On Apr 30, 2:01 pm, Andy > wrote:
> Dimitri said...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Andy" > wrote in message news:Xns9BFD865694DF6CotD@
> 216.196.97.131...
> >> I'll never!!!
>
> >> I'll never put a dime into buying a Flat!
>
> >> Never ever ever!
>
> >> Especially not to rescue Chrysler.
>
> >> Who's the fool?
>
> >> Flat is the no purpose car company America ever heard of.
>
> >> Name a flat model off the top of your head!??
>
> >> Andy
>
> > Fiat 124 Spyder
> > Topolino (worlds most popular car at one time) AKA Fiat 500 1937
> > Fiat Abarth Coupe
>
> > For many years FIAt was the # 1 car maker in the world.
>
> > They been around for a few years.
>
> > Dimitri
>
> Dimitri,
>
> <snipped>
>
> While a great car and a great model line as you so expertly pointed out,
> whose going to make a better Fiat?
>
> You and I and most others know Chrysler won't improve the Fiat line. Rather
> just succeed in destroying it.
>
> That said, I haven't seen many Fiats on the roads in and around town.
>
> Best,
>
> Andy
> --
> Eat first, talk later.


I have. Fiat and many European models bowed out of the US market when
the testing got too expensive. Now the EU testing may be even morte
expensive, but now everyone does it, not just one market. They've
recently talked about re-entering the US market, and not just Fiat.
There are several EU cars I love that aren't in the US SEAT, Lancia,
lots of middle European marks. They reckon if the US manufacturers
WON'T make the small efficient cars needed, they might as well offer
theirs which are cheaper, cheaper to run and easier on disappearing
resources.
Just because you don-t know a car doesn't mean there isn't a market
for it. Fiat is popular all over the world, and although some Fiats
have a problem record, I also see 25 and even 50 year old Fiats on the
road still serving their owners well. No one thinks of them as
classics, just as cars.

> wrote in message
...
On Apr 30, 2:24 pm, Andy > wrote:
>
> You walk to work obviously!

: Nooooo, I balloon to work!

I have a balloonist propane refueling station in my yard:

http://i43.tinypic.com/303iv6v.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/5xvmh3.jpg

On 2009-04-30, Mr Bill > wrote:

> Ford owns Jaguar.

A company that makes a reliable piece of crap buys a company that makes an
exotic unreliable piece of crap. Go figure.

nb

On Fri, 1 May 2009 05:50:25 -0700 (PDT), Giusi
> wrote:

>I have. Fiat and many European models bowed out of the US market when
>the testing got too expensive.

We used to have a Fiat 124 Spider, later I had a Lancia... they were
fun cars to drive.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On 2009-05-01, Dan Abel > wrote:

> I believe that Fiat does that with all their cars. We are familiar with
> the "Yugo" here in the US because they were imported and sold here.

Heh....

I remember them well. My take on 'em was, "Yugo on ahead. I'll take the
bus!"

nb

On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:33:18 -0500, Andy wrote:

> Pennyaline said...
>
>> Andy wrote:
>>> I'll never!!!
>>>
>>> I'll never put a dime into buying a Flat!
>>>
>>> Never ever ever!
>>>
>>> Especially not to rescue Chrysler.
>>>
>>> Who's the fool?
>>>
>>> Flat is the no purpose car company America ever heard of.
>>>
>>> Name a flat model off the top of your head!??
>>
>> What the **** are you talking about?
>>
>> What is a "Flat," and what does "the no purpose car company America ever
>> heard of" mean?
>>
>> Work out what you're ranting about first, then come back and write
>> something that means something.
>
> Pennyaline,
>
> I never claimed I was a full time comedian.
>
> Meanwhile, where's your sense of humor gone off to???
>
> Andy

actually, there is something a *little* funny about a comedian who blames
his audience when his stupid jokes don't go over well.

blake

blake murphy wrote:

> On Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:33:18 -0500, Andy wrote:
>
> > Pennyaline said...
> >
> >> Andy wrote:
> >>> I'll never!!!
> >>>
> >>> I'll never put a dime into buying a Flat!
> >>>
> >>> Never ever ever!
> >>>
> >>> Especially not to rescue Chrysler.
> >>>
> >>> Who's the fool?
> >>>
> >>> Flat is the no purpose car company America ever heard of.
> >>>
> >>> Name a flat model off the top of your head!??
> >>
> >> What the **** are you talking about?
> >>
> >> What is a "Flat," and what does "the no purpose car company America
ever
> >> heard of" mean?
> >>
> >> Work out what you're ranting about first, then come back and write
> >> something that means something.
> >
> > Pennyaline,
> >
> > I never claimed I was a full time comedian.
> >
> > Meanwhile, where's your sense of humor gone off to???
> >
> > Andy
>
> actually, there is something a *little* funny about a comedian who blames
> his audience when his stupid jokes don't go over well.


A black guy walks into a bar with his pet parrot perched on his shoulder...

The bartender looks at the guy and sez: "Where'd you get him?"...

The parrot replies: "Africa!"

:-D


--
Best
Greg

"The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other
people's money."~~~~Margaret Thatcher

On May 1, 9:45�am, sf > wrote:
> On Fri, 1 May 2009 05:50:25 -0700 (PDT), Giusi
>
> > wrote:
> >I have. �Fiat and many European models bowed out of the US market when
> >the testing got too expensive.
>
> We used to have a Fiat 124 Spider, later I had a Lancia... �they were
> fun cars to drive.
>
> --
> I love cooking with wine.
> Sometimes I even put it in the food.

We had a lancia too, yes, they were fun to drive. It was red. little
and cute, my son loved to drive it!!

Rosie

On May 1, 9:48*am, notbob > wrote:
> On 2009-05-01, Dan Abel > wrote:
>
> > I believe that Fiat does that with all their cars. *We are familiar with
> > the "Yugo" here in the US because they were imported and sold here.
>
> Heh....
>
> I remember them well. *My take on 'em was, "Yugo on ahead. *I'll take the
> bus!"

There is at least one former Yugo owner who posts here.
>
> nb

--Bryan
Visit Bobo Bonobo's Mortuary and Sausage Emporium
On the web @ http://MySpace.com/BoboBonobo

On Fri, 1 May 2009 09:28:54 -0700 (PDT), rosie >
wrote:

>On May 1, 9:45?am, sf > wrote:
>> On Fri, 1 May 2009 05:50:25 -0700 (PDT), Giusi
>>
>> > wrote:
>> >I have. ?Fiat and many European models bowed out of the US market when
>> >the testing got too expensive.
>>
>> We used to have a Fiat 124 Spider, later I had a Lancia... ?they were
>> fun cars to drive.
>>
>> --
>> I love cooking with wine.
>> Sometimes I even put it in the food.
>
>We had a lancia too, yes, they were fun to drive. It was red. little
>and cute, my son loved to drive it!!
>
>Rosie


Most fun I ever had was a Sunbeam Tiger with the 289ci.
Now I'm older ( and wiser) I now realize that it as a death trap on
wheels... way to fast for my own good, but could it ever corner and
accelerate

On 2009-05-01, > wrote:

> Most fun I ever had was a Sunbeam Tiger with the 289ci.
> Now I'm older ( and wiser) I now realize that it as a death trap on
> wheels... way to fast for my own good, but could it ever corner and
> accelerate

Yep, they were smokers. A Ford V8 in a roller skate.

Before I changed to motorcycles, I and my friends went the sports car route.
Bug-eye Sprites, Austin-Healy 3000s, MGB-GTs, etc. My particular death trap
was a Triumph Spitefire. Wasn't all that quick, but cornered like a slot
car. I never thought of is as a death trap till I got it up on a shop lift
and could see the whole undercarriage. The frame was basically two Y shaped
members, the tails of which were joined in the center of the car. The
upshot was, the two occupant cockpits that hung on each side of the long
middle frame member were shaped exactly like two coffins. Not a reassuring
sight. :\

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-01, > wrote:
>
>> Most fun I ever had was a Sunbeam Tiger with the 289ci.
>> Now I'm older ( and wiser) I now realize that it as a death trap on
>> wheels... way to fast for my own good, but could it ever corner and
>> accelerate
>
> Yep, they were smokers. A Ford V8 in a roller skate.
>
> Before I changed to motorcycles, I

On the motorcycle side there was the Kawasaki 500cc 2 stroke triple.

Good lord - I made the mistake of test riding one once.

Idle to 4K Very fast
4K to 6K Good Lord is this real
6k to 8K Hold on for dear life.

Whew!

Dimitri

On Fri, 1 May 2009 10:38:48 -0700, "Dimitri" >
wrote:

>
>"notbob" > wrote in message
...
>> On 2009-05-01, > wrote:
>>
>>> Most fun I ever had was a Sunbeam Tiger with the 289ci.
>>> Now I'm older ( and wiser) I now realize that it as a death trap on
>>> wheels... way to fast for my own good, but could it ever corner and
>>> accelerate
>>
>> Yep, they were smokers. A Ford V8 in a roller skate.
>>
>> Before I changed to motorcycles, I
>
>On the motorcycle side there was the Kawasaki 500cc 2 stroke triple.
>
>Good lord - I made the mistake of test riding one once.
>
>Idle to 4K Very fast
>4K to 6K Good Lord is this real
>6k to 8K Hold on for dear life.
>
>Whew!
>
>Dimitri

Had a few, 350 yammy, 750 Kaw triple, 650 BSA, and then I was insane
and bought a Ducati 900 ( 0 to 160Km. 5 sec), got rid of it in 1999
No more bikes, perfer four wheels...

Giusi wrote:

> the EU testing may be even morte expensive

Is that where you test it to death? :-)

Bob

On 2009-05-01, Dimitri > wrote:
>
> On the motorcycle side there was the Kawasaki 500cc 2 stroke triple.
>
> Good lord - I made the mistake of test riding one once.
>
> Idle to 4K Very fast
> 4K to 6K Good Lord is this real
> 6k to 8K Hold on for dear life.
>
> Whew!
>
> Dimitri
>

"l, not -l" > wrote in message
...
>
> On 1-May-2009, "Dimitri" > wrote:
>
>> > Before I changed to motorcycles, I
>>
>> On the motorcycle side there was the Kawasaki 500cc 2 stroke triple.
>
> My lapse of judgement was twofold, a well-worn (on second thought, make
> that
> worn-out) 1957 Zundapp cycle that had been retired after several years of
> racing and a 1947 Indian Chief. Well, actually the Chief was mostly '47;
> I
> bought two basket cases, a '47 and a '48, and made one complete Chief.
>
> I have a huge burn scar on the inside of my left leg to remind of how I
> learned to be cautious.
> --
> Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

If you ever get a chance try an old Sachs with the floating front end (I
don't know what else to call it) but when you climb on the front binders the
front end lifts. Weird but GREAT in the dirt (which is what the bike was
designed for.)

Over the years there have been some great and then weird bike.

Don't worry about your reminder. Anyone who rode for any length of time has
one of those. At the time they hurt like hell now they're just war stories.

Dimitri

On 2009-05-01, > wrote:

>>Had a few, 350 yammy, 750 Kaw triple, 650 BSA, and then I was insane
>>and bought a Ducati 900 ( 0 to 160Km. 5 sec), got rid of it in 1999
>>No more bikes, perfer four wheels...
>
>
> The 750 kaw was 1971 I think, first year they were available. Loved
> that bike, but miss my BSA more....wanging nostalgic

I did a couple years as a motorcycle mechanic, one, the sole mechanic at a
Yamaha shop in OR. Not too many bikes I haven't owned or at least ridden,
be it German, Brit, US, or Ital.

Kawy triples were a hoot. I road dozens cuz owners couldn't keep their
finger off the trigger and most of them, specially the 750s, rarely made 5K
miles before needing a new top end. I used to ride 'em home after
rebuilding. They were scary fast, but didn't handle for dammit. I was
almost tossed off one accelerating through an S turn when the frame did an
excellent impersonation of a rubberband.

I also finally sold all my bikes and opted for 4 wheels, cuz, as a fellow
geezer ex-biker so elequently put it, "I don't bounce worth a damn,
anymore".

nb

On 2009-05-01, Dimitri > wrote:

> If you ever get a chance try an old Sachs with the floating front end (I
> don't know what else to call it) but when you climb on the front binders the
> front end lifts. Weird but GREAT in the dirt (which is what the bike was
> designed for.)

These were called "leading link" forks. Many early European enduro and
motocross bikes favored them. Greeves (UK) was another and I think Cotton
(UK) and possibly Penton (US) offered LL forks as an option. They are still
available and very much favored on any kind of competition sidecar rig
(track or dirt).

http://danielstiel.tripod.com/1969sachs125.html

> Don't worry about your reminder. Anyone who rode for any length of time has
> one of those.

My weirdest bike was the Sears Allstate 250, the legenday Puch "twingle". It
handled like a waterbed, but was stone-axe in both reliability and design.
Never failed to start or run. Despite it's 250cc engine capacity, it only
generated a monster 15hp and could cruise at a smokin' 60mph (wfo!) all day
long. Owning this bike was the source of much hilarity in a world of Kawy
350 Avenger twins which could easily smoke an HD Sporster.

http://home.sprynet.com/~inniss/sears.htm

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-01, > wrote:
>
>>>Had a few, 350 yammy, 750 Kaw triple, 650 BSA, and then I was insane
>>>and bought a Ducati 900 ( 0 to 160Km. 5 sec), got rid of it in 1999
>>>No more bikes, perfer four wheels...
>>
>>
>> The 750 kaw was 1971 I think, first year they were available. Loved
>> that bike, but miss my BSA more....wanging nostalgic
>
> I did a couple years as a motorcycle mechanic, one, the sole mechanic at a
> Yamaha shop in OR. Not too many bikes I haven't owned or at least ridden,
> be it German, Brit, US, or Ital.
>
> Kawy triples were a hoot. I road dozens cuz owners couldn't keep their
> finger off the trigger and most of them, specially the 750s, rarely made
> 5K
> miles before needing a new top end. I used to ride 'em home after
> rebuilding. They were scary fast, but didn't handle for dammit. I was
> almost tossed off one accelerating through an S turn when the frame did an
> excellent impersonation of a rubberband.
>
> I also finally sold all my bikes and opted for 4 wheels, cuz, as a fellow
> geezer ex-biker so elequently put it, "I don't bounce worth a damn,
> anymore".
>
> nb

My last was a fight with a dry river bed I forgot was there and that I
figured I could jump it my yammer hammer 360 MX. Damn near made it too.
Bikes is 1 area almost is NO GOOD. Road rash was a bitch.

DC

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-01, Dimitri > wrote:
>
>> If you ever get a chance try an old Sachs with the floating front end (I
>> don't know what else to call it) but when you climb on the front binders
>> the
>> front end lifts. Weird but GREAT in the dirt (which is what the bike was
>> designed for.)
>
> These were called "leading link" forks. Many early European enduro and
> motocross bikes favored them. Greeves (UK) was another and I think Cotton
> (UK) and possibly Penton (US) offered LL forks as an option. They are
> still
> available and very much favored on any kind of competition sidecar rig
> (track or dirt).
>
> http://danielstiel.tripod.com/1969sachs125.html
>
>> Don't worry about your reminder. Anyone who rode for any length of time
>> has
>> one of those.
>
> My weirdest bike was the Sears Allstate 250, the legenday Puch "twingle".
> It
> handled like a waterbed, but was stone-axe in both reliability and design.
> Never failed to start or run. Despite it's 250cc engine capacity, it only
> generated a monster 15hp and could cruise at a smokin' 60mph (wfo!) all
> day
> long. Owning this bike was the source of much hilarity in a world of Kawy
> 350 Avenger twins which could easily smoke an HD Sporster.
>
> http://home.sprynet.com/~inniss/sears.htm
>
> nb

I remember the Puch - I was racing/building Go Karts for a small LA based
fabricator why also did Formula 3 cars - wish they still has F 3.

aside from the Manx Norton's etc one day a guy brought in his Ariel Sq 4 in
for some work - It freaked me out when we pulled the head all 4 pistons were
TDC ????

Then someone explained it fired right bank, left bank and then reminded me
it was a 4 stroke. Duh..

A buddy kept his Competition 500 cc AJS thumper in his living room - at
least he kept a drip pan under it. His future wife/girl friend at the time
said You love that bike more than me - He looked up and said "2nd best isn't
all that bad is it?"


Dimitri

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> My weirdest bike was the Sears Allstate 250, the legenday Puch "twingle". It
> handled like a waterbed, but was stone-axe in both reliability and design.
> Never failed to start or run. Despite it's 250cc engine capacity, it only
> generated a monster 15hp and could cruise at a smokin' 60mph (wfo!) all day
> long. Owning this bike was the source of much hilarity in a world of Kawy
> 350 Avenger twins which could easily smoke an HD Sporster.

I had four bikes. A HD Topper, a Honda 90 (90 cc), a Yamaha DT-1B
(250cc) and a Yamaha RT-1 (360cc). I still have the DT-1B that I took my
DW on her first motorcycle ride thirty nine years ago. Sniffle.
I remember The Allstates and Puchs which were pronounced Pukes.
I don't believe puke was a widely accepted word in the late sixties, but
I'm too lazy to look it up.

leo

On Fri, 01 May 2009 23:17:04 -0700, Leonard Blaisdell
> wrote:

>In article >,
> notbob > wrote:
>
>> My weirdest bike was the Sears Allstate 250, the legenday Puch "twingle". It
>> handled like a waterbed, but was stone-axe in both reliability and design.
>> Never failed to start or run. Despite it's 250cc engine capacity, it only
>> generated a monster 15hp and could cruise at a smokin' 60mph (wfo!) all day
>> long. Owning this bike was the source of much hilarity in a world of Kawy
>> 350 Avenger twins which could easily smoke an HD Sporster.
>
>I had four bikes. A HD Topper, a Honda 90 (90 cc), a Yamaha DT-1B
>(250cc) and a Yamaha RT-1 (360cc). I still have the DT-1B that I took my
>DW on her first motorcycle ride thirty nine years ago. Sniffle.
>I remember The Allstates and Puchs which were pronounced Pukes.
>I don't believe puke was a widely accepted word in the late sixties, but
>I'm too lazy to look it up.
>
>leo

You had a topper, it was my first bike. 125cc , fiberglass body
panels... god imagine what it would be worth now if you had one in
decent condition. Mine was black, white and red.

On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:

> aside from the Manx Norton's etc one day a guy brought in his Ariel Sq 4 in
> for some work - It freaked me out when we pulled the head all 4 pistons were
> TDC ????

That's two I never rode, but my first "real" motorcycle was a Matchless GS
500 single. Man, could those Brits make great handling bikes, unlike the
early Japanese stuff that had monster fast engines but handled like a cinder
block.

> Then someone explained it fired right bank, left bank and then reminded me
> it was a 4 stroke. Duh..

> A buddy kept his Competition 500 cc AJS thumper in his living room - at
> least he kept a drip pan under it.

They say older HDs didn't leak oil, they jes marked their territory. The
saying about Brit bikes was, "If it didn't leak oil, it was broke".

The Northern California BSA Owners Club puts on a meet every Spring in the
SFBA. They have some of the most fantastic Brit iron in the World. Perfect
Brough-Superiors, dozens of Vincents, Square Fours by the truckload, all of
it mint or better. Enough to make a Brit bike fan cry. I sold off the last
of my Triumph stuff (Bonny engine w/ Joe Hunt mag) a couple years ago (sniff).

nb

On 2009-05-02, Leonard Blaisdell > wrote:

> I had four bikes. A HD Topper, a Honda 90 (90 cc), a Yamaha DT-1B
> (250cc) and a Yamaha RT-1 (360cc). I still have the DT-1B that I took my
> DW on her first motorcycle ride thirty nine years ago. Sniffle.
> I remember The Allstates and Puchs which were pronounced Pukes.
> I don't believe puke was a widely accepted word in the late sixties, but
> I'm too lazy to look it up.

Great bikes, all. I'd kill for an HD Topper. Rare as hen's teeth. Honda
90s were the biggest selling bike, worldwide, in the history of motorcycles.
They still command high resale prices, specially during these high gas price
times. Yamaha was the epitome of good Japanese 2-strokes. Kawy's were
faster, Suzy's scarier, but Yammys were just simply better.

nb

Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
> In article >,
> notbob > wrote:
>
>> My weirdest bike was the Sears Allstate 250, the legenday Puch "twingle". It
>> handled like a waterbed, but was stone-axe in both reliability and design.
>> Never failed to start or run. Despite it's 250cc engine capacity, it only
>> generated a monster 15hp and could cruise at a smokin' 60mph (wfo!) all day
>> long. Owning this bike was the source of much hilarity in a world of Kawy
>> 350 Avenger twins which could easily smoke an HD Sporster.
>
> I had four bikes. A HD Topper, a Honda 90 (90 cc), a Yamaha DT-1B
> (250cc) and a Yamaha RT-1 (360cc). I still have the DT-1B that I took my
> DW on her first motorcycle ride thirty nine years ago. Sniffle.
> I remember The Allstates and Puchs which were pronounced Pukes.
> I don't believe puke was a widely accepted word in the late sixties, but
> I'm too lazy to look it up.
>
> leo

My first bike <?> was a 90 Vespa. My neighbour was selling it for $25.
Hitchhikers used to laugh at me, but I wasn't the one standing at the
side of the road begging for a ride, and it costs me close to 30 cents a
week for gas to get me to school and to work. The next one was a
Kawasaki 150cc <?> dirt/street bike. I had a lot of fun on that. then I
bought a 350 Honda dirt/street bike. I got rid of that one in 1973. Two
years ago I had a mid life crisis and got a Honda Shadow. It's a great
bike. It is only 600CC, but that is plenty for me for tooling around on
the back roads here. No point in paying the extra for a big HD, paying
the extra insurance for an HD and getting worse mielage than I get with
my car.




http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h...num=6&ct=image

On 2009-05-02, Dave Smith > wrote:

> My first bike <?> was a 90 Vespa. My neighbour was selling it for $25.
> Hitchhikers used to laugh at me, but I wasn't the one standing at the
> side of the road begging for a ride.....

Amen. My first was a Vespa, also. I had so much fun on that thing, I
stayed on two wheels for the next 45 yrs! They're all gone now, but I've
been tickling the thought of another 2-wheeler to get to town or just the
mailbox. A Vespa is first in line in my dreams.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:
>
>> aside from the Manx Norton's etc one day a guy brought in his Ariel Sq 4
>> in
>> for some work - It freaked me out when we pulled the head all 4 pistons
>> were
>> TDC ????
>
> That's two I never rode, but my first "real" motorcycle was a Matchless GS
> 500 single. Man, could those Brits make great handling bikes, unlike the
> early Japanese stuff that had monster fast engines but handled like a
> cinder
> block.
>
>> Then someone explained it fired right bank, left bank and then reminded
>> me
>> it was a 4 stroke. Duh..
>
>> A buddy kept his Competition 500 cc AJS thumper in his living room - at
>> least he kept a drip pan under it.
>
> They say older HDs didn't leak oil, they jes marked their territory. The
> saying about Brit bikes was, "If it didn't leak oil, it was broke".
>
> The Northern California BSA Owners Club puts on a meet every Spring in the
> SFBA. They have some of the most fantastic Brit iron in the World.
> Perfect
> Brough-Superiors, dozens of Vincents, Square Fours by the truckload, all
> of
> it mint or better. Enough to make a Brit bike fan cry. I sold off the
> last
> of my Triumph stuff (Bonny engine w/ Joe Hunt mag) a couple years ago
> (sniff).
>
> nb

You rat you're making me drool -

The sound of a well tuned Bonny is a sensual experience -and the bluing of
the chrome. Some will never understand that A bike is NOT transportation.
There is a time of real Danger - it's when you feel a part of the machine
:-) its a great feeling but it's also the time for the average person to get
off and come back to reality. :-(


The way I was raised mechanically - there are only 2 things one can use a
hammer on "an A model Ford and a Hardly Ableson. ... LOL

Dimitri

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-02, Leonard Blaisdell > wrote:
>
>> I had four bikes. A HD Topper, a Honda 90 (90 cc), a Yamaha DT-1B
>> (250cc) and a Yamaha RT-1 (360cc). I still have the DT-1B that I took my
>> DW on her first motorcycle ride thirty nine years ago. Sniffle.
>> I remember The Allstates and Puchs which were pronounced Pukes.
>> I don't believe puke was a widely accepted word in the late sixties, but
>> I'm too lazy to look it up.
>
> Great bikes, all. I'd kill for an HD Topper. Rare as hen's teeth. Honda
> 90s were the biggest selling bike, worldwide, in the history of
> motorcycles.
> They still command high resale prices, specially during these high gas
> price
> times. Yamaha was the epitome of good Japanese 2-strokes. Kawy's were
> faster, Suzy's scarier, but Yammys were just simply better.
>
> nb

There was an interesting design function - The Yamme's were designed for the
American height where as the early Hondas were designed for the Japanese
height - The tell there was the position of the toes for the rider with
his/her feet on the pegs.

Dimitri

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:
>
>> aside from the Manx Norton's etc one day a guy brought in his Ariel Sq 4
>> in
>> for some work - It freaked me out when we pulled the head all 4 pistons
>> were
>> TDC ????
>
> That's two I never rode, but my first "real" motorcycle was a Matchless GS
> 500 single. Man, could those Brits make great handling bikes, unlike the
> early Japanese stuff that had monster fast engines but handled like a
> cinder
> block.

I rode an early 305 Honda Dream in school on LA Freeways - after a few years
of not dumping the bike I figured my street odds were about up and a few
years later I decided Dirt was a lot safer and more fun.

Dimitri

On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:

> The sound of a well tuned Bonny is a sensual experience -and the bluing of
> the chrome.

Boy howdy! Did you know that Triumph and BSA used marine grade chroming
techniques, the kind of chrome (brass>nickle>chrome) designed to prevent
salt water corrosion? That's why you can still shine up a 60 yr old Brit
headlight nacelle with Nevr-Dull to mirror brightness.

> The way I was raised mechanically - there are only 2 things one can use a
> hammer on "an A model Ford and a Hardly Ableson. ... LOL

As an honor graduate of the Bigger Hammer School of Mechanics, I might take
issue, but I see you point.

nb

On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:

> There was an interesting design function - The Yamme's were designed for the
> American height where as the early Hondas were designed for the Japanese
> height - The tell there was the position of the toes for the rider with
> his/her feet on the pegs.

MMmmm..... I don't know I agree with that. After I got out of the service,
I came home to find all my friends mounted on 350cc Jap bikes ('70). I
could discern no dimensional differences between Yammy, Honda, and Kawy 350s,
though the power and handling diffs were shocking.

The legendary RD-5 was shockingly difficult to turn. It was like trying to
lean a railroad car into a turn, but rock steady once committed. My buddy's
ubiquitous Honda 350 was so quick turning, it was scary. My brother's Kawy
Avenger was the most neutral of the three and had the avantage of being able
to smoke the other two at any speed. My bike, that big ol' Matchless G80CS,
was a whole different beast. Tall, long, lithe, it didn't come into it's
element till we hit 50-60+ mph sweepers, whereas the Jap iron was at home on
tight mountain 2-lanes. Despite it's height and wheelbase, my Brit bike
would drop in and out of a tight low-speed corner like it was born to it, in
a way none of the smaller Jap bikes could.

I remember the diff between a Suzy 400 and an AJS 360, both 2-stroke
motorcrossers. The Suzy would try and kill you the minute you got the fromt
wheel airborne while the AJS would go 60 yds on the back wheel whether you
knew what you were doing or not. Two completely different design
philosophies. It took Japan another 15 yrs before they came out with bikes
that could handle with the best of Euro bikes.

Pardon me for waxing ancient. Memories!

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:
>
>> There was an interesting design function - The Yamme's were designed for
>> the
>> American height where as the early Hondas were designed for the Japanese
>> height - The tell there was the position of the toes for the rider with
>> his/her feet on the pegs.
>
> MMmmm..... I don't know I agree with that. After I got out of the
> service,
> I came home to find all my friends mounted on 350cc Jap bikes ('70). I
> could discern no dimensional differences between Yammy, Honda, and Kawy
> 350s,
> though the power and handling diffs were shocking.
>
> The legendary RD-5 was shockingly difficult to turn. It was like trying
> to
> lean a railroad car into a turn, but rock steady once committed. My
> buddy's
> ubiquitous Honda 350 was so quick turning, it was scary. My brother's
> Kawy
> Avenger was the most neutral of the three and had the avantage of being
> able
> to smoke the other two at any speed. My bike, that big ol' Matchless
> G80CS,
> was a whole different beast. Tall, long, lithe, it didn't come into it's
> element till we hit 50-60+ mph sweepers, whereas the Jap iron was at home
> on
> tight mountain 2-lanes. Despite it's height and wheelbase, my Brit bike
> would drop in and out of a tight low-speed corner like it was born to it,
> in
> a way none of the smaller Jap bikes could.
>
> I remember the diff between a Suzy 400 and an AJS 360, both 2-stroke
> motorcrossers. The Suzy would try and kill you the minute you got the
> fromt
> wheel airborne while the AJS would go 60 yds on the back wheel whether you
> knew what you were doing or not. Two completely different design
> philosophies. It took Japan another 15 yrs before they came out with
> bikes
> that could handle with the best of Euro bikes.
>
> Pardon me for waxing ancient. Memories!
>
> nb

No problem at all - My wife's uncle Shav covered Golf, Auto & MC racing for
the LA Times - we used to have discussions all the time as the Americans
were coming up and just starting to understand MX - it's of course many many
years ago - When Carlsbad was equated with Caverns and not an MX course in
CA.

Dimitri

On 2009-05-02, Dimitri > wrote:

> were coming up and just starting to understand MX - it's of course many many
> years ago - When Carlsbad was equated with Caverns and not an MX course in
> CA.

Yep. I came home from the service just in time to see it all. Euro MX demo
races with Europe's best, before America even knew what MX was. Roger
DeCoster, Bengt Aberg, Joel Robert, Ake Jonsson, etc on Husky's, CZs, etc.
It was awesome. I even saw one race where Dick Mann kicked Euro GP champion
ass (Joel, Ake!) on his works BSA B50 4-stroke mx'er! Dick Mann ruled!!

Saw him 30 yrs later at that SFBA BSA meet as an old stooped wht-haired
Bilbo clone. Time marches on. :|

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2009-05-02, Dave Smith > wrote:
>
>> My first bike <?> was a 90 Vespa. My neighbour was selling it for $25.
>> Hitchhikers used to laugh at me, but I wasn't the one standing at the
>> side of the road begging for a ride.....
>
> Amen. My first was a Vespa, also. I had so much fun on that thing, I
> stayed on two wheels for the next 45 yrs! They're all gone now, but I've
> been tickling the thought of another 2-wheeler to get to town or just the
> mailbox. A Vespa is first in line in my dreams.

They are selling Vespas again. I was stunned by the prices. They start
at about $6000, and that is for the tiny ones. The bigger models are
over $9000.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
m...
> notbob wrote:
>> On 2009-05-02, Dave Smith > wrote:
>>
>>> My first bike <?> was a 90 Vespa. My neighbour was selling it for $25.
>>> Hitchhikers used to laugh at me, but I wasn't the one standing at the
>>> side of the road begging for a ride.....
>>
>> Amen. My first was a Vespa, also. I had so much fun on that thing, I
>> stayed on two wheels for the next 45 yrs! They're all gone now, but I've
>> been tickling the thought of another 2-wheeler to get to town or just the
>> mailbox. A Vespa is first in line in my dreams.
>
> They are selling Vespas again. I was stunned by the prices. They start at
> about $6000, and that is for the tiny ones. The bigger models are over
> $9000.

In 1953 every 12 year old boy needed one of these to pick up girls:
http://www.retro.net/db/schwinn_phantom/220/

Andy wrote:
>
> Arri London said...
>
> >
> >

<snip>

> >
> > Depends on the car and the repair shop; doesn't matter who makes it. Any
> > American car is just as likely to fail catastrophically as any 'foreign'
> > car.
>
> Broken down somewhere on the road, there are no doubt far fewer qualfied
> Fiat mechanics and parts suppliers in the heartland of America compared to
> Ford or Cadillac.
>
> Andy

Perhaps. But keep in mind that 'Ford' used to stand for: Fix or repair
daily

(And yes Fiat used to stand for 'Fix it again Tony'. But I didn't have
any more difficulties with the Fiat than with any other car we had in
the family.)

Arri London said...

>
>
> Andy wrote:
>>
>> Arri London said...
>>
>> >
>> >
>
> <snip>
>
>> >
>> > Depends on the car and the repair shop; doesn't matter who makes it.
Any
>> > American car is just as likely to fail catastrophically as any
'foreign'
>> > car.
>>
>> Broken down somewhere on the road, there are no doubt far fewer qualfied
>> Fiat mechanics and parts suppliers in the heartland of America compared
to
>> Ford or Cadillac.
>>
>> Andy
>
> Perhaps. But keep in mind that 'Ford' used to stand for: Fix or repair
> daily
>
> (And yes Fiat used to stand for 'Fix it again Tony'. But I didn't have
> any more difficulties with the Fiat than with any other car we had in
> the family.)


Arri,

Did Fiat ever make a family ( 4-door sedan) car?

I was always under the impression they just made two-seaters. Never took
much interest in them. Not that they weren't performance cars, from what
I'd heard.

I would certainly test drive one for the fun of it!!!

Best,

Andy

brooklyn1 wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> m...
>
>> notbob wrote:
>>
>>> On 2009-05-02, Dave Smith > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> My first bike <?> was a 90 Vespa. My neighbour was selling it for $25.
>>>> Hitchhikers used to laugh at me, but I wasn't the one standing at the
>>>> side of the road begging for a ride.....
>>>>
>>> Amen. My first was a Vespa, also. I had so much fun on that thing, I
>>> stayed on two wheels for the next 45 yrs! They're all gone now, but I've
>>> been tickling the thought of another 2-wheeler to get to town or just the
>>> mailbox. A Vespa is first in line in my dreams.
>>>
>> They are selling Vespas again. I was stunned by the prices. They start at
>> about $6000, and that is for the tiny ones. The bigger models are over
>> $9000.
>>
>
> In 1953 every 12 year old boy needed one of these to pick up girls:
> http://www.retro.net/db/schwinn_phantom/220/

This looks like Pee Wee Herman's bike, the one that was stolen in Pee
Wee's Big Adventure. He traveled across the country, encountering Large
Marge in order to get that bike back.

"On this very night, ten years ago, on this very same stretch of road..."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Pdlxd_rro


Becca

On Sat, 02 May 2009 21:12:24 -0600, Arri London >
fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:

>Perhaps. But keep in mind that 'Ford' used to stand for: Fix or repair
>daily

Another one that I recall was "Found On Road, Dead."
>
>(And yes Fiat used to stand for 'Fix it again Tony'. But I didn't have
>any more difficulties with the Fiat than with any other car we had in
>the family.)

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "meatloaf" with "cox"

Arri London wrote:
>
> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
>> On Sat, 02 May 2009 21:12:24 -0600, Arri London >
>> fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:
>>
>>> Perhaps. But keep in mind that 'Ford' used to stand for: Fix or repair
>>> daily
>> Another one that I recall was "Found On Road, Dead."
>
> Ah hadn't heard that one
>
>
'First On Race Day'

Just sayin'.....