Quote from ColeusRattus :

Never ever get a moto if you don't go offroad. In fact, at my place there are only two kinds of moto riders:

1) Suicidal: That's almost a gang here, but the worst is one 16 year old boy: he enters every single crossroad without looking, let alone breaking, which caused me to perform an emergency brake with full wheel lock up thrice. In this month.
Also, he drives very dangerously, deliberatley trying to irritate, if not crash other bikes, without any fear of harm to himself. When going in a 30 zone as a passenger on my GFs 125cc bike (nothing fancy, but having known and seen quite a few bike casualties, I won't allow her having something bigger), that bloke speeded past us just to brake hard right in front of us, causing us to swerve and almost fall over several times, till we halted and almost dragged him off his bike. Sped away then...
To be honest I only brake for this little sucker because I can't afford a huge repair bill, let alone a new car atm.

2) The hardcore offroader: back when I still lived at my parents, there was a big field just outside of my room window. Unluckily, a boy of about 13-14 years of age, also living at that field, got a moto bike. As he wasn't allowed to take it out on the streets, he rode it on the field, right beneath my window. Luckily, just on weekends. Unluckily, from 7:30 on end till his tank ran dry.
At first, I thought it was kind of cute, as I would have done the same thing, if I had had a bike at that age. It's still annoying though if you are awoken by the sound of the small engine on the two days of the week you could otherwise sleep to your hearts contend.

So generally, I am not too fond of those bikes.

@1) Anyone who even thinks of taking their unplated dirtbike on the street is a ****ing moron.

@2) To be honest, you should have brought it up with his parents. But really, most people these days know how to ride courteously. They know when not to fire up their kitted out 4stroke race bikes, and they're considerate enough to install aftermarket silencing equipment into their bikes to keep the forests from turning into noise fests.

It was probably just because he was a kid. Most older riders try to quiet down their bikes because they're either A) Idiot neo-cons who want the environazi idiot liberals to leave them alone, B) smart people who realize that excessive amounts of noise hurts the ecosystem.

Age doesn't matter at all in a videogame. Besides, nothing is real, who cares if you fail miserably at what you tried? It's not like anything is really at stake.

I saw the threat title and thought "Oh great, some 15 year old rice kiddie wants to know how to get into drifting with his mom's civic"...

Quote from wark :

Time to get a new bike altogether? It's a sign.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=207

DO IT!

Quote from thisnameistaken :

I just wonder what the guy could've achieved if he'd applied all that love and attention to something worthwhile.

That's all I have to say on the subject, it makes me a bit sad.

What are you talking about?

If he brought that to his job interview, i'm sure he could get a job at any car company he wanted!

My KLX250 with all the street gear removed







I need to find 1000 USD for an exhaust kit, a jet kit, and an overbore.

Quote from Forbin :

My (bruised) baby. I've had it since July 2003, the summer after my high school graduation. Approaching 6000 miles on the clock now (400 on it when I got it). It doesn't make a whole lot of power, but it has a surprising ammount of grip (and tire life) from those dual-purpose tires. I used to routinely scrape my boot around this one corner at about 30 mph.

Top speed is 90 mph, 94 down a slight hill (indicated). I also get 80 mpg (US gallons of course).

SUPER SHERPA!!!

Last edited by sinkoman, Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:03.

Quote from McTaggart :

That's not going to do you much good if you want to shoot things that are far away. If you meant prime lenses (ie, fixed focal length) then yeah, usually they are cheaper and a bit sharper too.

Exactly what I meant.

You're better off going with a tight prime for your long shots, a normal for everything else, and just taking them both with you every time you're shooting.

On my F3 it takes 5 seconds to switch lenses, dunno how long it'd take on a digital.

I don't know about Cannons, but I know all the old Nikkor analogue lenses will fit the new DSLRs just fine.

Quote from mcintyrej :

The 70mm end of my Sigma is very similar to what my eye sees, If I hold the camera viewfinder above my eye, then drop it quickly there's not much change. Apart from the obvious cropping of the camera.

You're not paying attention hard enough. That cropping is precisely what makes it "not" normal enough. If your lense is cropping anything to a noticeable level, then it's compressing the shot WAY too much. Fat chicks will look skinny, and far things will look close.

It's the reason that they use large lenses at weddings, to make the bride and groom look slimmer than they actually are.

If you're looking for some REAL fun, get a wide lense. Not so wide that it's fisheyeing noticeably though. My 28mm was the absolute most fun to use out of all my lenses.

Last edited by sinkoman, Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:41.

Quote from Gabkicks :

racing is elitist by nature. you will find motorcycle racing is very elitist as well if you compete.

Lol, I was just joking with that comment. I was poking fun at all those cyclers who talk trash about how "two wheels is better than four".

And I don't plan to race at all. Maybe Enduro, Hare and Hound, or Hare Scrambles some day, but as it stands, I just ride trails. Muddy, technical, slow, hot, humid, wet, tight, rough, and most importantly, FUN, trails

That and tearing around in the twisties.

Zoom lenses are shit. They're overpriced and low quality.

Get a nice normal lense. I'm not sure what diameter a normal lense would be for your particular camera, but trust me, it'll be your best friend.

Btw, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_lens

It was fun, and I might still follow F1, but i've become one of the elite, or should I say, ELITISTS!

I have moved on to motorbikes. Or rather, i've found new interest in motorbikes. I've been riding motorbikes since I was eight, but lately, i've just grown so much more passionate for them than I ever was for any of my other short lived hobbies.

So i've got this 40 dollar LFS account, and this 80 dollar MOMO sitting in a box. If I sell the MOMO, I can put the money towards a jet kit.

So I ask you, LFS forum, now what? What do I do with my wheel? What racing series do I follow now? What do I do with my LFS account?

What should I do with my wheel? It's in pristine condition, but i'm not quite sure that I still have the box. How much do you think I could get for the wheel and pedal set? Should I sell it or keep it just in case my interest in 4-wheeled-cages ever rekindles?

What racing series do I follow now? I love motoGP, but i'm having a hard time finding Motocross races online. Hell, I hate motocross, i'd be much happier following the International Enduros, but I have no clue where I could download either. Hare and Hounds, rallye raids, Enduros, where the hell can I find coverage for these???!!!

What about streetbikes? What other series' would you folks recommend aside from motoGP?

What about Supermotard? I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to start following supermotard! Those who own supermotos will know how much damned fun it is to slide around corners and go sideways in the twisties, i'd absolutely LOVE to follow serious motard competition!

And finally, what of my LFS account? I fear that perhaps it's against the TOS to sell it, but I feel like I just might never get back into sim-racing, or auto racing period.

If it was a dual purpose, you should have been further up on the tank and putting as much weight on the front end as possible, your chances of keeping traction on the front tire would have been much better.

If your rear tire slides mid-corner while on a dual purpose, it's no big deal at all. You need to focus on keeping as much weight, and thusly traction, on the front.

If it was a streetbike, then well, uh, VROOM?

I don't know shit about streetbikes :E

I've not watched any WRC rallies since the summer intercession, and have missed basically all the motoGP races in the same time-period.

Could anyone be kind enough to get me up to speed on the two series so that i'm not clueless come season's end?

Sorry about the topic title, I moved that one to what I felt was a more appropriate board, and decided to make use of what would have been nothing more than a placeholder thread

Last edited by sinkoman, Mon, 10 Sep 2007 02:49.

Overkill I think.

The locales I park in really aren't that dangerous at all, it's just the fact that Honolulu is the number one statistic in terms of motorcycle theft rates.

I'm going to bet that carrying around a 20 pound chain on my back is ultra dangerous too. I can imagine that thing snapping my spine clean when I crash.

Are you sure that there aren't any cables that are actually good? I could have sworn that I saw one in which the cable itself was surrounded by 1 inch diameter steel tubes.

Any other ideas then?

Quote from danowat :

Almax is generally regarded the best chain locks you can buy . http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/

What about cables though?

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Since i'm not 17, and jobless I dont have a bike (yet)

However my dad uses some sort of alarm, not sure which one, its got the full kit, tilt sensors etc. He uses a couple of hefty disklocks, front and rear and a big chain and a chunky ground anchor. If there are bicycle racks, you will look like a beurk, but buy/take youself a good chunky chain, chain it up there, using the bike rack as some sort of anchor. You could always tie it up round a lampost or something

I have a chain, but the problem is that it weighs a tonne, and my only way of taking it with me is via my backpack, and having all that weight sitting on my back is far from safe.

Imagine getting into an accident with 20 lbs of locks, 10 lbs of books, and 5 lbs of other odd belongings, all strapped to your spinal column...

I actually park my bike in a family members garage that's only a five minute walk away from campus, so I figure that leaving the chain there should work well enough.

What cable locks can you recommend though? Weight is a HUGE factor for me.

I'll be parking in some safe spots, but Honolulu happens to be the city where your chances of having your bike stolen are highest.

Last edited by sinkoman, Wed, 8 Aug 2007 08:58.

What i'm thinking, is i'll use the chain to lock it into my parking spot when i'm at school, since that's when i'm away from her the longest, then keep a cable lock wrapped around the rear fender carrying rack for when I park in shadier spots that require more finesse than just a disc and column lock, or when I go to work.

Thoughts?

I"m trying to figure out ways to secure my motorcycle down when I park it in less-than-perfect locales.

So far i've got a Masterlock made disc lock, a Kryptonite made U-lock, and 4 feet of 3900 pound test steel chain that I want to somehow turn into an anchor to use when i'm at school.

I can't figure out how to secure it down when i'm in public though. The chain is way too bulky to keep with me at all times, the U-lock is generally too short to be useful, and i'm assuming that cable locks are easy to pop in half with a set of bolt cutters.

Any ideas?

I put about 14 miles on the bike today, and just tried to avoid constant throttle, and then opened it up every so often.

How's that sound?

On a side note, it's really weird having a 6 speed tranny instead of a 5 speed (not counting neutral). I kept forgetting what gear I was in :P. Something to get used to I suppose.

Quote from 96 GTS :

I've read that guide before, and it makes perfect sense to me.

Unfortunately, here, it's unlikely you'll actually be able to get your new car with less that 20 miles on it, with stupid dealer test drives and stuff.

Dealers need to instruct their lot attendants to do this then (Former lot attendant here, lol)

Really makes me wish I'd gotten my car new... Oh well.

I got lucky. When we went to the dealership to purchase the bike, it was still in the crate, so I got a brand spanking new bike with only 5 miles on it

Last edited by sinkoman, Mon, 30 Jul 2007 03:00.

Ok, I know this is a loaded topic right here, but I need help.

I bought a new KLX250s and brought it home today via a family members truck, and need some advice on engine break-in, as i've heard a million different things from a million different people. All my previous bikes have been pre-owned, so it never was a problem before.

I've heard from some people to just ride it normal, and open it up full throttle every so often, i've heard that you should follow the manuals break-in recommendations, i've heard that you need to just vary the revs constantly for the first 1000mi, i've heard that you need to vary the revs constantly but keep it under the manufacturer recommended rev limit, i've heard that you should ride it as hard as possible, hell, i've heard so many different things.

How should I really be doing this?

Quote from Lible :

Following invidiual drivers will be extremely hard. Try to place cameras on a 15 km stage, let's say one camera per 50 meters, how many cameras do you get? 1000:50=20x15=300 - uh, pricey, you need one man for each camera, too. Now think about the longest 50 km stages. Second problem is time..

I'd at least like it if they went over the stage first, before jumping into the actual coverage. Just show a brief picture showing the layout of the stage.

I see a dude breaking traction over a turn covered in dirt, with a wierd camera angle, and that's it. I have no clue what's comming up after this turn, if its a hairpin, a sweeping left or right, the only thing I know is that it's a turn, somewhere on a stage, with lots of dirt.

That's pretty much how the Eurosport coverage goes right now.

I'm looking for a league that's less formal than most of the others. Just something where on a certain announced day and hour of every week, they race a certain car on a track that is announced at the end of the last event.

Similar to Thursday Night Thunder, but with the selection of cars staying constant throughout the series.

Tried the GFC, but it's a bit too difficult for me. I'm CAPABLE of competing on a technical level, but emotionally, I get nervous, and my heart starts thumping like an oil pump, and I end up screwing up my corner entries, and thusly risking everybody else's race

Last edited by sinkoman, Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:26.

Quote from Storm_Cloud :

I am afraid that is just part of racing and you need to be more switched on when being lapped. Sometimes you lose out, but that's racing.

Well, I realize that, but they'll do it unsafely and idiotically too, like into chicanes and stuff, and with EXTREMELY reckless abandon.

Not the best of races for me, crashed out twice

First time I made it back to the pits without getting blue flagged, second time, I crashed because I was under a blue flag :P

In any case, I suppose this means i'm out of the season, but I think there needs to be some rule preventing people from using the blue flag as a cover for passing the chap ahead of them. It happened to me twice, i'd be moving off my line in the straight to let somebody pass, and then i'd try to retake my line after they pass, only to find that some wise crack who was behind me thought it'd be a good idea to use my line change as an opportunity to take back the line, and i'd need to swerve out to avoid hitting anybody.

Quote from Crashgate3 :

It will almost certainly have a few chemicals added to it, even in Hawaii, unless your tap water is brown when it comes out.

Well, I know that nothing other than what's required at the refining plant is added, and that's still very little. Most of our water is filtered through the lava rocks, and not much more.

Should I be wary of just picking one up at a local garden shop? Should I find a more reputable source to find a healthy plant?

Quote from danowat :

Because fly trap's die if you give them tap water, something to do with the extra added chemical's thats in tap water

I thought chlorination was only in the continental US?

I know that the tap water here is 100% unadulterated.