[BDA116]

So I was out at the Racing 2 Save Lives event today all afternoon and they had their silent auction going on today. Tons of stuff to bid on - jewfzr's artwork is even more amazing in person, by the way (and it went for ~$2000). I bid on quite a bit of stuff, but was particulalry interested in a new helmet. After seeing Abtech's review of the new Scorpions and speaking with a few others I figured it was one I was interested in. They had a booth out there, and I was able to try a few on and get a good fit.
So I go back to the silent auction a few minutes before it closed and made one final bid on the one that was the right size and color. Last second bid, and I get a brand new EXO-700 in the Geronimo silver color for $70.
Oh, and since Eric Bostrom was right there when I went and picked it up I had him sign it for me. He and Ben were there all day riding and chilling with everyone. It was pretty fun to hear them talk about the track.
Oh, and Eric was riding his personal street R1 with one of his new BozBros exhaust tips on it. No muffling, just a slash cut tip exiting the belly pan. Loud. Very, very loud.
Here are a couple pics (yeah they are a bit dark, but it's a friggin' helmet so I didn't care to take better ones):

[Tornado bait]

$70.. You stole that thing.

[BDA116]

Originally Posted by Tornado bait

$70.. You stole that thing.

Yep, and since that $70 was actually a donation to charity I will further steal it by writing it off.

[Red Rider]

$70? You must not value your head much!


Sweet deal...

[Silent_Assassin]

$70- .......... the proceeds go to the charity......Right? You dont plan on SAVING 2 MANY LIVES with that donation do you .................... Just kidding. Awesome deal and looks great with the sig on it. I'll give you a $100- for it. It will go nice with my titanium and black 954................ Accept Paypal?

[abtech]

I paid slightly more for mine . . .

[Hammer]

Cheapscape, should have paid more. It was for charity.

[nhfirefighter13]

I'm not familiar with Scorpion helmets. How do you like it compared to others that you have owned?

[Mojave954]

This would make you suck even more if it wasn't for charity.

Congrats for winning and supporting a good cause.

[BDA116]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Cheapscape, should have paid more. It was for charity.

I bid on other things as well, this was the only one I won. The helmets and gloves didn't get a bunch of bidders, so at least I helped by not allowing it to go for $60.

[BDA116]

Originally Posted by nhfirefighter13

I'm not familiar with Scorpion helmets. How do you like it compared to others that you have owned?

I really don't know yet. I do like the fit. It seems to be shaped similarly to the Arai Signet, which is what I've worn for years to this point. It is very snug yet comfortable and has a good eye opening. The venting looks pretty good as well, and it is light.
I'll have a better ride report after this coming Saturday.

[bwhip]

Nice lid! Glad to hear the event went well. Wish I could have been there.

What sort of comments and reviews are you hearing about the track(s)?

[BDA116]

Originally Posted by bwhip

Nice lid! Glad to hear the event went well. Wish I could have been there.

What sort of comments and reviews are you hearing about the track(s)?

Well, both the Bostroms absolutely loved the place. Eric said it was the best track he'd ever ridden and his favorite overall facility. He was talking about bringing out a Motard for the kart/SuperMoto course and trying to get back out for a track day later in the year as well. Neither had ridden the actual full course yet, as the AMA test was just the outer course, but the event was running both the east and west courses so they were swapping back and forth and he said he more or less knows the "full course" now.
Ben stated it was definately one of the best tracks he'd ever been to as well and talked about how the track flow was working very well for the Ducati. He thought his outlook in June was pretty good. He also talked about the mountains and was thinking there must be some good climbing around.
I did ask about the surface and how it is wearing tires really quick, but neither seemed concerned with that at all. They both said it was expected of a track that hadn't even seen a month of activity yet and that it would be fine later in the year.
Then I asked about how some had stated the last corner was a little unsafe and there was some RRW article about maybe changing it, and Eric laughed and Ben looked at me funny and said he didn't hear anything about that. Eric talked about how all you see is runoff everywhere you go on the track.
The grasses are starting to come up so the wind doesn't blow dust across the track all day (it was windy again) and the track was much cleaner. It has transformed quite a bit in the last couple weeks. They were using the GP garages and we had full access to the building and spectator viewing area on the roof of the garage strip where race control and the media center are. You can see nearly the entire track from there except where they go down the hill on that "mini corkscrew" section. I screwed up and forgot to take my camera, but the views from the building are great! The clubhouse should offer the same kind of view of the track.
Larry was there again and Speed T.V. was doing an interview with him after the little gathering to talk about the charities and how much money the event had taken in. Haskovec was out there, and Larry seemed very interested in him and his plight, and even had a bit of a talk with him.
Then he said that R2SL was welcome to do their thing there as long as they wanted, so it looks like they'll be back as well.
It was all really cool. There was a guy there wearing leathers with the MotoCzysz logos on it, but I never saw that bike.
Also, that Jessica Zalusky was there and......well..........it's cool that she's getting help from Kawasaki and out there trying and all, but she's not very fast.
They really put on a very well organized event. It was all very cool, and Brandon loved seeing all the bikes and karts out there having fun.

[bwhip]

Nice to see the grass coming up, and I'm quite sure that no track in the land has such nice background scenery!

The track looks like it's getting cleaner than when I was there as well...

[Scout]

BDA - you lucky bast*** , on both counts. Glad to see another person who likes the Scorpian helmets. I'm in the hunt for one.

[BDA116]

So I spent the better part of the day out at the track today. Perfect weather with no wind and temps right around 70.
I had the opportunity to try this new lid back to back with my Arai Signet GT.
I can now say that helmet is officially retired. Yes, it's a few years old anyway and would have to be replaced soon, but it really isn't any comparison.
The Scorpion is lighter, has no lift at speed whatsoever, fits tighter and more comfortably and has FAR better air circulation. I wear earplugs anyway, but I didn't notice any more nose associated with that extra air in the Scorpion, either.
The only place my Arai has over the Scorpion is that I put an amber insert on the shield. Riding with a clear shield sucks, and I'm not a fan of the everything grey associated with tinted shields.
All I need to do is get an amber tint for this shield now.

I also had the opportunity to tear the bike apart after the throttle cables came loose from their spot on the throttle bodies. How that happened I have no idea, but pulling a 600RR down to the point of accessing that area while wearing leathers and being pissed wanting to get back on the track really isn't all that enjoyable.
And I'm actually surprised I didn't miss any electrical connection when reassembling (you have to unplug the top four injectors and a couple other sensors as well as moving the ECU and wiring harness out of the way just to take off the airbox.).
Going into the first corner at Miller at speed and suddenly having no throttle control is very unnerving.

[ConqSoft]

Been there, done that, without leathers and with plenty of time, and it STILL SUCKS. The air ducts were the biggest pain in my ass.

[Joseph900rr]

I second BDA's opinion, I purchased an exo-700 last summer and it retired my Arai Signet also. Have ridden with it about 3000 miles and I couldn't say enough good things about it.

[abtech]

I finally got to try mine out on Tuesday and I agree with BDA. I don't wear earplugs and the EXO is at least twice as quiet as either of my AGVs. It doesn't seem to fit quite as obtrusively in the cheek area, but definitely stays put and there is absolutely no buffeting. In terms of comfort and ventilation, it's superb.

[SJ96F3]

R2SL will most definitely be back in the years to come. I saw the spot on 2-Wheel Tuesday and they said they donated half of the proceeds to Larry's personal charity so I'm assuming he'll welcome the event back. Maybe a future idea for a Fireblades Rally???

Did you get to ride on the track with the Bostroms? I would have waited until they were slowing down to pit and then passed them... just to say I'd passed them.

[BDA116]

Larry actually invited the event back indefinitely on the Saturday of the event - the Day Speed was doing the interviews and such.
No, I didn't ride with the Bostroms, but I spent a decent amount of time talking with them - Eric mostly.
There is actually some talk about another event later this summer/fall. It's not set in stone, but a lot of people would like to have it happen.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by BDA116

but pulling a 600RR down to the point of accessing that area while wearing leathers

The fact that you didn't have the sense to remove your leathers before you started working is just more proof that you are a complete dumbass.