redkow97

i have a 0 degree mummy bag, but that only keeps me warm when i'm in it. getting out of the bag at 6 in the morning, and putting on leathers that have hung in the cold car overnight is not a fun experience.

If I'm the one prosecuting him, I'm arguing that the laws dictate the safe means of transporting a child on a motorcycle. If you're breaking that law, then by definition, you're putting the child in danger, no? he's negligent per se. Like if I shoot a gun in my back yard and the bullet strikes someone's property, I am automatically liable for the damage caused, because there is a presumption of negligence the moment i break the law, and the victim is the type the law was enacted to protect. if the guy wants to fight it, I'd love to see him try. I think he'll have better luck trying to plea to a lesser offense.

Bass Pro Shop has it on sale for $79 right now, but the kick in the nuts is that the 5' hose to connect it to a 20 lbs. tank is another $20. I guess that's how they get ya... The option to run it on the smaller tanks is still nice though. for tailgating, I don't need heat for more than a few hours, and on trips where packing space was at a premium, 10 small tanks packs easier than 1 large tank. Now to convince the wife we need this "in case the furnace dies," and totally leave out the part where I want to use it for trackdays

you don't think the 3,800 btu model would be enough in a tent? the tent is vented well enough that I'm MUCH less concerned about oxygen in there than I am in the car, which is where I plan to sleep when it's that cold anyway. while the 20# tank is awesome if i'm using it for extended periods in my house, I don't want to find room for it in the car overnight...

I've been kicking around the idea of a small propane heater for trackdays and emergency use, and the garage heater thread got me wondering what everyone uses at the track. I am pretty much sold on propane, because electric heat is so inefficient, and Nelson & BeaveRun don't have electric hookups at the track. If i were to run a generator, the generator itself would be more expensive than a propane heater, and then use a lot more money in fuel as well. So I've been considering the following models: The coleman SportCat $35. 1,500 BTU, and runs 14+ hours on the small 16 oz. disposable propane tanks. The main drawback to this one is that it puts out relatively little heat, AND lacks a low oxygen shutoff sensor (more on that later) "Mr. Heater" also makes a similar model, but it's $60, 3,800 BTU, and DOES have a low oxygen shutoff sensor. Will burn for 5.5 hours, and claims to heat up to 100 square feet (why they don't list it in cubic feet is beyond me...) And the next step up with Mr. Heater is the 4,000-9,000 BTU "buddy" heater for $80+ That has all the features of the smaller one, but heats twice as much space, AND it can be hooked up to a larger propane tank if you want. Burn time on the small tank is around 4-5 hours on the 4,000 BTU setting, and obviously less if you crank it to 9,000... Right now I sleep in a tent when the weather is good, and in the back of my tow vehicle when it's cold or obscenely wet. With that in mind, I'm looking at only around 50 square feet at most. My biggest concern is the heater burning up all my oxygen if i fall asleep with it running (which I know is ill-advised, but come on... I want to be warm so I can sleep comfortably) The coleman is cheap, but the Mr. Heater model has the low oxygen shutoff. the bigger model would be more practical for heating a bedroom in a power outage, but 2 of the smaller models would probably work too... What says ORDN?

I totally agree that the nature of the ride matters a lot, but some people seem to be missing the point... The guy wasn't ticketed for taking his kid on a ride, he was ticketed for doing it in a manner that violates the laws governing motorcycle passengers. If the kid were on the back, geared up, and secured by one of those strap devices, or by touching the pegs, I would imagine the officer would have sent them on their merry way.

They should post fliers with that pic around the stadium before the game with the caption, "no really, fans are not permitted on the field at any time."

They make little harnasses that hold young passengers to the back of the rider. I assume those are the "restraints" referenced. Laws vary by state, but most require that passengers can reach the pegs, and anyone under 18 must have a helmet. No one can reach the pegs when they're in front of the rider. The guy broke the law. If the article is accurate, I don't see any reason he shouldn't be ticketed and charged with endangering the child.

This is unlikely to go to the supreme court anyway. The holding was too narrow to be worth reviewing. And if it does go to the supreme court, the 9th circuit is reversed A LOT. The justices have something against them. Not kidding. Perhaps the 9th circuit will review its own decision en banc, but I would think that's all the further this particular case will go. The debate will rage on.

I have to remind even some of my most conservative friends, "the government does not GIVE you rights. The government only restricts existing rights, or takes them away completely."

It looks like you've thought this through more than I initially gave you credit for. Nice job. Regarding the COG though, I wouldn't necessarily shoot for such a bias that low, if you can avoid it. Low COG makes a heavy bike easy to pick up if it's laying on its side, but it can make turn-in feel really weird too. Your cad drawings also look as though the battery cells will result in a serious weigh bias toward the front. That will require some suspension tweaking up front, but could also result in a bike that's prone to stoppie rather than stop. Rome wasn't built in a day, just things to consider. If you can spread out the battery cells, that would really help you tune handling gremlins.

Or are they just not FDA approved, and thus not allowed to be sold as retail supply? unless I'm mistaken, MRE's have a TON of calories, because there's a presumption that you won't be eating often, and will be in a situation where you need to get ~5,000 calories out of something light, small, and easy to carry. That doesn't exactly fit in the recommended daily allowances of vitamin whatever. I got MRE's from the ROTC building in college a few times. Never had one that I didn't like. I was shocked by how good they were, so long as you could get the warm stuff warm.

I agree with you to a point. I believe what you really mean is that a legal marriage and religious definitions of marriage are vastly different. With that said, I would agree with the spirit of your post, and say that the government has no business calling anything "marriage." I would personally advocate for "civil unions" between any two consenting adults, gay, straight, related, etc. But as the law currently stand, legal marriage affords spouses certain rights that have nothing to do with religion whatsoever. Rights of inheritance, hospital visitation, social security survivor benefits, etc. None of that has anything to do with religion, and to give it to some couples while excluding others is (in my estimation) not the kind of equal protection the constitution had in mind. By the same token, religious marriage vows are about devotion, love, and fidelity. It's a totally separate concept from legal marriage. But legal unions have just as much of a place in our society as "marriage." Call it whatever you want, but if the government has a monopoly on it, it's usually a fundamental right. I can get married without doing so in a church. I cannot get married without getting a license from the government. Who really has more control over "marriage?" But as I said, I would agree with you that legal marriage is a misnomer.

probably the boxes of ammo on my night stand. My wife and dogs will follow me out under their own power. I don't want to leave 1050 .22lr rounds in the burning house for the firemen to contend with...

They ought to add a chapter called "PUT YOUR FUCKING (VIDEO) CAMERA AWAY WHEN IN UNIFORM." The last thing the military needs is more naked prisoner poses, puppy chucking, or corpse pissing. You know how you read those warnings on products and think, "why the fuck do they even need to put that warning on the box?" The people videotaping themselves doing stupid shit in uniform are a metaphor for the reason why.

I'm as pro equal-rights for gays as you can get, but this is NOT good for that cause. It's been an unspoken rule in the gay rights community for decades now; "don't challenge anything like this in the supreme court until a couple more conservatives are replaced by more liberal justices." They're setting themselves up for a 5-4 vote that bans on same-sex marriage are constitutional, and an EPIC majority opinion by Scalia that will be so precise in its logic, gay intellectuals across the country will feel like their heads are going to explode. sure, there will be outrage (and rightfully so), but Scalia's no dummy. His logic will be airtight. I really hope the court either rejects the argument, or the party withdraws. The only 'good' thing that might come of this is John will probably get several answers to his question regarding a logical, non-religious argument against gay marriage. (hell, they can invoke the commerce clause and rationalize just about anything...)

true enough; and the industry can't really "borrow" a 2003 R6 frame as a starting point either. There are definitely going to be advantages and draw-backs to starting with a pre-fabricated gasoline powered bike.

Gotta power a bike with iPad batteries or something. They seem to last forever.

I applaud your efforts and wish you luck, but your goals are certainly lofty. Just based on the specs of other electric bikes out there, you're shooting to have 80% of their power with about 60% of their weight. Again, I wish you all the luck in the world and hope I can contribute more than just questions to your build, but i think the fact that zero and other electric bike manufacturers arent achieving the results you're after with multiple engineers and boatloads more financial resources is telling.

I consider 180 to be "up to temp" and run up to 220 on a hot day at the track. A stock bike should have the fans kick on around 212 and should never get above 225 or so. At 240, shut the bike off.

I guess there is a lot to be said for being a DINK household. The business overhead seems relatively low; I was more curious about the new sonata and revolving door of expensive bikes, but I suppose absent $60k in student loans I might have both as well.

Hob, if you don't mind me asking, what is your full-time gig that supports all te projects and toys and business launch?

I actually thinks it's safer to race against faster people than bump up to a higher trackday group too soon. In racing, everyone starts at the same time. The faster guys will be long gone after a lap, and may have to pass you once more when they lap you. In a trackday environment, people are coming and going as they please, and there won't be one line of fast riders coming by you as they lap you; it will more likely be a constant flow of riders. IMHO, that's less safe. By definition, riders lapping you know you're considerably slower than they are. At a trackday, that's a bit harder to observe and plan for.

I have an old Q2 racing take-off that I'll let go for some highlife. It's got plenty of street life left in it.

oh now he's in for it... Todd was trying to convince my dad to be my endurance teammate when we talked to him at the IMS. I wonder if I can mow his lawn or something and avoid entry fees!