I rode a Ural for years. Fun bike, but needs lots of work to keep it on the road. FWIW, there is some of my art hanging in the factory.
(Me and the moto below)
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A few observations from throughout the thread:
The leaf spring(s) on Corvettes aren't your grandfather's leaf springs. If you were looking for traditional leaf springs under a 'vette, you'd never find them, because there's only one...transversely mounted.
The Jensen Interceptor used a 383, and then later, a 440 Chrysler -- never a Hemi.
I drive a car with a CVT transmission, the Ford Five Hundred. The trannie was designed and made by ZF.
Both Ford and GM have put out truly impressive clean sheet designs in the past year. If the world economy survives, they'll both be fine. Chrysler? Fiat will have to be magicians.
Toyota? The Bose of the automotive world, i.e., you'd only own one if you were looking for an automotive appliance.
The leaf spring(s) on Corvettes aren't your grandfather's leaf springs. If you were looking for traditional leaf springs under a 'vette, you'd never find them, because there's only one...transversely mounted.
The Jensen Interceptor used a 383, and then later, a 440 Chrysler -- never a Hemi.
I drive a car with a CVT transmission, the Ford Five Hundred. The trannie was designed and made by ZF.
Both Ford and GM have put out truly impressive clean sheet designs in the past year. If the world economy survives, they'll both be fine. Chrysler? Fiat will have to be magicians.
Toyota? The Bose of the automotive world, i.e., you'd only own one if you were looking for an automotive appliance.
Kinda like the 1975 Triumph Spitfire my dad bought for me and him to play with when I was a kid??? People try and dress that leaf-spring pony up every time I mention it anywhere but they still can't take it to the prom.
Impressive clean sheet designs are nice. But one must wait ten years and see if the cars are actually worth the ruckus. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
I agree Ford will be fine, despite my moaning about them the fact that they remained solvent all by themselves tells the story there.
GM on the other hand needs more than better design and profitability, they need to make cars people actually want. And I'm sorry but have you seen the best interiors they can offer lately?? There's less plastic at a recycling plant than in a Cadillac's cabin.
The fact that they lived through the nineties with the products they pitched is baffling.Chrysler is screwed yes, but I'm sad because at the very least they brought some panache to the table.
How about Volvo? Seemed not being mentioned.
I drive a '95 940 (2.3T) for 3 years. Except for loosing some fluid (I had a big one weeks ago, though), nothing major. It's really cheap to buy, about the price of a scooter. No kidding, I got mine exactly like that.
It should be safe, or looks a face of safety. Watch out for those little Renaults, though. They could probably smash the middle-age Volvo like this. Boring car? Sure. The traffic is awful as hell anyway. Driving plessure. What is that? I haven't had my GT5 yet.
I drive a '95 940 (2.3T) for 3 years. Except for loosing some fluid (I had a big one weeks ago, though), nothing major. It's really cheap to buy, about the price of a scooter. No kidding, I got mine exactly like that.
It should be safe, or looks a face of safety. Watch out for those little Renaults, though. They could probably smash the middle-age Volvo like this. Boring car? Sure. The traffic is awful as hell anyway. Driving plessure. What is that? I haven't had my GT5 yet.
What insurance?
That's a whole lot different over here. I buy zero insurance for the car itself, only for persons. And liability insurance by government's regulation. Cheap.
This big dumb lazy car has a poor fuel milage, though, especially if you drive in a city like me. Luckily I need only short distance commutes, so overall consumption is still low.
That's a whole lot different over here. I buy zero insurance for the car itself, only for persons. And liability insurance by government's regulation. Cheap.
This big dumb lazy car has a poor fuel milage, though, especially if you drive in a city like me. Luckily I need only short distance commutes, so overall consumption is still low.
Less than 40 were made/sold, not surprising at +$20k in the late '70s.
But the one to see at bike shows was the Münch, one was sold to a collector for $160K afaih.
The Ural sidekick was sold as a Dnepr overhere, pronounced in Cheese by bikers as De Nepper, aka The Faker.
In the late '70s the best bang for the buck at 1/15th of the Van Veen 1000 price tag. (and a whole lot prettier than a Hercules vacuum cleaner)
Just last week I flicked through a bike mag at the supermarket and it seems they are making a few more VanVeen OCR1000s at a price even more ridiculous.
And yes that Hercules was hideously ugly.
And the latest '08 Urals put out a staggering 40hp!
But ultimate power is not really my concern, I'd just like to build a BMW Kompressor replica without having to butcher a real classic BMW.
There are lessons to be learned from the vintage car market where many a road-going Maserati with gorgeous one-off bodywork has been destroyed because people paid more for race replicas. There are now more pre-war racers about than Maserati ever made.
And yes that Hercules was hideously ugly.
And the latest '08 Urals put out a staggering 40hp!
But ultimate power is not really my concern, I'd just like to build a BMW Kompressor replica without having to butcher a real classic BMW.
There are lessons to be learned from the vintage car market where many a road-going Maserati with gorgeous one-off bodywork has been destroyed because people paid more for race replicas. There are now more pre-war racers about than Maserati ever made.
Pick up a single composite leaf from a 'vette and compare its weight to the two coil springs it replaces. With the spitfire, I think they used five leafs hand forged from pig iron.
Panache??? Like the Charger and 300? Maybe the Sebring and LeBaron? Oh, I know...you're talking about that truck with a sports car body...the Viper.
CD, you´ll have your job cut out then. Building a lookalike...maybe, but a replica? The kompressor was based on the sport which wasn´t for sale, ever. You only got them on loan - and even that was a problem. In the years when BMW had a "nobody else" hold of the sidecar class, it was people who had forgotten to give them back, serviced by diehards in the firm who did it after hours and with parts not kept in the books.
Years later, Helmut Dähne´s TT Beemer wasn´t a R90S - a 75/5 "breathed on" by the same clannish crowd. The Paris-Dakar Beemers only became works machines by winning, up and until then they had been prepared by freelancers.
Still - if and when you do it, may a friend from Germany get it for ten minutes? Just once around the block, with silent pipes? C´m on!
Years later, Helmut Dähne´s TT Beemer wasn´t a R90S - a 75/5 "breathed on" by the same clannish crowd. The Paris-Dakar Beemers only became works machines by winning, up and until then they had been prepared by freelancers.
Still - if and when you do it, may a friend from Germany get it for ten minutes? Just once around the block, with silent pipes? C´m on!
Pit,
lookalike it is then but sadly the chances that I'll ever have the money or space are slim to none!
John Surtees still owns his BMW racer. He also owned Schorsch Meiers TT-winning Kompressor but he sold that back to BMW Heritage. He also has the worlds only 507 with disc brakes.
Count Agusta gave it to him for winning something on an MV and Dunlop suggested fitting discs to it.
The guy who won the Dakar on the Beemer was tiny!
He had to step on the cylinder to get his leg over it.
lookalike it is then but sadly the chances that I'll ever have the money or space are slim to none!
John Surtees still owns his BMW racer. He also owned Schorsch Meiers TT-winning Kompressor but he sold that back to BMW Heritage. He also has the worlds only 507 with disc brakes.
Count Agusta gave it to him for winning something on an MV and Dunlop suggested fitting discs to it.
The guy who won the Dakar on the Beemer was tiny!
He had to step on the cylinder to get his leg over it.
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