[csmith12]

Thank you Sirref. Keep dat oil checked yo!

Chris What do you ride and how do you like it?
Sirref: I ride a 2013 Ninja 300 and I love it, it has the obvious flaws of being a bit down on power but that is an advantage for me due to my occasional spurts of immaturity on my bike

Chris: How long have you been riding?
Sirref:I got my first bike in early December of 2012 so just short of a year and a half

Chris: What got you started riding?
Sirref:Growing up I had the opportunity to fool around on a few dirtbikes for short periods of time and I loved it, they felt like rocket ships (125cc 2strokes) and were so much fun. I'm probably going to pick up a few of my own somewhere down the line though my parents never let me have one as a kid.

Chris: What are your current goals?
Sirref: Get my 250 track ready and then get to the track, I have all the parts that I need for the rebuild so I should be good to go before my track dates in July.

Chris: How do you relate to other local riders?
Sirref: In terms of skill/speed I'm middle of the pack overall, I'm helping to teach two kids how to ride, get their license, get their bike, how to maintain their bikes what gear to get, etc. I try to learn as much as I can from more experienced sport bike riders to the point where I've annoyed a few of them with my questions lol I'm like that little kid who just keeps asking why

Chris: If you could ride anywhere, where would it be?
Sirref: If I could ride anywhere I'd ride everywhere, Get myself a solid klx650 or something like it and travel the world. If I had to choose though I'd go to either the Isle of Man or the alps.

Chris: Do you have any special skills that are unique?
Sirref: This is a hard question since I try to do and experience so many things. I play multiple instruments (alto/tenor saxophone, trumpet, guitar, bass, piano) and have composed a few pieces for jazz bands and string quartets/quintets. I was in my high school's competition marching band/jazz orchestra/saxophone quartet/Wind ensemble and a few small bands on the side throughout high school. I skateboard/longboard/snowboard/mountain bike and ride. I learned how to play a video game called starcraft really well growing up and I still play it from time to time at a pretty high level. I won a few local chess tournaments and a county wide chess tournament as a kid too. I swam competitively in middle school and can shoot a bow with fairly decent accuracy.
Really I'd have to say that I always have something going on and if I don't then I'm looking for something to do that seems fun.

Chris: What drives you to participate on ninjette?
Sirref: I like the low key community feel of the site, I live in a rural area so I like smaller communities as it lets me get to know everyone in it better. Online that means that I see IDs and associate that with previous posts/conversations that I've seen/read from that person. In addition to that ninjette is a treasure trove of information on one of my favorite things to do, go riding. I feel that some of the information that I've learned on this site has saved my life by teaching me how to be a better rider.

Chris: Who is the real Sirref?
Sirref: This depends largely on who you are talking to. On ninjette I am a postwhore extraordinaire, at work I'm "the most interesting man in the world" (direct quote from a former coworker) to my close friends I am a chill ass mother****er, and to my parents I am their loving son. Deep down I believe myself to be a person who is curious about the world around me and all of the things that I can do during my time here, I am reliable and hard working when I need to be and when I can I try to be a fun and relaxed person who's just out to enjoy my life every chance that I get.

Chris: How does your family support your riding?
Sirref: They were very against it at first, as a kid I wanted a dirt bike which was shot down though I did get a mountain bike to ride with my older brother. There were tons of arguments over me getting a bike before I got one and my dad had a near infinite number of cases where people were injured or worse riding motorcycles since he worked for state farm for more than a decade. Eventually when it came down to getting a bike my dad helped me check it out and trailer it to the place where it was inspected. He also set my insurance coverage for me which is why I have over $1mil in bodily injury and underinsured. He still doesn't like it since he's worried about me but he does like that he has never seen me riding without wearing gear. My older brother jokes how I'm cooler than him now because of it and my little sister hates how so many of her friends ask for rides once they see it but that's because she knows how I drive/ride. My mom both likes and dislikes that I ride, she had 4 brothers who all rode bikes growing up so she accepts that it's something that I want to do but as my mother she worries about me and I hate how much I make her worry. Over time I won my parents over that riding a motorcycle isn't necessarily an instant death sentence by still being around a year and a half after I started riding including the multiple times where I rode through the snow.

Chris: Racer questions?
Sirref: While I'm not a racer yet I want to be one at some point so I'll answer this set anyway

Chris: What do you get out of racing that you don't get anywhere else?
Sirref: The feeling of competition in passing people and putting down faster lap times in a car with my local autocross league is ridiculously fun and I'd imagine that same feeling on a bike at a track would be even better.

Chris: What do you wish your bike did that it currently doesn't?
Sirref: I want my track bike to run dammit and I wish my street bike braked/accelerated better with a pillion passenger.

Chris: If you could race any bike, what would it be?
Sirref: 500cc 2stroke motogp bike

Chris: If you could race anywhere, where would it be?
Sirref: Laguna seca and the Isle of Man are the tracks of my dreams. Out of the two I believe that the IoM TT would be more of a unique experience overall so the IoM takes this question.

Chris: What do you do for fun, and ninjette doesn't count...?
Sirref: A lot actually, It's in between seasons so I'm focusing on school but this summer I'm hitting track days, I have a day of racing go-karts against a dozen friends scheduled with two races throughout the day (One race on each track I will get a podium finish for both tracks for sure but I'm not sure if it'll be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd) I'm going to be mountain biking and long boarding with my brother and a few mutual friends throughout the summer. Right this moment I'd be working on my car or my track bike though. I am making my golf uniquely mine this summer, I have plans to plasti dip it/sticker bum it/upgrade the suspension/exhaust/stereo and maybe the wheels/rims. I also am planning to add a tow hitch to my car so I don't have to borrow my mom's suv every time I want to tow something somewhere.

Chris: Are you a social person on the bike as much as you are online?
Sirref: It depends on the situation, I'm generally a social person when I'm surrounded by people who I have something in common with but if I'm thrown well out of my element then I tend to be a bit more reserved. I prefer environments with a small-medium amount of people so I can talk at length. I don't always initiate a conversation but once it's started it can be hard to shut me up hahaha

Chris: How did you blow up your ninjette engine?
Sirref: It had an oil leak that I was not aware of at the time, I have since sealed the oil leak though I will be checking my oil like I have OCD once it's running again

Chris: If riding wasn't your hobby, what would it be?
Sirref: Probably playing my saxophone, mountain biking, or go-kart racing right now my hobbies tend to change up a lot over time though I do see myself riding in some form or another for the rest of my life that I am physically capable of doing so.

Chris: What music drives you to drive/ride faster and why?
Sirref: Classical piano/violin, spanish guitar, and rock/metal. Classical music makes me want to do things perfectly so while I don't drive/ride as fast outright I am focused on being smooth and I subconsciously end up going faster as a result because I don't feel like I'm going as fast. Spanish guitar/rock/metal are all upbeat and get me pumped so while these lead me to drive/ride faster for that reason I tend to be a bit sloppier though not severely so.

Chris: How many posts do you see yourself having in 5yrs, lol hahahahah?
Sirref: hmm, good question. I want to stay with this community even if I total both of my bikes and replace them with bigger/faster bikes so I'd say at least 10k posts but likely around 20-30k posts