redkow97

I never got Harry's lap timer to work for me. Mess using an iPhone 4 with an external GPS unit. I would not call it "easy." You need to be at an existing track, or input your own test track in your neighborhood to really play with it.

joking aside, I really liked the feel of the newer GSX-R models at the IMS. I have never been a fan of the "on top of" feeling the R6 provides. the GSX-R is a nice middleground between the the "in" feeling of a CBR and "on" feeling of an R6. I'm not anti kawasaki, Triumph, etc. - just not as big of a used market, it seems.

Ron's experience is a scenario everyone should be aware of before purchasing without a title, but with that said, it is very difficult to prove what someone else knew, beyond a reasonable doubt. You want to avoid buying a stolen bike for ethical reasons, if not legal reasons, and the hassle would suck - but it's not terribly likely that you'd actually be convicted unless there were clear signs that you were intentionally ignorant of the bike's origin. I I have never seen a ground-off VIN plate at the track. Stolen or not, that's illegal.

For some reason I thought this was already addressed on the BMV website you had to wait an absurd amount of time - like 3 light cycles, but there has always been a provision to address malfunctioning traffic lights, whether it was for a motorcycle or not. The intersection of pleasant valley and 21 (which tons of bikes hit on their way to QSL) wouldn't change for me many times. I used to work at the office building on the southeast corner of that intersection, so I rode there daily for a couple of years.

The GPS timers are badass, because they can tell you exactly where you're losing time. Especially if you get someone faster to run some hot laps for comparison. i have an XT ultra. The cheap moto D timers aren't bad for what they cost.

Double post

Friday was new bike day. Framed Minnesota 3.0 i can't really call installing pedals a modification, but I grabbed standard aluminum platforms with adjustable traction screws. Today I swapped the stock grips for a pair of Ergon GS-1 weight distributing grips. Holy shit. Huge difference. Hands used to go numb within 5-10 miles, if not a lot less. Today I rode 20 miles with minimal numbness, and I don't even have them adjusted properly yet. I think they're angled a tad high. :-)

how did someone kill a Honda engine????

still trying to drink lots of water. down 7 lbs. (total), so 4 more since my last post.

That's awesome to hear. Everything on the rental gun feels ...loose to me. Probably just the light slide and weak spring, so the 22lr can actually get it to blow-back. Other than the weird feel, I love the way it shoots. And it looks pretty damn cool too. Especially for a 22.

I shoot the SR22 a lot out of the rental case, but the stories of malfunctions after a few thousand rounds had me hesitant to buy one...

I started drinking a gallon of water a day at work (or trying to, anyway), laying off weekday beers, and cycling twice a week. I'm down 3 lbs. this week. My friend who cycles seriously claims I'll drop below 160 if I really stick to improving as a rider. I can't remember the last time I was below 170, and I'm under 175 right now... I'm not working out to lose weight, per se, but if it keeps me looking better, cool.

Enter a race. Realizing how much i suck at something motivates me to improve. I couldn't train on the road full-time, but off road seems to be really entertaining. I have only gotten out on the trail once so far, but the initial result was highly encouraging. I can see it being a lot like riding on a racetrack. At my current pace and (marginal) fitness level, it's already fun. As my fitness and technique improve, the challenges change, but they never completely go away. You can always get stronger, brake later, and accelerate earlier. bad time of year to be getting into cycling, but it checks a lot of boxes for me: 2-wheels, competition, fitness, and cheap. I mean, bikes aren't cheap, but you're not exactly blowing through tires or spending much at all on race fees. Even an expensive bicycle costs less than a cheap motorcycle after a year or two of racing both. Plus the cycling crowd seems to be way into drinking IPAs and eating tacos.

I'll end up with whichever bike presents itself at the best price. I've been watching a ton of Seth's Bike Hacks on YouTube, so the MTB itch is strong right now, but realistically, I'm more likely to be towing my kid(s) around in the trailer on the paved park paths more often.

26" hardtail with a CX bike may be the route I end up taking. Not sure which one I would buy first though. I think I can sell my wife on it be telling her "the seat on the MTB will drop enough for you to ride it when we take the girls out in the bicycle trailer." That's technically true - and my wife's only marginally shorter than me anyway. So it's 'her' bike too. Sure. Riiiight. ...she's totally not going to buy that. I'm going to have to hide one (or both) bikes in the shed.

full suspension is completely off the table for me. It's just not a cost-effective option (for me). I may be getting advice from people who are a little TOO hardcore about this stuff.

...i'm totally going to end up with an MTB that is worth more than my XR100...

My friend who does this stuff all the time is already talking me into two bikes... His logic is as follows: A CX bike will allow me to (properly) do CX events, and train/race on pavement at a respectable pace. He's advocating for a second bike to pull trail duty. This is where the issue gets complicated and potentially expensive... I will not spend $3k on a used full suspension bicycle. Not until I'm finding the limits of something less capable. I could probably afford an entry level hardtail 'plus' bike, or a rigid fat-tire bike for trail duty ...but it's not like I'm going to immediately crash and die if I take the current rigid 26er through the trails a few times to make sure I enjoy it as much as I expect to. With that said, I do understand that not having suspension will result in me feeling pretty beat up (potentially). I'm not spending any money until after christmas, but my short list of possible upgrades are, new (fatter) grips for 'suspension' help, possibly larger tires (I'll have to see if this is possible on the existing rim), and I could get a set of more road-biased tires for this bike at some point as well. If offroad stuff is appealing, I'll probably buy a seat dropper post, which could easily be transferred to another bike in the future.

I'm hard-pressed to disagree with you. This is what I feared when it became clear that the new owner doesn't intend to operate the track as a business. I'm not saying he won't still allow private (racing) events, but it doesn't appear the intention will be to profit from said rental revenue. Supplemental income only.

I keep telling myself I won't buy a bike until I'm actually riding JB's more consistently... I don't suppose my backyard CX track counts

I went a couple of years ago and have been meaning to make it back. As a total newb, there are definitely things you can still have fun with. If you get there early on a Saturday, it's mostly empty, and you can screw around on stuff that's out of your league. I retreated to the beginner room around 11:30, and even that is pretty fun. You can hit the same loop over and over, and take "breaks" by doing a loop of the building, and comign back to the beginner room. Regular price (with bike rental) was only $35 or so. cheaper than go karts, and as much fun. I could have played a lot longer if I was in better shape.

I shot a judge at the range. 1 shot. It was an early model, and the wadding would sometimes prevent the cylinder from rotating, rendering an otherwise dead-nuts-reliable design flawed. There are shorter 410 shells now, specifically to prevent that issue. On new Judge models, they also made the cylinder longer, so the issue is alleviated on standard 410 rounds. If you're going to be buying personal defense 410 rounds anyway (the ones with the little smarty-sized disks rather than buck), I doubt the shorter ones are hard to come by. If you're just going to be sticking standard bird shot into a judge though, you'll want a newer model. This is all per the report of the guy who owned the one I shot, btw. He's a police officer, and leaves the Judge in his personal vehicle.

I am probably just high on my first race experience, but I can't stop looking at bikes and thinking about riding right now. PMs coming your way.

I'm sure you're right, but how did the 'new' owner not anticipate these things, or work some clause into the sale contract that puts the previous owners on the hook for a portion of the remediation costs? I hope the guy got a great deal if it's really turning into a lot more expense than he bargained for... Any land sale contract without a "parachute" clause should be cheap cheap cheap.

I don't understand what they could be encountering that the owner didn't anticipate. It's not like the tires were hidden. There are a lot of 'unseen' property regulations (things like disturbing or redirecting waterways and run-off), but still - who buys a fucking road course without checking into that??? I'm a bit worried this guy may be having some buyer's remorse now that he's seeing actual costs of ownership. PIRC is doing something right. If I have any concern for them, it's that they're sinking too much money into it too quickly. Fingers crossed that the MotoAmerica round is a big winner for them. Speaking of that, who was it that offered up their (parents'?) property as an ORDN camp ground for the weekend? I may have to bring my oldest with me in order to spend an entire weekend away from home, but I'd give it a try...