redkow97

Ken Block should film gymkhana 9 there. I recognize the major landmarks, but so much of my navigation there was based on the proximity of the rides. All the metal appears to have been scrapped. Without the "Texas Twister," I'm a little lost.

Won't know until I see it. Gotta talk to the guy Monday.

Welcome. For the sake of funds, I would hit up Nelson Ledges with MotoSeries as your first day. Mid-Ohio is closer (to you anyway), and much nicer, but also considerably more expensive. Plus a first-time rider can't fully appreciate a world-class facility like Mid-O. Save that for later. Mid-Ohio isn't going anywhere.

...pods do look cool though. I'm fine with an airbox. As someone else said, job 1 is getting the bike running well, and recording all the appropriate settings so that you have a baseline to go back to if other modifications fail in spectacular fashion. Long term, I might experiment with fabricating my own airbox (of the same, or substantially identical volume) that has removable plugs to allow for less pressure and freer flowing intake in warmer temps, but can be plugged up for the winter months. I'm stealing that idea from a guy on ex-500.com. The EX benefited from a 1" (?) hole in its airbox. It increased peak horsepower by 4-5% (which isn't much on a 50hp bike, but it's something). But one guy had the brilliant idea to put a 1" tube coming off the airbox, which allowed him to stick a cork in the end for cold starts. I believe he leaves it in all winter.

Then again, someone would probably have a mechanical issue and crash trying to catch up at 95mph average speed

Maybe set a minimum lap time to keep people slower as well? Race tires are cooked after 300 miles anyway. Might actually be fun to calculate how long the ride should take averaging 60 mph, and award points for being closest to that time.

That is all very helpful. Thanks!

I work with law enforcement officers on a daily basis. I like 99% of them. That doesn't mean that I am not displeased when they do poor police work by infringing upon people's rights and getting evidence suppressed. I have said it a million times: Police officers have a hard job, and they are not expected to work without occasional mistakes. What I find irritating is when they say "I do this all the time" as if the frequency with which they violate people's civil rights makes it less egregious. We had an officer call our office yesterday after one of my coworkers refused to charge a suspect because the premise for the search and arrest was baseless. She explained to him why our case would have fallen apart, and his response was to say, "well I've done that before, and I'll do it again." Great. Thanks. Way to learn from your mistakes.

I think some basic planning could combat most issues. Pair/group riders with similar ranges and just say "you two succeed and fail together. If his bike stops, yours stops ...at least until he tells you to go on your way." If there are that many of us, we could coordinate a support vehicle with a trailer. I'm not volunteering just yet, but many of us have trailers that could easily carry 2 bikes. And I would think it would be appropriate for the riders to chip in for the support vehicle's gas money given that they're doing several hundred miles of driving with a lower payoff.

he also sent pics of the gas tank and the side plastics, but I didn't bother uploading them. the blanket next to the bike that initially looked like a big puddle of oil had me scared the first time I saw it!

yeah, I was a little put-off by "twister throttle," but my hope is that he was either trying to dumb it down for the general public (this is a popular beginner bike) or that he was differentiating between the actual throttle tube and grip, and the throttle body on the carb assembly without getting wordy and making the repair sound more complicated than it is... Wheel bearings are only $20, so I may as well replace those on a 20 year old motorcycle regardless of what the current owner thinks. The plan would be to replace pretty much anything rubber that I can easily source. Fuel lines, gaskets, seals and boots, etc.

...do track miles count for this? we could book Nelson Ledges and do a 10-hour endurance 'race.' Tire wear alone should keep people at a sane pace and cut down on accidents. I think the biggest hurry would be to get the 1,000 miles in during hours the track is allowed to be noisy...

Unless you're into solitude, keep me posted about this. I would be envisioning a 3-4 day trip, with two shots at the 1000 mile day. The thought would be to set out really early on a Thursday morning and get the 1000 in, then sleep 200-250 miles outside of Rushmore. Ride there the next morning and spend the day hanging out in the area before making my way back to the hotel, and riding another 1,000 home the next day; possibly making a stop for another night if the 1000 has already been achieved, and there is something worth seeing halfway between here and South Dakota...

Are you offering to sell me your 600RR for $600?

did you really pull those numbers out of your ass? I spent a fair amount of time cruising the internet last night looking into it, and everything says either 71 or 75hp, and I'm recalling 47 ft of torque. This is so NOT what I was looking for, but the more I read about it, the more it will do what I want exceedingly well. Commuting will be job 1, and I can throw saddlebags on this thing with a full briefcase in one side and my laptop bag in the other, and a gym back on the passenger seat. I'm going to reply to the guy's text today to see when he's available, but if I don't want it, I'll still report back for those who may still be interested.

looks pretty competent. BT45's come in the appropriate sizes for the rims. I'm familiar with them, and confident in their abilities at the track. They're not "sport" tires, but they booger up and can deal with an intermediate pace, as long as you don't forget what they are.

my $500 budget comes with an understanding that i'll be "hundred dollaring" the bike all winter. Youtube actually has some encouraging CB750 track videos. I wouldn't plan on racing it, but I'd like to be able to have a bit of fun a couple times a summer. this would mostly be to tackle my 37.5 mile commute in a manner that is more fuel efficient and less dull than being on auto-pilot in my Altima.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/4211242738.html '91 Honda nighthawk 750 Needs front wheel bearings, headlight, and some work done to the controls. Guy is asking $600 and sent me pictures earlier tonight (to my phone - haven't uploaded them anywhere, but it looks clean enough) worth considering as a commuter? I have been lurking CL for crashed sportbikes (anything from an EX250 to a katana to an F2 or 90's ZX6...), but this is in decent condition for the price, and although not as sporty as I am used to, probably fine for street use... thoughts?

I'm not even trying to get into the legal requirements for SYG. For me, it comes down to whether or not you believe a victim should be allowed to defend himself with equal force, or attempt to retreat first. Frankly, even WITH a duty to retreat, I would argue that there is no practical way to retreat from an assailant wielding a firearm. It is not possible, let alone practical for me to be expected to out-run a bullet.

So you're saying legalizing meth would mean significantly more people start using? I'm not convinced that would be the case. And even if it were, greater meth production would drive costs down, and require less burglaries and robberies, no? Plus it would make a bunch of meth cooks legitimate (theoretically tax-paying) business-owners.

...and now you've got me looking at routes. Mount Rushmore is 1,270 miles from my driveway. I bet you can average over 80mph for those last few hundred miles

This seems like the type of thing that looks easier on paper than it is in practice. Obviously it can be done, and it's a goal to shoot for, but I would plan in a "parachute" route as well. Say you're 5-6 hours in and either 1) not enjoying yourself, or 2) some adversity (mechanical, meteorological, psychological, etc.) puts finishing the trip in jeopardy. It would really be a good idea to have a 'planned deviation' route that you know would be more enjoyable, or that would allow you to cut the corner back home in several hundred fewer miles. Either that or make the destination the fun part, and give yourself 2 chances at making the trip in 24 hours (i.e. once on your way TO Texas, and once on your way HOME)

...until it has to turn

This bill is causing me Facebook ulcers... A mutual friend of mine posted a link to an article about this, and my (I thought very diplomatic) response was something to the effect of "all this means is that victims are no longer obligated to retreat before responding to an attacker with lethal force." Of course someone's ultra-liberal friend had to oppose my characterization that that is "all" the bill means... He's claiming that black people are going to be dead in the streets, and this law will make it impossible to convict shooters in gang violence scenarios, blah blah blah. My take is; even if I'm willing to assume that the statistics he's spewing are accurate, that is pointing out a racial bias in the judicial system, and not a flaw with this specific piece of legislation. I'm willing to acknowledge that the statistics show black males are 280 times more likely to be convicted of shooting white people (or whatever the stat is) - that doesn't mean that I don't think all victims (no matter what race they are) should be allowed to respond to an attack with equal force before retreating. Blaming the victims for being attacked is just stupid. I should have asked this guy if he thinks rape victims should have to attempt to retreat before they fight back too...