Recent Comments:
BMW kicking Garmin's zumo 660 up a notch with the Motorrad Navigator IV {Engadget}
Jul 6th 2009 4:47AM Because an iPhone is a toy for the idle ignorant who do nothing but twitter and gab all day on how trendy they are with their new iPhone. It's a pretty phone, but just that: ONLY A PHONE!
This is made as a bit of serious kit for dangerous environments. You can't even drop an iPhone one foot without it breaking. The vibrations from any cycle will kill it and just about anything else phone related pretty quick. Sometimes you just need the right TOOL for the job, not a tool's fashion accessory. You cannot use an iPhone with cycle gloves. You cannot use it in the rain. You cannot see the damned screen from a foot away much less 2 to 3 feet. You cannot use an iPhone in the middle of the Sonoran desert. You cannot throw an iPhone to the ground at 40mph if you mis-negotiate a trail rise and expect it to do anything but remind you that you're the tool who bought a $600 bit of plastic that you're not allowed to get a protection plan on.
Knowing BMW, they select quality gear that takes what their bikes can. I've been VERY pleased with their accessories that they choose to pair with their bikes. I just wish they didn't come at such a premium. My bike was competitively priced to other cycles out there: The accessories aren't.
Although, I am pretty sure the BMW dealer points aren't going to be needed too much by BMW riders: The bikes are so damned bulletproof you rarely need more than regular service intervals. I've already got 20k on my XCountry 650 and not a lick of issue. Just a new rear tire and plugs. And, for the price of a used Hyundai Accent you won't find anything faster or more aggressive on tarmac or off. Kawasaki is going to have to step up their motorrad game or the KLR is just going to end up looking like the me-too Enduro once again with other offerings from the Italians and Germans stepping up, and for better prices in some cases
Consumer Reports tests motorcycles, scooters for first time since 1981 {Autoblog}
Feb 4th 2009 6:28PM Several things:
The Honda Rebel is NOT a single cylinder, it's a twin cylinder based off the CB platform. Yes, they're still using it. But, it's a decent commuter with a top speed of 75mph, and it IS stable.
The new Ninja 250, on the other hand, has been TOTALLY redesigned for '08! It's a sweet little 250 that can be slung around pretty hard (even with it's skinny wheels) and they really improved the rider ergonomics! If you can FIND one for sale, they're worth it. And, as a 250cc track bike, it's a blast!
And, I ride a Vespa GTS250ie, and I can honestly say that their review is pretty spot on for Vespas. Their build quality IS amazing, but the parts on the other hand... that will KILL you. Their dealer support is HORRIBLE!! It takes 2 to 4 weeks just to get parts, and the labour is insane ($130/hr!?!?). Granted they are VERY fine bikes, but I wouldn't discount Kymco just yet. They're a great scooter and really have their game together. I myself just don't like the "plastic" feel of them, even with the rock solid build they do put into them and the great parts service. Also, the GTS will smoke the Honda Rebel in performance and top speed (I'm able to get 85mph with a comfy ride on it), and is alot easier to manage. But, it is a heavier bike... something to keep in mind.
I'm surprised bikes like the Yamaha C3 and Honda Metropolitan didn't rank as high. They're quality scoots (although I'm not big on Japanese scooters, I'd still sport one. They're not as embarassing as the Chinese junk). They also needed to put a disclaimer about all the fly-by-night cheap junk Chinese GY6 clones flooding the market. THOSE are deathtraps...even have seen a few calling themselves "Based on Vespa" or "Developed by Yamaha" When they have NOTHING to do with the company!
Walmart, Kmart announce Black Friday-esque deals for days other than Black Friday {Engadget}
Nov 8th 2008 1:01AM I'm looking forward to these black friday deals because with the economy cutting jobs (like mine) at a 25 year high, I'm having to trade my laptop for a car!! Then again, my current one is a Toshiba A105 with vista basic and a 80gig HD. So, even the "crappy" Compaq from Wal Mart sounds better than what I got.
I say stretch out the black friday deals as long as you can!!! We as the consumer could surely use the break.
Just.... don't can anyone else for it. At this point, the layoffs in the tech and retail field are getting a bit too thick (not that I ever shopped at CC, but everyone needs a paycheck ya know)
NADA estimates 700 dealers will close in 2008 {Autoblog}
Oct 29th 2008 10:25AM Well, considering that the average dealership employs anywhere from 30 (small single brand complex) to 300 (multi-brand complex) employees, that could mean a domestic job loss of up to 210,000 in a worse-case senario.
Even at one TENTH that, it's alot of jobs to yank out from under the non-working public. And, not all of those jobs can be absorbed in other industries. Sure, you might be able to find work if you're a Janitor, admin assistant or the like from one of these dealerships. But, if you're a sales manager, master mechanic or sales associate then good luck finding another dealer looking to hire.
Then again, I'm thinking of the job market and the economy as a whole, and not the "Big 3".... because right now I could care less if the only cars left being made were 4-cylinder econobox sedans and vans. As long as the workforce is kept up and there is profit of SOME type rolling in, that is really all that should matter.
Jeeps could soon be built in India {Autoblog}
Oct 15th 2008 3:05PM "None of those Indian made Jeeps better be sent to America. I drive a 98 XJ and I would never consider buying a foreign-built Jeep. It's just wrong....."
Coming from a guy who's using the image of an English rebellion leader (who is FOREIGN) as their avatar
Either you're a hypocrite or an idiot. With today's economy, it might be "build them in India" or get ready to scrounge the boneyards for parts for your Jeep, because they'll be out of the biz come next fiscal year
Toshiba launches Satellite Pro S300 / S300M laptops {Engadget}
Oct 14th 2008 5:28AM Dude...ENOUGH with inserting Macbook/Apple/iPhone comments into EVERYTHING, especially where Apple isn't even mentioned!!
This is the SAME colour scheme that Toshiba has been using for..what...like a decade! My A105 has the same colours! And yes, it feels of cheap flimsy plastic but at the time it was the best deal out there for the specs it has. I just have to deal with a cheap chassis...bleh...
Apple didn't invent silver and black paint. Get over it.
Samsung readies premium laptops for US soup lines {Engadget}
Oct 14th 2008 5:16AM Wow...would LOVE to live in your mythical world where jobs are as easy to find as they were in the 90's and nobody is suffering from foreclosure and reposession.....
I have a BA in Theatrical Engineering, and I was laid off 5 months ago from the theater I was working for because they couldn't keep the doors open after a buyout. Since then I have yet to find a job even after 12 years in the industry with tons of awards and credits. This is NOT a rare occurance: I know everyone from mechanics to EMT's who are more than fully trained, but so many companies are scaling back that there haven't been any new jobs for months.
That being said, I've gone to rebuilding my Toshiba A105 because frankly, I don't know of ANYONE who can throw down $1500 on this year's trendy laptop. Sure, I'd like a nice thin large screen replacement as much as the next dude, but while you're up there in your ivory tower in Upstate New York, the rest of us poor schleps (especially in the Southwest) are making due with what we have while the federal government throws trillions of our tax dollars at bailing out rich executives so they can go to lavish California retreats. Meanwhile, my 401(k) just lost $216,000 and getting ready for a buddy of mine to move in with me after his mortgage went from $900 a month to $2100 a month forcing him out.
But you go right on ahead with your little "theory" of natural market correction. I'm sure the folks in Upstate New York would LOVE to share the secret that all of us ignorant folks out here in the rest of the country can't seem to get for those jobs "for those who want them".
Compaq's Presario CQ70: lots of screen, not a lot of dough {Engadget}
Oct 9th 2008 8:41AM Wow. Stuck up much Barry?
For the coin, that's not a bad deck. Some of us prefer the larger screen, and I can assure you that most students and basic biz schleps are NOT going to use HDMI. Compared to some of the other cheaper laptop offerings, this looks good.
I think that the majority of the people on this site realize that not everyone needs a gaming laptop, can afford (or want) the latest iPhone iteration, or needs EVERYTHING with a screen to be HD. For getting the papers written, watching some vids and pushing office documents, this is pretty sharp, and a core duo IS a pretty powerful setup for 90% of the users out there (contrary to what the salesmen want you to think.... especially the salesmen who work at Circuit City). IF that's the attitude that you convey to your customers looking for a good deck for cheap, it's no wonder that your company is going bankrupt.
Calling a consumer unintelligent just because they want a larger screen and don't want a feature they'll never use is pretty douchebaggy
Peugeot HYmotion3 Compressor concept is high tech, low risk {Engadget}
Oct 8th 2008 7:30AM Again...this is why fuel efficient bikes will fail in the US because of ignorant American attitudes.
"Oh no! Motorcycles are unsafe!"
-Do you realize that, machine for machine, motorcycles have LESS fatal accidents than cars? Also, insurance premiums for bikes in most developed nations are nearly one FIFTH the cost of a 4 wheeled car? Everyone always seems to have a story about how they "knew this guy who had his head severed clear off!" in a motorcycle accident, but neglects to mention the 3 or 4 people that he or she knows that were killed or severely injured in a car accident? It's selective fear.
Also, in car accidents, as with bike accidents, it's not the initial impact that does the damage. It's "secondary impact": Collisions with the interior of the car, and then your internal organs colliding with your body because they're still in motion, encased in fluids, even if your exterior body is no longer moving. By riders "ditching" the bike, they are minimalising the impact their bodies face in the initial collision.
Also, when you DO see a serious accident on a bike, tell me: How many of those riders were actually wearing a helmet? Very few I would wager. Safety gear goes a long way in protection. I know: I was hit at 70mph broadside and still made it home alive. Yes, I had a broken leg, but compared to the sedan the DUI hit AFTER my bike... 3 of the 4 passengers in the other car were killed. Nothing replaces an armoured jacket, helmet and a set of eyes with a brain behind it.
For me, I refuse to ride in many new cars because they are ENCASED in explosives that are supposed to "keep you safe", aka "airbags". The last car I was in a year ago that had one of these bastards go off broke my nose! I hardly see how THAT was "keeping me safe" especially when we only rear ended the guy at 20mph! I STILL got whiplash to boot...of course, this was a Saab that had a recall on the headrests not working properly. Found out why they had that recall the hard way.
"Does this mean two guys have to spoon..."
-Seriously, if all you can think about is a homoerotic reference when you talk about motorcycles, you really got other issues than high fuel costs. There is the American egotist at work. God forbid that someone might think that it's suggested that we possibly in some fashion MIGHT be in close proximity with another person of the same sex....so let's slam the bike that MAY lead to a POSSIBLE conclusion by other homophobic types who MAY see this bike with me in it.
Americans want fuel efficient cars and bikes, but only if they can get it in their SUV's and Dodge Challengers! And, dear GOD if it's French...because we have a bigotry we have to uphold even if French car and bike makers have given up on the US market as a dead market.
You as a country want fuel efficient rides... well here ya go! Don't say that automakers aren't listening: America doesn't want them, never has, and from the looks of the posts...they never will. Just a nation of whiners.
Peugeot HYmotion3 Compressor concept is high tech, low risk {Engadget}
Oct 8th 2008 6:41AM Meh, colour me not impressed.
Now, I DO did the canopy concept. And for those of you ignorant to the world of motorcycling, that is NOT supposed to protect you in an accident (The LAST thing you want to do is be around a bike when it wrecks. All training classes tell you to ditch the bike, since you should be wearing a helmet and decent riding armour. Best to take a tumble and a bit of road rash than to be caught up in or under the wreckage. Survived a DUI accident like that and literally walked away. A bike is replacable. A knee or skull...not so much). But, what the canopy is good for is protection from incliment weather and improved aerodynamics. Granted there's the "wind in the face" thrill factor, but for an everyday commuter I can deal with a bit of shielding from the rain and the bugs!
But, I expect more from Peugeot.
The Piaggio MP3, which is this HEAVILY borrowed from, in it's smallest configuration (a 250cc LEADER liquid cooled single cylinder CVT driven transmission with alloy block/head) gets about 70 to 75mpg if driven conservatively. This I know, because it's the same motor they use in my Vespa GTS 250ie, which would weigh about the same considering that it's all steel as opposed to the Peugeot's composite body. the LX50, a 50cc variant, can pull 90mpg. granted 29hp is a long way from the 9hp -/+ that the LX50 produces, but to only gain 40mpg off of the larger motor that could be used in this bike from it's non-hybrid bretheren seems to be a bit.... well... underwhelming. And, that's if they decide to use a 250. Odds are that it's going to have a 125cc LEADER air cooled mill, which would get better mileage. Most hybrid cars can double their average output when compared to their single-milled sedan counterparts. SUV hybrids aren't as good, but they have a massive weigh issue to contend with. I don't see how the Peugeot can weigh too much more than the MP3250 or Vespa GTS250ie when comparing possible materials.
Then again, this is all just conjecture since, like most bike builders, Peugeot does not and will not sell this in the US. They have AWESOME scooters (look up the "Speedfight". Awesomeness in a bike 1/2 the size of the ones it races against), but they see the US as a bunch of inbred rednecks who think that Harley Davidson is the pinnacle of technology... that only gets 40mpg based off of a 90 YEAR OLD frame design! Efficent bikes and cars are not WANTED in the US, because it's only when we started paying half of what the rest of the world has been for fuel that we started clamoring for them.
Would this scooter sell well in the US? No. Not because of quality mind you, but because of the stigma of scooters in the US. I still get people who are amazed that I pass them on the freeway on my Vespa, and they STILL keep calling it a "moped"!!!! Mopeds have 50cc's or LESS and ...well...pedals. Then again, these are the same people who think you don't need a motorcycle licence or plates for them, even when it's faster than the rest of the 250cc "traditional" motorcycles in it's class. You could triple the mileage, and the average American will still scoff because they're ego is too big. You can triple the horsepower, and add all the bells and whistles on it, but again... if it's not a Harley or a "busa", they'll scoff because of ego.
A shame really, because I REALLY have a soft spot in my heart for canopy bikes. The rest of my friends think I'm daft, but I think they're nifty in a way.
No way in hell I'd get rid of my GTS for one, but if I could afford it I'd buy one to keep the Vespa company. They'll use a ton of the same parts anyways...
