cool! ill post them on monday, as soon as the results get in!
Toshi's thread
- Thread starter Toshi
- Start date
:whistlesinaboredfashion:
lol, i havent gotten them yet.... the mri guys say I cannot take MY mri, unless i make a written request (which i did) and it takes a few days.
they say its because they are only meant for my treating traumatologist (which i havent seen yet, as I havent had much time and pain has gone to become a mild discomfort for a couple days). so i gotta wait until they, money hungry bitches, release them.
i have read the radiologist report, which says the only non-standard finding is a "slight edema in soft tissue under the right gluteus"... hopefully its just a small trauma lession (although i dont remember getting hit there over the last few months).
i will post an mri of my ass soon, dont worry!
I shot a few portraits at #occupywallstreet tonight, before heading uptown to see the NY Phil do an all-Strauss concert.
occupy wall street
occupy wall street
We went riding again. Glacier Ridge, I think. 10 miles, 1000 feet of vertical. Two weekends in a row! Next weekend we'll probably make it three.I would like to state for the record that I actually went trailriding today. Dozen miles? 15? Rocky Point with Thad(orama) in any case.
(No pics, though.)
2011 Consumer Reports automaker reliability survey results
My thoughts:
- Apparently all manufacturers struggle with their minivans (Odyssey, Sienna, Sedona, Town & Country/Routan)
- The consistent(ly poor) showing of the Chevy/GMC 2500 twins is a good testament to the quality of these data
- Audi truly does make a bunch of ****ty cars, in accordance with public opinion, but Jaguar outdoes them
- Consistently reliable brands: Scion; Lexus; Acura; Mazda; Infiniti; and Toyota and Honda apart from their minivans
My thoughts:
- Apparently all manufacturers struggle with their minivans (Odyssey, Sienna, Sedona, Town & Country/Routan)
- The consistent(ly poor) showing of the Chevy/GMC 2500 twins is a good testament to the quality of these data
- Audi truly does make a bunch of ****ty cars, in accordance with public opinion, but Jaguar outdoes them
- Consistently reliable brands: Scion; Lexus; Acura; Mazda; Infiniti; and Toyota and Honda apart from their minivans
In deference to the #occupywallstreet crowd, I've been exploring some less conspicuous possible future cars for myself. Reliability, outward visibility, and total lack of brand pretense or cachet are the goals (so no premium sub-brands, etc.). Poor resale value, so as to make a cheap purchase on the used market, is also a plus.
I think I've actually come across a winner:
2008-2009 Ford Taurus
This model is somewhat of a historical accident: in 2005 Ford made a car called the Five Hundred. The Five Hundred was based off the previous-generation Volvo S80/P3 platform so was known for its solidity, safety, capaciousness, and slowness (200 hp and a CVT will do that to a big sedan). Its other calling card was great outwards visibility thanks to a low beltline, high roof, and higher-than-normal-for-a-sedan h-point.
Needless to say/as you've probably realized by their near-absence from the roads of America, the Five Hundred did not catch on in the marketplace. Apparently no one was looking for that combination of qualities in a big American sedan at that SUV-crazed cheap-gas point in time.
In 2008 the Five Hundred exited to stage left but was immediately recast as a Taurus, still on the Volvo P3/Five Hundred platform. It got a new 263 hp V6 so lost its sloth, and was retouched here and there to match the Ford brand image. In particular, it got Sync, a corporate grille, added sound deadening, and a boring-but-clean interior. It also retained both the good visibility from its prior high-h-point design and its oddball AWD variant. (Have I mentioned that the 2010-current Taurus is one of my least favorite cars in terms of outward visibility? I rode in a Taurus SHO with a black interior and it was like being in a cave. Absolutely awful.)
Best of all, since no one knows about it/no one liked its predecessor resale values are total crap. Even though it's a poor man's Volvo S80 in many ways, its Edmunds TMV is $13-15k for a 2008 as compared to a same vintage S80's TMV of $20-26k.
I really like this concept: American and unassuming yet with Swedish underpinnings and modern features (e.g. Sync); lots of headroom for my long torso and giant noggin; exceptional outward visibility, such a modern rarity; and crap resale values due to marketplace rejection. Sure, it's no sports sedan but, frankly, if I can have fun pitching our 2006 Prius around an on-ramp I can have fun in anything.
(And thus commences another car-of-the-month. Wait another month and you'll read about something else. This return to reality/car-humility is probably a healthy thing, though. I'm mentally moving beyond Long Island and its bad influences already.)
I think I've actually come across a winner:
2008-2009 Ford Taurus
This model is somewhat of a historical accident: in 2005 Ford made a car called the Five Hundred. The Five Hundred was based off the previous-generation Volvo S80/P3 platform so was known for its solidity, safety, capaciousness, and slowness (200 hp and a CVT will do that to a big sedan). Its other calling card was great outwards visibility thanks to a low beltline, high roof, and higher-than-normal-for-a-sedan h-point.
Needless to say/as you've probably realized by their near-absence from the roads of America, the Five Hundred did not catch on in the marketplace. Apparently no one was looking for that combination of qualities in a big American sedan at that SUV-crazed cheap-gas point in time.
In 2008 the Five Hundred exited to stage left but was immediately recast as a Taurus, still on the Volvo P3/Five Hundred platform. It got a new 263 hp V6 so lost its sloth, and was retouched here and there to match the Ford brand image. In particular, it got Sync, a corporate grille, added sound deadening, and a boring-but-clean interior. It also retained both the good visibility from its prior high-h-point design and its oddball AWD variant. (Have I mentioned that the 2010-current Taurus is one of my least favorite cars in terms of outward visibility? I rode in a Taurus SHO with a black interior and it was like being in a cave. Absolutely awful.)
Best of all, since no one knows about it/no one liked its predecessor resale values are total crap. Even though it's a poor man's Volvo S80 in many ways, its Edmunds TMV is $13-15k for a 2008 as compared to a same vintage S80's TMV of $20-26k.
I really like this concept: American and unassuming yet with Swedish underpinnings and modern features (e.g. Sync); lots of headroom for my long torso and giant noggin; exceptional outward visibility, such a modern rarity; and crap resale values due to marketplace rejection. Sure, it's no sports sedan but, frankly, if I can have fun pitching our 2006 Prius around an on-ramp I can have fun in anything.
(And thus commences another car-of-the-month.
Wait another month and you'll read about something else. This return to reality/car-humility is probably a healthy thing, though. I'm mentally moving beyond Long Island and its bad influences already.)
It's November. This counts as another month, right?(And thus commences another car-of-the-month.
Even though I've oddly been somewhat busy at work (mammo--who knew? usually this is one of the slower rotations), I've spent enough time staring at other cars on the road on my commute route to come to a few conclusions:
1. I lack narlus's fortitude to pick the lowest total-cost-of-ownership option at all costs, as it were. Therefore, no more econocars once I rid myself of the Fit, please.
2. I also lack the zeal of the Long Island crowd to flaunt what I (will) have, not to mention that such behavior is even more gauche in the Pacific Northwest. Conclusion: No premium or Euro badges if at all possible, please.
3. I still really love the Z32 (1990-1996 Nissan 300ZX), both for its personal significance as one of my favorite past cars and for its style. I also remain a lifelong fan of the NSX, even though I've never interacted with one, let alone owned one. These two cars are my equivalent of the muscle cars for the generation behind me, I suppose. On a more general level, I dig a machine that's beautiful, unabashedly driver-centric, RWD, normally aspirated (turbo lag sucks), and shifted manually.
4. From having owned and lived with sports cars, though, I know that it's also nice to have something else: something that can be taken to the trailhead and hopped back into afterwards, all sweaty and dirty from the ride or day on the slopes; something that can be driven in hiking boots without ham-fistedly (ham-footedly?) actuating both the brakes and the accelerator simultaneously. (True story, that last: think RX-8.)
5. I have a strong aversion to spending money on depreciating, common-place compromises, things that seem to check the boxes on paper yet don't stir my inner reptilian soul. Think that Ford Taurus from the quoted post: An AWD Taurus with a hitch rack would cover my needs just fine, but it ultimately doesn't make me tick now that the ****s and giggles from arguing its merits on Google+ in a contrarian manner have subsided.
With this in mind, here's my current realistic-fantasy garage, circa 2015. (The wife can have whatever the hell she wants--she's sane and has entirely reasonable and boring tastes. The two vehicles below would be all mine.)
200 series Land Cruiser, not the fancypants Lexus version! with an ARB bumper and a winch to keep it real, Australian Outback-style. Unbolt that stupid third row seat and stow it in the garage, and slap a nice 2" receiver hitch rack on the back and it'd be ready to roll.
Add to this something fun, one of the following four contenders, perhaps:
NSX. Any of the years would be fine, but I have a soft spot especially for the early ones with the popup headlights. Downside still would be cost: They've retained their value amazingly well.
300ZX. Make mine a black leather interior non-turbo, though: linearity > speed. I'm not sure if any unmolested, low-mileage Z32s still exist, though.
993. C2, C4, S or not S wouldn't matter. (This one is a C4S.) The downsides are the badge, cost, and dealing with general PCA/Porsche-associated snobbery.
Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S/Toyota FT-86. Call it the "anti GT-R", if you will: it'd be about dancing with the road just because rather than crushing all lap records into submission. It's not going to be a fast car. It's not going to be super cheap to own or run, either, although in that pesky TCOS it would probably end up being much more reasonable than the old semi-exotics above. What it is might just be a perfect way to deliberately waste some money, and would be mechanically and spiritually right at home next to a Land Cruiser… hmmmmmm
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I'm looking for something that ticks these boxes now. I lack your aversion to more "premium" badges though. Don't really give a fvck, or need to flaunt anything, just don't feel like I need to blend either. Current front runner is probably an e34 M5. I know it's likely to be a money pit, but for a car you can find for 6-8k, I don't really care. I like the styling, like that it's a RWD, manual transmission, LSD, with some focus on handling, that's still comfyish, and can carry some stuff. An M3, either an e36 or e46 (maybe a little on the expensive side for the latter) is also on the table. Not at all hung up on getting a bimmer, they just seem to do what I want pretty well. Any other ideas?
I like all M5s through the E39. I wouldn't own one, though: although the cachet/stigma of BMW wears thin with age, the maintenance costs never go down. After hearing of plastic this and that from a disappointed E39 540i Sport owner I swore to never go down that road.
I think the vehicles that make an individual tick reflect early childhood lust put on simmer until adult life. Therefore, not knowing what cars you cut out of magazines as a kid I can't tell you anything. (Some troubled people apparently actually like modern vehicular abortions like the HHR and Trailblazer SS...)
I think the vehicles that make an individual tick reflect early childhood lust put on simmer until adult life. Therefore, not knowing what cars you cut out of magazines as a kid I can't tell you anything.
(Some troubled people apparently actually like modern vehicular abortions like the HHR and Trailblazer SS...)
E46 M3s are a bargain in the states. for under $15 you can have a pretty fast and comfysh car.
it seems I might be moving (temporary, yet again) to the US in the near future (within 1 year), so my hat is thrown to that same child-illusion-driven car quest.
ill probably indulge in a car too flashy/rare/impractical to own in Peru, like a 330ci convertible (because nothing says kidnap me!, like a convertible bmw driven by a 20-something in south america) or something along those lines, and replace it every 3 months with a different toy until i satiate my taste for impractical cars for the next 15 years or so....
it seems I might be moving (temporary, yet again) to the US in the near future (within 1 year), so my hat is thrown to that same child-illusion-driven car quest.
ill probably indulge in a car too flashy/rare/impractical to own in Peru, like a 330ci convertible (because nothing says kidnap me!, like a convertible bmw driven by a 20-something in south america) or something along those lines, and replace it every 3 months with a different toy until i satiate my taste for impractical cars for the next 15 years or so....
I like all M5s through the E39. I wouldn't own one, though: although the cachet/stigma of BMW wears thin with age, the maintenance costs never go down. After hearing of plastic this and that from a disappointed E39 540i Sport owner I swore to never go down that road.
I think the vehicles that make an individual tick reflect early childhood lust put on simmer until adult life. Therefore, not knowing what cars you cut out of magazines as a kid I can't tell you anything.
For me, Group B rally cars were the sh*t.
I've also thought about a Subie. On paper a WRX makes perfect sense, they just don't make me excited for some reason. I'm really open to any suggestions, and figure out for myself if it really does what I want it to or not.
Edit: I don't really need, or even necessarily want, anything as big as an M5. A 3 series is probably closer there. I've driven an e36 M3 though, and really would like something a touch more comfortable. Though thinking about it more, really my biggest complaint was the clutch, which was a little too on/off to make city driving an entirely un-sphincter clenching experience, and that issue was likely due in part to the fact that it needed replacing on the car in question. I should arrange another drive now that it's been fixed.
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I feel your pain with regard to bad clutches (and too-aggressive clutches) being a pain. When I bought my WRX it had a 3-puck drag racing clutch on it. Worst. Clutch. Ever. No modulation whatsoever. I drove stick shift for many years (ye olde 300ZX) and was competent by all measures, yet I stalled that WRX left and right on that first cross-country (!) drive home, instead opting to rev it like an idiot and wait until the clutch caught haphazardly…
Random list, alphabetical by marque since that's how I'm recalling them:
Acura RDX. Honda goes turbo… and puts it in a CUV. What were they thinking?
Audi S4, current supercharged-6 gen. They have that whole image thing again, though, and the current gen ones will be way over your hoped-for budget. Avoid the old ones: B7s eat turbos and B8s eat gas.
BMWs aplenty: E34 and E39 M5s, E30 and E36 M3s, even just a good, solid 3 series with a normally aspirated straight 6 and a stick shift. Reliability and image keep me away from these: way too many pricks in BMWs, at least out here, plus the snooty local dealer can suck it.
Hyundai Genesis sedan. Potential bargain purchase later on due to predicted massive depreciation. No, it's not as good as a Lexus. Maybe that doesn't matter…
Infiniti M45, ie the last-gen one. The new-gen one didn't quite do it for me when I tested it, but there's something charmingly off-beat about the last-gen one, at least from the perspective of someone who hasn't driven one.
Jeep Wrangler. I know they're objectively horrible. I still like how they look: a hiking boot rendered in the form of a car.
Mazda RX-8. You want RWD and an LSD? Why not have 6 speeds, 50:50 weight distribution, and a 9k redline while you're at it? Oh, you want headroom and reliability, too? Hmm, maybe look elsewhere… The RX-8 really was a great vehicle for what it was. I'm glad I got to own and drive one, but then again you don't see me lining up to buy another one.
Mitsubishi Evo. Any generation will do, but one's more likely to find a non-riced out X.
Nissan 300ZX. Not 350Z. Not 370Z. 300ZX, Z32 generation. Things just went downhill after that, imo.
Porsche 911, 993 generation or before. 997s are too snooty and expensive and plain jane 996s are unrewarding crap, as I found out. I'm not interested in Boxsters or Caymans or Cayennes, and the Panamera is a profit-making abomination.
Subaru WRX, 265-hp revision and later, please, both for the engine and the slightly-less-awful interior. The 2.0 didn't have enough midrange torque in stock form. The 2.5 before the hp bump was breathless up top, iirc. STI bits are nice but not really necessary for a daily driver. I'm less fond of my WRX in retrospect as compared to my RX-8, for what that's worth.
Subaru BRZ and Toyota Land Cruiser. See earlier posts above.
Toyota Prius, 2nd gen (2004-2009). Driving as a video game. I feel like a shuttlecraft pilot in our Prius. I just need to remind myself to not try to dock into the back of the SUV dead ahead.
Volvo XC70. Totally not sporty but quirky enough that I randomly like it. Turbo inline 6? Yes, please. 9" of ground clearance in a station wagon? Why not?
Finally, as a treat for those who made it to the end of this post, a reminder to never drive an Astro van into a barrier if you like your left leg and pelvis:
Random list, alphabetical by marque since that's how I'm recalling them:
Acura RDX. Honda goes turbo… and puts it in a CUV. What were they thinking?
Audi S4, current supercharged-6 gen. They have that whole image thing again, though, and the current gen ones will be way over your hoped-for budget. Avoid the old ones: B7s eat turbos and B8s eat gas.
BMWs aplenty: E34 and E39 M5s, E30 and E36 M3s, even just a good, solid 3 series with a normally aspirated straight 6 and a stick shift. Reliability and image keep me away from these: way too many pricks in BMWs, at least out here, plus the snooty local dealer can suck it.
Hyundai Genesis sedan. Potential bargain purchase later on due to predicted massive depreciation. No, it's not as good as a Lexus. Maybe that doesn't matter…
Infiniti M45, ie the last-gen one. The new-gen one didn't quite do it for me when I tested it, but there's something charmingly off-beat about the last-gen one, at least from the perspective of someone who hasn't driven one.
Jeep Wrangler. I know they're objectively horrible. I still like how they look: a hiking boot rendered in the form of a car.
Mazda RX-8. You want RWD and an LSD? Why not have 6 speeds, 50:50 weight distribution, and a 9k redline while you're at it? Oh, you want headroom and reliability, too? Hmm, maybe look elsewhere… The RX-8 really was a great vehicle for what it was. I'm glad I got to own and drive one, but then again you don't see me lining up to buy another one.
Mitsubishi Evo. Any generation will do, but one's more likely to find a non-riced out X.
Nissan 300ZX. Not 350Z. Not 370Z. 300ZX, Z32 generation. Things just went downhill after that, imo.
Porsche 911, 993 generation or before. 997s are too snooty and expensive and plain jane 996s are unrewarding crap, as I found out. I'm not interested in Boxsters or Caymans or Cayennes, and the Panamera is a profit-making abomination.
Subaru WRX, 265-hp revision and later, please, both for the engine and the slightly-less-awful interior. The 2.0 didn't have enough midrange torque in stock form. The 2.5 before the hp bump was breathless up top, iirc. STI bits are nice but not really necessary for a daily driver. I'm less fond of my WRX in retrospect as compared to my RX-8, for what that's worth.
Subaru BRZ and Toyota Land Cruiser. See earlier posts above.
Toyota Prius, 2nd gen (2004-2009). Driving as a video game. I feel like a shuttlecraft pilot in our Prius. I just need to remind myself to not try to dock into the back of the SUV dead ahead.
Volvo XC70. Totally not sporty but quirky enough that I randomly like it. Turbo inline 6? Yes, please. 9" of ground clearance in a station wagon? Why not?
Finally, as a treat for those who made it to the end of this post, a reminder to never drive an Astro van into a barrier if you like your left leg and pelvis:
I remember you mentioning you had head room issues in a car I fit in fine (MX5?) even though I'm taller, so maybe I could get away with an RX8. Probably want something that's a little better at hauling stuff though. Something to think about anyway.
WRX and Evo are way too ricey for me.
I've thought about an S4. I just can't see any particularly compelling reason to get one over a BMW. More expensive to get the same kind of power numbers, worse styling (IMO). Not that worried about luxury features, so long as something rides ok and has decent seats/ driver position, I'm happy.
I think I need to drive my friend's e36 M3 again now that it has a proper clutch. Unfortunately most of the ones for sale around here are auto convertibles.
Not that it's anything like anything I've talked about so far but for some reason I want an International Scout as a project vehicle. I have no idea why. Just do.
Edit: test drove an e34 540 Sunday. Liked it alright, as a model. The specific one in question was trashed. Check engine on, clutch going, syncro on 2nd on the way out. Pass.
WRX and Evo are way too ricey for me.
I've thought about an S4. I just can't see any particularly compelling reason to get one over a BMW. More expensive to get the same kind of power numbers, worse styling (IMO). Not that worried about luxury features, so long as something rides ok and has decent seats/ driver position, I'm happy.
I think I need to drive my friend's e36 M3 again now that it has a proper clutch. Unfortunately most of the ones for sale around here are auto convertibles.
Not that it's anything like anything I've talked about so far but for some reason I want an International Scout as a project vehicle. I have no idea why. Just do.
Edit: test drove an e34 540 Sunday. Liked it alright, as a model. The specific one in question was trashed. Check engine on, clutch going, syncro on 2nd on the way out. Pass.
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I fit in the RX-8 fine, actually, just not with a helmet on without reclining the seatback a ton. Since I bought that car to compete in B Stock* autocross, basically, that turned out to be a bit of a pain. The MX-5, on the other hand, had me brushing the headliner sans helmet.
I think your Scout lust springs from the same fountain as my Wrangler/Land Cruiser fascination. On that very topic, have you seen the Icon Bronco? That's droolworthy (and probably well north of $100k!):
Icon Bronco
BR | Models | ICON
Mother of god.
(* Apparently SCCA has reclassed a bunch of cars and the RX-8 is now in C Stock, I think.)
I think your Scout lust springs from the same fountain as my Wrangler/Land Cruiser fascination.
On that very topic, have you seen the Icon Bronco? That's droolworthy (and probably well north of $100k!):Icon Bronco
BR | Models | ICON
Mother of god.
(* Apparently SCCA has reclassed a bunch of cars and the RX-8 is now in C Stock, I think.)
You must have missed the post after my headroom issues, where my wife measured me and we found out that I'm built like a freak (more likely: built with typical Asian proportions). By the Army white- and black-people standards built up with data from years and years of recruits, I have legs fit for a 5'1" dude, the torso length of a 6'1" man, and a head the size of a 6'3" lumberjack. I'm a human anime character, in other words. As I actually have a neck, add those last two things together and you see why I have issues.
(I have loads of space atop my head in my current Honda Fit, btw. It's oddly tall inside, actually, especially since the seat doesn't adjust for height. It'd take a literal NBA player to run out of headroom in that car, and I'm pretty sure no NBA players are in the market for one…
(I have loads of space atop my head in my current Honda Fit, btw. It's oddly tall inside, actually, especially since the seat doesn't adjust for height. It'd take a literal NBA player to run out of headroom in that car, and I'm pretty sure no NBA players are in the market for one…
Yup, missed that.
I've got more normal proportions. My arms are sorta long, but other than that, not too weird.
I had a line on what looked like a mint E34 M5 about a month ago. Black, 103k, looked spectacular in pictures. I'd talked to the owner on the phone, it was some lady who'd gotten it in a divorce, couldn't drive a manual, and just wanted it gone. Was asking a laughably small 3k. Unsurprisingly got snapped up before I could get out to see it.
That's a crying shame. Divorce settlements make for great toy acquisitions, sometimes. I know of a guy who got a near-new Ford Super Duty diesel for $15k from a buddy basically hiding assets from a soon-to-be-ex-wife. He drove it for a year then sold it for $25k. Not bad ROI, that.I had a line on what looked like a mint E34 M5 about a month ago. Black, 103k, looked spectacular in pictures. I'd talked to the owner on the phone, it was some lady who'd gotten it in a divorce, couldn't drive a manual, and just wanted it gone. Was asking a laughably small 3k. Unsurprisingly got snapped up before I could get out to see it.
I just had a potential buyer come out from Brooklyn (on a BMW R90/6 himself--he has no car!) and test ride my Versys. I had him try out the heated gear, too, surely a plus given the roughly 45 degree weather at the moment.
He seemed reasonably impressed, and actually liked my reflective getup.
His complaints: play in the clutch lever (non-issue: from the reach adjusters) and vibration in general (the nature of the parallel twin). We shall see, we shall see. It'd be nice to sell it super quick outside of riding season, while it'd also be nice to keep on commuting into work on it and parking not 5 feet from a back entrance to the hospital.Yeah, I was bummed. She had no idea what she had, really. It was correctly identified as a 1995 M5, confirmed via VIN tags, but was described as a V8, etc. She did have a stellar set of pictures (including all but 1 VIN) and it had clearly been someone's baby. It was in spectacular shape. Short of it being on fire when I went to look at it I was pretty much ready to pull the trigger.
Short of it being on fire when I went to look at it I was pretty much ready to pull the trigger.
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The latest in an endless series of teases by Toyota and Subaru with regard to the any-day-now FT-86/FR-S/BRZ.
Ok, I'm convinced.
Release the damn thing to the media and the public already! (and please send my local dealer one so that I can sit in it and see if my oddly-large noggin will clear the headliner)
Ok, I'm convinced.
Release the damn thing to the media and the public already! (and please send my local dealer one so that I can sit in it and see if my oddly-large noggin will clear the headliner)
I could see myself picking up one of these used a few years down the road:
It's the 2012 Honda Crosstourer, a soft-road variant of their VFR1200F. 127 hp from that big, detuned V-4, 93 ft-lbs of torque, traction control and combined ABS, 19"/17" spoked tubeless wheels, and that same, fancy dual clutch transmission.
Pop a topcase on that rear rack or some panniers on the side, add in a big Calsci windscreen, and then that'd be a pretty comfortable and slick commuting bike.
It's the 2012 Honda Crosstourer, a soft-road variant of their VFR1200F. 127 hp from that big, detuned V-4, 93 ft-lbs of torque, traction control and combined ABS, 19"/17" spoked tubeless wheels, and that same, fancy dual clutch transmission.
Pop a topcase on that rear rack or some panniers on the side, add in a big Calsci windscreen, and then that'd be a pretty comfortable and slick commuting bike.
Valor - YouTube
(skip to 2:34 in if the link doesn't already do that for you for the start of a solo by me, this all from this past Sunday's community band concert.)
(skip to 2:34 in if the link doesn't already do that for you for the start of a solo by me, this all from this past Sunday's community band concert.)
The Honda NC700S would also make for a nice, sane commuting-type bike: http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/2012-honda-nc700s/
Dual-clutch transmission! C-ABS. 78+ mpg. Built in helmet storage in the "tank" a la the late BMW F 650 CS. Although with 48 hp it'd be even pokier than my current 650 cc Versys when prodded, that's still a nice list of features for a commuter bike.
A couple of months ago I was geeking out about Unimogs, lamenting how it'd be a royal pain in the ass to legally get one into and registered in the US. A more achievable variant of the same fantasy would be to buy a pre-bobbed M35A2 from Boyce Equipment:
About Boyce Equipment & Parts Co., Inc.
They specialize in buying surplus US military equipment, modifying and refurbishing it, and then selling it to consumers. Their price for a bobber, a 6x6 M35A2 shortened to a still-giant 4x4, is actually quite reasonable, $15.5k base, up to $30k with every option box checked.
That's still a lot of money for what amounts to a huge toy (if one doesn't have a legitimate use for a huge, multi-fuel 4x4 ex-Army truck), but surprisingly low in the grand scheme of things, I thought. It's hard to envision a situation where such a beast would come in handy, though, and having been born in a later era I don't have enough of a reenact-Vietnam hard-on to want one for nostalgia purposes... Still amusing nonetheless.
About Boyce Equipment & Parts Co., Inc.
They specialize in buying surplus US military equipment, modifying and refurbishing it, and then selling it to consumers. Their price for a bobber, a 6x6 M35A2 shortened to a still-giant 4x4, is actually quite reasonable, $15.5k base, up to $30k with every option box checked.
That's still a lot of money for what amounts to a huge toy (if one doesn't have a legitimate use for a huge, multi-fuel 4x4 ex-Army truck
), but surprisingly low in the grand scheme of things, I thought. It's hard to envision a situation where such a beast would come in handy, though, and having been born in a later era I don't have enough of a reenact-Vietnam hard-on to want one for nostalgia purposes... Still amusing nonetheless.
Drop a small storage container on the back, convert it into a post Z-day RV of doom. Saw this while riding Mt. St. Helens. Site doesn't allow image linking but you will quickly get what I am talking about.
two vagabonds - two-vagabonds
two vagabonds - two-vagabonds
Yeah, that kind of stuff was exactly what I had in mind when I went on my Unimog daydream a few months back. Realistically, though, that's exactly the kind of time that my career will not allow me in future years. Time is too precious to not be making money while I can, although I will aim for a sane amount of vacation (as opposed to an insane months-at-a-time world-traipsing journey).
How's Seattle treating you, btw?
What is the point of making money if you do not have time to blow it?
Seattle is fine. Been working my ass off. Wish I had more time to check the area out. I certainly couldn't live here without a decent bike commute route. Driving sucks and I hate the bus. It is seven miles one way for me. A bit farther than I would like but it is all on the B-G.
Where are you working? I'm in the process of trying to convince someone to hire me as an ME, and like the sound of Seattle. Got one line out but more options never hurt.
Oh ok. Studying what?
There are a ton of options. So far I'm being pretty picky, and really only considering places that seem really perfect, I imagine my standards will drop a bit if something out of my first tier of options doesn't pan out. Not wedded to Seattle either, it's just one of a few places I'd consider really good.
There are a ton of options. So far I'm being pretty picky, and really only considering places that seem really perfect, I imagine my standards will drop a bit if something out of my first tier of options doesn't pan out. Not wedded to Seattle either, it's just one of a few places I'd consider really good.
Seattle is probably the only city I could see myself living in. I just miss being a few miles from mountains. I'd love to move back to my place in Charlottesville but there are few jobs for me there. If you are a controls guy check out Electroimpact. From what I gather there are nothing but super bright people there. The downside is tremendous effort is the norm.
Seattle traffic sucks balls, though. As Westy notes, establishing a non-car way to get to work is super key. Portland makes that particular task much easier, what with the bike paths, commuter rail, light rail, downtown trolley, and fancy OHSU tram. Too bad there just aren't that many jobs in Portlandia...
You know what I would suggest for that commute: electricity!
My 4 mile commute from Wedgwood to UW was just about perfect distance. 7, or 12 as mine will be in 2013, is a bit longer than one wants at the end of a long day, agreed.With regard to making vs. spending money: I'll have plenty of opportunity for more conventional week or two at a time vacations. Taking a whole huge chunk of time off isn't the norm, though, and teh wife-bot isn't much the camping (or camp-in-a-giant-RV) type.