redkow97

so privately held companies shouldn't be allowed to charge the government for things? that's ridiculous. What the soldiers are or aren't doing when they reach their destination has nothing to do with Delta.

virtual rep noted and appreciated

if they're being reimbursed, i really don't see what the big deal is. If Delta has a contract w/ the military that specifies 4 bags, then Uncle Sam can sue Delta for breach of contract. Given how blatant the infraction seems, I bet a dollar Delta settles immediately, or just allows a default judgment against themselves to avoid any legal fees.

yeah, as much as I love NESBA, I would not call them the best for first-time track riders. I did 2 sessions and was convinced I sucked beyond sucking, and would never enjoy track riding. It all changed for me during my 3rd session when I got some one-on-one instruction. The rest is history. Ride your EX and enjoy it. I did 5 days on my EX, and it's a good tool to learn the basics of track riding without the danger of highsides or overwhelming speed. that said, I still managed to run off track once or twice by not knowing the layout at BeaveRun. T1 is lower than the front straight, so novices really need to be off the gas BEFORE they can see the turn. At least that's my excuse I may just not have been looking far enough down the track. so "will you crash?" That's almost totally up to you. There is no reason to crash at a trackday. I've never seen anyone go from 0-awesome their first day; so ease up and let things happen a little slower. It's safer to push yourself at the track, but it's certainly not required. Ultimately, the high of pushing a bit isn't worth the low of crashing ...at least not early on. For your first day, i would STRONGLY advise: - Riding your own bike. One less variable. - Full leathers, even if the org doesn't require them. Most places rent stuff DAMN cheap. - A small, and/or inexpensive track. First, the fewer turns you have to learn as a newb, the better. Second, a shorter track means more laps, and thus more practice at getting things right. Third, you're on a smaller bike, so a mile long straight is just boring, and higher speeds add to the potential for mistakes. With those things said, Nelson Ledges with MotoSeries or STT is cheap. BeaveRun is in good shape, and on the small side (also relatively cheap). Since you're in NW Ohio, consider Gingerman as well (don't look at the seams!). I have been told Grattan is great, but not easy to learn. If you can avoid a tough layout, you're going to have enough to worry about with your riding Along the same lines, I would skip Mid-Ohio for your first day. It's a world class facility, but fast, expensive, and garbage in the rain. Even with good weather, it would be like losing your virginity to Megan Fox; super fun, but ultimately you wouldn't know enough to really exploit the experience for all it's worth. it's too bad that Summit Point's Jefferson Circuit isn't closer. It's a smaller, tighter track. I've seen a motard keep up with an R1 there, so you're EX500 would be right at home, and as noted, you'd get a LOT more laps in.

love this topic. Have probably shared some of these before but: - walking up to my EX500, some guy asked me, "is it a 1000?" My only guess is that he thought because it's got dual pipes, it must be a 1000... - 25 yr old female coworker: "how fast can it go?" (i told her 120 down hill). "really? It won't do more like 150?" - 35 yr old male coworker: "how fast does it go?" (i told him 120 with a tail-wind.) "JESUS CHRIST! YOU CAN RIDE THAT THING ON THE INTERSTATE?" I guess he thought a 500 was too small(?) - random at a gas station: "what kind of gas mileage does your bike get?" Me: "realistically? 58 mpg or so if I do 5-10 over." random: "really? is that all?" (i guess 58mpg and the ability to do 0-60 in 5 seconds isn't a winning combo for that guy) - random in parking lot at work: "why'd you buy a crotch rocket instead of a harley?" I told the guy I look gay in a bandana. - guy fixing the wiring for my trailer hookup on our new car last year, after I mentioned the trailer was going to be used to tow my bike around. "I used to have a 750. sold it to my brother." Seems like EVERYONE likes to tell me about the bike they used to have. His was stretched, and make "200 horsepower." sure. - Mexican guy who was friends with the guy who lived below me when I rented IN Cleveland, commenting on my browns painted F2 in the bed of my truck: "you taking it to a show?" No, a race (with this guy's limited mastery of the English language, trying to explain a trackday was going to be like punching myself in the nuts). "ooh. So you take it to a lot of shows?" My bike was (is) COVERED in scratches, scuffs, bugs, etc... - woman in our Phoenix accounting office who found out I ride, and her husband works at MMI (or some similar mechanic's school): "so i heard you race? like with jumps and stuff?" No, i don't have a dirt bike, I road-race. "...like on a drag strip?" No, on a full race track. "...like an oval?" No, left AND right turns, like what Formula 1 cars drive on. she still doesn't get it.

I just got back from a 4 day vacation in the Anaheim/L.A. area, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much riding gear I saw. Yes, CA has a strict helmet law, but virtually every rider I saw was also wearing gloves, a jacket, and appropriate footwear. I saw 1 rider in shorts, and maybe 2 without jackets. It was unseasonably cool out there (low 70's - warmer in Cleveland than L.A.), but it was still surprising.

odd as it may sound, the 600RR really made the F4i a better street bike. It's a shame there wasn't a bigger market for it to keep it around longer, or some variation thereof. Europe still gets the Hornet, I believe. The US could use that kind of model. Honda would have something to compete against the likes of the FZ6.

I'd prefer police and fire personnel spend their time saving people who WANT to live.

I was intentionally vague in my earlier post, but I agree with you. There's a LITTLE grey area here, because it's not at all improbable that the guy was mentally ill, but that's me speculating. If that's the case, then he's significantly less able to take care of himself, and deserves more societal care, but we don't know. Even then, charity is not a fundamental right. It's not Uncle Sam's responsibility to save everyone, whether they're drowning, or just on welfare. While the police and fire fighters may have stood by and watched this guy drown, I don't think they would have (or could have) stopped someone else from trying. I hear an awful lot of people saying, "they should have __________," and yet none of those people telling the firefighters what they should have done did anything themselves. "but I'm not trained to rescue people from the bay!" Neither are the firefighters. That's the fucking point!

they're outnumbered 5,000:1, so I think they're pretty realistic about what is and isn't a problem. "security" was a joke. They barely even looked at our tickets as we walked in. Definitely didn't scan them. Didn't check coolers or bags at all. I'm am 100% certain that there were handguns, knives, and many other types of weapons present. I am also certain that I saw 0 fights or any altercations between spectators, or with police. The worst I witnesses was people stumbling around drunk, but they weren't really causing anyone problems but themselves. I thanked several officers on my way back to the car.

The physics make what he was trying to do virtually impossible. Even if the bike hadn't plowed him forward, he was holding onto the bars. The rear wheel isn't connected to the bars by any laterally rigid object. The best he could have hoped for was the rear tire stepping out to one side as the bike rotates at the steering head, around the front wheel. More likely, he would have created a stationary tank-slapper as the bike bounced back and forth between the steering stops.

^ it's only funny because it's true. The unions demand demand demand, then exploit exploit exploit. The only time they do SHIT is when they want something. My buddy supervises union workers at what used to be LTV Steel. Early in his tenure there, the union rep came in and implied that productivity might slip if they didn't get what they wanted. His (veteran) coworker cleared things up for him. "Russ, you just got threatened with a slow down." His response: "THEY CAN WORK SLOWER!?"

P.S. - any mods want to move this into the Politics forum where it belongs? "Rides and Events." Ha.

unions have always pissed me off, and I really do (generally) support the police, but there was some Captain on the radio bitching to Triv on 1100 a few months ago about how 'this will force them to lay off officers based on merit instead of seniority.' Ummmm... okaaaay... Where's the fucking problem? You mean the good cops will get to keep their jobs, and the bad ones won't be protected just because they've got a lot of time in? Sounds GREAT to me! Now I get it; I don't want Detective Seniority laid off and Cadet Incompetent to keep his job just because the former makes $68k and the latter makes a much more budget-friendly $40k, but unions have been too greedy for too long. They've overstepped useful and reasonable negotiations, and it's about time the government did something to keep them in check.

Interested to see who shows up for this. There are a lot of blue-collar riders who would take a bullet for the union (as long as they weren't on break), and probably almost as many rich posers who ride 200 miles a year, but like these sort of events to they can feel like "a real biker."

This was at the Brecksville Rec Center last week - I totally forgot to attend. The guy presenting is Matt Brakey, who ran for Cuyahoga County Council, and is also a classmate of mine at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. I don't agree with all of Matt's political views, but I agree with him a LOT more often than I disagree with him. http://www.dailypaul.com/166275/ron-paul-powerpoint-stuns-republican-club

if you're looking for the 600 with the most power, just buy a 2006+ GSXR 750. 15 more lbs than a 600, and about 30 more hp... you seem pretty concerned with horsepower though. I'd be more interested in cost of spares. with that said, 2004+ GSXR, or 2006+ R6. Others with more track experience than myself can refute or substantiate my take, but I'm really of the opinion that there aren't a lot of tracks in the area that can accommodate a 1000's hp advantage. Yes, you will accelerate harder on a 1000 than a 600 in virtually any situation, but I don't think you'd ever use 6th gear unless you make the 9+ hour drive to Road America. Mid-Ohio's back straight are the highest speeds I've encountered, and even geared down -1/+2, I barely tick the rev limiter in 6th if I get a good drive out of the keyhole. I figure I do about 145mph there. A good rider might get up to 160 on a 1000, but like I said, that still wouldn't be 6th gear...

I question any claim of "sport" where there is subjective scoring. speed skating, yes. figure skating, no. ski jump, yes. "aerials" skiing, no. racing motorcycles, yes. stunting motorcycles, no. Just because something is difficult and takes a lot of skill doesn't make it a "sport." Some activities are just games, or tricks, or 'art forms.' The only place I get a little conflicted is in boxing, when there's not a knockout. Clearly that's a sport when there's a definitive winner, but I don't like the idea of people being able to argue over who "really" won a decision.

^ I have a very similar picture of my buddy's fiancee. The major difference is that she's 26 in the picture.

I believe a society is defined and evaluated by the steps we take to help those who are unable to help themselves. People who are perfectly able, but make no attempt to help themselves don't fall into that category. You can lead a horse to water...

we just sat and drank for at least an hour after the race. The 15 mile drive to the track took us almost 3 hours. Luckily the Indianapolis PD didn't feel the need to enforce open container or public intox laws on the way in.

because you should be looking down track or through the turn. Your speedometer doesn't dictate when you brake or accelerate, your reference points do (or should). Plus when you're first learning, you really don't want to get it in your head that "I take turn X at 55mph," or you'll always be scared to go faster than that. My speedometer isn't taped over, but the ONLY time I look at it is if I'm bored on a straightaway; like accelerating in 4th gear, when I know I'm going to get to 6th before I need to brake.

what Jbot said. I wouldn't modify the bike (permanently) at all. It's not an ideal bike to learn on, but it can still teach you a lot. Plus it will make you really appreciate how well a 600 handles if you choose to move to one.

the wing looks silly, but I like it otherwise. I'd have to see the price tag though. BMW's 1 series was a car I wouldn't have minded owning, until i saw that it's basically just as expensive as a 3 series, but far less useful...

simple way to end this argument: "we need to cut $xx,xxx,xxx next year, and we'd like the police to decide whether or not that money should come out of front license plates, or by laying off law enforcement officers." if they collect more in tickets than it costs to make the front plates though, the argument quickly falls apart. Traffic citations are a MAJOR source of city income. Think about how many $35 parking tickets a meter maid can write in an hour. Then consider how much they get paid. I'm betting it's $25/hour for supervisors, which is still too much, but my point is that the city profits even if the meter maid does jack shit all day and writes 1 ticket an hour.