Bakemono

My buddy was a moron, I'll give you that. Needless to say, he became one of those, "friends" whose number you somehow manage to lose after a while.

Personally, Id go with a Honda TRX400X if it were me. Its basically a 400EX with different plastic, which means you could ride it every day as hard as you want and it would still run forever. I used to have a buddy who had a 400EX with an MX suspension and he thought it was cool to hit rev limiter all the time and he still never managed to blow it up. After that, he had a KFX400 that he tried to do the same with and the motor was blown up within 6 months.

Grom racing for a Grom?

I used to have an '06 YFZ 450 SE. It was a fun machine that would absolutely fly on the trails, although it was most at home on a track. Really, for me not having reverse wasnt a big deal because it was so light. As for which 450 is the best, really theyre all great but Id have to say that the TRX450R and YFZ450 are just a bit better than the rest. You may also want to consider a, "trail" sport quad like the Raptor or TRX400X/TRX250. They still offer something that is just as much fun to ride on trails but isnt a full-on race quad. The 450s are great but the engine maintenance costs on them can be kind of expensive, whereas with a trail sport quad, most of them have lower performance engines that will just about run forever as long as you change the oil on a regular basis.

I actually used to have a pair of Alpinestars Tech 3 boots back when I raced MX and they fit pretty well. I might have to look into picking up another pair. I just didnt know if theyd be OK for street use.

Thunderdome.

Any riding boots that come in wide (d width)? Ive got some issues with my feet that require me to wear a wide boot, which eliminates pretty much any riding boot that isnt designed for a Harley rider.

TEPCO has made such a mess of this whole situation. I hope the Japanese government nails them to the wall but I have a feeling its going to get swept under the rug. I could see the government trying to save face by not letting the rest of the world know just how bad the situation was and just how botched the cleanup effort has been.

CBR600RR. I might consider a CBR500R or even a CB500F but I kind of feel like If Im not going to get my dream bike, why not just keep the 250?

Wowza. Id be a dead man if I told the Mrs I wanted to buy a $2000 helmet. It makes an Arai seem like a great deal! LOL

Arent they something like $1200 though? Its a cool helmet but for that price, no thanks. Before I do that, Id go out and buy an Arai for $900 or a Shoei for $600. I personally dont need all those gadgets in a helmet.

Glad they like it. I know that one of the first things Im going to do when I buy a house is to have a HSB generator installed. Ive only lived in Ohio for 2 years and considering how many extended outages we've already had, lets just say that I dont have much faith in AEP and will be having a backup plan for when they let us down again.

Im a big fan of natural gas and LP generators that tap right into the utility because theres no need to ever refuel them. I worked for Generac for about 10 years and their HSB generators are great. If you own your house and plan on staying there for the foreseeable future, that really is the best setup because the generator just sits there and comes on when you need it. Theres no need to make sure you have fuel on hand, go outside and start it up or run extension cords. The unit does it all on its own.

You want something at least 450cc for plowing. Anything smaller than that is going to be forced to work too hard and if you get heavy, wet snow, its not going to have enough power to push it. Really any brand of ATV is really good, although Im partial to Honda because of their investment theyve made in Ohio and all the Ohioans whom they employ.

Im nowhere near ready for the ARC. I havent even taken the BRC yet.

Ive read some of the ARC and it sounds great. If I ever get to the point where I feel like Im an, "experienced" rider and am an expert on a bike, Id certainly take the ARC. I feel like you can always learn something new and with all the idiot drivers we have here in Ohio, you can never be so good on a bike that your skills are complete.

I love the CBR650F. If I had $9K burning a hole in my pocket, there would be a 650F in my garage very soon.

Is it common for it to be difficult to find an ARC to enroll in?

Id have probably gone to the after party but Im anti-social. Well, that and I didnt even join this site until Sunday, so its not like anyone would have known who I was anyways. LOL

Its so great to hear that the BRC books up so fast it is kind of disappointing to hear that they didnt have enough riders for the ARC though. With all the idiot drivers there are in Ohio, I cant imagine my skills on a bike ever being so great that I dont feel theres anything more than I can learn.

Went there Saturday, my first trip. It was OK. It was cool to see all the new bikes and be able to actually sit on them. I wish there had been more of a, "marketplace" where you could buy shirts and hats and whatnot. I can think of worse ways that I could spend a rainy, cold, gloomy Saturday in January though...