redkow97

I can appreciate that everyone is playing nice and complimenting the new ride, but let's not get carried away here... It's a great cruiser, but even a great cruiser drags hard parts at modest lean. "Capable" of moving two people long distances in comfort? Sure. But that has nothing to do with the right rider.

it's a dirt bike suspension and sport-touring tires... the patching can't have THAT much impact on things

I broke 2 (maybe 3?) spokes on my rear wheel last year. As long as they're not directly next to each other, you can get away with riding it with them broken. I did so for the last couple of rounds. It's not like you're taking the bike over logs or off jumps. That said, if you're going to have the wheel and tire off to swap tires anyway, it makes sense just to do the spokes then too. Bark615 and I have gotten pretty good at swapping XR tires quickly, but we roll into CRP a little later than some people, due to the long drive. Mounting the morning of the 26th can be our "plan B" if we can't figure out something prior to that. Anyone from Marysville area want to ride PIRC kart track this Saturday or Sunday? CRP has a cart event, and we will be riding in PA at noon on one day this weekend.

Thanks! they are actually moped tires, but they worked pretty darn well. Awesome considering the set was cheaper than one BT45... I ran just under 20psi in them, and they seemed to like that pressure.

Not easily. The last owner who had it titled in his or her name can request a new title. Otherwise you need to find a state that will allow anyone to apply for a lost title after a certain amount of time. I don't know which state(s) that is/are, but it can be done. You would need to buy the bike, "sell" it to a person who lives in a state where they'll issue titles without real proof of ownership (which is nuts...), then buy it back from them. (and that's where you can get screwed. They can just refuse to sell it back to you and keep the bike if they want). Then you have a valid out-of-state title, and can get an Ohio title by taking the bike to the BMV and getting a VIN inspection. to get it registered and plated, it would still have to pass inspection in one of the states where it was validly titled.

This. but with a dirt-bike, stripping it to the frame and cleaning everything up along the way certainly can't hurt anything. Labor-intensive is a relative concern. a single with minimal wiring is a lot less work than a 600 with a full harness.

the gauges are around $100, and I am led to believe that the install is simple enough that you could do it on your own. ...unless you just want to hang out with Pauly, or are too busy.

if the hoop is okay, new spokes are $2.50 each. The offset on the hub side is different for the inside and outside spokes, so make note of which one you need before buying the wrong ones! They are NOT interchangeable. I have a set of ML75 tires and tubes that I would let go for $40. the tires themselves were $70 for the set, plus the tubes. I raced on them last year, but you couldn't tell from looking at them. They are not the BEST tire available, but Gavin turned a :57 on my bike in the endurance race. I managed :59's, and maybe a couple of high :58's. The experts on the podium will turn consistent :56's. If you are budget-minded, the ML's are a good first-year option. I wouldn't want to ship them for $40, but if you're interested, we could see if they can hitch a ride south, or I would help you mount them if you brought a bike to the track with knobbies.

I like it. Like a hawk 650 with a different power-curve and less weight (I would guess).

I think that's probably accurate, but a bike that sits for long periods of time is probably more likely to have mechanical issues than one that is ridden...

I heard a lot about the 2nd gear issue back in 2008/2009, and then almost nothing about it thereafter. It was like all of them that were going to fail did so all at the same time. People complained, and it was over with. I know there were some awesome part-outs to be had from that issue. Spare 636 motors went up in price for a bit too. It was a labor-intensive fix (required splitting the cases), but not a fatal issue. If it were a trackday bike, I might not even have fixed it... You could still have a lot of fun with 3rd through 6th gears, and lived with the occasional bog out of a turn. That said, turn 13 at Nelson and dead bear at Putnam are the only two places I can think of that I always used 2nd gear. Maybe onto the front straight at Mid-Ohio, but I dont' recall.

prove it.

That's why you wear a helmet.

height/weight? I have an old 2-piece that I would lend you, but it's on the small side of 40... I am 6' and around 175. I haven't worn it since I was more like 185, but it was snug and a little short on me then. Gauntlet gloves and proper riding boots made the length a non-issue. I refer to it as my "rain suit," but I never really pack it, so it's just been in a closet.

If they're true chaps, I don't know of any orgs that will let you on track. Textile 2-piece suits are allowed in most novice groups though. Used suits can be had for pretty cheap, and like others have said, rentals are sometimes available. Any name-brand suit should be fine. The only really negative reviews I've ever seen have been the Frank Thomas brand, and eBay no-name suits.

Now that's pretty nice. Like a Japanese sport classic 1000 ????

Nice OSU sticker.

I'm in parma. Can help with basic maintenance. Actually wish you'd stopped by today. I've been in the garage for the last 2 hours messing with and cleaning up the katana. Could have used an extra set o hands while your oil drained.

Looks like a fun day. Can't wait untily daughter is old enough for that kind of outing.

And the practical purpose of this is____??? Many vehicles can travel over 116mph. Many can cut grass better than that machine. Maybe some impatient golf course owner cares.

How is it riding a full sized bike with drum brakes? I will say they are stupid easy to maintain...

it already has a Yosh pipe. Not sure it's a full system though. Gearing is cheaper than power upgrades. that's why I'm messing with gearing first. And maybe I will like the stock setup. 15/45 is my baseline. I would try 15/47 next, I think.

It's not even just that. Producers, directors, production company personnel... they all have to get behind a project to release it. I probably watch too much "Entourage," but a lot of movies get filmed that never see the light of day. Either the studio doesn't like how the end product turned out, and they send it back for re-editing, or they just can it for good. That shitty Kevin James movie "neighborhood watch" was pulled from theaters after a couple of DAYS. It just happened to be released right after George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin. I can't remember if they re-released it under a different name, or just waited for the media fiasco to die down, but that was probably filmed over a year before hoodies, iced tea, and skittles had anything in common. I'm sure there are a couple more Paul Walker movies that were never released. It wouldn't be absurd to market them now. His name probably has more star power post-mortem than it ever did while he was alive. And I don't say that to slight him. that's just show biz.

That may be a winter project some day, but I could just put a B12 engine in it if I wanted to bite off more than I can chew I will have to see how it does stock.

The 600 has title issues. Track only. The last bike I rode on the street was an EX500.