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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
 Posted - 07/03/2008 : 09:59:58
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Poll Question:
Fuel prices have increased dramatically over the last few months. I am...
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- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 10:05:19 [Permalink]
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| I voted other. I just look for the cheapest gas and cry on my way out of the gas station... |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 10:12:06 [Permalink]
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Driving less.
Planning to buy a high quality bicycle in the near future, especially if gasoline prices keep climbing.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 11:51:45 [Permalink]
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Too crippled to ride a bicycle and even my Shovelhead Harley costs too much to run -- 40 mpg, high test on the highway; less in town. I'm thinking of buying a motorscooter for local running around.
Edit: we don't got no mass transit, so it's not an option. Wish it was...
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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| Edited by - filthy on 07/03/2008 11:54:13 |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 11:51:54 [Permalink]
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I live 2 miles from work, and my summer vacation was only a 50 mile drive (to Gulf Shores)
Once my car gets a bit older, I'll buy a more efficient model (probably not a hybrid though unless the technology changes a bit).
At least, this is my plan until Bush launches his Operation Stay In Power by starting shit with Iran (and/or Israel starts dropping bombs) - then I'll start walking and riding my bike. |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 12:06:12 [Permalink]
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I could bike to about half of my job sites. The rest require motorized transport (I consider 5-6 miles within easy bike range, can manage that in 30 min or less at an easy pace).
Makes it kinda tricky to bicycle to work when I could end up needing to travel 20 miles mid-day.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 15:12:21 [Permalink]
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Before you start assuming that I'm some kind of wealthy playboy - you would be way wrong. Reason: this is America, still a place where looks can be deceiving and almost anything can happen. Also my girlfriend and I both work at home. (Though we have to go out to get food, wine, toilet paper - and take care of the musicians and artists she promotes.) That said:
I'm maintaining both rare convertibles as beautiful works of automotive modern art. In other words, garaged or covered and rarely driven. Tomorrow we're driving one about 2 miles to a 4th of July party. |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
| Edited by - Chippewa on 07/03/2008 15:13:28 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 02:34:23 [Permalink]
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I voted "other". I ride an Expresso S, which is legally an electric bicycle, and which can be driven under bicycle regulations (no operator's license, no registration, no insurance). I bought the bike, delivered, for $1,000. In essence, it is a low-powered electric two-wheel scooter, capable of almost 20 mph and a range of maybe 15 miles. Propulsion is provided via a 500 watt, brushless rear hub motor, providing about 2/3 of one horsepower.
I try not to deeply discharge the lead acid batteries often (this wears out lead-acid batteries fast), so I don't often press the range limit. (BTW: As a general rule of thumb in electric vehicles, real range is almost exactly one half of the claimed range.)
With under-seat storage, a large after-market trunk on the back, and two fabric saddlebags, I can carry the product of a fair grocery shopping trip on my bike. The bike is pretty practical for me, and I do have rain gear, helmets, and boots which keep me comfortable in all weather. When I lived in Half Moon Bay, I regularly made 6-mile round trips to buy groceries, and these cost just over one cent in electricity.
I've ridden my Expresso, which I've named "Blitzschneke," for about two years, and its batteries are still very good.
Expresso S
The worst thing about my bike is its speed. 20 mph means I must use the shoulder or bike lanes, whenever these are available -- or dodge into empty parking places to make way for faster vehicles when such lanes are unavailable. When in a car lane, I try to stay as far right as possible, but am nervous about parked cars whose driver doors might open suddenly, or which may pull out without a backward glance (or deliberately, after such a glance).
So, within a couple of weeks, I plan to buy a somewhat faster electric scooter, a Zap Zappino, which, equipped with a 3500 watt motor, is comparable in power to a 50cc motor scooter, and is said to be able to go 45 mph or faster, once the controller is adjusted. I've been offered a price of $2,500 by the local Zap dealer here in San Leandro. I will feel much safer, when I am able to cruise along at normal street speed. Also, the Zappino is has a heavier-duty build, can more easily handle a passenger, has halogen (not just weak LED) headlights, and looks much nicer. It does require a moped or motorcycle, registration and insurance, however.
Zappino from Zap
Best of all, I'll need never go to a gas station except for air. And I get to enjoy that smug, green feeling.
Some day, I would love to own one of these, or one of these.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 07/04/2008 03:24:15 |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 06:08:35 [Permalink]
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| I quit my job commuting and am now mostly working from home. I also bike more. Try to avoid the mass transit here too because it is overpriced. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 10:40:43 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
I voted "other". I ride an Expresso S, which is legally an electric bicycle, and which can be driven under bicycle regulations... |
That's very cool HM. Electric seems the way to go.
Being backward and eccentric, I really dug the "Whizzer" - its a newly made bike-scooter that is actually based on a very old motorcycle design. Eccentric because its an old-fashioned gas engine. It goes put-put. Top speed is 40 MPH and it gets 90 MPG.
(A very cool contraption but unfortunately my cardiologist says no as the meds I'm on are blood thinners and he doesn't want me to skin my knee. So I admire from afar - and stay in shape by walking everyday.) |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 14:03:46 [Permalink]
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I'm researching ethanol-conversion of my car. There's a lot of reading to do, and I want to keep as much of the car as possible in its original condition. This means trying to find replacement cables, so I don't have to cut and solder original wiring.
I'm also using my 125cc scooter more often to work, when I'm not walking. Milage is excellent, 2.5litre/100km.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 14:04:36 [Permalink]
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Dave, you forgot one answer: Hyperventilating.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2008 : 20:14:24 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
The worst thing about my bike is its speed. 20 mph... |
And you crashed it once already.| So, within a couple of weeks, I plan to buy a somewhat faster electric scooter... |
You're going to go from this to this to this, aren't you? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2008 : 01:35:00 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Originally posted by HalfMooner
The worst thing about my bike is its speed. 20 mph... |
And you crashed it once already.| So, within a couple of weeks, I plan to buy a somewhat faster electric scooter... |
You're going to go from this to this to this, aren't you?
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Ouch, true, I did crash it. Learned I needed enough light to see the raised edge of the macadam at night.
The first link above had, I think, pretty much the bike I'm getting. The second was hotter than I'd need, though that many Li batteries might give great range -- and cost a fortune. The third would be as stupid for me to ride as it was for that fat old helmet-less guy who thought to show off with it. What the Hell was he thinking? Why not get a young pro to demonstrate the bike, someone with the lightning reflexes required?
Sweet acceleration, though.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 07/05/2008 01:37:00 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2008 : 03:07:27 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Chippewa
Originally posted by HalfMooner
I voted "other". I ride an Expresso S, which is legally an electric bicycle, and which can be driven under bicycle regulations... |
That's very cool HM. Electric seems the way to go.
Being backward and eccentric, I really dug the "Whizzer" - its a newly made bike-scooter that is actually based on a very old motorcycle design. Eccentric because its an old-fashioned gas engine. It goes put-put. Top speed is 40 MPH and it gets 90 MPG.
(A very cool contraption but unfortunately my cardiologist says no as the meds I'm on are blood thinners and he doesn't want me to skin my knee. So I admire from afar - and stay in shape by walking everyday.)
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That's a neat looking bike. Looks like the very earliest of motorcycles. But for me, it's gotta be electric.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2008 : 07:13:57 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
The third would be as stupid for me to ride as it was for that fat old helmet-less guy who thought to show off with it. What the Hell was he thinking? Why not get a young pro to demonstrate the bike, someone with the lightning reflexes required? |
Definitely not the same guy in this clip (or this one).| Sweet acceleration, though. |
Oh, yeah. For a power drill. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Happy dependence day
