redkow97

I don't recall if it was in this thread or another on the same topic, but there are 2 constitutional arguments against the drug testing: 1) self incrimination (you're not exactly on trial, but arguably, you're being asked to testify against yourself). I think that one's flimsy, as it's not really a "testimonial" piece of evidence. 2) right to privacy. Even IF the government has the right to test you for illegal drugs as a condition of accepting state aid (and that's a big "if"), you have the right to privacy regarding the results they uncover. Say I piss in the cup willingly, and they're testing for illegal drugs. What if I'm on methadone, because i'm a recovering heroine addict? I've been clean for years, but the methadone will still register as a narcotic even though it's legal. Or even just prescription drugs. The government has no business knowing what medication I'm on just because I am applying for welfare. I like what they're trying to do, but the application is problematic. Eliminating welfare makes more sense than trying to "fix" it.

I would like to agree with you, but the government can't ask you to waive a fundamental constitutional right. Private parties (like employers) can though. Think of it in terms of fundamental right, other than privacy. The Gov't couldn't say, "hey, you can only accept welfare if you give up your right to free speech." That would be unconstitutional. But your employer can essentially do that. You talk badly about your company, and they fire you. The same is true of drug testing. There are different standards for legislation and private citizens. Yes, people are applying for welfare, but that doesn't mean the gov't can infringe upon their rights when applying conditions to that welfare program. I'm with Pauly on this one - just abolish welfare all together. The government is not supposed to be a charity. I think charity is a good thing; just not a good thing the government should be getting involved in.

Not sure if I ever posted pictures of the helmet I shot up... IF they're in decent shape, you can cut them in half and turn them into pretty cool garage art. cut-off wheel or band saw seems like it would be the best options. I have neither

so start a thread about some "bike and riding talk." Most 'busa riders think that doing 180 in a straight line is "riding," and wouldn't know real riding if it smacked them in the face

not a fair statement. depends entirely on what kind of race.

I was watching Top Gear last night, and they interviewed some British or Australian comedian who has 8 or 9 bikes. I'm wondering if this isn't the same guy... I'll have to check on his name.

ask them what they can do on an SV pipe. They can probably still get you a decent price. or check www.weraclassifieds.com lots of SV's are raced. Lots are crashed and parted out.

if you wanted an AR, but are leaning toward smaller caliber, why not buy the 10/22 "arch angel" someone has for sale on here? that's basically a cheap-to-shoot AR... I am by no means a firearms expert, but take a look at the cost of ammo, and the muzzle velocity. 17 HMR seems to pretty much explode inside whatever you hit, so small game is killed, but there's not much left of it to use for meat, or pelts. .22lr has approximately HALF the muzzle velocity of a 17 HMR, so it won't shoot as flat, but it will also preserve the game you hit. 223 is a whole different ballgame. Center-fire ammo. More expensive, slightly larger, and at least twice as fast out of the barrel. Kind of the best of both worlds between the 17 and the .22, but you pay the premium for it every time you pull the trigger.

looks like you guys have just about perfect weather today. Hope it's all going well!

Buy one made for an SV. back-pressure matters. If you get a pipe made for an I-4 bike, it's not going to be the same as one made for a V-twin with cylinders that are over twice as large. that's assuming the header lead-pipes are even the same size.

I agree completely with your last sentence, but I'm not sure we're on the same page regarding when others are being put at risk. No one here is going to tell you that you have to wear gear. Many of us will advise you that it's smarter to wear gear, but if you view that as "telling you what to do" rather than looking out for your best interest, I for one will keep my mouth shut on the subject. But any assertion that riding wheelies on public roads isn't putting others at risk is flatly false. There are hundreds of scenarios that put others at risk, namely your bike ghost-riding into another vehicle (or rider), or someone losing control or impacting another vehicle trying to avoid you or your bike if you should fall. If you're talking about truly abandoned roads, with spotters in place a mile away in each direction to ensure you don't encounter traffic, then I'm willing to cut you a little slack, and say "play at your own risk," but an abandoned parking lot is still much smarter. stay safe.

What kind of lap time is "flying" at Putnam?

really? No one?

I replied to this one when it was posted in Toledo. Found it through another forum. Flag it as spam. CL will block the IP address eventually.

well, I have mixed feelings about whether or not the change is a good thing. The result has been great for us as riders, becuase there's no pressure to go fast in a trackday environment. That's conducive to learning. On the flip-side, there are some fucking fast trackday guys. I've raced against "novices" who are control riders with NESBA. I will likely race against this guy Randy again this weekend. He did the race school about the same time I did. I was doing high 1:05's that day, and finishing pretty mid-pack. Randy started from the back of the grid, on a track he'd barely seen before, and proceeded to turn 1:03's the entire race. If not for getting buried at the start, he would have won. Is his a "novice?" Not really... But he's never raced before. Is that "fair" to me? Depends on how you look at it.

I did 5 trackdays on Bridgestone BT-45's. the second day, it rained all morning. I dragged my knee for the first time that afternoon. the track was dry by then, but the point is that sport touring tires are usually more capable than street conditions allow, and even do pretty well on the track. I imagine they would do even better during aggressive street riding, where there's more variety of turns, and more time for the tires to cool off between aggressively twisty sections of road.

eh, we'll see how I do. Last time I raced, I did 2 personal bests in the solo 20, then rode very average in the sprints. Bad starts are what killed me though, and I am going to be further back on the grid this time than I was last time... My goal for the weekend is to stay below the 1:05.5 mark in the races, and turn back-to-back 1:04's in each race. If I can register a 1:03, great. But my body position gremlins are probably more important in practice. My form was SHIT at Summit, and this is the first time I'll be back on the bike, so I am going to use the Sunday practice sessions to try to build some good habits.

Sounds right to me. Fitz, just suck it up and do the race school on Saturday. I'm racing Sunday. May show up Saturday, but we'll see.

Racing, and racing competitively are 2 different things. How you will place depends completely on who else shows up that day. Before trackdays existed, guys would literally ride to the track, tape up their bike, do the race school on Saturday, and race on Sunday. With no prior track experience. You can still do that, but it's a lot more likely that you'll be alone at the back of the pack. I've said this before, but my race school (at Nelson) had over a 20 second per lap differential between the fastest riders and the slowest riders. I waited until I was a fast "intermediate" or slower "advanced" rider (depending on the org) to go racing; but I honestly wish I'd done it sooner. You can look at lap times all you want, but yuo won't really know where you stack up until you get out and race. And don't fool yourself into thinking that "novice" means slow. I know at least a couple of guys who just didn't race until they got "bored" with trackdays. Both of them run very competitive "Expert" times with novice plates. The fastest novices are often quicker than the slowest experts. Come out to BeaveRun this weekend. Race school Saturday, race on Sunday. I'll be there

if your bike isn't faster than a freightliner dump truck, there is something terribly wrong with it; like you're dragging an anchor, or don't have any air in the tires.

I am not a fan of the stock virago wheels, so I'll just get that out there before I go any further. But I'm in the camp that thinks the fatter front tire will look better. How are the 16" rubber options? I've not looked, so that's my biggest concern. Do you have any indication how much this bike will weigh when you're done? I assume it's getting lighter, because it's a cafe racer, so 1 disk should be all you need. I just get concerned when people start adding un-sprung weight by putting on wider rims. As for the carb, $600 is too much to spend on a $600 bike. Either build your own, or find a single carb from another bike that you can buy cheap and modify to work with this one. /$.02 good luck!

I dunno about that... Lorenzo seems to be more mechanical about his riding. He just goes fast on every track, every time. His mid-corner speed is ridiculous. Spies is getting there, but I don't think he's quite at the same level as Jorge. Yet. From where I'm sitting, Stoner is the most skilled rider in the field, followed closely by Rossi and Lorenzo. Where Rossi has really shined the last couple of years is his ability to race in a smart manner. He sets up passes and manages position like no one I've ever seen (in my admittedly short time following pro racing). Spies seems to have good "race craft" knowledge, but he's still building that skill-set on the Bridgestones, and the 800. The commentators were pointing out yesterday that he doesn't hang his elbows anymore. He's riding like a "real" 800 rider now. I think changing back to 1000's will be a big help to Ben. at 165 lbs, he's one of the largest riders on the grid.

for $1400, hell yeah. I am surprised he's not asking at least $2,000. the only reason I'd hesitate is that I think i'd get tired of having to tell people that I didn't do the customization

Hayden was the only rider in the field on a Medium front tire. That's why he did the sparkle and fade. I didn't see footage of Rossi blowing T1, but a lack of front-end feel could cause that. For those who were at the race, you HAVE to see the footage of Stoner losing the front in T1, and saving it with his knee. In-Fucking-Sane. There are a lot of Stoner haters, but now that I'm seeing how difficult the Duc is with Rossi behind the bars, I'm blaming Stoner less and less for blaming the bike a lot in the past, and he is showing truly amazing skill. On the same bike on the same day, I would say Rossi is the better racer, but Stoner is the faster rider right now.

Rossi is still Rossi. He's had sub-par equipment all year, and Spies JUST passed him for 5th place in the championship points standings. I don't see how anyone could possibly argue that the bike isn't the problem. The only question in my mind is whether or not Ducati listens to the guy they'er paying so much, and makes changes to the 2012 liter bike. Next year is sort of a starting over point for all of the manufacturers. Racing could be more even than it has been in years. Only time will tell. Great ride by Spies yesterday though. I think he would have been a step up on the box if he hadn't gotten so banged up in the first 3 turns.