redkow97

I was going to argue with you and point out how bold of a statement that was, but then I remembered my wife's Neon. The 3-speed automatic grenaded at 68,000 miles, and I wasn't a fan of te wide ratios even when it was working correctly.

If I ever own a liter bike, I am taking it to Road America...

that looks entirely too fast for those wheels! 150R would be mildly less terrifying.

Which motor? 2.7 or 3.5? (I think)

is the KX60 liquid cooled? that puts it in F2... You'll be up against bikes with similar power, but in a race chassis. Honestly I think the biggest weakness would be the lack of a disk brake.

I like how they have the top gear test track comparing these tracks to some place "big" like Mid-Ohio really puts into perspective how small tracks are in America compared to the rest of the world. Even Laguna Seca looks tiny compared to some of the European tracks.

the Safety First guys have some nice stuff... If it was indeed their bike, I'd be confident it was put together right.

is it higher resolution somewhere else? I couldn't read the track names when zooming in.

I DO need more power. Remember, the last bike I rode in anger was a 600RR, and now I'm going to be on a Katana 750 with (at least) 25 fewer horses, and a considerable more weight.

I 100% don't want to start the debate on whether or not riding minis improves your ability on a full-sized bike, but I will say that the low cost of racing the XR means I get to do it at least twice as often as I was able to ride my 600. I feel like that has vastly improved my riding fitness and general comfort on any track. I haven't been on a big bike since buying the little one, but it's definitely a nice way to stay in shape between rounds for those who are racing big bikes, and have a good time doing it.

his is more motor, yours is more efficient. 200 fewer cubic centimeters and liquid cooling has that effect. I think gearing could actually affect that race quite a bit. The distance might dictate whether or not you wanted/needed to shift into 2nd gear at all on the CB1000. bogging a bit on the start, but avoiding the up-shift time could be the winning combo.

and on a track bike where you do spend all your time between 10k and 15k, I would 100% agree, but I am talking about a bike that I will be commuting on... an extra 1000 RPM at 70mph might get seriously annoying before I even think about the loss in economy.

on this we can completely agree. I love that style of bike in general. The katana should end up mildly similar in some aspects. Air cooling, circular headlight ...okay, that's where the similarities end, but it's something

I demand proof that the sport classic isn't perfect from the factory in every way. I can be at your door-step at 5:00 tomorrow to confirm this assertion via butt-dyno. You may hold my 2003 Corolla as collateral.

I started this topic because I will likely replace the chain and sprockets on "the big kat" before the end of the summer. I'll have to ride it with stock gearing before I can really formulate an educated opinion on what it "needs," but I like the idea of a little hooligan power. That said, I am hoping to do a lot of commuting, so fuel economy matters... My guess is that I will end up staying stock as a compromise, but power-wheelie shenanigans would also be fun

and yet people are voting for the stunna sprocket option ;-)

Like the poll says, I'm curious how many people actually mess with their gearing on street bikes. I did allow for you to select different answers for multiple bikes. Also, I know many people may be running stock gearing currently - if you plan to change that, please select what you will be changing to. I'm looking for input on what people prefer, not what they necessarily have at the moment.

seems pretty positive. The ground clearance comment should have been accompanied with some hard data on how the max lean angle compares to other bikes of similar purpose. I think it looks better in the on-the-road pictures than it does on the dealer floor. The "automotive" gauges comment was something I actually thought myself before reading the article, but who cares? I kind of like it.

I badly need a new modem and router. Ours are at least 7 years old, and the modem wasn't new when we started using it. I'm not really familiar with the technology any more, but I have to believe it's gotten better in the last 5+ years... I'm probably only getting 50% of the speed I pay for.

what is a reasonable price for a simple 1 color job? I have a gas tank, fender, grab rail, and possibly wheels that I'm looking into having painted... But for only 3-5 pieces, I don't want to break the bank. That said, I also don't really care what color it is, so someone else's left-over paint would be a strong option... The tank may need some pretty significant prep work though... I would consider replacing it. Need to explore what that might cost.

I have been very happy w/ our Roku. Our bluray player also has internet access, but Hulu in particular tends to buffer horribly when we stream with the BluRay player. We don't have that issue with the Roku box. (and we have confirmed that it IS the device causing the problem. back-to-back tests streaming the same show through the same service have performed better through the Roku) I might pick one of these up just to have an extra around.

The Vulcan 500 is a great bike. EX500 motor in a different chassis. It doesn't sound like a cruiser, but it's also quicker than most cruisers... Liquid cooling FTW. Welcome.

I dragged a toe there a few times. Definitely a fun part of the track. The whole thing is awesome though. And I may be remembering wrong, but I could swear the DQ was in the supermoto class. There was the red flag after someone crashed early, and then Scott Stump ran away with the race while the battle for second involved someone cutting the corner.

I would get more info and source parts before buying anything that old. 2-stroke is going to require periodic rebuilds, so it's a matter of when, rather than if you will need things. $200 sounds right though.

Insane.