redkow97

cool, thanks. i have the side-stand for my bike, but only one of the bolts to attach it, so it has sat in my garage as long as i've owned the bike... I just don't remember if I wired my coolant plug or not. Seems like that would have been an easy think to do this spring while I was draining the antifreeze and flushing the system... IIRC, Fasttrax disallows antifreeze in ALL riding groups, so that's something to remember.

Until I noticed that this thread was in "trackdays" and not "pics and vids" I was thinking it was going to be a parody of the Twilight movies, based in Ohio... man-card fail...

So you hated that your Envoy got 16/20mpg, and your solution was to buy a Mustang GT that's going to get 16/23 if you're lucky? and a blower is in the works? I doubt that will help. Don't get me wrong; I love the car, but you're going to end up with roughly the same gas mileage and shitty winter handling. It'll be in a far sexier package - no argument there - but isn't that why most of us own bikes?

Anyone know the FAsttrax rule book for trackdays? I have all the basics wired, but my axle nut isn't drilled. I've got all the fluid caps and drains, except maybe my coolant drain plug. Could easily do that, if they're going to check, but I don't normally pack a drill. anyone going ot have a generator if I bring a drill and bits?

Welcome and thanks for your service. in the last few months, there was an article in Road Racing World about the military's efforts to promote motorcycle safety. Very cool stuff. Haley Ulrich (racer and team owner John Ulrich's daughter) wrote the largest article (there are a few). She's a veteran herself. If you're still active-duty, NESBA gives you a free 3-year membership and $10 off every event. Lots of military personnel among the NESBA members and staff.

I bet the guys racing the Porsche say the same thing. the fact is, when you're breaking the law, you're putting yourself and/or others at risk. I'd entertain an argument that putting yourself at risk shouldn't be illegal, but that doesn't change the fact that under these circumstances, it is.

some latino comedian does a joke where he says, "I was listening to the news yesterday when I heard about an accident were 23 people died. ...only 2 cars were involved. ...the Mendozas ran into the Rodriguezes on their way to work. There must have been paint cans and ladders everywhere!"

I'll be there Friday night. Might have the wife & dog with me (which means pitting kinda far away so they can try to sleep in). If not, I'll look for you clowns. Jbot and Craig I will recognize. riding in the 'race' group.

I'm not about to give out my address to anyone on CL. if they want to come look at the bike, I'll meet them near by. My bike is hardly worth stealing, but other stuff in my garage (like my other bike) is. I figured giving the guy my work address would cover me if (by some act of god) someone actually showed up to take the bike. I'd just tell them "you're gonna have to give me a ride home."

There is always a HUGE range of skill at trackdays; NESBA just chooses to keep the widest skill-set in "B" group. the orgs that let you sign up wherever have a huge range in EVERY group.

my street bike's up for sale, and someone contacted me last night asking if it was still available. this was the follow-up I got today: the guy's already got my full name from my email address, so I responded with my work email and phone number.clearly it's a scam, but I want to see what the guy's next move is. am I setting myself up to get screwed via some elaborate identity theft scam I don't even see coming? LIke I said, as soon as I replied, the guy had my first and last name.

price competition online. "driveways as low as $20" "full season snow removal starting at $250" (for a residential driveway) So yeah, I would think businesses will run at least $1,000 - $1,500 per season. Landing clients that are in close proximity to each other is a huge thing though too. A driveway can't take more than 20 minutes with a plow, and that's if you shovel the walk, etc. if you get 5 houses on the same street, you can probably give them a 25% discount. Definitely worth it to avoid driving all over the place.

what tracks do you ride with NESBA? They won't say it, but especially for "A" group, they'll want to see you ride an Advanced pace at more than one track. Ohio guys get kind of screwed because of their region setup. I ride Putnam and BeaveRun with NESBA. Different groups of control riders, so none see me at multiple tracks. IMHO, anyone in the teens at Putnam ought to be in "A," but obviously it's not my call. I lap a lot of people in "I" group too.

it's more practical to do that in percentage points than dollars. if you're selling a $6,000 motorcycle, listing it for $6,500 means you're willing to negotiate 7-8% off your asking price. In my case, I'm selling a bike worth more like $1400. listing it at $1900 (where I'm at, actually) is a 36% mark-up. I'm not surprised i'm not getting many offers, but I'm not in any hurry to sell. I'm waiting for someone with a $1500 budget who can't afford the same bike that's 9 years newer, with half the miles for $2300.

the group names are so pointless... I spent 12+ trackdays in NESBA's "beginner" group. It's only relative to NESBA's intermediate and advanced groups; not relative to any other trackday org's groups, and really a poor name for people who have been there a while. I would say Hoblick is fine to ride "I" with STT, "open" with Fasttrax. For NESBA, they will want to see you ride consistently, courteously, and predictably, navigating through slower traffic with ease, and NOT breaking any of the passing rules. When I got bumped to Intermediate, the lead CR specifically complimented me on backing off a couple of times and waiting to make a cleaner pass. Safety is the highest priority. Speed is secondary. As Brian pointed out, NESBA staff decides when you are moved to intermediate, but if you line up at the front of the faster line (different sides at different tracks), you'll go out right behind a control rider, and they should give you some feedback or move you up. I would not ask to be bumped, but rather tell them "I feel like I'm riding pretty consistently, and I just need some feedback on what I need to improve to get better." It's a psychological thing - instructors in any activity are more receptive to helping people than simply granting requests because you asked. Subconsciously, the implication of asking to be moved up is that you think they've been negligent in not doing so already. Trust me, ask where you can improve. NESBA can be a tough nut to crack, because they will also usually want to see you ride at more than one track. Because you can't change groups at will with NESBA, the control riders want to be confident that you can ride an "I" pace at Putnam, but also be up to "I" pace at BeaveRun within a few sessions. As noted, I did about 12 days in NESBA's "B" group, almost all of them at BeaveRun. I was bumped to Intermediate the first time I rode Nelson Ledges with NESBA.

bet my '03 beats your '07 around the track. good lookin' bike with a pretty fair price IMHO.

same here, but I know it's over-priced. I figured, "put it out there, and see if anyone bites." no one has... might need to knock off $100, but I have no need to sell, so I may hold off.

Maybe I just ride with NESBA too often. Their "A" group is usually between :59 and 1:04. I ride at the front of "I" Todd got back to me and moved me to "Advanced," or "racer" group, or whatever. with faster riders to chase, I'm hoping for 1:04's, but really just there to have fun and not crash. We shall see.

unless you turn better than 1:05's at BeaveRun, I'd consider yourself "borderline" for Advanced. I registered in open, and PM'd Todd (moto series todd) to ask if he thought consistent 1:06's were fast enough for Advanced. It's the day before a race day. WERA riders get into the :57's at BeaveRun. the podium riders for Fasttrax will still all be in the 1:00 range. "open" should be riders in the 1:12-1:06 range, but because they let anyone register wherever they want, I'm betting there will be "open" riders lapping in the 1:20 range. Those people belong in the instructional group...

hahaha - my first thought was the Bill Engvall bit where he has to help his 4 yr old nephew in the public restroom. Bill: "You need some help there buddy?" Nephew: "no, i can do it." Bill: "are you sure? Here, let me help you" Nephew: "I CAN DO MY PENIS MYSELF!" Bill: "woah. Woah, NEPHEW, WHOM I CAN PROVE I AM RELATED TO."

it's hard to say without seeing you ride. Even lap times don't tell the whole story, but they're a concrete number, so that's where most people turn. I've ridden BeaveRun at least 10 times over the last 3 riding seasons, and can turn fast "I" or slow "A" times, depending on which group I'm with. I registered in 'Open' for the 28th if you want a tow in the first session. After looking at the Fasttrax/Motoseries lap times from their last race at BeaveRun, I probably should have registered in their "race" group, but it is what it is. You'll probably be fine. stay on line, and you won't slow anyone down.

you can build your own folding cover out of plywood and vinyl. I did a homemade cover for my ranger, and it worked ok. cost was about $70 whne all was said and done, and I sold the truck withing 4 months of making it (d'oh). if you decide to go that route, I can help you avoid some of the dumb mistakes I made...

what's the point of a motorcycle with dismal acceleration? and I'm wondering how much money they have into that engine. It's not unimpressive, but I'm thinking a lightly massaged 600cc 4-stroke could do the same for a lot cheaper...

^ It works just as well to persuade women with that attitude.

but you're not saving until you've RECOUPED the cost of the bike. you can't spend $7,000 on a motorcycle and then say, "yeah, i'm saving a ton of money on gas," until you've saved $7,000 on gas. If you like riding a bike (I certainly do), then that's all the rationalization anyone should need. I just laugh when people buy a showroom new Ninja 250 because their Durango gets 16 mpg highway. They'd have to ride like 60,000 miles to cover the cost of the bike. (that's BS math right there - I'm happy enough to do exact calculations if someone wants to give a specific car/truck and bike)