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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 23, 2017 0:29:47 GMT -5
Well, boyz & gurlz...
It's THANKSGIVING time again, and, whether your year has been great, not so hot, or somewhere in between, in AMERICA we all have a LOT to be thankful for. 
Some of us may be thankful that our Chinese ride only broke down once this season... Others may be thankful that the brain-dead texting driver missed us as he/she ran the red-light... or that more went right than wrong this year... I'm thankful that even though my health at 71 us not what I'd like it to be, I can still ride something on two wheels... This year, I'm even thankful that websites have a "logout" icon... LOL! 
If we have only ONE true friend, who cares about us, respects us, knows we are truthful and sincere and only asks the same from us in return, we ARE indeed BLESSED. My Wife and I are truly blessed.So, from The Old Chopper Guy and the Missus, HAPPY THANKSGIVING one and all!  Leo (smokin' that turkey) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 22, 2017 23:27:19 GMT -5
Thanks again, one and all,
Old "PT" was a true family member. Sixteen loving years. Our pets are one of the things we are thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Be Blessed, every one,
Betty & Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 21, 2017 23:13:38 GMT -5
Whew, what a choice!  Both are pretty nasty (assuming "nasty" here equates to "macho")... LOL! "Chitlins" are a staple of deep south Red Neck boys, whom I strongly identify with, and THAT is pretty macho... And Haggis surely was ingested by ferocious Scott warriors of old, and THAT is mighty macho too...
However, it's the "stuff" we're judging here, not the brave souls who choke it down... LOL! So, since to me, at least, Haggis conjures up images of decomposing road-kill seasoned with Diesel fuel-spill, served up in a rusty valve-cover... I'll go with Haggis... No offense meant to those who like the stuff. I like pizza smothered in cheese that smells like dirty sneakers... LOL! 
Now for pure macho FOOD... Ya' gotta consider Japanese Fugu Fish. One mistake in prep and the danged thing will KILL you. A food that can KILL you AFTER it's dead and on the table has GOT to be considered macho... EEEWWW!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 19, 2017 23:27:55 GMT -5
Even NASCAR Cup cars are fuel injected now. It is simple electronic throttle body injection, rather than multiport injection. More control over the engine,,,and much better mpg,,,I remember the huge carb vs injection debate when cars started the switchover ,,,now that debate is dead,,,injection is king and rightly so,,,I run carbs on my bikes now but my next one ( bmw r1150gs) will be and is injected,,,injection has single handedly transformed the car scene
Fuel injection is definitely a game-changer!I was fortunate to have grown up in the fifties, and saw all the effort made by individuals, speed-equipment firms and even Chevrolet to devise a reliable fuel-injection setup that would work on a daily driver... The success using strictly mechanical designs just never did work out well. Even back then, LONG before computers and electronics were available to "mortals"... Experts mostly agreed that fuel-injection would not be REALLY practical or efficient unless and until it could be electronically controlled. As technology progressed, it became obvious that such exotic technology COULD work, and work well, providing great power AND gas mileage... BUT... As the heads of automakers lamented "It would make a Chevy or Ford cost at least $15,000... and NOBODY would EVER pay that, or could even afford it."
Well, everything doubled, tripled and quadrupled in price. Jobs went away. Wages went down and we entered the generation where a guy or gal making $20K per year suddenly could buy a $20K Chevy, a $250K house and spend $100K on "recreational stuff"... All on that $14K take-home paycheck... AMAZING!   The IRS (and me too) would love to figure out how THAT neat little trick is pulled off. Oh, yeah... Well, of course we know how THAT happens. You just "do what ya' gotta do". That's what the under 50 crowd tells me... Well, my Wife and I don't, and our families and friends don't either, so we drive cheap, old stuff... Even THAT stuff is usually fuel-injected... Whee! Spending ten times one's paycheck is not likely to change, SOOO.... All this marvelous new electronic technology is being enjoyed by a huge number of today's folks. It's a fast-paced, technological world out there... Enjoy it while you can! Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 18, 2017 22:58:43 GMT -5
Gotta vote for Danny Trejo...I just like him, and his roles! And, of course, he IS one tough cookie in real life. But his sense of humor is SO funny... Look at those hilarious TV ads for pay TV he does! I saw him interviewed once, and he said he should get an award for being killed by Chuck Norris more than anybody in movies... LOL! I dunno, he just seems like a guy you could really enjoy being around, AND he'd be mighty handy in if things got ugly... Reminds me of some of my riding pals from the sixties... Picture Danny at 6' 10" and 650 pounds, and you'd pretty much have "Tiny".. See below... I could picture a "Who's more macho... Tiny, or a silverback gorilla?" Close call... LOL!
That portrait of Tiny Juncunc came about around 1964 when a local rag did an article on "Old Blue" and my "posse"... After the reporter left, he decided he wanted a pic of Tiny and I had no camera, so I painted him for the article... Necessity IS the "mutha of invention..."
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 17, 2017 21:33:57 GMT -5
Jarlaxle,
I agree with you on those mega-modded drag Hondas. But the ones found around here on the street usually still contain some (not many) factory parts. They don't put out the near 1,000 hp of the all-out drag-cars, but still have 400 hp plus, and can run a quarter in 11 seconds or less, and the idiots who race from city to city get way over 150-mph speeds on their freeway romps. Often on tires I wouldn't drive on to Wally World for groceries. These kids have no performance education save that learned by trial and error and off the Internet, but they are making little motors do INCREDIBLE things... And the cars still last for years, and hundreds of thousands of miles with minor refurbishing. Now, if only they'd put license plates on them... LOL!  Yes, those Chevy truck motors can make marvelous power. I believe Steve Morris uses them in some of his builds with great success!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 17, 2017 21:13:11 GMT -5
Tuning high performance cars with a laptop instead of a screwdriver doesn't appeal to me much either. -i do love these kits for turbo cars that allow you to change the boost with the flip of a switch. The engine doesn't begin to gulp fuel until you need it.
You said it!The local Hispanic tuner kids (which abide in abundance in my "hood") know ALL the tricks. I still have a hard time comprehending engines under 100 cid pumping out over 400 hp... But they do! And STILL last for 300K miles!The new Honda Acord Type R is bigger and heavier than my old one, and is powered by a miniscule 2.0 liter 4-cylinder... With its manual tranny, it turns the 1/4 mile in 12 seconds at 100-mph! Big car, tiny engine, FAST speeds!
And a liter is only 60 cid... I'm STILL amazed! And THESE are FACTORY cars. The tuner kids get much more from them with their live-fast, die-young motor-mods. Funny thing is though, those motors usually do NOT die young, but go on and on through numerous drivers who buy or steal them and they get passed around for years!
I used to think it would be great to re-live the old-school days, but no more. Now, you can have a quiet, smooth, dependable daily-driver that will give 23-mpg and get you to 150+ in 13-14 seconds. Whew! Talk about "having your cake and eating it too...". Modern cars AND bikes are so far ahead of the iron of my youth that there's NO comparison... Great vehicles, and great fun too! Way to go, Detroit, Tokyo, etc.!!!This IS the subject matter the thread IS about... Sorry someone had to hijack it and try to once again make it into a personal trashing.
Ride safe, and enjoy the ride!Leo PS: Minutes ago, I just saw the NEW Tesla "roadster" on CBS news... apparently, this electric marvel will now be THE fastest production car (faster than the new "vette, Bugatti, etc.) with advertised NOW get THIS: zero-to-sixty in 1.3 seconds... YES, one-point-three-seconds! And a top end of 250-mph! And it doesn't even HAVE "displacement"... Can you say "Energizer Bunny on steroids?" Oh, YEAH!!!
The days of the piston engine MAY just be numbered... |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 16, 2017 21:22:57 GMT -5
Oh Jeeeez here we go again with the Mystery Honda car and its Magic 250+some hp Chip. I was really hoping you were going to omit this bunk from this thread you started. So when I roll into town and call you out to luna rd you have that Mystery Chip and car ready to go correct? Where DO you get this crap that I do not post? Do you ALWAYS run your mouth without listening? Of course...
PLEASE read this, understand WHAT I'm saying, and then let it drop. A stock '04 Accord 3.0 puts out 247hp and they're pretty quick. Mine was a track-raced UEX returned to street trim. My local Honda dealer tells me these cars retired to the street, like mine, retain a few factory intake tweaks, and are rated at 256hp with the STOCK chip, and tuned exhaust removed. And it's a little quicker yet, than bone-stock. END OF STORY. Once again, I started this post simply for the entertainment of members. I am amazed at the horsepower per cubic inch modern engines produce. I have no interest in Steve Morris Engines, save the incredible power they produce, and that they power STREET DRIVEN CARS THAT TURN IN THE SIXES AT OVER 200.. I believe you can find proof of that in the archives of HOT ROD Magazine... So... Maybe you should turn your attention to his company and tell him he's full of it. I'm sure he would reply in a more appropriate manner than I will.I've been nothing but friendly to you since you unmercifully trashed me, hoping you would be decent in return. Maybe you'd like copies of those 10-11 second time slips from "Old Blue" for your Christmas tree?
No further comment from me.Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 16, 2017 1:10:57 GMT -5
Remember when the Honda 750 four only made 40 hp? A lot of VWs only made 40 hp. Sure do... And those old 750 4 cylinder bikes were still plenty fast... I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the incredible amount of horsepower-per-cubic-inch modern engines put out... After all, a liter is only about 60 cubic-inches. 1.4 liter Honda cars miniscule 85cid motors regularly put out 400+ hp in the hands of tuner kids... THAT is over 4.4 hp per cid... Even my Accord V6 3.0 liter (about 120 cid) puts out 256 hp PLUS plenty of torque... That's 2.1 hp per inch... And as kids, we thought we were making "killer hp" at 1 hp per cid, with V8's that were "built" and finicky, and gave 5mpg gas mileage...I have to grudgingly admit it... there actually IS a "replacement for displacement"... I guess it's "technology"... LOL! Good stuff... |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 16, 2017 0:59:34 GMT -5
"Macho  ? You young kids today have NO CONCEPT of macho....." Agreed, cookies. Maybe somebody will make a Dirty Harry video game to expose the younger generation to true machoism. A Clint Eastwood video game? GREAT idea... "Go ahead, MAKE MY GAME..." From my dim memory bank past, I seem to recall Robert Duvall in the flick "The Great Santini" addressing his kids when they acted a tad "wussy" growling: YOU are MARINES... You chew horseshoes and spit nails!" Now to me THAT is macho...
Over the past year or so, I've adopted one of Donald Trump's mantras: "Throw me to the wolves, and I'll soon be back... LEADING THE PACK."
Be nice when ya' can, and macho when ya' must...
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 14, 2017 23:59:22 GMT -5
Kat, Yeah, that Pontiac Aztek was probably THE worst of the batch for appearance. I do NOT know what GM's stylists were thinking (or smoking) when THAT one left the drawing board... People who have them seem to like them. Probably decent quality and fairly useful, but Cheesh! As an artist, if I decided to attempt to consolidate as many shapes and angles which do not work together, it would be that Aztek... Of course, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder... Younger folks may like it because it reminds them of something from a video game (or something)... I've always liked Fords. Chevies too... When the first Taurus came out, I didn't like its "potato" shape. But it grew on me, and then the later Chevy Caprice came along and the Lexus, etc. And the "flying spud" became the shape of the future. Even my Honda Accord has that shape. I recall from long ago, an interview with Lexus design staff who said they used the projected silhouette of an actual potato as their starting point for the body shape! Back when Ford dropped the Taurus (if I recall, for the Ford 500) it fell flat on its face. So... They re-badged it as the Taurus and brand loyalty took over and it sold like crazy. Buyers love that Taurus. Harley Davidson should REALLY consider making a scooter once again... (Remember the "Topper"?) Just for kicks, what kind of bicycle do you have? Several years back, I built a Schwinn fat-tire cruiser from nearly all pre-war parts... except for a modern Shimano 7-speed gears-in-hub rear wheel for some modern performance! I love old-school! Ride safe, Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 13, 2017 20:36:45 GMT -5
Kat, Your old oval-window Taurus was a LOT better-looking than some of those GM weird creations like the Vibe, and some of their Darth Vaderesque multi-purpose whatevers... I've always liked the Ford Focus... Pretty sharp cars, but I'm not familiar with their cargo space though. There are precious few "real station-wagons" made anymore (Mercedes and BMW make 'em though!). But this Subaru Impreza looks mighty inviting with what looks like serious cargo space...  The ONLY thing I'd ever change on my "pet" Accord UEX would be to have it be a wagon like this Subaru... Honda USED to make an Accord wagon, but I believe it was only available in Japan, in the mid nineties... That square back and tailgate make for REALLY handy hauling! I do like wagons!Ride safe! Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 13, 2017 19:22:18 GMT -5
Agreed, Leo. In the 60s, a muscle car needed 300 hp to get noticed. Some had over 400 hp (and drum brakes !). These days, top of the line Mopars, Fords and Chevys can put out close to twice the HP. Life is good (if you can afford it). Though not as crude as the cable-pull drum front-brake on my old chopper... HeHeHe...
Yeah, the times they are a changin'...I saw an ad in a magazine for a new Dodge... Said the NHRA has banned it from stock competition because it breaks into the "no-no" 9.45 second e.t. time... Ad said "Apologies?... NO". Whew, I guess some of the new Dodges have somewhere around 1,000 hp and can run LOW NINES at 160+ with mufflers and street-tires. I was watching one of those live Police docudramas and the police chase car was a new Dodge with that "Hellfire" motor (or whatever it's called) and a manual tranny. They were chasing a cretin on a stolen crotch-rocket and the camera-man passenger was shakily filming the speedo... I heard 7 gear-shifts as the chaser went from near-stop through, 50-60-80-100-150-190-200 and finally 207 on the Police-analog speedo!!! Caught the bike and tailgated him (as in a foot off his butt) at 200+ until the jerk couldn't stand the pressure and slowed down and surrendered. Over 200 is "white-knuckle" time in a CAR, let alone on a bike you just stole and never rode before. The fastest I've EVER gone on wheels was pegging the SCCA-certified 160-mph speedo in my Accord UEX and THAT was only for 30 seconds or so... Never again, but at least she rides on new Michelin W-168-mph rated tires... And I must admit, I WAS answering a challenge from the Nisan Z-car next to me... And yes, the freeway was straight, miles of visibility and totally devoid of police or ANY other traffic to endanger. I'm not nuts enough to endanger anyone in front of me.The frisky little hamster is mighty fast, and just once while the tires are new, I wanted to see what she'd do but things happen TOO fast above 150-mph. I wonder just WHAT tires those 200+mph police cars use?
Still, I'm MORE than impressed by the Steve Morris STREET-LEGAL and DRIVEN cars that can run in the 6's at 220-mph in the quarter! Makes my beloved "Old Blue" seem downright slow! And Checking out some of his creations, it seems some are GM V-6's of just 2.0 liters... He's getting 3,500 hp from 120 cid!!! He does it with some VERY high-tech multi-turbo forced-induction setups. Wonder WHAT his company could do with a hot BIKE???
Until hearing of Steve Morris, I had NO idea such street-power was ever attempted, let alone actually accomplished.
Ride safe, and "watch yer' six"...Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 12, 2017 20:22:01 GMT -5
Well folks, things HAVE changed since my youth. Back in the sixties, we thought a modded, street-driven muscle-car with 400+ cid 450hp V8 turning in the 12's at maybe 110 was the "ultimate" ride... And, it WAS. Then...
Enter the new world of modern technology. Steve Morris Engines I had NOT heard of until now, but is known in the performance circles for their nearly unbelievable V8 engines. Good examples: Tom Bailey's 3,500hp Camaro. Turned 6-second 1/4-mile times in 2013, 5 days in a row, with 1,000 street-miles in between, TOWING a TRAILER! It won HOT ROD's Fastest Street Car in America. Bailey's 2015 car was even FASTER, turning 220+ mph...
Even though it was back in the sixties, I really thought the 10 and 11-second time-slips from my chopper "Old Blue" were "over the top". and it took a 76 pound rider to break into the tens... I was WRONG! How'd ya like to be driving a street-legal car, with a history of highway-trailer-towing that runs in the sixes @ 220-mph?
Street-cars have come a LONG way... I'm just passing this info on for some eye-opening fun, so PLEASE, no nasty replies saying it's impossible, I'm a squid, etc. It's documented. It's all for real, and it's doggoned FAST!
I suppose it's not all that amazing... My de-tuned Accord V6 is just 3.0 liters: That is only about 180 cid! Yet she puts out over 250hp. With her original track chip and tuned exhaust, she put out over 500hp. Small cubic inches but big ponies! The old adage "There's no replacement for displacement" is no longer valid.
Leo (drive it like ya' stole it) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 11, 2017 23:13:25 GMT -5
Oh Leo, I'm so so sorry. I have said, the best ones don't live long enough. And yet they live too long 'cause when they go there's a bigger deeper hole left in our hearts. Give Betty a hug from me. >'Kat
Thanks, Kat and all who feel the same.All pets are special, but "P.T." was very special. The Good Lord gave him an extra measure of compassion for humans. He felt our happiness, our pain and was always there like a faithful friend. You sometimes find such loyalty in a dog, but it's extraordinary in a cat. My very first cat was like that and he lived to be 21. My little black cat "Inky" is similar. More than a pet, a true buddy. She's 14 and still in top shape. Hope she has a long time left.Yes, the longer they live, the more it hurts when they go. But we wish he could have had a few more good years... Love them, and let them love you as long as possible... They ARE precious gifts from God. Leo (will miss "P.T." for a long time) in Texas |
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