Fear me!

[Mad Dog Doug]

My apologies for the above post ...

I made the mistake of posting while I was over medicated, both self and legit script. Last night my cracked ribs took me over the top and I was washing down vike's, percosets, and exlax with tequillia.

I waas to say the least ****faced when I posted so arrogantly, I'll address this later when I'm not so hungover.

I'm not normally so flagrant.

Doug

[Ivan]

I made the mistake of posting while I was over medicated, both self and legit script. Last night my cracked ribs took me over the top and I was washing down vike's, percosets, and exlax with tequillia.

I waas to say the least ****faced when I posted so arrogantly, I'll address this later when I'm not so hungover.

I'm not normally so flagrant.

Doug

AH HA! Well, at least we know, win or loose, there will be drinking! Maybe next summer the midwest can meet the nor'east and have a throw down, then throw some back.

[latexeses]

Mad Dog,

When we used to request the Fire dept to assist they nearly always sent over the rookie to run the bucket. Practice with out being under fire (no pun intended) so to speak. At 80 feet it didn't take much to get that thing to move especially when it was nearly straight up. My buddy wound up looking like you after one of those trips up. Not as severe though. Last time he ever went up.

The last time I went up we got up to the light and found out one of the groundskeepers had dug around in the tool bag looking for something and removed a needed tool. Up at the light we sent a bag down on a rope to get it back in the bucket. When we turned around the light was about six feet over our heads. The seals inside the hydraulics rams had started to leak. I just looked over to the operator and said "I think we're about done here" and we got the hell down. The firetruck never got recertified after that.

[Bigfoot]

That would be a great reason for a get together. I know there is a track in Topeka. Not really half-way though.

[Bigfoot]

I made the mistake of posting while I was over medicated, both self and legit script. Last night my cracked ribs took me over the top and I was washing down vike's, percosets, and exlax with tequillia.

I waas to say the least ****faced when I posted so arrogantly, I'll address this later when I'm not so hungover.

I'm not normally so flagrant.

Doug

No worries Doug, don't think it was that bad. Be carefull mixing the narcotics and booze though.

[WMarshy]

AH HA! Well, at least we know, win or loose, there will be drinking! Maybe next summer the midwest can meet the nor'east and have a throw down, then throw some back.

This sounds like something I dont wanna miss! Hopefully I will have a fork brace, progressive springs, and SS break lines by next year. I wouldnt mind getting on a track to see how the ol'girl likes it. Keep us posted!

About the chainsaws... Always use to run a Husky XP and loved it, file the rake down on that jumper tooth some after a fresh sharpen and let'er eat!
Check this vid out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rztm0HM9XzE

[XJOK2PLAY]

Wow, Doug... that's some nasty bruising you got there!
Sorry to see that's happened to you!
Get well soon, and as others have mentioned... take it easy on the mixers...

No problems, but thanks for saying that...

I was just getting into the "spirit" of things by antagonizing my buddy Tod a bit...

FWIW, He is an unbelievable force to be reckoned with on an 11... I've seen him take mountain twisties like they were straightaways!

To watch him, he's truely one w/ the bike.

No way I can keep up with him... I don't even try.

I've seen him run in the twisties neck to neck with an '08 Connie before... and one VERY experienced Connie owner / rider!

All I can say is... it'll be a fun day if we get it together... & you better bring your "A" game w/ ya, and leave the excuses @ home! LOL

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Bob

[DiverRay]

and one VERY experienced Connie owner / rider!

And the owner also does track time on his flying kaw.... I have also seen him ride on a "fun" road, and I've also seen him playing with me on the KAW.
I have NOT met Tod as of yet, but maybe next year I can get out that way as well. It sounds like a FUN get together, and I'll bet we ALL end up winning, one way or another.

[Mad Dog Doug]

Track Day Festival ! ~ Run whut U brung

Can I bring a ringer rider? This is machine vs. machine right? If I get my mechanic and tuner to ride, he'll fix it if he breaks it. He's a far better race rider than me, maybe up to Todd's caliber. That way I can focus on being bartender. (no drinks until you park it)

I would be a fun way to get together. Maybe I learn how to get my howling, shrieking, locomotive on afterburners MNS to turn. Flat track style? I know I can get mine to spin the rear wheel coming out hard, if I can only control the resulting slide to bring the rear around to face me in the direction I want to go next.

My technique for creating shock and awe from other riders with my SR is to stay with them on the road until the twistys come then delicately dance the SR under them on the inside, thus taking the shorter route around.

The bike does handle with the grace of anything out there, new or old, even today, with crotch rockets built like race bikes, the SR is a solid and light weight chassis. It's basically a dirt bike built for the road. I bought new and raced off road with the TT500 variant back in the day.

Much as the XS 1100 was the first true superbike, the Yamaha 500 thumper, was the first true 4-stroke dirt racer. It has a long and legendary history as such, with one example winning a race in the World Championship MX series. A portent of things to come, as 4-strokes have now taken over in this ultra competitive venue.

Anyway, to have any sort of chance to turn a better lap time with my SR than the growling beast that is the vintage 1100, it's got to be a track without many straight sections. Geared to race, my top end is maybe 85 ~ 90 wound out in 5th. I've got to find a place where Todd can't get out of 2nd gear!

Can I put in chicanes? (Oh Oh Todd, first I wanted to pick the track, now I want to build it) LOL

~ Doug

[Mad Dog Doug]

... At 80 feet it didn't take much to get that thing to move especially when it was nearly straight up. My buddy wound up looking like you after one of those trips up. Not as severe though. Last time he ever went up...

Well without going into all the details, I used the boom as if it was a backhoe with disastrous results. I'm no rookie, but let overconfidence in my abilities let to a good whacking. I honestly didn't think I be alive when my ground man brought the boom down, I thought for sure I had driven my ribs through some vital organs.

And BigFoot, thanks for the quite correct admonitions about mixing my meds (legit) and booze. The tequila was 8% of the Mike-aritas I was drinking, but alcohol and narcotics should never be mixed (don't try this at home kids).

I was suffering from trying to do some light tree work (no climbing), just a trim job, but I wasn't ready, and I really frustrated from the constant pain of the past two weeks, so I opted "out" for the evening. I was safely strapped down on my couch for the night, under my nurses constant supervision.

~ Doug

[XJOK2PLAY]

And the owner also does track time on his flying kaw.... I have also seen him ride on a "fun" road, and I've also seen him playing with me on the KAW.
I have NOT met Tod as of yet, but maybe next year I can get out that way as well. It sounds like a FUN get together, and I'll bet we ALL end up winning, one way or another.

Ray,

Yeah... we both know of whom I'm speaking... and you're right, he's put in his share of track hours as well. We ride together all the time, but when it comes to serious riding... I let him go on, and catch up... I've learned to just ride my ride when riding w/ either of them, ya know? Besides... since I decided it best to try to take care of the 'ole girl and not push her, and the fact that she's a full dresser, it really makes for great excuses to cover for my lack of riding skills... LOL
(No... this is not an opening to insert a wise crack, Tod...thank you very much... )

I'm hoping to go with him next year / or next time he makes the Oregon trip, so maybe we'll get a chance to meet up!

You'll like Tod if / when you get to meet him... I'm really glad I got to know him...he's a blast to ride with. (When I can keep up enough to get a glimpse of him...) I usually catch up when we "gas up"...

Take care, Ray.

[trbig]

While I appreciate peoples' confidence in me and the kind words, I don't want this coming across like I'm some bad-azz professional or something. My main point in all of this was to simply state that the cornering abilities of these machines are underrated in horrific proportions.

No, these aren't modern superbikes, but the people that say these are too top heavy or corner like lead sleds... there's either something not set up right on the bike or something not set up right with the RIDER. I never understood the top heavy thing anyway. Either you keep the center of balance in the center.. whether turning or straight... or you don't. A bike that carries it's weight up higher will be a bit slower flicking it over from side to side, but I've never met a set of curves at any speed I couldn't go from one footpeg to the other with plenty of time to get set for the curve.

Sometimes the old gal will wobble. I have found that tires make more of a difference in this than the bike's forks... but the XJ's front end is built a bit stouter in the fender area than the XS. If you have an actual fork brace on your XS, then yours should be stouter than mine. Another thing I've found.. is most people get to that point where it wobbles and either stay at that speed and try to compensate for it, or slow down. I've found that when I grab a handfull of throttle in these cases, (If the road allows it) and push on through that, it gets some of that weight off your front forks and shifted to the rear and the wobbles go away.

Anyway.. not trying to get people to ride past their personal limits, but just trying to state that diminished cornering abilities that are attributed to these bikes.. is usually a direct result of the rider.. not the bike.

Sometimes my adult kicks in. Not often enough... but sometimes. If this comes across as being scared of a challenge.. then so be it... but I do realize that riding all over the country trying to "prove" something about this or that bike is dangerous. Trying to rip around a road.. or track.. is inherently dangerous. When you add to that of trying to push it just a bit harder to shave a few hundredths off a track time.. you're asking for trouble. Things happen and accidents happen.. and someone ends up tearing something up that they aren't making any more.(Including ourselves).

I stand behind my word and would show up for this challenge since I opened my mouth (Keyboard..), even though now... I'm really not thinking my bike has anything to prove. That particular problem comes from me. But if I rode all that way and tore up something on my bike, I'd sure be hard pressed to get it and me home. If you tore up your beautiful bike trying to prove something... or worse yet.. got hurt... I would feel even worse.


Tod

[Mad Dog Doug]

Rockingchair race event

Tod ~

Consider the "challange" as a call to camaraderie and a good time to boot. A day at the track where picking a good line is more important than dodging oncoming vehicles would be fun as long as everyone tempers their enthusiasm and has a good time, not high siding their way to the ER.

~ Doug