redkow97

doing what? Showing up and offering more than the cavs tickets are worth? I wonder how that would go over... The LEO's running the show probably keep anything decent that gets handed in. It's (allegedly) not uncommon for officers in Cleveland to keep guns that people surrender. Because I'm not a police officer, this is all hearsay, but when Betty Ghetto calls the cops because Johnny Jailbird is in County for 2 years and says "I have four of his babies running around - can you take his guns?" The cops who take that call confiscate the weapons with zero accountability for what's actually turned in unless the caller accurately describes the firearms to dispatch. I'm okay with that being a perk of the job for LEO's.

call me negative nancy, but I foresee a high potential for issues. I really don't mean to rain on your parade, Ryan, but I assume part of the reason you started this thread is to identify potential problems so that they can be planned for and avoided, yes? 400 miles a day is going to get old very quickly. You can hope to average that much, but there will be a serious need to schedule in some days of not only non-riding, but just straight up rest. Are you planning to camp, or stay in hotels? Obviously the latter is more expensive, but it also cuts down on the gear you'll need, and makes some of the longer hauls more manageable from a mental perspective.

What's up - I was shopping Toledo CL. Lots of good dirt bike deals out your way. I have family there as well. Are you a UT/BGSU transplant, or local to Toledo?

when did they move it back? I haven't been there in a year or two. You're telling mie it used to be worse??? Yikes.

Given the lack of real gear that MC cops wear, I wouldn't think high speed pursuit is even remotely safe.

the final turn onto Putnam's front straight is one of the most dangerous turns I've ever encountered on any track. Every track has areas that could be better, but this one is pretty glaring... If you lowside in that turn anywhere past the apex, you're going to hit a concrete wall. If you highside in that turn, you better hope you clear the wall, or you're probably going to hit it in spectacular fashion. I'm not saying it's a bad track or a bad place for a first day, but that corner is one to be VERY aware of. There is no reason to push it there, and every reason to back off a bit. Even in a race, where drive down the front straight is essential, I would play it very very conservatively there, and only really risk it the last couple laps.

I agree that it's more of a "PR" move than anything else, and if it's a seized vehicle, all the better. It would shock me if they actually went out and bought it though. This is the article I mentioned in my previous post: http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2010/112_1003_cop_car_wars_heat_up/viewall.html The quote I'm remembering isn't in the online version. Must have been in one of the side-bar pieces with a photo. I'll keep looking.

That's usually a statutory policy in most states. A few highway patrol departments can get BMW and Honda models, but almost without failure, municipalities must buy American. Motor trend did a comparison of the various police models a few months back, and the department they talked to had to get special permission to even consider the Chevy Caprice, because it's built by Holden, then shipped and badged as a Chevy. Unreal.

Calabogie is the only track I'm aware of with bikes for rent. It makes things even MORE expensive for no real reason... You're better off renting an XR100 with the OMRL as a way to get your feet wet for low dollars. Learn all the basics at 45 mph instead of 130mph. It makes so much sense, it's almost silly.

For what they cost, I would buy something else. Not bad cars, and quite safe despite their size. Just expensive for what they are (and aren't). Short wheelbase would make me a tad nervous in the snow though. Back end could come around REAL quick...

Ps: boss is nice. Fun. But not terribly attractive. There is no potential for this to turn into a relationship.

Long story short, I brought a friend of mine out to happy hour with my wife and a large group of her coworkers. Wife left around 11, but we stayed and kept the party going. Somehow a group of 8 of us ended up at the hustler club just before midnight. The (coworker) crowd dwindled over the ensuing 2 hours, and that is where I left my friend and my wife's (female, if that needs to be said) boss. They were purchasing their third private dance together as I was heading out the door at 3 AM. There is a 90% chance my best friend banged my wife's boss last night. Now what?

How do KLR's do in the highway? I seem to recall a buddy of mine being mad at his brother for running his KLR at 85 on the highway for an extended time period. The implication was that 85 for that long was abusing the big single.

Just remember that there's a fine line between barely legal and almost legal ;-)

doesn't that make whoever is killing her just as bad as she is?

I've never seen a trackday org have a problem with that as long as both bikes go through tech. Different orgs have different ways of ensuring that people aren't sneaking out on track with the 'extra' bike.

Keeping cash in your house is always a gamble. Cash just can't be tracked. Can't prove it was taken either. You have to find a really good hiding place if you're going to hide anything... Now my wheels are turning as to where I'd hide stuff :-p

The minis (allegedly) crash a little better too. lower weight and less speed means less energy in the crash.

Also worth noting as I read these great responses: - none of us are professionals. While I completely understand wanting (sometimes needing) to improve and the correlation between improving and having "fun," there are absolutely times where I have needed to literally pit in and take a break, because I was getting frustrated about my pace, rather than enjoying the fact that I'm at the track, and riding a sportbike at 140mph. Safety is priority #1, then fun, THEN pace. - The faster you go, the less room there is for you to improve. We're talking about plateaus in improvement here, but sometimes it's important to remind yourself of how far you've already come. On my first trackday, I was a disaster. By the end of my third trackday, I was slow, but safe, and I was having a blast. By the end of my first season of riding (12+ track days), I had improved A TON, and moved up to Intermediate. It took me a lot more than 12 additional track days to get from Intermediate to Advanced, because the faster you go, the tougher it gets to shave time. On day 1, and through most of YEAR 1 at the track, I could drop 10 seconds a lap in a weekend. If I could do that now, I'd be at or below lap record pace at all the 'local' tracks... Improvement is measured in tenths of a second, and sometimes in far less tangible changes. One of my biggest accomplishments last year wasn't going that much faster, but stringing together 8 laps in a row within half a second of each other, and maintaining a decent pace for race distance.

I am changing my philosophy on street riding in general. It's no secret that I enjoy track riding, but aggressive riding on the street is risky at best, and often 'requires' illegal speeds. With that in mind, my street-bike preferences have evolved into something that accelerates well, but outright performance isn't as important has day-to-day liveability. My track fix will come from racing an XR100 at the break-neck speed of 40mph... I still want a street bike that I can take to the track two or three times a year, but a big twin or even an older Kat 750 can still be fun without setting lap records.

You're on the right track with racing minis. If you can get used to the bike doing crazy shit under you and lose/regain traction and all that at 50 mph or less, it makes things for less dramatic at big bike speeds when the same thing occurs. You also can't be afraid of crashing. If you're thinking about crashing, you're not thinking about riding well and hitting your marks.

Yeah, displacement means a lot less than horsepower and torque. A GS500 has maybe 40 hp on its best day, so a liquid cooled 650 twin is almost double the power, and a modern 600 is almost triple... 600's and 650's are pretty even on torque, but the 650 will make it much lower. Air cooled engines throw in another variable. This is where cruisers lose power despite having big displacement. A 1200cc air cooled cruiser might make horsepower comparable to a liquid cooled V twin (sv650), but the 1200 would have considerably more torque. FZ6 still sounds like a great upgrade from a GS500. Yes its a 600, but its cammed differently than a supersport bike. It makes less hp, with more mid-range power. Great for street use. There is a tangible difference between twins and 4 cylinders though. I prefer 4's at the track, but twins on the street.

What generation, and which size? I would jump on a 2nd generation 750, but I'd shy away from first generation models and 600's in general unless it was really really cheap. the 750's only made like 95hp at the crank... that's less than a ZZR600 or Honda F2 that is lighter. I would hope that the Kat at least has bigger mid-range torque numbers. also, what's the maintenance like on the Katanas? I know parts are everywhere.

trust me when I say that I can't... I have seen them for $1800 before, but haven't been able to find one that cheap in a while

Ask Imprez55? he just got a 696. I've only been on a Monster 900 ...and I was riding bitch