redkow97

I would urge anyone to go down and ride, but the bigger bikes can be a bit scary there. Watch the trees along the outside of the back 'straight.' Biggie was riding his 150R, and he said it's a little unnerving to be accelerating while leaned over, and just hoping the bike doesn't high-side you off the track and into those trees. Now that I said something, you'll never be able to go WOT through there

The weekend was mostly a success. I have videos uploading to YouTube now. Will link them when they're live. I didn't hit the lap times I was targeting, but it was a track i'd never seen before, and I haven't ridden since July, so I can't be too upset. I also wasn't 'aggressive' about being gridded up front for the morning heat races, which hurt my starting position for the afternoon Main events. That said, I also pulled a dumb move and gave up 2 positions in one race because I thought the race was over. I can explain that, but it's really no less embarrassing!

I think it's easy to talk about retired heroes as if they're still invincible, but I reject the idea that today's top riders are any less talented than the guys from 10, 20, or 30 years ago. The field isn't as deep, because the sponsorship and prize money have dried up, not because there are fewer talented riders. Yes, the kids are more comfortable with the electronic aids. That doesn't mean they're slow without them. I just spent the weekend watching a 14 and 15 yr old keep up with Josh Herrin on mini bikes with 6hp and garbage suspension. The kids don't NEED the electronics, but they have less trouble adapting to them.

that is awesome. I can see how it would get addictive (coating parts for your bike, not doing the baking). What kind of prep needs to be done to say, an XR100 frame, to get it ready for coating? ...and how will it stand up to crashing?

quick little law lesson: Police only need a "reasonable suspicion" that you are violating a law to initiate a traffic stop. A conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but police need very little to initiate an investigation. Good officers go out of their way to avoid abusing that standard, and i see examples of that quite routinely.

i wish spec racing was more popular on big bikes. I still think it would be awesome to have a "stock EX250" series, and run separate divisions for the 16" and 17" wheel models. I mean race them at the same time, but score them separately. Only mods allowed would be bodywork, spring, and jetting changes. I'd even push for a spec tire, and try to get a series sponsor or bulk tire discount or something. Do the same thing with first-gen SV's and F4i's, and enjoy the close racing in any class you want.

I can probably get/find footage from Brad Burns. He is not slow.

I have an aversion to the double-shock dirt/trail bikes. Not saying I wouldn't own one, but I wouldn't pay more than $600-$700 for one... If it's in great shape, and 'worth' $1100, so what? You don't want a great bike from 1974, you want a cheap bike that you can beat up on the trails. For the same $1100, you can find mid-late 90's enduros... Maybe $1500 is more realistic for that age range, but my point is for a few hundred more, you can get a MUCH better bike. Kawasaki made some good little enduros.

on an unrelated note, my race season kicks off Sunday at the Herrin Compound :-)

i haven't seen the update thread - is the endurance open to all classes?

so what does a lowered escape look like?

Is MotoSeries still a thing? Any updates to the Nelson Ledges sale rumor?

I don't think having a joint account is a risk so long as you both have the same financial philosophy. We don't carry credit debt. We don't have car payments. We discuss large purchases, or hoard cash to hide them from each other. That sounds shady, but the reality is that I skip fast food and pocket $30/week while my wife buys sushi for lunch a lot. She splurges on clothes, I pay for race fees and tires. It's not a competition to see how equal we can spend, we just both do what we enjoy, and respect each other's enthusiasm for different activities.

We recently acquired a second bank account when we got our new mortgage. The wife's check goes into one account, and my check goes into teh other, so there's never any chance of our balance being too low to cover the mortgage. That said, we try to ignore whose money is going where... In practice, my paycheck covers our mortgage, utilities, etc. - basically any recurring expense that is set up for automatic withdrawal. Her account covers everything else. Groceries (the amount and frequency vary), gasoline (not heat), lunches while we're at work, etc. While my wife makes more than me, apparently we spend more on "everything else" than we spend on simply paying our scheduled bills. That's what has been nice about the second account. You don't look at it for a month, and all of the sudden there's $2,000 extra sitting there, because you forgot about the surplus.

I think front plates are silly, but i wouldn't be caught driving without one. It's just a conspicuous and valid excuse to initiate a traffic stop. I don't need to deal with that. Say you have a few beers at the bar and are driving just fine - then on the way home, you're pulled over for not having a front plate. Now you've created reasonable suspicion to pull you over, when the police would otherwise have just ignored you. Same goes for driving with a headlight out, etc. Just a dumb risk to take, IMHO.

I just updated another thread to comment on that - I ordered mine on 12/21 and it will arrive today on 1/7. I'm very pleased, but will be at the range shooting after work. Irony.

Just in case someone (like me) searches and finds this thread, I ordered my holster on 12/21 and it will arrive today (1/7). 2.5 weeks is totally acceptable for a custom ordered item.

I think i crashed JB's G-shock while it was on my handlebars during an endurance race. I know it was still working when I gave it back. I wear a pair of Timex "easy reader" analogue watches - one with a black band, and one with a brown band... They're slightly different fonts, and one displays the day of the week, but otherwise they're identical. $35 if you don't hunt around for a sale. Love them both, and while I was never a 'watch guy' before becoming an attorney, I wear one daily to avoid pulling out my phone in court or during meetings.

So whatcha buying?

Wear ear plugs

If these share shields with the vortex, I may need 2...

I bring my helmets into the shower with me after every race weekend, let them air dry for a few hours, then sit them on top of fans. If your hair is dirty, your helmet is dirty.

Talk to Jeff on the OMRL Facebook page. Payton, not Atkins. He is the moped guy. He'll either have one or know someone who does...

If prices hold, I may just stock 9mm instead and buy a carbine..,

I heard on the radio this morning that weight watchers stock has tripled in the last few weeks. Oprah bought 10% of the company, and then endorsed their weight loss system. Wish I'd known that was coming... I think it was only like $12-$14/share.