Author Topic: Why my motorcycle has a windshield (Read 1766 times)

Stringer · « **Reply #75 on:** June 06, 2005, 03:18:00 PM »

Oh, I don't know....I live on a cul-de-sac in Middle America, about as bland as you can get, and just on my street alone we have this diversity:

-1 Family from Taiwan
-1 Family from Cambodia (OK, 4 families living in that 1 house)
-1 Family from Canada (they like Ice Bears)
-1 weird combination couple (He from the US, she is from Canada,)...They met in Saudi when they were both working there in the Medical field
-1 Couple where the wife is from Italy.
-Our house where my wife is from Italy.
-The family next to us is from Cuba.
-Behind us is a family from India.

Hmmm...no Mexicans though.....

Now that's just on my street. It doesn't count the sub-division I live in. And like I said, this is about as stereo-typical middle-class America as you can get.

Yeah, it's not diverse here at all.

Curval · « **Reply #76 on:** June 06, 2005, 04:19:51 PM »

Well String...it isn't diversity we are after here...it is culture.

Sorry, no Mexicans means no culture.

Wait...re-read...we are actually talking about cultural diversity. So...I think you might be okay. Still, get some Mexicans in the hood will ya...geeze.

Jackal1 · « **Reply #77 on:** June 06, 2005, 04:31:37 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Staga
Yeah and 97% of Americans are all rednecks who marry their relatives, drive pickup trucks rifles in racks in rear window and confederate flag flying in their radio antenna.

Last 3 percent are Chinese and Canadians.

Don`t know anyone who has married their relative.
And yes where I live you are free to carry a rifle or shotgun in your pickup. You are also free to carry it in a window rack if you so desire.
I find a Confederate flag puts too much stress on the antennae, even a small one.
My stars and bars is displayed in front of my house along with the U.S. flag. And yes you are free to do that if you so desire.
There is also a virtual cornucopia of folks with family heritages from around the globe in my area.
Man all this freedom is really a downer, huh?

Skydancer · « **Reply #78 on:** June 06, 2005, 06:41:09 PM »

Lazs

I'm not talking about ethnicity. I'm talking about the wider culture. One part of the US is much like another just different scenery. The same cannot be said for Europe!

I wasn't saying England or the UK is particularly diverse in itself. What I was saying is that as a small Island very close to the very diverse continent of Europe I can access all kinds of different cultures views etc etc by taking a short ride over the channel (or under it ) and hitting the road. I've just spent two weeks in a part of the world very different to the one I live in and it was what maybe 1500 miles from home! Different scenery, history, three different indigenous languages ( italian, German and Ladin )food you name it it was different. Thats why I like the UK because I can travel from it and find new stuff on my doorstep.
I travel 3000miles I can visit maybe 3 or 4 different countries. Unlike my experience of the US. I think you miss understood me or decided deliberately to missunderstand me?

Curval. I'm certainly not saying that Id take rain over nice dry roads for riding, but I wouldn't let rain stop me riding. It aint more dangerous if you have good tyres, moderate your speed and ride accordingly. As Gixer says if you can ride well in inclement conditions as well as perfect ones then you are a more skilled rider.

lazs2 · « **Reply #79 on:** June 07, 2005, 08:37:53 AM »

ahh... CULTURAL DIVERSITY.... I see... you are talking about old buildings and different kinds of roads and toilets and the babel that the tower was famous for.... throw in some castles and some ignorance that is ingrained from centuries of bigotry...

the stuff world wars are made of. Yeah... I get it.

Seperate but equal... well... seperate anyway... like driving to any big city and hitting china town.

you want your "diversity" at a lot longer distance than arms length... Not something you want for your country but something you go on vacation to see and gawk at.... sorta like... yurop as a theme park... a sometimes violent theme park but so long as you are just watching the native dancers or eating the native dish... all is well and you can go back home to your 97% same same country when you get your fill of "diversity".

course... there are all the old buildings and castles and such so it's not a total loss.

lazs

Torque · « **Reply #80 on:** June 07, 2005, 09:32:19 AM »

sure sky, like the states isn't a hybrid europe minus the borders. sure europe might have a few point but the wealth of the states trumps that large.

Curval · « **Reply #81 on:** June 07, 2005, 09:38:11 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Skydancer
It aint more dangerous if you have good tyres, moderate your speed and ride accordingly. As Gixer says if you can ride well in inclement conditions as well as perfect ones then you are a more skilled rider.

I disagree.

You have to rely on everyone else on the road having good tyres and skills...be they riding a bike or driving a car.

Staga · « **Reply #82 on:** June 07, 2005, 11:29:45 AM »

Jackal you're not the brightest bulp in a lamp store?

Staga · « **Reply #83 on:** June 07, 2005, 11:32:12 AM »

Curval that works in every season whether it's raining water or snow or sunny or not.
When riding think anyone in road is after you; little schitsophrenia keeps motorbiker alive much longer

Jackal1 · « **Reply #84 on:** June 07, 2005, 12:45:05 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Staga
Jackal you're not the brightest bulp in a lamp store?

Your battery was issued without a charge.

-----> bulb<------ Class dismissed.

Anyone know anything about the chain manufacturing industry?
I`m just curious how it came about that out of all the thousands and thousands of chains made each year that they just made these two painted dayglo pink with a "Yank Me" sign attached to the end.

Skydancer · « **Reply #85 on:** June 07, 2005, 12:54:18 PM »

Lazs Its OK mate. I'll keep my diverse historicaly rich, sometimes violent undoubtably rich varied and facinating place over here and you can continue to enjoy your US monoculture. We'll both be very happy I'm sure of that.

Oh just for the record I live in Birmingham, a city with quite a few faces from the Indian subcontinent, Africa, the Caribean, Ireland and Europe. A very culturaly diverse place in this land of supposed uniformity. Our top food based night out usualy involves Naan bread and Balti. Not packaged in Styrofoam labled with a corporate label and identical wherever you go in the country. Just one example of the rich and varied delights to be found in this but one of many very different European nations.

By the way it seems you guys are overtaking us in the starting global conflicts industry!

Curval its beatifully sunny today. My ride to work was performed with the usual sceptisism of the ability of the rest of the half asleep cage drivers on the road. It went off just fine. I got there quicker had so much fun I took the longer route around the city and arrived with another grin on my face.

Gixer · « **Reply #86 on:** June 07, 2005, 01:11:55 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Curval
I disagree.

You have to rely on everyone else on the road having good tyres and skills...be they riding a bike or driving a car.

True,

But I haven't been talking about the daily commute to work in the rain. I've been refering been refering to practicing on sections of road where there are a minimum amount of cars and maximum amount of corners per mile. Or even better the track.

The point I've been trying to make is that it's much easier to learn the limits of traction on the wet (though of course this takes a certin level of balls that most prefer to avoid in fear of dropping their pride and joy) then it is the dry. Which Is very difficult to reach on any bike on the road. Except for crusiers of course which seem to have about as much ground clearence as a golf cart.

Once you can corner and maintain good control in the wet riding on the dry is 100 times easier and feels like your cheating. Plus with training and experience you can learn the more fun aspects of corning bikes in the wet that you can't in the dry, drifting.

~~...-Gixer~~

lazs2 · « **Reply #87 on:** June 07, 2005, 02:17:48 PM »

Oh yeah skyprancer... we got no indians here.... Let's put it this way... whatever food you can order there... we have ten times as much of.

I can't believe that you are complaining about the U.S. because...

because it is too big? The weather is too nice? you don't need a passport to go to the bordering countries?

If you think the U.S. is mono... what must you think of canada? or australia? NZ? They aren't near the great european theme park and old building museum that you call "diversity".

If you had the nads.... you could ride all the way from northern California down to the bottom of South America or, up to Alaska.

You seem to be saying that once yu are in America... you can't get anywhere else from here.

Granted... we don't travel to as many countries but then... we probly travel as much or more than you do. I am sure the average American puts more miles on his vehicle than the average brit. We simply have a lot more to see right here.

you still haven't said why the U.S. would be on the bottom ten places you would like to live.... most places except tiny little europe have worse choices and diversity than here so..

Why would you put the U.S. amoung the bottom ten places you would live?