redkow97

My sister-in-law's boyfriend (okay, I'll just say "my friend, Brian") has a 150 gallon salt-water tank, and has bought and sold a BUNCH of others. I usually get roped into helping him move the huge tanks. The curse of owning a trailer... In theory, I would like a 50 gallon tank, but in reality, I don't know where I would put it, and I wouldn't want to keep up with all the cleaning...

I do laugh at the "uniforms." But that's regardless of bike brand. HD sleeveless t-shirt (or vest), with your HD bandana, and HD boots. Can't go ridin' without 'em! ...We get it. Their marketing worked on you. But I feel the same way about "Suzuki" jackets and full "Ducati" leathers.

anyone know the karting rates off the top fo their head? Just ballpark. I meant to look this past weekend, and totally forgot... it was a billion degrees.

I was expecting them to run more than that. Hmmm... The 17's won't be cheap, but they also aren't essential. Bt45's come in 16" and 19", so that would work... I bet a 150R could be geared for 80mph and run for 10 minutes or so at 65...

doesn't mean it's not still in his garage. I saw a FS thread yesterday that the seller had bumped up a year later...

Don't piss in the guy's cheerio's just because the majority of the frequent posters prefer sportbikes. PREFERING sportbikes does not equal hating cruisers. At least not for me. If you prefer redheads, I bet you a billion dollars I could still find some brunettes you'd be happy to bang. While an old Harley is not the ideal platform to go fast on, he's acknowledged and accepted that. The guy didn't ask "do you think I should drag race my Harley?" He asked if anyone would be willing to lend hands, tools, and ideas to help build the bike he already owns and likes. Think of it as making HIS bike faster, not making the fastest bike available. I may take the XR to the 1/8 drags to practice launches. Is everyone going to get on my case for that too? yeesh... If I were closer to Columbus ...well, I probably still wouldn't be much help. But I'd drink beers in the garage and tell him to keep up the good work!

I wouldn't be so opposed to a first-gen 250 if I could find one cheap enough, but the 16" wheels are off-putting... Plus part of the idea was to have something super light to wheelie around on. the ninja 250 really isn't that much lighter than a modern 600, and it certainly isn't nose-light. I think DRZ250 with a big bore kit, exhaust, and some gearing might be the ticket. That, or the same mods to an XR100, and just accept that highway use is completely out of the question. Like I said, I was getting 48+ mph (so a car speedometer would be indicating 53 or so) with a bone-stock XR100 with 14/46 gearing and small moped tires (BT45's are a larger diameter, and would theoretically bump up the max speed 1mph or so). But I do want to avoid building a $2,000 XR100... I'll have to do some research on how much the street parts would actually cost. If it's under $500 in modifications, i am confident I can find another $500 XR100 to mess with.

What kind of speed does everyone think a geared DRZ 250 could possibly hit? 60?

Or did I just convince myself to buy a ninja 250? ...or a ninja250 motor crammed into a dirt frame?

I re-geared the XR100 for PIRC this past weekend, and got a GPS-verified 48.3mph out of it. That means it would be able to maintain 40mph in a city environment if I were to go through the hassle of getting it registered as a street-legal vehicle, etc. all those hoops, the low top-speed, and general suck-i-tude of drum brakes make me think another route would be better though. My dilema is this: Bikes like the DRZ 250 would be PERFECT if it could legitimately hit 80mph in a pinch. I wouldn't do long highway rides, but the option would be nice... Bikes like the DRZ 400 are more expensive than I want to spend. If i'm going to blow $4k on bike, it may as well be a used 600 or really nice SV... Is there a middle-ground I'm missing? Basically I want ninja 250 performance, CRF250 weight, and 1982 Yamaha Maxim 650 price. Does such a bike exist?

the kart track is SICK. The karts run it the opposite direction than we did with OMRL this past weekend (maybe the rentals can't get up the hills?), but the layout is pretty sweet. As for the new bathrooms by the kart track, they were not open Sunday. I forgot to ride through the North Track paddock to take a look at the construction, but was told that they already have the trees cleared for teh South Track construction! Their facebook page also mentioned doing drainage analysis for the South Track, so it looks like it mmight actually happen.

If I said "better," i should not have. I thought I said (and definitely meant) "less frustrating." "Better" depends on your goals. If you want to improve as a rider, buy the lowest horsepower bike you can find. An RS125 teaches you a TON about corner-speed, because that's the only way you're going to have a prayer. That said, most novice groups don't allow you to pass in the turns anyway, so you have to either pass onthe brakes, or back off on the straight and catch the other rider by carrying your corner speed, and catching them as they EXIT the turn. If you just want to go out and have fun in a mixed group of bikes, I think ~100hp makes things less frustrating. Then again, you can achieve the same thing by taking a slow ride through pit-lane on an SV650.

I loved my F2 as well, but it's refreshing to see another F2 owner/admirer admit that theirs is worth more to them than it's worth to the buying public. some guy on Craigslist wants $3500 for his, and it has like 33k on the clock... I can't foresee ever spending more than $1800 or so on a mid-90's 600... Even if it's in pristine condition, it's still old technology, and (usually) old parts. I am a cheap bastard to be sure, but I think it's important to look at what OTHER bikes you can buy for the asking price of whatever you're selling. $2500 for the F2 isn't obsurd (especially not this time of year), but I have seen people with low-mileage EX500's and Buell Blasts asking $2500-$3500, "because it's only got 5,000 miles on it." I get that it's pretty much 'new,' but for the same money, I can buy a fuel-injected mid 2000's SV, or late 90's 600 that performs infinitely better for the same money. /rant I vote keep it and enjoy it, or at least hold out a few months on CL and see if you can find someone who loves it as much as you do.

I will go against the grain here and say that a 650 may not be ideal for a relatively new track rider. I love SV's, and racing them is definitely an awesome way to have fun and increase your skills, but at track days; where a lot of other riders are on 600's and 1000's, an SV can be frustrating for a new(er) rider. If you're cool with that, then definitely pick one up. I just think it is nice to have a bit more power. In a perfect world, everyone would be on 650's, and it wouldn't be an issue. That is why racing is more fun IMHO.

My wife thinks i'm paranoid, but indulges me because storing water and ammo is relaively unobtrusive and inexpensive. Even when we have "no food" in the house and badly need to go shopping, there are enough cans of tuna, boxes of rice, etc. to feed my family for a week or more. that gives me 7-10 days to find other sources of food. The deer population being what it is in NEO, I'm not worried. I should learn how to dress a deer though... For water, I keep 3-4 days worth in gallon jugs purely for the sake of convenience. Melting snow or boiling creek water (within a mile of my house) are viable options in a true long-term emergency. Where I think people go beyond "thoughtful" and into "paranoid" is when they start building secondary structures to withstand _________ disaster. I'm not mentally fit to live in an underground box with my wife, a kid, and two dogs for any length of time, so what's the point? "super storm" Sandy was an eye-opener for many of my neighbors. We didn't need my generator for long, but it was on-loan to my parents' and their neighbors for a week thereafter, powering refridgerators and the occasional microwave.

side note - will scrap places accept vehicle frames (i.e. anything with a VIN) when the 'seller' can't provide proof that they own it? At the very least I would expect that they have to keep records of the VINs they scrap and name of the seller, so the cops can trace frames back chop-shops. ...not that scrap places are always the most reputable establishments

whoever builds this better post pics and specs! I have been trying to find the opposite... titled SV650 frame to convert a retired track bike to a streeter beater.

if the winner isn't able to make it (or doesn't have a bike suitable for track use...), can he/she transfer said trackday to another member (at no charge. Not looking to profit from STT's generosity here)? I am working again, but promised the wife I'd bring our savings account back to pre-bar study levels before buying another bike

Let's hope Brian is a quicker learner than you :-)

Blue waffle.

No way that will hit 70 mph without a big bore kit and shorter gearing.

You can also start laying out baby blankets on the floor and train the dog that anything on the blanket is off limits. Baby, toys, food - everything. It takes time, but dogs understand boundaries. Thus why ours barks at the neighbors through the fence, but is best buddies with them when we're on a walk... Start now.

"THE" 71? Clearly you are not originally from Ohio. ;-)

The worst screw-up i can recall at the moment is trying to torque caliper bolts to spec (using a torque wrench), and twisting one completely in half in the process. Old bolt, but still really dumb of me not to notice the torque was staying completely constant... I'm sure I can think of many more, much dumber examples of my ineptitude.

did your niece bite her first?