Moto-Brian

Guys- Enough with share the road bullshit. Bikes do not have the same right on a road that has a speed limit of 55mph. You don't have the right to cruise around in the middle of the lane on a road like that. Look at it this way - you drive 55mph and a bike is going 20 mph. The closing speed, the fact that you are a VERY narrow image on the horizon or in front and the fact that there could be oncoming traffic. You wanna be a big dick on campus and ride in the middle because you "have the right"? You are very silly and very selfish. Roads that are 35 mph, maybe even 45 mph are fine I suspect, but still and again - you cannot ride in the middle and expect that you are being safe. Not to mention the guy traveling 60 mph and talking on the phone. That is the environement we live in and it is here to stay. You wanna risk wrestling with a huge steel cased machine with your weight weiny road bike? Good luck with that... Just ride the white line, don't look over your shoulder every three seconds (You tend to drift where you look) and ride normal. You'll be fine. Now, can we get over this BS about right and wrong and who has equal share and everything? Pretty soon, you'll be all gooned up over people that ride a trail wet... Just like the tree huggin trail guys bitch about. What's the saying you all have heard? "Just ride!"

It'll work for a short period. Then, it's gonna roll, it's gonna get glue shit all over your suit, etc. Just buy the real deal, man. It's cool you wanna DIY, but in this case, it ain't gonna stand up and work as well which is key. If it doesn't work, might as well put a White Snake decal on it as it will be as effective.

This is the part of cycling that I hate. It seems that cyclists are VERY thin skinned, have an almost elitist attitude and are somewhat like nazis about trail use and such. Look, you are bikers. The trails are NOT just for you to use. Some of us like to wear ear buds and listen to music when we ride. It's no different than motorcyclist riding on the streets with cars and people not paying attention. Ride defensively. Be prepared for folks walking dogs, trail walkers/hikers, cars on the road, etc. Why is it that tough for people to ride at the far right of a lane. Who the fuck measures exactly 3 feet to pass? WHat if your dumb ass is riding a road with tons of rolling hills and the car crests with oncoming traffic? Been there and done that - guess what? I'm not whipping my car to make sure I got 3 feet. I'm also not going to slam the brakes to avoid anything also. Get on a road that is less traveled, but understand that a car isn't going 15 mph like you are thinking you're qualifying for the Tour de France... Same with the trails, guys. It's why I freakin hate the COMBO site overall. Too many of these guys act like they played Dungeon and Dragons when they were in High School in the basement of their parents' house. Understand that there are others that enjoy the trails. Silly. All this blown up over a guy that wants to get into the sport and sees a bunch of Sallies bitching back and forth. I'd buy something else as to avoid whinny riders...

Nah. not even sure I am even going this year. I got so much shit to get done and been on the road for several weeks... I will be over there talking to th boys and getting as much info as I can!

You'll not even touch it with $50k, guys. Come on, now... It isn't a cheap entry otherwise, you'd have local people paying for a name. It has been Honda since they were originally the official brand sponsoring the track. Now, they do only the car stuff... I think they would like to see Honda doing everything again and there migt be a push towards that which makes sense. But as with anything right now, it is tough to get the marketing budget to get that kind of cash to support a track like Mid-O or anyone. All I know is that I am trying to promote KTM to do the official sponsorship and it has been tough with our budget being so tight with numerous other things going on this year. But, I am trying... The mid-O guys are awesome and I want to be a part of that culture and that track. The people are great and the facility is definately a destination track whether for car races, bike races or track days. People want to ride/drive that track as it is a VERY popular place...

Here's a few quickly searching... Paragon by Gary Fisher is a rock solid hard tail 29er. I had an '11 model I rebuilt from the ground up and it never gave me fits in terms of the frame. God components and good condition at under $1k. You could offer $800 and probably get this: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/3126180652.html Great starter Specialized also... http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/3126288421.html I'll look for more, but anything that was under $500 was shit.

Here's my take from what's been stated so far. I am an avid mountain bike rider. I currently have a Niner RIP 9 and love it and will not be dong any road bike riding anytime soon. Anyone that thinks one or the other (road vs. MTB) is better is being silly or only rides one or the other. I do not like road riding as it is very boring to me. Trails like Alumn or Mohican are awesome and offer challenges I don't get on the road pedaling in the country for miles on end. Is it better? I don't think so. You don't ride the same for each. Road bikes are designed to be ridden long distances and MTB bikes are either or. But, in the end, each will push you and make you more fit than not. That all being said, it sounds to me that you are not really serious. Which is fine. Dipping the toes in the water, if you will... Reason I say this is that while you don't need to spend $6k like some of us have or do, spending $200 even on a used MTB is not really going to get you a solid performing machine that will last for a good time and be able to handle what you throw at it. Paved trails like the ones that run around the state? Sure. Take a $200 MTB to Mohican and you will kill yourself or it will get destroyed by mile 11. If you want to dabble in the sport of MTB, that's totally cool. But, like motorcycles, you get what you pay for and you need to be looking at $600-$1k priced bikes new or take those machines and look for a year old one and you'll probably save enough where you can get a $600 machine for $300. But, again... $600 isn't getting you much these days. It's all relative and it is all what you want out of it. Riding the way it sounds you will? Buy a hardtail. You probably could do without a suspended front fork, but I would recommend you buying a front forked bike. Full suspension takes the cost way up and also dumbs down the components. Components are TOTALLY KEY!! Spend the money on good components as they will last longer, work better and provide a better result. Buy cheap and you'll either hate MTB riding or buy cheap and you'll be upgrading within the year. Either way, you are wasting money in my mind and need to look at @ $1k machines to get anything out of it... Again, used is great. Used is an issue a lot of times. Many people buy a $1k bike and never use it which is great. Others use it and never maintain it. That's bad. Again, wearing out lower end components means they will not last with you and you need to replace sooner rather than later. Look for good stuff and do the research. I will look at a few in your area tonight and give my opinion. I like Specialized, Trek, Fisher and Giant for entry level bikes. They are solid companies that mix components, but they also provide great customer service and have accessible locations to help you if you need something...

Yeah, Wrobel got that thing for $30k and is a 2005, I believe. Low miles and is awesome. Has more room than a 24' total Toy Hauler would have also. He pays $300 and change a month for 15 years as RVs have the ability to get that long a term. He sold his Tundra and is going to pay double each month to pay off early once it is sold. He pays $680 a month on the Tundra... Again, it is all what you want to do. He can haul the bikes in the back and never have to unload when he arrives late or while on the road and wants to sleep. Like my example where we just slept in the truck because it was so late at night and we had to unload the bikes to get the beds down... Works fine once in a while or when it is perfect, but in truth, doing that every time was a bust in the nuts. And, I didn't even own it!

Again, I can find a guy pulling a 12' trailer with three bikes with a Cadillac and he says it is fine for what he does with it. As Dyno Brian said in his post... You can pull with anything, but it is where the power is and how much RPM the motor is turning to do the same job. The guy with a 37' trailer and the F150 is killing that truck. It's working fine, but again, I slap that trailer to a Diesel and his F150 is sitting in the dust and refilling at the pump stations more than ever before. All the while pulling what he's got, but internally, the RPMs and everything he is straining along the way will have him having issues sooner than I will with the Diesel. My rule is over 24', use a diesel. Usually, over 24' and with the width and hole that trailer punches through the air, a gas motor will have a tougher time from there up in size. And, anyone that says they have a trailer that is "X" lbs w/o anything in it is reading the frame tag and has no real idea of what they are hauling in terms of weight. You get full water, cramming more bikes and such into the back of a trailer than you are probably supposed to and you'll be at a weight that probably would shock most. Almost 10k on that Tundra? I wouldn't... It'll do it, like I said. But, do that with a diesel and see how easy it is and how effortlessly it does it.

60-65 is fine, but I can promise you that if I was pulling with my F350 diesel and the same setup as you have now, you'd never see me. I could maintain the speed limit with ease and run where I normally run at 70-75 again with ease. Again, you can pull anything WITH anything. It's just how efficient it is while doing it. Yes, the load levelers and such are to be expected when running close to max capacity. You can freakin pull 10k pounds with an F150. Wouldn't advise it, but can be done and if a weekend warrior where you pull as you mentioned, 5% of the miles a year, you probably have no issues. We ran over 15k miles a year while racing for at least 4-5 years straight. Pulled several sized trailers. We never pulled a 37 footer, but we had some larger trailers at max capacity. If we had tried that with an F150 of today's standards, I would have been over it by the time we got back from Texas. It isn't about bigger trucks and it certainly isn't about one ton vs half ton. What it is about is the weight of a trailer being pulled from the back of the truck. That weight and strain it causes on a truck over time will show itself sooner on a smaller capacity truck vs a larger capacity one. Again, do what ever seems to fit your needs. If you pull to a local camp grounds or once a year through the mountains and running below the speed limit and in one gear lower to pull the hills, cool. I personally won't be doing it as I would have a larger capacity truck with a better motor running a comfortable pace up and down the mountains... I have a V10 right now with a 17' trailer where we have it fairly medium to heavy at times depending what bikes we are hauling and where, etc. The V10 pulls fine. Can run 70-75 with no issues. However, same trailer with the Powerstroke and it is night and day. Again, the V10 doesn't have any issues, but unless you've pulled with a proper vehicle for such tasks, you cannot really ever compare as they are so different and the stress you have while pulling with an inferior truck is also something to consider. I miss my diesel and anything I get in the future will be diesel. And I've pulled with a Tundra, F150, F250, Chevy 1500, 2500 and F350s and Chevy 3500s. Motors like 302s, 351s, V10s, Powerstrokes, Duramax, etc.,etc... There's no doubt that they all can do the same job and even be put into action with a trailer heavier than they are rated for. But, there are a few that do better than others and when the maintenance comes into play, you will see what I mean even on that part of it. Not to mention the space and area. You need to consider that also in these fun movers, toy hauler types rigs. It all looks awesome on paper until you have to use it... As they say with building a barn or shop building. Always go bigger than you think you'll need as too often, you end up wishing you had more...

Say what you want about the full size Japanese trucks, but at 22-24 Toy Hauler loaded and the thing is going to be right on the edge of the limits it can handle with ease. I've seen guys pulling 6x12s with Cadillacs before. Doesn't mean it is doing it well as say, a truck would. All I know is that in the years we've been racing across the country, we've seen a lot, towed a lot, heard a lot and experienced a lot. Toy Haulers are smaller than people intended them to be, they are HEAVY when loaded and really are not that friendly to under powered trucks. Do whatever you want. All I know is if I am looking at a smaller Toy Hauler, you might as well just get a camper for the bed of your truck and stick with a cargo trailer. You get to a site late at night and wanna sleep and it is raining and you gotta unload to get to the fold down beds... You'll love it right up until that point. I know I was real excited when a buddy and I had to do that at 3am in a thunder storm. We slept in the truck... Really great investment...

Honestly, buddy just bought a Toy Hauler that is a full RV chassis and avoided the trailer idea. The Toy Haulers are fairly heavy and really wouldn't suggest the Nissan for such a setup unless it is a smaller one. But, smaller means a lot less in terms of living quarters or a shared garage that needs the bikes out to fold beds down, etc. My opinion is that with the truck you have and the idea of what I would want in terms of size, you really need a new truck or consider a good used RV Toy Hauler. I think he got his for $30k. Van front with a V10 and I think a F450 chassis.

That thing is SICK!! Looks super clean also... Nice find, man.

Nah, I'm good. They sorta take care of me...

Marty- Count me in. Hoping you had some pics from my drive out of the carousel. That was the only place I was feeling decent in...

Awesome in person, but you should see the prototype that was gloss! I am considering this lid but having someone shoot it gloss as it was even better. But, matte is the in thing right now... In any case, amazing in person!

I find it stranger how there is a new Droid "whatever" model seemingly every 6 months. It's like a computer. As soon as you get one, it is outdated or cheaper by over half within a year. The iPhone changes annually and through that year, you get updates and such, but it is the same phone the entire time it is around. No iPhone Maxx or whatever within 6 months. And usually, they do an "S" model every other year and really, isn't something you NEED to change to. I am still on my iPhone 4 and didn't switch to the 4s due to the differences didn't warrant it for me. I will be getting the 5 when it comes this fall. Another thing is the 3G on ATT is faster than the 3G on Verizon. Not by much, but it is. One of the co-workers I know has a Verizon 4s and it is slower on download speeds. The 4G network is the shit and MUCH faster, but at the end of the day, the iPhone is more stable, is more fluid and almost seems to read your mind as you type or work with it. I would certainly like to see changes and it does have it's little issues here and there, but it is solid and has been a similar feel and the way it works has been similar since I started with Apple on the original iPhone...

Stick to your guns. The shop should have insurance that covers this. I suspect that they do not. That simply means BIG lawsuit or settle. The fact is that you need to file a report, get an attorney and once they contact Mike, I suspect that he will "find" your ATV or all of a sudden decide to handle it. Whatever the case, your insurance has nothing to do with taking it to a shop for service and it is stolen. They have a responsibility to safely store your ATV. I would think, however, that he doesn't and if you do not want the hassle of dealing with a court case, your insurance will probably handle it. I would go to 6 On Your Side and have them do a story as it has happened before. There is a trend and would make good TV news that I think they would want to do. MJ would SHIT if that happened.

Marty- Wanna see some pics coming out of the carousel towards the front straight. I think you were shooting pics from there. It's the only place I felt solid on the whole freakin track. I was a squid everywhere else. Gotts get more laps there. My objective was to get out in one piece and build confidence. Got that checked off. But, mostly upset that I ran so much faster last year and only the first time. Just wasn't feeling it yesterday. That being said, everyone at MS as usual did an amazing job. The only issue I have is the start when combining with the novices. We are sitting WAY too long and the motors are getting seriously over cooked. I know the one time they had us roll for another lap and I know they wanna get everyone a fighting chance to race, but if a kid is pulled to the side, just have him start in the back. Outside that, it was an awesome event again. Really like this group of guys.

Will be on Sunday. Lifted van and of course, the only RC8...

Nope! Rules say it would fit into the class. I wouldn't be too sure unless a newer model that they CBR will be better than the tricked out Ninja...

The vida are sweetness! But to answer the OP's question - hell yes! We run em until the wear bars and tread are gone! They last that good. The wear you have is covered in Dave's vids and worth listening to in order to see if you can find a solution. But, that tire looks good.

I didn't run extenders on the 05. You're good with flush. I can try and find the rear ride height numbers also, but the 04/05s were the start of the issue and the 06/07s were the ones that needed the extenders 100%. Both 600 and 750. Everything after 06 were the same - needed extenders. You should be fine.

The bike suffers from needing more trail and the extenders allow for that. You really cannot get away with lowering the forks INTO the triples below the top surface of the top triple clamp. You can even run the stock tubes flush and it isn't enough... Clip-ons get you into a more attack position and allows for better leverage on the bars. Rearsets and clip-ons get you into a more race position. Stock might be good for you, though. But, you crash OEM clip-ons and you pay $100 per side. You crash a clip-on and you pay $15. A bit of a difference and easy fix...

Fork extenders are part of suspension. Any serious suspension guy (35 Motorsports - REUBEN FRANKENFIELD!!!) will not allow you to roll w/o em...