redkow97

if I can find the right deal on a Taurus TCP, I would probably do better with a larger caliber carry firearm anyway.

we'll talk. is route 83 a decent riding road?

is the pavement softer on the street? Do you not hit 70 mph on the highway? Not having proper safety gear is an issue regardless of where you're riding. This notion that something about being on the track makes people crash, or at all more likely to crash, is just silly... I admit that I crash a lot more often at the track that on the street, but honestly, I turn more track miles lately, and I'm consciously pushing a lot harder on the track because I know it's a safer environment. You can circulate the track at a 'street' pace if you want.

I'm sure we have a member who charges a reasonable fee to act as the sales intermediary for online firearms purchases, no? the 22 target pistol that was up for sale in another thread got me looking at the cheap-ass phoenix arms HP22a again. 3" and 5" barrels for $150... Not an ideal carry firearm, but I love the idea of having more guns without needing to stock additional calibers of ammo in my house.

I'm not sold that everyone needs to go to college, but a lot of employers will cite a degree as a reason to choose one candidate over another. I will help my kid(s) pay for college, but I'm going to be insistent that they have an actual plan beyond "I'll figure out what I want to do when I'm in college." I went into college not knowing why I was going - that's just what you do after high school (or so I thought). I wasted a lot of time that I could have spent more productively. About 3/4 of my way through my English degree, I realized that my dream job was automotive journalism - get paid to drive expensive cars, and then write about it for motor trend. Like I said, I was 3/4 of the way through my degree by then. Except when I actually started looking into the field seriously, it became very apparent very quickly that Auto mags would rather have an automotive engineer who can write and photograph than some writer who knows a little about cars. I would have majored in engineering, and minored in journalism and photography. I also would have done more auto-cross events to get some real driving skills. Minus the serious engineering portion, I could have been driving competitively and learning to take pictures well in high school. THEN gone to college for a reason, rather than simply going. My child(ren) will not make the same mistake.

makes me wonder why the CDC conducted the study instead of said branch aimed at regulating firearms...

"the system" IS fair. You're talking about personal biases. We can't control how people feel. I am totally willing to admit that my 'status' as a white male of upper-middle-class pedigree has afforded me advantages throughout my life, but if I were a black male with the same education, I would have had quadruple the number of job offers. Tell me that's "fair."

That's what I'm saying, and where I'd like to escape from. As much as I want to move in 5 years and drive new(er) vehicles, I hate financing things.

so hetero white guys are supposed to apologize for our position in life? Or are we just supposed to go out of our way to 'dethrone' ourselves from the top of the socioeconomic food-chain? I'm not going to pretend I understand "the struggle" and all that, but I also don't buy into the notion that parades and festivals diminish said struggle, or advance any cause.

The labels are what make everything pointless... Deciding and announcing which group of people is being celebrated promotes division, not acceptance. why does everything have to be a ___________ festival? Can't it just be a non-specific event where everyone is welcome to come and interact with one another, highlighting our similarities rather than "celebrating" our differences? If we have an Ohio Riders get together, I could not care any less if an overweight, gay, black woman in a wheel-chair shows up. I'm there to talk bikes, because that's an interest we share. Our differences ought to be treated as immensely less relevant than what we have in common. (and if it wasn't obvious, I used that example because it's the most opposite my own description. I'm a thin white guy. You can insert anyone else who might be otherwise different from me)

what's your friend's height/weight? If he's around 160, then this is a 40 US. I wear 40/42/44 depending on the brand.

do you register as a novice, or an expert? I am pretty sure the only other supermoto guys are experts, but there might be some AFJ guys showing up to their local track to throw down. I hope they do anyway.

Did I miss a link to the actual study that prompted the article? I don't disagree with some of his conclusions, but i'd rather see the data.

funny gas mileage story about a suburban sized-vehicle: My buddy's family is driving their Ford Econoline conversion van to Florida, and they realize they're about an hour overdue for a gas stop, but the tank is still over a quarter full. Concerned that the gauge may be broken, they pull into the next rest area to fill up. Upon opening the driver's door, it is blown backward out of his dad's hand. They've had a ridiculous tail-wind for who knows how long, and were getting over 25 mpg at 70mph. We took that van on ski trips a few times as well. The handling and gas mileage were always vastly improved when all 4 tires were properly inflated. Definitely worth a weekly check on any vehicle, but definitely larger ones. Probably saves you a few hundred bucks a year in gas if you actually keep up with that.

if I have room on my phone for the app (doubtful) I will get it today. any tips for early on?

But he really might win the novice supermoto class. I don't know how many people are actually bringing supermoto bikes.

I'm betting Conrad can make your 400 look slow in comparison to his 100.

Baby girl was 6 months yesterday. Pictures in the park went well :-)

Perhaps it's cooled off a bit over the years. I attended the pride parade in 2006 or 2007, because I support gay rights, etc. My lasting memory of that event is two dudes in rainbow tutus making out and grinding on each other like the ship was going down while Katy Perry's "I kissed a girl" blasted from the PA system on their float. It was the type of display that would have made me uncomfortable to observe regardless of the participants' sexual orientations. I have no problem accepting gay people being gay. I do take issue with public displays of over-sexualized conduct, and then trying to rationalize it by saying "that's what you should expect at a pride parade." Again, I support equality - that means holding everyone to the same standard. No one would have tolerated a heterosexual couple partaking in the same behavior.

Festivals for everyone! I can't recall the exact quote, or who said it, but it goes something like "shouting about how proud you are to be different is not the way to gain acceptance." I am all about equal rights. Equal. I think this is a reasonable demonstration of how ridiculous some of the pride events (or at least a segment of their participants) have gotten.

I understand the concerns regarding closing speeds, but I think some of the orgs get hypocritical with their rules. Allowing a ninja 250, or even a 125cc 2-stroke in Advanced isn't all that different than a 450 motard... But I guess a line has to be drawn somewhere. I do not at all understand how use of a motard is safer in "I" than in "A" though. Yeah, the "A" riders are a few seconds a lap faster, but the closing speeds aren't dramatically different. If anything, the "A" riders should be skilled enough to realize that they're closing on a smaller bike, and better equipped to navigate around it.

I was amazed to read the capacities of some of the newer pop-up campers. they have showers and bathrooms now?! I need to see some interior pics of an 8-person pop-up. Toy hauler may never be in my future, but bike in the pickup bed with pop-up camper behind it could actually be a reality some day.

so you're saying pay down the loans instead of saving for retirement. I currently have a pension plan, so that changes things a bit (I think). Strangely, I think it makes a lot more sense to pay down my student loans than my mortgage. Higher balance, but 2.6% lower interest rate on the mortgage.

you can do trade + cash for the D&D and further reduce the purchase cost. I don't think you really want a bike that is 8 years old with only 1000 miles anyway. That actually worries me more than a garage tip-over.

25 is pretty unheard of for that engine. I managed 22 driving to Philadelphia behind my mother-in-law, without the AC running. In general mixed-driving conditions, 17-18 was pretty common. At the time I owned the truck, I had a short commute to work though, so more highway might pull that up closer to 20 mpg. Unless maybe Ford updated the transmission. If you've got a 5 or 6 speed automatic, that would likely help a lot.