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Archive for the 'Vehicles' Category

106,826 miles – Holy crap, it’s mine!

Sunday, January 21st, 2007

After longing for an M Coupe for nearly ten years, one finally followed me home. I am so excited I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. Even mundane activities, like filling up with gas, or checking the tire pressures, seem exciting with this car. I really am that big a dork.
So far, the [...]

921 miles – Yoshimura 3/4 exhaust system with carbon TRS muffler

Monday, December 11th, 2006

The stock exhaust on the SV1000S definitely gives the bike some of its “big twin” character, thanks to the dual pipes – but the sound from those pipes does not do justice to the motor, and the pipes are so low and wide as to severely limit cornering clearance.
To remedy this, I chose a single [...]

Bikes of the past

Monday, December 11th, 2006

My first street bike experience was aboard a Honda CBR600 F4i. I had only learned how to operate a motorcycle the day before, in the dirt on a tiny pit bike, and I was completely terrified to ride the Honda. The terror subsided about 5 seconds after I let the clutch out.
While not [...]

Roughly 3400 miles – track day at Thunderhill

Wednesday, July 5th, 2006

I brought the SV to Thunderhill for two more days of lapping and learning. I feel like I really was able to improve my technique and riding form, and I shaved about 10 seconds off my lap times over the course of the first day. Awesome!
In day two, I took a couple more [...]

328i – 110,014 miles – NCRC track day at Thunderhill

Monday, April 24th, 2006

In preparation for this track day at Thunderhill, I replaced the radiator, water pump, thermostat, and various other cooling components, and added M3 end links for my front sway bar.
The car ran cool, and cornered WAY flatter than the last time I was at Thill. That fact is doubly amazing considering that this time [...]

328i – 109,024 miles – BMW CCA autocross

Monday, March 27th, 2006

I took the car out for it’s first autocross with the new setup, and I was very happy with the results.
I beleive I had the fastest time in my class (AAA) with a 58.050, and of course, as soon as I lent the car to a friend, he promptly showed me what it could REALLY [...]

Race footage made simple!

Friday, March 24th, 2006

I am extremely pleased. I just received my chasecam clamp mount for use with my Canon Powershot SD300 digital camera.
The camera is a super tiny still camera, but it has a movie mode, and I thought it might work for in-car or on-bike footage. I just completed an around the block [...]

328i – 107,623 miles – Just some pics

Friday, March 24th, 2006

Just some random pictures related to the “Transformation” I wrote about earlier.
Note the custom seat brackets. I made them myself with my new welder. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Those are wire-feed welds, and I have to say, for my first project, they look pretty damned okay. I can’t wait to get [...]

328i – 107,623 miles – Kosei K1s and Kumho V710s

Friday, March 24th, 2006

Bought me some race wheels and tires for auctocross and the occassional track day.
Light light light, and apparently these are four of the last twelve new Kosei K1 wheels in America. Old school. The pirctures are the same style wheels, but shod with 255/40/17 Toyo Proxes RA-1s. These pics were taken before [...]

The end of an era

Tuesday, February 28th, 2006

Well, the end of the 60s at least. The 1600 soldiered on with me long enough, surviving numerous autocrosses, countless mountain road blasts, and enough rain to rust through stainless steel. It was time to let it go.
So I passed it along to a friend. It has been a fun [...]