redkow97

first of all, since when is an F4i not a 600? Second, where are you people riding that strong acceleration up to 90 or 100mph isn't enough power?

ninja 650R then. looks a lot like the 250, will feel quite similar, but has ~62hp instead of 28. it'll still do 130mph and pulls the quarter mile in 11.5 or less. for comparison, the 600 will do 150mph, and runs the quarter in more like 10.9 (maybe a bit quicker) the 650 will cost you $3k less than a 600; insurance will be quite a bit cheaper, and given that you're a light rider, you'll probably keep up with heavier (male) riders on 600's right up to 120mph or so. is 20mph of top speed and half a second or so in the quarter mile worth the extra money to you? if the answer's yes, then CBR or GSXR is for you.

who said she didn't have the 'right' to own one? I'm sure after spending so many miles on a 250, she'd be fine on a 600; I just think she'd be happier with a 650(ish) twin. I'm basing my opinion on her stated riding style and desired qualities for a new bike. SHE proposed the Duc as an option, and that's what I recommended. The 650 twins are just more alternatives with similar performance.

1986 - the Kawasaki Ninja 900 (first "ninja" sold in the US. Also featured in "Top Gun") - top speed 151-154mph (depending on source) citations: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/trivia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_GPZ900R

http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/ozsuicide.asp

check that on snopes. It's a bird, not a dwarf hanging himself. some kind of tall bird with a long neck (looks like a rope).

i'd like to see the breakdown of the costs to clear the road vs. stabilizing the mountainside. I'm betting it's about $40k to clear the road, and 1.96 million to stabilize the mountain...

It's laughable to me that people refer to 600's as "small" bikes. only in America... I'd contend that an I4 600 is uncomfortable and overkill for street riding. The OP said she tries to avoid the highway. Why get a bike that is designed for comfort-sacrificing aerodynamics, and 150+ top-speed? the Duc, or a 650 twin (kawasaki or suzuki) would be a substantial jump in power, and tons more practical and comfortable than any of the "R" bikes listed. FZ6 is the only I4 600 that I'd seriously consider for street riding.

parts@nesba.com will get you a good deal. you can ask for a price quote. I don't remember what mine cost (maybe $24 shipped?) which is way better than the $35 or $40 you'll find it most places. as for installation, I would just make sure to clean the surface really well and apply the stomp-grip in direct sunlight. (unless it's a billion degrees). You just want it to be pliable, and give the glue a chance to really set well.

because that's worse than the guitar hero 'controllers?'

i like when other people post pics of their guns. Helps me convince the wife that I'm not a paranoid redneck for wanting one.

i'm working friday, and riding to work. my boss is uber-christian, so I doubt he'll be in the office, and whoever IS in charge here on Friday has historically kicked everyone out of the office by 3:30 The one guy in another department is hilarious. The first nice day of the year, he sent something like, "as ranking officer, I declare it 'happy hour.'" this was around 2 PM on a Tuesday. I don't recall why so many of the higher-ups were out of the office that they didn't notice...

^ so if it's a passing free-for-all, won't the slowest riders always end up in the back, regardless of where they start? My point was really about the ego involved in someone 'deciding' who should be up front, and how you define "faster and more experienced." If rider A has ridden the route 1,000 times, that gives him experience. If rider B has an expert WERA license, that makes him fast. I'm going to guess we probably get more people with rider A's experience. shit, where's QuickZX9R when you need him?

...tits on a bull

Let's assume for a second that everyone here agrees with you 100%; who determines who is a "faster and more experienced rider?"

why the hell do they want "loud pipes on the right?" Why does it matter? I'm a firm believer that "loud pipes annoy neighbors and give cruiser riders a bad rep," but even if the 'guide' is hinting at the noise 'saving lives,' what would be the purpose of keeping louder bikes to the right?

for $3500, your friend should get a pretty decent 600. Good luck.

at 140 lbs., you're probably not going to need to adjust much... The problem is that the Japanese test riders are usually 160 soaking wet, and the average American is 225 or something silly. As others have noted, an SV650 doesn't have compression or rebound adjustments stock. the cheapest upgrade would be to purchase cartridge emulators from RaceTech. You drill out the holes in the damping rods to the point that they don't actually "dampen" the flow of your fork oil, and then the cartridge emulator acts as a valve that opens under slow, steady pressure (like turning), but stays relatively firm under abrupt pressure (like hard braking). I had them in my F2, and a friend of mine had them in his 06 or 07 SV.

^ i'm also curious. If you're saving ~50% on ammo, how long before the necessary equipment pays for itself? I'd consider splitting stuff with a buddy of mine if I ever get around to buying a firearm...

^ need to update the "bikes" section of your profile Welcome, from just around the corner.

Ohio (fully?) adopted the castle doctrine?

The family could still pursue a wrongful death case. A grand jury determines if the state can bring CRIMINAL charges. the family's wrongful death suit would be a civil matter, so it won't matter what the grand jury thinks. I'd wager that the prosecution is putting this in front of a grand jury so they can't be accused of being racists (assuming the victim was black). There IS a legitimate and gross inequity in the charge and conviction rate when a deadly encounter involves people of different races. In this case, the prosecution will be able to say, "we tried to charge the white guy of killing the black guy, but the grand jury said no." and as a point of clarity, there is a HUGE distinction between "let's not pursue ________ charges," and deeming it a "justified shooting."

Tremont can be "trendy" and dangerous within a few blocks though... with 3 kids, I'd stick to places that are more uniformly safe. It's a tough compromise to reconcile good schools with "close-ish to CSU." I'd suggest Medina, but that gets pretty far South. I grew up in Broadview Hts., and the Brecksville/Broadview Heights public schools are really good. If i heard "we got 25 out of 25 on our state school report card" one more time, I was going to stab somebody. But I appreciated the qualify of education when I went to college and realized how dumb some high school graduates are... Honestly, in your shoes, I would try to move into Seven Hills (the buffer zone between 'trashy' Parma and expensive Independence) in an area that allows your kids to attend Independence schools. They have a great district, and the city gets shit-tons of tax money from the businesses on Rockside alone (I work in Independence). P.S. - given that you're retiring from the Army, keep in mind that there's a VA hospital in Brecksville (unless that's being closed). Might be a good place to find a job.