[eternal05]

Nine times out of ten, they’ll fall apart on you befor eyou can drive them off the lot. I’d definitely go for the Ninja, but make sure to have it inspected before you buy!

[eternal05]

They’re not charging him with exposing an undercover operative. They’re pegging him for simply having video taped somebody (could have been anybody) with audio without that individual’s consent.

I completely agree with you. It makes sense for the police to take certain measures to keep undercover cop identities private. However, the cop knew he was on camera (I mean, how could he not with a GoPro on TOP of the guy’s helmet?), and did nothing at the time to warn him of the consequences of use of the video (at least not to our knowledge). To me that says he was not concerned about being revealed. While I think you’re right that publicly releasing compromising information should not be allowed, releasing a video showing illegal behavior by a law enforcement official should be allowed via the same means that corporate whistle blowers are allowed to reveal trade secrets. If not, there is no check against abuse of power. The police department is freaking out (I’m guessing) not because of the plain clothes officer being exposed, but because he was acting like a dick on publicly released film.

The undercover cop:

a) Did not turn on his lights or siren.
b) Ran the motorcyclist off the road.
c) Stepped out very quickly and drew his weapon immediately, while yelling at the motorcylist to dismount.

If it were me, I would have seriously considered booking it. If a guy runs you off the road and pulls a gun on you, you can only assume you’re facing extreme road rage. Yeah, that motorcyclist was a dumbass, but how was he supposed to react to that onslaught?

[eternal05]

I’m lucky in that I already have another helmet. The one I was using at the track was a closeout deal from…? You guessed it: Sportbike track gear. The one I use for every day riding is just fine, and it is, as you guessed, a white helmet with dark smoke (black-ish) visor.

I’m a bit sore, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from taking a tumble on the ski slopes. I really am completely fine. Most of my soreness is usual post-track-day muscle ache, so no worries there. And as far as taking it easy? That’s what vacations are for, so yes, absolutely

And you’re right! Great timing on taking my fairings off. That crappy hotbodies bodywork can get knocked to hell for all I care (and it did…heh).

[eternal05]

…I would have beaten the snot out of that guy. That stuff doesn’t fly at a track day (where it’s decidedly NOT a race). In general, you’re supposed to yield to faster riders. It doesn’t mean you have to pull over, but you certainly should not intentionally make it difficult or unsafe to pass (unless it’s your friend and he deserves it ). This guy was no racer, and certainly didn’t do it intentionally…probably just got spooked.

[eternal05]

It was the first decreasing-radius right-hander on the way down the hill…

[eternal05]

I don’t usually bother for quick rides around town, but for longer rides and definitely for track days, bike shorts are a must. Not only will the shammy provide your poor arse with one more layer of protection, but it will help enormously to make sure that you don’t accidentally slide forward in your seat over…er…certain parts of your anatomy.

[eternal05]

Somebody’s done their share of parking lot practice! Congrats.

And yes, I absolutely agree, having come from a long tradition of bicycling, that levers for braking are way better than the foot brake. Even though my nicer boots (and yours too…you have Sidis right?) are super-thin in the sole to “help give feel,” there’s only so much you can do with a piece of hard rubber. My new GSX-R rearsets are so bad that I can’t always tell when my foot first comes in contact with the rounded rubber rear brake lever. Talk about scary.

[eternal05]

…but Ducati has apparently made massive changes to the bike for this year in an attempt to change the “Stoner’s bike” stereotype. They’ve put in a big-bang firing order like the Yamaha that got so much press last year, as well as made a number of other adjustments that, in net, have reduced peak power in favor of tractability. Nicky was saying in interviews that, while he finds the bike much easier to ride, he now suffers from a lack of acceleration and top speed…something which certainly wasn’t a problem on the GP09. In that last race you could see Dovi’s Honda pulling away on the main straight; they’d hit about the same speed by the end of the straight, but the Honda got there a lot faster than the Ducati every time, so I don’t know if it can be attributed to poor corner exit by Nicky.

I would love to see an all-US podium, but as much as I love Edwards, I don’t see that happening for him. Spies and Hayden? That could definitely happen, but again, I don’t know about together. That would mean a bad ride for just too many of the “aliens” to be likely. But if it does happen…oh man. Christmas in…well, not December

[eternal05]

If you’re looking for a relatively cheap, really friggin fun, high-performance but not the way you might think, and super great for riding around town/country, I HIGHLY suggest checking out supermoto. When I first started out, I was super taken by the whole sportbike look, and didn’t really like the look of a “dirt bike.” I still love me my sportbikes, but man, buying a SUMO bike was the greatest decision of my life. Like Allen said, sportbikes just aren’t that much fun to ride on the street; I save my GSX-R for the track. But supermoto bikes? Man…

Supermoto is a form of racing, really, in which you take what was a dirt bike, throw street tires and suspension on it, and then slide it around a tight, super-technical track and absurd speeds (for the track, but not for your safety). As a result of being former dirt bikes, they’re ultra-light and nimble, and they handle really well. Since supermoto started getting really popular, manufacturers like Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia, Husqvarna, and Honda have started producing SUMO bikes ready-to-go. Suzuki’s is the DR-Z400sm (sm = supermoto), which I have, but there are many others to choose from. At least consider it. These bikes are just as fun and WAY easier to ride than the bikes you were considering. The best part is that they’re fun to ride between 20-60mph, which means you can ring their necks without breaking a law. Here’s some badass supermoto riding to entice you (skip to around 1:15):

SuperMoto Junkie has plenty of info for you if you’re interested. I realize this type of bike isn’t for anybody, but most people don’t even know it’s an option.

[eternal05]

The reason people always say “DON’T GET A 600cc BIKE FOR YOUR FIRST BIKE” isn’t because 600cc is unbelievably high, but rather because, as far as I know, you can’t get a 600cc bike that isn’t a supersport.

So, to shed a bit more light, let me explain a few quick things. If it’s interesting, read on, otherwise skip it.

Engine displacement is the volume of all of the engine’s cylinders combined, or better yet, it’s the total volume of air/fuel that the engine could theoretically have in it at one time (because cylinders don’t tend to fire all together, this isn’t true). So, more displacement means more fuel which SHOULD mean more power…but it doesn’t. All sorts of other things about the engine, the fueling system, etc. govern its power output, and a super-tuned racing configuration with small displacement can put out a lot more power than a much larger, differently-tuned engine/configuration.

For instance, the new BMW S1000RR superbike puts out 193 HP it has a 1000cc engine (i.e., 1.0 liters). My car puts out 207 HP, but it has a 2.0L engine (2000cc). So for its size, the BMW engine is INSANELY more powerful than my car’s. You’ll often see cruisers with 1500cc, 1700cc, etc. engines, but my GSX-R600, with a 600cc engine, can smoke ’em all in its sleep.

Like Jeff said, horsepower, torque, and weight are really the things to pay attention to. A bike’s speed is largely a function of how powerful it is in proportion to how heavy it is. You can have more power, but if you weigh 100lbs more, you might not be faster. Got it? The CBR600RR puts out somewhere around 110HP +/-5HP at the wheels, whereas the Suzuki SV650, which has 50cc more, only puts out ~75HP. The CBR (without ABS) also weighs less. The SV650 is already a fast freakin bike (0-60mph in about 3.6 seconds, and faster than a Porsche Carrera GT), so you can imagine what a handful the CBR must be. To really drive this point home, the Yamaha Roadstar 1700, a 1700cc bike, has only about 65 HP…even LESS than the SV!

Here’s a sweet spreadsheet that lists all these sorts of specs for a whole boatload of different bikes. It’s for 2008/09, but oh well.

[eternal05]

Burgess is the crew chief for Rossi (and was for 5-time world champ Doohan before Rossi hit the 500cc class), and he made that claim long ago (a decade). Most people these days admit that, with all the fandangled electronics and assorted technology, the rider is less important than he used to be, though still more important than the bike he rides. I’m hoping that the move up to 1000ccs in 2012 will change that….if the universe doesn’t explode. Going back to 350 lbs machines that put out 260-270+hp will hopefully leave a lot more room for the rider to excel.

I was really happy to see Nicky running in the front. Regardless of his riding skills, he’s always been one of the best sportsman in the paddock, always gracious in good times and bad, and always humble. I really hope he has a good year this year; he sure as hell can’t do much worse than last year.

[eternal05]

It is a HUGE step, and the 600cc sportbike will feel crazy different, but it’s a step that you can manage perfectly well if you mastered the 250 and take things slowly on the new bike. Be careful though; everybody wants a supersport for the looks and the straight-line acceleration, but nobody realizes what they’re getting themselves into. It’s not a beginner bike for sure, but for many people, once you get past the initial drool period, it turns out not to be even a desirable bike to ride.

My one word of advice to you is this: supersports are uncomfortable as hell and they’re NOT easy to ride around town. If you’re using this bike to commute, you’re going to get really sick of the riding position and the handling characteristics. These bikes are track bikes and while they kick ass in their natural “habitat,” they’re very awkward as commuters (though plenty of people choose them anyway).

If you’re dead set on the PERFORMANCE of a 600cc sportbike, might I suggest some of the super-fun naked hooligan bikes (the bikes are naked, not the hooligans that ride them)? They have very similar performance, but much more upright riding positions and better road manners. They’re also going to be faster and easier to handle in tighter turns and slow maneuvers, which is most of what you get in the city. They also tend to have a lot more torque, which means that you don’t have to worry as much about what gear you’re in. Some of them are:

Triumph Street (not Speed) Triple (based on the Daytona 675):

The Triumph is supposed to be one of the best fun you can buy.

Ducati Monster 696:

KTM Duke 690:

Aprillia Shiver 750:

[eternal05]

In the pic above, Rossi was keeping his elbow in. If you’re not careful, however, the natural tendency is to put elbow out in order to clear your knee, and when you do that:

[eternal05]

It has 180 hp and a brand new slick-as-hell tire. Even so, you really have to yank the throttle on a bike like that to get that type of spin, and that’s something only a beginner would do. Beginner + GSX-R1000 = crash. Then again, you can tell he’s a a bit squidly, as no self-respecting sport rider would get color-coded Suzuki racing leathers and helmet to match a bike.

[eternal05]

Not at all what I was expecting, and I’m very happy for it. Stoner crashed out, Rossi won, and the fight for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th was excellent. Lorenzo ended up passing up from 4th to 2nd right in the last three laps. Hayden, who’d been fighting for second the whole race in one of his best rides in the last three years, got picked at the finish line by the faster Honda of Dovisioso who nabbed the last spot on the podium. Hayden lost 3rd by 0.011 seconds. Such a shame. Spies, as expected, rocked an honorable 5th in his first race as a MotoGP rider.

As far as Ducati being the fastest bike out there on the straights, it’s not anymore. That was true last year, but in order to meet more stringent engine lifetime requirements, they’ve lost some power. They’ve also gone for the Yamaha-style big-bang crank which, while helping riders like Nicky tremendously, cost them a few mph off their top speeds.

Just to rub it in, Rossi had by far the slowest top speed in the entire paddock, yet he still won the race. His dominance is no fluke.

[Author]

Posts