redkow97

hard to generalize without seeing the piano and the guys. I was 148 lbs in high school, and could lift the music-room piano on or off a dolly with one or two other kids. I was 190 lbs, and a LOT stronger in college, with 3 other guys who were at least as big as i was, and we had a bitch of a time moving my parents' slightly larger, but much older piano down 3 steps from one room to another. I think it would be judicious to have too much manpower versus too little...

when someone has a vested financial interest in the product they're "reviewing," it calls their credibility and motivation into question. Whether or not that's fair is certainly debatable, and the fact that (as Brian pointed out) we all know Brian is employed by KTM removes the vast majority of the "shady" factor. Even so, I think it should be expected that positive comments about a product or service you or your employer offer will be treated as an advertisement. If I was raving about how great the software my company sells is, how would it come across? Brian's sincerity removes any sinister intent, but it doesn't change the effect of his post.

hahaha 21 views, and no one has posted anything. The best I've come up with is seeing if i could make my own pitching machine. But I've already got a trebuche that throws tennis balls (or apples & oranges) like 400 feet...

someone beat me to that joke! damnit. What's the appeal of the new model in this case? If you're going to take a hit on trade-in, I think there should at least be a compelling reason why. If it's, "this one looks waaaay cooler," then so be it.

cool to see one in person, but not a car I'd buy. Clarkson raves about that thing on Top Gear, but all I saw was a car that could have been better looking, has doors that are far more spectacle than practical, and costs about $100,000 more than others that perform comparably. I probably would have taken a picture too, but the rims would have stayed clean

You're an OSU fan, right? Rattle-can it Scarlett & Grey, ride it to a couple of tailgate parties, and then sell it for $400 more than it's worth (or just enjoy the approval of hundreds of thousands of buckeye fans). What's nice about the cheap paint jobs is you can change your mind and only be out the $30 it cost you in paint, and any time/effort spent prepping and assembling.

eh, I see both sides of this. Casper has to be fair to the paying advertisers and protect the integrity of the "product" that supports the site. Brian's pissed off because he legitimately believes the KTMs are good bikes, regardless of his affiliation with the company, and likely spent a fair amount of time writing up the post to give us the info. IF Casper was going to change his mind; and I'm not saying that he should, I doubt this was the most effective approach. Sucks for Brian, but it's a valid conflict of interest even if his thoughts on the bikes were honest and sincere.

4/30 and 5/1 is the WERA round at Nelson Ledges. I think it's $20/person at the gate, which kind of blows, but I planned on being there before a date was settled for the ride & camp event. There's also a shooting range near Nelson if people want to do that before, after, or during the WERA races.

didn't you answer your own question when you started your post with, "everyone knows I work for KTM?"

I was cleaning out my garage and realized that I have a vacuum cleaner motor, and a 3.3hp motor from a craftsman electric edger. I was going to toss them, but I can't bring myself to do it. There has to be something fun and pointless I can use these for... Suggestions? The only thing I've really come up with so far is splicing in a dimmer-switch so I can make the speeds variable. That should work, right?

I'm actually kind of bummed that the Honda looks so strong... I knew it was fast last year, but I assumed it was just because Pedrosa is a midget. With Stoner riding that thing, they may as well give him the trophy now. I only hope Lorenzo can make the championship a little less boring. The real contest will be for 3rd overall though. I think Spies got a terrible start, and basically spent the rest of the race paying for it. If he'd hung with Dovi and Marco through the first 2 turns, I really think he would have been pushing for a podium spot. Rossi on the Ducati is a yawn. I kind of hope he sucks just so Hayden will get some slack for his lackluster performance. That bike is a beast, and if Rossi can't tame it, I don't expect Hayden to figure it out. I thought Elias was a huge disappointment. If Bautista didn't have a broken leg, I think he would have finished ahead of Karel Abraham and Elias. Those two may get the hang of a GP bike, or they may just be built for 600's. We won't really know until Elias actually finishes a race though. My only complaint about the 2011 Moto GP season thus far is that they're talking about Rossi's shoulder constantly. Stop making excuses for the guy.

I found a stocker for $15, so I jumped on that... But i'll still do $60 for the vortex unit. The only thing is that you will need to purchase longer screws to hold on the ignition unit. I (stupidly) used the ones from the vortex set with the stock triple, and now that they're lock-tited in place, I have no desire to remove them again. I can go to home depot and find the proper length screws if that's a hang-up. The stock ones are likely the security twist-off heads. Otherwise, the triple bolts from your setup will swap right in.

that doesn't make sense to me... Ours is like $615/month (plus ins., etc.) for 30 years at 3.25%, and we paid $105k; maybe $107k after the closing costs of the refinance. either way, I'm lost on how the house can cost more, the interest rate can be higher, the term can be the same, but somehow that mortgage would be lower?

I think there's a difference between uncle sam busting into your home, or stopping you while you're simply walking versus stopping you during an activity that the gov't already licenses. ...at least that's the counter-argument. You don't want to be stopped and searched, don't drive. Simple as that.

I don't know that neighborhood/area, but looks like a good deal. Quite comparable to my house in layout and price. Our mortgage (with insurance) is like $845/month for anyone wondering if they can afford that. That's with 3% down or something equally ridiculous.

You are all welcome for the beautiful weather. I sold my street bike last Saturday, so I am supremely confident that all of this sunshine is a direct result of that transaction. Enjoy.

I don't know about that. To play devil's advocate... You don't like DUI checkpoints, don't travel on the City's (or state's) roads. Driving is not a right, it's a privilege which can be revoked. They can also place conditions on you that you must accept in order to procure a drivers license. Submitting to a brethalizer is one such condition. Why should stopping at a check point be any different? (again, I'm not saying I agree with that stance, but it's not an irrelevant argument).

hahaha, I'm not sure I like admitting that I have a "transgender name;" let's stick with "unisex." (p.s., I will never do that to my children... I should start going by "Christopher" instead, but I'd feel like I was 8, and my mom was yelling at me.) I should apologize to the forum at-large for my argumentative nature. If I was an a-hole before starting law school, I'm a super-a-hole now that I'm trained to be analytical on a daily basis...

I doubt the news really looked into how long he'd been riding. Would it shock anyone to find out that this guy has been riding for 10 years, but just reapplies for his temps every year? There are a huge number of people who do this, so technically the "novice" restrictions apply. it's hard for me to feel sorry for anyone not wearing a helmet. Why should I feel bad for you when you're not willing to protect yourself with the most basic piece of riding gear? You don't value your life before the crash, but I'm supposed to value it after? I hope he recovers, and learned his lesson.

I skipped the first 8 pages, but WD-40 is not a lubricant, and probably eats the bushings in X and O-ring chains. there is a reason that purpose-sold chain clean and chain lube are different products, and labeled explicitly as, "Safe for use with X-ring and O-ring chains."

did you remove the "erection" racing stickers??? I know it said "RXion," but we all know what it meant...

I'm torn on this - My wife got her M endorsement as a wedding present to me, and I am supremely confident in her ability to ride a motorcycle. On one hand, I would give anything to have her share my interest in the track. On the other, there's no way in hell we can afford two track addicts in the same house, and still afford a house More women-folk at the track is a good thing; especially if they look anything like Melissa Paris. Actually one of my STT coaches wasn't so bad looking when I was in novice; and I don't mean that McVay guy... I don't think Katie owns a bike anymore (didn't I say 2 track addicts in the same house was expensive?), but she's still a lot faster than me. I really only talk to her on facebook anymore though.

Doing the WERA thing, and I'm putting my bike in compliance with "superstock" rules that prohibit aftermarket triple clamps. $60 (negotiable)

another thing to note, in the garage jack-stands under fixed pegs (your bike has vortext rearsets, right?) will work for short-term storage. Nothing sucks more than getting your bike exactly where you want it, and then realizing your rear stand is on the other side of the garage where you left it... the jack-stand is a bit more portable, and gives you a 2nd option for keeping the bike upright.

very carefully. it gets easier with time, but it's never easy. I hold my bike up with my left thigh and position my rear stand with my right hand. Always keep the bike leaning slightly toward you; never away. you will not have the leverage to pull up a 450 lbs bike that is falling away from you. you will easily be able to keep it from falling (further) toward you. Having a friend around helps. Practice with a "spotter" to stand on the right side of the bike while you practice. I will grab rear-stands for people I don't even know in the pits... Easy way to help a pit-neighbor out and build good-will for later, when I'm hammered, and they're trying to sleep