Inspection blues

It just so happens that both of my bikes are due for inspection and registration renewal at the end of August. The scooter passed inspection, but needed a replacement left brake lever. The Sabre, on the other hand...

Let's just say the speedo issue is catching up with me. While I was able to replace the cable and sensor about a month ago, the speedo still bobbles up and down but doesn't register anything about 10mph, which indicates that one of the gears, either on the top end, or the bottom end has probably lost some teeth.

So, I've got the bottom end on its way from a seller on eBay. Hopefully this fixes the problem. I just have to find somebody with a jack and an air wrench so I can get the front wheel off.

This should be fun.

On the plus side, I was able to take a friend riding yesterday. He gets around in a wheelchair and had never ridden a motorcycle before. He held on for dear life, but reported that he had enjoyed himself.

Hopefully I can get this speedo situation resolved so I can provide more rides in the future.

Interesting electric concept

After finishing my previous article, I got to looking at the Zap! electric vehicles website, and came across the Alias.

If it's not just talk, this could be a step in the right direction. It's still a plug-in electric and doesn't answer the problems of pollution from power plants, or the price aspects, but it does address some of the performance concerns, and a range of 100 mpc (miles per charge) is better than most other electrics. They make the claim that they are in collaboration with Lotus on the design aspects, which is promising.

It's a classy looking vehicle in the photos (though the above photo was obviously computer manipulated: the lighting and shadows aren't right).

If they can pull it off, and put a more affordable pricetag on it, the Alias might just be the ticket.

It's Electric!...

But it only goes 40 miles on a charge and costs more than a Prius!

I've been sitting on this topic for a few weeks because I've been trying to ponder all of the angles and provide as fair an assessment as possible.

Chevy recently unveiled the Volt and it was touted by our president as groundbreaking and so on. Well, I hate to say he's wrong, but he's wrong.

First off, GM has been talking about the Volt for several years now. As I recall, it was supposed to have hit production a few years ago, but they hit some technological snags. Now, they present it as such a wonderful breakthrough and herald it as an eco-vehicle.
Well...It's not.

Let's start with the range. 40 miles, extended by a gas generator if necessary. That 40 miles is achieved by plugging in the car to a power outlet, where the power most likely comes from a coal fired power plant. Yeah, that's "eco-friendly" alright. Now, if it were powered by a nuclear plant, I'd easily concede that point, but with the current view of nuclear power by the current regime in Washington, that's not likely to happen.

The range on the electrical charge is about the same or perhaps a bit better than most of the completely electric vehicles from China.

Take the "Zap Xebra" for example. It gets 25 mpc (miles per charge) stock, which, if I remember correctly, can be extended to about 40 mpc with an optional expansion battery pack. The Xebra lacks a gas engine and only has three wheels, which are two of its biggest drawbacks. It qualifies as a motorcycle due to its wheel configuration, requiring the operator to obtain a motorcycle license. On the other hand, at $11,000, it's far less expensive than the Volt, and for someone who will use it for short commutes, it may be a far more attractive option (despite the country of origin and the inferior fit and finish that usually entails).

That takes us to the second issue with the Volt; its price. At over 40 grand, the only vehicle that Chevy currently makes that costs more is the 'Vette. The average American, struggling to break even in our current economy (raises hand), can't pay that much for a new car. The price relegates the Volt to "Fashion accessory" status for the elite who want to tout how "green" they are. This is as hypocritical as those who drive a Prius for the same reason. Even if they run the vehicle solely on battery power without ever hitting the gas generator, they still have to plug it in, which (as mentioned) probably uses coal power, which adds pollutants to the air, endangers the lives of coal miners, and so on. Then there's the question of what to do with the battery once it is no longer viable for recharging (which will happen eventually). The toxins in the battery will need to be disposed of and could be ecologically damaging (the biggest issue I have with the Prius).

It seems I rolled my third point into the second. In any case, I want electric vehicles to succeed. I want to see the U.S. move to clean, sustainable, constant power options (read clean nuclear). The problem is, the current electric vehicle market just doesn't measure up. Other than the Tesla Roadster, none of the electric vehicles that are currently available have anything resembling a respectable range. Not only that, but electric vehicles have yet to solve the problems of affordability for the masses and being truly environmentally friendly.

I hate to say it, but until something better comes along, the internal combustion engine is here to stay.

Whatever happened to Hydrogen Fuel cells?

Rough day - Some bright points.

I woke up this morning feeling dizzy. It was a poor start to the day. I was supposed to teach Sunday School for the teen boys at church, but I could not risk trying to ride 20 miles while feeling loopy, so I called one of the other teachers to have her fill in. I went back to bed and felt a bit better by the afternoon.

Unfortunately, my son decided it was time to express his teenager-ness. I know it's normal, but this was a bit over-the-top. I was hurt and was very close to losing my temper. Since I was feeling physically better, I went for a little ride on the Sabre to clear my head. As I was riding, I came across a field of Sunflowers.

The bright yellow flowers were a reminder of God's grace. He knew I would need cheering up, and led me to a road with just the remedy.

After shooting the above image, I passed a tractor pulling a haywagon loaded with kids. As they hollared for me to blow my horn, I revved the V4 and blew the Sabre's dual horns in glee as I whizzed past. I don't generally hotdog at all, and this probably only marginally qualified, but it was fun to hear the kids on the wagon cheer and laugh.

So, it's been a day of pluses and minuses, but in the end, I am aware that God is good. Even in my darkest times when I am feeling lost and hurt, He has control and will get me through.

More mechanical shenanigans

Today was a very relaxing and mostly uneventful day. I started out the day by running to the local Honda dealer for some oil and a filter, then took my wife and son to Costco for the obtaining of household necessities, we then went to the local hospital to return a holter monitor that I had to wear yesterday to observe for heart palpitations (fun fun), and returned home after that.

The Sabre needed an oil change (hence the visit to the Honda dealer), so I got out the necessary tools and got to work. There's something about getting down on the ground with tools and getting grease and grime under your fingernails that is terribly fulfilling. I think I've said something similar before, but it's worth saying again. After I finished with the Sabre, I changed the scoot's oil as well. My kid helped me clean the scoot's air filter as well.

I then rode the Sabre to work since one of my clients needed to buy some things at Walmart, and it seemed to purr with the fresh oil in it. After helping my friend out with his shopping, I decided stretch the Sabre's legs a bit. and headed for the highway.

As I turned onto the on ramp for 222 south, I was confronted by a huge line of traffic which did not seem inclined to move. I backed off the ramp, as many others were doing, and went around by another route. I turned onto Hunsicker road to see if I could see the reason the traffic was not moving. At this point, it appeared that the vehicular constipation had eased a bit, but the cause was obvious. A truck had caught fire in the opposite lanes and was completely obstructing nothing. Hence the need to go slow and stare at the burned out hulk of the trailer (all that remained at the scene), even though the emergency vehicles and the tow truck had already departed.

On the positive side, I got to take the roundabout route, which allowed me to stop in Neffsville and give the Sabre a bath at the car wash.

After coming home, my son wanted to go for a bike ride, so the bikes came up from the basement, got a tuneup on the front walk, and once I got on the seat of my old 18 speed mountain bike, I almost fell right off. I had discovered the difference between a bicycle and a motorcyle or scooter: several hundred pounds.

I finally got my bearings and we were off to explore some of the local paved bike trails, and I was reminded of something else I'd forgotten: I am very out of shape.

On the other side of it, I had fun spending time with my son. I'll be sore tomorrow, but it was worth it. It felt good to be outside, moving myself rather than trusting an engine. Not that I plan to stop riding the Sabre or the Scoot anytime soon, but it was nice to break from my normal routine.

All in all, it was a good day to mess around with my tools and spend some quality time with my kid. He's had a rough couple months and seemed to enjoy the one on one time.