hiro

Based on the Alpinestars chart and some rough self measurements, I'd need a Euro size 48 / US size 38 / S-M. Sounds about right. I wish this were more like going on a go-cart track. ^_^ Which I've never done either. Bumper cars, yes.

Yeah, excellent when it's cold. I think I would like them a whole lot more if they were one size smaller. Must be more protective than my Alpinestars Scheme gloves. Really nice in hot weather.

Thanks. Meeting the standards only protects me more and keeps the red stuff off the pavement. ^_^ When I low-sided at low speed on the street, my jacket didn't even seem to protect my elbow that well. I think the armour slips down too low. Forearm and shoulder were fine.

SV650? That means my 300 would be working overtime! Unless they have a small-displacement group.

I wish I knew about buying passes over the winter. Not too keen on the thought of riding in the rain the first time out!

That would be my plan. Slowest of the slow at first. How fast was your group? Are there any other tracks that are fairly close? I want to send my son to the driving class that Mid-Ohio offers.

Are there classroom sessions throughout the day, or is it just in the morning? My FG-17 helmet is Snell approved. I have Alpinestars Ridge boots. (Nice in cooler weather.) My EVS Cyclone gauntlets are bulky, insulated, and maybe a little big for me. My textile jacket has a 7.5" long zipper in the back attached with some stretchy fabric. (Probably worthless.)

Eventually I'd like to get on the track for street skill development. Parking lots, round-abouts, and a few curvy roads only go so far. I figure I should get out to Mid-Ohio and start with some spectating. Question is, do I just show up on a track day? Is there an entrance fee? When is the best time to go? Beyond that there's the issue of not having a suit. Is a two-piece textile set reasonable at noob speed, or would it only be as protective as riding in really nice underwear?

Just got a message from an agent about Pekin insurance. She said the premium would be about HALF of what Geico is currently charging for the same coverage. They have my attention now. ^_^ Although, I do see some complaints on the BBB site for Pekin.

How does this Geico rate look? First year rider, record should be clean by now, WELL over 25 y/o. Took MSF class. (Wife told me that I need to have certain minimum coverages due to having an umbrella policy. We're planning to dump the umbrella policy.) We have 3 cars and a house under the same insurance. Getting rid of one car, but we added a 16 y/o driver. Probably time to make some changes! 2014 KAWASAKI NINJA 300 Vehicle Total 12 Month Premium $428.00 Comprehensive Not Carried Collision Not Carried Uninsured Motorist Property Damage $7,500 $24.00 Towing and Labor Not Carried Bodily Injury Liability $300,000/$300,000 $35.00 Property Damage Liability $100,000 $14.00 Medical Payments $10,000 $192.00 Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury $100,000/$300,000 $68.00 Underinsured Motorist $100,000/$300,000 $95.00

Consider that the furthest I've been from Hilliard is like Hocking Hills, Chillicothe, and Dayton. In a car. Other than driving east to go to NJ. Not native to Ohio. I might stick closer to home today. Kid is off school. Might have him shoot some video of me going in circles. haha

Tuesday is a possibility. This Tuesday is supposed to be clean and "warm." Just getting to Springfield would be my longest trip so far! Other than getting lost. (No GPS or map. heh)

Hilliard. Just added it to my profile.

Wow, that's pretty high. Checking out Pekin. First time hearing of the company.

I'm just saying, I thought the discount might only be good for a year. G**** has been OK for car insurance, but I'm overpaying for bike insurance. I'm looking to switch in May unless other changes we're going make lower my premium. BTW, I did some parking lot training recently, too. Kiss the mirror and point the chin where you want to go. heh

GEICO just sent me an answer about the MSF insurance discount. "In the state of Ohio, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation discount will remain on the policy indefinitely unless you are no longer assigned as a principal operator." A $50 discount for a $50 class is pretty good! I'm considering the Advanced class unless I can get to a track or a track school. I don't want to race, but I want my skills to be beyond what I need for the street.

How zit going, JackImpact? Maybe one day soon we'll be riding like this! hehe (To me this would be the top of the mountain.) Ninja 250 Rocking a GO-KART TRACK!

haha Just haven't gotten to digging into it. Rode 70 miles today, got up to 80mph, AND I was able to stop. heh

Today I noticed the scraping at very low speed, just because I know it's there! I guess I'll get some of that Sil-glyde and pull the calliper for inspection, and also spin the wheel with it removed.

My VIN doesn't match the recall. I think the recall had to do with uneven wear. Mine wore evenly. The miles I put on the bike are mostly non-highway, so maybe that's a factor. I could probably just put an ear next to the wheel to pinpoint the source of the noise.

I will probably try that. I was looking at the ABS sensor, but that seemed to have plenty of clearance. Not sure why the manual says to remove it when taking the wheel off. I'm confident that the brake won't lock up or anything. I'm just wondering it they should be so worn after only 4500 miles. The rear pads look new since I don't use them as much.

Right. And I'm a little nervous about new tires and new brakes at the same time. heh I know the calliper releases because I can spin the wheel, pull the lever to stop it, then spin it again. I will be cautious tho.

The slide pins were not perfectly smooth, but not bad. My feeling is, maybe they should be lubed. My other thought is, I don't want to use the wrong lube and have it either attract dirt or thicken up, or the opposite--get hot and drip on the pads. So, what would be a good lube for the slide pins? I guess I should have also cleaned the cylinder walls better before pressing them back. Just took a shortcut while the wheel was off and didn't remove the calliper, so it was hard to clean everything. I wasn't really planning on a brake service. Just wanted my new tires put on.

It's actually that loud. I mean, if you're right in front of the wheel.

The brakes made the same scraping noise with the stock pads before I took the wheel off. New pads, bolted wheel back on, same noise. I haven't taken them out on the street yet. Tomorrow. The stock pads were worn down from 4.5mm to about 1.85mm at the thinnest parts. (The service manual says they're good down to 1mm, but I already had some EBC FA197HH pads on the way.) Before I put the front on a stand, the only time I noticed the noise was while backing the bike out of the garage with the engine off. Even then I thought it mainly happened when the wheel was turned.