Colorado B.S. Thread

Wow. You must be getting more snow than I am on the west side of town.

 

Have you looked outside?

 

Got less than an inch, about a foot down here at work though

 

Yes... A trace at best.

 

Anyone want to know what happens after your puppy jumps up on the counter and snags an entire stick of butter out of the butter dish?

 

<-- this?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcwP26wK5KM

 

As surprised as I was, no. It never made it that far, she barfed a massive pile.

 

I figured it was either right back up and explosively out the other end

 

Can only imagine! One xmax season our dog got an entire cheese log when we were celebrating in an adjacent room. We stood at the table and said "okay who ate the cheese log" as our Brittany looked up through his big brown eyes at us with his ears completely down. It was so funny to see the look on his face. The farts he had from that could kill a fly from a hundred yards. Makes me laugh even today. Pets. You have to love them!

 

I'm late to the party so this may have been answered. PW doesn't have a diesel because the 6.7 weighs 800 lbs more than the 6.4 and they didn't want that much weight centered on the front axle for an off-road designed vehicle. So they made it a gasser. With the removal of the Cummins, they free'd up space behind the front bumper where the intercooler would normally live, so they used that space to include the winch.
12mpg is awesome by the way 8mgp if I'm towing. Weee!

 

Will probably try and grab a snowblower this summer. Shoveling 5" of heavy, wet snow sucks.

I know, first world problems

 

Sorry in advance for the long ass post...

I'm a big guy, and my issue with smaller bikes was the inability for them to get to a safe speed on some of the non-highway roads we have around here. I started on 200, moved to a 400, and finally found 500's were the minimum I could ride and hit 65 or so to keep up with traffic on some of the larger roads. Definitely take that into account when you're looking for a bike. I bought 2 bikes I shouldn't have because I was more worried about limiting power than ride-ability. You can always control power by not twisting the throttle as far. A 600 is a good bike to start on. If you don't get a supersport oriented one, a 600 isn't going to have insane HP. It'll be a little enough bike to get used to riding on, and have some growth room built in to keep you interested for a few years before you get jonesing for more ponies and more expense. As someone already mentioned a Suzuki SV650 is a good starter bike. More upright riding position, not geared for total speed, torquey so you aren't fighting stalling at slow speed. They also made a SV650S, that has lay on the tank ergonomics but is otherwise the same bike, I prefer the normal non-S version for learning on. Good to learn on and fun for intermediate riding. The torque does allow it to wheelie so keep that in mind if you're dumping the clutch or going wide open on the throttle from a stop. Kawi Ninja 300's are the exception to the size rule for me. I can ride one of those to 80mph, but that engine is wound out and the bike feels tiny under me.

Invest in gear. Get a good helmet, do not cheap out on the helmet. A lot of the brands fit completely different from each other so find some shops that carry a lot and spend a day trying a bunch on. Walk around the store for 5-10 minutes with each of them on so you can get an idea of pressure points and other annoyances. http://performancecycle.com in Denver has a good selection to go window shopping.

Get a good jacket that fits loose enough that you can put a sweatshirt underneath for when it gets cooler at night. Leather jackets tend to run smaller to size than textile ones, so make sure to try on ones you're thinking of getting to make sure they fit correctly.

Get good gloves, possibly even a couple pair for different weather conditions (I've got heated leather ones for cold, textile insulated ones for chilly, and armored textile lightweights for hot).

Riding pants are probably the most neglected piece of gear. Jeans will last for approximately 3-5 seconds sliding down asphalt before they become confetti, at the end of the day they're just cotton. If you like the look of jeans, check into the kevlar reinforced riding jeans. Otherwise a lightweight (non-insulated) pair of textile pants to go over your jeans isn't a bad idea.

https://www.revzilla.com/ is an online retailer, they have a good selection of stuff and do decent reviews of most of the items they carry. They try to help with sizing as much as possible, but nothing beats trying it on in person before you shop online. If you are at a physical store trying stuff on, try to check pricing online before you go, if the price isn't super different, consider shopping local to help keep the local stores in business.

https://www.rockymountainkawasaki.com/ in Longmont allows test drives of bikes, has a decent used selection, and a tiny shop for gear. They're decent people to deal with. They also service all brands, so if you want to buy used from them they can service it.

Books are great for reading in the winter or on crappy days when you can't be out riding. They'll point out things you can be doing different. Hazards to be aware of, etc.

David L. Hough
Street Strategies: A Survival Guide for Motorcyclists
Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride

Lee Parks
Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques

Keith Code
A Twist of the Wrist: The Motorcycle Roadracers Handbook
A Twist of the Wrist Vol. 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding

 

It was a must for me, 80ish feet of driveway with any snow type sucked.

 

Damn dude, thanks alot for all this information! I promise fellas, I will not skimp on safety. I have a infant boy and I want to be around for him. I think the Suzuki SV650 is probably what i am going to go for when the time is right.

 

Should be an interesting week. I’m on my way to Texas to change oil on a crane. Most expensive oil change in history. They gotta pay 2 grand just in travel makes sense to me

 

Anyone know a residential electrician? Looking to get some recessed lighting installed. Broomfield/Erie area.

 

Ask @Martyinco

 

I could only use mine on the 2 car driveway and a block of sidewalk...and the pad with the neighborhood mailboxes.

Can't do the 2 decks lol #firstworldproblems

 

Some more things I thought of after the novel...

Helmet ratings explained: https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/helmet-safety-ratings-101
And if you really want to geek out about helmets: https://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/imsc2006/Thom-Comparison_Tests_of_Motorcycle_Helmets-Paper.pdf

Some other slightly lower power starting options that still aren't so tiny that they might be dangerous:
Honda CB500F or CB500X (same platform, 2 different setups, F is naked/street, X is more adventure touring-ish with more suspension. I had the 500F and it was a great little bike, excellent for around town, could do 65-70 all day long if necessary, not enough juice to wheelie without effort.) The CB500F reminds me a lot of a slower/lighter version of the SV650.
Honda CBR250/CBR300 (same idea as the Ninja 300, smaller bike but its setup allows it to cover all the backroad speeds, probably not good for highway, may not be comfortable for larger riders.)