Tom Clayton

Cold temps don't bother me - I've gotten on my bike when it was 19°F. (That's -7°C for those that use that weird scale. ) But two wheels and slick roads just don't mix. If I get out tomorrow, it'll be in the Jeep!

How bout this chump? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXGJ2n1vrTk

About cheek biting, that may be fixable too. My wife owns a Scorpion EXO-400. When she first tried one on at the dealer, the Small fit her head snugly, but made her bite her cheeks. So she went with a Medium. We later found out that the crown lining (that's the top "beanie" portion) was too large and the wind kept trying to remove the lid. I did some digging, and everything from Medium on down use the same shell. The only difference is the lining/cheek pad set. We ordered her a Small lining/pad set, but only replaced the crown lining, keeping the original cheek pads. What she now has is essentially a hybrid size, with a Small crown and Medium cheek pads. After all that, I also discovered that the cheek pads on her lid can be opened and the foam cushion comes out in layers. Had we originally gone with a Small, we could have simply removed one layer from each cheek pad. Anyway, enough rambling. the short of it is this - check with the dealer to see what's available in liner parts. Head and face fit may be customizable, but you need to talk to a dealer that really knows what he's talking about.

I'm either a mod or an admin on three different forums for Flight Simulator enthusiasts (fanatics?), and I can tell you it's not always easy to catch everything that gets posted before things get out of hand. This board is mostly European with a few members from North America. As I post this around lunch time in North Carolina, the majority of the members here are probably getting off work or already driving home. If I post later tonight, most of you will already be sleeping. That's where the problem lies. It's impossible to police the site 24/7. If the post times are right, this thread was started at a quarter past eleven last night, Great Britain time. He's doing his best to post his trash when it will slide by and not get edited for as long as possible. The nice thing is that you can visit his profile and add him to your "Ignored Users" list and not have to worry with him. And I'm afraid I have to agree with Oldtimer, after something like this, I'd have already banned both the username and IP. With nearly 17,000 registered users, one less wouldn't be sorely missed.

I go away for a while and you go and upset the natual order of the universe! Goff without Elvira? UNTHINKABLE!!! She really is a sweet looking ride. That 950 engine is a nice step up from the 650 - you're going to love it!

Most board admins would label you a spammer for that and ban you from their board! In most cases, I'd agree, but someone else was pushing this one a few days back and I checked them out - and liked what I saw enough to join. But unlike the other user that posted the original link, I don't think one's any better than the other. Spammers beware though, there are mods and admins online just about every time I log in. If you manage to get 50 posts in at one time, they won't last long. It's a US based forum, but unlike the one linked above, there's no top-of-the-page flash banners blatantly trying to make money for the owner. The guy that owns it also owns a photography company and website, and rolls the expense of both sites together. I plan to stay active here as much as possible, even though I'm on the other side of the pond. A bike is still a bike, regardless of which side of the road you use - unlike those weird cars y'all have with the steering wheel on the wrong side! Besides, I'm waiting for Goff to post more pics of that beautiful paint on her V-Star Dragstar! I've been active on a few forums related to Microsoft's Flight Simulator series for several years, and those are populated by people from literally all over the world. If there's one thing that's taught me, is that people from different locations can be broght together as friends if there's a common bond. Here, it's bikes, on other boards, it's something else. All I can say is if you want to mention another board with a similar subject, don't trash the one you're on at the time!

Yikes! The British government must not like bikers much! Over here, each state is slightly different, but none of them that I know of require any license for a moped, and most have much less of a test for motorcycles. You only have to be 16 years old and wear a helmet to ride a moped her in North Carolina. They're commonly known as liquor-cycles, since people that lose their driver's license due to driving drunk usually end up buying mopeds!

Same here in the States! In fact, when I took my safety course, the instructor encouraged it. Even if the other rider doesn't respond, you're sending a signal to the cage drivers that we stick together and support each other. If my clutch hand isn't busy, I'll hold it out to acknowledge other riders. (Over here, we ride on the right side of the road! )

Or if they're not too badly damaged, you can lay them on a flat surface (the harder the better, like a genuine stone counter top) and gently straighten the keys with a hammer. I've done this a few times in the past with fairly consistent success.

Well then, there's still a glimmer of hope for my sanity! I love that paint by the way. I have a friend that does that sort of paint for a living. He does anything from rifle stocks to boats and aircraft. He's even done toilet seats to be given out as door prizes at car shows!

I bought mine to save gas money. I have the heavy winter jacket, mesh summer jacket, rain gear, boot covers, and two weights of gloves. The only thing left to get for the coming winter is a set of heavy overpants. The only thing that will keep my bike parked this winter will be ice on the road. I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid! I'd be happy to ride with you, but it might be a litle tough to get there from North Carolina!

Nope - your weekly allotment of luck got used up right there! I just hope I never have to use that much luck at one time!

Maybe I'm crazy ("Maybe?"), maybe I'm just seeing things, but is your Dragstar not virtually the same thing as the V-Star sold here in the States?

I've put a link to this thread in a couple of Flight Simulator forums I frequent.

As an ex wrench turner myself, I can tell you that it depends completely on the vehicle's electrical system. Older GM cars with the 10-SI Delco alternators will run with the battery disconnected. Newer cars would not. I have no idea though about the specs on your bike.