Wallrat

Fool hell, forgetting to turn on the gas could potentially be a life ending mistake!

I installed a meat thermometer temp gauge and I let it warm up until it reads 100*. It depends on the outside temp but I'd say that 1.5-5min is about right. You should at least warm it up enough so that you don't have white smoke coming out the pipes.

wd-40 is petroleum based which means that it will attract dirt. I would think that a teflon or silicone based lube like tri-flow would be better for preventing rust without turning your bike into a sugar cookie.

Well just from reading the posts we've got: Huevos 5 video QSM extreme rear rotor Calendar? That's over $100 worth of prizes. Not too shabby if you ask me. Way to go Gary and Tats for the donations. Evil, hopefully that calendar will get plenty of nude submissions! Don't forget the the bonus prizes: new avatars and bragging rights!

Gecko's are terrible. They're heavy and don't hook up well at all - better off with knobbies. As far as rim size goes, you'll get better performance out of a bigger rim. You don't see bus tires on a corvette. I run 20" sand stars (those are V-blades Ducman) on 10" blue labels for all around duning. Great tires and only cost me $205 for the set. I have a mostly stock bike and I can still get up hills pretty quick in 3rd. I mostly jump my bike in the dunes and I haven't had any problems with egging or dings yet.

We just came up with something new: Hook the power point projector up to a dvd player. Rig the whole thing to a surround sound system and watch DVD's all night on the wall. Other distractions include r/c cars on the track we built, welding shit, playing in the machine shop, car/shee maintenance, fishing in the salt water intakes, hooking up the amp and blowing out eardrums at 3am, throwing paper airplanes and r/c planes off of the boiler, checking out open windows in the area with a telescope, scoping the hotties on the beach with the CCTV, darts.

I take it you ground the holes a tenth of an inch to make them fit Yamaha and Honda?

So how is Glamis around Spring Break time? The wife and I were talking about either going riding or going to one of the party towns for a little t&a. If glamis has both, then that'll make the decision alot easier.

The rangers there seemed really kickback so I doubt they'll bother you about sparkys unless you're asking for it. I don't have em either and haven't gotten checked yet. Out here, I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket because the rangers didn't find the USFS approval number. Every instance I've heard of the rangers just stuck something into the pipe and if it stops they let you off. I took a few cotter pins and stuck them though the core of my FMF's. I keep a long bolt with me in camp so if they stop and ask I can just shove the bolt in and show em. Also it helps that I have a reciept that shows I just bought the bike so if they wanna nail me for a modified spark arrestor I can try the "it was this way when I bought it" line. Probably won't work but its worth a try. I got the impression that the rangers were there mostly to keep people from riding 60mph through somebody's camp, dodging kids while not wearing a helmet and drinking from a bottle of Jack and toking on a bong. If you've got something illegal about your bike, just be respectful and courteous and try not to draw any attention to yourself. Its worked for me so far.

The official contest is in the works. Dates and timelines are still being figured out. Once its set up, there will be a new area to submit your entries for probably a 2 week period. After the deadline, no new pictures will be allowed and HQ members will have probably a week to vote for their favorite. After the voting period is over, the winner will be crowned and any prizes that have been donated will be sent. Stay tuned for the start date...

TJ, the etrex is the same kind of GPS that evil and I have. Pick up the handlebar mount for $15 from REI or the garmin website. Works great, I keep the gps in my pocket until I need to use the gps to find my way somewhere. Then I put it on my bar mount

I've got the same one. Pick up the handlebar mount for $15. Its pretty easy to figure out after playing with it for awhile - or reading the book. Just remember to set a waypoint when you get to camp. Oh and bring plenty of batteries, I go through em really fast, especially if you've got the light on while on a night ride. All in all its a great gps, everything you need, nothing you dont.

damn! How about getting a helmet? Almost everybody in those vids is riding without one. Check out the videos for those who haven't - night races with no headlights, quads colliding, some poor schmo wheeling over on the holeshot...

what up Poindexter? Where's my piston return spring?

Back in the 70's there were a bunch of rock climbers that lived at camp 4 in Yosemite valley. Of these climbers, a certain group of individuals evolved, known as Wall Rats. This group for whatever reason, found life on horizontal ground too complicated and prefered to spend their days hammering up the most bleak, lonesome routes on mammoth chunks of granite. Weeks spent on a single route was normal. Water, food, and energy being consumed several days before reaching the top. For the rats, it wasn't about reaching the summit, or making a name for themselves, or even bragging rights. The rewards meant nothing, the wall, everything. I guess I sorta related with this during my climbing heyday back in college. I was drifting through life and only felt comfortable when I was inching up one of the walls in Yosemite. Started using it as my email and just stuck with it ever since. Ironically, I almost never climb anymore. Guess I finally found some direction.

So what's your question? Can it be done? Sure if you don't mind running race gas. You'll have detonation problems with pump gas and 17cc domes.

Going north on the 15 the exit is Kelbaker Rd. Yahoo says coming from vegas you take the Ca-127 exit. Guess they have different names on either side of the freeway cuz its the same road.

Evil and I were talking about this. He had an idea to take any nude pics that were sent to him and make a calendar out of them. The calendar would go into the prize bin. For the contest though, can't show nipples or muff - thats just the way the rules go for a non-adult website.

I kiteboard anytime its windy (see picture). If you've never seen it you'd all love it. Picture hauling ass across the water on a wakeboard with a big f'n kite pulling you instead of a boat. You can pop air anytime you want - even on glassy water! My biggest jump was about 30 feet high, landed about 40 yards away from takeoff. The pros are throwing 60+ foot jumps and staying in the air for 12 seconds. Other than that I dabble in r/c, planes and cars, scuba dive, rock climb, do a little fiberglassing work, surf, snowboard and kayak. Ya I think thats everything. For all you jet skiiers, get a stand up. There more fun IMO and you can find em with a trailer for less than $500. The kawi 550's are the best all around skis.

From San Diego just jump on the 15 north towards Vegas. When you hit baker, take the 2nd exit and turn left, go straight through the 4 way stop and continue on for 25 miles. Turn right on the dirt road with the sign that says Dumont Dunes.

Only 45 votes so far? C'mon people, if nothing else we'll score some new avatars as well as bragging rights.

Damn I posted this earlier but I guess i forgot to send it. For a summer trip Dumont and Glamis will both be easily in the 110's. Your best bet is Pismo Beach. Its really small - only takes you half a day to ride the whole area and the tallest dune is maybe 100 feet high. That said, it is still a fun place. Almost every dune is a perfect jumper with a nice lip and a flat or slightly downhill landing area. Jet for sea level obviously. Camping is $6/night and you can camp anywhere in the dunes or on the beach. Most people stay on the beach cuz its pretty hard to get stuck there. Just don't camp too close to the water at low tide. Having to retrieve all your gear after a wave washes thru camp isn't fun, I've done it. The fee station has the tides for the next few days posted. You can make reservations but you usually don't need to unless its a holiday weekend. If you do go for Dumont or Glamis then the altitude is around 800 feet for both. Plan on being miserable in the heat and bring 1.5 gallons of water per person per day minimum. Also, get paddle tires for the rear at least. Banshee's in sand aren't nearly as much fun with knobbies.

Hey thought I'd offer a few advanced tips for everybody going. Don't buy your gas in Baker! For the guys coming from the east, Vegas has the cheapest gas you'll probably see ever, Primm, Nv. is slightly closer to Dumont and still pretty reasonable. For the guys in Cali, Norco was $.50 a gallon cheaper than Baker. I made this mistake last time I went out there, had to pay $2.21 for 91 octane in Baker - and that was the cheapest station! On the way home I stopped in Norco and paid $1.71 for the same octane. Being the only major establishment out there I guess makes Baker a gas stop for everybody. Its too far from everything else to continue past. There's only 4 outhouses for the whole area. Bring extra toilet paper in case they run out and realize that you might have to wait in line to take a dump. You can also make a nice in-camp toilet using a wood or metal frame with a toilet seat attached on top. Dig a nice deep hole, place the toilet over it, and make a privacy tent with some tarps to go around it - old trick from Burning man. A little kitty litter in the hole will keep the neighbors happy and you wont have to move the toilet after each time. Baby wipes are life-savers! The dust out there cakes all over you and you'll feel filthy in minutes if its windy. A baby wipe bath will make you feel a whole lot better and also does a good job of removing grease, gas, and other nasties. Bring EARPLUGS! As is always the case, some people like to get up early to ride and others like to stay up late partying. Simply bringing earplugs helps keep tempers down and ups the fun level. Temperatures can range from above 100 to below freezing in a 24 hour period. Pack clothes to cover the whole range. A cheap windbreaker can make a huge difference when its windy and goggles that can be worn without a helmet will make windstorms easier to deal with. I've got rolls of caution tape that I'll borrow from work to mark off our camp. A few tall stakes might be good if anyone can bring some. Also, placing plywood across the bottom of your vehicle on the side of the wind will make a good wind break on the other side of the truck. Bring everything you think you might need. Tools, sewing kit, batteries, spare parts, tire repair kit, and a buttload of water comes first to mind. A gps comes in handy especially for night rides and returning back to that perfect bowl or trail you found, but its not very hard to find camp, unlike Glamis - even less so if we've got alot of motorhomes. There's nothing nearby for 40 miles, and even then its pretty hard to find something as basic as an auto parts store. If you realize you forgot something major like your sleeping bag, don't delay and stop in a major town to pick one up! Don't forget a good first aid kit - The nearest hospital is 55 miles away. My wife's a nursing student and I'm an ex lifeguard. We can help out in case something bad happens, but there's no known cure for stupidity. Seriously, this is one place you really don't want to have to be medivac'd from.

I'm thinking more of a deadline thing. We'll let the word get around about it for a week or two then we can set the dates. In the meantime there's been some great ideas thrown in. I think Lee's gallery idea is excellent.

Hey for all you guys with your banshee in pieces - don't worry about it. Just get the woman to hold your tool (or multiple tools if she's that kind of girl) with the bike. I think we should judge on: 70% - Hottness factor of the woman 20% - Cleverness of the photo setup 10% - How much you can get the girl to take off That way, if your bike is in pieces but you get some mega-hotty butt naked working on it then you could still potentially win. We've already had "best looking banshee" contests. This one is all about T&A.