redkow97

http://forums.13x.com WERA classifieds. You'll also want to check the vintage section. The bikes for sale there will likely be things people picked up to turn into vintage race bikes, but lost time, interest, or money. Definitely not "complete" in most cases. that's also a good resource for parts when you do purchase a project. Racers always have a good supply of the stuff that commonly breaks.

if you have ratchet straps and strong enough rafters, you can lift the bike by the triple-tree and the sub-frame. Just be sure the rafters ARE strong enough. I used the swing-set at my parents' house when I lived at home. Other cheap alternatives would be to roll the rear wheel onto a block (or blocks) of wood and put jack-stands under the rearsets. (that only works if you don't have folding pegs... I forget not everyone has woodcraft or vortex rearsets). Then you just pull the wood out from under the rear tire. then you only need to buy/borrow a front stand. if you're looking for cheap stands, T-Rex are good for the price.

maybe with a burnout and Ricky Gadsen behind the bars. I think "under 5" is more realistic, unless you do a lot of practice at the drag strip. and who cares anyway? I almost NEVER go 0-60. 99% of the time I accelerate hard it's 2nd gear roll-on while getting onto the highway. Figure that's 20-75, if we're being real. Should still take about 5 seconds.

yeah, I just try to put myself in the bigger bike's place. If I get decent drive out of the keyhole, I'm shifting into 6th gear before the kink and I'll see 164 (indicated, not actual). a 250 might not even be up to it's top speed by then, and I'm doing a solid 40mph faster than it. so i guess a 250 COULD be safe, but it would take a very aware rider consciously leaving enough room for faster bikes to get around. I'd always try to be 6' from the outside of the track just to give people a safe and easy place to pass.

I've thrown a leg over ONE 250, for like 2 minutes (i borrowed it a track when I had to shit really bad and it was the fastest way to the bathroom. my bike doesn't have a side-stand...) so my take should by no means be gospel either. the GS500 is one of those bikes that I love to ride, I just wish it was better, ya know? I like the brakes and chassis on the GS way better than my EX, but when I twist the throttle on the GS, it's just always a reminder that it's not quite what it could be... I guess that will happen any time you give up some horsepower, and it's entirely possibly that my dad's GS was tuned shitty. if looks are any concern whatsoever, and a 2008+ EX250 isn't in the budget, then the GS500 wins hands-down. I'm not a fan of the "baby GSXF" look, but it's definitely better than the first gen 250, or '94+ EX500.

GS500's are pretty anemic themselves. I actually really like the naked GS500 but they're heavier than a 250, with not all that much more power... figure the 250 has 28hp, the GS500 has 36hp. top speed on the 250 is (realistically) 100mph, top speed on the GS500 is (realistically) 110 if you're lucky. Again, I liked riding my dad's old GS500, but I think i'd take a cheap 250 instead. better mileage, cheaper insurance, and pretty much identical performance (as long as you don't add a passenger).

eh, i'm not that impressed. if South Park has taught me anything, it's that every black person is born with an inherent ability to play drums/bass/sax awesome.

quote of the weekend by my brother, Jake, commenting on the cruiser guy who did a burnout with his chick shaking her tits while standing on the passenger pegs: "you see what that guy did there? He saw that people were cheering for burnouts, and cheering for boobies, and he combined the two. cheers to you, sir!" (takes large swig of coors original.)

daddy issues + HOT chick = good. daddy issues + busted up chick = "i'm glad i'm drunk to witness this."

that girl on top of the van had some serious daddy issues. She wanted attention more than my dog.

^ if I'd seen this, you could have shown up and used mine. my wife bought me the full weekend pass, camping pass, parking pass, etc. First of all, they sent us 4 tickets instead of 2. I had two with seat 16 and two with seat 17, but the gate people would never have noticed. second, when we pulled into the camp ground, no one was there to charge us or see that we had a camping pass. third, I was never asked for my ticket after entering the gate at 8:00 on Friday night. I could have shown up on Friday and just stayed the whole weekend without paying for Saturdya or Sunday. I'm definitely going to do things differnetly next year. the parking pass was a waste of money (parked at the camp ground), I'd try my luck at getting into camping free, and I definitely won't pay for the paddock passes we never used, or the grandstand seats we spent 5 minutes in, decided it was fucking hot on the bleachers, and left. I'm not pissed-off that the wife 'wasted' money on all the stuff we didn't use; just happy that I can go again next year and count on spending even less money!

where did everyoen watch the races from? My brother and I sat near the end of the back straight the first day, and then set up chairs in the esses on Sunday. We'd watch the start from the infield side of the front straight, then book it across the parking lot and vendor area to watch the rest of the race from the esses. Eslick did his burnout right in front of us after Daytona Sportbike Race 2. I'm pissed at myself for not getting that on video. After watching Saturday's races from further away, I should have known it was coming. Good on Danny for continuing to silence the people who thought the Buell was giving him an unfair advantage last season.

I almost found it more fun to watch Cory West at a trackday than during the races. When everyone is within a second a lap of each other, there's you lose some perspective about where the pros are so much faster than the rest of us. I made a point to watch/listen for the supersport riders' braking markers on the front and back straights, as well as listening for where they get off and back on the gas through the esses. There's no way I'm going to have the balls to use their braking points, but seeing their lines and knowing "i SHOULD be able to get back on the gas here" can only help.

i think RACING a 250 is a better idea than taking one to a trackday. Closing speeds combined with (at least some) inexperienced riders can yield dire consequences. On a tight enough track (summit Jefferson, maybe?) it would be less hairy. I've never counted, but I think it's fair to speculate that most riders at trackdays are on 600's. (i'd say 50% are on 600's or 750's, 20% liter bikes, 20% 650's, 10% everything else) The closing speeds between a 250 (i'll say 100mph max - if it has enough straight to get going that quick) and even an SV (125, conservatively) aren't terrible. the differential is about the same between a 600 and a 1000, but the bigger the track, the worse it gets. I think a 250 would be a hoot to ride on track, but at a trackday, I'd constantly be thinking, "am I going to get ass-packed by a liter bike?"

+1 the best mod you can make is to make the rider better.

probably because he realized he bought a 1998 ZX6 in 2005. Good on you for walking away from that Duc though. My first thought when i looked at the ad was "looks beat to shit." Not kidding.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=40.68602,+-82.64288&sll=40.686024,-82.6421&sspn=0.005565,0.009645&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.684413,-82.640533&spn=0.006476,0.010482&z=17

Can we enter through that gate to the South of the Keyhole? Anyone know what gate number that is? navigating the infield/camping areas is a lot easier on an aerial map than in a vehicle...

Eddie Kraft (pretty much dominates teh 600 and 750 classes in WERA) said they had problems with the steering stem nut(?) coming loose on teh 2010 bike; a problem they never had on the '09 model. he's also putting more track laps on the bike than most people, but a lot fewer miles total.

vendors might. just keep asking around. the Dunlop guys offered me a pair after we let them use our grease at Mid-Ohio.

you might want to consider creating some kind of credit history for yourself. I've had a credit card since I was 19 or 20, but literally didn't use it for the first 2 or 3 years I had it. I've got 2 cards now, and have never paid interest on either. I called to have them LOWER my limit last year, because I didn't want $20k in potential debt, but that's a better problem to have than no credit history. I did have a 60 month car loan that I paid off in about 18 months, too. That really helped when the wife (then the girlfriend) and I applied for our mortgage. Through all three rating agencies, BOTH of us had credit scores between 790 and 820. they approved us for roughly triple what we could afford. Go banking industry!

boring as that was, I think it convinced my wife that I wasn't joking about putting our (potential) children on 50's before they're in kindergarten.

endless imaginary rep for you, sir.

your wife and I have something in common. Melissa Paris is very good-looking. I'd elaborate, but she's a cool enough girl that I honestly wouldn't want to come across as disrespectful. If i had to pick between Josh Hayes's job, and Josh Hayes's wife, my head might explode.

if teh "roadster warrior" is a variation of the "midnight warrior," I like the look. I'm not a big cruiser fan, but if I were to buy, the Warrior would be top of my list. 748 - eh... expensive, but they handle great. Underwhelming power for what you get. A flashy but uncomfortable street bike, or an expensive track bike that gets out-motored by cheaper rides. no idea what a nightster is, and I'm not going to Harley-bash out of sheer ignorance. '06+ R6's aren't completely identical. I'd try to get '08+ if possible. there just seem to be minor problems that pop up more often on the '06/07 models. That might just be them getting older, but it might not... Great track bikes though. You couldn't pay me to ride one on the street (ok that's a lie); just way too uncomfortable, and you'd never get out of 2nd gear... I've yet to see anyone buy an R6 track bike and then decide "yeah, that was a bad decision." I've seen that happen with some other bikes believe it or not. Sold within a few months of purchase; usually to buy an R6. My next track bike will be an R6, unless I find a truly insane deal on a late model GSXR. Love the Honda's, but they're just not easy to set up for cheap. World Supersport, yes. WERA expert class, no.