Harb67

My jacket fits pretty snugly, and the back protector is wedged into the pocket so tight that it hardly moves at all. I'd say that the whole thing can only move maybe an inch to either side at most, which is immaterial considering how broad the protector is - even when I deliberately reach back and move it as far as I can to one side, my spine is completely covered. I'm not claiming that this is a direct replacement to a standalone, strap-on (haha) back protector, but it is a pretty good solution for everyday street riding as it adds significant protection with absolutely zero additional effort over simply putting on the jacket. I guess my point was that back protectors are important enough that people should try to work them in to their riding wardrobe in whatever way works for them, and that there are very convenient ways of doing so that allow for a satisfactory, if not perfect, solution.

I bought one of these: http://www.ironpony.com/ironponydirect/product.asp/ImageName/ICON-STRYKER-CE-PROTECTOR.jpg/Brand/ICON/Class2/Protective%20Gear/Class3/Armor/Class1/STREET%20PRODUCTS at Iron Pony a few years back. It took some forcing, but after removing the straps from the protector it just barely fit into the pocket in the back of my riding jacket, and it hasn't been removed since. It definitely adds some bulk to the jacket, but I don't even notice it anymore when riding. Strapping it on separately would be a pain in the ass, but since I could make it a part of the jacket itself I see no reason to ever ride without it.

I feel your pain - garage drops are only just below the Titanic on the 'tragic events' scale. Really though, that doesn't look that bad. I had to really look at the first two pics to notice anything was wrong, and the lever is a cheap fix. At least it isnt cracked plastics or a trashed radiator.

+1. Ideally, you should have virtually no weight on your wrists while riding. Use your legs to clamp on to the tank and use your core/back muscles to hold yourself up, leaving your arms nice and loose. This lets your arms and hands focus on using the front end controls as precision input and feedback instruments. Obviously none of us are professionals in top riding fitness so the ideal body position is pretty tough to maintain at ALL times but its a goal that you should always keep in mind, especially when things get twisty. Tank grip pads such as Stomp Grips or (my personal favorite) Tech Specs can be a big help in proper body positioning if your tank is hard to grip on to. http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Basics-High-Performance-Motorcycle/dp/0965045021/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338132813&sr=8-1 and http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Riding-Techniques-Develop-Confidence/dp/1893618072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338132830&sr=8-1 both have great sections on body positioning. http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-II-Keith-Code/dp/0965045072/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1338132813&sr=8-3 is extremely corny at times, but amidst the camp and is a gold mine of information.

Just got home. Great ride as always guys. Leaving at 7:50 and got home at a quarter after four - longest riding day of the season so far! I'm completely wiped out...going to crank the AC and pass out in front of the tv for a while. Hutch, maybe you should see if R&G or Competition Werkes or someone makes one of these compatible with 1000rr's:

See you there at say, 7:50? It'll probably be better to behave 70 out to Zanesville given that it's a holiday weekend and the cops will out for sure.

Depending on what part of Westerville you're leaving from we could meet up. I'm in the Easton area - the Shell at Morse and Stelzer could work if you are taking 270 to 70, or the BP just south of 70 on Brice could also work.

Hopefully they are sticking to the cash cows on the main highways and leave us alone in the twisties...

I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to make it - count me in. 9am leaving Zanesville is a bit early though - cbus people would have to be on the road by 8am to make that. I'm alright with that if it's what works for the majority, but I thought I'd add my two cents.

Agreed. Personally I think MotoGP has painted itself into a corner here. The draw of the sport is the fact that it's the pinnacle of motorcycle racing - the very best of everything. Unfortunately, we're way past the point of diminishing returns and every tiny improvement costs a fortune. For example, the satellite Tech3 bikes originally came with Brembo brake one generation older than what Lorenzo and Spies are running. The newer brakes were made available to the Tech3 guys for 60,000 euros (76,000 USD). Dovi paid that cash out of his own pocket, Crutchlow chose to stick with the older brakes. Looking at the standings so far, was it worth it? Three teams can afford that sort of expense on a regular basis, so whether we like it or not MotoGP is already a divided grid with effectively different classes in the same race. The choices are stick with the status quo and watch the sport die a boring, expensive death, or make some difficult decisions and reel in the big spenders so that the sport as a whole can survive.

I should have qualified that statement by saying that the Came Ioda bike that Petrucci rides is a bit of an oddball an is as low as the power gets - it's a completely custom Ioda frame powered by a nearly-stock RSV4 motor. Petrucci was something like 30mph down on the fastest prototype bike back at the Qatar race on the main straight, whereas the fastest CRT was still 14mph behind the same prototype. Most estimates have big best CRT's behind the prototypes by 30-40hp. I really wish I could watch two versions of race coverage on Sundays: one focusing entirely on the prototype bikes and another all about the CRT group. There is still some serious racing going on in that bunch and it's a shame that it gets lost amongst all the processional prototype racing and is reduced to a post-race numbers game after the fact.

This exists. Convertibars are a hybrid solutuion, but like anything that offers that much utlility (or can be described as 'hybrid') they are pretty goddamn expensive - 500 bucks for a full, bolt-on-and-ride setup for an 05+ Speed Triple.

Quick run-down of CRT bikes: Heavily modified production motor in a prototype chassis, higher fuel allowance than the prototype bikes, much higher engine allocation than the prototype bikes. Currently employed motors include the lump out of the new ZX-10, the S1000RR's motor, and the Aprilia RSV4 motor. As has been said, the goal of CRT is to lower the barriers to entry for the sport. MotoGP desperately needs more riders on the grid in order to attract sponsors, fans, media, and MONEY. Prototype bikes are mind-bogglingly expensive: for a sattelite team to run a prototype costs several million euros per bike, and even then they are only leasing (read: renting). Include the cost of a halfway decent rider, a crew, transportation/lodging/etc for all the equipment and bodies etc etc and the cost to race in MotoGP easily eclipses tens of millions of euros. The problem is that right now, the bikes simply are not competitive when compared to the prototype bikes. Current estimates have the GP12 putting out north of 280 horses at the wheel. Danilli Petrucci's CRT bike is cranking out maybe 185. The most notable CRT ride is currently Aprilia's ART package, which is what Randy DePuniet is currently racing on. The ART bike is a very heavily massaged RSV4 motor, wrapped in a chassis that takes the WSBK platform above and beyond levels not allowed by WSBK rules, and managed by an Aprilia-developed electronics suite that all culminates in a turn-key GP racer that can be purchased for less than the price of leasing a prototype bike. It's still not competitive, though. Clearly, the CRT concept has a long way to go before it can supplant the current system of factory prototype machines, but like it or not that's pretty much where the sport has to go if we want to see more than processional races between six factory prototypes with a bunch of rich-but-won't-win sattelite teams. Rule changes are coming that are aimed at neutering the prototype bikes to bring them closer to CRT performance levels, while CRT development is steaming ahead as best it can. A maximum rev limit of somwhere in the 15,000 RPM range is in the pipeline for 2014, and things like minimum weight, engine allowances, and fuel limits are all fair game when it comes to narrowing the gap between prototype bikes and CRT machines. CRT is here to stay, at least for the forseeable future, and the next several seasons will be all about narrowing the performance gap so that you don't have to be megarich to have a shot at a MotoGP podium. ...that was quite long winded, but to the best of my knowledge, accurate. I'm bored at the late shift at work, what can I say?

I'm no Stoner fan, but even I can openly admit that he is the best rider on the best bike. He's great fun to watch if you really just enjoy a tech demo of a GP bike, but he has made for some boring races in the past few seasons. What fun is there in having first place locked down from the start, from a fan perspective? For the entertainment factor alone I'm fine with him leaving. I'll bet money that he doesn't return to GP racing and instead dabbles in Aussie V8's for a while. He already did a test with a V8 Supercar and loved it, and he'd be able to have all that fun and get to go home to his family every night. Win/win for someone in his situation.

Hah, the entire ride home after that I kept reminding myself to not forget to apologize for that little f up. I thought we had another 50 or so yards before the corner, but by the time I was past the truck I had no space to slot in cleanly between you two so I figured I'd just get the corner over as quickly as possible without while trying to avoid cutting you off. Certainly wasn't planned - not at all proud of that one Other than that, great ride guys. If I ever happen to find myself out near Newark in my car, I'm going to make a point to take that first road we hit and clean up those four or five really tight corners. Those things would be crazy fun if they weren't gravel pits!

I'll see you guys at KFC

Definitely go test ride one. I dare anyone to twist the throttle on a Triumph triple and not fall in love immediately.

No idea what the GPS says - phone died on 70 and it seemed to have corrupted the file the GPS tracker app was writing to and now the app won't open. I may try to dig into it later and recover what I can before I resort to clearing the app data so it works again Bike trip meter says 289.4 miles from my front door and back though.

Just got home a bit ago myself. That was a hell of a day! Probably the best day of riding I've had so far this season. Was good seeing everyone and meeting a few new people, and it was great that everyone managed to keep it shiny side up.

I'm in! Got the whole day clear, and my RAM mount came in the mail today so I'm wiring up the ol' GPS Gonna be a good day. See you guys there! I'll actually be punctual this time, too.

That's a fairly accurate description of how I rode for a few years as well. Then an "oh shit" moment turned into a cracked spine, totalled bike, and a year and a half off of two wheels. Now my mentality is that an "oh shit" moment is no different than a crash, and I take them -very- seriously. My mindset and my definition of what my limits are has changed. If I'm unable to take a corner with a clean line and an even cleaner sightline, I'm riding too fast. If I have to be hard on the brakes before a corner, I'm riding too fast. There isn't margin for error on the street - there's luck and then there's reality, and everyone runs out of luck sooner or later. Once I left my luck bubble and found reality, my mind rewrote a lot of its own rules and I feel that I'm a better, safer rider for it.

I think it's standard practice for bike speedos to be off by 10%. Once I get my GPS mount in the mail I'm fixing mine as well.

Declaring myself present for a future ride has been biting me in the ass recently. So instead of "Yep, I'm coming for sure", let's just say that there is a high probability that I will be at KFC at 11AM on Saturday as well.