| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
I'm having trouble posting. At first, I thought it was because I did a copy/paste of an e-mail that I got from Buell. But then I tried to post a Snippet and the site won't let me. The Snippet was strictly text. It's a problem. Fix it. | ||
| Crusty |
I just wrote another Snippet that it won't accept. I guess you don't want to have people writing about motorcycles. Just politics. | ||
| Tpehak |
Nobody cares about motorcycles | ||
| Oldog |
Nobody cares about motorcycles }QUIET FROM THE PEA-NUT SECTION}  T-FAQUE carry on John | ||
| Ourdee |
Angel or Devil? | ||
| Ourdee |
Crusty's snippet: I got that e-mail about the Buell Super Cruiser being on display at Daytona and my mind has been racing since. I feel like I’ve got the old angel on one shoulder and the old devil on the other. One’s telling me that I shouldn’t go and the other is telling me that I should. there are compelling arguments for both sides and I’m not too sure which side is the Angel and which side is the Devil. When I look at them, I see myself in both. Arguments for going are that it wouldn’t cost that much. Camping in Deland at the Fastlane Campground is only $15.00/night. I don’t know gas prices between here and Daytona, but I figure $200.00 would be ample and I expect that the prices would be lower as I went south. Even if prices stay the same, That should be enough. I can eat pretty cheaply when I’m traveling. One other thing is that I can get a “Super Ticket” that gives me admission to both Flat track races and to the Daytona 200 for $100.00. I could do the trip for under $500.00. I could Demo ride bikes and see the accessories show for free during the day and see the races at night. That’s besides checking out the new model Buells. I’m enamored with the Super Cruiser, but I also would like to see the Super Tourer. My friend Roy has a strong interest in it. I could also check out the big swap meet right by the campground. And the weather is forecast to be almost Ideal - highs in the mid-70s to low 80s and sunny. One other argument for going is that it will give me a chance to check out how to pack the Express with my gear. I’ll bring the same amount of gear that I’ll be carrying on my trip to Tuk. It will be a good shake down ride. Arguments against going are mainly, Five Hundred Bucks is Five Hundred Bucks. I’ll need that when I go to Tuk. But I’m thinking that I can do both trips without too much strain on my finances. If I owe Discover $500.00 at the end of my trip to the Arctic, the interest will only be something like 10 bucks per month and it will be paid off within the next month or two. I have a few friends whose opinions I respect that will have nothing to do with Liquid Assets after the way they screwed Erik Buell. The way I’m looking at it is that if Buell (Liquid Assets) goes belly up, then all of Erik’s innovations will just fade away and he and his companies will be a minor footnote in history. However; if I buy a (LA)Buell, I’m showcasing the advances Erik pushed through, in spite of all of the Corporate resistance he got from the forward thinking executives (HA!!!) at the MoFoCo. Those brilliant buffoons took the engine that was promised to Erik and re-engineered it to the point that it was useless for a Sport bike. But they KNEW what would sell. I guess that’s why the V-scrod was such a financial success. Or somethin’. If those same paragons of engineering had found a cure for their advanced rectal occulitis, then they might have built something like the Super Cruiser. An FXR frame with a real powerhouse engine and good brakes and suspension. A far better bike in almost every respect that looks a lot better, as well. Then again; they were the same great thinkers who thought that Elton John was the embodiment of of the Spirit of Harley-Davidson. (I wonder if that’s why so many Harley riders like to dress like gay pirates?) Well; the mental debate is continuing. If I’m going to go, I’d better decide soon; Bike week starts in a couple of days. (Message edited by OURDEE on March 02, 2023) | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Crusty, Go. Have fun. Enjoy the Florida weather, watch some races, and check out the new bikes! | ||
| Ebutch |
Crusty:  | ||
| Aesquire |
Go.. I'm relatively agnostic on the corporate moral issues. I see both sides as you describe them & lean towards considering the machine as a historical object. That's not an attitude on Buell, specifically. I gave a Russian built rifle as a gift, and have owned Chinese ones, and have friends with German WW2 rifles. They are objects with historical and recreational importance that is not tarnished by the horrors of the political systems and wars that they were manufactured for. Or you can consider the psychic stain ( If you perceive one ) to be a valuable lesson. I own a Chinese made kite, got an Email from the lady at a privately owned company about how my order was delayed by a lockdown when 2 people in her Province tested positive... Honesty compels me to admit I was a cheapskate who didn't want to pay a lot more for a German company's superior product manufactured in Ceylon or India. I bought the Chinese copy eyes open and gotta admit a less than perfect social responsibility, here. But I'll remember that Chinese lady locked in her apartment when I fly the thing & hopefully sail lakes with it. Also there's a Technical lesson in the objects... A good motorcycle is a good motorcycle, the kite? Let you know. Unrelated, or tangential, don't buy crap. I have a house full of Ikea bookshelves that are disposable, they won't move with me, never survive it. & not worth the effort. But they do their job just fine, and their disposable nature was intended. ( cheapskate ) I also have a pair of Saarinen tulip chair Chinese knockoffs that are not worth the money. Have to be tightened often and bleh. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_chair I've also got 3 vintage Saarinen office chairs bought well used ( arrived by bus ) and had re- upholstered in NOS fabric a close lady friend had collected. https://www.knoll.com/product/saarinen-executive-a rm-chair-swivel-base Best chair ever. Funnier yet, I brought the beat up chairs and fabric to a local shop, they gave me a quote. I handed it back and told them it wasn't enough. I repeated my request for foam thickness and density and told him they were going to be a pain to do. He raised his bid $100 and we parted with him being amused at the sucker with ego issues. 3 months later they were done, and he bitched loudly they were the hardest $%$$&#@ he'd ever done. He did a decent job. I paid less for all three antiques & the restoration than one New one. |
