smccrory

I have a 1966 CB77 (305cc) I might consider parting with. It's the same make and model that Robert Pirsig rode in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Elvis rode in Roustabout. PM me for more info.

Y'all are a bunch of twisted, foul-mouthed mudder fokkers, and it's refreshing. I'm in for round 2 with weather being at least a little reasonable. Maybe @Wojo72 can get a kitchen pass. Maybe Tonik can teach me about hate while I'm there - I've recently switched to an anti-inflamatory diet and it increased my anger levels...

Ditto, saw that stuff while there yesterday. The gloves are really good quality for the price - I was seeing $29-39 for well-stitched, thinsulated and armored gloves that I would have been all over if I wasn't already stocked up.

LOL I love a happy ending I cringe every time I need to deal with CL buyers and sellers. There ARE some amazing deals to be had, but it's a cracker jack box full of stupid getting to one.

I sure do hope Iron Pony isn't overextending themselves by front-loading sales without backing it up with solid service, and the ability to get an appointment without having to drop the bike off for an undetermined duration. Being fairly firm on sales price had better be backed up after the sale, or riders will cherry pick around the area. That's a LOT of expansion and new brands in just two short years.

I can also speak highly about the HT Overpants if you need them to be waterproof.

This. Also reminds me why pointing a laser at a driver or pilot is a major deal - teach your kids to never ever be even tempted.

Crap, I can't believe that we (at least I) completely forgot another key principle: avoid banking fees like the plague - they will eat you alive, they're always the customer's fault (with rare exception) and are nature's way of saying you don't have your shit together. What I mean is that overdraft fees, early termination penalties, late cancellation fees, brokerage fees and so on are universally avoidable. Never accept they are necessary as a monthly, weekly or God forbid daily routine. Keep your balances above contracted minimums, pay your bills on time, give electronic payments extra time to settle and keep your non-discretionary credit cards separate from one that carries a balance to reduce the total (average daily!) interest paid. Only use foreign ATMs in emergencies, and if you need to use one more than a few times a year, ask yourself why you didn't plan ahead, or switch banks so you have more native ATMs available. You would be astonished how much money banks make from fees - they are literally key revenue streams - but it doesn't hurt their feelings when you don't incur them because (at least reputable) banks would rather have you financially healthy and stable to lend bigger amounts to and/or hold your larger deposits they can then lend on to others. I've known friends content with $100-200/mo in fees and that's just insane. That same money could go right into a retirement fund making a compounded 8-12% interest rate or used to pay off a credit card or car loan, ya know?!

Chrome and Tonik nailed it. My parents taught me that philosophy. Even on one college professor's salary, they were able to finance a modest home and pay it down aggressively by being frugal elsewhere. My family didn't own a color TV until everyone else had one and my mom cooked most meals after carefully couponing each week. Once the kids were in school, she invested in a degree and went back to work as a teacher, thus supplementing my dad's income. Our vacations usually leveraged the conferences my dad was sent to, as it paid for most the gas and hotel stays. All in all an excellent childhood without breaking the bank by any means. Plus, I got time with my parents, which was worth far more than any material good we missed out on. Fast forward 15 years and I was super frugal through college and my early working years, which allowed me to pay off my school debt and car loan early. Once I didn't have to pay $500/mo in loan payments, the benefits started to multiply just like Tonik said. With that extra breathing room, I upgraded to a safer but still reasonably modest apartment, bought a better computer because I'm in I.T. and knew it would pay dividends in my career, and started to put a little retirement money back so I wouldn't be tempted to spend it. Every time I got a raise or bonus (in part because of the studying I was doing on the side), my rule was to put no less than 2/3rds of it against any debt and to save the rest as if it never existed. By doing so, that minimized "financial friction" in every subsequent month. I knew what would happen if I saw a growing checking balance each month, so I manipulated my own behavior by keeping extra money out of there and "hidden" in emergency savings and investment accounts. :-) Fast forward some more and those investments have grown, which not only validated my strategy but also has given me peace of mind that I'm OK if/when ever things break down or a major health issue comes up. It's an incredibly liberating experience. It's ultimately how I was able to pay for a huge spine surgery in November. That doesn't mean you have to live like a spartan or a monk(!), it just means soberly realizing that long-term stress relief and flexibility are far better than short-term gratifications. That's a really tough lesson for many people accustomed to living one financial orgasm to the next. I'm now fortunate to have no vehicle or credit card debt, I can handle emergency expenses and occasional charity causes (which selfishly makes me feel even better), I've got my daughter's core expenses covered, and I'm on track to have my house paid for in 5-7 years unless the rates stay really low, in which case I'll continue to make more in the market with the cash. You can do it, really, you can. Yea, it means you may not get to impress people you hate with things you don't need, but on the other hand, there is a quiet calm and gratitude that comes from having a stable base to grow from. Like the frigging Atkins diet, the first phase sucks because you go through a bit of withdraw, but when you start to see results month after month...

I know, right?! Which even further undermines your point - that even in a company like Nestle there is rarely if ever sexual contact between managers and employees. Self-limiting prejudices are a bitch.

Ah, literally, I see... In 30 years of office work, I can count two cases of plausible superior-inferior sexual relations. That's across seven companies and tens of thousands of coworkers. Wait a minute, one of those cases was in Nestle's machinery plant, by... blue collar workers. Literally my ass.

This is exactly the mentality that keeps many blue collar workers, especially those who depend on union contracts to protect their mediocre performance, from being valued more by their employer. It's no different than "the typical millennial" who maligns management when they're not put in charge of the midwest sales district two days out of high school. It's jealousy and self-entitlement. Let's pretend I worked for you, and I saw another coworker busting his ass to help you make your quota and improve your profitability while I grumbled to myself about how much of an ass-kisser he's being. Would you call his productivity "sucking the dick of the person above them to make an extra buck," or just increasing their perceived value to create more opportunity for themselves?

I know what you mean, and I've seen first hand how energetic, creative, productive and reliable factory workers suffer from derision, sabotage and exile heaped on by other (usually union) members threatened by a newbie's higher standards. Nonetheless, it doesn't ultimately matter what the differences are; the "physics" of supply and demand economics apply equally. If a person provides a high level of perceived value where it is both scarce and in high demand, then a higher price for one's products and services wins the day. If there is low demand, high supply or a perception of mediocre-at-best quality, then a lower price wins the day. So, unless one advocates mass murder of fellow candidates, the best, most reliable way to make a higher hourly wage is to increase the market's perception of your value, and let the whiners demonstrate how scarce it can be.

Hey Travis, glad you're letting us help you out bro. I wanted to relate a story from this weekend that may not make a lot of sense right now, but with a baby coming, it might someday. Yesterday I spent most of the day with my own daughter, picking up a pallet and turning it into a garden planter. We worked on how to use a socket set, electric drill and think on your feet when throwing a woodworking project together. We ran errands together, had dinner at a restaurant and did some light shopping. That might seem like no big deal for some people, but for me, it's priceless, as I may have mentioned that just under 4 months ago I was in Germany on an operating table for 5 hours and kept anesthetized for 18 hours to replace four badly damaged cervical vertebra. Before then, it would have been a rare day for me to be able to spend so much of it vertical, let alone actively passing on skills and creating memories with my daughter. It's exactly why I put myself through that reparative surgery and why I've been going through the pain of slowly, slowly, slowly working my way back to general fitness. It's not coming back as quickly as I'd like, but it is coming together, and I hope you see that happing little by little as you work your way back as well. Hope to see you at a future get-together, but like snot says, hearing that you're investing in your recovery is plenty good enough for me!

SOLD SOLD SOLD!

Bump. Warm weather is coming. Perfect safety accessory for sumo, adventure, dual sport or track rider.

Maybe I could use a belt sander. Pinky toes are overrated. Still for sale!

Ditto, done!

...From Johnstown. I work a half mile from Easton and live 6 miles away. I visit Easton at least weekly for lunch, dinner, drinks and/or shopping at all hours of the day. It has not "gone to shit" - it's as upscale casual as Polaris with a large variety of stores and reasonable parking.

I sure wish mine were more Italian, then I wouldn't be selling these guys. The sad thing is that there's no way I'll be able to get a similar deal on comparable boots that fit me, so it's like I've finally got an Italian supermodel in my bedroom but I can't do anything with her.

Bump. Amazing boots for a killer price if they'll fit ya.

A friend got a hell of a deal on a pair of brand new Sidi Crossfire SRS boots on eBay (black, size 9.5/43), but found them way too tight for his feet. I bought 'em up and thought they would work out for me, but wearing them around the house with thin socks still left me with pain that I don't want to take on the road. So, they're up for someone else at an smoking price if you're looking for one of the most protective riding boots available for half the cost you'd pay online. Yes, they are authentic, yes they are new (except for a couple hours indoors) and yes, the price is firm = $275. Yes, I said $275. First person to meet me in northern Columbus gets 'em (you can certainly try them on!). These are the original Crossfires, not the v2s that Revzilla wants $575 for or what you'd pay $400+ in Denmark plus shipping, but very little changed from V1 to V2. They are the upscale replaceable sole variety, factory-installed with grippy supermoto soles. Damned near everything is replaceable on these boots, and I've heard them called "heirloom boots" because they are so freaking durable. They are without question the best boots I've ever put on my feet and I'm truly pissed they won't fit, but pain is pain. That brings me to sizing. I wear a 9.5 shoe and boot and have slightly wide feet - that's what my problem is - these Sidis are sized for a normally narrow 9.5 foot or maybe a slightly wide size 9. The protective metatarsal cover is designed not to give, so no amount of breaking them in will make them mould around wide knuckles like leather uppers would. Otherwise, these boots are again, top-shelf and designed to protect your feet, ankles and shins from lay-downs and motocross debris. They prevent side to side ankle movement that otherwise can destroy the joints. They're not like your typical cruiser boot - they're very much more like ski boots. They appear to be waterproof from the shin down, so wear waterproof overpants if you want your feet to stay dry in a downpour. PM me if you're seriously interested and we can find a time to meet up and have you try them on. The only trades I'd be into is a similar pair of new or lightly used that fit my feet, or maybe something noisy. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7glu9hv9eecu6qp/IMG_1791.jpeg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/k0ygnngvvvf1e87/IMG_1792.jpeg?dl=0

Oh hell yea Travis! Dude, as you damned well know, that is the most incredible and important thing you will do in your life, hands down. Your son or daughter will challenge in you in ways you can't possibly anticipate now, but without you there, rising to the challenges, they will not have their true dad in their lives. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my own "surprise" daughter, now 19, has saved my life and focussed me on what's important more times than I can count over the years. A huge and sincere congratulations to you and your fiancee, Travis!

@Beetlejuice @Beetlejuice @Beetlejuice

It's not a matter of agreement. Your position is supported by both a layman's read and a pro's analysis of Articles II and III.