redkow97

Depending on the length of the course, weight is probably less of a factor than people are thinking. Especially on loose ground (Bonneville), it's not uncommon to ADD weight for ballast and traction. Top-speed is relatively unaffected by mass. If you're on a short course, then the weight will hurt your acceleration, and ultimately prevent you from reaching top-speed in the requisite distance. I'm not sure how much of an issue that is with the distance provided here. Buy beyond that, a 6' 200 lbs rider in a tight tuck will be able to go faster than a 5' 100 lbs rider with crap form. Jason Britton went to Bonneville with a rented GSX-R 600. He expected to go 145 no problem. Didn't even get close. Going fast in a straight line is easy. Going REALLY fast in a straight line isn't. It's not that different from track riding in that regard... You can be proficient enough to not be a hazard relatively quickly, but the faster you get, the harder it is to shave time. The faster you get here, the harder it is to add fractions of a mile-per-hour.

I thought they stopped making the F4i in 2005, when the 600RR got a face-lift and revised fuel injection... Either way, I agree... The Z is AT LEAST an even trade, with fewer miles on it. as far as suspension and brakes go, the stock stuff on almost every Japanese bike is "adequate" at best. The F4i never had inverted forks, so it's probably not much better than the Z... If you wanted to make either bike handle REALLY well, you'd be looking at cartridge kits and aftermarket shocks anyway. Stainless brake lines would probably be all either bike needed to have "good" brakes, but a brembo master cylinder would really be the cat's meow. (yeah, I said that. let's bring it back.) I wish I was in the market for a street bike. The offers you're getting are just disheartening...

The fact that your Shoei performed is great, but that doesn't mean that a less expensive lid wouldn't have provided just as much protection.

I like the Vortex for the price, and that deal through STG is awesome, but I like the Scorpions better. Just better for my head shape. But overall, I agree with the "BMW vs. Toyota" analogy. a well made $100 helmet will protect you just as well as a $400 helmet; the $400 helmet is just going to be lighter, and higher-feature. Craig and I wear our helmets for 20-40 minutes at a time in most cases, and we're pretty preoccupied with riding during those stints. I believe we also both wear ear-plugs, so wind noise is a non-issue. So, oddly enough, a more expensive helmet is probably more necessary for street riding and distance touring than it is for the track (where my thrice-worn Vortex became a paperweight very quickly).

I may have to check this out just to see what speed my bike can hit in road-race trim. I wouldn't mess with suspension or anything. The bike's already wired, and i know my gear will pass tech. I have my old leather suit for sale if anyone's 5'9 - 6'2 and 160-190 lbs

so it's purely based on displacement? That's probably an elementary question, but the road racers among us are used to 650 twins being "lightweights" and 600cc inline 4's being "middleweights." I hope every street squid in the world shows up for this event on their 600. So many people are convinced their bike hits 165. I bet there will be very few 600's that do a legit 150.

I've always worked under the assumption that the rev limiter was there explicitly to make sure the idiot twisting the throttle COULDN'T hurt anything The idea of just watching vehicles go by at 200 mph doesn't sound all that exciting to me, but for $10, I'll give it a chance.

^ it's hard to look like a badass when there's a parakeet squawking in the background.

I bought 6 of them to take on a ski trip with a bunch of friends. Loser of each beer pong game had to split one before they were allowed to play again. I agree that Four Loko tastes horrible, but the sugar concentration flat-out makes my stomach hurt. I've encountered the same problem when getting "iced." The best course of action is to "thin" Four Loko with cheap light beer. It becomes more palatable, and every bit as intoxicating.

No longer contains caffeine. Changing the recipe was easier than fighting with authorities on whether or not it appealed to underage drinkers, or combining a stimulant and depressant was dangerous.

There are some fakes online, but that guy 1) took off the shrink-wrap one camera, and 2) puked a little when he was almost done. I think it was legit. Other videos are even more legit, because people end up getting puke all over them.

can people go back and add their height, weight, and DOB to their claims of gluttony?

Patron challenge? http://youtu.be/NUoNoQom4D4

try to keep these GENERIC, so everyone can suffer equally (i.e. don't post about how hard the Melt challenge is, because there are only 3 locations, and all in the Cleveland area. I want to be able to stay on level terms with other ORDN peeps) Height: 6' dead weight: ~175 I have participated in "the Dave Thomas Challenge." We bought 2 of every item on the dollar menu, and my friend Russ and I faced off to see who could get through the most items. He got further, but puked, so I won by default. the junior bacon cheeseburger and 5-piece nuggets have since been taken off the value menu, too, so that changes things a bit. The salad and baked potato were harder than anticipated... (was 21 yrs old and about 180 lbs. at the time) I've also put down 5 of the McDonald's double-cheeseburgers (before the McDouble existed, they were $1) on a bet from a coworker. (23 yrs old and 190 lbs. by then. More working out) What has everyone else attempted? I think i need to try a wing challenge...

you are not.

No, he didn't. He compared Boehner and Obama golfing together to the unlikely pairing of Hitler, and a Jew golfing together. People are really reaching on this... I am no Hank Williams Jr. fan; in fact, I think he came across as a total moron, but he never said anything close to "Obama's like Hitler." any odd-couple could have been substituted into that analogy. David Duke and Farrakhan, an OSU football player and a Michigan football player, Keith Olberman and Rush Limbaugh, etc.

To be fair, was Apple the one hyping this? I heard on the radio this morning that they DRASTICALLY scaled-back the event, compared to past events. Supposedly there were only 250 people or so in attendance. The further speculation was that there will be something big about the iPod in the next couple months, for its 10-year anniversary (anyone else feel kind of old hearing that? My college roommate had one. It was more expensive than his car at the time )

depending on what parts he needs, I might want some of the mounting hardware... Of course Jester has dibs at this point. I just snapped the bracket that wraps around the clip-on. Pic of whatever's still available? I need a lot of random stuff; probably more than I've noticed thus far...

^ that is a hell of an understatement. it averages 2.1/5 stars, and there are a lot of people saying "I wish I could give it 0 stars." for $40, it might make a decent back-up to just leave in/on the trailer, and use only if your primary canopy gets destroyed by major overnight storms. Then just leave it in the paddock...

I just anticipate some people being so ignorant that they assume gun = instant death from looking at it. We had people over a couple of weekends ago (my sister threw her boyfriend a party) who I believe would have left if they knew there was a rifle in the house. I suppose you can't reason with people who want to have an irrational fear, but it shocks me how smart some of these people are in other situations, but they're so afraid of guns for no valid reason...

Explain. I believe they require seat belts, but what else is "regulated" on a vehicle? Maybe lighting and bumper height? Warning stickers? I think that's honestly it. gas mileage? Nope. that is a restriction on the auto-maker for their fleet to have an AVERAGE fuel economy of at least XX mpg. That's a business regulation, not a product regulation. GM can still build a 525hp vette, they just have to sell more cruzes to bring their average up. Crash ratings? That's an evaluation; not a regulation. The manufacturers are allowed to sell a car that gets 0/5 stars on the crash test; they would just never do it. Horrible publicity. Where would horsepower or potential for speed come into play? I don't see where congress would have the authority to tell a business how their product can (potentially) perform.

The CCW thread got me thinking on this. How do you folks handle friends and family members who are afraid of firearms? Example: my buddy Dave has a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. We invited them over, and he was not aware that I own a rifle. It came up in conversation when my wife said I had been out shooting while she was at a friend's baby shower. Anyway, his wife (to her credit) calmly asked if I kept the gun in the house. I could tell she was thinking, "OH GOD! MY BABIES ARE GOING TO FIND THIS GUN AND KILL THEMSELVES!!!" to my credit, I had thought about this possibility in advance of allowing small children in my house, and had the bolt locked open on my rifle, and all ammo and magazines secured in our strong box. She was satisfied with that answer, but I am certain there will be times that I am not so prepared (maybe I just don't know people are bringing their kids along?)

What authority does the government have to limit the output on vehicles?

Tyler - you have a PM. I think insulated tape might be a LOT easier than header wrap. Is anyone in the Cleveland area heading to Nelson tonight? I cannot make it, but I can leave heat tape in my mail box, or inside my grill if someone can pick it up. I won't be home tonight. p.s. - remove the mirror base-plates and drill a couple holes in your upper. Just zip-tie the fairings to the fairing stay. In a minor off, you'd prefer that the zip-ties break, rather than pulling those base-plates through your bodywork, or destroying a $90 fairing stay. Even in my big off, the zip ties saved me from some fiberglass repair. My fairing stay was toast, and my wind screen is shattered, but that portion of the upper is otherwise pretty okay. I could stick a new wind-screen on and it would be almost good to go.

the owners have every right to enforce such a rule at their establishment. If you don't like it, then feel free to vote with your dollars, but the only difference between today and last week is that you have alternative businesses to patronize who don't share the same fear as those restaurants. choice is a good thing.