[mscuddy]

There he goes again....

That's too bad. I think the world needed another plug fouling, cylinder destroying, impossible to tune dirt bike, maybe they could have knocked the YZ490 off the pedestal as one of the worst dirt bike ever made, with their dirty bike. Not that I'm bitter, or anything...but really, my '05 XB9 City X was crap. Nice looking and handling crap, but crap none the less. I think my 441 Beezer was about as reliable. Sorry, but dats de trooth.

 

[mscuddy]

Well, let's see..

Really, just wondering, what was crap about it?

First, at about 200 miles, the kickstand bolt broke at Bobs Big Boy in Burbank, on Friday night, and broke the left footpeg off, and bent the shifter. I was laughed out of the place by all the hot rodders and bikers.

Then at around 1500 miles (about four weeks for me), it started fouling the rear spark plug, which was a real bear to get to, I had to use a gas line stuck to the top of the teeny tiny plug to route it through all the smit to finally reach the plug hole, and then use a double-reverse universal joint, with the plug tool, while standing on a stool, with 3 or 4 3/8th extensions stuck to the ratchet, while leaning over the fender of my truck, at an angle.

Then, it started gradually loosing power, real imperceptable like, until it had all the power of an old Hodaka with bad rings. I was getting beaten by guys on ancient 450 Suzuki twins.

By this time I had taken it to the shop 3 or 4 times, trying to get the plug fouling fixed. At the 5000 mike mark, I took it to California HD in Harbor City, Ca for the warranty service.

That's when they found out the top end was shot, from excessive carbon (duh, no kidding)..and the bike spent 3 weeks in the shop, getting a NEW MOTOR.

When I finnaly got the XB back, it started leaking oil like, well, like a Harley, and I took it back, oh, 3 more times to get the leaks fixed.

By this time, I was getting disgusted with the whole Buell experience, and was riding my old Japanese bikes a whole bunch. You know, 37 year old CL350 Hondas that don't leak a drop, DT1 Yamahas, Motorized bicycles, you know, reliable stuff.

Then, when I got the City Cross back the last time, my mother in-law was dying, and I took a day off from work, to run some errands for my wife.

That's when Vaha Bustiziian centerpunched me in his SUV, on a street close to home, and ended my riding for good, by breaking my back, and paralyzing me. The Buell looked like it had been put in a trash compactor, and I spent 5 months in the hospital.

That is why I don't like Buells.

 

[mscuddy]

...oh Well...

Look around for old Hondas, they're everywhere, lurking in garages all across this great land,just waiting to be unearthed. Back around 6 years ago, I found a pristine 1970 CL350 in a neighbors garage, had 1200 miles on it. It was a keeper. Here's a pic. Rode it more than I did anything else. Always ran, was pretty quick too.

About the guy who nailed me, nothing happened to him, he got a ticket for a incorrect lane change, or some such bs. The cops here in Burbank are deathly afraid of the ethnic group this a hole belongs to. They can get away with murder, or something close to it. And all the lawers I consulted with said the legal costs to persue this guy would ruin me financially, and if we did nail him, he's just go back to Arm**** and that would be the end of it.

 

[mscuddy]

That bleeped word is....

Im sorry but what was that bleeped word...? i feel rather stupid...

Thats a beautiful CL, if you havn't sold it, and ever want to, tell me. same colour and similar paint job as the 100 we had.

ARMENIA.

Nope, the CL is long gone. Sold it in May after I got out of rehab, along with everything else that once made me happy (DT1, CR500, TC100, CB350, DT1MX, XL250, etc..etc...) I guess God said "That's it for you" and my biking days were done. Here's a shot of the fleet, from a year or so ago, before I got the XB9SX...

 

[mscuddy]

"Sure. Just ask Cannondale"

It was that backwards cylinder head deal that freaked everyone out. Proper bikes have the carb BEHIND the cylinder head, not in front. Unless you're riding a Mustang, or old Cushman, that is...

I predict a two-stroke come back, when they get rid of loop scavenging, so it can run a four-stroke type lower end for crank/cylinder lubricaiton.

Notice in Cycle News the adds lately..."1997 YZ426, 30 hours on motor, must sell before she blows, best offer over $200.00".

 

[mscuddy]

A 300cc open class? Choke, gasp....

listen to the new MX formula the FIM/AMA wants to foist on us:

1: 300cc four Stroke open class.

2: 125cc two stroke, uh, 125 class.

What a crock. Betcha it's a French idea...

 

[mscuddy]

Yeah, whata bunch of wimps...

The manufacturers want to keep "50" at the end of the displacement for, get this, marketing reasons. It's looking like the new displacement for MX is going to be 350cc. At least, acording to Steve Whitelock.

I say bring back the open class. Anything goes. Let those who ride decide. Then make the tracks tight, technical and rediculously ignorant. Big fun.

Saw that too, in my searchings for the proposed 2009 rule. Looks like they're gonna bore out 250's to get the required 350 cee cee bike. The wimpopotamuses are saying the new 450's are too fast, and too hard to ride, oh boo hoo! One FIM/AMA twit said something akin to "Just like when we discovered the CR & KX500's were too dangerous, we're discovering the same thing with the 450's."

Sheesh, maybe competition bikes will be limited to 150cc 4 strokes, with 11 horsepower, run on slick-tracks.

As someone who's owned an open class dirt bike SINCE 1973, this doesn't bode well for the sport.

 

[mscuddy]

Exploding 4 strokes, at a track near you, soon.

MX racing is *gasp* DANGEROUS?

LOL! When did the Nannystaterfascists take over motorcycle racing? How did people ever survive the 60's and 70's racing on Triumph650TTs and XLCHs?

I'm waiting to see how well the lower ends survive on these bored out 250s.

Ha, that's a good one. The motorcycle industry foisted works-type 4 strokes on the dirt riding public, under the guise of "getting rid of those dirty two strokes"...and we end up with complex, over stressed motorcycle engines with the lifespan of about 30 hours, before a TOTAL rebuild is needed, costing around three thousand bucks.

Heaven forbid we have a true 500cc two stroke that lasts for years and years, puts out fantastic power, everywhere in the powerband, and goes like stink. I purchased a CR500R in 1987 (the best year if you ask me) and it never wore out. Or sure, I put a few clutches in it, and a few rings, only one .60 over bore, but it lasted 4 ever, and was fast. The lower end was stock, with the exception of one set of crank seals.

This is just like when Chrysler got rid of the slant 6. Was it beacuse the slant 6 never broke down, and MOPAR wasn't selling any parts for 'em? Nah, couldn't be...

 

[mscuddy]

The '51 Nash Ambassador

Emissions. Same reason the LA/Magnum's are gone now, too. The only reason they kept the Jeep 4.0L inline-6 was because AMC had already completed most of the work toward injecting it by the time they bought 'em out.

That's when the OHV 4.1 liter inline six came out btw. Fantastic motor.

I thought Jeep got rid of it last year, and opted for the Mercedes sourced 3.7 liter V6?

 

[mscuddy]

Yes, was thinking about it...

Man, sorry to hear that MSCUDDY, that just sucks. I had a reasonably bad experience with Buell prior to the newer models coming out, but yours takes the cake. Ever thought of monkeying with a sidecar operator?

Thanks, it does indeed suck. Every day is a new adventure in living. What kind of Buell problems did you encounter?

..the sidecar option sounds good, but I'd have to get one with hand-shift, and a linked system for the brakes, that operates both from the front brake lever.

You know...the Chang Jiang has a hand-shifter on the right side, and a sidecar...maybe someday. Now just to hypnotize the wife into allowing it...don't want to pi$$ her off any more than she already is...

 

[mscuddy]

My '64 300 Dodge..

They may have - I know they used the inline in the Grand Cherokee through at least '02 or '03 - dunno how long after that.

And yep - that motor was every bit as good as the "Leaning Tower of Power". It's the restrictive head that was the Achilles Heel on the Slant, apparently developing a new, less-smoggy one would have broken Chrysler or something........ (actually, it probably WOULD have in the late '80s)

..that used the same body style as the Candy Matic of that year, had a 255 cu.in. slant six that used big rectangular intake ports, with equally as large square ehaust ports, stock from the factory. I stuck an Offy manifold on it, with a 390 Holley, and Clifford headers (six into two), along with a Mallory dual-point distributor, and the thing hauled ass. Had a Offy finned valve cover too. Loved to use the "full service" lane at the gas station, to have the oil checked, just to hear the attendant say "wow" when he opened the hood.

Sixes are way cooler than V8's to hot rod.

They producted the last slant six powered vehicle around 1983, put 'em the D100 pick-up, with three on the tree. They were dogs.