redkow97

I have a trailer and I'm unemployed. You spring for some gas and let me take a quick spin, and we'll call it even ;-)

In college, the UD marching band played halftime at a bengals game. There was some scrub outside playing sax for tips. He was okay at best, and apparently show-boating in a manner that rubbed our assistant directo the wrong way. Dr. Morris (chair of the jazz department) turned to my roommate, and said "Nick, give me your horn." He then proceeded to absolutely embarrass this street musician for 10 minutes. It was kind of a dick bully move, and kind of awesome.

Every time my wife me toons a boat, I suggest she get her own "asphalt jet ski." I like boating, just not the idea of owning one. Best of luck to you and the family.

You can't guarantee that. I'm not saying a 250 is a zero-risk proposition either, but enough power to pull up the front wheel or spin the rear by accident add two additional ways for a new rider to make a mistake that simply would not be possibilities on a lower powered bike. Of course many people have learned on 600 or 1000 cc bikes without incident. People have also probably learned to shoot on a S&W 500. That doesn't make it the most productive or ideal method. I do think that knowing how to drive a manual transmission car helps a lot. I say buy the 600, because it's a good deal, but don't throw a leg over it until after the MSF course. Even then, it will be 5 times as powerful as anything they have you learning on. Hell, it's a carbureted bike... I can't believe no one has machined a "beginner kit" that pops into the throttle slide assembly and basically cuts the throttle turn in half by physically blocking the needle travel. A 7,000 rpm redline is plenty for learning purposes on a 600... I have to think it would be a simple temporary mod that would really save a lot of new riders' asses.

To be clear, are we talking NEW bike purchase, or used? An unmolested first gen busa would be a relative bargain. So would a unicorn or a leprechaun. No such thing as a stock busa, and every owner thinks their neons and chrome rims add $3k of value.

It's a good deal, but be careful. With a good tune, that bike should put 90+ hp to the wheel. Strong acceleration is just one additional way for new riders to make a mistake. You can be the most responsible person in the world and still make a mistake by accidentally grabbing too much throttle due to inexperience. Truly "learning" on a 600 is a bad idea IMHO. Even the MSF course prior would help a LOT.

I think it could be far more thought provoking and less scary. Would you build a bunker? Do 185 on the highway? Rob a bank? Go vigilante on bad guys? I think people would be planning things a year in advance, but it's not like individuals have much worth taking when other targets are readily available.

You hiring?

I'm due for 7.5 miles, 60 pull-ups, and 150+ push-ups. We start at 3:00

Quitting associating with heroin users will be better for your health than quitting smoking.

What about a B-King or just fightering a crashed busa? Lack of wind protection isn't ideal for touring, but you could pick up a touring screen and only install it for long rides. I like the idea of stupid amounts of power. Lately TL's are appealing to me. Remember, torque > horsepower in most situations. Especially under 100mph. That said, there is a ton of aftermarket crap available for busas. Turbo kits, nitrous kits, pointy bar-ends... :-D

Flushing coolant twice a year is good practice anyway.

Yep. I got back in the gym (consistently) about 3 months ago. Started under 170, and now I'm over 180. But I've definitely lost fat along the way. I'm also running at least once a week at 3-8 miles, usually with sets of pull-ups and push-ups mixed in every mile and a half. Tough mudder is less than 3 weeks away. I'm ready.

I would do it for the economy and the story. My brother lives in WA. I have another in Jersey. The notion of trailering a 250 to NJ and then riding/camping to WA sounds both agonizing and appealing. I figure it would take 10 days minimum one way. 20+ to do it properly.

Yeah, just take the carbs apart and check everything out. It's tedious, but not difficult. YouTube and google are your friends. I have had many "ok, now what?" moments solved by consulting YouTube in the garage. Having multiple carbs complicates things a bit, but it also gives you one to copy if you take it apart and can't recall how it goes back together!

Other than make a different noise, what does the mustang do that the bike doesn't? I can't see a scenario where I would take the car out over the bike...

Did he really expect people to say, "yeah, I hate my wife too?" If you're unhappy, either try to make things better, or end things. Complaining about it isn't productive for anyone. Ohioriders is not therapy.

9mm is (usually) considerably cheaper than .40 or .45 though. Break it down by cost per round, and then picture yourself throwing quarters and silver dollars down range... actually, never mind. It's probably best NOT to think about it! But make your choice, and then buy in bulk.

How about an attorney?

That sounds like a better deal. I like projects as much (possibly more) than the next guy, it's just somehow easier to rationalize my own money-pits than to watch someone else sink cash into projects that will never sell for what they're putting into them. But you can never put a value on your own enjoyment and sense of satisfaction. Like I said before, do what you'll enjoy the most. and post pics

I was making a joke about cheap campers leaking. We put countless tubes of caulk on the roof of our 1973 mini-wini Browns Bus. Ours cost $600 though.

just be sure to budget in 100 tubes of caulk.

Let's take a step back and get a few things straight before continuing this discussion: Kevin Schwantz's personality is completely irrelevant when it comes to the merits of his legal claims. He can be the biggest a-hole in the world, and still be right, and he can be Mother Theresa and not have a leg to stand on. If he's likeable, that just means that the public is more likely to feel sorry for him without knowing all the facts, or irrespective of those facts. As far as I have read, Schwantz has sued COTA claiming "tortious interference with contract," and "fraud." As one might guess, in order for there to be interference with a contract, a contract has to exist. I haven't read any hard evidence that says any contract between COTA and Kevin's company ever existed. I've more gotten the impression that they were negotiating and possibly talking about forming a contract. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require that fraud claims must be pleaded with particularity. The idea is, I can't just accuse a party of fraud and leave them guessing as to what I think they did to defraud me. There may or may not be a real claim there. Without more facts, we simply can't say. But this is how I'd speculate things went down, give or take a few details: KS wants to bring MotoGP to Texas. Awesome. So he calls up Dorna and says, "hey, if I can work something out with the COTA, would you guys consider a third American GP in 2013?" Dorna says, "we're listening," but commits to nothing. KS approaches COTA with something like, "hey, you're building a track, and I've got interest from Dorna that MotoGP might come here if you build it right." COTA listens, and builds the track to accommodate bikes, but commits to nothing. Fast-forward 3 or 4 years, and now it's all real. The track is complete, Dorna would like to schedule a round at COTA, and KS is acting as middle-man to make that happen. He'd like for that to mean he's the promoter. ...But negotiations break down, and KS wants something that either COTA or Dorna isn't willing to give him. They realize, "hey, this Schwantz guy is the one causing conflict here. Let's just do the deal without him, save us both some money, and eliminate the arguing." Deal done. The question is where/if fraud occurred in that (admittedly completely speculative and very vague) timeline; and if Schwantz ever actually had a contract with COTA or Dorna. If a contract existed, then Schwantz may have something. If not, I don't see this getting very far in its current form. An agreement to agree is not a contract... A contract requires an offer, acceptance, and a promise in exchange for 'valuable consideration.' That means money must have changed hands, or one party must have given up some legal right (like their ability to negotiate with others, etc.) Again, as of now, I haven't read anything to indicate that such steps were taken, which makes everything up to that point "mere negotiations." If we're not getting all the facts, there may be a different outcome. Where I think KS has a lot more traction is in a claim for quasi-contract. There, the court basically creates a contract to prevent unjust enrichment based on the plaintiff's detriment. KS certainly did a lot of leg-work establishing the relationship between Dorna and COTA, as well as his own expertise in making the track safe. He does deserve compensation for those efforts, even if no contract to promote the race actually existed. But he's not going to stop the race, nor is he going to win the promotional rights... In summary, COTA doesn't appear to have done anything illegal. Unethical? Possibly. Maybe even probably. But it's a court of law, not a court of fair.

Some of you seem to have misconceptions about how the legal system works. Know your rights, and assert them politely to police, but if they are insistent, a lawyer isn't going to show up at your house and prevent the cops from performing an illegal search. A lawyer's job is merely to ensure that any evidence from said illegal search is rightly suppressed in court, and not used against you. Then you would have the option of suing the police department for damages in cases where there is a clear public policy interest to send the message that such behavior from officers will not be tolerated. That is why police get the benefit o the doubt on real mistakes. Where is the deterrent value in penalizing a legitimate mistake? There is none. So like I said, know your rights, and assert them politely, but don't tack legitimate disorderly conduct or resisting arrest charges to an otherwise bogus search and seizure premise.

I promise not to let that happen. I do like the 675's, and I have nothing against VFR's, but there are other bikes I'd buy first. I like the Monster series, and the Sport Classic 1200, but new Ducs are too rich for my blood. I know there have been a lot of "keep the 650" suggestions, but if the OP wants more horsepower, keeping the 650 isn't going to feed that desire. I would still suggest getting some track time to improve the nut between the seat and the bars, but sometimes you just want hooligan potential on the street. I like noise and acceleration, and I get rip from stoplight to stoplight a lot more often than I can hit the track. Plus it's fun to embarrass sportscars that cost 10 times your bike. Has anyone suggested a Kawasaki Z750, or something similar? The Yamaha FZ8's look awesome on paper. I haven't ridden one though. My brother almost bought one, but (ironically) opted for an SV650S instead.