HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Meta-flame, etc (buying Amer)
From: OldChop@vax2.winona.msus.edu (John Stafford)
Date: 7 Apr 92 11:54:18 -0600
Distribution: NA
Organization: msus

Buying American...

Seth Zirin says:
>The root of the problem is our leadership in Washington and at the tops
>of major corporations.  Washington needs to get tough with countries
>that don't practice free trade...

Why do I remain skeptical of the veracity this statement?  When
Harley successfully lobbied to impost tarifs on imported Japanese
motorcycles because they were 'dumping' bikes in the US (and boy, were
they!), I'm not sure we all benefitted.  I feel that Harley, just like
most US companies puts out the absolute minimum to achieve the highest
buck and they are not as concerned with *quality as they should be.
Nor with *innovation.  And with further protection, they will continue
the same behavior.  The consumer looses!  

(*I hear ya shouting, Evo enthusiasts, but that motor was AMF's R&D 
sweetheart and we ain't seen SHIT in terms of 'evoloution' since Harley 
'bought themselves back' from AMF.)

I dearly want a go-fast twin that handles.  Why do I have to look to
Italy for it?  Where's HD?  Lazing in the yuppie sun.

-----------
J. Stafford   '56 FLH Chop  and a new Ducati is on it's way.
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles,rec.bicycles
From: elr@uunet.uu.net!trintex (Unix Guru-in-Training)
Subject: Re: Bicycles & liability insurance
Organization: Nitpickers Anonymous
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:32:47 GMT

>I am posting this for David Harker, which is in reference to bicycles causing
>accidents... 
>** BEGIN message

> A few years ago (while driving) my car was struck (on the front SIDE)
>by a bicyclist.  The tubes of his frame put several nice dents in the
>top 'corner' of my front fender, where it bends sideways to meet
>the hood surface.
>Fixing the 3 dents cost $550

Maybe my understanding of the word "dent" is wrong, but if the damage
is just a "dent" why fix it at all?  He could have saved 550 bucks
and driven around with a car less likely to get ripped off.
-- 
Ed Ravin- elr@trintex.uucp| I like to think (and the sooner the better!)
       philabs!trintex!elr| Of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers
           +1-914-993-4737| Live together in mutually programming harmony
my opinions, nobody else's| Like pure water touching clear sky.  -R. Brautigan
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com (Dances With Bikers)
Subject: Re: Flame war invitations: Sport touring choice? FJ, Of Course!
Reply-To: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 20:42:05 GMT

meb4593@galileo.rtn.ca.boeing.com (Michael Bain) writes:

>There is a 60k+ file around on FJ lore.  A lot of people can provide
>help/information.

It's grown! It was well over a hundred Kbytes when Annie Fetter sent it
to me, and it is now close to 200K in a couple of files. That will grow
if I ever get around to pasting together all the stuff I've saved since
then.
-- 
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland        580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108
blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com  uunet!javelin.sim.es.com!blgardne  BIX: blaine_g
DoD #46               My other motorcycle is a Quadracer.              FJ1200
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: ericm@microunity.com (Eric Murray)
Subject: Re: WHAT TO CALL A HARLEY
Organization: MicroUnity Systems Engineering Inc.
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 19:50:19 GMT

In article <3464.89.uupcb@chaos.lrk.ar.us> dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams)  writes:
>-> even though Harley gets all the attention as "the only American
>-> motorcycle."  (Buell, ATK, H-D)
>
> I dunno if Buell really counts.  I've always considered them a chassis
>builder like Rickman or Bimota.
>
> Now, if Buell put one of their two stroke fours into a street chassis
>and sold it, their credentials would be unquestionable.


Erik Buell MAKES a two-stroke four?  I know he makes (or used to)
pipes for RZ/RD500 Yamahas, is he now making his own bikes?


--
Eric Murray   ericm@microunity.com   Ride fast, die young, wear black leather.
               Real motorcyclists work on their own bikes.
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: atl@kpc.com (Drew Lynch)
Subject: Re: Tires scalloping.
Organization: Kubota Pacific Computer
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 18:02:59 GMT

In article <MdsTMwi00j_j1F1i8k@cs.cmu.edu>, Dale.James@cs.cmu.edu writes:
|> So I finally got this GS1100 back together, and I'm looking at the tires.
|> There's still plenty of tread left, but the front tire (a Dunlop Sport Elite)
|> is strangely scalloped.  What might cause this?  Tire out of balance?  Sticky
|> brake disk on one side?  Bad fork seals (I know they are bad, but might that
|> cause the tire to scallop?)?
|> 
|> Thanks in advance!
|> 
|> peace,
|> --dale
|> Dale James, DoD #0229
|> `This is Pennsylvania.  Love it or....oh, hell.  Wait for me!'

The cause of the scalloping is poor tire design.  Underinflation will worsen this.  I disposed of the Sport Elite (w/lots-o-tread) I had on the front of my 1100 and replaced it with a continental.  :-)

-- 
+-----------------------------+
|                             |	     Drew Lynch, atl@kpc.com
|           Zoom!             |	Kubota Pacific Computer Inc. Santa Clara, Ca.
|                             |	          (408)748-6345
+-----------------------------+	  Disclaimer: This is me, not them.
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: chandrasekaran-shivkumar@CS.YALE.EDU (Shivkumar Chandrasekaran)
Subject: Yet Another First Motorcycle question
Organization: /homes/na/chandras/.organization
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 22:30:29 GMT


I have been following this newsgroup for a few weeks now and I haven't
yet seen a FAQ. So if this is on it, I'm sorry.

I am looking to buy a street motorcycle. I have put a few thousand
miles on a 100cc back home in India. I'm 5'6" tall and weigh a wimpy
125lbs. So I am decidedly looking for a short, light motorcycle. (I
kinda liked the Kawasaki Ninja 250cc. But the new one costs about
$3000.) What motorcycle should I buy?

Any and all suggestions, comments, flames welcome. Post or email.

Thanks,

--shiv--

Shiv Chandrasekaran
Dept. of CS
Yale University
New Haven CT 06520
(203)-432-1220
(203)-776-7069
shiv@cs.yale.edu
--
______________________________________________________________________________

Shivkumar Chandrasekaran
Dept. of Computer Science
Yale University				email addr: shiv@cs.yale.edu
P.O.Box 2158 Yale Station		res. phone: (203)-776-7069
New Haven CT 06520-2158			off. phone: (203)-432-1220
______________________________________________________________________________
From: fist@iscp.Bellcore.COM (Richard Pierson)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: What do we call Harleys?
Date: 10 Apr 92 21:07:01 GMT
Reply-To: fist@iscp.Bellcore.COM (Richard Pierson)
Organization: Bell Communications Research (Bellcore)

How about:
   - Quality
   Seems to be well put together, poor choice at dealer unless you like
to
   look at catalog pictures. Will be the same year after year. By now
they
   should NEVER break down, they should be the perverbial Rolex of
motor
   cycles.I mean 10 years to debug should be enough dont ya think.
   - Assembled in America
   Assembled in America (remember usa japan ?) All the Official harley
   accessories are made in korea (gloves,hats, UNDERWEAR, etc)
   Where are the actual motor,trans,frame etc made, in the USA ?
   (the dealer waffeld on that one when I asked-pure eggo)
   - Good % of components imported
   But in many cases nuts and bolts, plugs, and alot of other things
are
   available from virtually any tractor hardware automotive store.
   - Outsell imports
   Dealers localy sold out in april and taking deposits on 93's with a
min
   ium of 7% increase on 93's, and june, jul delivery cut 40%. 
   - As nasty as you wanna be
   Also has a good selection no matter your physical size, which japan
  has just caught on to. 
Personally I consider the price to be somewhat stiff, my 70 sporty
was a POS, (course my be home by dark(lucas) triumph bonnie had problems
too)
And if I happen to not need a new car or medical insurance for a couple
of 
years or I hit the lottery I might buy one again.
-- 
##########################################################
There are only two types of ships in the NAVY; SUBMARINES 
                 and TARGETS !!!
Richard Pierson E06584 vnet: [908] 699-6063
Internet: fist@iscp.belcore.com,|| UUNET:uunet!bcr!fist  
#include <std.disclaimer> My opinions are my own!!!
I DONT CARE IF I SOUND CONFUSED, I KNOW WHAT I MEAN !!!
From: twang@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Tony Wang)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: More on that DoD Shirt thing
Date: 8 Apr 92 12:43:41 GMT
Organization: Columbia University

Hello folks. Contrary to popular believes, the DoD shirt project is
not limited to men's sized shirts only. Due to my excitement in
getting this thing going, I forgot to mention that women's sizes are
also available. Breakdown of sizes are: S (6-8), M (10-12), L (14-16),
XL (18-20). Remember, orders are being accepted till 4/25. Thanks.


Tony Wang

DoD#0122
AMA#450147

twang@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: REQUEST FOR INFO: FJ1200
From: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) 
Date: 13 Apr 92 12:36:00 GMT
Reply-To: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) 
Distribution: world
Organization: The Courts of Chaos * Jacksonville AR USA * 501-985-0059

-> I have an '87 FJ that need a new chain. What are my choices? Should I
-> just call up one of the mail order places and ask them for a
-> "generic" chain? Is there a better one than the stock?

 Get a GOOD chain.  Get a chain in the original package, that says
Daido, Tsubaki, or some other brand name.  Get an O-ring type chain;
they're much simpler to maintain.  It doesn't really matter whether the
chain uses a master link or is endless, though the link type are easier
to put on.

 Do NOT buy bulk chain or industrial type chain.  Lots of shops will
sell this stuff to you as "motorcycle chain."  It can KILL you when it
breaks and wraps itself around the swingarm, and the FJ makes enough
power to make it "when" and not "if."

 I sold an article on chains to Australian Motorcycle News last year.
Probably pretty hard to get by now - if they'll release the rights to me
I'll post it as a FAQ.

 (Yes, I have had chains break and gone down as a result.  That's why
  I researched enough to write an article on them)

Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: markk@tcsi.tcs.com (Mark Kromer)
Subject: CX500..what the hell
Originator: markk@rigel
Organization: Teknekron Communications Inc.
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 23:41:38 GMT


richardw@spider.co.uk (Richard Whitehead) writes:

>Ha! As an ex CX500 owner I can promise you that they are neither cool
>nor squidy.

I learned to ride on a CX500 and have since sold it.  The suspension
is far too mushy, and the CG is too high making the bike dive terribly
under braking and just generally handle like an undersprung vintage
standard.  A tad on the heavy side for a 500 at 445 lbs dry, but a
nice trouble-free mount capable of touring with ease (the Silverwing
was derived from it - I called mine the RedWing :-).

>The lump is a 500cc watercooled pushrod V-twin, with shaft drive. It
>produced a respectable 50bhp. Known affectionately (or not as the case
>may be) in my circles as the "Turtle", as in Bulbous Water Animal.

50bhp in its hot little pushrod dreams.  More like 30-35 at the wheel.
Amazingly high redline (9500rpm) for a pushrod motor, but I suspect
this was at the cost of valve lift and duration because the engine
runs out of breath before then.  Shafty.

Mine was a pristine 1981 Custom (not the "Batcycle" Delux) and was,
IMO, one of the most beautiful standard styled bikes ever.

and yes, sometimes I still miss my little CX.

    -+-      -+-      -+-      -+-      -+-      -+-      ---     
- ]V[ark]<             markk@tcs.com       TCSI, Berkeley, CA USA
1985 ZX900 Ninja     1977 RD400D (street)     1976 RD400C (track)
                "Turn on, Tach up, Take off"
From: dbidwa@sei.cmu.edu (Daniel Bidwa)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Bike Locks
Date: 16 Apr 92 17:48:52 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The Software Engineering Institute


[stuff about breaking U-locks by chilling them and whacking them with a  
 hammer so that they shatter deleted]
 
|> Care to tell us more?  I've seen it done on American padlocks (those
|> big ones that stores use).  A number of people have told me that freon
|> is how thieves break the U-locks.

Basically, the U-lock dissipates the cold too fast for spray freon (it'll get
cold, but nowhere near cold enough to shatter). They can be chilled with
liquid nitrogen, but lowering the temperature to the shatter point requires
*long* immersion, like twenty minutes or more, and may still not work (at
least it didn't when we tried it -- we gave up at twenty minutes, and started
freezing bananas instead :-). Reportedly, Kryptonite reformulated their locks
so that freezing now works even less effectively than it did before, for
whatever that's worth. (While I've never tried freezing a padlock, I suspect
that if it does work, it's due to the more compact nature of a padlock as
opposed to a U-lock, which has what amounts to a big heat sink attached to it.)

Like I said before, there are much easier ways to open a U-lock (one being the
pole method that someone posted earlier, which, although I've never tried it,
does reportedly do the job). The easiest way is to tap out the pin that holds
the lock mechanism in place. (If a lock has one, it's underneath the rubber,
on the crossbar. You can prevent this by going to a hardware store, going to
their plumbing section,  and buying a T-connector that'll fit over the
crossbar, with the leg of the T fitting over the leg of the U.) A slower, but
just as easy way is to saw through the crossbar with a hacksaw -- most
crossbars are hollow pipes, and, though you'll go through a few blades, aren't
that hard to cut. (Kryptonite's ads are bullshit.)

(How I know this junk: the keyway in a friend's U-lock was buggered in some
way or another (the key wouldn't turn), and, since the lock was more than a
year old and was therefore no longer covered by the warranty, he/we decided to
see just how invulnerable it really was.)

U-locks (and cable locks, and Cobralinks, and big heavy chains and padlocks)
are a good deterrant (especially if they're locking the bike *to* something),
but that's all they are. There's no such thing as an invulnerable lock.

Dan "but you can bet I use one anyway" B.
From: ppa@col.hp.com (Paul Austgen)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 19:58:17 GMT
Subject: Re: Shadow or Virago?
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles

I have an 83 Shadow, 750.  The shaft seems to make more noise
than the Virago does for the same year.  These bikes are both
basically pretty heavy for the engine size, with the Shadow even
more so because of the radiator and dual front disc.  They have
enough power to cruise along, but you aren't going to pass like
the guys do on sport bikes.

One thing to be aware of with the Shadow, some models were mad
for only one year, and accessories may not be generally
available.

Paul
From: bloom@inland.com
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Racing Gas
Date: 16 Apr 92 08:37:59 CST
Organization: Inland Steel Company; East Chicago, IN

In article <shv7hINN44g@sixgun.East.Sun.COM>, dcarter@supra.East.Sun.COM (Dave Carter-Sun-Atlanta GA-Atlanta District MCC) writes:
> I own a 82 Honda CB750 Custom, the store up the road sells racing gas, 100 Octane,
> at $2+ a gallon. Would it be benificial to use this gas or should I go ahead and
> use unleaded regular?
> 
> What are the benifits/disadvantages
> 
> Thanks
> DAvid


If your car or bike engine does not detonate or ping on the current 
grade of gas you are using, there is absolutely NO ADVANTAGE (ZERO) 
to switch to a more expensive grade of "racing gas".  Racing gas 
simply means higher octane rating, and a high octane rating just  
means the gas resists detonation.  Racing gas does not produce more 
power because the BTU of the gasoline does not change with the 
octane rating.  Now if you were to modify your engine by raising 
the compression or increasing the displacement, the racing gas may 
be required to prevent engine destruction by detonation.  Racers 
need racing gas only because their engines detonate on low octane 
fuels.
..................................Dr. Doom
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles,rec.bicycles
From: gwu@nujoizey.tcs.com (George Wu)
Subject: Re: Bicycles & liability insurance
Followup-To: rec.bicycles
Organization: Teknekron Communications Systems Inc.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 20:26:52 GMT

-
     At risk of prolonging the proliferation of bicycle discussions in
rec.motorcycles, here's a story which involves both.  A buddy of mine
was riding his motorcycle down the street.  A bicyclist travelling in
the same direction just ahead of him on the right made an unsignalled
left turn without looking, cutting the motorcycle off.

     My friend locked up the brakes and went down, but managed to avoid
the bicylist.  The bicyclist stopped, helped my friend up, who's hand was
hurting, admitted fault, and gave him a name and address.

     My friend rode home, discovering that his hand was hurting more by
the minute, and in fact, practicing clutchless shifting because he had
no other choice.  An emergency room visit showed a broken bone in his hand.

     This upset my friend, the motorcyclist.  He called the police, and
asked that they issue a ticket to the bicyclist.  Note, he had no plans on
suing the guy.

     The police called him back.  No such person existed.  The bicyclist
had lied, probably afraid he'd have to have to pay damages on the
motorcycle.

     One crash was enough for my buddy.  He quit riding and sold his
motorcycle.  The risks, and pain, the months of inconvenient disability,
all were too much for him.

     So what am I trying to say with this story?  No, I think mandatory
bicycle insurance would be a nightmare to enforce.  However, working in
the student town of Berkeley, I see bicyclists breaking traffic laws
*every* single day, many times to the detriment of the safety of themselves
and those around them.  Liscensing and training of bicyclists would also
prove itself unenforcable.  How about stricter enforcement of traffic laws
for bicyclists?

     I'll tell you one thing for sure: if I'm ever in an accident with a
bicyclist, I'm going to insist on proof of identification.  If said
bicyclist caused the accident, I'm going to insist we wait for the police
so he can be ticketed.  I'd demand the same for a motorist or motorcyclist,
and I don't see any reason to treat a bicyclist any differently.

							George

 
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: jdk@cs.brown.edu (Jennet Kirschenbaum)
Subject: Re: WARNING RE. SHOE-LACE
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 13:59:13 GMT

In article <3338.89.uupcb@chaos.lrk.ar.us> dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams)  writes:
>> >That's why I put zipper inserts into the combat boots that I wear
>> for >trips.
>
>-> I know someone this happened to. Their heel got totally mangled.
>-> Please be careful so this doesn't happen to you.  This person is
>-> partially handicapped as a result of the injury and it happened years
>-> ago.
>
> How could this mangle your foot?  Of course, I wear paratroop boots
>which already have a zipper down the side anyway.
>                                                                                           

This person was a passenger and their foot got mixed up in the chain.

Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com (Dances With Bikers)
Subject: Re: CX500..what the hell
Reply-To: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 21:04:05 GMT

crpresto@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Charlie Preston) writes:
>In article <1992Apr7.134624.8181@javelin.sim.es.com> blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com writes:
>>. . . and the CX is the answer to the
>>question "why can't pushrod engines spin fast?"

>9k rpm is fast enough for most of the riding I do.

Looks like I wasn't clear, I didn't mean that the CX didn't spin fast,
but that Honda built a high RPM pushrod engine for the same reason that
people climb mountians. And for the same reason they built a 24 valve
inline 6, and a V4 with oval pistons and 32 valves.

It's not because someone in marketing says "I think we could sell a lot
of bikes if they only had pushrods and a 9K redline", but because some
engineer says "Everyone says this can't be done, let's prove them
wrong."
-- 
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland        580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108
blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com  uunet!javelin.sim.es.com!blgardne  BIX: blaine_g
DoD #46               My other motorcycle is a Quadracer.              FJ1200
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: ivan@erich.triumf.ca (Ivan D. Reid)
Subject: Re: Tires scalloping.
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: TRIUMF: Tri-University Meson Facility
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 11:22:00 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.163837.27760@pslu1.psl.wisc.edu>, pfs@pslu1.psl.wisc.edu (Paul Schnettler) writes...
>You will get scalloping on the front tire from using the front brakes
>primarily. When most of the stopping power is transfered to the rubber
>of the front tire, and it is a bit underinflated, the rubber flexes.
>The flex action (sidewalls) will cause the tire contour to change a bit
>and this rubs (like an eraser) a bit of the rubber off the front
>(leading edge) of the tire surface. That's how it was described to me!!
	I always thought that this type of scalloping was related to poor
suspension damping (and there's a brain cell trying to fire somewhere to tell
me that if you could tell if it was compression or rebound by whether the
blocks wore more on the front or the back).  Anyways, I noticed a Yamaha trail
bike outside my garage this morning that had its front tyre tread worn on
the _back_ of the blocks and "feathered" on the front.  I don't think the
local yokels do much hard braking while riding backwards :-).

Ivan Reid, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH.			ivan@cvax.psi.ch
GSX600F, RG250WD.					  DoD #484
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles