What did you do today?

[Speed 3 Pilot]

I think the military will be the best bet for a venue...the Stadium lower parking lot would be good, but it's doubtful that the Stadium Authority would go for it...

[canes]

I just talked to the Transportation Safety Manager for the area (the same guy who helps run the Mil only track days) . And he has informed me that I should try Barbers Point sense there already use to with that sort of a routine.

(once agen Ill keep you all informed as things become available )

thanks for the thought Gene, Keep em coming!!!
you being the token "old guy" on the island I would think you would know all about that stuff. lol

[Speed 3 Pilot]

We used to autocross on the ramp at Barbers Point, but the State gave us the boot for security reasons after 9/11...can't think of any other place on Barbers that would accomodate a Superbike school, lots of wide open spaces but no asphalt/concrete...

[MadDuck]

For any kind of foreseeable future I think anyone here interested in a real track school is going to have to pony up the bucks and go to a school held at a mainland track. We have no track here and it's very doubtful that we will ever get on due to NIMBY and the lack of enough serious money to actually build it. Our old track SUCKED and was actually flat out dangerous for motorbike racing.

Two wheels at the Stadium is out of the question also. The barely paved surface of the parking lot is in no way safe for motorcycles at speed. Plus the corners would be marked by CONES which become their own safety hazard. Hit a cone with a car, no problemo. Hit one with a bike and that's a whole different issue.

Use idle or abandoned military aircraft parking ramps and taxiways? You can if you want to. You will have to deal with all the loose gravel, big tar strips, and grass growing everywhere. The military allowed the limited schools to run essentially for one purpose only. It wasn't to school riders in the fine art of racing. It was, officially, if I am correct, an effort to teach the riders better skills to make them safer on the roads. It was, is, an approach to reducing the relatively high number of accidents and fatalities that military riders tend to be involved in. ( Military folk that have attended these schools correct me if I'm wrong anywhere here. ) The military has no altruistic feelings or interest for the civilian riding population and as such is not likely to expose the government to any increased liability by allowing civilians to race around on it's property under a government sponsored program. Hell, it's tough enough just getting on post to go play golf!

My two cents.  Happy post #3000.

And when is all this crappy rainy weather going to go away? ? ?

[hadesducati848]

/quote]

didnt his dad invent the interweb? 

[MadDuck]

Got the fan blades and the switch this week.  The fan blades were about 2" larger diameter than stock so no go there but I did get the switch in.  Interesting system, the fans are always powered and the ECU switches the ground?  New switch is just a parallel grounding switch.  It works fine and due to the setup the fans still run if the bike is shut down hot.

Thanks Mac!

You're most welcome.  ECU's since the early 80's are basically the intelligent ground for the systems. That way they can remain small and don't have deal with power supply and loads incurred. Early ECU's were huge by comparison and had lots of heat sinks built in. Failed often too.

The larger fans would still be good to install.

[MadDuck]

Faster is gooder!

[zzilla]

Changed oil and air filter on the bike. Tank swell torment me.

[MadDuck]

Changed oil and air filter on the bike. Tank swell torment me.

You have a plastic tank??  Didn't know that.....

[DRKWNG]

All of the S2Rs did, right?

[MadDuck]

All of the S2Rs did, right?

I guess so.  I'll have a yellow steel replacement tank for sale real soon. Really soon as I may have to cockroach the ignition coils off of the yellow bike to make Tori's bike work properly again.



Get this......

I was sitting in the garage this early evening when two bikes passed through Norfolk. The first one was a high strung I4 running at a high pace with a slower bike following. Now I was working on my second beer and enjoying a cigar. The I4 was super crisp and hooked up. There I was thinking to myself "OK, have fun, sounds good."

Then the I4 made a second return pass. OK, been there done that.....  No second bike....

Third pass for the 4 and getting faster......... Oh boy.......

Forth pass and really hooked up..... now I appreciate a good tuned bike being well ridden but this was starting to push my buttons ...... the rider was on race pace and strafing the neighborhood ....... that was starting to reflect badly on me because everyone around here assumes I know all of these folks and I get the third degree about these riders ......

So I grabbed my cigar, hiked up to road and waited ....... if it's all done I'm good but......

Sure enough, after a short bit, here comes the fifth pass ...... I can hear the high revs climb and fall through the road but this is over the limit and I stood in the road to flag the rider.

Got them stopped, even reached over the fairing and shut the engine off, and had a lively discussion about fun & respect on the road and for the people who live around here and about the big picture for all of us who love to ride fast and protecting the road so that we can ride fast without incurring the wrath of the residents and the police.

A few passes can piss some people off but the neighbors can understand and will look the other way. Repeated runs is another thing.  My point of view is that continued abuse will kill the fun for all of us who like to run Norfolk, 13 Turns and Tantalus among other roads.  I won't go into all the details but it was lively and in the end we shook hands.    I don't think either one of us expected that exchange and both of us will likely remember it for a long time. Whether or not it will have any lasting effect is unknown. I was told I reminded them of their father because the father drank beer, rode bikes and smoked cigars and that what I was saying was exactly what their Dad would say.........

I told the rider that I loved the bike and the way it sounded but..........

It might not have been the most PC thing to do but it felt like the right thing to do.  Is there even a question of who's the bigger dick? I dunno.... There's driveways, kids and dogs possibly involved. What's done is done.

[DRKWNG]

Can't say I feel there is anything out of line with what you did.  At least not from what is written.  If nothing else, it might have brought a concern to someone's attention who had otherwise been unaware.  And with that in mind, I say good on ya.  It's better of this way than some angry resident placing a lot of ball bearings out in the road.

[eltristo]

Can't say I feel there is anything out of line with what you did.  At least not from what is written.  If nothing else, it might have brought a concern to someone's attention who had otherwise been unaware.  And with that in mind, I say good on ya.  It's better of this way than some angry resident placing a lot of ball bearings out in the road.

+several.  Sounds like the best possible choice for the situation. 

[Speed 3 Pilot]

Took the SF in today for a safety check and new rear tire, asked Will to check out the strong odor of fuel that's been emanating from the bike as of late...seems as if my two month old tank is defective, new one on order...thanks Will...

On the way home had a cop working special duty at a road repair site flashed me a shaka while mouthing the words "nice Ducati"....

[DRKWNG]

Should have given him the one-wheeled salute as a response.