Sitting in my Saturday class again, to make things interesting I rode my moto bike today. :)

Not really sure if this is a problem at many schools but here at my school the motorcycle parking is way in the back of campus. It's great if you have a class in the main buildings but problem is at night the parking area does not have any lighting. Great for a thief, bad for a rider. Also the whole parking lot is built on a slight slant! I'm surprised during the windy days my bike didn't fall over. I spoke to the security staff and they informed my that after 5PM motorcycles can park in the staff parking lot, much closer than the normal parking area.

On the motorcycle topic, last night on my way home I was almost hit by a car. Riding down some smaller streets I made a left turn towards some apartment complexs when I noticed a blue RX-7 slowly edging out of the driveway. I slowed down to 20mph when all of the suddent the car jumps out, before I could think my thumb was already on the horn, braked and swerved out of the way. The driver quciky looked my direction and was shocked to see me so close. I usually take the same road home and noticed that this turn has a big blind spot for oncoming traffic. What is intersting is the driver was pulling out of the driveway without even looking for on coming traffic. In this case wearing Hi-Viz gear wouldn't have helped at all. I was a bit upset with the driver but was really glad I reacted quicky and thanks to scanning the road I saw the car before he pulled out. Guess reading those David Houge books was helpful.

Here is a great ride report for another web site, Adventure Riders Forum.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=28614

I would love to ride a dual sport all over for 4 weeks. Just riding around back roads, dirt trails, everywhere. Would be cool to ride on Route 66, not even sure if it's still around?

Ok on to another motorsport!

Indy car facts from another web site

Did you know?

...that the 3.5-liter, methanol-powered engines of IRL IndyCar Series cars produce more than 675 horsepower, more than four times that of the average street car?

...that each of the eight pistons in an IRL IndyCar Series engine travels nearly 1 mile up and down in the cylinder every minute?

...that each of the eight pistons in an IRL IndyCar Series engine is subjected to a maximum acceleration of 70,000 times the force of gravity?

...that the fuel mileage of an IRL IndyCar Series car is less than two miles per gallon? A car burns approximately 1.3 gallons of fuel per lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

...that an IRL IndyCar Series car accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than three seconds, more than nine seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo street car to reach the same speed?

...that the 1,525-pound IRL IndyCar Series cars generate 5,000 pounds of downforce at 220 mph, enough to allow the car to run upside down if that speed is maintained?

...the tread depth of an IRL IndyCar Series tire is 3/32nds of an inch - slightly thicker than a credit card?

...a front tire for the IRL IndyCar Series series weighs in at approximately 18 pounds - slightly less than the average weight of a 1-year-old child?

...at speed, the tread area of the racing tires approaches the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees Fahrenheit)? At those levels, the tread area actually becomes tar-like in consistency to help the tires and car adhere to the track.

...at any given moment on the racetrack, the total area of all four tires that is in contact with the track surface is equal to about 1 square foot? That means that an area not much bigger than a sheet of notebook paper is responsible for transferring all the technology and power generated by IRL IndyCar Series cars into speeds exceeding 220 mph.

...at speeds of 220 mph, the front tires of an IRL IndyCar Series car rotate at a rate of 43 times per second. That means, over the course of a single lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the front tire will experience approximately 1,955 revolutions, and the rear tires will experience 1,800 revolutions. Considering a normal fuel stint is 30 laps or more at Indianapolis, each tire could experience more than 60,000 revolutions before it is changed for a fresh set.

...that the draft (or the "hole" in the air) created by an IRL IndyCar Series car extends 25 feet behind the car?

...that while traveling approximately 220 mph, IRL IndyCar Series cars travel slightly more than the length of a football field in about one second?

...IRL IndyCar Series drivers endure G-forces equal to nearly four times the weight of gravity while going through turns? The space shuttle leaves the launching pad at Cape Canaveral with approximately the same force.


NHRA Top Fuel facts

http://www.nhra.com/streetlegal/funfacts.html

Top Fuel Dragsters: The fastest-accelerating vehicles in the world, these are the most recognizable of all drag race cars. The 25-foot-long landlocked missiles can cover the quarter-mile in 4.4 seconds at speeds faster than 330 mph. The engine of choice is an aluminum version of the famous Chrysler Hemi. The supercharged, fuel-injected nitromethane-burning engines produce an estimated 8,000 horsepower.



FUN FACTS

Did you know …

… that the nitromethane-powered engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars produce approximately 8,000 horsepower, about 43 times that of the average street car?

… that one cylinder of the eight cylinders of a Top Fuel dragster or a Funny Car produces 750 horsepower, equaling the entire horsepower output of a NASCAR engine?

… that the gasoline-powered engines of NHRA Pro Stock cars produce about 1,200 horsepower, about eight times that of the average street car?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than .8-second, almost 11 seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo to reach the same speed?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster leaves the starting line with a force nearly five times that of gravity, the same force of the space shuttle when it leaves the launching pad at Cape Canaveral?

… that an NHRA Funny Car is slowed by a reverse force more than seven times that of gravity when both parachutes deploy simultaneously?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars consume between four and five gallons of fuel during a quarter-mile run, which is equivalent to between 16 and 20 gallons per mile?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars use between 10 and 12 gallons of fuel for a complete pass, including the burnout, backup to the starting line, and quarter-mile run?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars travel the length of more than four football fields in less than five seconds?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters can exceed 280 mph in just 660 feet?

… that from a standing start, NHRA Top Fuel dragsters accelerate faster than a jumbo jet, a fighter jet, and a Formula One race car?

… that a fuel pump for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster and Funny Car delivers 65 gallons of fuel per minute, equivalent to eight bathroom showers running at the same time?

… that the fuel-line pressure for NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars is between 400 and 500 pounds, about 20 times greater than the pressure on passenger-car fuel pumps?

… that depending on size and angle, the large rear wing on an NHRA Top Fuel dragster develops between 4,000 and 8,000 pounds of downforce?

… that the 17-inch rear tires used on NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars wear out after four to six runs, or about two miles? Some brands of passenger-car tires are guaranteed for 80,000 miles.

… that it takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 8,000 horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels?

… that it's desirable for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster to race with its front wheels inches off the ground for about the first 200 feet of the run? This ensures proper weight transfer to the rear wheels, a crucial part of a good launch and quick run.

… that the nitromethane used to power the engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars costs about $30 per gallon?

Sources: NHRA Communications and Technical Departments, NHRA race teams, motorsports equipment manufacturers

Very cool!

Rob