Wife and kids crashed out and I wasn't tired so I decided to take a spin "just for the hell of it". Hadn't done that in years. Of coarse the Mini was my traveling companion. Was a nice change to be driving something smaller than a 1 ton truck. Anyways, I pass by one of the local "scenes" and a guy in a C5 Corvette is pulling out trying to make his presence known without alerting the law that was standing around. I follow him a few blocks and he happens to be heading the same direction I am which is a couple of switchbacks before it merges onto Interstate 10. We pull away from the last light before the switchbacks and he lets me know he's got 200hp on me. But, once we are in the tight stuff, he can't use it to his advantage. I'm about 5 feet off his heiney and we are screaming through the last turn before the on ramp. That's when his rear steps out and he must of panicked because he went half way off the road. He left a huge enough hole the Mini could slip through, so.... I did. I bet he's a little more serious next time he squares off with one of these little suckers.

 

IB4TL !!

 

So you went out for a drive, nearly killed a guy in a Corvette, risked hurting yourself and your car. It's posts like this that give more incetive for the people that harass me when I'm just trying to enjoy a drive. Yes the MINI is a fun and fast car, thats the reason for taking it TO THE TRACK.

IBTL

 

Phhht... I would have done the same thing owtcast!
'Vette driver was an adult, let him make his own decisions.

 

C5 has gobs of power but now he knows his limits:
"power is nothing without control"

 

With great power comes great responsibility.

These cars are very capable of handling corners at speeds other cars have trouble with, but I think it's our responsibility to not push others to go beyond their ability. Yes I do understand that it is fun to push it and act like a 9 year old sometimes, we all do it from time to time, but sometimes we need to be the bigger man (or woman) and just let them go on and clear the road for you.

How would you feel if you watched the guy in front of you go into the wall or a tree or off the ledge, because you were pushing them to go faster than their ability?

Or how dumb would you feel if you rear-ended him because he slammed on the brakes out of fear or to avoid hitting a deer?

IB4TL

 

that's why we all need the "You Just Got Spanked by a Clown Car" bumper sticker...

ib4tl

 

omg lmmfao
im not pulling safety police.. im sorry i have been out there.. and just feel that slight challenge and away we go.. whoever said that the corvette driver is an adult.. is right.. his choice... his foolishness.. his consequences.. same goes for the mini driver..
but i have to say i still grinned a little bit.. because today on an interstate a ferrari did the same thing.. except he decided to win the dumba$$ award.. cut me off by maybe a foot.. and gunned it.. and when i heard his engine i just smiled.. but.. couldnt help myself.. i knew i had no prayer.. but i played the lil game he was mucking with.. i slowed up at 110.. dropped back down and let him go.. the adrenaline flowing and just simple pride at my lil car.. i slow down going aobut 80 and then my heart fell as i looked in my rear view.. at the state trooper coming up on my right..lots of bad words came to mind.. then he passed me on the left.. i was like hm.. needless to say we waved at the ferrari pulled over by north carolina state troopers.. as we drove by..
so certainly i can understand .. we are adults.. at least i hope so.. you know the capability of your car.. you know what you can do.. just make sure you have some understanding what that other driver will do.. enjoy your moment.. and be safe

 

Had a similar experience with a buddy at Seattle Raceway post JCW install. He was amazed that I could pretty much hang with him and his '04 Corvette untill about 100. What little distance he'd gain in the last 1/3rd of the straighaway, I made up in turn 2. Passed him every time through 3a and 3b (a tight 90-degree downhill right followed by a 90-degree downhill left) and he struggled to keep up in the twisties after that. So fun!

Working graves I would often go for the relaxing night drives once a week or so. A little midnight touge action does wonders for the chi.

 

Wow!! I thought my first sentence would of been enough about me to thwart the safety *****. If not the first, surely the second. Evidently not?
In just two posts, I'm being accused of being suicidal, homicidal, unfeeling, uncaring, 9 years old and wreckless. That's an all time personal best!
Seriously, telling me to TAKE IT TO THE TRACK is like preaching to the choir. Thinking that I endangered someone else's life is completely absurd. Believing I incite people to harass you while you enjoy your drive is so crazy I'm laughing.
Well since some obviously don't know what I'm about, I'll elaborate. I'm 40 years old, married and have 3 beautiful daughters. I'm a professional firefighter/engineer (that means I drive the truck ), Gulf War veteran, avid motorcyclist, and prior MSF motorcycle safety instructor. Until I had my children, my spare time was spent racing 2stroke unlimited karts, various motorcross and atv classes with some "hair scrambles" thrown in, competitive rockcrawling, and road racing motorcycles. Not all at the same time. Once my children were born I dropped it down a notch and quit the racing but couldn't give up being on the track. So I started doing track days every chance I could. That habit got as expensive as the racing so I had to join up with a reputable "trackday" business. The "work" was tough but it took care of my track habit. It's a safe bet to assume I'm comfortable at speeds approaching 180mph. On bikes, you get as close to each other as any auto racing, and, there is no cage around you. Not a big deal going straight, but totally a different story with your knee scraping the ground around a corner. I've learned my limits and am quite familiar with them. That's why I'm still walking, talking and breathing. I also know the consequences of exceeding them and have rarely done so in my life. With that said, know that I am not a typical "street racer" punk racing in traffic. There was no one else occupying the same stretch of highway without a concrete barrier between us and them. It was in the same city I drive 47,000 lbs trucks through traffic with lights and a siren whaling, so I knew the turn well. We might of broke 100....maybe for a few seconds. And the pass, when you think about it, was actually a defensive manuever. (I'd rather have the crashing go on behind me than in front of me )
So, I suggest if anyone has problems with people harrassing you while you drive, take a look in your rear view mirror. You might have the answer to that staring back at you. If all else fails, turn the stereo down because you're probably annoying them and deserve their response. IB4TL

 

A couple of pics of my other performance oriented vehicles. They just might surpass the abilities of the Mini a tad bit. Don't mind the pretty little girl. She's just trying to be like daddy.
A couple of the last street bike 03 GSXR 1000>

Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL



My last race bike 2000 Ducati 996 (I liked the old script "916" decals better so when I painted the race bodywork I used those)>


The Banshee. (this biotch was evil, I was skeered of it)




I apologize for the rant to those that enjoyed my original post. It was meant to be simple entertainment just as posting pics of Minis on the Dragon or "Minis in the mountains" would be. Just sharing with others the fun we have with these little cars. Terry

 

IB4TL also, moderator please delete this whole thing.

Really, we all should know better.

 

+1 for Dixon's suggestion

 

I'm a "tri-colore" Ducati fan as well! Here's mine (1998 ST2):



I know, the colours are "upside down", but there's a practical reason for it.

 

Man that's a sweet ST. I've always been fond of the "one off" paint jobs that came on factory racers. Different but not gawdy. It's hard to tell but it doesn't appear that you have the mold lines on the spoke sides of those Marchesini's. Which means they are magnesium. Nice, very nice.

 

Damn - good eyes you have there! Yes, the wheels are the five-spoke magnesium Marchi's. I think they were one of the first (if not the first) sets to go on an ST. At $2500 per set at the time, I probably wouldn't have gotten them, but they were already on the bike when I bought it used, and didn't add anywhere near $2500 to the price.

The previous owner is the one that had the bike painted, but it's exactly what I was looking for. I need to find the painter that did the work and buy him some beer. If you run your finger over any of the colour transitions or the airbrushed "Ducati" text on the flanks, it's perfectly smooth - no ridges at all. He painted everything, clearcoated the heck out of it, and then wet-sanded everything perfectly smooth. It's really better paint than most of the show bikes I've seen, but I ride the heck out of it.

As for why the red's on the bottom instead of the top, I think that was a convenience/money-saving issue. By doing it this way, he was able to leave the factory red paint on the tailsection, saddlebags, and lower fairing. He only had to paint the green and white parts, (and a little sliver of red on the lower fairing to make the colour transition follow the lines of the frame tube). He still clearcoated and wet-sanded the factory red paint, though, to make everything match.

Here's a better picture of the wheels:


I thought I had some pictures of the CycleCat adjustable rearsets I just added, but darned if I can find them.

 

I would really enjoy owning that machine. You have a bike to be proud of in any crowd you mingle with. I understand about using as much of the factory paint as possible. It definately cuts down on the costs as well as the work involved. I did similar with my clear. I added some antique gold 3m striping in between each color to make sharp lines. That adds to the amount of clear you have to add to make it smooth. Sure was tempting to stop after the first coat. Especially since it was a track bike and chances were it would be rashed soon after. Never did though. Ended up selling it and kick myself every time I see a Duck.
A couple pics of the hard parts. >>>



The radius this line was on was tough to make look right. But it turned out ok.

 

Thanks - I really like your 996 as well. Now that they're a couple of generations old, I'm considering a 916/996/998, but I don't see myself giving up the ST2.

I'm with you about preferring the older-style Ducati script to the newer font/emblems. I even have their old "Winged 'D'" logo as a tattoo on my shoulder. (It has several meanings - in addition to the Ducati reference, I'm a Flight Officer in the Navy, and my callsign is "Durwood", so the wings and the 'D' represent that as well).

 

Nice lookin' tri-color ducs... I had a Monster and want a Hypermotard.
I like the GSX-R too, especially the 2003 silver. I had a 2001 that I set up for "super sport touring."
But for the track, I like little, inexpensive bikes.. RZ350, SV650, etc....

 

By now everyone has obviously let the original poster know that its not in the general spirit of the MINI community and NAM to post about aggressive driving on the street. In fact we have a site guideline asking that it not be posted at all. That said, I think the message has been delivered and the thread has moved on to talking about different bikes. If everyone is agreeable I'll leave the thread open so it can continue about the bikes or, as an alternative I can delete all the stuff on the driving side, rename the thread to focus on the bikes and move it to an appropriate forum.

Thanks

Mark

 

Those are some very nice bikes and I must say, this site, more than anything else, makes me want to get a bike. A picture of a Triumph Bonneville in another thread has me thinking that would be a great commuter/first bike and I've even rationalized in my mind that the insurance savings, reduced wear and tear on the MINI, and fuel savings would make it pay for itself.
Keep the great pics coming.

 

IATNMS!










(that's 'in after the NAM members smackdown'. )

 

Nice bike's Guy! I had to part ways with my Honda cbr 1000rr after dumping it (due to a guy that had blown his leaves into the street)

 

If you want almost all of the fun and styling of an old Triumph Bonneville, with a much lower cost and much higher reliability, look at the Yahama XS650, produced from the early 70's until the early 80's.

The XS650 was a pretty blatant Japanese ripoff of the Bonnie, but at least they copied the best parts (styling and performance), and not the bad parts (dodgy electrics, oil leaks, etcetera).

We had one for a few years until my wife upgraded to a Suzuki GS1100L, but I still miss the XS650.

 

I have an '06 Bonnie T 100 in Tangerine and Glacier White that is for sale, if you are interested. They are fantastic bikes- like MINIs they have souls and torque all over the place; you don't have to wring their necks to get power. My bike is bone stock. I never got to modding it. I DON'T want to sell but just cannot ride with my little one, so have ordered the MINI. I thought that might be about as much fun as I could have in a cage. PM me if you are interested in the bike or would just like to chat about them in general. I'd post a photo but I am technologically challenged... I can e-mail it though.