redkow97

the spreadsheet takes that into account - that's why it asks for the average gas mileage of your bike AND your car. The entire thing is a function of savings per mile, assuming that you are taking the bike listed INSTEAD of the car listed.

I could swear that Ohio law classifies knives by blade length, OR overall length when un-folded. for example, i believe any blade longer than 3", or a knife with an overall length of 7" is considered a "concealed weapon" rather than simply a pocket knife. that's me recalling off-the-cuff though, so certainly don't take that as the gospel truth.

he could have admitted to being drunk, or he could have been drunk when they pulled him over regarding the video. Could even have had an outstanding DUI that they just tacked on...

Perhaps I should add in another variable for your bikes current (realistic) fair-market value as well. Assuming you can sell your bike for $3,000 in relatively short-order, I suppose it is not a 'sunk cost,' and could/should be subtracted from the initial purchase cost. Does that sound like a necessary change? It would dramatically drop the mileage figure to break even.

You saved money by not buying a car; not by purchasing a bike. The scenario addressed in the spreadsheet is only relative between the 2 vehicles entered. As noted in the first post, my coworker was trying to claim that his bike pays for itself because it gets better mileage than his F150. First of all, he doesn't ride more than a few times a month, so he's going in with no chance in hell. Second, he's not saving NEARLY as much as he thinks he is. I'm not telling anyone their bike purchase was a bad idea - but "it pays for itself" just isn't a valid argument for 99% of the riders I encounter.

It takes a LOT of miles to save anywhere near $125 a week. Your example is totally unrealistic. Even with gas at $5/gallon, if your truck gets 15mpg and your bike gets 60mpg, you're only saving $.25 per mile. $125/$.25 = 500 miles a week. A normal week for me (commuting and other errands) is under 200 miles. I'm probably on the low end, but you have to more than double my driving to even get close to losing $0. The only way to actually save money is some combination of at least 2 of the following variables: - gas prices go up a LOT (increasing your savings per mile) - having a really long commute (increasing the multiplier for the savings per mile) - having a dirt-cheap bike (making your deficit to get back to $0 spent small) - the bike saving you money in some form other than MPG (i.e. free parking)

that's pretty damn funny. I want to make it up to RA some time. Not sure if it will be this year or next though

uh, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but the last thing any man needs is to be stuck on a boat with 30 pregnant chicks. add "6,000,000 months worth of birth control" to the packing list, and I'm in.

^ I'm sure there is some kind of non-compete agreement with HD that expires after 2 years, and requires that whatever he's selling not have been in development prior to the split. supporting racers isn't HD's gig, so they didn't care about that. Selling to the public is their gig (although I can't believe there's a lot of overlap in their markets), but it appears HD has been relatively un-douchey about letting Erik keep his doors open.

My dad works for Progressive, and when I bought my first bike he brought home the results of some survey they did of all their MC customers. sportbike, cruiser, adventure bike; it didn't matter, something like 88% of riders checked "freedom" as one of the primary reasons they ride a motorcycle. If you watch the commercials, HD's and Progressive's advertising beats that to death.

*** I should add up-front that every mile counted needs to be traveled on the bike INSTEAD of taking your car/truck. Pleasure rides obviously don't save you money. The equation takes cost per mile for both vehicles, and then subtracts the difference to get 'savings per mile.' If anyone is wondering, the average driver puts about 13,000 miles a year on their vehicle.

I was talking to my coworker about his FZ6R, and he claims "it pays for itself" in fuel savings over his F150 4x4. I whipped up the following to illustrate exactly how long it's going to be before he actually saves a dime... This is without factoring in any interest paid on a financed bike. You can put your own numbers in the shaded boxes and calculate how many miles you have to ride your bike and park your cage for the bike to actually be a money saving proposition. this is relatively simple, and obviously does not count for every variable. It also assumes that the cost of gas will remain constant for the entire time you're riding. Estimate an average. I think it still gives a good general idea of how many miles you need to rack up. the numbers currently entered are basic figures for my old EX500 and my 4.0 liter ranger. the biggest flaw in the calculator is that as you figure in the number of years required to cover the given distance, it multiplies your insurance, and adds to the mileage you need to cover. It's entirely possible that some people will not ride enough miles to even cover their yearly cost of insurance, thus they will NEVER be able to put a high enough figure in B17. You may add a year, and then the mileage increases to the point that you need to add another year. You're in a catch-22 where the bike is never going to be a break-even proposition.

stop posting stuff like this. I don't know why, but I love the Judge. Just love track riding more lately Maybe this winter.

For commuting with the occasional "spirited" ride, the EX650 is probably better than the SV650. Should get a few ticks better at the pump as well. Nothing against SV's at all. I've never heard anyone who owned one have anything bad to say about them.

not very. I've done it by accident in my parents' garage. The way I phrased my post wasn't ideal. I specified lateral forces, but did so right after mentioning knocking of a mirror OR kicking a car door. The force required for removing a mirror could be exerted in any direction parallel to the car's direction of travel. Kicking in the door requires that the force be perpendicular. Even so, I don't see how retaliating makes the situation better. Might make you feel better for a moment, and i'm not saying a I'm above such an act, but if all it does is piss off the cager MORE, you've successfully taken someone who accidentally almost killed you, and turned them into someone who now definitely wants to at least hurt you intentionally - and guess what? Removing their mirror hasn't made their car or truck any less lethal, or your motorcycle any more protected.

how much did your bike cost you? what about insurance and riding gear? a few grand buys a lot of gas, even at $4/gallon. having a gas guzzling truck that's parked instead, a long commute, and cheaper parking due to the bike is the only way i've seen a bike actually save anyone money.

possibly the dumbest thing you've ever posted. there are multiple people on this board who have rescued dogs, and some who actively work with rescue organizations. Of course none of us know what we're talking about, and the 19 yr old who has had the dog "for a few months" knows more about the subject than we do.

this is consistent with my experiences too. Maybe I've just got a likable vibe about me or something... As for knocking off mirrors and kicking in car doors, I would be careful about exerting lateral force (i.e. kicking a car door) while riding. You're on an object balanced on 2 wheels. Yeah, the gyroscopic effect of the wheels, and the 400 lbs. mass of the bike provides some resistance, but kicking sideways is much more likely to simply push you away from the car than push the car's door in. frankly, I find such accounts difficult to believe. As for those advocating tossing objects backward at vehicles, I would caution you about hitting other vehicles not involved. In a best case scenario, those people are calling the police to report the douche already. In a worst case scenario, they do nothing. Making things worse by having them calling the cops on YOU, because you just dropped a ball bearing through their windshield isn't going to help you much. on low hp bikes, braking (obviously chekc your mirrors first) will get you away from another vehicle faster than trying to out accelerate them.

I only have the orange plugs, but ya, I agree that the earmuffs need to be purchased sooner than later. my .22 is fine with just hte orange plugs, but the 400 lbs. guy in the stall next to me, shooting a damn S&W 460 at a target 6 feet away doesn't care that I've only got a .22 He literally caused the light bulb in his range stall to burn out. The shock wave was crazy every round.

how old are you? I said that in college too. I remember telling them to put 165 lbs. on my drivers license when I turned 21 (March of 2004), and thinking "it's cool - i'll get there soon." I graduated about a year later weighing 187 (May of 2005). It takes lots of working out, protein powder, and consciously trying to eat tons of protein (mostly chicken, tuna, and freezer pizza), but if I can gain weight, anyone can. PM me if you really want to have this discussion - I've been thinking about getting a carry permit, and the logistics of actually carrying are something I've been thinking about as recently as this morning. Definitely didn't want to derail the thread. Bersas seem like nice guns. I've read good things.

that's a good point. I wonder how many bikes are effected and how many people have actually crashed because of this. there could be a class-action suit. they'd at least get a recall issued, and probably some settlement money for the victims. That takes a lot of actual accidents that you can PROVE were caused by this (claimed) design flaw. ...i really hope I can make a living purely on MC related law.

truth. The woman who owns The Mutt Hutt has 5 dobermans. I haven't met all of them, but 3 were home when her house was broken into. Whoever got in was damn lucky he picked the right day. Becca usually rotates which ones she takes to work with her. They're all well behaved dogs, but 2 of them are definitely more protective than the other 3. one of the "protective" ones is also a certified 'K9 good citizen.' Jimmy Dean (they're all named after foods) does a weekly story-time with young kids. It's all about the situation.

I tend to agree. Once the danger has passed, and you are no longer directly in harm's way, use of deadly force is no longer self-defense, but retaliation. I'm a firearms novice w/o a concealed carry permit, but I could have sworn the 'rule' is "don't pull your gun unless you need to use it." In the moment, yes. When you're stopped, up 2-1, wearing a helmet, and the guy's got a tire iron? definitely not.

lots of misinformation being tossed around here. Of course you can argue either side of a confrontation, but here's how I see it: the rider made an illegal pass. This is a traffic violation, and not aggressive in any way toward the truck driver. the truck driver reacted by attempting to run the rider off the road. That act makes the driver the "aggressor." The bike fled, and the truck pursued. That still makes the truck driver the aggressor. Arguably, the rider tried to escape the situation and end it. The truck driver proceeds to break the law about 35 times (each time tires touch a solid yellow, that's a lane violation. bike: 1, truck:30+). Once they stop, you could TRY to argue that the riders "confronted" the driver by approaching his vehicle. You could also argue that they merely stopped trying to retreat, because stopping was safer than continuing to be chased at that pace on that road. IF the riders became the aggressors when they approached the vehicle, the driver reclaimed aggressor status by brandishing the tire iron. That is absolutely a weapon. I do not know if it would be considered a "deadly" weapon though. Obviously it could be, but I honestly think that depends on if he strikes for the head or not. With helmets on, he could argue that it was never a deadly weapon. At no time did I hear the riders curse at or threaten the driver, whereas the driver was obviously quite agitated. Being the calm one is usually not a sign of being the aggressor. I don't believe the riders responded with even equal force (or the threat thereof), let alone greater force. (responding with greater force makes you the new aggressor). ...but because no physical confrontation ever took place, this is all kind of moot. Being the aggressor versus on the defense only matters if you are trying to claim "self defense" as your reason for committing an otherwise criminal act. The riders didn't (that I saw). So hell yeah, turn the tape into the police and take the traffic violation if they want to nail the guy. I would say he can easily be charged with a handful of aggrevated assault counts, and maybe attempted vehicular manslaughter. I'd have to consult the laws to see where the behavior fits.

I can't believe everyone is overlooking the first guy's comment at :16 into the video. "I like it just because it's Harley Davidson." Well good; I'm glad you don't like it for the performance, because apparently it wobbles to death at random speeds.