The sky is having some technical difficulties

It's days like this I wish I was back in California where it never rains. This is the football practice field; if not for it's crowned design, it would be under water. And the wildest thing of all, we actually have to play a soccer game tomorrow, and you can imagine how brutal the field conditions will be.

oh, I love it...

DIY HMF Racing slip-on exhaust installation

For some reason I feel I have to do a disclaimer beforehand, because I have a feeling somebody's going to follow my step-by-step instructions on how to install their new exhaust. But, by all means, use this method if you like...afterall, it did work! And the bottom line is....it's just a slip-on!

But this is mainly for people interested in doing business with HMF Racing, or considering a new exhaust; I pretty much want to detail all the questions I had going into this, and where I found, or didn't find, the answers, and how this process went. Before purchasing, I did all this research to seek out answers and granted I did find most from searching forums, a lot of people weren't as detailed with their answers.

Dealing with HMF Racing
Let me start by saying I ordered direct from HMF Racing on Tuesday October 13th, and it was in my hands that Monday October 19th. Talk about fast shipping!!! They weren't kidding. And I live out in rural Texas (albeit, it's a college campus), so I imagine if you live near a major city center, then it would arrive even faster than that. On the other hand, they are absolutely BRUTAL with answering email! There is no lighter way to put it. Like I mentioned above, I found a lot of the information from message boards, and forums, but just for piece of mind, I kind of wanted to hear it directly from the dealer. But I know as a consumer, nothing is like a well-written, honest, unbiased, user review! I first heard of this brand of exhaust from reading http://kawiforums.com/, and decided to check it out, and browse their site. I was lurking the HMF site for over 1 month, and then I suddenly noticed they were having a sale, so I jumped on it. I compared prices to all the other Exhaust makers, and it seems like HMF was the right way to go considering my budget. My price was $227 -- which included the exhaust can, and the end-cap; arguably the best deal on any slip-on exhaust out there! Do the research... With that said, I have to give them a 8/10 just because they are horrible with email (some of my questions still have yet to be responded to), but they get extra clout because of the outstanding price, and unbelievable shipping time.

Benito and I with the goods, fresh out the box

Picture of the stock exhaust

Removing Stock Exhaust

Close-up of the stock exhaust. FYI, taking off the stock parts are a cinch. It comes off in two parts; the heat shield, and the exhaust can itself. All you have to do is literally twist/pull it off. Comes off fairly easy with little-moderate effort.

The HMF cans' lead pipe goes over the bike's exhaust, up until the point with it is ridged in the picture. That is approximate 3-4 inches before it reaches its endpoint.

I'd truly say the hardest part about removing the stock exhaust was twisting my semi-but-not-quite-dull Allen wrench on the two (2) smaller screws Lauren is holding. You may have a better experience than I did. They are positioned atop of eachother, and I removed the top one - no problem, but I nearly stripped the second of the screws. That is when I called in Benito, and luckily, he didn't care and just poweredrove that bitch off. No second guessing! I was all careful and ish because I didn't want to strip the screw, and then have the sh*t stuck on there.

Close up of heatshield and the screws that come off the heatshield, also the longer bolt that attaches at the rear footpeg, which is the mount for the stock exhaust. According to HMF, you can use the original parts with the new exhaust, and it will work just fine. I agree, the new parts they send, are identical and may be desired over the old ones, because they look newer and shinier.

Installation of HMF can

Naked. No can. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'll be honest, I had the WD-40 all ready to go because I had a feeling it wasn't going to cooperate; and I learned that from reading others and their experience with this part. Initially, the HMF can goes on, so you feel good about yourself, then it hits a wall. We brought in the WD-40, sprayed lightly around the edges, and inside the can, and after about 3 trial-and errors, switching positions, and using knees and elbows, arms, etc. to try and get it on, we gave it a 3rd coat of WD-40 and Ben got that b!tch on! Whew, I was relieved. I knew it would eventually get on, but it took a good effort to get it there.

In that process, I think we may have threw off the angle of the exhaust pipe because once hte HMF can was on, nothing was aligned right, and we have to "force" the can back into an acceptable position so it would sit where it could be attached to the rearpegs where the stock exhaust sat. This process too a little over 20 minutes alone; mainly because we couldn't really figure out which part went where and so forth.

At this point, I went back online and looked at how other guys mounted their cans, and how they attached their heatshields. Nothing they did seemed to be working with mine. So, Ben and I got creative, and improvised. This is point where I say, you can either "do as I did, or not!" You will be able to see in the following two pictures, we didn't install the heat shield, which nullified the need for a lot of the screws/parts. In the shots, you can see the actualy pipe is exposed. Installation 5/10 because the instructions weren't helpful at all, but in actuality, you don't need them, however, at some points you may have questions but the instructions pretty much say, "remove old exhaust, twist on new one. May require some effort."

Exposed pipe

Ready for a test run.

In the video, you can hear the finished product. Yes, it blows me away how different the bike sounds from the stock exhaust. The sound is incredibly deep and full, and shakes the entire parking garage!

Overall, I am more than satisfied with the product and how the outcome. It was difficult at first, but I truly think anyone can perform this modification. it just takes patience, and a little over 1 hour for the complete process. HMF supplies you with everything you need, except a wrench/pliers, slightly larger allen wrench to remove stock exhaust, and maybe some WD-40 to assist with the twisting and pushing of the new can onto the pipe. If you're not sure what type of company you're going to go with, just keep researching until you know.

And for the most requested question I had, and what you probably have, is "did I rejet the carbs, or shim the carb needles?" and the answer is, "No." Do I plan to? The answer is "No." HMF doesn't require it, although I think they recommend it. But most people, I find, fall into the convincing tone of everyone saying to jet your carbs, or whatnot. The problem I find with that is, most people are complaining of backfire when slowing from high RPMs to low RPMs. I am not experiencing the backfire, as a lot of other folks aren't, but if you are the unfortunate one who had TOO MUCH backfire, and want to get rid of it, then rejetting is suggested for that. From doing my research and reading up on that subject, some backfire isn't bad, therefore, a lot of people are oversenstizing this issue, and spending additional money on jetkits that they don't necessarily have to.

Hope this helps, and feel free to leave questions

Notes from the Field - Journal 2

Time has gone by so fast! When looking at the schedule, I see there is only three more weeks in the season. We are currently 4-1, which is good enough for sole possession of 3rd place in the Southland Conference, and if we beat Texas State (5-0-1), then SFA will be lonely atop of the conference. I haven't started fitting the size of my conference championship ring just yet, but I'm saving a finger, all the while keeping them crossed. I am really excited about the possibilities of winning the Conference, and that is why this weekend (24th & 25th) are so important.


But, back to the Athletic Training perspective. Up to this point, the sort of injuries we've seen are as follows;

• Tear of posterior horn of the meniscus, partial ACL tear, LCL tear
• Syndesmotic ankle sprain
• Peroneal tendon irritation
• Wrist UCL sprain
• Hamstring strain
• Grade I-II quadriceps strains
• among other general illnesses!
  

For most part, I have had the sole responsibilty of deciding treatment options and designing rehabilitation programs for each injury, of course with the consideration of the ACI. The entire process of determining the best options for each athlete, and progressing them through varying levels of intensity has been very exciting. The athletes have responded well to the types of exercises we have been doing, and with the help of Trey, they have stronger confidence in me, and even look to me for advice and opinion.

At this point, I am convinced that Eddie Beltran and I were a good match to work together. He and I gel nicely in the work environment, and have developed a functional understanding of eachother's approaches. I believe our natural working relationship has positively affected the team in regards to the girls being more relaxed and playful around us. Definetely the girls know I'm the more serious one, and I like being viewed that way, with Eddie being the more joking of us two. The girls really feed off him a lot. It is a really good dynamic. Nonetheless, I think it benefits the entire team psychologically when they see the staff as relaxed as we are

There is a huge difference between Year 1 and Year 2 of the program. Being with a specific team for longer than two weeks, obviously, allows for a lot more time for interaction and getting to know athletes personally. Also, I think the best part is being able to work with an athlete throughout their entire injury, and seeing them return to play. In Year 1, one would get a taste of this very feeling, with either being there for the beginning of the injury or while they're returing, but rarely be able witness the entire process.

Regardless of how we finish the season, I have enjoyed my time here tremendously!

Wooden Glasses

Nice! I'd rock these in the winter-time



I don't know what I was Googling, but I came across these during an image search

Pulling the plug on KDNZ? Well, I have something to say

As former General Manager (03-06), I feel sad about this whole ordeal, too, but I also feel angry. So I apologize if this sounds more like a rant, than a comment.

In my heart, I love USF and wouldn't trade my time there for anything, but I don't think the people in positions of power are doing enough to save KDNZ. Period.

There was a ton of work and sweat that went into making KDNZ what it became, at what I believe was its highest point. Not taking away what those accomplished before me, because you all set us up to be successful, but it is frustrating to read that this place is sinking so soon after it was handed over so well off.

When I left, there was a steady LIVE stream of online music, not just a preset playlist that people could click and download. The Mobile DJ Service was very prosperous, often being booked months in advance, and was by far the most visible attribute of the station. I remember presenting the information of doing 54 events in a year, as means to justify our Executive Board stipend raises. Those 54 events were FREE of charge, by the way. We had former students (Jimmy can support this) who would return, and be wowed by what we had accomplished. I remember one Friday we sat in the station and an old student/member came in and reminisced about his old days there, and how the equipment still hadn't changed! But he was amazed to see how far we had advanced.
Also, there were DJ's audtioning to be able to spin in the Harney Plaza during our weekly concert series. There were artists calling in about getting interviews, doing shows, live in-studio performances, etc.

And I know Jimmy P., Tri V., and George E. will remember USF Senate and others, controversial decision not to finance the station's antenna repair proposal. The repair would have costs around $3,700 while the replacement would have been in the $9,000 range. Those were the figures we were quoted, and presented to either ASUSF, SuperFund, or Senate; one of those bodies. We were ultimately denied. As well as Jimmy's personal campaign to bring KDNZ Channel 3 back, once it was shut off-air still for no sufficient reason. Then, mysteriously, some members of Senate (James K. and Casey F.) created the idea for USFTv, which sounded a lot like what we already had in place, but was shut down without any clear explanation. Coincidentally, the creator behind USFTv was a part of those governing organizations. I just think it is "fishy" how the guy heading the A/V Dept. all of a suddent takes our channel off-air, then is unable to provide a reason why. I can't remember his name but he was a red/brown hair guy, and I remember specifically Jimmy and I NOT confronting him because we had gotten word that his wife had recently passed. So we decided to take the heat off for a while. But prior to that, we were hounding his Dept. for answers, and demanding to meet with him, but he was never available.

I'm not suggesting this was a conspiracy to rid KDNZ, but I'm saying I don't think there was enough done to make sure KDNZ was saved. I didn't get the impression then, and certainly not after I left. There were people who definitely had our backs, especially Marci T. finding us multiple advisors, and even arranging lunches with the Jesuits, but we never really felt like we had the University's full support.

After Jason V. aka "Trackademicks" graduated, he handed me a station that was unorganized and chaotic, yet underneath the stacks of papers everywhere and unopened envelopes, was a functional and revenue-generating on-campus club. Next to Campus Activities Board (CAB) and perhaps College Players, KDNZ was second-highest profiting organization. As an Exercise & Sports Science major, not even related to Music/Business/Media in any way, I took the station and dedicated three full years of my life. My Summers were spent in there cleaning, reading old emails, letters from people I didn't know named Howcrio Burley, Patrick Lagreid, etc. which I found to be former GM's like myself. All I'm saying is, I took the station and made it my personal goal to see it succeed, and left it with a worthy successor as dedicated as I was, and I'm sure he did the same after he left, but although I hate to believe it, I just don't think the University has done enough to ensure KDNZ's future existence.

Sad day....

Custom Ninja decals

I had these logos custom made by Chris at DrippinWet.com, just trying to make my Ninja stand out a little more. It was a &!#@ trying to put these things on. You really have to know what you're doing, but if you're careful, anyone can do it. It just takes patience. If you can imagine, of course, the stickers were flat, or in one piece. So, I had to figure a way to get it to adhere to the bike's lower fairings, where there are air vents, without tearing the decals apart. It was a tricky manuever, but I used a box-cutter blade and got it on the first, and only, try. I'll take some close ups so you can see exactly what I am talking about.

Sorry, no how-to with this, but I could post it up anyway. There just won't be any pictures of the process.