redkow97

was replying on my phone before. allow me to elaborate. There is nothing "wrong" with the EX500. Despite what someone said about its highway manners, it will do 80mph all day long. It's a parallel twin, so it gets a little "buzzy," but coming from a thumper, you'd never notice. As far as passing power, I would encourage you to test ride one and decide for yourself. If I was traveling at anywhere near legal speeds (75 or under), I would drop into 4th for serious passes. Above that, 5th is probably enough, but the acceleration up to 80 is much stronger than beyond 80. The 650r is better in absolutely every way than the EX500. Fuel injection, balance, stiffer chassis, better brakes, better looks, and better ergonomics. Kawasaki's marketing literature for the 650r bragged a lot about how it was "built around the rider," and they weren't bull-shitting. I haven't ridden one for any extended period of time (really just sat on them at shows and dealerships), but everything definitely feels like it's just in the right place. If you can afford one, they are fantastic street bikes. If you can't, and really don't mind carburetors (you suggested the EX500...), a first generation SV650 is a great compromise. You'll get the same ~70 horsepower that the 650r puts out, and vastly improved brakes and chassis compared to the EX. The only ingredient missing is the fuel injection. the naked model has a very nice upright riding position too. I doubt it's quite as comfortable as the 650R, but it's still a very pleasant place to be. What's better is that you can find them for $2200 in pretty decent shape.

Between the two, its obvious that the 650r is better in every respect. That's why it-replaced the 500. But if budget is a factor, and you clearly don't mind Carbs, a first gen SV650 would be an awesome compromise.

I will be there if someone wants to loan me a bike. Otherwise I have leathers someone can borrow for the day.

That sucks. Never heard of bikes and karts on track at the same time. Not sure if that made any difference, but it seemed odd. Guess it doesn't matter much now

I ran only distilled water last season. No big deal. Water wetter does help it run a few degrees cooler, and I believe it lubricates the water pump, but I didn't have any problems.

Punctuation is the difference between this: and this The latter would make it terribly uncomfortable to ride ANY bike. When you leave it ambiguous, I always read it in the way that makes you sound most foolish

if i turn the key to the "on" position, the gauges will "cycle" through, but then they do not return to 0 on the tach. And yes, all I really NEED is a cheap tach, but I am hoping to preserve the idiot lights (neutral and oil, at least), as well as the fuel gauge and speedometer, if possible. Until I get new throttle cables, I can't really test to see if it's working right. I started the engine before the gauges were hooked up, and did not re-start it after I plugged them in, so I'll try that, then take the back off if they're still effed and see if that helps. I guess the next step is deciding if a cheap tach is the fix, or used gauges can be found for marginally more money.

hahaha. i'm glad it wasn't shady. What I've done before is shown up to the meet spot early, and just dropped someone off a few hundred yards away (in a parking lot). we had a previously determined "call the cops" signal worked out. Less necessary if someone has a concealed carry permit, but it lowers the chance of a shoot out...

Tpoppa and I are probably the most "local" to you. I'm having a party Saturday around 4 if you (or anyone else on the board) wants to stop by and take a look at why I won't be riding for a while Get that post-count up so you can PM me. welcome.

I finally got a chance to take a real look at my crash damage last night, and the news is definitely POSITIVE - the section of ram-air tube that i could not find in the grass is still attached to the bike! $20 saved. - the bike would previously, crank, but not start. Reconnecting all the harness plugs that came undone (duh) fixed that. It fired right up! - with the harness reconnected, the gauges now "work" again, but the tach needle is not oriented correctly. ^ THIS is what I need to fix, to save myself $200 on used gauges. The needle works fine, but its frame of reference is off. If I manually move it to 0, and then turn on the bike, it sweeps up to 16k, then back down past 0, and sits in the wrong spot. if i rev the bike 2,000 rpm, it moves back to 0 on the gauge. turning the bike off and back on will yield a comparable result, but with a different starting point for the needle. Next time it might start at 7,000 rpm. reving 2k will show 9,000. My concern is that i'm fucked here, but maybe not. Anyone think there's a chance to fix it? all the idiot lights are working, and the fuel gauge seems correct. the tip-over sensor also works. I had to hold it upright to get the bike to run, but purposely let it fall sideways to make sure the bike shut off

you had me interested at 'barely legal.'

I ripped my Arata can in half. the headers and lead-pipe are flawless. As long as the diameter is the same, is there any reason I can't buy a $25 stock exhaust can off eBay and stick that on the Arata headers? or possibly some other brand? I would have the bike tuned after any change like that. It's due anyway... This will only be relevant if I can't fix the Arata can, but that's going to require buying a rivet gun, and some pretty precise bending of metal... I'm not optimistic.

That's mulholland drive in CA. I drove it when I was in L.A. on vacation. It is a monumentally stupid place to exceed the speed limit. There are tourist vans and buses all over, not to mention loose debris on the road, guard rails, and then a 400 foot drop...

I'll snap a pic when I let the dog out, but yeah. With 3/4 inch plywood, washers work fine. I just wanted the trs as far to the right as possible. When it was in the middle (over a year), I just had washers holding down the base plate.

The chains are anchored too close together to truly cross them, but good cI atch. I think about that every time i hook it up... I had the bike centered for a long time, but moved it so that the TRS is actually bolted through the frame-rail of the trailer. That was to fit Imrez55's bike. I never moved it back to center. Instead I built a big-ass box to hold my EZ-up, tools, chairs, coolers, etc. Haven't noticed it pulling less than straight or anything. If you have room in the car, centering the bike is easier/safer, but i was able to fit my wife and dog this past weekend because of the box. a gap between the decking would definitely help the folding issue. I also removed the opposing bolts at the intersection. that's hard to describe w/o a picture, but basically, there are 6 bolts along the center joint, laid out like a 6-pack of beer. I removed the middle one on the front half, and the outside 2 on the back half. Now the bolt-heads don't hit each other. If you center the bike, I would also move the one deck bolt off-center, so your front wheel isn't sitting on it during transport. Probably not a big deal, but easy to fix too. I haven't gotten better casters yet. I just curse a lot when I move the fucker. the only time it's really an issue is getting it up the bump into my garage. The trailer is light enough that I can pick half of it up though; I just have to really put my back into it, and make sure I don't let it tip! Assembly was pretty easy. the first time around, i would say 6 hours, plus time to route teh wiring (remember to leave enough slack to fold the deck!). if i bought one tomorrow, I am confident I could get the entire thing buttoned up in 4 hours, including wiring. have grease and gloves to pack the bearings. there is a nozzle for a grease gun, but I just put a gob on teh heel of my hand and then pack them manually the first time.

Gravity. The bike is held up by pins in the rear axle. The bike's suspension moves freely, so it absorbs bumps just as if you were riding. I do throw a strap around the front wheel to keep it straight, but it's not necessary.

yeah, clearly I'm no expert, but I feel like you have to fully acknowledge what happened here. Their child died. Debate all you want about when an unborn child becomes a human life, but to the expectant parents, that baby has had a name, a bedroom, toys, clothes, and an entire life laid out for it for MONTHS now. just makes me want to go crawl in a hole... If there's some kind of resource for support groups, I might suggest that to them after things calm down. There's a fine line between being helpful and pushy here. I want to give them a while to properly grieve before I even try to suggest they think about trying to 'move on,' not that you ever really get over something like that.

I apologize for unloading here, but I can't talk about this on facebook, and bringing it up with people at work would just be weird. just got a text from one of my college friends. One of our mutual friends was 8 months pregnant, and lost her baby this morning. Mom and junior were both completely healthy as of their last visit to the doctor. She went into labor, and the baby was stillborn. I feel like crap. I can't even begin to imagine how she and her husband feel... I think the worst part is that other people aren't going to know, and they're going to ask her about the baby months from now... Not only are they going to bring it up again, but she's going to have to TELL people. all around sad situation. I'm not the praying type, but excuse me for a minute...

thanks man. I'll keep the list updated. Those gauges are going to be the big-ticket item I guess... mine took a pretty big hit, but I may take them apart and see if I can get them working again... I really just want the idiot lights and the tach. speedo and fuel gauge aren't too important.

ask RidersDiscount.com what they can do for you on a trailer restraint system. It will cost you less than the $279 they retail for.

I understand that a DSB championship isn't the ultimate goal, but it pays quite a bit. Especially with Cardinez gone, and Eslick moving up, I think the championship would have been Herrin's to lose next year. And whether it's the ultimate goal or not, a DSB championship pays a lot more than a mediocre season in Superbike. Perhaps the sponsors are willing to cover the difference, or perhaps Herrin really is thinking long-term with this move. Neither would shock me; I just thought he'd want to truly conquer DSB before taking on a superbike. A lot depends on whether he's really a racer, or just wants to make racing a career. You can live very comfortably winning AMA championships. Ask Mat Mladin. There's a reason he never felt the need to go into WSBK or shoot for Moto GP. Spies, on the other hand, reportedly took a PAY CUT to race WSBK. He really wanted to make it to Moto GP, and knew that was the best way to be taken seriously. I respect both choices.

No joke, I think I saw that car on Ridge Road the other day. Same color, and it was a convertible. I didn't catch if it was a Gallardo, but what are the odds?

some models say 1/2 ton, some say 3/4 ton. I'd want an F250 with an 8' bed regardless of what the manufacturer says. I was surprised to see that they also make models for "light" pickups as well though. The idea was that F250 + in-bed camper + open trailer is the most flexible and practical way to camp at the track in comfort, but also only take up 1 garage spot (my trailer and the camper would fit in the garage)

I totally disagree. I think the van has every right to expect that oncoming traffic is obeying the speed limit. It's not easy to judge the speed of a single headlight coming toward you, and I would assume that the rider braked HEAVILY when he saw the van start to turn. It did stop before blocking the entire lane. If the rider was traveling at even CLOSE to the posted limit, he would have been able to slow down, and easily navigate around the van. The van had its turn signal on WELL in advance. I always expected vehicles to turn in front of me. that whole "ride like you're invisible" thing isn't just a saying.

you really want it locked up, or can we totally derail it like normal? I actually have a tangentially related topic that probably isn't worth its own thread. Was wondering if anyone has seen or owned one of these http://www.travellitecampers.com/models/890Rseries/890Rseries.htm