FAPTurbo

If someone wants to post, it doesn't take much effort to sign up. All this does is just invite lazy people with lazy, unfounded opinions to blather. On a gaming forum I moderated, we tried this. It's a different audience but it could happen here and make C & G trollbait. I would much rather a system where Facebook logins are used. If that cannot be done, I'd forget the idea.

Yeah seriously. Conversation of this high quality is podcast territory.

RUBRUBRUB WE CAN'T USE THE SAME FUEL AS THE TRACTORS BELONGING TO THE PEASANTRY! RUBRUBRUB

Nissan Versa

Of course they'll be options. But power-adjustable pedals should be standard. That feature alone could add quite a few sales.

WOOOOOOOO 500 LAPS OF CIRCLES WOOOOOOO

Buell could have been a credible alternative early last decade. For example, rumour has it, that what is now the Harley V-Rod's engine was initially slated to go into Buell's. The engine is high-revving and liquid-cooled, two traits that were out of character for HD at the time. Also, it has dual overhead-cams! Essentially, it was the anti-Harley engine, much like the VR-1000 project that Harley scuttled in the mid-90's. The engine was intended to fit in Buell's XB line, which debuted in 2003'ish. But Harley wanted the engine to also fit a power-cruiser and capitalize on a burgeoning market. So their engineers took over the 'Revolution' project. But the engine grew in weight and they had to change its profile/shape to fit the 'Harley image.' This made the engine about 20 pounds too heavy and unable to shoehorn into the XB's frame. So Erik Buell had to go back to the drawing board and create a new line of Buell engines based on the air-cooled Harley Sportster powerplant, which he had based his bikes on before. These air-cooled 'Thunderstorm' engines, while very neat, simply couldn't compete with similar bikes from other makes. Also, the design of the XB, which was intended to have a water-cooled engine, obscured the rear piston, meaning the cylinder would become very hot. Buell had to place a loud fan that would kick in when the bike was parked and was an inelegant solution. Harley got the V-Rod with its incredible engine, but the bike became a dog in terms of sales. It wasn't a 'real' Harley according to Hog-lovers and people buying power-cruisers figured its comparably low displacement equalled gutlessness (totally untrue). This failed experiment pretty much demonstrates why Buell bit the dust. Despite being a profitable contingent in Harley's stable, HOG's directors were more concerned about selling bandanas and leather chaps. To them, Buell was just a tertiary program. A shame, because a lot of Buell's developments ended up in HD's bikes, and this is especially apparent in the XR1200 Sportster, which uses components from Buell to boost its power output by 30%. Buell's 1125R/CR bikes use a Rotax engine that is liquid cooled. But every model year, from 08/09-10 faces considerable reliability woes. The 08's had fuel mapping problems which made them horrible to ride in the city, as well as clutch weeping issues. The 09's/'10's fixed those issues, but introduced new problems. The most major one was melting stators, leaving riders stranded. Erik Buell's company sells parts which increase the amount of oil that bathes the stator, but it's a fairly expensive fix. Apparently, some of the issues with the Rotax are due to metric/imperial conversion problems or miscommunications. My Buell is a mish-mash of both systems and I can imagine this created problems for Rotax, which is Austrian/Canadian and therefore, metric. I can't speak for the Ninja but I've worked fairly extensively on a few GS500's. When I was training in mechanics, I'd always head for the GS500 we had in the garage because it was brilliantly simple. Everything about the bike is 'just so.' Positioning of key components is common sense and easy for DIY'ers and the bike performs like a bike should.

Update, 21st, 2012... Instead of a good ride in the mountains with friends, the Blast wanted to stay in the garage instead. I decided to get gas before the trip but the fuel-cap would only be partially removed. It was caught in or on the tank. Since I couldn't gas up, I couldn't head for the hills. No fun. I removed the gas cap assembly and found that the plastic portion of the fuel cap was overlapping the metal, therefore catching and making the cap difficult to remove. The cap always required a jiggle to remove but I figured that's how it was. But, this time, it simply wouldn't come loose. You'll see how the plastic has been chewed up a bit. Turns out, this is a problem with other people's Blast's too. Unfortunately, the solution is to file the overlapping plastic down. I did this and it seems to have solved the problem, though it feels and looks totally amateur. This is a bit of a downer. This is a bike that has been in production for quite some time. An average person would wonder what else they didn't get right with the bike, if they couldn't make the fuel cap fit properly. But maybe the bike will redeem itself tomorrow. It's destined for the twisty road to Whistler.

It's a bit funny that a zero-emission electric car is likely a victim of climate change.

In a nutshell.

So this will have Hyundai and KIA competing against each other for luxury buyers? I thought KIA was destined to be the volume brand.

wat

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If you can admit you have a penchant for speed, you're already smarter than many riders. For the city, a 250 is fine. But if you need something that has more oomph for the freeway, don't shy away from a Ninja 500R or a Suzuki GS500. And like 250's, they can cheap as chips on the used market.

Update, July 13th, 2012... I did a couple days of good highway riding recently on the Blast. If anyone is aiming to do freeway commutes that are more than 15 minutes long per trip, consider a different bike. Because the Buell has no fairing or wind protection, things get very breezy when hitting 80km/h (50mph). It's tolerable for only a short while. Plus, I had a hard time keeping the Blast over 100km/h. (60mph). It was likely my size and weight that created a lot of extra drag, but that little powertrain just didn't want to go faster. This is good in one way: it keeps the rider out of trouble. The bad news is that this potentially makes it harder to pass large vehicles like trucks. If a rider tries to pass a truck, they'll be caught in a lot of turbulence, for a long time as the engine struggles along. Since the bike is unfaired, this could be a problem, especially to a new rider. The good news is that in 5th gear and at high speed, the Blast's powertrain is very smooth. So that makes things a little better.

I feel bad for the family. But depending upon the circumstances, some riders deserve to have their guts paint the road. Summer's in full swing and so are the morons in sandals riding R1's. I'd be less annoyed except that many of these riders create dangerous situations for themselves and others on the road. Just today I had some lunatic on the highway pass me on the right, sharply cut to the left and then weave between several vehicles before opening up when the coast was clear. Turns out, we were headed to the same motorcycle dealership. I chewed him out in the parking lot before he got back on his bike. As he left, the bike cut out twice before he hit the road, because he couldn't keep his clutch in the friction zone. So he duckwalked to the road, revved it like mad, and blew through an intersection on a yellow light, right in front of a car turning left. Real pro. Often, these are the same morons that wear a back protector with their t-shirt. Because that'll help a lot.

Fiskar Karma. Then trade it for a house that's not in Michigan.

Olds' second suggestion is a good one. But TigerDirect/CompUSA sells this Acer model which has a higher resolution, for cheaper.

Happy Birthday, Gentlemen!

I'm on that weird part of Cheers and Gears again.

Update... July 2nd, 2012 I hit 5,555km (~3,500mi) and figured I'd add to the review. My initial criticism's of the Blast still remain. Despite changing to synthetic 20w/50 gear oil, the shifts from neutral to first, and first to second, remain clunky. Hitting neutral between first and second is very common. This mainly happens in intersections, where the rider's concentration is especially focused on the surroundings. This isn't really dangerous, as it is annoying. The vibration at idle is still annoying. It's discomforting when you hear a rattle you've never heard before. Any DIY'er should keep Loc-Tite in their toolbox if they own a Blast. Freeway speeds don't agree with the Blast. It will get up to them, but maintaining them isn't pleasant. Also, the lack of a real fairing also means there is a lot of wind/turbulence. This is an issue with all 'naked' bikes, mind you. Really, the Buell is at home in the city or on a twisty, rural road. Gear oil grievances. I decided to change the oil in my gearbox about 100km ago. This is something to be done at the 5,000 mile mark but I decided to do it early. The process is a pain. It requires the removal of the muffler/exhaust, which is held to the bike by a pair of braces. One brace in particular, towards the rear wheel, has a set of bolts that require a bit of finesse to access. You must feed a hex-key blindly into the frame and have the key find the bolt and lock into it. Then the nut that faces out can be ratcheted off. All in all, it can be done in 10 minutes. Removing the exhaust exposes the gearbox's oil drain bolt, which is a cinch to remove. It's a good idea to give the bike a good run to warm the oil before draining. Filling the gearbox is another issue. It requires removing a part of the frame that the main footpeg is attached to. Three bolts hold it in place, in a cavity underneath the seat. Removing the bolts is awful. You will need a universal joint for your ratchet and a short and long extension. You'll also need a lot of patience, as you'll constantly have to re-adjust the U-joint. It's a slow procedure. Once the portion of the frame is removed, accessing the gearbox is a cinch. You'll need a Torx screwdriver or key to open the port to the clutch. When that's opened, simply pour in 20w/50 synthetic oil like Mobil 1's V-Twin formula or Amsoil's. Dedicated gear oil is NOT to be used. Reattaching the frame component is as horrible as removing it. Again, a U-joint and the socket wrench extensions are required. Now, with the bad stuff out of the way... I will say the bike never fails to impress in the city and twisties. For an engine with ~30HP, it has a lot of pick-me up. A rider can get to 60km/h (40mp/h) in second gear, in no time. This bike will give you a solid lead over vehicles at the intersection, allowing for a decent cushion between you and the driver behind. Throttle response is OK. Compared to a modern, computerized bike with fuel-injection, the Blast is a pig. But when passing cars or weaving between lanes, it's good enough. Handling is what makes this bike live up to its name. This thing hugs curves like a dream, while remaining very compliant. Many sport-bikes can be finicky or too reactive, which is unnerving to novices. The Blast eats corners like a Ducati, but with cruiser-like comfort. It won't be as fast as the Duc, but will be just as fun. In a parking lot slalom, the Blast would zip between each cone (the space that is 1 1/2 the lenght of the Blast) with ease. It's impressive how well-mannered the bike is, during cornering and quick turns. Also, the Blast is a simple bike mechanically. Debugging issues is easy. I can`t think of a better machine for budding mechanics to work on. But it`d be more of a Blast... If the fuel-mixture was a bit richer by default. The bike has plenty of low-end, but it lacks in the mid-range. I find myself hitting fourth gear quite often just to stay in the low-end of the powerband. Rejetting the carb and setting a richer mixture is said to help fix this.

But that's why GM offers both. It can attract sport-oriented buyers with the Regal and please traditional purchasers with the Verano.

I don't think Europeans necessarily have higher standards than North America. What they do have, is a strong attachment to brands that are from their continent. The ATS could best the BMW 3 in every way and it would still not sell in Germany if it even came oiled with the blood of Charlemagne.