redkow97

4/21 is a no-go for me, but my summer classes are Tuesday/Thursday, so by mid May, I should be available most Wednesdays (if people start going relatively routinely). Is there a designated meet-up spot for West-siders? I work in Independence, so it's more likely that I'll be coming from work than home if anyone plans on arriving before 7:00.

It's probably not legal, but your odds of getting in trouble are low. friends of mine used to ride under power lines between I-77 and SR 21 (in Richfield, just north of Hawthorne Rd. You can see the clearing very easily on Google Maps) the gas company had some meters and stuff there, and the electric company had high-tension wires over the clearing. Friends of ours owned the surrounding property though. all the clearings belonged to the power company though. The only time the gas company ever gave us a hard time was when someone drove over their gas lines, which is apparently a big safety no-no. there's likely no tactful way to CALL and ask the electric company, but if you see anyone working there, I'd feel comfortable asking them. Consider the type of guys who work on high-tension lines for a living. Sticklers for safety? yes. Authoritarian a-holes? probably not. If you ask something like, "hey - we were wondering if we could ride dirt bikes back there. As long as we didn't tear up the main road that the trucks go on, do you think anyone would have a problem with that?" They're likely to appreciate the fact that you're at least considering the condition of their road and tell you "let's pretend this conversation never happened."

i believe he was trying to puke on purpose - i'm not convinced he was intentionally trying to puke ON anyone. You've got to put yourself in the moron's shoes: 1) he's a moron 2) he's intoxicated enough to be near puking 3) he's from New Jersey (see #1) I don't think it's a huge stretch for a drunk guy to think, "oh man - i feel sick. I better make myself puke so i feel better. I'll stick my finger down my throat and just puke between my feet. ... Oh shit, there's a lot more puke than I thought there would be. watch out little girl!" I'll admit it - i've puked in a bar. never on another person (maybe my buddy dave), but if I'd been in the kind of close-quarters that stadium seating necessitates, you could probably add some strangers to that list. I'm all kinds of jaded from law classes, I just struggle to see where the little girl was significantly 'damaged' here. The cops can charge him with drunk in public, disorderly conduct, and possibly battery (any 'unwanted touch' is battery). But at the civil level, what's she going to sue for? Maybe the value of any clothing that was ruined by his vomit? Intentional infliction of emotional distress? She'd have to PROVE that he meant to puke on her, and knew or should have known that she'd be 'distressed' by it. Furthermore, she'd have to prove she actually was distressed (i.e. she'd have to go to therapy). etc. etc. etc. - When it comes down to it, there are occasions where being a douchebag isn't enough to get sued. The criminal charges might stick, but I'd bet he takes a plea bargain involving a fine, community service, and maybe alcohol counseling. 'guy from jersey is a-hole' just isn't news to me...

misleading headline much? the headline makes it sound like the guy intentionally puked on the girl's head. the story sounds more like the guy tried to 'control' the spew, and some vomit splashed on the girl. Don't get me wrong, it's gross and retarded either way, but the sensationalized headline is one of my pet peeves. Essentially this guy is guilty of being an idiot, but I don't think he's guilty of 'assault by vomit' like the headline makes it sound. fail for Matthew Clemmens, fail for the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, and sucks for that 11 yr old.

This isn't ideal for Columbus people, but if someone is in desperate need of a trailer spot, i can probably modify my setup to accommodate two bikes. I have an extra wheel chock and tie-downs. I can even provide a tent and air mattress if someone has to ride to my house (just don't be stingy chipping in for gas money ) - that would be a SECOND tent and air mattress. Sharing a car for 5 hours is as well as I want to know most of you ;-) I'd like to leave from the Cleveland area between noon and 3:00 on Saturday so I can get there early enough to set up a tent in the daylight, and still have time to hang out. **EDIT - if my brother grows some balls and decides to ride, he gets priority on the trailer spot, but I think he has a conflict for the 16th.

that's my concern too. I would go with either one of those 'trailer in a bag' things that are made to fold up, or the type that just holds the front wheel with the hitch. This seems way better to me than carrying the full weight of the bike on the hitch. Certainly not ideal, but better. http://www.motorcycleramps.com/motorcycle_caddy.htm FYI: I believe they strongly advise removing the chain for that setup. more expensive, but probably the best idea for someone with limited storage space http://67.222.3.96/ZenWeb/motorcycle/trailerinabag.htm I had PLENTY of arguments with the wife over a trailer. She wanted my truck gone and to not have to help me load though. We settled on this: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90154 it doesn't fold quite as nicely with the decking, but it folds well enough. Stores easily in front of my car.

^ works every time. I do everyone at the track the courtesy of making sure my tent is fully tarped over, and able to withstand hurricane-force winds. Generally this results in 78 degrees and sunny for the entire weekend. the ONE time i've tried to sleep with my rain fly off (not a drop of rain in the forecast btw), I woke up soaked, and had to sleep in my truck from 4 AM on. Don't sweat the forecast. I would be pretty surprised if it doesn't change between now and the weekend anyway.

Unless things have changed, Gingerman has a weird schedule on Sunday anyway. there's a break in the morning so engine noise doesn't disturb a local church (or something). That used to mean that we got an extra hour in the afternoon (when it's warmer).

if you're full when you get there, there's a good chance you'll make it through the day on that tank, but I'd strongly urge you go have an extra couple gallons. it's less severe at Novice pace, but you do a lot of WOT at the track, so you'll be lucky to get 80-100 miles in before your fuel light comes on. that said, at a Novice pace, even if you go out every single session, it would be hard to do much more than 100 miles in a day.

almost forgot: Warpspeed - if you're really stuck on the back protector, I have one you can borrow. Hopefully you find someone who can lend you one w/o shipping. PM me if it comes to that.

Yup - and being the underdog is win/win. it's like a built in excuse for not being that fast hahaha. "great - you're faster than me. You SHOULD be. Your bike weighs 30 lbs less and has 20 more horsepower." But if I passed someone on a newer bike, I got to laugh in their face (if they gave me a hard time). The fact that my F2 cost me $1200 and and used a 160 rear tire helped my smile factor too I don't think of my RR as "old," but I guess it's getting there. I'll buy a new bike when I make it to Advanced pace, or finish school - whichever happens first. Right now I'm still enjoying the novelty of fuel injection.

from gingerman's website (www.gingermanraceway.com) "pets musted be leashed. owners must clean up after their pets." I might bring my dog, but probably not unless my wife is also able to make it. Personally, I'm seriously considering buying him a harness before taking him to any trackdays. He's never pulled out of his collar, but the idea of anyone's pet getting loose while there's a hot track is scary as hell; both from a rider safety perspective, and as a pet owner. with a harness, I think it would be damn near impossible for the dog to get loose. I still haven't registered for this, but it's looking more and more like my schedule will be clear I'll be in intermediate. Been to Gingerman once before.

honestly, I wouldn't blow cash on a 'newer bike for street use.' If there's anywhere you need a more capable bike, it's the track, not the street. but that's not to say that a 2004 CBR isn't going to be plenty at the track. I rode a 1993 F2 in Intermediate and definitely didn't feel out of place. I kind of wish I hadn't gotten rid of it, just to see how much faster I could have gotten on 1993 technology. i got a lot of satisfaction out of passing bikes 15 years newer than mine. if you get totally addicted to the trackday scene, either look at super cheap street transportation to save yourself money (the route I took), or look for another '03-'06 600RR so you can cannibalize parts when you crash. it's not that parts are hard to find, but if you crash on Sunday, and have another trackday booked 6 days out, shipping can cut your repair time pretty short. being able to pull parts off your street bike (or just swap track bodywork to your street bike) is a nice option to have.

if she sees 4 bikes hundreds of yards away and thinks she can make it through an intersection, i don't fault her. it's a 45 mph road - you're telling me cagers are automatically supposed to assume that any time they see a bike, it's doing double the speed limit? the picture looked like at least one of the bike's hit her driver's side door. Wouldn't you be pissed if a car hit you because they were doing double the speed limit and couldn't stop?

my wife (and then her sister) used to sit for a family in Bexley through college. I'm sure they have a laundry list of sitters on file. And Dana (the mother) probably ran drug tests and background checks on all of them. She's a pretty intense person. I can probably get a hold of her through facebook. You've just got a 3-yr-old right? Anyone Dana used will have proven they can deal with 4 yr old twins and a 6 yr old.

there is no such thing as '92 ninja 500 in really good shape

Agree. And i think we're sending deer a very backward message by allowing people to hunt them in the woods, but not on public roads. If i had my way, the insurance industry would pay $50 to anyone who shot a deer trying to cross a street. Kawi Kid - what kind of pants did you have on? I'm good about wearing my helmet/gloves/jacket 100% of the time, but the bandages on your knees, and the damage to the toe of your boot are making me rethink some choices...

where are you located? sitter recommendations 100 miles away probably won't help you...

a friend of a friend in college bought a hawk for $600. that bike got me interested in motorcycles. I definitely have a sentimental spot for them and I see your "slow as shit," and raise you (maybe subtract, actually) 150cc. I live near Ridge and Pearl. we should designate a standard meeting spot in Parma for those of us who are so close. I may have missed the memo on the typical West side group ride starting location though. It could already exist. The Tradesman is as good of a place as any (although my neck of the woods provides access to 480, and the parkway. Tpoppa lives near there as well)

yes and yes, but not very many, and I have no idea on costs to reserve one. the paddock has VERY limited power - like a couple of outlets by the food stand that you're probably not supposed to use, and a couple more at the timing and scoring tower that you can use (until the track staff needs them for something else)

well even their own marketing material refers to the bikes as "lifestyle accessories," and no the primary product.

No, but I was at a browns game in that picture. I was showing support for a team I like at a competitive event against another team. ** (edit - sorry, i was thinking of my facebook profile picture. I have avatars disabled so I can be on this site at work without the boobies getting me in trouble) If people wear HD shirts at a dirt-track race, that's a lot different than having 3-5 HD articles on their person for an afternoon ride. I'll admit that I wear browns/cavs stuff when I'm NOT at a game on occasion, but never more than 1 article at a time, and I would never coordinate my clothing with my wife if someone wants to argue that every time a bike is ridden, it's somehow a 'competition' with other manufacturers, then I guess I'd listen to that argument; I just think it's silly. I don't put on a John Deere hat just to mow my lawn. I don't put on my highlife tee-shirt just to drink beer. i don't wear Dodge crap every time I drive my car. And I don't think i OWN anything that says "honda" or "kawasaki" on it... Perhaps that IS Honda and Kawasaki's deficiency, and not HD's.

Agree. "nobody buys a drill because they want a drill - they buy a drill because they want a hole." How often do you see people wearing HD apparel? How many of them do you think actually OWN a bike? I'd bet it's less than half. the image is desirable even when the bike isn't attainable. If someone did that with Ferrari clothing, they'd be a total douche! I have no idea how HD has made it work! my brother and I were out for a ride a couple of weekends ago, and 2 HD's stopped next to us at a light. Both riders and both female passengers were completely decked-out in HD gear. I actually laughed out loud. I just can't picture a scenario where I say to my wife, "hey - wanna go for a ride?" and her response is, "sure! let me go put on my HD tank-top, HD long-sleeved t-shirt, HD denim jacket, and HD sun-glasses!" You'd think HD riders were going to a competition against another bike manufacturer - it's a motorcycle ride, not a cav's game. you don't need the t-shirt... my gear is to protect me. Theirs is to let everyone know what kind of bike they're on (none of those 4 had helmets btw - how can you be SEEN with a helmet on!?) it IS a culture - I just happen to think it's a totally moronic culture. Lucky for HD, there are a lot of lemmings to buy their wares.

<sigh> I really don't think banning texting is the answer. Changing CD's, messing with the radio, or eating a burger all interfere with your ability to drive just as much as texting, and we allow all those activities. Some people are certainly more or less safe than others while performing any of the activies above as well. All this incident proves is that LEO's can be bad drivers just like the rest of us.

i've had to take one to GET a job, and I think that's fair - the employer has a right to know the legitimate habits of who they're hiring. If you don't want to tell them, then they don't want to give you a job. Fine. now once you ARE hired, I don't like my employer nosing into my business unless my work is suffering. Government assistance is not the same at all. My boss has no vested interest in how i spend my money (legally or illegally). I am payed in exchange for the services I perform for my employer. The government does (or at least should) have a vested interest in how welfare, unemployment, etc. is being spent, because people receive it in exchange for... NOTHING. I guess in the case of unemployment, you're required to be actively looking for a job. Even so, passing a drug test sure as hell helped me get a job in the past. the temp agency I was at couldnt' find me anything for 3 weeks. they finally asked if i could take a drug test. I did, and had 3 jobs lined up within 3 days. they kept me busy the rest of the summer.