STLBILL

Here you go: Official Idaho Tourism Site Rexburg, Idaho Chamber of Commerce Dune Guide Out4Sand Dune Review EDIT: It's in Idaho.... :-)

'tis the problem with using Wiki for research... :-( How come nothing about the Yamaha Big Wheels 200 and 350 or the neat projects Dirt Wheels magazine did in the good ol' days? I guess I'll have to add it. Anyone else remember the four-wheeler kits for ATC, Tri-Zs and Tecates? Dirt Wheels put one of those on a Yamaha BW350 producing the worlds only Reverse Three Wheeler. They said it was horrible in every way, but definately an eye catcher at the riding area. Least not we forget DW stashing a CR500 engine in a Honda 250R for a project aimed at encouraging Honda to compete with the Banshee and Quadzilla. They said it cracked the frame and the lack of a counterbalancer made it more enjoyable for the women (you know what I mean). I'm old and it's past my bedtime. I am going to go get my Geritol now... :-(

I just learned the tree huggers shut down the Blackwater ATV race all the way back in 1993. Did anyone ever race in it? I'm really curious to see what it looks like 12-13 years later. I see there is a state park called Blackwater Falls. Is that the old racing area? Obviously where I am going with this is... give the tree huggers a decade and see what they do with the land, etc.,. They are always bitching about our use of the land. Let's see what they did with it. If it is the state park, maybe I shouldn't go down this path. I read something on the 'Net that says it is absolutely beautiful - the most photographed park in all of West Virginia (and I know WV has some pretty state parks!). Thanks! -Bill

Okay, I am so pissed! I was going to write a note asking if Blackwater was still going on and how this Can-Am machine would probably own such a race. It got me thinking since I lived back East then and only read about Blackwater in Dirt Wheels - where the hell is Blackwater? A quick Google search revealed the damn thing was a hop skip and a jump from where I grew up!!!!! I always thought it was in California someplace. I guess I'm thinking of Baja. Anyway... my Google search revealed the Goddamn tree huggers shut it down all the way back in 1993... :-(

Hi Korndawg: Even in a public place I tend to respect personal privacy more than that. I can think of a couple times over the past twenty years when a buddy's buddy brought someone's wife for a little "weekend fun" riding with the guys. I'm sure that still goes on and those people don't want some yay-hoo they don't know using a long lens to snap pics of the wife with her boyfriend... :-) You also have to watch out for the guys collecting worker compensation, but able to huck a superman off the top of <insert radically huge and famous dune name here>. -Bill

HellDriver: Are you sure you weren't standing still or maybe in reverse at the time? Post pictures. Sorry, I live in the Show-Me State. I have to see a utility bike that can accomplish what you guys say... :-) EDIT: My neighbor has one of the new huge 4x4s. I think my waverunner is faster on dry land!

Thanks for the responses! Joe - how can you suck with all the awesome Utah terrain to practice on? You got the salt flats and dry lakes for all out speed and Moab for exploration too! Last time I was out there I don't think I've ever photographed better inland freshwater than Lake Powell. It is such a deep shade of blue! When all the Colorado's dirt settles the water looks like it was piped in from Hawaii. Oddly Lake Mead isn't the same way. Probably all that Vegas smog. Soupbox - I did not know you were in Columbia? Have you been to Finger Lakes? I've met folks up at Finger Lakes for shoots a couple of times. The almost always wet conditions keep the dust down and the old Peabody strip mine high walls make for some good hill climb and off-camber shots too. Plus the often adjacent park road keeps the gear to bulky, heavy or fragile for quad transport close-by in an SUV. The lake backdrops are sweet to boot. WarriorMan - I hear you. That's why I figured one of the more popular public riding parks might work. It is just hard to keep others out of the shot in a public area (been there done that). One shot I did for a guy at Finger Lakes attracted a two people with little automatic cameras. You have to worry about spectators as much as other riders trying to steal the show.

Hi all: I've been a shutterbug for over 10 years and the last couple have earned me a few part-time bucks at weddings, prep and private sports events, engagement and senior photos, etc. I would like to get more experience with action photography. What would it take for someone who considers themselves pretty good on a 'Shee to put it through it's paces for my cameras? I am not talking about reselling the photos or making any money off it - just practice. I can find plenty of professional paid models - the folks you see in the manufacturer print ads. If I was making money from it I'd go that route, but I'm not. I also do not expect to haul in special dirt like most manufacturers to get the perfect roost. Location/props/backdrop is definately important, but I believe there is value in keeping it natural too. The rider can keep the original digital negatives for bragging rights and legal rights to their likeness, etc. If I want to use your likeness to advertise my work that would be separate. For the aspiring pros they may have some value obtaining sponsorship. If I have extra supplies from an event I may donate some color 8x10s and with the Adobe DNGs you are free to print as many more as you like. The digital negatives would be of sufficient quality for at least a 24" x 30" poster so you can admire yourself while tuning your bike in the garage or while recouperating in the hospital. Since riding a 'Shee in my studio would be very bad I'll fly/drive to you. Full-face helmet, goggles, "riding clothes" and boots preferred. The greatest condition is that the rider work with me to try (accidents happen) not to destroy my gear - intentional roosts to an unprotected camera and lens costing $20k, for example, are generally bad... :-) So, what is the going rate for something like this? Additionally, any suggestions for how to "interview" someone for this would be appreciated. It would really stink to fly to California, rent an SUV to Glamis and find someone who can't get their bike to run or doesn't take it out of first gear.

That is pretty funny! :-) I agree we need to not forget because there are extremists out there who would do it all over again. I liked the total silence at the end of Flight 93. The quiet somber mood of everyone leaving the theater was fascinating. Never seen a more quiet movie viewing experience in my life. I think if there was even one male Arabic-looking person in the theater lobby he would have been mobbed to death.

Deju vu?: http://www.bansheehq.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20201

Hi all: You lose your "improvised short-distance reverse gear" with nerf bars. Get ready to hop off and grab the a$$-end more in trails. However, they protect in several ways. I recommend them. I have also witnessed pro hare scramble racers using them to "pivot" around trees in tight wood sections. Maybe someone on here can tell me if that is accidental or on purpose? It looks like they just don't worry about getting trees caught between the axles. Either way I'm sure some environmental group cringes every time they do that... :-) -BiLl

Official Web Site: http://www.us41dragway.com/ Potentially independent information source: http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/IN/US41Dragway.html Edit below this line... Click here to just enter your address and get some turn-by-turn directions.

Congrats on the new 'Shee. Please respect it too. It bites if you don't... :-) Any GPS unit will tell you your elevation good enough. There are tons of other resources for the states - USGS GENIS is the best free one - but I don't know for Canada. Check with your local airport if your riding area doesn't vary too much from there.

I was obviously getting a different opinion. Be careful how you word that. "Blaster on the water" has a special significance around here... :-) Just read some mags and get what you like. I'd recommend my Honda for what you said, but everyone I've met on a PWC is loyal to their brand and model. Also know that PWCs are restricted more so than ATVs. They are looked down on compared to boats. Fisherman especially hate you on two-strokes because of the noise. Wake-jumping is illegal in many states. A lot of places make you take a boating class. Do not be surprised if someone pulls your hull plugs at the dock overnight because you dissed them that afternoon or just cuts your lines and sets your machine adrift on the lake without lights. I have seriously considered getting a four-poke 4x4 to put around on because my experience on PWCs has been that aggressive/unfriendly. Once I stopped near some guys in a local party cove like you would at an ATV riding spot expecting to bull$hit a little. I never felt more of a "you are ruining our chances with those thong-clad girls over there" or "two is company three is a crowd" feeling in my life. ATV riding was never like that. I'm not sure if it is the girls, the sun or in some cases copious quanties of booze consumed. I guess that's it. Many guys get PWCs just to impress the scantly clad ladies and in their minds think they'll take the girls home with them. I just want to have a little fun. Good luck! Let me know what you decide! -Bill EDIT: To remove space at the bottom.

If you know how competitive life on the water is... more power to you. Be prepared for someone to rock your RUDELY rock your world on a consistent basis. Besides everyone is fighting over a couple MPH. People who can afford to come even close to Riva Yamaha's speed 87 mph record buy boats - where you can go really fast... Trust me you can't afford to do this and if you can invest in a solid retirement instead... :-) EDIT: VIDEO WARNING HIGH-SPEED INTERNET OR VERY PATIENT VIEWERS ONLY http://www.callanmarine.com/callan_vid.html http://www.callanmarine.com/flash/videos/T...s_WEB_Skin.html EDIT/NOTE: When you camera/rescue diver helicopter has to start before you that's too fast! -Bill St. Louis, Missouri 2004 Honda Aquatrax F-12X Stock - because I respect speed.

I attended my first-ever sand drag last night. I was driving home, the lights were on, people were there so I stopped by and really liked it! I've seen a couple guys riding at St. Joe State Park before, but the timers and such really put it into perspective. Geesh! They did not look THAT fast until some of the modified stock machines ran. It was kind of hard to follow without a scoreboard or program guide, but I think the fastest guy ran about a 4.08. The design of his Banshee sticks in my mind. He had no plastic. Just an orange frame and he primed the nitrous as he staged. Maybe someone here knows him (or her!?!?). I don't know how long the track was - probably the standard 1/8 mile or whatever. It was Big River Sand Drags or Mid River Sand Drags. Two exits North of St. Joe State Park on Hwy 67. I think it is the Bonne Terre Exit.

A very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman walks into Wal-Mart with her two kids in tow, screaming obscenities at them all the way through the entrance. The Wal-Mart Greeter says, "Good morning and welcome to Wal-Mart .... Nice children you've got there - are they twins?" The ugly woman stops screaming long enough to say, "Hell no they ain't, the oldest one, he's 9 and the younger one, she's 7. Why the hell would you think they're twins?........ Do you really think they look alike?" "No", replies the greeter, "I just couldn't believe you got laid twice!!!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A married couple was on holiday in Jamaica. They were touring around the marketplace looking at the goods and such when they passed this small sandal shop. From inside they heard the shopkeeper with a Jamaican accent say, "You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop!" So the married couple walked in. The Jamaican said to them, "I have some special sandals I think you would be interested in. Dey make you wild at sex. " Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being the sex god he was. (YEAH, RIGHT!) The husband asked the man, "How could sandals make you into a sex freak?" The Jamaican replied,! "Just try dem on, Mon." Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in, and tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes...something his wife hadn't seen in many years! In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him violently over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of he Jamaican's hips. The Jamaican then began screaming, "YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET! YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET!!!!!!

I thought you were married? How many 'Shees did you say you bought in 2005?

And a big obviously looking throttle thingy. Just becuase it is on a dyno says nothing about how it is broke in...

Yes indeedy... that's the one with the Harley sounds fore and aft... sorry 'bout that. EDIT: Well, the band did die for about a decade and come back. Maybe it's more than just a look...

There definately seems to be a market for a dealer who gives test drives. Hell, I would hop a plane and rent a car at my cost and fly anywhere in the country for a first-hand experience before dumping $5-7K on a new machine I don't like and probably cannot resell the next day for 2/3 what I paid. Right about now someone is going to tell me such a place exists...

Exactly the reason I turned down Pam Anderon. A woman like that does strange things to you! It is kind of like Pac-Man. You go into the tunnel and come back out on the other side...

632... (Edit: I'll spare you another post, but it is kinda' fun! )

631..

Big Red - we are all eyes awaiting your response...