Posts by JDSKY

The engineering is interesting but no way would I be caught riding that thing in public.....

While I have friends that have been successful owning rental properties I would advise anyone looking into this type of business venture to do your research carefully and proceed with caution. It's absolutely not for everyone, hence the advice already given that many will hire someone and cut a check for 8% of their gross profits to avoid having to deal with the daily headaches and stress that goes along with managing renters and property maintenance. This is a full blown business venture and not a sideline activity that simply generates income and "manages itself."

I would instead encourage anyone with enough ambition (and financial resources) to start a property rental business to look into the vast array of business opportunities available to them. It's literally endless and the most successful business owners are those that are passionate about what they do and will maintain a drive to be involved in the day to day in some capacity. Just like real estate any other type of business grows in value as you grow it.

My parents are in their late 70's and the property they own and rent affords them a pretty good lifestyle above and beyond what they receive from Social Security benefits. It just happens to be a farm they rent rather than an apartment. They only have to deal with 1 renter and they get to keep all the profits.

Best advice I have is don't focus on a "retirement" goal but a lifestyle goal instead. When I was very young I thought retirement by 40 was the goal. When I was 40 I thought another 5 years. When I hit 45 I targeted 52 which I now will be this month. Being completely debt free at 44 has placed me in a position where I could pull the trigger anytime now but the ridiculous rising costs of healthcare have me in yet another wait and see mode. I used to think $2K a month would pay for a good chunk of living expenses now it pays for a high deductible health insurance policy.

I have been fortunate in my career which now spans 32 years and most of it at Fortune 50 companies. Rather than retire completely I have decided to switch gears and do something a bit different that will afford me the lifestyle I want to maintain, all the free time I can stand and without requiring me to completely leave my profession. So far its awesome and can see myself maintaining this "lifestyle" for at least another decade, maybe more. I'm not putting anymore deadlines on myself and going to simply enjoy every minute I have left with my family and friends......

If each team scores the same way they did last Saturday its going to be another blowout for Villanova. If Kansas had no answer I don't think Michigan is going to have one either. The big guys are completely neutralized on defense by the 3 point attack.

I am there with those that say this waste of human flesh did this out of a elf-serving twisted state of mind.

There will always be those same opportunistic groups that leverage events like these to further their own self-serving agenda's by applying labels and completely unfounded motivational drivers.

It has four wheels but compare the riding position to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFZCtkqueVQ and my guess is it does not handle as well, is slower in corners and comes with the added benefit of being in the shop more often for expensive repairs.

It does however achieve its primary objective. Let those around you know that you have money to burn....

Bastids

While I won't be dropping the cash for a 4 wheel conversion anytime soon I like that there are options for replacing the angle drive and rear axle. Both leave a bit to be desired in the design category.

Safety nannies like ABS and traction control do save lives and make poor drivers into safer drivers but how did anyone ever survive driving vehicles without these technologies in the past? Not having either would not sway my decision to go 4 wheels or stick with 3. Maybe its just us old farts that learned to drive sports cars with zero tech that view them from a slightly different perspective.

Always like a good underdog and Conor fits the bill in this one. Heading to Vegas for work this weekend and while I would like a seat in the house for this one the tickets are punching at a price far too dear for me to pay.

Yes, I will be rooting for the underdog in this fight but fear he is missing some critical tools needed to secure certain victory. What would have made this fight really good is if Floyd proves that he truly is the professional boxer in this match then a follow-on MMA fight should have been part of the deal.

No doubt in my mind where my money would go in that match-up... But then again, Floyd would never sign on for that one.....

Sport bike, standard or cruiser would help narrow it down. My son wanted a sport bike first, like most youth, but I made him compromise with a standard until he put some miles on. His budget was also a factor so understanding how much can be spent helps out as well.

He found a mint 2001 Honda NIghthawk 750 that looked just like this one:

He paid $3000 for it rode it for 3 years and sold it last year for $3650. Pretty proud of him in the end. They are beginning to get harder and harder to find so you will likely pay a bit more for pristine copies. Just FYI, he replaced it with a dream sport bike - a Honda Superhawk. Cost him exactly zero dollars to buy his first bike, learn to ride and then get the sport bike of his dreams. Smart kid and did it all on his own.

2AM? I thought the curfew for the SS was dusk.......

In the April 17' issue of Car and Driver they did an extensive review of their 40K mile long term test of a 2015 Model S P85D. While some of their specific complaints can be attributed to owning an all electric in a Northern clime it is still one of the only real world test and unbiased articles I have seen on the vehicle.

@slingmods
Thanks for the feedback. Been thinking about upgrading the shark system I installed a couple seasons back to something better. This was always a stop gap until the aftermarket caught up with better options. Good to see more becoming available all the time.

I am sure they are nice but at $999 out of my price range. The SSV Works pods look free compared to these. Was thinking about adding some side and rear hump pods but is the quality that bad in comparison to these?

Very interesting collection. Let me guess. He harbors a constant fear of being late and overheated....

It would be a tough decision for me but given the fact that both the angle drive and swingarm present potential issues in the future a 4-wheel conversion may be the best bet for the vehicle long term unless better replacement options hit the street.

The SS is just so different from any "sports car" or bike that I have owned. Even with those slippery stock Kenda's on its amazing how hard it can pushed in corners without sending it into the trees.

I don't personally own the car below but can take it out for a spin anytime I want which makes it the best type of sports car ever - all of the fun without any of the responsibilities of ownership. While it's an absolute blast to drive it comes with a relatively high "cost to driver error ratio" therefore I have not come close to actually finding its limits - which is how the large majority of owners drive their prized sports car possessions most of the time and no, I don't consider occasionally lighting up the tires or engaging launch control at stop lights from time to time pushing a car. Sure, a current model V8 powered Camaro or Mustang or Corvette can perform but for me these cars, while very affordable, still do not provide the same type of fun the SS provides at it's cost of entry. And yes, the car below get's just as many photo's and video's taken of it as my SS ever has.

That black AMG in the background is a lot of fun too. Again in a very different way. Call it, high speed that you cannot feel or even realize you are obtaining.

Thanks. Makes total sense. Brain is in neutral today.

Appreciate the clarification. In my case the nuts are not rotating on the axle. It is the entire axle that is rotating.

Thanks for the quick reply. Did not think it should be but the response from the dealer was that it could happen...... Not sure where to go from here