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Hiking Lifestyle/Car Talk :)

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    • max.patch wrote:

      my first "vehicle" was a bike with a lawn mower engine attached to it with power transferred to the rear wheel via a belt drive. then i progressed to a real mini bike.

      at 15 i got my hawg -- a honda 50. step thru model. florida was so stupid, you had to be 16 to drive a car, but they let kids at 15 get a motorcycle license and drive anywhere a car could go. screw up in a car ya got some sheet metal to protect ya. screw up on a motorcyle and its a whole nother story.
      Yep. You gotta keep the rubber side down and the sunny side up. Makes it tough with people not seeing you and animals running out in front of you. I finally gave up motorcycles. After 46 ? years on them and no serious injuries I sold my hard tail chopper four years ago. But I do have a little mini dirt bike tucked in the corner of the garage under some tyvek that I am re-building for a grandson that I just might have to keep for myself Shhhhhhh.............
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • 17 to get car or bike license here.
      We're happy. You can drink at 18.
      Motorcycles have 2 classes. The higher powered one (based on power to weight ratio now, used to be over 250cc) you can only get after 1 year with the lower powered one.
      You can get a moped license at 16. Sub 50cc.
      Truck (i.e. real trucks not big suv's) license is over 21.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • CoachLou wrote:

      socks wrote:

      I had a Honda (boom boom boom as opposed to Yama ding ding ding) 350 CB, for about 15 mins. Used to break down all the time. I'd sure like to get another bike though...one day :)
      My Suzuki went WING ding ding ding!
      Have you noticed that when a group of bikers comes by the Harley riders have made the wing dingers ride in back? My wing dinger was a Honda.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Drybones wrote:

      CoachLou wrote:

      socks wrote:

      I had a Honda (boom boom boom as opposed to Yama ding ding ding) 350 CB, for about 15 mins. Used to break down all the time. I'd sure like to get another bike though...one day :)
      My Suzuki went WING ding ding ding!
      Have you noticed that when a group of bikers comes by the Harley riders have made the wing dingers ride in back? My wing dinger was a Honda.
      It's for when the Harley breaks down. They have a nice reliable Honda to give them a lift.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • CoachLou wrote:

      socks wrote:

      I had a Honda (boom boom boom as opposed to Yama ding ding ding) 350 CB, for about 15 mins. Used to break down all the time. I'd sure like to get another bike though...one day :)
      My Suzuki went WING ding ding ding!
      I crew for a rider when he's running during Speed Week on the Bonneville Salt Flats. He's been modifying a Suzuki 500 twin two stroke for quite a while. We built and installed a fairing three years ago, but around 140 mph he encountered a flutter and backed off. We haven't run for two years now as the condition of the salt has not allowed SCTA to run the event. However we've since installed NOX and modified the fairing to hopefully still the flutter. As the bike is geared for the salt, he can't get the speed necessary on the street or at the 1/4 mile track to determine if the fairing fix works.

      Hopefully we'll run in '16.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • LIhikers wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      it was called a Bradley GT. Fiberglass body with gull wing doors. Engine in back behind an access door. Just 4 bolts for the motor, throttle cable and fuel line was all there was to undo/hook up. Swapped the motors with two floor jacks- his dad had an identical car. We were some crazy teenagers.
      It takes a little longer on a VW bus.The later the model year the more it took as they added smog control, fuel injection, and a rear motor mount bar
      While living in Germany, my local national neighbor and I modified his father's VW van by installing a turbo 911 engine. It was fairly easy to do. However when the van came due for emissions testing, we had to reinstall the original engine to pass so he could renew the registration.

      Once out on the autobahn, I used a stop watch to time the KM posts as the speedometer was outclassed. With a couple of KMs to run through the gears, he timed at just over 210 KPH which translates to a fraction over 130 MPH. However with the cost of premium fuel, he didn't run the van too often.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      my tricked out car was a '78 Rally Sport Camero that would do 150mph. That's what happens when your first car is a Pinto
      My father-in-law's Pinto has a hurst
      5 speed, roll cage, one seat, and either a 302 or a 351 Windsor
      depending on what he wanted in it at the time.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • my accord made it to 268000 miles when a traded it in on a Honda CRV. It developed a transmission issue at 160000 miles that I never fixed because it was a $3000 repair. Bought it for $14000 with around 30000 miles and drove it 11 years. Traded it in four $1800.

      Hoping to get ten years out of this CRV unless I trade it in when the kids leave the house for a Mercedes Sprinter which I'll convert to a RV.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • LIhikers wrote:

      I bet a Sprinter would make quite a comfortable camper.
      The 176" super high roof is huge. I would add a slide out for a Murphy bed. You can get one with around 50k miles for about $30000. Outfitting it with a shower, bathroom, kitchen, solar panels, etc would cost about $16000 to $20000. I could easily live in one. Work for 7 months while stealth RV'ing and travel for five months. That's my plan. Just need to find a job that won't care if I stay in the back parking lot at night.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      my tricked out car was a '78 Rally Sport Camero that would do 150mph. That's what happens when your first car is a Pinto
      My father-in-law's Pinto has a hurst5 speed, roll cage, one seat, and either a 302 or a 351 Windsor
      depending on what he wanted in it at the time.
      I hope he has a parachute to stop that thing.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • Rasty wrote:

      my accord made it to 268000 miles when a traded it in on a Honda CRV. It developed a transmission issue at 160000 miles that I never fixed because it was a $3000 repair. Bought it for $14000 with around 30000 miles and drove it 11 years. Traded it in four $1800.

      Hoping to get ten years out of this CRV unless I trade it in when the kids leave the house for a Mercedes Sprinter which I'll convert to a RV.
      The wife and I are due for a new car, the wife is thinking Subaru Outback, I suggested the Honda CRV with AWD....I'm going to go ahead and insult you Rasty and tell you what she said...."those are old folks cars".
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • I wish I had a garage to work in.
      If I did I'd teach myself how to do body work and restore my wife '71 VW bus, it's already a camper.
      At this point it's more rust than metal and to pay for a good quality restoration would cost more than a brand new car, I'm sure. Good work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't good.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      I wish I had a garage to work in.
      If I did I'd teach myself how to do body work and restore my wife '71 VW bus, it's already a camper.
      At this point it's more rust than metal and to pay for a good quality restoration would cost more than a brand new car, I'm sure. Good work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't good.
      my element is fine for a spend the nite trailhead car, but i'm interested in something a bit more functional. i spent some time on the below website and found it very interesting and i bet you would too. they restore vw vans and have quite a bit of information. they are not accepting any more work for 2016 so apparently they have a good reputation. the prices are way much higher than i would have thot. here is a snip of typical stuff you can find on the site:

      "...We even replace things that are not yet broken, but we know from experience are problematic. A good example is the water pump on late model Eurovan VR6 models with plastic impellers. It's a $79 part that, when it fails, can cause a $6,000 engine to MELT DOWN. We KNOW these things inside and out, know how to fix what is wrong, and know what is GOING to break, and fix that too!..."

      gowesty.com/view_page.php?name=VFS%20Articles

      i've decided that a vw doesn't make financial sense for me.
      2,000 miler

    • I love getting the Automobile Aficionado, bring their 67 Cuda in, put 15g into the motor, 5g in the suspension, and another 5g in the interior.....i have to perform CPR after I tell them that if they want the body to look like the rest of the car we will start at 10g.

      Of course after they have done all that other stuff, the budget is busted..............6 months later I'll see that 'Cuda with an $800.00 paint job.
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Picked up a 2016 Subaru Forester with a 6 speed manual yesterday, hopefully it will be my new car for the next 8-10 years.
      Manual transmission is the way to go. Most autos don't have the durability a conservatively driven stick shift has.

      OzJacko wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Picked up a 2016 Subaru Forester with a 6 speed manual yesterday, hopefully it will be my new car for the next 8-10 years.
      Should be no problem. My 2004 Forester is for sale....
      shipping included? :D

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      there are a couple of informal weekly car shows where I live- held in shopping center parking lots. I go by and drool over the old muscle cars.
      Can't afford a desirable muscle car, so I bought the 'Jags that Run' book and dropped an injected 305 with 5-speed into an older S-10. With a few body mods to lessen weight, usually was in the low 13s with an occasional high 12 second quarter. Always brought a spare rear axle assembly with me to the strip in the event it let go. Never happened, but one did detonate on the street early AM. AAA brought the truck and me home.

      Am considering swapping a built 350 into the truck and make a few runs at Bonneville, but the cost of speed rated tires is steep.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • CoachLou wrote:

      I love getting the Automobile Aficionado, bring their 67 Cuda in, put 15g into the motor, 5g in the suspension, and another 5g in the interior.....i have to perform CPR after I tell them that if they want the body to look like the rest of the car we will start at 10g.

      Of course after they have done all that other stuff, the budget is busted..............6 months later I'll see that 'Cuda with an $800.00 paint job.
      Hey Coach, If I thought you could do our VW for 10Gs I'd drive it up there this week.
      All the repair panels and parts are available but that doesn't help me much cause I haven't welded in years and I have no garage to work in. :(

      While I was draining the oil on the VW Kathy informed me that it wouldn't start last time she tried.
      The thing has an issue where the points slowly close up over a few months. So while the oil was draining I pulled out the distributor, replaced the points and condenser as the points were worn, and reinstalled the distributor. After I put in the new oil the thing started up on the first try :)

    • Dan76 wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Picked up a 2016 Subaru Forester with a 6 speed manual yesterday, hopefully it will be my new car for the next 8-10 years.
      Manual transmission is the way to go. Most autos don't have the durability a conservatively driven stick shift has.

      OzJacko wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Picked up a 2016 Subaru Forester with a 6 speed manual yesterday, hopefully it will be my new car for the next 8-10 years.
      Should be no problem. My 2004 Forester is for sale....
      shipping included? :D
      eeerrrŕrr...
      It's steering wheel is the wrong side for you..
      ..
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      there are a couple of informal weekly car shows where I live- held in shopping center parking lots. I go by and drool over the old muscle cars.

      You might look at going to 'Cruisin' the Coast in the Biloxi, MS area each October. Lots of muscle cars from the 1950s and 1960s. I never went, but some relatives did and they said the prices were rather high.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • OzJacko wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Picked up a 2016 Subaru Forester with a 6 speed manual yesterday, hopefully it will be my new car for the next 8-10 years.
      Manual transmission is the way to go. Most autos don't have the durability a conservatively driven stick shift has.

      OzJacko wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Picked up a 2016 Subaru Forester with a 6 speed manual yesterday, hopefully it will be my new car for the next 8-10 years.
      Should be no problem. My 2004 Forester is for sale....
      shipping included? :D
      eeerrrŕrr...It's steering wheel is the wrong side for you..
      ..
      I managed quite well with the Datsun Bluebird I once owned.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • i have no mechanical aptitude.

      i had to replace the power side mirror on my honda. that, according to the research i did, is a $150 part from honda and they charge another $150 to install it. $300 total.

      i bought a replacement mirror from amazon for $39 (it looks exactly like oem), watched a 3 minute video on youtube, and installed it myself in 15 minutes. (someone handy coulda done it in 5 minutes) $39 total.
      2,000 miler

    • Rasty wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      I had to replace the window motor for my Honda Pilot that I had. The YouTube video was 30 minutes. The repair took 15 minutes.
      Which motor?
      oops. I forgot the word window before motor
      You better watch it, now you are starting to post like me leaving out words. ;)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General