yammerhammer98

I love it when everyone starts pointing at "approval ratings". What is the approval rating for the U.S. Congress? The last one I saw was less than 30%. I know that California's Legislature is running at about a 20% approval rating, but every freaking incumbent gets reelected, every damned time. Make's you wonder who is really paying attention, doesn't it?

Welcome to the Banshee World! I grew up in Iowa, and I still miss the great riding at the old Wilcox coal mine pits. Sadly, they are long gone, and there ain't much left for riding spots. That's one of the main reasons that I moved to California five years ago. I've heard that the trails and track near Bussey are pretty good, but I've never personally tried them. There used to be some good riding spots near Boone, but I don't know how much is left. Damn Treehuggers!! Good luck.

I had the same problem a few weeks ago. I soaked all four bolts with penetrating oil, which didn't seem to help at all. I finally bought some longer allen wrenches (they should be metric). I got three of them loose, but that last one got very stripped out. I ended up using a cold chisel and a hammer to make a "notch" in the edge of the head, then gently tapped the notch with the chisel at an angle, from the side. To be honest, I was surprised I got it out at that point. I thought I was going to have to drill it out and use an EZ-out, which is never a sure thing. I replaced them with hex head bolts with Anti-sieze on the threads, which should make any future maintenance a little easier. Good luck!

If you want to see Charlize at her best, check out "Two Days in the Valley", one of my personal favorites. She has a scene with James Spader that is well worth the price of admission. Damn good movie to boot!

Do you have a usable rear brake rotor?

How about the rear brake rotor?

SOS or Brillo pads work great on chrome. Everybody thinks it willl scratch the chrome, but it doesn't hurt it all. You'll be surprised how much surface rust and crap you can polish off. Eagle 1 metal polish also works great for the finishing touches.

Great job on the rebuild! You definitely started with a real POS! I'm in the middle of rebuilding a '97 that was almost as beat up as yours was. It's good to see the old 'Shees come back for more fun! Since you already have the red/white/blue thing going, why not add some Stars and Stripes? I've got a '98 YZ with a patriotic US flag-based Ceet graphics kit. It looks great on the stock blue plastic. Just a thought.

I've had an Olympus point-and-shoot for 7 years and it still works great. Very durable and it fits in my Camelback pocket. I agree with the others: Higher mega pixels doesn't always mean higher quality pictures. Stay with Olympus or Canon, since they have the best lenses. HP, Polaroid, Kodak just don't seem to have the lens quality in my opinion.

I had the name wrong before. It's Cap's in Fresno, not Pappy's. Here's the link: www.capsbhc.com

I had never seen the UPP products before. Not quite as nice as the T.M. Designworks stuff, but a lot cheaper. Magic Racing has the whole kit for $72 plus shipping (slider, guide and both rollers). Thanks for the lead, Ducman!

I recently bought a beat up '97 Banshee, and I am in the process of replacing everything I can afford. The swingarm and carrier bearing were destroyed by a previous owner's attempt to fabricate a chain adjustment system, so I replaced them with stock pieces. (I should post photos of the engineering marvel he came up with! I'm a lousy welder, but I could have done better with my eyes closed!) Since I'm a Banshee newbie, I need some suggestions. What is the best set up for chain guides, rollers and skid protection on a stock swingarm? I've looked at Cascade and T.M. Designs, but obviously I don't have a clue. Can chain adjusters from later years be added? Any ideas?

Everybody says that ceramic coating is the best way to go. I don't think the nickel plating would keep you from coating the pipes. Pappy's Performance Coatings in Fresno, CA is one of the best sources for ceramic and powdercoating. There is also a well-known shop in Pennsylvania called Jet-Hot Coatings.

Hey, any country that can produce Molson, Labatts and Canadian Club can't be all bad. We would forgive the Canadians for any of their previous trangressions if they would just take back Paul Schaeffer, Martin Short and Celine Deon. Hell, I'll even start up a collection.

I'm interested in the pipes. How much?

I had that problem with an aftermarket pipe on an old YZ several years ago. I ended up using some JB Weld on the seal, and it worked great. In fact, it sealed so well that I had to pry the pipe off when I rebuilt the top end 2 years later. Seems like a desperate move, but it worked for me!