Normally I’d agree with you, but it’s important to remember that the car in question is a high-strung (increased risk of knock), air-cooled(also increased risk of knock), turbo charged (more increased risk of knock) car from the early 90s (old EFI - ...more increased risk of knock). A car with 80s era engine controls…

I do believe you’re mixing up the Giulia platform (Georgio platform) with the Giulietta (Fiat Compact Platform). Considering that Fiat likes to name everything increasingly convoluted derivations of Julie or George, I can see how you’d make that mistake.

While I understand where you’re coming from, the conclusion you’re drawing severely undercuts the agency of the people participating in the race. The people who partake in events like the TT are not mentally deficient. They understand the risks with the sport, and the extremely high costs of failure. This,…

So, in the best kind of way?

Good on you! Biking is definitely one of the better / quicker ways to melt off fat, and it’s a hell of a lot more fun than hitting the treadmill.

You’ll hear no argument from me as far as Jeep being their best investment at the moment. The argument was that they have tools that they could and should be sharing with Jeep to make that work easier (tools they could also, in theory, use to revitalize a solid selling, if dated, brand).

I’m not saying it isn’t a possibility, I’m just saying I haven’t heard mention of it anywhere. I’d be all ears if you’ve got any info.

I’m still at a loss as to how folks can - in the same breath - claim that relaxing CAFE standards (which - as you’ve mentioned - are separate from emissions standards) will kill us all, and that electric cars will be the dominant market player in the next few decades. If the latter is true, who gives a shit about the…

I’m still at a loss as to why FCA hasn’t handed the Giulia platform over to Dodge, so they can throw a 60s/70s jaw line on it and stuff it full of engine. Sergio bet the farm on a platform currently only used for cars with limited US market appeal, and should be mindful of ways to actually make it pay. I have to…

Re: 3rd gear - Raph, I get that you have an attraction to things that by rights shouldn’t exist, but do you want an all electric car jointly developed by Fiat and Chrysler? I mean, the former copied LUCAS to improve their reliability, for Christ’s sake!

If the various cab companies were set up as corporations (I realize, asking a lot here and might not be realistic), then these cabbies don’t even stand to lose all that much by declaring bankruptcy and closing up shop.

Before I get into it, here, know that this is a rant of assent.

To be fair, it looks like the weather’s going to be shit for all 3 of the aforementioned race events. (The two US ones, at least)

And I agree that threatening with tarrifs is a dumb idea, especially if you want to show any shred of being a free market person.

While I don’t think that actually implementing the tariffs is part of the game plan, I don’t doubt that Trump’s threat is a toothless one. While the US may depend heavily on imports from China, US trade is CRITICAL for the continued functioning of China’s economy. At present, they’re borrowing every bit as heavily as…

I’m with ‘ya. More than anything, was trying to get a rise out of the commentariat. I suppose a less divisive counter would have been Honda’s XR650L (a dual sport, though more of a dirt bike), or the old XR400M (A factory super moto - one only sold in Japan/Australia/New Zeland, but still)

Sounds like the relative percentage of Supersports bikes that make it to the track. Whether it gets ridden like it or not, the Aftica Twin still has serious offroad capability (if not as much as an MX bike). My comment was simply that a big-engine’d street legal dirt bikes aren’t anything new for Honda. Still, I’m…

I dig this a lot, but I’d argue this isn’t exactly a first (or currently exclusive) thing for Honda:

While your story raises many questions about your oil chugging childhood, the one which jumps most immediately to mind is: “Did you, in fact, shit your fingers inside out?”

On the motorcycle front, if you have an oil that meets JASO MA spec’s, you should be good to go. If you’re extra paranoid, some online searching will point you in the direction of JASO MB oils. JASO is the testing body, and the MA/MB cert is a set of tests performed to ensure compatibility with wet clutches. MA is the…