It’s just noticeably worse than it was. In 2006 when I started riding, it was fine - some idiots, but generally fine. 2010 - same dance. Few more idiots, but not horrible... but as the screens took over, people got more and more distracted... by 2016, I was just done.  Too many close calls.  Too many morons.  

Yep.  NOW they’re harassing me with texts and emails that won’t stop to buy a bike from them...  but I quit riding in 2016 and have no plans on going back (had a couple of friends in bad accidents, one that was REALLY bad, and then witnessed a box truck take out a biker on the 101 in San Fran...  and gave it up). …

If I’d not been totally off HD when that came out, I would have been all over it. Upgraded from the XL1200R to a Dyna modified to be a sports bike too... and then got disgusted with the brand, the dealers, and more. Long story - switched to Triumph, and that was the last bike I owned (Street Triple R).

Agreed.  Now to just ~get~ to the point we’re ready for that.  And convince people an airliner isn’t the Hindenburg.  

I had a 1200R (not the flat tracker, the circa-2007ish one with mid pegs and better suspension).  I rode that thing like a sports bike and LOVED it, except for two things:  120 mile range (makes mountain trips twitchy at times, never mind longer ones), and I’m just slightly too big for it no matter what I did.  Could…

And they’re easier.  Easy wins make harder wins later simpler, especially as you learn things about the grid, about what works and doesn’t work, and get more and more people on your side as you go.  Aiming for cold fusion to start with is discouraging, aiming to get the grid on renewables?  Much easier, actually -…

So, the trick with hydrogen is ~getting~ it, and in sufficient quantities. Right now that’s burning a lot of fossil fuels, unless we finally get the REST of the grid converted to renewables and emissions free to begin with (going back to my “hit the easy ones first” part). I agree that it’s promising, and should…

Short of sticking a nuclear reactor on an airplane, which was somewhat... touchy the last time we did it... I’m not sure one CAN make airline travel emissions free. At least not with current or next-20-year technology. We need a revolution in battery efficiency to even get close, or to revert to lighter-than-air type…

And depending on the salt used, can be as slick as ice even when dry and warm too.  I used to have a rule that May was the beginning of riding season, unless there was a very good rain in April (CO area).  Otherwise, you had to be REAL careful that the old mag chloride wasn’t still down.  And one good snow reset the…

Margins are far tighter than they seem; small changes, large impacts. Look up what a 1% change in price would do to sales/profit/revenue streams sometimes. It’s more compounding than linear.

Efficiency.  EPA tests and the like; any modern car is less efficient with the windows down, had to game the test.  Hell, most of my cars these days have that issue - my 5 series does, wife’s A5 did, my C5 Corvette did at times (don’t ever take the top off and put the windows up!).  

There’s a fix - it’s a set of airflow disruptors you attach to the side mirrors - vortex generators, if I remember correctly.  Works apparently perfectly.  FWIW, of course.  

So feed it a tune.  They’re $300 and get you right to that level.  

And I’d assume it’s all the “living with a car” vs “this is electric future as described by Musk”.  Ford makes car choices, Tesla makes electric choices, news at 11.  

Find some friends and play in high-sec space.  You can have a blast there and learn the ropes - all this happens in low-sec/null-sec space (or did, back when I played) - you can choose to stay entirely out of that area, and you’re 98% safe while you do.  Learning the ropes, mind you, will take a year or so.  

Perception is a bitch, but it’s reality.  Certainly plays into my viewpoint on them.  

Why is this a slideshow?  

Age.  I’ve replaced more than a few belts / accessories due to age, if a car sits a lot, vs miles.  Hell, my 2013 ZL1 just crossed 10k miles this year.  Gonna be some age replacements soon.  

That’s more “orbital insertion vehicle” than “motorcycley”, in my humble opinion.  

Done that. Redid the front suspension on a firebird, missed a washer. Blew both shock tower mounts in 1/4 mile of light driving. Didn’t have time to fix it again, so I took it in - said “look, I fucked this up. Here’s the washer I missed. I’ll buy the new mounts and pay the labor, will you fix it?” They laughed, but…