[Shotimes] removal of air box for a new toy!

[Zach Leahy]

<rant>

Not to hijack the message board, but I wanna throw in this:  I don't
care what you ride, but get some good gear.  Jeans and T-shirt riding
gear is absolutely unacceptable.  Get a riding jacket and pants, or a
one piece riding suit.  If you have a bike, buy a full face helmet.
With 45% of MC accidents involving an impact to the chin/face, why
would you wear anything less?  Wear gloes, cause when you trip and
fall and catch yourself with your hands, think how you get scraped...
do it at 80mph.....I'll leave footwear to another day since it's not
quite as important.  Now all of this needs to be worn... ALL THE
TIME!!!

I'm sorry, but it really bugs me that there are so many new riders out
there, and so many that ride machines that are way more powerful than
they can handle.  And then do it all while wearing no gear.  Gosh,
come on, don't be stupid.  The bike choice is meaningless if you can't
ride it again cause you were stupid.

I also find it odd that I will get poked fun of for being safe.  For
haveing invested a lot of money in good gear (about $1700), and
wearing it, even for a ride down the street.  It seems I don't fit to
an image, and that image is that you see most...  Careless, and
unsafe.  Sorry, not my bag, I guess I don't fit in.

</rant>


Now, for me, I subscribe to the BMW crowd, I have an 85 K100RT.  Big
touring bike, for a big touring fan.  I don't drive it fast, 0-60 in
4.0 is fast enough for me, and I rarely do that.  I do drive it a lot
though.  SHOs see very little summer milage, I haven't broke 1500
miles on the green one or 4000 on the red one since it was reasonable 
(mostly fall-winter-spring drivers).  Anyway, I'm out to see the
country, I have nothing to prove about my bike, I don't wanna show off
and wanna live to see tomorrow, in one piece.  Only thing I am proud
of with that bike is the milage...  I have only had it a couple years,
but have put considerable milage with very little maintnance.. bIke
has just shy of 77,000 miles.  I'd get on it tomorrow and ride 1,000
miles from home with no worries.

BMW's are not really pretty (altough they have gotten better) and I
don't care.  I really don't give a rip what you ride.  It's about the
act of riding, not what your riding.  If your bike fits your
personality, great!  Get what makes you happy.  If you wanna cruise,
get the cruiser.  If you wanna carve corners, get a sport bike.  If
you wanna log miles, get the touring bike.  If you wanna hit the
"lesser travelled road" head for a dual sport.  Doesn't matter what
your ride is, it just matters that you are riding.  Answer is, I wave
at everyone, occasionally even DUI scooters :)

Anyway have fun on 2 wheels, but ride safely since they are about the
most dangerous form of transit available.

Z



On 6/23/05, Ron Porter <ronporter@prodigy.net> wrote:
> The Yamaha XS11 Special (1100CC) was the first bone-stock bike to run in the
> 11s back in '78. My '79 XS11 Special has a Kerker 4-in-1, which adds a few
> HP. If I had the balls, it would run easy 11s. I no longer have the balls to
> do full-throttle in 1st gear, as all 600+ #s lift the wheel REAL easy.