years and they're eminently handy. Great prices too - you shouldn't have trouble selling 'em fast.

I bought my V-Strom a new stator, a valve check (both were recall items) as well as a regreased steering head, shock and swingarm linkage set at IP this week. In some countries I'd be arrested for doing that to my Valentine...

What's the point of hanging out with asians if you can't absorb some of their math-foo? That's like chilling with a tea-totaling Irishman.

Works for me. Added to calendar.

Me too. They're supposedly more stable but man, they're a PIA when you don't own the exact shim you need. I'd rather spend 20 extra minutes getting the nuts adjusted just right than calculating and hunting down shims for a day (or more if you can't buy them locally). That said, I had an oh-shit moment last fall when the previous owner didn't torque the nuts down enough. One intake ran completely off and another intake ran half way up the post. Thankfully the one nut dropped inertly into the valve cover, and XR engines tough as tanks.

The asking price is in line as long as there aren't any surprises to disqualify it from being street legal. I always pause a little when I see an overbore because that means someone went out of their way to add power, and not just with the cheap mods (lifting the needle, richening the idle circuit, etc.). If they did it right and used quality components, I wouldn't worry, but there are a lot of carb butchers and shit kits out there that could spell heartache later. Don't commit to buying until you hear it start cold, warm up and ride at all RPMs and you go through all the gears on a test ride. A bike this age will have been through plenty. I have a 1991 250cc model overbored to 280cc and like the XR650L, it' solid, has plenty of power for its intended use and is cheap to buy parts for as long as there aren't any frame or bottom end problems. Service intervals are long, so they're easy to maintain and the 650 is plenty strong for both single track and highway. Neither are comfortable for long road rides and they have reputations for being cold blooded - my XR250L can hardly be kickstarted under 45-50 degrees.

I find this to be some degree true - the smoke concentration isn't as high when you're cooking at low temps for very long durations. To pull that off, you're either into a pellet or chip smoker where the wood itself is the heat source, but note that temp control with those is a bitch unless you have a controller and auto-feed system. That's why the Traegers are so much more expensive - the controller and screw feeder. Now, I've enjoyed pork and brisket several times from my friend's Traeger and it's excellent, but to be honest my electric model gets almost the same level of smokiness and neither of them have the same smoke rings you'll find coming out of a giant pit operation. I'd argue that for Chicken, Salmon and smaller cuts of beef and pork, the difference is small-to-none, plus the electric models heat up faster and only need a tray of additional wood every 90-120 minutes under most temps.

I'm loving my Masterbuilt Sportsman 30" electric smoker. I got mine without the window and bought a separate temp probe / remote monitor since I placed the smoker in my garage. It's 1/3 the cost of a Traeger pellet smoker and does a great job. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Masterbuilt-30-in-Digital-Electric-Smoker-20070910/100660191?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-BASE-PLA-D28I-Grills|&gclid=CNvnidOL8tECFYy2wAodTJQBvg&gclsrc=aw.ds Shop around - these can be found at Field and Stream on sale from time to time. I recently saw it for $139 in a local flyer a few weeks ago. I think I paid $170 minus some points I had saved up. It's incredibly easy to use, acts like an oven with a smoke tray and external chip feeder access.