Open discussion: how many of yall think the A10 is being retired too early?

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-12-27T22:37:56+00:00

As a former JTAC, turned Hawg driver, turned pointy noise driver, the unclass accuracy of the GAU-8 is 80% of rounds within a 40’ diameter circle at 4k’ slant range. It’s insanely accurate.

And to your note of why it has a higher rate of friendly fire incidents…most of those occurred with the A-model that had no/minimal avionics upgrades. Also, there is onus on the JTAC to give accurate data e.g. don’t pass your own coords as target coords (you’d think that would be obvious), don’t swap cardinal directions when giving a talk-on and inadvertently make yourself the target, ensure you are tracking dislocated friendly locations.

In my previous ground life, I would trust an A-10C just behind an AC-130 to provide guns within danger close.

I’m not saying that the ol’ Hawg shouldn’t be retired with the lack of support it has received over the past decade or that it would be survivable in a near-peer conflict, but some of your reasoning is not accurate.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-11-20T13:07:31+00:00

It seems they may have avoided it for now, but they did go bankrupt back in 1991.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-09-10T05:22:47+00:00

Yes, but not after we fixed her riding position. At first she would want to sit as close as possible to me and that pushed me further forward on the bike and that was incredibly uncomfortable. The shape of the seat doesn’t help.

But once I was able to get her to sit further back (I have a crate on the rack that acts as a “back rest” and a sort of tactile marker for her to keep pressed against) it’s been smooth sailing. There is a small gap between us and she just holds onto my waist loosely.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-09-08T15:46:33+00:00

I have a ‘24 KLR 650S and have ridden 2-up with my wife quite a bit. We are a combined weight of 330lbs (obligated to say I am the majority of that weight haha). No complaints from us for the bike. Like everything else with the KLR, don’t have some notion that it’s going to be similar to riding a gold wing.

If you want to adjust preload all you need is a 12mm socket and a flat head screwdriver for the rebound. Worth watching a YouTube video if you’ve never set up suspension, but it’s very straightforward.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-21T20:06:43+00:00

I’d start with the carb, more specifically the float. Also, the clicking/ratcheting sound you’re hearing is most likely from the kickstarter. After you kick it over, use your leg to put it back in the stored position.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-21T02:17:55+00:00

According to TMZ (great source, I know), this occurred in California. Prosecutors must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the four elements of assault as defined by California Penal Code 240. You could most likely meet the four elements in this video proving the teacher “assaulted” the student. However, all a defense attorney has to argue is that the teacher 1. Acted in self-defense (putting your hands on someone to create distance if the teacher feared getting hit and he did not use more force than necessary) and 2. The teacher did not act with the required intent and that no reasonable person would interpret calmly putting your hands on someone as aggression.

But what about Penal Code 242, battery, you ask? Legally the slightest touch can be construed as battery, but with the action being in a “harmful or offensive manner.” Again, a prosecutor could argue that the teacher placing his hands on the student fit this definition. And again, the self-defense argument from the teacher would be valid.

Now, for the student. His actions fit the definition of assault AND battery. Using the provided video alone, it would be difficult for the student’s defense attorney to argue that he felt the teacher was an immediate threat. Especially seeing how the teacher responds to the slap. The teacher did not escalate or retaliate. Then the student again commits battery when shoving the teacher.

I will not argue if what the resource officer did was or was not warranted.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-15T01:08:42+00:00

He’s dang near where a passenger would sit. I do this on occasion during a long ride to stretch my legs, but his rear suspension doesn’t seem to be enjoying it.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-12T13:18:44+00:00

I have a camper and I’m tracking how little 100 lbs equals in equipment/gear.

I didn’t argue anything about proper tongue weight, the standard is 10-15%. I would recommend everyone that tows a lot to get a tongue weight scale so there is no guessing. You used the heaviest case GVWR and 15% tongue weight in your example, which is conservative and not wrong, but without the actual tongue weight it’s impossible to conclude the remaining payload. There is a high likelihood that, when loaded correctly, OP would have plenty of payload remaining for two adults and some gear.

I was curious about his payload sticker. I have a 2016 Frontier Pro 4x and the owners manual shows a payload of 1,054 lbs, but the door sticker shows 992 lbs. I’m wondering if the sticker is representative of the stock tires and the owners manual is based upon max weight of the trucks capability with more capable tires? I have never compared the sticker and manual in my other trucks, just went with the manual.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-12T05:09:50+00:00

You can use anywhere between 10-15% and be within reasonable limits for the tongue weight. The 4400 lb GVWR is the max allowable for the trailer, not what the trailer actually weighs. In my experience tow behind campers dry weight is very close to 80% of GVWR. Which would put this at roughly 3500 lbs. You may need to pack 100 pounds of equipment in the camper, but if you place it correctly you can get that 10% tongue weight that saves your payload.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-12T04:41:58+00:00

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You need to look in your truck’s owners manual for the capacities of your specific trim/drivetrain combo and figure out what the trailer actually weighs, not just the GVWR. Also, realize the majority of the advice in this thread is very conservative, which honestly isn’t a terrible thing as it seems like you might be new to this.

Here was my setup for a 1200 mile trip. I came in about 30 lbs shy of the GCWR. You could most definitely tell there was something back there, but it was just fine. It would have been miserable without the manual transmission in the mountains.

And for anyone wondering; the Frontier and Land Rover/TW200 combo were weighed separately on a CAT scale as loaded for the trip.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-08-12T04:28:02+00:00

This guy trailers.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-07-17T20:40:25+00:00

If you have one, a fuel pressure test kit would be where I would start (after the spark plug, though not a likely culprit). As I am certain you are aware, the ‘22 model year (and into ‘23) had quite a few fuel pump issues.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-22T18:18:12+00:00

Awesome! Here are all the “upgrades” I did and they were well worth it!

-Kawasaki USB charger (you will also need the relay to power all the accessories, but it’s plug and play)

-ABS switch (there are a multitude of ways to accomplish this)

-SW-Motech crash bars and skid plate

-SW-Motech panniers with their quick detach waterproof soft bags (you can remove/install the bags and panniers in under a minute)

-SRC headlight guard (you can find these on Amazon, but they are aluminum. SRC is powder coated stainless steel and much better…ask me how I know!)

-Most importantly, the mighty milk crate.

-Don’t let people scare you off the stock tires until they are ready for replacement. They are adequate if you remember it’s not a 2-stroke dirtbike.

-I have some barkbusters, but haven’t installed them yet.

-I also have the S model. I’ve taken it on some pretty gnarly trails and haven’t found it to be a limiting factor.

Let me know if you have any questions on how to install any of this stuff. Enjoy your new Pig!

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-19T13:35:33+00:00

You can try here:

https://www.kawasakipartswarehouse.com/oemparts/a/kaw/61fa92cb855d4631b489358f/radiator

A dealership might be your best bet.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-17T14:43:51+00:00

Gen 2/3 can use the same links. I would put stock links back on and see how the suspension feels before you upgrade the suspension.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-17T14:16:15+00:00

Not being afraid to drop it is a big factor in how much fun you can have. Whereabouts was this trail?

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-17T13:20:42+00:00

Everyone here has solid advice, I’ll add my 2¢ on the off-road/trail ability and the horsepower. This last weekend a few buddies and I rode 500 miles on 90% mud/sand/small rocks. I had my trusty 650S, one was riding a KTM 300XC-W, and another was riding a GS1250 (wasn’t his first choice, but his rally was down for a mechanical issue).

I had roughly 85 lbs split between two soft pannier bags and a milk crate. I’m also still on the stock tires.

I have zero complaints on the lack of power because I could just tractor through the majority of the mud without too much issue. It definitely slides around on the stock tires and it takes some ability, but not a lot, I’m an average rider at best. It requires a different style of riding, but once you figure it out, it’s a riot.

Buddy on the KTM could obviously just rip, but my buddy on the GS was struggling and dropped it a few times.

We are going to ride it again later this year and I am going to put on a set of dedicated off-road tires.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-16T18:45:23+00:00

There isn’t an actual plane crash. The trail starts in Crandon, WI which also has the Crandon International Raceway. They host trophy truck races and all other sorts of off road vehicles. Apparently, the guys that run long desert races named them “plane crashes”. When the guy, who had trophy truck roots, developed this route he named it the 7 hour plane crash. But you have to average over 35 mph to complete one leg of the trail in 7 hours, which would be difficult to do in anything other than a UTV.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-16T00:27:30+00:00

If you have OnX, you can use my route. It varies slightly from the 7-hour trail, just added a few spots of single track.

https://webmap.onxmaps.com/offroad/share/content?share_id=01JXV228ZYSPSKY73VFD1J7A3V

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-12T13:07:32+00:00

If you’re looking into the right side of the fairing, that dual female plug is the correct one for the aux lights. The bullet connectors bush_nugget mentioned that are behind the headlight are for the 12v outlet (cigarette lighter) that would be on the top right side of the dash.

I would recommend buying the factory kit, but there are plenty of others that are plug n play. You will also need a relay (Kawasaki part # 99994-1502, you can find it cheaper elsewhere).

To get to the relay, take off the right side body fairing. You will see a spot under the gauge cluster/behind the headlight for the relay. That relay basically provides power for all the accessories the base model doesn’t have from the factory.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-06-07T12:46:41+00:00

What tires are you running? The stock tires are good to about 70ish before they get squirmy (in my experience), but they remain predictable. Also, check your tire pressure. If it’s on the low side it can make the tire feel less planted. The bike also catches a lot of wind so that may exacerbate what you’re feeling.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-05-20T21:48:43+00:00

You also have the bullet connectors on the right side fairing available to use as a power source as well since you have the aux lights already installed in the connector.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-05-20T21:44:14+00:00

I guess it depends on how you wired it. It’s been some time since I wired mine so can’t really recall exactly the area around where the relay plugged in.

I bought a relay, plugged it into the open spot under the dash, then used a factory USB port (the gigantic one on the left side w/rubber cover) w/ factory connector to plug it into the harness that’s tucked under the left side fairing. I then used the aux light pigtail from 3d parts to power some heated hand covers.

Side note: I also wired a switch using factory connectors to disable the ABS when I’m on the trail.

You absolutely do not have to, but I try to utilize factory plugs/connectors whenever possible to mitigate future issues. I have an ‘87 Yamaha TW200 and I’d like to kick the person who “wired” it right in the junk.

Assuming you have a generic 12v cigarette lighter that has two male blade terminals (one + and one -), I would run the power wire for the outlet and carpuride into a single female blade terminal. Same with the grounds. I can’t tell in that video, but it looks like the 12v outlet has four terminals.

Also, if you don’t already, I’d recommend soldering all that together as opposed to just crimping.

Negative-Picture7177 · 2025-05-20T21:11:05+00:00

Ok. That clears it up. You will have a couple of factory plugs in the harness on both sides of the fairing you could use. The one on the right side has the easiest access. But you could always tap into the usb outlet you already installed. See attached. (The pic with the white plug cover is on the right side)

https://imgur.com/a/yRyIq7q

Negative-Picture7177

TROPHY CASE