Hailwood

Here's a quick one that starts/ends at the intersection of OH-44/US-30 in East Canton (you didn't specify a start location, and this one works pretty well for the Akron/Canton area) and is ~160 miles. It also hits Lisbon part way through for your chow stop. Google Maps Link Edit: I'm not sure why the embedded maps never show the last waypoint, but I've got this taking you back into East Canton at the end. The link above has the full route. These are all roads I've been on and are good fun and usually clean. I omitted the first part of OH-164 out of Leesville since the surface has gotten so bad, but OH-646 is much better IMO and is in great condition - definitely worth the trip. This route is also easily modified to add/remove miles pretty easily.

My wife and I rode by on the FZ1 literally minutes after this happened, right as the first responders were arriving. From the way it looked, I had a feeling that it hadn't ended well. The scary thing is that we probably passed that van on 241 as we were headed North. It was not a good way to end an otherwise nice weekend of riding. :rip:

I'm not surprised, given some of his recent comments. Also, he's been able to get through his career successfully and relatively free of serious injury (unlike his hero Doohan), so he's probably considering how much longer he can continue to race before he has the 'Big Crash'. I would think the series would need to make some serious changes for him to return. Probably get rid of the CRT's and some of the electronics, which I don't really see happening in the near future.

I loved my S3 - It was an absolute blast to ride, and was comfortable enough to go all day. It was also quite the looker with a few modifications: The only real issue I had was with the suspension. From what I read, the damping ports were extremely small which cause extreme harshness on everything but the smoothest roads. I believe the newer bikes (08+) are a bit better in this regard. As far as backroad prowess goes, I never felt like the bike was holding me back from going quicker.

Pauly speaks the truth (although I would ride an RC51 if someone gave it to me).

Don't do it! Ok, now that's out of the way... I've always felt like the suspension on my Fizzer was ok for even spirited riding, but I've heard that the Gen2's were a little funky in the handling department. From a suspension standpoint, Racetech has all the answers to your handling concerns. A fork/shock re-spring and a gold valve kit go a long way towards improving the handling. I had one in my old 900SS and the way it turned could only be described as 'magical'. I've heard similar things about the kits for the FZ1's. If you really wanted to liven things up you could look at some lighter wheels (Marchesini/Carrozerria) to replace to heavier stockers. More $$$, but it would definitely help that heavier feeling, especially in transistions.

Tony and Dave were cooking up a CORE route that would hit some roads in WV and I had planned to tag along. My guess is a ~9:00ish start and probably 300+ miles whatever the final plan winds up being. I'll pass along the info once they have everything finalized.

I'll definitely be out riding on Saturday, but most likely starting much earlier. I'd be up for something one evening after work this week though.

Northern Ohio Ducati/Triumph has a demo model sitting in their showroom. I sat on it the last time I was up there (freakin' sweet BTW), but I couldn't quite work up the nerve to ask for a ride. Maybe when I pick up the 916...

First time was on my first bike - a Yamaha Seca II. I was 17, and in a freshly sealed parking lot, and thought it would look really cool to accelerate to about 30~40 to show off for some girls. When I got on the brakes at the end of the lot the front end lost grip and the bike went into a massive tank-slapper. I was able to jump off the back of the bike and land on my feet, but the tank-slapper damn near broke my wrist, and I had severe pain and swelling for months afterwards. I was wearing a helmet and some bicycling gloves. The second time was on the Speed Triple on OH-60 just South of Millersburg towards the end of a really great group ride. I went into a tight right hand corner and cut the apex way too close. There was some black sand there and I went right down, probably doing 40~50. I was wearing full leathers and walked away without a scratch, just a little soreness in my knee, which hit the deck first. This was me losing focus and trying to push too hard when I knew I was fatigued. I personally think that the street is a great place to build skills in bike control and awareness, but is not the place to be 'pushing it'. If you don't *know* that you are travelling at a pace where you won't have issues should something unexpected occur, in my opinion, you're going too quickly - that's going to be very different for everyone based on individual skill levels and comfort zones. I think the track is the perfect place to push that envelope and start to expand your personal comfort zone from a bike control standpoint.

I wear bicycle shorts under my leathers on long rides. They work extremely well and weren't terribly expensive.

Really sorry to hear about this, man Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

Here's a quick craptastic phone shot of some updates to the latest Hail-bike: Once I get it cleaned up (and find some time) I'll actually pull out the camera and get some proper photos.

I'm extremely interested, but will be out of town with family stuff

Definitely makes sense with you having the VFR, but I still liked the Monster bike. Maybe you can have the world's first Monster VFR... Good luck with the sale!

Back home from the other ride. Not exactly sure of the mileage, but it was north of 250 and an absolute blast. Sorry we bailed on the QSL folks, but Isaac's Papa let us through WV, PA, and back to Ohio on some really great roads (including OH-646). Thanks for putting that route together and for leading, Pauly!

Looks like I'm going to bail on QSL (sorry ) to be the meat in a Pauly/Jinu sandwich. I'll see you guys in East Canton 12:15 ~ 12:30.

Damn, that is tempting... I may join up with you guys where US-30/OH-44 come together in East Canton. I'll confirm in the morning.

Let me know whatever you guys decide. I might be up for starting earlier and riding as well.

I'll be there.

That's the one I was referring to. Noon works for me!

Works for me too! There's even a QSL down there should we choose to meet there.

Riding in the Valley that's pretty much the only option, unless you have a strong desire to be either dead or arrested

We probably won't know until tomorrow, but as of now it's looking pretty good for Sunday (55+ and sunny) so I'm definitely still in. I'm not going to be able to make the dyno day so I'm looking forward to this.