redkow97

Daniel Tosh does a similar bit about being male. "I'm not saying it's bad to be a woman; at least not in American where men are up here (holds hand above head) and women are here (holds hand a few inches lower). But in countries where men are up here (holds hand above head again), Woman are here (hand below waste) and cats are up here (hand eye level), it sucks balls. don't kid yourself."

^ I think Monte had some (legitimate) safety concerns about Nelson too, but now that you mention it, I do remember him having promised Carrol's late husband the he wouldn't book dates at Nelson. With Todd running that show and focusing more on racing than trackdays, it seems like the timing is right.

nice ride. I would seriously consider looking into the GS500 for a month or so before setting out on that 636 though. too much temptation for someone used to slow-ass cars! hahaha - only joking. I still like cars; bikes are just a lot more affordable. Be careful on the 636. The bike looks like it's in really good shape, and you want to keep it (and yourself) that way. There are a lot more ways to wreck a bike than wreck a car, and the bike makes a lot of them very easy. The GS500 would eliminate a few of those ways to wreck. it's never going to wheelie by accident or spin the rear wheel; lifting the rear wheel would be a LOT harder to do, and while it probably weighs about the same as the 636, having ridden both bikes, I can tell you right now that the 500 feels a lot lighter, and is definitely physically smaller and easier to handle.

Just to avoid any internet confusion, I have never had a problem with Monte or Bonnie on a personal level. I've disagreed with Monte on a few things, but he's never done anything to deserve any disrespect from me, and I hope my post wouldn't have been read that way (Monte still lurks, right?). Any positive comments made about Richard and the new ownership group are just that. Frankly, even when Monte and I had completely polarized opinions on a given issue (or track), I don't recall him ever telling me I was "wrong," only why he disagreed with me. Plus he and Bonnie have grayhounds, so they've gotta be good people

damn. wish there was audio. I had Speed on at the gym on Friday, and they were doing the top 10 NASCAR close calls. That would have rivaled any of them. To see the driver just get up and walk away is nuts...

well, the Kentucky guy seems legit, and sent me a phone quality picture this morning. I would be worried about the guy ripping me off, but he just told me, "I can't ship it 'til Wednesday, but just give me your address. Once you make sure it works, send me a check." Seemed like a straight-shooter on the phone too. I think I just totally fell into a good deal.

that is what I was referring to. WERA doesn't require it, but if I want my laps to be listed online under my name, I would have to pay it. I guess it's something I could do later. More good news is that someone replied to my "WTB" thread last night gotta call the guy at lunch!

yeah, i think I've seen that by accident, but it's definitely a good resource for any part. At this point, I'm strongly considering just buying new from WERA. If I can't get one for $300 or damn close to it, the $40 transfer/registration fee suddenly means i'm only getting a 10 or 15% discount for a used item. New just starts making a lot more sense, no matter how much it hurts the old pocket-book.

cost?

well I called Wayne last week and he already had a buyer. Same day it was listed. Still in the market if anyone sees a rechargeable unit in the ~$300 range.

Wow, Monte's out and Nelson Ledges is on the schedule that quickly? I like this Richard guy already!

my answer to #2 is that I personally haven't drilled through both sides in all cases, but it can make things easier to pull the proper direction. it really depends on what bolt it is when considering if you NEED it. the wiring should always pull "tighter," but it's less important in some places than others. brake caliper bolts don't really need to be torqued down; they just need to not fall out, so if those turn left a quarter inch, it's not going to cause a problem. triple-tree bolts are load-bearing, and I want to be damn sure those stay at 17 top, and 20 bottom. My safety depends on it. Same with axles. The torque specs matter, so I insist that those wires pull the proper direction, and will drill a second set of holes if I need to.

if you wanna PM me some vague details, I wouldn't want you to disclose anything that you'd want to keep confidential later, but I have some basic contracts experience. I got the high A in my first semester contracts class, and won the Frank L. Bartak Memorial Fund Award for Excellence in the field of Contracts the following semester (slipped to an A-). I didn't know that was a big deal until I saw practicing attorneys listing it in their online profiles. I must reiterate, I am NOT an attorney, but I might be able to help you spend less time talking to an attorney, racking up billable hours.

yes. find a convenient pass-off point, and it's all yours for a couple weeks. I work in Independence and live in Parma. I'm also at CSU Monday-thursday by 5:30. I'll even toss you a couple of bits to get started. I have like 12 of them at home. I need a WERA tech inspector to look at my bike to be sure, but I'm fairly certain I'm done drilling. Need to buy some silicone for brake pad pins though. Ironically, nothing is actually wired on my bike right now, because I still need to swap all my fluids, brake pads, and tires before riding

didn't you get out of the trackday thing to save money?

the bit jig is perfect for caliper bolts and stuff like that - the only place it falls short is larger stuff like axles; especially when you need to drill through the corner of the bolt.

this. never give anyone anything without a receipt. You need to be able to prove you ever gave them the shotgun for them to feel any need to find it...

the wiring is pretty easy to get good at after a couple of tries. A few things no one has mentioned yet: - always start with more wire than you think you'll need. using 6" once is better than using 4" twice. - after putting the wire through your first bolt and folding it in half, pull it to your anchor point (or next bolt) and lock on the wiring pliers THERE. This prevents the need to un-twist anything when you go to lock it into the anchor point, etc. - over-twisting will result in snapping the wire - it doesn't need to be super-duper tight, just pretty tight. The drilling is what I actually think is harder. Keep a good supply of bits on hand. Harbor freight sells 10-packs of the 1/16 bits. keeping the bit lubricated (cool) will also keep it from breaking as quickly. If you have any intention of doing more than a couple small bolts, buy (or borrow) a drilling jig like this. It holds the bolt perfectly in place, and keeps your bit totally straight so you don't drill further than you need to, and remain perpendicular to the bolt head.

"upgrading" to larger tires can really eff with your hill-climbing ability with 2 bikes in an enclosed trailer. my buddy Mike (Chevy Tahoe w/ the 5.3) and I had our bikes in his 6x12 enclosed (~1,300 trailer, ~1,000 bikes, ~400 lbs. generator, gas, cooler, etc., so under 3k total), and it STRUGGLED on some of the hills in Canada. I was surprised. the tach stayed around 5,000 RPM a lot longer than I would have expected. Definitely something to consider before you install larger tires. If the truck isn't flinching now, then you're probably fine, but larger tires kill towing capacity.

if the difference between $100 and $220 isn't a big deal to you, I would say Ruger 10/22 hands down. If that extra cash is a strong consideration, then that $99 marlin deal is pretty sweet. the big advantage with the 10/22 is that there are accessories for it EVERYWHERE. Mags, frames, etc. The marlin is a tube-feed, no? Still a standard 10-shot, but no ability (that i'm aware of) to put a larger capacity mag on.

those kids make me smile my stupid face off. I was at Putnam with Kaleb DeKeyrel (http://www.dekeyrelracing.com/), and during the riders' meeting they asked "who traveled the furthest to get here?" Kaleb had come from Minnesota, and they gave him a free hat. I remember sarcastically muttering, "great, the kid is already going to be faster than me, and now they're giving him a free hat too..." I was 100% joking, and everyone who heard my comment laughed, but later that day; after I had seen Kaleb on track quite a bit, Kaleb came over to my pit and offered me the hat he'd won. I should have made the kid sign it and accepted it, but obviously I told him I had only been joking, and that he should keep his hat and instead tow me around a couple of laps. Again, I was joking, but his dad came over and told me they were going to send Kaleb out on the Moriwaki 250 he races in the USGPRU and that if I really wanted a tow, I should get my helmet on ASAP. So i followed the kid. I ended up being a couple seconds a lap faster, but I did follow him for 5 or 6 laps and just kept it in 4th gear on the straight to avoid passing him. Lord knows there were places where i needed my horsepower advantage to make up ground I'd lost through the turns, but what I really enjoyed was seeing the instructors accommodate kaleb on his smaller bike. He was every bit as talented as the other riders on the track, but making a pass stick when you're giving up 70+ horsepower isn't easy. Frankly, it was a privilege to watch, and like I said, I couldn't stop smiling. I had no clue who Kaleb was until I got back home and pulled up his name on the internet. He's just a regular kid. If anything, he's better behaved than most kids his age. He rode like an adult all day, then played like a kid in the paddock when the day was over. Again, I couldn't stop smiling. It doesn't even need to be a secret for me - I definitely want to be like those kids on the 125's and 250's.

eh, i said it on the WERA beeb, and I'll say it here: Herrin made a bad riding mistake, and a worse comment afterward. He's a 20 yr old kid with a lot to learn about how he handles himself in the public eye, but at his age (and probably now) I did/do too. Herrin's got a short history of making the wrong call. How he is remembered is yet to be seen, but I hope it's as a tough but clean racer and a fierce competitor. I don't think he owed anyone an apology but the other riders involved. the rest is just damage control for his sponsors. I've met Josh a total of 1 time for about 20 seconds, so the rest of my perception of him is based on TV and facebook. Obviously I don't "know" Josh Herrin. To presume that a couple racing incidents and 1 stupid comment give a clear picture of who JH is would be almost as foolish as thinking I "know" 'KTM-Brian' based on what he posts on forums. see you (or at least your rear wheel) at the track.

ok good - I saw the track bike for sale, and your XD, and my first reaction was, "shit... I hope he didn't lose his job, or some family member isn't terminally ill or something." (that's what it would take to get my trackbike and firearms on the market btw )

ah damnit! I would've paid cash this weekend. You're selling off a lot of stuff lately. I hope you're sinking a lot of money into that Ultraglide and nothing crazy is happening.

Welcome back. Now go tell Josh Herrin how to apologize on a forum ;-)