RVTPilot

Seat belt and helmet laws are hardly the money making venture that most people assume them to be for the gov't. By the time you boil off the operating expenses involved in a moving violation with the size of a standard fine for something like that, it's hardly a cash cow. It's a lot closer to what natedogg just said. The real economic impact is where the premiums for insurance policies comes into play, and this takes me back to the idea of, as a motorcyclist, to whom you are responsible. Like it or not, you as a rider reflect an entre culture. Think you dont? Think about how pissed you get when you see someone doing something stupid on a bike, and see a non-rider's reaction to them, then you. Unless they know you, you are immediately grouped together, regardless of how much you may be the anthesis of that squid. Well, the insurance underwriting body of this nation looks the same way at you, especially in a non-helmet law state when it comes to premiums becuase they not only have to consider your protection, but the best interest of their stockholders.

noisy

You make a pretty good point Squidbilly J. Everyone wants a new solution but no one wants to take part in the process. It's not the only contributing factor to the lack of energy development in this country, but it's certainly part of it. The thing that would need to happen with offshore drilling is that we would need to go by the adage that charity starts at home. But it won't happen that way. We would like to think it would, but it won't. It will become the latest currency in America's change purse, and used as a bargaining tool, and that will only exacerbate the ever deflating US dollar. And the thing is that this is most likely to be a moot point once the ballots are counted in Novemeber, and nothing will be done past talk. It's amazinghow Bush is relenting on this as he heads out the door, having had his entire political existence financed by the oil tycoons he valiantly attempted to protect and increast the wealth of during his tenure.

Just2EZ05 did my rims and they are tight! PM him. I have seen not only the work he did for me, but other things he has done at his shop and you cannot go wrong there.

Gen. Crusher has spoken! Take the hill, troops! Take the fucking hill!!!!

I haven't gotten that strict with my friends that chose to ride without one, but must admit it crosses my mind. I have seen too many open skulls and closed caskets to want to be that close to something should God-forbid it happen again. Then again I think, "well, whether I am with them or not, they are going to ride, and they are going to go lidless. Might as well ride along and hope nothing happens." But being that I know them, their families, etc, it makes me angry. To me, it's one thing to want to exercise personal freedom, it's another to be selfish.

IMHO, the generation of laws that enforce safety are usually the byproduct of litigation where the end result was that in order to prevent a future tragedy and protect some knucklehead from themself, a law must be put into place to help those from the murky end of the gene pool exercise common sense. I for one don't leave my driveway without one on my melon when on the bike, and have become to the point where riding in a car without a seatbelt is actually uncomfortable for me. That being said, I am not a fan of the gub'ment forcing people to take certain safety precautions. So long as your actions regarding safety do not put anyone else at risk, then hey...it's your soul's vessel. Have at it. However I am waiting for the day where an insurance company will be allowed to tell a potential or even current customer in a helmet-free state that "we don't have to pay out because you don't wear a helmet", or have premiums or casualty payouts based on your choice of safety gear. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with that, but for one that's a hypothetical situation, and two, probably a whole 'nother direction for this thread to go. Seatbelts are kind of a different animal in that you as the driver may chose to not wear a seatbelt, but in the event you are either a passenger or driving with passengers in your vehicle, you have to potential to become a projectile inside your vehicle in an accident, and run the risk of injuring someone else. This is where your decision can affect the safety of others, and should be mandated. This is why some states have gone to fining individuals in the vehicle for seatbelt infractions as well as or in lieu of the driver. As the driver, you are ultimately responsible for the passengers in your car, but someone capable of exercising a little common sense should be responsible for themselves and to those around them. Like I said, not a fan of laws forcing things on people. But I am also not a fan of those who ride without a lid. I come from the school of thought that with freedom comes responsibility. Have someone that you are responsible to or responsible for? Protect yourself. If you're a sibling-less orphan that never knew anyone that loved you and don't have a significant other? Do stanup wheelies in a jock strap and Oakleys for all I care.

I am going thru PT on my right one after my get off. Hopefully you won't have to be in a cast long. I was in one for 6 weeks and even with therapy only have about 60% of my hand back, and it's been a month out of the cast now. Heal quickly my friend!

Todd, see if you can log into the router with one of the PCs you have hard wired to the gateway. Some wireless gateways have what's known as MAC filtering on them, and have an access list set up on them to keep people from WARing your wireless signal from outside your domicile. This would fall under some advanced wireless setting on the gateway. I see this from time to time with some of our company's remote users who use our corporate wireless laptops on their residential gateways. If any of this insulted your intelligence, or makes no sense, I apologize. Just trying to think of things that might be causing this that I have run in to with my users at work. Feel free to PM me if you wanna get real techy geeky with this.

That's the plan over the winter, with the exception of the case covers. They are magnesium, and I dig the goldish color. But the rearsets and pegs are going to be done to match the frame and swingarm.

All the aftermarket stuff I put on this time was all replacement harware anyway. I had pazzo levers on it, and a leo vince exhaust. I just replaced the pzzo brake lever, and changed to the two bros CF slip ons. LV doesn't make a CF for the 51, and I found my leo's to be very hot. The two bros look nicer (except I would prefer a Ti mid pipe to the stainless) and are louder. The leo's were good for the money, but I like the two bros better. I just have to get it tuned. I have some low rpm burping going on. When its at WOT, it screams. Although come to think of it, I did put flush mount front signals on and a ZG double bubble screen, but those were coming anyway.

Exactly. Same goes with my cars. I change my own oil, so I know that quality stuff is going in, not some cruse shop shit. And I am one of those holistic riders that believes that you need to build a relationship with your machine so that when things go wrong, you can recognize it early.

I did all the wok myself, along with r1 and another buddy. I ordered my parts from Ron Ayers and just R&R'd the busted up gear. It was an expensive parts bill, but nothing that would require major mechanical skill was required. Replaced the right side rad, all the plastic save for the left side, the tank (that was a bitch!) and the right side foot and hand controls. I couldn't see paying $55 an hour for someone to do something I have done 1,000 times over. Not to sound cocky, I just like to toy around with my machine.

That, good sir, is why I wear a helmet. So as not to scare the kids.

As some of you know, I had a small getoff earlier this year at the hands of a knucklehead inexperienced rider. A few borken bones, lots of broken plastic and some physical therapy session later, I am (actually have been for a couple weeks now) back in the saddle. Attached is the only current pic I have of the bike post-op, but hope to have some more soon. Between here and there, I need to give some shout outs for mad props to a couple folks and give a sincere thank you and much respect to. First, much love and respect to r1crusher, who was my right hand, literally, while my starboard dick skinner was in a cast. The piece l'resistance was him bullseyeing the hole on my brand new right lower for the frame slider. Even all nervous and shit, he nailed it. You know the phrase "measure twice, cut once"? We have changed that to "measure 14 times, cut once, then open eyes". It was dead nuts on, and will look even ighter once the new frame sliders are in. r1, you da man, regardless of your widely known anally derived gerbil snuffing techniques. Secondly, I must give huge props to Just2EZ05 for the powdercoat job he did on my rims. Stripped the factory semi-gloss (semi-matte) grey antisieze looking paintjob and coated a schweet high gloss black on them. Fantsastic work and in only a week! I can't imagine getting it any better anywhere else. He will most certainly have some work to do this winter for me. Sick, Mike, just sick. Many many thanks!

I knows that crazy ride, mang! I'll find ya when I get there.

Welcome! You're just about in my backyard, with me in N. R'ville. One more Northcoaster on the board!

I am at the office until 6, and on-call. Won't be in for food or fun before hand, but usually by 7:30 or so the on-call issues subside. Planning on heading out then to the Lube.

Welcome! We are staring to get a solid group here along the lake.

If I had a nickel for every time I used that line....... I have used a feeler gauge as well. Then I said the hell with it and bought a FI bike.

Happy Birthday young one!

If I had a nickel for each day like that, I wouldn't need a job.

Cleve wants to be the sheep.

I know bro. Just bustin' your chops. Thanks again to you and Cleve for making the trip up, and you guys have a good one this weekend. One of the mights we have our bike gang from work get together up here you two will have to come up. Come check out North Ridgetucky!

I am on call this weekend, so I am out, unfortunately. You kids have fun and keep the rubber side down. GSP...no spooking old people in cars at stoplights in front of the PoPo, okay?