Teddy Bloggie Blog Blogging

I'm carless again. I'm riding around on my motorcycle and borrowing my mom's car when I really need it. But it got me thinking... Being carless is almost a sin here in California - a deadly one if you're in Southern California. If you're too old to drive in sunny SoCal, you're probably knocking on the steps of a nursing home.

Given the culture, I'm already thinking about my next car purchase. As a thought experiment if you think about all the personal transportation methods you've ever used, horsepower and fun probably have an inverse relationship. My first bike was a thrilling ride, having about 0.1 hp, a five-year-old peddling really fast. The first motorcycle I ever bought, an orange 1979 honda cb200t, had 13 hp when new (probably 8hp in 1999 when I bought it) but it was the perfect vehicle for storming around the berkeley hills. My first car had about 80hp, comparable to the motorcycle I'm toodling around these days. While the motorcycle is almost too fast to be fun (it could happen, although my roommate vociferously denies such possibilities), the vw/porsche 914 with its air-cooled flat four was just as entertaining to move around town as my first bicycle. Okay, so it's not a fair comparison because there are too many omitted variables in that generalization, most importantly: weight.

But it's not just me who's ignoring weight. These days every car manufacturer tops one another with more power because they think that's what we really want... well maybe for some, but I'd rather have less weight instead of more power, and something that'll give me the same feeling as running fast down the aisle and jumping on the shopping cart (0.01 hp?). The first porsches probably had around 40 hp while the newest have 400 hp. I think I'd rather have one of the first ones - in gleaming aluminum silver please...

Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha are all introducing new 600cc bikes for next year. Just a few years ago all bikes in this class were carbureted now they all carry the latest in electronic fuel injection. The advancements are coming so fast to this lucrative middleweight class that it has me jogging to the dealer at dawn and pressing my forehead against the glass windows (I know they won't be arriving for a few more months, but the dealer is on the way, I swear). Both Honda and Yamaha have introduced new casting processes for the production of aluminum components that promise to strengthen and reduce the weight of frames, swingarms, wheels and engine castings. Honda's new CBR600RR is going with a new look courtesy of their MotoGP winning RC211V. The new bike has an engine that revs to 15,000rpm and an exhaust canister tucked neatly underneath the passenger seat. The new Yamaha YZF-R6 gains 3 hp and losses 8 lbs, which begs us to ask whether anyone needs over 120 hp to carry a 357 lb bike. The new Kawasaki ZX-6R and ZX-6RR follows the styling trend of the segment with sharper-looking fairings and a bugeyed face. The new ZX-6R and RR also features upside-down forks and radial mounted brakes (a first for the class). Evolution in this segment of the motorcycle market is happening at such a rapid pace that I may just sit out and wait for the flying cycle that's sure to appear in a few years. Actually, I'll make a few more reasonable predictions:

From motorcyclenews.com

I've always believed that men on bikes shouldn't drink, at least not an obscene amount. This just proves it... Those crazy brits.

There are only three real problems with having my motorcycle sit in the rain without a cover.

1. A part of the left handlebar is rusting.
2. My brake rotors are rusting. (polishes away)
3. My registration underneath the seat gets wet. (usually keeping them in a zip-locked bag works)

But even those minor issues don't bother me as much as the unreal problem; the thought of my bike sitting outside getting drenched. Sometimes I picture it as though the wind and rain will weather it as they do to landscapes, in particular granite landscapes. Other times, I think of my bike as a living creature, like a horse or dog, and you just don't leave those guys outside in the rain. I sold my last bike because I couldn't stand the idea of it getting rusty outside in the perennial mist that is so typically Berkeley. Now I have a bike that's almost entirely aluminum and plastic and it still bothers me to have it showered upon. Maybe it's me.

I share my questionable taste in cars with only a few people that I know. Yeah, I don't have an eye for the most popular. Most people think I'm kind of crazy for wanting a Mazda Miata. But I don't care...I like old BMW Isettas and Fiat 500s -- so there. I don't like speed as much as a sense of speed or a sense of fun. My first car was a Porsche 914, the epitome of ugly, slow, and fun, and I loved it.

So, when I saw this up-and-coming model, I immediately liked its ugliness and practicality. It gets fairly good gas mileage at 30/33, and I bet I can fit my mountain bike in it if I take off the front wheel on my bike and put the rear seats down. The short overhangs front and rear and the ultra-boxy look is a nice change. It'll be great for those tight parking jobs since you won't have to guess where the car's corners are.

This one's going to be coming to California in June, to be marketed as a Scion xB. Scion will be just another brand under the Toyota umbrella like Lexus, but this car looks like a winner to me. Unfortunately, since I think it's a cool interpretation of personal transportation, the corporate types at Toyota should actually be nervous for obvious said reasons.

But I do have a few suggestions that may make Scion a more mainstream hit here among my peers. First, get some more options on the list, like the 4wd and CVT (constantly variable transmission) choices that I believe are available already in Japan. The 4wd option would make the Tahoe crowd take a second look at this unique model and the CVT would make gadgety people, like myself, happy. Also, I like the idea of having turn signals on the outside mirrors - another option available in Japan I believe. They look upscale and it's a nice safety feature (especially for motorcyclists like me, who could be riding along-side). Lastly, throw in a really big moonroof option, because that would make this a great minimalist camper with star-gazing possibilities. An idea you could market to daydreamers and motel-phobes. Yeah, I'd get one if I could get all those features along with this box on wheels - I bet others would too.

This article is from Motorcycle.com
I got a laugh so I have to share it.

Motorcycle Online: John Burns; Great Arguments for Stupid People

Part One in a series...
By John Burns
Torrance, California, September 25, 2002 --

I first became aware of this particular stupid argument in law school, when a stupid ex-Army captain who was quite tall and insistent and therefore went on to become an excellent attorney I'm sure, used it. (This was the same guy who said that if he was in a foxhole with Russian tanks rolling toward it, he would not want to be sharing said hole with a homosexual. I was too retiring at the time to point out to him that--speaking as a guy who's been in a foxhole with friendly tanks rumbling around--that buggery would likely be low on the list of Things to Do at such a time.)

Anyway, I don't remember the topic, but I do remember the captain quite clearly saying, on a different day, "Well, it's easy to point out flaws in the current system, but you have no right to do so unless you have good solutions to fix them."

I can imagine that this Suzuki's designer has watched Akira a few times and felt some inspiration. Looks a lot like Kaneda's red bike from the movie and comic book. Neat.

Kaneda's bike

Matus' Akira Bike Project

I was looking for a project, but found one that isn't much of one. I'll post some sounds. I think old twins makes the best noises.

Well, I've written about cars and motorcycles before on this blog but not recently. I'm trying to kick my dependence: I spend entirely too much time daydreaming about things with wheels. I'd say things with motors, but I like bikes too; mountain bikes, road bikes, recumbent bikes, on and on. This short relapse is entirely due to autoblog blogging contest for an Ipod nano, which is now kickstarting this entry. The contest prescribes a blog entry that links to your favorite ten Autoblog entries. I think I'll push my own philosophy on automobiles by not completely focusing on the performance minded testosterone driven auto culture, and instead also list the entries on Autoblog that gives us a peek at the future in terms of the marketplace, the designs, and the social consciousness that surrounds our energy sucking friends. Well, of course I like cars that have a sporting personality, just trying to strive for a little balance for this list. Anyway, here's my top 10.

#10 Scion Xb
This box on wheels has been talked about before here, circa 2003. People are pretty polarized with respect to the milk truck styling, but if no one is offended by it, it wouldn't be funny. And this is one funny car. I smile with it, not at it, every time I see it. And it's only funnier in yellow (or series 2.0 as Scion likes to say). The auto industry is going toward more personalization, smaller production runs, and the xb is a sign of things to come.

#9 Father wants Valentino Rossi in a Ferrari for 2007
MotoGP champ and F1 Champ? That's better than Bo Jackson winning the Superbowl and World Series.

#8 Honda Hybrid Drive
Hybrids are the future and for everyday driving, people are buying prius or civic hybrids. My neighbor has an insight and a prius. Gas prices in California is making these cars the cost minimizing choice. It's no longer, "look how green I am". It's about "I spend less commuting than you do. I'm spending my extra dosh on sushi. How's your Ramen?"

#7 Alfa Brera
Can I get my car with a side of pretty? When Alfa comes back to the U.S. with its Italian body all red and gleaming, no one will remember what a untrustworthy tramp this dame was in the 70's and 80's.

#6 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C
Given a choice of vehicles to go camping and to head up some gravel-filled roads, I'd take ---- this one. And I'd be flogging it, rally-racing-style, on my way up the California coast. I'm going to be picturing that while seated in a Honda Accord on my way to
Redwoods National Park this weekend.

#5 Rumor mill - Corvette Z06 performance
The super car for the everyman. Like the Hope Diamond for Thursday night at the Cantina.

#4 Porsche Cayman
Look at those hips. I bet that car can shimmy like my sister Kate. Shimmy like jelly on a plate. A great new design on a heaven-wrought existing platform.

#3 VW to build Hybrids in China
Everyone better hope China has a better vision of transportation than the United States had through the 20th Century. If 1 billion people start driving Mustang GTs, we're going to be eating cereal with a side of sulfur dioxide in a not too distant future morning. I'm optimistic that the auto industry won't increase like many predict. There's no room for roads or parking in the congested downtowns of Shanghai and Beijing to sustain the predicted growth. And rural residents are still too impoverished to create robust demand for autos. What will definitely happen is China will become an auto-exporting country starting with joint-ventures like SAIC and VW or independents like the Chery branded cars.

#2 The New Mazda Miata
If the world was perfect, everyone would drive two-seat convertibles. The model T of that world would be the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

#1 The Ariel Atom
I watched this for a full hour after learning about the Atom on Autoblog. If there's ever a reason to forgo airbags, doors and bumpers, this is it. I'd even forgo bathing and regular meals for one of these.

A new addition to the garage circa 9/26/2005.

The smallest, slowest monster. Ducati M600

Bosch Platinum+2: Worst sparkplugs ever.
NGK Laser Platinum: Stupendous.

Spent $36 on 6 Bosch plugs and took the time to install them since I didn't know the last time they were changed and had a smog check due (why BMW do you have individual coils on plugs that are locked down with so many non-arthritic-friendly bolts?). After the swap, the car started misfiring under load and idled a bit erratically, but it still passed the smog test. The misfiring under load and the idle worsened. Could it be bad coils? Did I mess up the wiring harness during the swap? I was worried, but I thought it had to be the plugs since it's hard mess up a coil or wire harness changing the sparkplugs. Convinced of this, it was $45 more on 6 NGK laser platinum plugs, and lo and pat myself on the back, everything was fine again. This was for a 1999 BMW 323is (E36).

After pulling the Bosch ones and comparing the plugs, it was obvious the Bosch ones were made with inconsistent gaps between the two electrodes (it used to be that one electrode was plenty) while the NGKs had consistent gaps around the four electrodes. The NGK Laser Platinum plugs also looked and felt much higher quality, like a forged knife versus the floppy ones you get at IKEA (knifes by Bosch?).

I used to think that all sparkplugs did the job with the more expensive ones lasting longer because of platinum plating, etc. Bosch used to make quality auto products, perhaps before money diverted from engineering to the advertising department, but now it's apparent that they make some overhyped landfill stuffers.

Before splitfire, v-groove, multiple electroded plugs, everyone bought copper sparkplugs for $1 each and they would all work fine, like one-bladed razors; does the job. Who needs 4 blades on a razor to wear out all at the same time? I think it's appropriate to recognize that the quality of some products have gone down, the money that was invested in high quality products syphoned off by corporate overseers and spent on gimmickery, advertising and packaging instead. Why tempt the honest man about quality with unnecessary features and glossy magazine ads? I don't know why they have such contempt for the easily misled proletariat. I'm just your average shade tree mechanic who just as often breaks a part to fix a part but I've now learned this: Don't buy fancy Bosch sparkplugs -- buy those fancy NGKs!!!

Lesson sort-of learned.