[extropy-chat] Bike/Trike from hell....

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> Bike/Trike from hell....
> > 
> > 
> > Spike and other motorcycle addicts:
> > Try this puppy on for size:
> > 
> > http://go-t-rex.com/anglais.html
> > 
> ...
> > Mike Lorrey
> 
> Ja there is one of those cruising around Sunnyvale.  Its cool,
> but it has the same problem as the Lotus super 7 which is referenced
> on the t-rex site:
> 
>  <I wish a three-wheeler propelled by a motorcycle engine, echoing
> the spirit of the much-acclaimed Lotus Super Seven would exist...> -
> Colin Chapman, motorsport expert
> 
> The problem is that they sit so low, you are likely to get
> run over by some yahoo in a Ford Exhibition who never even
> saw you way down there.  One of the locals from Fremont has
> a Lotus 7, drives it only on Sunday when the traffic is
> low.  I can't blame him.  This t-rex would be fun toy,
> but probably not a practical daily commuter.

Oh, on the contrary: it is classified as a motorcycle, so you get to
use the HOV lane with only one seat occupied. The handling is formula 1
level, so you can avoid the idiots who don't see you like your are
driving Grand Theft Auto. And especially in So Cal, its lack of a
windshield is not an impediment to daily use. While it doesn't mention
gas milage, the fact that its engine is 1.1-1.2 litres and the vehicle
masses 900 lbs should result in gas milage above 45-55 mpg. 

The only downside is the price. For $43k, you could nearly buy two Mini
Coopers.

And of course, Spike, it's a chick magnet, so your wife has an
automatic "no"...

> We recently were in a season of paradox here; I again
> find myself deep in doubt.  Our only car now gets used about
> 10k miles per year.  A second car would get far fewer
> miles, perhaps 3k to 5k.  If one makes up a matrix of
> wants and needs vs cost, a low-usage second car should
> be well-depreciated by age, probably more than 10 years.
> If one plans to drive only 3k to 5k per year... here
> is the paradoxical part... it matters very little what
> gas mileage it returns.  The cost of the extra fuel to
> run a gas-hog is small compared to other costs.
> 
> I went down to the used car lot and had a shock: the
> prices of all the long cushy gas-hogs were slashed 
> considerably, whereas the price of the little gas-sipping 
> beer cans were all waaay up.  Perhaps because of the recent 
> gas price run-up, one can now get a way-zooty land yacht, such 
> as a BMW 750iL with its twelve big thirsty cylinders for 
> about the same price as a comparably-aged Accord, Camry or 
> equivalently boring, cramped snoozermobile.
> 
> Looks to me like the depreciation costs of the German 
> pimpmobile would actually be lower than the beer can: in the 
> past 15 years, the Accord's value has dropped from about $18k
> to $5k, whereas the Beemer has dropped from $85k to $5k.
> Surely the resale value of Bavaria's finest has nearly 
> bottomed by now.

Ja, fer sure. I discovered the same ten years ago with Peugot. I had
myself a really sweet 5-series, electric everything, leather heated
seats, sunroof, looked great for business, cost me only $1000.00.
Milage wasn't bad, either. The fact that there were no more Peugot
dealers in the US didn't bother me any, though it was the main reason
the values dropped.

> 
> The greens might argue that the environmentally correct
> thing to do is buy the econobox, saving some fuel even if 
> not much.  But ironically, just the opposite seems true, 
> for if I buy the guzzlemeister and don't drive it much, 
> I keep it away from some other yahoo who would drive it a 
> lot more.  If I buy the small, economic REO snorewagon, 
> I save *a little* fuel but I keep that gas sipper away from
> someone who would likely drive it more, causing them to
> buy something else that would devour more fuel.  Total
> fuel use is minimized if I drive the Bond-James-Bond-cruiser
> and the other guy gets the Fudd-Elmer-Fudd-buggy.
> 
> Is that a paradox?  Where is the flaw in my logic?  

The flaw in the logic is assuming that the other guy buying the guzzler
isn't trading in a trashed old chevy getting 10 mpg and burning 3
quarts of oil with every tank. For him, that car is a step up in the
world, both visually, economically, and ecologically.

=====
Mike Lorrey
Chairman, Free Town Land Development
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                         -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Sadomikeyism


	
		
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