gjhdiver

[reply I don't want is slammed, but would like a little better footing when stopped, plus a cleaner look. I'm thinking 12" Progressive Suspension? Bingo. Add progressive springs to the front and 30 weight, plus a fork brace and you'll be hagning with the Buells in the corners in no time. I did this on a Sporty a few years back. Night and day as far as handling went.

The fact that the stock softail comes with really shitty suspension components, (as do sporty's). The main problem is with the preload and the rebound on the stock units. The preload is very high, and the rebound is really soft. This means that it takes a lot to get the suspension to move, meaning that just about everything fails to get the suspension to adequately damp, causing most shocks to be transferred directly to your ass. Once the preload has been been reached, (approximately two seconds after you just swallowed your tongue,) the rebound is too soft, meaning that the suspension takes too long to return. This makes for a hard ride and nasty wallowing, especially in corners. It's very hard to get a softail to ride as well as a normal swing arm machine because the design itself is a compromise based entirely on looks. You can get it to ride very well if you fit a White Bothers air ride suspension kit on them, but we're talking about $1700 here. Nothing is as bad as the stock sporty 883 units though, so don't feel too bad. However, the gold standard for shitty hndling is the Springer Softail. You can save yourself time and pain on these by just pushing them over instead of trying to change a line through a corner. A straight ahead hardtail has none of these problems because all of the suspension and damping is in the springs in the seat. There's very few HD's that are set up well in this regard though, as most riders aren't fussy enough to either notice or want to pay for the correct units. I mean, they ship the things with 10 weight in the forks. They might as well put gatorade in there for the damping that gives. (I never go with less than 30 weight in forks, coupled with progressive springs and cartridge emulators). Just about any of the HD big twin line can be made to handle well with correct rear units and cartridge emulators in the front end. Of course YMMV etc. I do a lot of riding and building, but if you spend most of your time on the slab and never hit the twisties at speed, you may never notice.

Whoa, if you're looking for a nice comforable ride, steer clear of a softail. You'd get a softer ride out of a rigid with a pogo seat.

Is that why you keep turning up in my plane on these records then ? Don't blame yourself. I am a very desirable man after all.

Hate to say it, but the Hypercharger is nothing more than a flashy rain collecter. For a Sporty, nothing outflows the Screamin Eagle Hi Flow aircleaner in pure cfm. Doesn't look as cool, but there you go. There's a reason they are on the Buells Actually, I ran a velocity stack on my street shovelhead for a while. Great flow, cool as hell, but sucked my damn pants leg in all the time at stop lights. You don't look anywhere near as cool on a stalled bike trying to extricate your leg from the carb. I put the S&S back on with a K&N element.

I always wear Gatorz under my Z1 when organizing. I don't need the customers seeing the fear in my eyes.

Heh. We used to spray PAM on our excalibers to keep them flying halfway decent in the late 80's. Made them smell funny, but it did seem to work for about 25 jumps. Mind you, if you factor in the hassle and the cost of trying to cover canopies in this crap, it's cheaper to get a new main.

Happened to me after I had a misfire on mine. I got a loaner from SSK to tide me over. Mine was back in about 8 weeks.

I'd agree with this. I've done a fair bit of reserve product testing, and PD is what I choose to use. I won't mention the name of a reserve that is not a million miles away from the subject of this thread, but it had the flying and landing charactistics of a lawn dart. The nicest thing I can think of to say about it was that it opened. YMMV, IMHO not valid in HI, AK etc etc.

Thanks you you dear man, I was so going there...... You're welcome. Still waiting for the "Build 1000 bridges...." comment! I was merely allowing extra time for you two geriatrics to haul your aging carcasses out of the door. Didn't work, because you fell off you big fairy. I had to come with you to make sure that you were all right.

Especially the good looking ones with pink shorts.

It's her birthday. It's in the diary. It always changes depending on the real date.

Vibes sent. Hope she gets cut a break soon. Sounds like she has a lot more living to do yet. You only get one mom. I still miss mine every day.

Fairy.

No, it's nt a violation of the BSR's for you. Also, after 20 years and countless dropzones, I've yet to jump at one where people didn't jump after drinking or lighting one up. Most of the time though, they're doing it out of your sight. Once you get on the freeway to go home, I guarantee you that you'll be driving in the company of many more impaired people as well. If you don't like it, just hang around and keep your eyes open, and you'll work out which people indulge, and just refrain from jumping with them or on loads that they are on.

80% for me. Mind you, 17 years as a professional musican on tour surely helped bump that up. I had a LOT of fun in the 80's, what I remember of them.

Simple. One day at a time, and never allow your emotions to rule your head. It's hard at first, but it gets easier with every day that passes, and allows you to reconstruct a better life. Also, you have a daughter, so the more calm and pleasant you are in the separation will affect how easy it is for her, and also help you with the fact that you will still be dealing with your ex for many years to come. It's three years for me, and I have a great relationship with my ex, a great new SO, and I couldn't be happier. Just stay the course, get it over with, and make a real effort to avoid any bitterness, because in the end, that will only poison you.

You must not have many friends I know. And the ones I do have aren't quite all there, as you well know.

Think carefully, though, about what things are part of who you are, and what things are just something you do. . I should have made myself a little clearer there I suppose. I actually mean what you say there in the sentence quoted. I faked my way through a lot of unsuccessful relationships trying to compromise what I am. It never worked. I've had much better success by just letting people know who I am and letting them make the decision to get involved with me on those terms. It's works the other way around too. I much prefer people to be themselves so I don't get any unpleasant surprises later after I've invested in them.

That would be good. Many years ago, in a land far away from sunny California, I made my first jump just outside Stratford on Avon at the Midland Parachute Centre at the Long Marcton airfield. Now closed for nearly 10 years, it would be good if there was a place again there or nearby.

And let that be a lesson to you. Never compromise. Ever. For anyone. For any reason. To do so denies who you are. Sure, you'll have less friends and get involved in way less crappy relationships, but the ones that you do have will be virtually unbreakable. My friends like me despite my faults, not because of them, and that's a better way have it IMHO.

You had me right up to the second part, and I was about to propose to you too. Blue Sapphire is my gin of choice too, but don't be bruising that good stuff up in a shaker ! Save that nonsense for the vodka concoctions. Just fill a nice big pitcher with ice, chill your glass for 30 odd minutes, drop a little vermouth on top the ice, then pour it out immediately. Drool the gin down the side of the pitcher, and not on the ice directly, and then stir slowly and gently until chilled. Garnish with one olive, preferably not some deisgner type olive filled with crap, and drink. Repeat until too refreshed to make any more without breaking something. Now, I'll drink other types of faux martinis. I'm quite partial to Grey Goose and Pucker Schnapps for instance, but it ain't a martini no matter what you say. Just don't be messin' with an Englisman's gin is all I'll say.

If it's a martini, it has gin in it, not vodka, you uncouth oafs. I'll bet you put the damn thing in a shaker too you heathens. Don't get me started.

Let them go without a fuss with the proviso that you can come and watch.

You missed an oportunity to damage their self esteem there again. I mean, why have kids if you can't screw them up ? Think of it as pre-emptive revenge for when they load you into the cheapest nursing home they can find. Firstly, you could have said that Pluto spends a large portion of it's orbit inside that of Neptune, therefore making Netune the farthest planet in the solar system. Then you could have pointed out that Pluto is really not a planet but one of many TNO's or Trans Neptunian Objects. Then you could have picked one of the twins at random and sent her to bed with no supper and given the other $5 for being your favorite. You miss out on so much fun with them you know. Can I come babysit one night ?