Litespeed

Onetrack, That makes sense, I expect they were in constant use, which helps keep them reliable.

Stroke care has definitely improved in recent decades. We are much quicker to recognise symptoms and get treatment. Modern care includes placing the body on cooled blood in a temp controlled environment to greatly reduced the damage as they give drugs to remove the clots. Many have recovered from previously deadly or greatly incapacitating strokes. I have had two major clots that should have been fatal but weirdly blocked my kidney. That is rather unique, the apparent impossible happened to each kidney 10 years apart. Hence I have two half kidneys. I apparently am the only one in the country this rare condition has happened too and it's been twice. The professor said better odds winning lotto twice without buying a ticket. I did not feel lucky at all. I have been on bloody Warfarin- rat poison since 37 and will till I cark it. All kidney donations will be appreciated- please include a GA flight medical clearance. I can supply the scalpel and ice bath.

Ah, so you owned 52 different Holden utes? That's a hell of a lot to own, why so many? How could they be that great if you needed so many?

Yes, they did the PRV ( Peugeot - Renault -Volvo) V6 in a two door version and used it in the Africa rallies which it won. The later 505 had a good cross flow head and can be swapped. Same with the five speed. The brothers has a 5 speed from the 505.

Injected were good but twin solex model was better. Early ones were not cross flow heads so limited in power. This has a full cage, race seats, four points harness and full rally Terra trip etc. 6 matching special rally wheels and dual tanks. The rust is very small spots but easy to fix. The roo bar is poorly made and will be replaced- note front and rear tow Bars for recovery. It cost $3500. Try buying any similar Holden for the same job and it would be 20-30k and not as good.

Yes a bit heavy, but built extremely tough, thick strong steel panels, independent suspension and discs all round. And French seats that are super comfy even after 50 years. I know if tomorrow I had to do a redex trial or similar- the 504 is the best. Lack of power is the only issue, the later high power dual solex model are better by 10 hp. Not heaps but it helps.

For all Frasers flaws at least after politics he developed a substantial legacy in human rights and development for the third world. Instead of showing his nose in the public purse and trying to rule from the sidelines as did Howard, Abbott etc. The Nomad was a dud.

Be careful what you wish for. My understanding is Dutton wants the powers to detain and deport anyone he sees as undesirable. So if you don't like his politics you can be deported and have your Aussie citizenship removed and no recourse to the courts. Just like Trump does. If you question Israel war crimes or protest for human rights in Gaza- expect to become a non citizen. It is a very dangerous path. Currently if arrested and convicted with 2 years ( I think) jail you may be deported as a non citizen.

Peugeot 504 is a legend of a beast. We had several, the French built were the absolute best, but local built were still superior to any local yank stuff. My brother has a 504 rally car, the ultimate country blaster in comfort.

I can honestly say, there are no Holden's or fords or even Valiants that I'd consider worth as a classic. Some were fast like the Charger but all had woeful handling, steering and brakes. The motors were unreliable, cooked in the heat and gearboxes primitive. Sunday, I saw a 1974 Triumph 2500 in perfect condition, not a stellar car but far superior to the local stuff of the time. It was pristine and a luxury exec express compared to local stuff. The current collectors seem to only want what they knew in their very limited experience as teens. So local junk that was boosted by the press with a vested interest. So it's local stuff and jap cars that weren't special. Anyone want a old Corolla or Corona as a classic? Meanwhile the really good stuff- European gets ignored by idiots with money but no taste. Spending 50k to restore a old Holden still gives you a shiny old Holden.

Nev, Your speaking to a hollow vessel.

Be bold and keep it. Rego classic for pittance and ride to suit the vintage rider. Bikes are the fountain of youth if you can ride the beast.

I expect they would point blank refuse just like they did with the F22. No foreign sales ever. But given Trumpet will be long gone before any get built and a decade into service - things might change.

On bikes I have never got more than 10,000 km before changing and sometimes far less. I found the older big bikes with narrow tyres ie BMW'S, Moto Guzzi etc were very sensitive to tyre quality. The Metzlers were perfect, the Pirelli and Michelin's not so much lone term, they would scallop the edges. The Bridgestone was track awesome but wore badly. My Michelin experience on cars has been excellent- always on Euro machines. Toyo makes very good sport/track tyres at reasonable prices. Retreads? Only experience was a brothers old EH, it threw a tread and we ended off the road and the guard was stuffed. No thanks that was lesson enough.

Beautiful day in the passage, my mate Michele went sailing with tourists and on cue the dolphins arrived, they think she has a secret button 😄. The pods rarely leave the port. This afternoon I swapped the 3.3 hp for the 9.9hp 👍. Runs super smooth but does need a proper tune and a few little bits to tidy up. Very pleased, starts real easy but a few minor adjustments to make- not opening throttle fully. Also the idle and low speed mix for trolling Will sort it properly, but all looks positive. So far 10 knts but should get at least 15knts, the Tintanic is a very heavy build with four floatation cell seats and runabout steering. Not normal for 12 ft 6", sometimes I want a smaller, lighter boat. But it's a solid vintage Savage from 90's like the motor. Great having reverse again. Discovered it has a lighting/ electrical output, that's cool as can charge a battery and run lights. Most motors this size do not have this and often a $500 option. I may need to add a regulator as some pump AC instead of DC. A simple eBay will be fine. It's a two stroke but very smooth and fairly quiet. I will eventually add sound shield matting under the cover to make it even quieter. Will also add a water/fuel separator/ filter unit for guaranteed clean fuel. The carb has no drain plug so this is essential. 112 psi both cylinders, pretty good for 35 years of regular use. 120psi would be ideal but that's new. No crabs in the pot but the beers cold.

Makes swimming with Bull sharks seem safe.

I hadn't heard, I thought I was ahead of the curve. But that's normal

I use full synthetic oil. 100-1 has long been the standard for quality two strokes eg Johnson and Yamaha. If it was a motorbike or aircraft, I would mod the mix slightly. I could use 75-1 if doing lots of short runs. I always run low throttle till it warms up. Once I have got it tuned properly I will check the plugs. I have used the synthetic in bikes and boats since 1986, high quality oil really rewards.

Good Karma finally comes for a late Christmas. December was a bit rough last year. Firstly some bastard decided they wanted my tinny and motor, I tied up on dock at the passage at 6 pm, returned at 9pm to discover it disappeared. 3 days later Maritime called to say they found it 3kms away dumped in mangroves. Completely stripped, I lost the motor 8hp Johnson in perfect condition, two tanks, tools, oars and even the fuckin bailing bucket. The boat was left as it's well known and has rego/him plated. Naturally I was pissed off. Then on the 23rd, my 56 year old brother died of long COVID, sudden and tragic. December really sucked. Alas Karma shines eventually.. Last Monday I was chatting to a salty sailor working on his tinny motor and been frustrated, he needs 100% reliability, he has a lovely 48ft catamaran and is going North. He will use his off shore. He was prepared to dump it and buy new. A quick negotiation and bingo. He bought a new Tohatsu 9.9hp four-stroke that's injected and I got his 9.9hp Johnson two-stroke. Its a old school Aussie made machine and he is the original owner since new in 1990. Came with heaps of spares, a new spare prop, spare carby, tank, oil and 30 litres new fuel. A bonus is a 100-1 oil mix so not smokey and half the oil cost. Even has the original manual. A absolute bargain at cost of two shitty VB cases of beer. I love the old Johnson's, solid not plastic and easy to keep reliable. I find they are the best old motor you can get. I have suffered cheap Chinese crap Parsun machines and the are almost disposable quality wise. An added bonus is converting to 15hp is just a bigger carb. Most require new electrics and the carb so very happy. Parts are easy to get, even new stock and plenty of old motors to salvage. This is important as the bloody Parsun distributor doesn't carry spares. Even a broken starter is pot luck to replace, assuming the box doesn't break beforehand. No more shit motors for me. You can bet no Parsun will be going 35 years later like a Johnson. I had been using oars and then a little 3.5hp single, it will be great having grunt again. Amazingly the little 3.5hp uses more fuel than the 8hp did, I expect the same from the 10hp. The single is just full throttle most of the time. I am about to throw in some crab pots to catch some blue swimmers or muddies. I will eat them and drink to my brother, he loved 🎣. This time I will hide a locator tag in the motor to track the thieves if needed. I have a spear gun- they are warned..

The designers son must have stopped dad stealing the wheels off his Tonka truck.

It's that a Peel? Looks like what Jeremy Clarkson drove into the BBC's studios office.

Maybe the Teals? A grouping not a party. Ah, Jacqui Lambie sounds likely. Always happy to vent about defence.

The French should remind them the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to celebrate the open democracy that welcomes the migrant. As that is no longer the case they should demand it back or demolish it.

I would think the Greens would have that policy. Meanwhile Canada has leapfrogged the USA and ordered our world best radar system for $5 billion- the Jindalee over horizon radar system (JORN). America wants one on its west coast - tell they can pay now and have it in 2045 if we can be bothered.

Esp if you have a tool but not the knowledge or skill to use it. I was thinking more of proper maintenance and carrying a appropriate tool kit to fix any issue bar disaster. Many years of bike touring and I found the bikes with a quality kit ie BMW, never disappoint. The boy scout method, be prepared. Ps. I was never a scout- too many rules