LilBeaver

I agree absolutely with what you are saying but what is the harm in asking such a question? I guess I don't see asking the question as an automatic start for a negotiation of the asking price. With that said, whenever I go to sell something I set the price at what I feel is a fair market value and leave it at that. I let people know up front that I am not really into playing the 'negotiation games'. If someone wants to make an offer, I expect some justification as to why I should accept their offer or compromise my asking price. I am a very logically minded person. When I go to purchase something, if I do not like the asking price I will lay out my offer with the same information on hand and set it up as such. I have found that this approach frustrates some sales people as they seem to be caught off guard by it sometimes, but I also have never had a problem with the salesman asking for some time to get back to me. Probably a different conversation for a different thread though.

Wow. That is pretty lame. I actually ordered a set from this seller a while ago. It arrived in something like 3 days or whatever. I am pretty sure the shipping was reasonable and on par with their other products. I never interacted with them but if I did and got a response like that I sure as heck would not have purchased from them. I usually spend a bit of time looking at all of the feedback etc etc. What I did like about this seller was: 1) Product showed up AS DESCRIBED 2) They left feedback as soon as I paid for the product; that is, as soon as MY end of the deal was done. I left it for them as soon as I received and inspected the product. 3) The product was shipped quickly (as promised in the listing) Anyhoo, that was my experience with this particular seller. I too pass up any seller that has unreasonable shipping costs. I certainly don't mind paying for the item to be shipped, but I have a problem with that being used as a tool to reduce the selling price of the item itself. Thanks for the heads up though Souperstar.

Very nice!

I've been playing Trumped (among other instuments) for over 15 years now. While the sound quality is terrific, if that is really her in all of the clips she does have a great tone and obviously she is quite talented to have made it as far as she has and have that kind of publicity. Not to be the rain on the parade here, but I'm guessing, based on the couple of videos that I watched - the music was studio recorded and she was filmed on different occasions. The one that made me laugh the most was where she was shown playing a pocket cornet and the resulting sound was clearly that from a standard Trumpet. **Note I am simply sharing my observation here** Irrefutably the sound quality of the horn being played was terrific and she is OBVIOUSLY quite talented to get as far as she has. My hat is off to her as I, for one, know it takes years of practice to develop and perfect a tone like she produces! Thanks a lot for sharing this though, I have a thing for this kind of music!! Glad there is another fan out there too.

I had a similar thought. :think: :confused24:

No worries, I've got this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=14+c+to+f (Relax everyone, this is meant in good fun - a friend showed this to me and I couldn't wait to try it out). Very nice weather by the way!!

If I am not mistaken, that is what the little round deeley is for right next to the cassette deck. That 3.5mm audio jack is about as universal as it gets! I for one use my cassette deck and am glad that we have that as an option. Would I be upset if the bike did not have it, of course not. But, I have no problem with having more options on how to deliver music to my ears. :2cents: **Flamesuit on**

Mine too is the states (and provinces) I have ridden through or visited on a bike -- not necessarily my RSV.

Howdy folks. Sorry it has been so long since the last update. Things are still moving on. My friend really loves her bike and we have been out riding twice now. It was a while ago, lets see; I will try to recap what ya'll have missed Bare with me I am exhausted, about half awake and trying to be coherent about this... ----- Cliff notes edition: We've been out a few times since the last update. ----- End cliff notes edition. The first ride (since the last update) was Sunday 5/Dec/10. But let us back up a little before then. After the previous ride, as described in post #148 (7/Nov/10) with my friend, her sister and the dude. We both realized that the end of the semester was coming up quick and some big tests were around the corner (she had the 'big exam' that I took and passed two years ago - that is used to decide whether one can continue through the Ph.D. program or not) not to mention thanksgiving and whatnot, we knew that it probably wouldn't be any time soon that we would both get out again on the bikes. We kept up with the minor chit-chat as time continued on, me being busy with my research and her being busy trying to finish up her work and continue preparation for this ridiculous test, we kept mentioning that we wanted to get out for a ride but were too busy. Well Thanksgiving came around and she stopped in and said that she definitely wanted to go for a ride when she got back - so we had tentative plans to do so. Thanksgiving came and went and we both got busier. The following Friday we discussed our plans for the weekend, again, small talk and friendly chit-chat - both disappointed that we would be working all weekend, we said our 'see-yas' and 'have a good weekends' thinking that was a wrap. Sunday 5/Dec/10 morning when I got into my lab, I sat down and started working away when a knock on my door interrupted me. One of the aspects I just love about working on the weekends (with what I do anyways) is that I can typically work all day and night and not have anyone interrupt me. During the week there are students that want help with their assignments (mostly want me, the instructor, to DO it for them) or complain about how difficult my class is or what have you. Anyways, I digress. I answer the door and there she is. Pleasent suprise, of course (she usually works at home on the weekends -- hence part of the surprise). We shot the bull for a few minutes, both of us alluded to being in a productivity slump and she had expressed interest in going for a ride. With as much as I wanted to take off right then and there, I really had quite a bit yet to get done; I suggested that we check back with each other in a little bit to see if the work ethic had improved. If not, we could hit the road for a while. Well some time went by so I poked my head out and she was still down in her office. I poked my head in to see how things were going for her and before I could get the phrase "hows it goin?" out she looked up with a huge grin on her face, I got 'the look' (the good one, not the 'look' look that could burn a hole in a steel plate) followed by 'should I go get my bike?' I am pretty sure I responded with a similar look but proceeded to warn her that the 40 degrees outside was probably was not going to be very pleasant for a gal from south Texas. (Yes, here in this part of Texas it gets a bit chilly from time to time - and seeing that I am primarily from the Mid-West, I DO know what REAL cold is like). So, no surprise, she took off to get her bike. I went back to my desk and finished up a few things anxiously waiting for her to be ready to go. About 30 minutes later, my phone rang and I was almost to my bike before she even got her helmet off. Beautiful sunny day, hardly a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze - other than the temperature it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day for a ride. There was some quick chit chat then, without further adieu, we hit the road. Stopped for fuel, then headed east for 30-40 minutes or so. We pulled off at an area with a wide shoulder and a good decision point as to which way to continue on (keep riding, turn around to go straight back, or make a decent circle to get back, etc.). What I had figured would be a very quick stop turned into 20-30 minutes or so of warming up by the side of the road and talking (chat about research, school, general stuff and current events in our lives). She said she was fine, but right after she got off her bike and was walking back towards me I could see her shivering A LOT. I felt really bad. Oh yeah, her 'Dude' did not join us on this ride; there was no mention of him what-so-ever, and I did not really care to ask. I figured it was none of my business. She put on an extra pair of gloves I had (snowmobile gloves) and my jacket for a bit to warm up. This stop is documented in photo 1 (My RSV [obviously] and her bike up front). With the wind picking up and the sun going down, it was not going to be getting any warmer, so we saddled up and hit the road. Took it easy on the way back (she led almost all of the ride). As we came upon the intersection where she would turn off to go back to her place and I would keep going to get back to work, I waved and continued to mosey my way back to the office fully intending on catching up with her again the next day [Monday]. As I was parking I heard a familiar rumble followed by her rounding the corner and sort of hurriedly pulling in next to me. Before I could say anything she had quickly said she 'forgot some papers or something'. She waited while I put my helmet and such in my trunk then walked back in. Some more chit-chat ensued outside my lab which when concluded she turned around and went right back out the door; never getting these 'papers or something' from her office :think:. Anyhoo, it was a great day for a ride. Despite only putting on 60-80 miles or so, I enjoyed it; she said many times that she really enjoyed herself too - but definitely needed to invest in a better set of gloves. So the next day rolls around and first thing in the morning She finds me and tells me about the new gloves she ordered and how excited she is to try them out. She asked if I would be up for a ride as soon as the gloves come in so that she can test them out. So, of course I say yes. Some time goes by and our department has a holiday party. We run into each other there and chat for quite a while. The 'dude' didn't go with her. She had some lame excuse for him not being there, although she sounded rather uncomfortable discussing it so I did not press at all. To be honest, I don't even remember asking the question, but I must have said something - after all, that filter that is typically found between one's brain and mouth; mine is missing. At any rate, we had a good time, talked for a while and just hung out. She was pretty excited as her gloves came in and she was ready for a test ride. So, we made the plans to take the test run a few days later. 16/Dec - we met up for the test ride. Once again, she was alone and my dumb-butt self said something else because she had mumbled the same lame excuse for 'the boy' not joining us on the ride. Again, no biggie, we were both excited for a ride since it was a tad warmer (I think it was maybe 45 or 50 out). Again, some chit-chat and we hit the road. A much longer ride this time. We stopped for fuel, chatted a bit, rode for about 20 or 30 minutes where we pulled off - mostly to check to see how she was doing. THIS time, she said she was having a great time and she was plenty warm. I believe it too since she wasn't shivering and her teeth weren't chattering. So, I asked where she wanted to go and she said 'not back home yet'. So, we proceeded to ride another two hours or so (totaling 140 or so for the day). There was only one more stop that ride, one because one of her saddlebags had opened up. Then we headed back to my house. We hung around for a bit and then I gave gave her a lift back home. She (nor I) wanted to see her bike get left outside (she doesn't have a garage) while she was gone for the holidays and there is always room in my garage for another bike . The holiday break ensued, I departed for Michigan the following day. Unfortunately, some family matters had come up and I had to hit the road a bit ahead of schedule. The next 3 weeks were very taxing on me and my whole family, matters of which I will not get into here but did contribute to my delinquency from checking in on you kids as often as I would have liked. Skip forward a bit. While away from Texas, I had a few phone conversations with my friend (which I hardly ever do - I absolutely cannot stand talking on the phone) - just the standard 'checking in' or whatever she called it. I got back and within a few days of returning we went for a quick ride that ended back at my place where she picked up her bike, thanked me for the space, and rode on her merry way. It has been only about a week or so since then and nothing further to report, other than with this warm weather (today's high was 77) there might be some more riding in the VERY VERY near future. Well, there you have it folks. I am really sorry about the delay in checking in, I will try to stay more on top of it -- especially since, for some crazy reason, there is some interest in the topic . For those of you that made it all the way through this, I sure hope you weren't disappointed in my above explanation of events - I probably wasn't as detailed as I have been in the past, but, while corny, I don't know how to explain how excited she has been to be out and enjoying her bike the few times she has. Hopefully there will be some more updates to come as riding weather is still upon us and even though work has not subsided AT ALL, I have been reminded how productive I can be when I get a few hours on the bike, with or without good company, to clear my head. Until next time,

Don: I am pretty sure Jerry was being facetious and Tx2sturgis's post was addressing only the views that facebook takes on these issues. I don't know that anyone has a problem with the way things are managed here.

I understand. I looked at the second article posted (http://www.freep.com/article/2010111...60315/0/NEWS18) and see what you are talking about now. Yikes. The first article posted on geek.com used the 'censored' language and whatnot but was specifically referring to (at least the images they showed) were that of the 'share link' function which is much different than the actual "e-mail" like function is a different animal. By the way my last post was not directed at you so much as all of the whining I hear while I am realizing now that much of what I was thinking about while writing my response was sourced outside of the folks on here -- (there have been times in some of my classes where there may be a lot of chatter from some of my students about something they put up on facebook that came back to bite them later).

Okay so I think that there is a little misrepresentation going on here. It is my understanding that Facebook is NOT 'censoring' messages so much as they are trying to cut down on the spam. For what it is worth, the quoted geek.com article specifically references the option to "Share a link via a message" which is a different function than sending a 'private e-mail message' on the facebook system. I, for one, am glad that they are taking the initiative to try to cut down on the spam and whatnot that is shared on the facebook book system. DISCLAMER: I may have entered rant mode a little bit on this post... Since many spammers and scammers want you to click on an external link to get into your system (via virus, malware, Trojan, whatever) facebook is merely blocking the links that get marked as 'spam' by its own users. Facebook has a feature that allows individual users to mark anything they wish as 'spam'. Which I find quite useful. All of the stupid games that people send me on facebook or whatever, I make all of them as spam since all of them are 3rd party applications that I did not request access to nor do I want them to have access to my [limited] profile. Your current e-mail provider (unless you host your own server) likely does this already with a 'spam filter'. My work e-mail just about has a coronary if you send or receive a message that has the word "Password" in it. By the way, your snail mail isn't safe either. Someone could sneak by your house and steal your mail out of your mailbox and read your mail there too. There are lots of vulnerabilities in the world. When it comes down to privacy, if you don't want someone to know something - DON'T Share it to begin with. How hard is that. As far as 'worrying' about someone reading my e-mails or messages via facebook, posting here on the forum or my private e-mails via the e-mail messaging services I use on a regular basis. Quite frankly, if I am that concerned about someone hearing something I have to say I probably shouldn't say it to begin with. Of course there are some topics I would like to talk about with some and not others, but there is always the chance that ther person I am discussing it with will share the conversation anyways, so again, I revert back to if I want something to be 'private' and remain private I simply do not share. In my opinion it ALL comes back down to the idea of personal responsibility. YES, if a company or organization suggests that they will 'secure' something for you, they should hold up their end of the bargain. ANY means of communication is open to security holes; the responsibility for YOUR sensitive and personal information ultimately resides on YOU, the USER of that service. For example all of these people that whine because somehow their credit card numbers were hacked through facebook have no one to blame but them selves. There is absolutely no reason to store your credit card information on facebook to begin with! Regardless of the media, if someone really wants to know what you are up to there are ways to figure that out. There are whole careers and departments dedicated to getting into peoples business. And they formed, *gasp* LONG before facebook and computers came along. Private investigators, detective, spies, nosy neighbors, and buttinskies have existed for a long time. Much longer than the internet, computers, encryption, sign language, Morse code, etc. So yeah. People really just need to sack up and take responsibility for their own actions. I think I'll shut it now as I have strayed slightly from my original point.

I just saw that too on their site. I'd be willing to compromise a bit on size consideration for safety. Good find - Thanks for sharing

If you get a chance, I'd like to see a picture of them packed down - maybe in comparison to a helmet (or some other 'standard' sized object). Thanks!

Looks good. My concerns about going with something that is not leather is simply the crash protection. Also how small do those pack down?

I don't know that it is actually a nighthawk, but Honda made an NTV 650 in 94. If memory serves me correctly they sit more traditional style, like the nighthawks do/did.

http://www.strangevehicles.com/images/content/153543.jpg

Have you taken a meter to these wires and seen if and when they are live? If all of your lights and such are functioning properly, then I wouldn't worry about the extra fellers.

^^^^ My thoughts too. By the way, if you post where you are in Texas (city-wise) we may have a member or two close enough to come help you take a looksey if you need/want some help troubleshooting this. -- Just a thought.

Ice patches, eh? Is that the equivalent of the groundhog seeing his shadow? Happy birthday, by the way.

Good call Jack. I've got a few in my lab... somewhere... Or I had some at some point. Regardless, I suspect I could get my hands on one - next time there is a M&E or maintenance day, or a get together of any sort I'll be sure to bring it along.

I know you specifically asked about the Silverstar Ultra but I figure I'll input my experience with the GE Motorsport bulb that cost me a grand total of $7.88. 16 months and ~25k miles later - it still lights up. Compared to a silverstar ultra (last month... maybe 2 months ago) that Tx2sturgis had in his bike (he's got pictures of this too) the ultra was definitely whiter but in terms of brightness it was a toss up. Oh, when I am home I do ride daily so this light bulb sees plenty of 'ons' and 'offs'. I have been traveling 15 weeks a year, or so, for work. So while I am a 'daily rider' there is plenty of time where the bike sits, all by it self with no one to take it out to play. Just my

I rode down part of the left coast this summer and while some of the views were absolutely amazing there was A LOT of traffic. Campers, trailers, cars, etc. I took US 101 down much of it and the road was fine - it was just the people... Yikes. I guess my suggestions would be if you are going to travel down US101 make sure you do it during the week and that you don't rush your trip. Since you say you are thinking of 5-6 days to get down, I think that kind of time table would make for a very enjoyable trip - even with the crap-ton of traffic. Yellowstone was alright - again, lots of people. The road I took through Big Sky was quite pretty too. I don't know that I added anything of substance here, but there you go.

It may help folks to mention what kind of bike it is you have. As far as the delamination of the windscreens go, I don't know what your source is but plenty of members here have cut down their screens and I have yet to hear someone mention that they have had this problem.