Pinger,
Just finished reading a story from the Northwest Herald out of Woodstock, IL. Man gets DUI for riding MX bike. The man rode the bike into the courtroom, a razor 12V powered bike, to show the judge that it was not a true motorcycle. The judge was not wasn't having it and said the "toy" is a motorcycle collect your DUI and pay the fine. If this judge thinks a razor is a motorcycle then obviously a 50cc Yamaha is a motorcycle in his eyes. So this begs the question, is a 50cc Yamaha a toy or a motorcycle? If it's a motorcycle then the lead law does not apply.
Eddie
Dear Eddie,
Excellent point my good man. But you’ve failed to take into account one significant piece of information: Common sense does not apply to our government. They will consider a bike a toy all day long if it means they can keep kids off those “dangerous” things. Do you feel like you’re taking crazy pills sometimes? Welcome to my world. I wonder if there’s a YouTube video of that guy getting squirrelly on that razor while he was hammered drunk? That would be funny. Hey, anything to take my mind off that ridiculous legislation.
PING
Mr. Pingree,
Two questions for you today sir:
1- Does Adam Cianciarulo have red hair? I just read his interview on Racer X and couldn’t tell… If so, dang! What is it with motocrossers and red hair!? I know this has been brought up for discussion before but I also just noticed that Ryan Dungey’s scruffy beard even looks a little red sometimes. Since I have no idea if there is a cause and effect relationship between red hair and going fast on a dirt bike I married a redhead just in case.
So, onto my question: What do you think about stereotyping riders during this most difficult of silly seasons? Does it happen? Does the Troy Lee Designs team look for someone with red hair? Reddish beards?
2- I've been a Pingree fan for a long time now – since your oh-so-close-to-immortal-glory 125 days – which isn’t a long time to any of the MXA guys (bless their hearts) but it is to me. Anyhoo, when you softly bumped me as we were waiting to practice up at Powder Mountain I really wanted to say hello and introduce myself. But I didn’t. Would you have been nice to me? Or would you have been diva-ish?
Thank you for your time,
Paul Nash
Dear Paul,
Jeff Ward, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto, Tim Ferry, Dean Wilson, Adam Cianciarulo and even Ryan Dungey’s crimson-tinged man-child beard are among the MX elite that have Irish/Scottish roots. I actually tried researching the ancestry of each of them to see if there were any common traits but I came up empty handed. All I know is that red hair is a product of iron molecules that attached themselves to the hair, giving it a red hue. Also, red heads were once considered witches and burned or boiled in oil. Those days are long gone. Now they just have to deal with mocking questions like, “Does the carpet match the drapes?” Anyway, when I figure it all out I’ll let you know. As manager of the TLD team I don’t care what color hair a guy has… if he can win races I want to talk to him.
Your second question is an easy one to answer. It’s a sad commentary on society today when you have to hesitate to say hello to someone because you’re not sure if they are going to be a dick or not. I mean, just the other day I was being fed grapes one at a time by my personal servant, Esteban, while I lounged around by my pool on a Wednesday afternoon. All of a sudden the UPS guy roared up to my house to drop off a package and startled me by blasting his horn as he screeched to a stop. Did I go off on him? No, no I didn’t. I simply had Esteban follow him home that day and then break into his house while he slept and threaten to cut off his precious man parts if he ever drove down my private driveway again. See? I could have made a scene in public but I have more class than that. So, in regards to your question, feel free to tap me on the shoulder and introduce yourself next time. Just dead bolt the doors when you get home.
PING
Hello Professor Ping,
I have a serious question that needs answering and I believe you’re the man to do it. MXA did an article a while ago about building an outdoor national bike. It was a decent enough article except for the part where they said Factory Honda footpegs cost upwards of $5000. What the hell? $5000 for footpegs? Its no wonder riders are having a hard time finding sponsors due to money. Now I’m not a professional metal worker/machinist, but I’m pretty sure I could build a set of footpegs out of almost any material to almost any specification for less than $5000. I could probably have several sets made for that much money. So what’s the deal? Is MXA crazy or do those unobtanium parts really cost that much and if they do cost that much could you help me figure out why? Is Honda paying their machinist $500 per hour (or more)? Maybe Honda buys Reedy’s leftover diamond studs to insert into the footpeg cleats? Diamonds are abrasion resistant after all.
Thanks for the answer,
Nate Nickle
Saint George, UT
Dear Nate,
According to my sources hat particular titanium that was being used for those Honda footpegs was special. It was blessed by the Dalai Lama himself and guaranteed to bring total awareness to any rider that set foot on them. I contend that Davi Milsaps has been so consumed with achieving complete enlightenment last year that he forgot he was supposed to win races. I’m sure he’s praising Buddha right now that he has a two-year contract. Maybe Honda overpaid for those pegs. Maybe you should put in a bid for half the price? As the Lama says: Gunga Galunga. Be like water, Nate.
PING
Just finished reading a story from the Northwest Herald out of Woodstock, IL. Man gets DUI for riding MX bike. The man rode the bike into the courtroom, a razor 12V powered bike, to show the judge that it was not a true motorcycle. The judge was not wasn't having it and said the "toy" is a motorcycle collect your DUI and pay the fine. If this judge thinks a razor is a motorcycle then obviously a 50cc Yamaha is a motorcycle in his eyes. So this begs the question, is a 50cc Yamaha a toy or a motorcycle? If it's a motorcycle then the lead law does not apply.
Eddie
Dear Eddie,
Excellent point my good man. But you’ve failed to take into account one significant piece of information: Common sense does not apply to our government. They will consider a bike a toy all day long if it means they can keep kids off those “dangerous” things. Do you feel like you’re taking crazy pills sometimes? Welcome to my world. I wonder if there’s a YouTube video of that guy getting squirrelly on that razor while he was hammered drunk? That would be funny. Hey, anything to take my mind off that ridiculous legislation.
PING
Mr. Pingree,
Two questions for you today sir:
1- Does Adam Cianciarulo have red hair? I just read his interview on Racer X and couldn’t tell… If so, dang! What is it with motocrossers and red hair!? I know this has been brought up for discussion before but I also just noticed that Ryan Dungey’s scruffy beard even looks a little red sometimes. Since I have no idea if there is a cause and effect relationship between red hair and going fast on a dirt bike I married a redhead just in case.
So, onto my question: What do you think about stereotyping riders during this most difficult of silly seasons? Does it happen? Does the Troy Lee Designs team look for someone with red hair? Reddish beards?
2- I've been a Pingree fan for a long time now – since your oh-so-close-to-immortal-glory 125 days – which isn’t a long time to any of the MXA guys (bless their hearts) but it is to me. Anyhoo, when you softly bumped me as we were waiting to practice up at Powder Mountain I really wanted to say hello and introduce myself. But I didn’t. Would you have been nice to me? Or would you have been diva-ish?
Thank you for your time,
Paul Nash
Dear Paul,
Jeff Ward, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto, Tim Ferry, Dean Wilson, Adam Cianciarulo and even Ryan Dungey’s crimson-tinged man-child beard are among the MX elite that have Irish/Scottish roots. I actually tried researching the ancestry of each of them to see if there were any common traits but I came up empty handed. All I know is that red hair is a product of iron molecules that attached themselves to the hair, giving it a red hue. Also, red heads were once considered witches and burned or boiled in oil. Those days are long gone. Now they just have to deal with mocking questions like, “Does the carpet match the drapes?” Anyway, when I figure it all out I’ll let you know. As manager of the TLD team I don’t care what color hair a guy has… if he can win races I want to talk to him.
Your second question is an easy one to answer. It’s a sad commentary on society today when you have to hesitate to say hello to someone because you’re not sure if they are going to be a dick or not. I mean, just the other day I was being fed grapes one at a time by my personal servant, Esteban, while I lounged around by my pool on a Wednesday afternoon. All of a sudden the UPS guy roared up to my house to drop off a package and startled me by blasting his horn as he screeched to a stop. Did I go off on him? No, no I didn’t. I simply had Esteban follow him home that day and then break into his house while he slept and threaten to cut off his precious man parts if he ever drove down my private driveway again. See? I could have made a scene in public but I have more class than that. So, in regards to your question, feel free to tap me on the shoulder and introduce yourself next time. Just dead bolt the doors when you get home.
PING
Hello Professor Ping,
I have a serious question that needs answering and I believe you’re the man to do it. MXA did an article a while ago about building an outdoor national bike. It was a decent enough article except for the part where they said Factory Honda footpegs cost upwards of $5000. What the hell? $5000 for footpegs? Its no wonder riders are having a hard time finding sponsors due to money. Now I’m not a professional metal worker/machinist, but I’m pretty sure I could build a set of footpegs out of almost any material to almost any specification for less than $5000. I could probably have several sets made for that much money. So what’s the deal? Is MXA crazy or do those unobtanium parts really cost that much and if they do cost that much could you help me figure out why? Is Honda paying their machinist $500 per hour (or more)? Maybe Honda buys Reedy’s leftover diamond studs to insert into the footpeg cleats? Diamonds are abrasion resistant after all.
Thanks for the answer,
Nate Nickle
Saint George, UT
Dear Nate,
According to my sources hat particular titanium that was being used for those Honda footpegs was special. It was blessed by the Dalai Lama himself and guaranteed to bring total awareness to any rider that set foot on them. I contend that Davi Milsaps has been so consumed with achieving complete enlightenment last year that he forgot he was supposed to win races. I’m sure he’s praising Buddha right now that he has a two-year contract. Maybe Honda overpaid for those pegs. Maybe you should put in a bid for half the price? As the Lama says: Gunga Galunga. Be like water, Nate.
PING
