redkow97

I don't even think he needs one that nice. For the sheer economics of it, i'm betting he ends up going street/track for a while. With that in mind, I think a naked SV would be easier to convert back and forth, and have fewer parts to repair if it went down. Then, if a dedicated track bike becomes a financial possibility, the SV goes street-only, and he can pick up something like my track bike (or buy mine and I get a new-to-me R6)

that's been my theory as well; I guess I'm just blown away by how much some people can afford to spend on toys. my bikes cost less than $5k. Combined. The total is still under $6k if you add in the F2 I rode on track for a year. a lot of people have more than that spent in ONE bike.

I've always paid cash for my bikes, and always bought from private sellers. I also took a considerable loan from my parents to buy my first bike so I could avoid financing a toy. I'm not really in the market, but I'm trying to convince my brother that a more track-oriented bike should be in his future. Nothing crazy, but an SV would be worlds ahead of his Seca II (which I can make fun of with impunity, because he never fucking signs onto this site - I'm calling you out, Jake). Are a lot more people buying and financing through dealers than i realize, or does everyone make that much more money than me? :-p

not forever.

I think I've posted this before when people have said, "i don't want to spend $75 on a NESBA membership when I'm being deployed in 2 months," but NESBA formalized their Military discount over the Independence Day weekend. http://tracktalk.nesba.com/showthread.php?t=14606 Killer deal. $15 off any trackday, and free 3-year membership. I might have to enlist!

it's a heavy burden, but someone has to carry it.

during the daylight hours, it's unlikely that I'll be wearing a shirt, so even if I owned one that said "OR.net," it wouldn't be much help. working on finding a sombrero. seriously. I burn easily.

i'll be there. my brother will be with me (he's posted here one time that i'm aware of). Unfortunately we both have to work full days on Friday, but we'll be in Friday night. Where's this big yellow Cycle Search tent going to be, and how am I going to spot Ohio-Riders i've never met before? (i'm familiar with the track, but not the camping areas...) the AFJ guys are good about being visible (met Eric and chased Chris at Mid-O). Easy to spot. OR people are slightly more difficult. I'd like to camp close and avoid carrying 100 beers all over the fucking place...

so I posted a pic of some random Duc rider?

hey Rusty - free pic of yourself in Ray's album on facebook. Doesn't look like you should have lasted long in "B." And this one is just a silly lean angle... Guy said he turned a 59.4, and averaged 1:01. I could live with that!

just curious, but when was that?

I thought for sure this thread was going to be about Russian spies...

the cones were offset in 2005. I biffed the third one and basically rode down the center of them. that's only a 5 point deduction, so DO NOT GIVE UP. I was convinced that I had already failed, but kept going. Turned out that was my only deduction, and I passed.

some guy had a nice VFR for sale at Mid Ohio. $4500. 13k miles if I'm remembering right. I actually told him to post it here, so keep your eyes open.

white plates next year?

how about just having a tougher driving exam and more thorough training? Peter Lenz and Jackie Stewart both do just fine.

because you were immediately an awesome driver when you were 16 and you're never getting old? ride like you're invisible. tragic to lose a fellow rider, but placing blame doesn't bring anyone back.

? all i get on facebook is redbull x-fighter stuff...

Monday, or Tuesday? I didn't pay much attention to anyone on Monday. I didn't think West even left the garage on Monday. Given that he left at lunch, I'm sure West has several more seconds to drop. Hale was just impressive to watch because he was the only one keeping with West (including the Celtic and Chronic riders) AND had never been there before. I didn't hear what times anyone else got down to after lunch.

^ that's what I thought. I figured if I could run 1:45's, I'd be at least "ok" in "A," but i'm not there yet. Maybe after another weekend or two.

unfortunately I'll be on vacation the 3rd and not riding. Wish I was riding. without tooting my own horn too much, I felt like I was one of the faster "I" riders out there. #12 on the green/blue Kawasaki was fast, and some guy with yellow leathers. I think he was on a 600RR as well, but i'm basing that solely on the under-tail exhaust. I overheard a guy in the bathroom talking about how he was turning 1:55's and his buddy was doing 2:00 laps, and they were getting passed like they were standing still. His exact words were, "there are guys out there 'slumming it' today." I just found it a slightly hysterical that the guy thought people faster than him obviously belonged in Advanced. By that logic, everyone slower than me should have been in Novice. it's all relative. oh well. I had fun.

well Monday was pretty much a waste. 1 "dry" session and one semi dry session. It allowed me to refresh my memory of the layout, but I was just putting around out there. The guys passing me had bigger stones that I do. first "I" session of the day, the first rider on track came onto the front straight and I saw his rear step out about 70 degrees. I have no clue how he fucking saved it. Second lap, same guy gets a big wiggle in the same place (maybe 30 degrees this time), and then 40 yards later, another big wiggle. all 3 incidents were with the bike straight up and down. Third lap, the guy crashed. I heard it over the track marshal's radio. "between 7 and 9." So that set the tone for Monday. I rode the last session before lunch and the first session after lunch. The track was finally coming in when it absolutely poured again. Three of us walked into the infield to check out the track conditions, and immediately cracked beers. ha. The staff called the day about an hour later, so we didn't miss anything at all... Tuesday wasn't what I expected, but ended up good. The morning was dry, but cool. I'm not used to Mid Ohio's surface, so the looseness of the track takes some getting used to. Still managed to turn some 1:52's or so during the last session before lunch. After lunch, the sun finally came out and we had good grip. Dropped into the 1:48's but got stuck there. Oh well. Not bad for a track I've seen twice. The coolest part of Tuesday though was watching the AMA riders practicing in Advanced group. Brett McCormick, Paul Allison, Ron Hix, and Corey West were all testing for the races in a couple weeks. What was most impressive to me was a guy on a red R6 with "Hale Racing" on it. #139 I think. He was right behind Corey West the entire "A" session, and wasn't letting him get away. I talked to the guy briefly, after West had packed it in for the day, and he said they were in the 33's. He's a privateer, so I assume he IS "hale racing." nice guy. I'll be pulling for him.

that's pretty fucking sweet. are you looking for excuses to practice? My track plastics are hardly sacred...

how about we just face-book-iffy the entire site and give every post a "like" button

for someone who has lived in OH his entire life, my Ohio geography sucks, but Medina schools are good. Plus I'm pretty sure you can shoot on your own property in Medina. No-go in Cuyahoga county. Nelson Ledges is the shit for trackdays if you're trying to keep it cheap and close. www.ridefasttrax.com for their schedule. It's typically $120 for a Saturday, so save your lunch money and see you out there