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06-30-2020, 05:31 PM | #10951 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 101117
Join Date: Nov 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Dorchester MA / Sunapee NH
Vehicle:2005 Outback 3.0R Red |
Crashed the GSXR last August and hurt my left shoulder.
Went back to the track last weekend, crashed on the right side, and broke my collarbone. Being a 67yo occasionally riding a 148hp motorcycle without any electronics is starting to seem like a bad idea.
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06-30-2020, 05:48 PM | #10952 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 124113
Join Date: Aug 2006
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Rich Coast
Vehicle:Pura vida! Yellow V standing by |
Didn't you listen to Brad Pitt? Stay. On. The. Bike.
Heal up! You're riding faster and better than guys half your age (like me). |
07-01-2020, 09:45 AM | #10953 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 68964
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: ATL burbs - need directions?
Vehicle:Some f'd-up old cars f'd-up old sportbikes too |
Oooof.... I am gonna try not to do that, I don't care how not-fast I wind up going. I think I ride motorcycles, including dirtbikes, the same way I snowboard - my prime directive is "DON'T FALL DOWN." A day without falling down is always better than a day with one fall, no matter how awesome I was doing before that one fall. I was in my 40's the last time I bounced off the ground snowboarding or dirtbiking (and my 20's the last time I crashed a streetbike at any speed) and that doesn't seem like it would be any more fun now, in my sedentary 50's.
A lot of that is because I really like both streetbikes I would be tracking, and neither one is really crash-damage-resistant. The pretty pretty 998 would never be pretty again, and the 120,000-mile FJ1200 that I've had longer than I've had kids and that I plan to sport-tour on until I die would probably disintegrate to dust. Neither of those things seems like a good trade-off even if I were to succeed in eclipsing "mediocre" in pursuit of "mediocre, but slightly less slow." The dirtbike is a little different because my dirtbike is ugly, so any damage generally amounts to only a few dollars' worth of cosmetic improvement. But tracking either of my streetbikes is a little like tracking my car was, "I really like this thing too much to want to crash it." The enduring damage that either one would exhibit post-crash would take more fun out of all subsequent street riding than I could make up for with any amount of joy available to me from going harder on the track. Maybe a dedicated track bike is the answer. But I am going to track something again this summer, though, because yesterday, I bought a one-piece Alpinestars suit that is really meant for doing that one thing. It is hopefully "a month of no desserts" away from being my size, but right now it fits me like a sausage casing. It was $175 and in nearly new condition; my wife is the Queen Of Nextdoor.com. And, yesterday evening I made my wife look at photo thumbnails from my last track day, in 2016. "See how those guys are leaned over in the turn? See how I'm not really doing that? Also, see how they're near the curbing, and I'm way out in the middle of the track with no curbing even visible in this photo? That's because I don't really know how to do this, apparently." I took the 998 that time, and I had just gotten it. It's not set up well, with way too much rear ride height among other things. Whenever I got leaned over reasonably far, I couldn't raise my head enough to see through the corners. Consequently I never hit an apex correctly all day, almost never finished a corner headed in the right direction. At least once a session, I'd wonder "is this the turn where it goes wide right again next time, or the similar-seeming one that has a tight left-hander after it? I'm pretty sure this is the one where WHOAAA!! I WAS WRONG! BRAKE BRAKE BRAKE...." I skipped my last session and loaded up instead, because it had been >90F and humid out for three hours and I was hot and tired and frustrated, and I was ready to be finished with Barber and his confusing-ass Motorsports Park already, and for that matter I was starting to reconsider my feelings about motorcycles, and summer. Riding at that track day felt like suddenly realizing that there's an integer between 4 and 5 that I had never known about until just now, and that everything I've ever thought about numbers larger than 4 has been wrong. "Wait, 4 + 1 doesn't equal 5, it's 4 + *2* that equals 5? And 4 + 1 equals this other number instead? How did I never know about this other number? I thought I was good at this stuff, but I have been wrong about all of it this whole time!" I did get out this past Sunday for my first Sunday ride since the Pandemic began. I rode the FJ1200 through the suburbs to my son's place, and he took his 916 out for its maiden voyage following his 996 engine swap. I took the FJ instead of the 998 because I was expecting rain, and because I had a steel ramp to bring him so he could install it on his new used 5x8 trailer (also a Nextdoor find courtesy of my wife) so his tie-downs wouldn't try to pull the front wheel through the expanded-metal grating. The FJ1200 has room to bungee trailer parts onto it, and better weather protection. We had a nice couple hours riding together. His 916 runs like a champ now, and it's set up far better than my 998, and we had a nice couple hours in the mountains, with humidity giving way to a bit of light rain and cool weather in the mountains, which kept the speeds and the temperature both down in the "pleasant" range. The rain turned biblical by early evening, when we were splitting up to go our separate ways home, and for that kind of riding I really needed a wetsuit more than leathers. No JRowland-esque photos, though, it was a short ride and we were too busy riding. Next time, maybe - but at this point, all the photos look the same. "What year was this?" Last edited by Bill_Rockoff; 07-01-2020 at 09:52 AM. |
07-01-2020, 10:04 AM | #10954 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 454620
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Maggie Valley, NC
Vehicle:2017 WRX Red |
Ouch, heal well.
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07-01-2020, 09:43 PM | #10955 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 101117
Join Date: Nov 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Dorchester MA / Sunapee NH
Vehicle:2005 Outback 3.0R Red |
I'm done with the GSX-R. Decent time to sell and it has a lot of nice stuff like a JRI shock, WoodCraft rearsets, etc.
Last season, when it was still bootyful. |
07-01-2020, 10:33 PM | #10956 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 139693
Join Date: Feb 2007
Vehicle:Dura ngo 95 horrorshow |
Get a crossplane, V4, or V-twin. So much more character and they always hook up better out of the corners for me.
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07-01-2020, 10:50 PM | #10957 |
Visiting NASIOC Timeout
Member#: 2197
Join Date: Aug 2000
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: An adventure is just
Vehicle:an inconvenience, properly considered. |
Hope you're on the mend! I'm thinking my next bike will have all the tech as well, I'll probably need all the help I can get.
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07-02-2020, 10:25 AM | #10958 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 124113
Join Date: Aug 2006
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Rich Coast
Vehicle:Pura vida! Yellow V standing by |
My current feeling based on my skillset/level is if the bike needs different riding modes and traction control settings, it's too much bike for me. My first bike was a Ninja 650 and I still don't feel comfortable stepping up to anything much quicker. Then again, the narrow, steep twisties here don't lend themselves to overkill bikes anyways.
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07-03-2020, 10:35 AM | #10959 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 454620
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Maggie Valley, NC
Vehicle:2017 WRX Red |
I like no tech low horsepower but good torque. Harder for my wrist to write checks my ass can’t cash.
Past couple days Hope everyone has a great 4th! |
07-03-2020, 08:02 PM | #10960 |
Scooby Potato
Member#: 156106
Join Date: Aug 2007
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Fort Worth
Vehicle:FoST RC390, R3, Grom |
Had my first track wreck in over 6 years. More annoyed my gopro flew off and I couldn't find it.
$40 used top triple clamp is all the bike needs. Got lucky. |
07-09-2020, 01:43 PM | #10961 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 88456
Join Date: Jun 2005
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Winter Park, FL
Vehicle:2016 GT4 CWM |
If you're only $40 committed in a wreck, I think you made out ok. No matter what, still sucks! Glad you're not hurt though. I'm curious about "wreck" though. Did you hit something? Someone hit you? ...or am I reading into it too much?
Our little mini-moto vacation to the Smokies went well enough. Sought a little cooler weather, and was actually freezing my ass off for some of the ride. My temp gauge got down to 64 degrees. Between that, the drizzle, the altitude, the fog, my damn teeth were chattering! Nice break from FL that's for sure! Heading back in a few weeks to look at some dirt plots again. This may be getting serious after all. |
07-09-2020, 04:44 PM | #10962 | |
Scooby Potato
Member#: 156106
Join Date: Aug 2007
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Fort Worth
Vehicle:FoST RC390, R3, Grom |
Quote:
There's a seam a little bit wide of the usual race line at a turn on the track. I went too wide and hit the seam leaned over and low sided. |
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07-09-2020, 07:19 PM | #10963 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 5470
Join Date: Apr 2001
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Philadelphiaish
Vehicle:2014 Honda Odyssey Nondescript |
New shop is coming along pretty well, especially in that there are now motorcycles in it. I'm trolling craigslist for shelving and I need to replace the 5k lamps in the explosion proof fixtures. That and some decor and I'll be super happy.
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07-09-2020, 07:38 PM | #10964 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 124113
Join Date: Aug 2006
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Rich Coast
Vehicle:Pura vida! Yellow V standing by |
I need to buy a space like that somewhere and store my vehicular toys there. It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that a house with a big enclosed garage (like the house we're renting has) is very hard to find.
Those pics are insane, JR. |
07-10-2020, 04:01 AM | #10965 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 139693
Join Date: Feb 2007
Vehicle:Dura ngo 95 horrorshow |
Inchoate that is sick.
I'm planning for the same but a full barndo with a 3000-4000 sq feet garage and 1200-1400 sq ft living space. I know a guy with high walls like yours. He's got vintage bikes stored all the way around his bike garage. F'er even has a lift but not for a bike or car. it's so he can have a powered device to get up to the top and clean them. |
07-10-2020, 12:16 PM | #10966 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 101117
Join Date: Nov 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Dorchester MA / Sunapee NH
Vehicle:2005 Outback 3.0R Red |
Have a 24' x 24' heated (but not insulated) garage in NH. Nothing special but never have enough room in Boston as my son added a weight training setup.
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07-10-2020, 01:29 PM | #10967 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 68964
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: ATL burbs - need directions?
Vehicle:Some f'd-up old cars f'd-up old sportbikes too |
I'm envious, my garage space has enough room to park a couple motorcycles and a couple convertibles indoors out of the weather, and that's it. There's too much other crap in there to make enough room to get any real work done, unless I move a car out into the weather for a while. (Where I already have three cars and a trailer that sit out in the weather all the time.) If I'm working on a car, I have to take care that I can still get the bikes in and out.
It was worse a year ago, when I managed to fit my son's two bikes in there at the same time, while he was between houses and staying off his feet to recover from knee surgery. I had enough room to find and install new rear axle hardware for his FZ1, but I had to stick his 916 in the corner with my 998. gt9729b, that looks like a delightful ride. I should try to do that with my wife, who never quite got comfortable enough with the foot controls on the Ninja 250 to leave the neighborhood on it. A scooter (or an NX700 automatic) would be perfect on the Parkway, and I have a trailer that would get us to part of it in three hours. |
07-11-2020, 12:41 AM | #10968 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 101976
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I used to think these kinds of auctions were super cool, but there was a time when there were more than a handful of these kinds of shops, and more than a handful of people that kept these kinds of machines going. Now each of these auctions means the loss of someone that bridged the gap between yesterday and today.
Anyway, August 14th, another J.Wood Auction this time for Jerald 'Dude' Wheeler's Triumph shop. Never been, and unfortunately never will get to see it. This stuff will be spread to the winds, and that will be that. If anyone is feeling generous I will take the X75 Hurricane, just keep raising the paddle til they hit the gavel... |
07-11-2020, 11:11 AM | #10969 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 454620
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Maggie Valley, NC
Vehicle:2017 WRX Red |
Quote:
inchoate, that shop looks awesome! gt9729b I’m glad you both had fun! Thanks Doug! Bonzo, I misunderstood something. You are correct in that the Brandon never took overall. And damn man can you just win the thing already? You’ve done exceptionally well already I’d say but you’re so close. I think I’ll come cheer you on next year, I’ll be the fat old guy in a greasy wife beater holding a Ballantine beer symbol upside down |
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07-11-2020, 11:23 AM | #10970 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 101117
Join Date: Nov 2005
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Dorchester MA / Sunapee NH
Vehicle:2005 Outback 3.0R Red |
Vintage Steele went out of business, and Duncan's Beemers (a Maynard, MA shop specializing in Airheads) went through bankruptcy a while back.
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07-13-2020, 12:59 PM | #10971 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 182415
Join Date: Jun 2008
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: New York
Vehicle:1999 RS Aspen White |
I broke my foot back in May so once i was able to hop around again, i started working on the bike. The vacuum petcock failed and filled the motor with fuel, a common problem. I ran new fuel lines with a manual petcock and mini filter to hopefully keep that from happening. I also decided the OE gauges needed to go, i bought a Trailtech Vapor setup and a new Trucklite 7***8243; headlight. The headlight housing is 3D printed so it needs some sanding/fitting and paint
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07-13-2020, 05:35 PM | #10972 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 124113
Join Date: Aug 2006
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Rich Coast
Vehicle:Pura vida! Yellow V standing by |
MotoGP's back this weekend!
Can't say I've been paying much attention to MotoGP lately and it feels weird to be signing drivers for 2021+ without turning a wheel in 2020 but time marches on. https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2020/...ar-deal/332911 HRC sign Pol Espargaro on a two-year deal https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2020/...marquez/332915 HRC extend agreement with Alex Marquez CN: Pol to partner MM in 2021. Alex to LCR on a 2 year deal and Cal out. Nakagami yet to officially sign for 2021. https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2020/...o-years/332931 Petronas Yamaha SRT retain Franco Morbidelli for two years most likely partnering his fellow countryman/training partner Rossi. |
07-13-2020, 08:21 PM | #10973 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 124113
Join Date: Aug 2006
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Rich Coast
Vehicle:Pura vida! Yellow V standing by |
I am completely dumbfounded as to how neither rider died or why these kinds of pursuits are allowed here, but I highly suggest watching the entire edge-of-the-seat video.
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07-14-2020, 02:53 PM | #10974 | |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 128484
Join Date: Oct 2006
Chapter/Region:
International
Location: Germany
Vehicle:2006 EDM WRX STI WRB |
Quote:
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07-14-2020, 03:31 PM | #10975 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 3864
Join Date: Jan 2001
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Whitfords Best Friend!
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Quote:
Also...who says you cant have fun on a vstrom!? |
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