ShocknAwe

Did this new KTM remove the kick starter? That is a deal breaker. I am looking for a new dual sport, which means manufactured as a dual sport that is newer than 2008 and has both electric and kick start. Any ideas?

That's a pretty retarded statement! Maybe you didn't watch the same video the rest of us watched. I saw a MOB of hooligans surrounding a vehicle and forcing them to stop. I then saw a group approaching the driver with the apparent intent of forcing him out of the car to beat his ass. Reports indicate the MOB attempted to slash his tires, which means they had knives. Clearly they were not just trying to have a friendly chat with the driver...at least that seems obvious to me, apparently not to you. This innocent family has a right to protect themselves. The father has a right to protect his 2 year old daughter and to go ape sh!t on any fool that tries to hurt her. And if you are a hooligan, acting like a mob, out to take over the streets, if you surround a car with intent to do the occupants harm, and you are stupid enough to park in front of a 4000 pounds SUV, you shouldn't be surprised at all if you get yourself run over....DUH! I agree with you guys overall. The conversation was just becoming a bit too lopsided so I wanted to come in and mix it up on the forums I haven't been on in a while. Consensus is boring! That's why the debate over the gov't shutdown is so exciting. Ride on!

"any biker that got his ass run over in the process got what he deserved" - Really? That has to be one of the most retarded statements I have ever heard. Only one biker has been charged so far for misdemeanor reckless driving etc., which he should be charged with. But to jump to the conclusion that any biker riding with a group of 50+ should automatically be run over is just simply retarded. The guy this erratic Range Rover ran over is in a coma in critical condition and maybe paralyzed. If the driver of the Rover really wanted to protect his family he simply would have slowed down a few seconds. It's not that hard to do, and it would only have taken a few seconds for the speed demons to . . . well speed . . . past him. Driving over and thru bikers with a big SUV was very dangerous, much more dangerous than bikers slowing down in speed. The real prejudice is against punk bikers like this. Even other riders don't like them. I don't like them either, but hitting them and running them over is not justified. The prosecution should charge the Rover with a crime too and plead his case out to a lesser charge.

I have a different opinion based upon the video. The bikers were reckless at points, but the only harm they really posed was to themselves, which is common for stunt punks like this. That said, they are just punks. Let them wheelie and speed on. Let speed demons pass and call the cops to nail them down the road for speeding and careless and imprudent driving. One bike slowed down a bit and that Range Rover started ran him over and didn't stop! If someone did that to some DSers I would want to react the same way and beat that Range Rover guy's ass. That was my reaction watching the video. That jerk in the Range Rover paralyzed one of those bikers, broke someone's leg, and should be charged too. The minute he hit one of those bikes he should have pulled over and called police instead of running and hitting again. The way he kept going and running them over made him look bad when all he had to do was slow the f down for a few seconds and let the punks pass. The punks just caused the Rover to slow down a few seconds. The Range Rover could have killed someone, and helped caused paralysis and a broken leg. The bikers posed no real threat to the Range Rover before he hit them. He deserved a couple of black eyes IMO. ShocknAwe

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/30/20759574-caught-on-video-father-with-family-in-suv-chased-beaten-by-speed-demon-bikers?lite good for them, this guy was a bigger jerk than the riders. Those bikes aren't going to hurt cars. This guy was just running into them. I can't say I blame them. ShocknAwe

I am interested. Where is it? I don't know what a power up kit or lowering link involve. An online source says, "Install the off-road kit that comes with the bike. Freeing the TE’s herd of ponies requires a new air filter cage, removing a throttle stop, inserting a plug into the oxygen sensor bung and plugging a jumper clip into the wiring harness where the O2 sensor plugs in. You can also remove a catalytic converter located inside the header/muffler junction, but that didn’t make much of a difference in either power or sound." Read more: http://www.dirtrider.com/features/online-exclusives/141_1009_2010_husqvarna_te_450_first_test/#ixzz2NidjRMVl

ROFL!!! Hey Trophy, that was such an epic desert ride I took my shirt off to enjoy the sun and help load a bike until . . . . When I get my Facebook page, that will have to make an appearance of stupidity at the hottest level. I remember saying, "Now we are going to keep this one to ourselves right??" Then I saw a smile and realized I had no chance of it. Those pics were literally an evidentiary smoking gun that would haunt into the future. But alas, I look forward to riding with you again (and the usual suspects). As for the WR450f, I know it rocks the Casbah, but how does that compare to a 08 TE510 with FI? I don't mean to break open a can of FI v carb debates, but the weight on both is light (around 260lbs), so maybe such a debate in 2013 is warranted: are fuel injected bikes better? Do the true dirt bikes like the WR450f and CRF450x have some extra grunt that the street legal Husq TE series is missing? If there is something missing in the street legal version of FI, is there a way to give it that grunt? If I had never ridden a YZ426 or YZ450 I would never have known what it was like to ride a bike like that - way too much fun cracking that throttle. The WR250R (the one w/pink horn and basket) pales in comparison.

I figured you would pick the venerable Baja racing machine!

The Shock is back! Well, not yet, but the itch is, and so is a $5,500 budget. All these bikes are plated I have seen on Craigslist in Bay Area: 2013 CRF250L ($4,600) - 2009 TE410 ($5,500) - 2007 WR450F ($5,300) - 2010 Husq 310 ($4,300) - 2007 Honda CRF450x ($4,200). I'm looking to buy anywhere from the SF Bay Area to San Bernardino. My last real dual sport was a KTM 400 EXC, which was pretty darn close to perfect for me, except for changing oil all the time and breaking parts from crashing all the time. Ironically, I never damaged the plated 400 EXC on tracks, but it lost a lot of good parts on trails. I have no desire to exceed 76mph on the street and will be keeping this horse in a high desert stable with quick access to the San Gabriel Mountains. As most of you know, I am not mechanical. So changing altitudes from high desert (around Pinon Hills) to mountains make FI a real plus. I'm not going to race, but I'd like something that can raise the front wheel and grunt. From above, I'd say the 2009 Husq with 400 miles is the best buy, esp if I can get it for $5k. Thanks in advance for your opinions, ShockNAwe (the Paul that loves to ride the most)

I heard there is not really an aftermarket exhaust that works well with the CRF-L's motor. Any truth to this? What else can you do to improve this bike's performance? Thanks, Shock

I can count on two hands how many months since 15 I have not owned a motorcycle. I started with a two stroke at 15 and a dual sport enduro at 16. As many of you know, I'm not mechanical. I think the cat's meow would be a plated fuel injected WR450f. Yes, I said "f" so I am not limiting this to manufactured street legal, but I do require a plate and fuel injected. What's new? What's hot? I know KTM 530s were the best dual sports a few years ago, behind a plated WR450f. I'm in Norcal now, so just looking for advice. Thanks in advance, ShocknAwe (Paul)

PASSENGER FOOTPEGS, NO BATTERY and NO MIXING OIL! http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz86/phenre/crm250.jpg[/img]"]

Over half the injuries and fatalities to LEOs arise from motor vehicle accidents. Some cops should slow down and use blinkers too. If not, there's a reason for sirens.

Thanks to Bill and Derek for riding along some of San Diego's best paved roads: Glider port by Black's Beach: Fiesta Island: See what you guys in Jacumba missed and it wasn't flies: More photos from Bill: http://s147.photobuc...2011/?start=all It was a fun ride on a nice day. Nice to meet up and ride with new SDAR members. I will let you know when the footage airs on tv. ShocknAwe

If my watch is correct, you guys will be back out in Jacumba in a few hours (about a year after the famous "clothes-line" incident and border fence mockumentary). I remember this ride vividly. Watch out for barely visible chain link fences.