Litespeed

And a even more foolish one to ask what's been in the box in the past.

Self interest trumped society. I agree polls were swayed by wish but in reality their greed won out. Also the amount of lie ads by Palmer were millions spent to prop up the LNP. I was even getting ads every 10 mins on web, even on Sunday.

Clive Palmer bought the lnp a election. Aided by the Murdoch media and friends. The country lost, the people voted for more bad years and coal madness.

He was the greatest PM will ever had and with Keating they were they dynamic duo that changed our country forever in many great ways. A real life political Batman and Robin. And he was a battler, he started from very humble very beginnings. He was never given anything on a plate. He was a giant of his times. Yes I have met him and Blanche. I fear his kind will never be repeated.

Vlad the Impaler will be very pleased indeed. His Manhattan candidate is paying off big time.

I agree, I expect the young voters have a particular anger overall about lollies and the planet. As well as the inequality between generations. I reckon they will decide the election and not many will be voting LNP.

Never too old to ride, just add some bike stickers to a mobility scooter:helmet:

I know weird , but it was just the base modified with a custom seat. Compared to the plank from the mk3 it was heaven.

As a tragic testament to the strength of the design, my brothers bike was a rebuilt with new forks and clamps, fairing and paint. The rider was on Philip Island on the road and stuck a horse broadside at the old ton over a rise. Sadly he didn't survive, nor did the horse. The frame was unbent and mechanically the bike was fine. It went to the frame straightener and he said he had never seen a bent Guzzi frame. The perfect steel frame for low weight and strength.

Yes, I love the Guzzi for compact and sexy with two big jugs sticking out. Combined with the locomotive on speed feel. A feeling of relentless mile eating. Mine was a modified mk 3 LeMans with a 950 cc kit and a comfy seat modified from a 860 GT Ducati and a stainless guards , round headlight and Laverda 3 way adjustable bars. And pipes from Staintune that didn't wake the dead on start up. My brother had some very fruity reverse cone pipes that had no thought for 3 am rides and angry neighborhood. Mine was a much better long distance than my brothers rock hard seat and endurance racer stance. I love every km on that bike.

When I get a chance, I will photo my brothers oldie. It a Chinese BMW cum Russian beast, not the best to ride in modern traffic. But a huge laugh to ride sometimes. The brakes are jam tins for all they help, its 6 volt electrics make Lord Lucas the prince of darkness seen enlightened. It has a gear lever not pedal and even has reverse gear. Gear changes are a very slow affair but stylish. The leading link front end is a funky chaos of half blind Chinese designer working from a grainy photo of a German design. Its carbs are, ahem, not to be confused as good enough for a old ride-on mower. It has a oil-bath air filter, enough said. The seat is sprung to keep the spine in one piece on good roads. The rear end is hard with slider style suspension. The tyres are square-ish, and more suited to a old car trailer. Its a Chiang Jiang CJ750, designed for a sidecar with a machine gunner for chasing non compliant peasants across the Mongolian Steppe. This ones painted black, so more a secret police style is warranted. That's not quiet though, as the fish tail pipes, are hollow and wide tailed, combined with the backfiring on the overrun means people know your coming. It is a blast when ridden in a suitable style. The perfect antidote to modern life. Back to the future with a attitude.

Nixon would be class A saint compared to the classless ass which is the Trumpet.

Mr potato head should have been the winner and yes I would be a huge landslide. Instead we got the smiling face of scomo as Prime Munster, a Ad man from the bible belt of Sydney. Just like last election they gave us Mr Turn of bullshite instead of Abbott the mad monk. We would have had a much different result back then. Time will tell but the smart money and those who want a planet to live on rather then sell it off, want this Coal party out.

Back to bikes, Working on a Hyosung today, a copy of a Suzuki v twin road bike. Not a bad bike but the distributer has pulled out of country. So no bloody parts bar some poorly stocked web places. Customer can't wait for a shipment from Korea, so have to get creative. Grumble grumble

Feel free to drop a message then come by for a chat. Lots of motorised wheelchairs around here.

"The lessor of two weevils" A fine quote from the glorious Patrick O'Brien author of the best book series ever. Also made into the movie Master and Commander. Still waiting for a sequel. Back to normal poo throwing for the election......

Naturally shaft drives need to be maintained, but it is not a big deal and far less often than a chain. Yes they limit the tyre size at the back in general- but a modern shaft BMW has wide back rubber. The rise and fall issue is not a big deal once you get used to it. Modern Guzzi and BMW bikes have a parrallegram rear end which stops this been a issue. Weight wise, the BMW system is actually pretty light these days. The only chain I have ever seen last the life of a bike is one on either a postie or crashed before its time was up. The chain on a modern bike takes a huge amount of power and if used as designed, does not last. Sure a slowly ridden one will last a while on a superbike. None of my mates have ever got past 70,000 k on a set with religious maintenance.

Funny you mention that , his workshop used to be in my street, only a few houses away. Lasting a day is great considering the competition s motors last a mere minute at best. For those wondering - they are dragster motors.

True the shaft does need maintenance but that was meant to be done when checking the swing arm bearings after many k's. And not a huge job in the end. Still far less than the multiple Chain and sprocket replacements. Chain drives have got better with high quality chains but still are a consumable. And a disaster when the break. Horses for courses, for speed racers a chain is better.

Yep, the price for Honda parts was high even for the Japanese. The one thing about the Honda though was the very high quality of the thick fiberglass and paint. It sort of made the pain a little bit better. The BMW fairings were very high quality but much cheaper. The japs pricing meant they made bikes that were considered a write off even after a small fall. Add to that engines that stuck out the side very far to account for the stator on the crank end. Many bikes would slide on the cover, abrade through and stuff the motor. A thicker cover would have saved thousands of engines. Other side would have distributer and similar result. I used to restore bikes for people and the piss poor design ideas had the head scratching and owners crying. Kwaka are also notorious for the starter clutch which would fail and require a complete engine strip to replace it. Probably the worlds most expensive starter repair.

I remember the original pipes for a Z1 were over $3000 in the late 1980's. Extortion, especially as they rusted real fast. Same deal for the CB750, a complete ripoff. A carb rebuild kit and carb rubbers could be $1000. They might have been reliable but amazingly expensive for parts. That's why I went for euro bikes.

I remember a friend had a Z1 kwaka and I rode it a bit. It felt like it had a hinge in the frame, cheese for forks and brakes that could only be described as optional. The stainless disc brakes were a nightmare in the wet. The motor was strong but wore quickly. I have had a road bike licence 33 years, still ride and managed to stay upright with no falls/crashes.

They definitely don't make things to last for most brands. I could easily keep a older R series BMW or Guzzi on the road for 50 years as the parts are available and not changed yearly. Also tough as bridge girders. Even a modern Guzzi is a very simple beasty. Both my BMW and Guzzis had 200,000 plus on them and going very strong. Just run in really. That's 4 or 5 engines for the old Ducati brigade.

Don't worry the hipsters will find fun spending a bomb on modified jap crap that we thought were boat anchors. Like Cb 250 or cx 500. If you do wish to get rid of the boxes of fun , I am interested.

Guzzi has kept up the tradition with the V7 been a new version of the beasty. Not big power but super sweet ride and small enough for us older non beefcake riders. Very popular and on trend for the hipster set.