redkow97

If you're on their email list, you get a 20% coupon about once a week, and other deals daily... I junked my 25% off coupon if anyone wants it. I'd like to use it, but I know I won't be shopping tomorrow.

your skill is constant regardless of what bike you're riding. If anything, the VFR is probably more forgiving than a CBR. I love mine for the track, but I'd sell it and get something else if it were a street bike. the later model F4i's (the years that overlapped with the 600RR) were good street bikes. once the F4i didn't have to be the "race" bike in Honda's lineup, it actually got more practical and comfortable. Perfect sport-biased street bike, IMHO.

This is probably the most intelligent idea for actually getting it up and down the stairs, but it adds weight, construction, and some costs; plus it makes the whole assembly heavier. I think this is ultimately the way to go, but man is it getting needlessly complicated... You better be moving the bike in and out of the basement on a regular basis to get adequate use out of such a rig and I'd still build a 'ramp' on the stairs. basically take a typical stair case frame and flip it so the 'step' sides are down, locking onto the stairs. Then deck the 'bottom' and use that as your surface.

I'll have to post up some of the bike's this guy Ryan always shows up to the track with. I'm not really friends with him, but I met him on my first trackday in april of 2008. At that time, he has a Duc 848 (remember, in 2008, those were brand freakin' new) with more stuff on it than I knew existed at the time. He was also rolling in a triple-axle toy hauler. The 848's transmission was getting finicky, so he bought (and totally tricked out) an '07 GSXR 750 as a "backup bike." (it's now featured on the front page of his company's web site http://www.trackwraps.com/) That was eventually sold and replaced with a 1098R with every ducati performance part you can throw money at. Brembo everything, Ohlins everything, traction control, quick shifter, GPS timing and telemetry... All his bikes have that stuff. Ryan's a decent "A" rider; way faster than me, and eventually got the itch to see where he stacked up against all his Control Rider friends (he's not a CR, but he travels with one - i guess a 6-bed hauler gets lonely?), so naturally, he bought and (over) built an '09 R6. I believe the Ducs were sold at that point, but he may still have them. It's hard to find buyers for $18,000 track bikes. Ryan didn't ride in 2010 due to a back injury, but he's casually mentioned on the NESBA forum that he's building a BMW 1000 for next year. I'd be shocked if it has less than $25,000 into it. And all of those bikes shared a garage with his tow vehicle (he's had a couple 1.5 ton diesel trucks in the last 3 years), a Z06, and a Nissan GT-R. the guy is either up to his ears in debt, or obviously very well off. makes me jealous.

getting a bike up and down stairs is going to be really tricky. things to watch out for: - bottoming out. even if you make your stairs into a nice ramp (do this right, or you'll be in a world of shit...), getting over the top without catching the belly pan or oil pan is going to be the suck. MEASURE THE ANGLE OF YOUR STAIRS FIRST TO SEE IF THIS IS EVEN POSSIBLE W/O LIFTING THE REAR WHEEL. otherwise down is easy. man the front brake, and have a buddy with a strap through the sub-frame in case your front wheel skids on the ramp. Up is a different story. I think the best thing to do is have 1 person on the bars pushing and manning the brake, and another person actually rotating the rear wheel with their hands. Then you aren't pushing on bodywork, exhaust, etc. - the force is going into making the bike roll, rather than pushing it forward into the stairs (rather than up them). Again, bottoming out will be a concern. You might consider a hand winch to help you pull.

I would also have liked to see them acknowledge that the UK version exists... It seems like they were trying to "replace" it rather than simply honor it. they're a Top Gear UK cover band - getting the original cast to be the first 3 stars in their reasonably priced car would have been a nice gesture, I think.

hopefully something this awesome (sorry in advance for thread-jacking, but I hope I can be this good of a son, and raise my kids to be half as thoughtful): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82iVMONcwss

I think it's fortuitous that you've got a long weekend to (hopefully) hang out with your dad. Your concerns seem legitimate, but it's going to be a tough subject to bring up. Hopefully your dad is already making the same conclusions you are, and will get serious about regular check-ups to keep him out of harm's way. Value the time you've got. for my dad's birthday last month, my brothers and I bought him "Field of Dreams" and signed a baseball instead of a card. We wrote, "let's have a catch some time." the ball and movie were nice, but BSing while tossing a baseball definitely means more to him. I don't knwo what you're dad's into, but I hate golf; and yet I have pretty damn nice clubs, because my dad's into it, and likes to help me pick them out, learn to swing them, etc. you already know what you want to do - just start doing it.

I agree that the US version sucks so far, but the UK version didn't start out awesome either. I'm willing to give them a season to get their shit together. Frankly, I'm not sure how i feel about them flatly copying the UK version. On the one hand, I think you need to have The Stig, but I don't know if he needs to be called The Stig. And what's wrong with the "reasonably priced car?" why "big star, small car?" Just because it rhymes doesn't make it better... Tanner Faust can drive, but I've never liked him as a host. "Supercars Exposed" was a flop largely because of him; at least I've always felt that way... i guess my major beef is that if they're going to copy Top Gear UK, they have to do a good job of copying it, and they're not. If they're going to try to make it a truly "new" show, then go ahead and try that ...but this middle-ground is craptacular. They're just similar enough to the UK show to make it look like they're trying and failing to replicate it.

that's Federalism. Personally, I prefer the ability to "vote with my feet" (i.e. if I don't like OH laws, I can move to IN). If you don't like NJ's gun laws, don't live there, and don't travel there. It's a given that not everyone will agree - why can't like-minds congregate to a particular ultra-liberal state and have retarded gun laws? I'd rather have them all in NJ than annoying gun owners in every state.

this is shitty. should be overturned on a appeal. The one thing the judge did right was disallow the testimony about his call to the NJ state police though. Unless they get the person he talked to into court to testify (doesn't seem that unreasonable), the content of that conversation is hearsay. (although the claim that he MADE the call is arguably admissible) But otherwise, the judge is improperly instructing the jury. It IS the jury's job to make rulings on questions of fact, but the judge has to allow them to hear the relevant facts for them to make an informed decision. bottom line is that the jury should be the ones deciding if he was in fact "moving." ...but I'm betting there is case law to support that he wasn't. His move from CO to NJ sounds like it took a while, and the legal definition of "moving" in NJ has likely already been determined by some other case. I doubt you can be "moving" for multiple weeks AFTER establishing a permanent address. Admitting he stored the guns in the car so his roommate could have a party (which I agree, sounds logical, if not responsible) is what could ultimately screw him. It's an admission that he was done "moving," and used the car as storage. Still, I think this is a prime example of why pardons were conceived. This guy needs to lose his lawyer and contact the NRA to champion his cause.

I've talked about picking up a firearm for a while, and although unexpected washer/dryer replacement, and then unexpected car replacement has destroyed my budget; I spent about an hour and a half at the Euclid gun show with my uncle yesterday. I have no basis for comparison when it comes to gun shows, but I thought it was "okay." from what my uncle said, there are a lot more 'accessories' sellers and fewer actually firearms for sale than there used to be. I went through looking at .22 rifles for plinking and 12 gauge home defense shotguns, and my uncle was looking for a good first gun for his grand kids (8 and 6). I think he's going to end up buying them a ruger bearcat. He's in love with my grandfather's old single-six, and I must admit that his enthusiasm for it has me considering one as well. Still, i think a 10/22 is probably the way I'll end up going first, and then wait around for a decent deal on cheap home defense shotgun. Fin Feather & Fur has the Mossberg Maverick 88 for $179 brand new, so that might be my go-to. buy a pistol grip, and be done with it... But anyway, was anyone else there?

I've seen someone do this before, and it occurred to me again the gun show this past weekend. $10 each for the bigger of the two sizes they had. Not that big, but enough to carry water, tools, etc. I should have grabbed a couple just to have around. At worst, I could keep (wait for it) AMMO in them

to play devil's advocate, I'll ask the question: "what does killing this a-hole accomplish?"

like it or not, abortion is legal. the only valid argument I'd entertain is the inherent inconsistency of the law with regard to the rights of unborn children. If i shoot a pregnant woman in the stomach, I can be charged with murder - even if she was on her way to the abortion clinic to have the pregnancy terminated. That INCONSISTENCY bothers me more than abortion legislation in either direction.

As an impending part of said legal system, I think you'll struggle to find an attorney, prosecutor, police officer, etc. who isn't extremely conflicted about this sort of situation. part of me wants to see swift, concise vigilante justice (or even slow, painful vigilante justice) - but where does that leave us as a society? I don't think we're any better off as a mob of baby-killer killers than we are as a society that gives a baby-killer a trial. it's hard to trust the system, because the system does fail at times ...but it's infinitely better than ignoring the system.

doesn't traxxas sell them assembled? building my Tamaya "dirt thrasher" 4x4 buggy was 80% of the fun. The driving would have been way cooler if I hadn't been spending so much time waiting for the damn battery to charge... 4wd destroyed batteries... I looked into a glowfuel stadium truck a few years back, but I don't need another expensive hobby...

Paternalistic laws are a joke. Revenue generators disguised as the government giving a shit. ha. I think people should be allowed to do just about anything that doesn't put others at an unreasonable risk of harm. That said, I think poor decisions should have consequences. You don't wear your seat belt; your head trauma is a lower priority than my broken ankle when you call the ambulance. Help those who help themselves, and neglect those who neglect themselves. We're 80% of the way to a health care debate...

Americans are uneducated consumers, and bad drivers. Until that changes, people will always assume more power = faster, and likely "better." Just this past Saturday, a friend's boyfriend was telling me how he "had to get rid of his 'jixxer 750' because (he) got too many tickets." I'd just met the guy, and we were walking to dinner when my wife pointed out a nice white VFR parked on the street. I agreed that VFR's were great bikes (proud of the wife for spotting it btw!), and he launched into a story about doing 160mph on his 750. He ran his mouth for about 3 blocks before one of the other people we were with overheard him and said, "Chris - don't you race motorcycles?" I commonly just say "yes" to that question rather than trying to explain track days, and bit my tongue HARD to avoid really embarrassing the guy by pointing out how little he knew.

when i moved back home after college, my sister had gotten a cat while I was gone (she's 11 years younger than me). She'd let the litter box go, and it would smell like shit. I threatened taking a dump in it myself multiple times. Finally followed through one night when I came home very drunk. I moved out shortly thereafter, but I'm told the litter box isn't a problem anymore, although my dad claims he's threatened to "have chris stop by on his lunch break." (i work close to my parents' house).

probably about $100 more than anything else he'll quote. The damn tank covers fuck you on Honda bodywork.

I think that was a transformer blowing after the power lines were knocked down. I'm ALMOST willing to overlook the inherent stupidity of having kids on site for this, but having them standing under power lines when they knew (or should have known) that the tower could fall on the lines is dumb. those aren't high-tension wires, so I wouldn't be worried about the "whip" effect being a problem, but they're fucking LIVE wires, carrying electricity. I thought engineers were supposed to err on the side of caution; take all precautions to make the tower fall due north, but be prepared for it to fall due south. It's not like they couldn't have killed power to those lines for the 10 minutes it would have taken to blow up the tower and let the dust settle.

2 years late to the party, but if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation, Civil Protection Orders aren't THAT expensive. You have to establish a "pattern" of harassing behavior (2 or more events closely related in time), so calling the cops a few times is necessary. Just file a complaint so it's on record - you don't have to actually have the police knock on his door. After that, get the CPO, and buy one of those $50 security camera setups from Harbor freight. Then anything you document gets him violating the CPO, which is a MUCH bigger deal than just putting dog shit on your sidewalk.

so.... what was the original TRON about anyway?

I flatly reject the notion that the defendant's financial resources should have any bearing whatsoever on the victim's damages. The victim was hurt. That's not disputed, but tort law is based on the principle that victims have a right to be MADE WHOLE again; not that they have to right to cash in big time because a rich guy injured them. This civil trial should be bifurcated. One jury should decide whether or not the defendant is liable for the victim's injuries, and a second jury who hears NOTHING about the defendant's financial resources should determine the victim's ACTUAL damages. Those damages are the same regardless of whether a millionaire hits him or a fast-food employee hits him. What he deserves is a 'constant,' not a variable based on the defendant's income. Now at the criminal level, this is a much more interesting legal/ethical question. It appears as though the prosecutor is attempting to cut the defendant a break by not screwing his career (a felony likely takes him out of the finance field), and simultaneously help out the victim by making sure he has a big payday. ...but that's not justice. The law should be applied equally to everyone. You shouldn't be able to buy your way out of a felony. What's more, this is 200% the defendant's fault. He negligently hit the victim (the tort), and then fled the scene (the felony). He screwed up twice, but he's only going to be on the hook for the tort. That's not right. If it had been you or me who hit the victim, we'd be getting the felony charges. I struggle to see the "justice" here from every angle. This is fine for the defendant and the victim, but society as a whole is irreparably injured by the implication that rich people aren't accountable for felonies.