Skip to main content

bazkie 👩🏼‍💻 bitplanes 🎵 reshared this.


Nothing makes you hate cars more than living on a busy street, forced to listen to their din day in and day out. >:(

Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud — Not Just Bikes

Urban noise is a common problem, and the vast majority of it is created by motor vehicles. Noise is far too often dismissed as a minor nuisance, rather than the legitimate health issue that it is.

The book "Curbing Traffic" has a chapter about the health impacts of noise pollution. I explore the research in the book, and visit Delft, the city that is highlighted in the book as being a shining example of what can happen when noise pollution is taken seriously.

This video explores the problem that farting cars, farting motorcycles, and farting mopeds create in our cities.

#FuckCars #urbanism

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

every time I contemplate "upgrading" the stock exhaust on my bike, I remember it's already louder than a car exhaust.

Most car exhausts, anyway. Not the M3 that my neighbour across the road drives.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

The last place I lived was originally on a country road and was generally pretty quiet. But growing up population of the nearby city meant more and more traffic, and subdivisions (one was which ended up against my back property line). By the time I moved, the area had become solidly suburbia and the road became a major secondary road and quite noisy

bazkie 👩🏼‍💻 bitplanes 🎵 reshared this.


From here:

There is no 'free' market, and there never has been. The 'free' market is predicated on the belief that all players will act honestly, and make informed choices based on available information. This is a completely false assumption, and has been proven so time after time.

It completely ignores human nature whereby someone will always lie, cheat, and steal to achieve their own ends -- this is what we see here.

Industry players will always form cartels and collude in anti-consumer behavior -- price fixing being the prime example.

Without someone to keep corporations in line, the market would steadily skew to all of the power being in the hands of a few.

There is no such thing as a 'free' market, and there simply never has been. It's a utopian myth which can never be true.

People who go around spouting about the 'free' market are either naive, self deluded, or actively lying.

#capitalism

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

damn, so we've had 11 years of this very thing getting worse.

when will people get it?! people keep voting for these pro corporate parties and it's depressing

in reply to bazkie 👩🏼‍💻 bitplanes 🎵

Said parties have both rigged it to be this way and have convinced the people that this is the only way it can ever be. :(
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

well, the same is happening here in the Netherlands. people have been voting the neoliberals into power for decades, despite things going to shit, and other parties being available here.

it's the propaganda that's working; most people still believe that free market capitalism is great, and it will take a lot more downfall before they understand it's shit.

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.

in reply to bazkie 👩🏼‍💻 bitplanes 🎵

@bazkie same in UK, but I think its also because neoliberalism provided short term gains - a young adult working in the skilled trades or the remaining middle level office jobs which exist and haven't been outsourced/replaced by AI can afford to get a used Audi on finance and just about run it - they get scared of green/left parties as they think "tax will go up and petrol will be £2/2€ a litre again" and that's a powerful paranoia (especially if they are in a long term relationship and have now got kids to feed/fund through school)
in reply to bazkie 👩🏼‍💻 bitplanes 🎵

@bazkie about 10 years ago when I had learned just enough Dutch to read sites where younger folk hung out (and chat to them) I learned a fair few thought all the bicycles, good public transport (which folk in UK often envy!) and the high cost of learning to drive (which is same as UK) was imposed by "big government/EU" and they wanted to have cars just like young people in UK, enjoyed watching Top Gear and thought folk in UK and USA had more "freedom" (and those youths would be 30-40+ by now, many with families of their own)

At least you are highly unlikely to get Nexit as everyone can see the mess the UK is now in 5 years later..

in reply to Alex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK

@vfrmedia UK has been a lovely warning sign for us indeed!

..tho people have been voting far right the past few years despite Trump, so maybe most people don't really understand warning signs 😅

and about that dutch youth; keep in mind we've had neoliberal rule for decades now, so the whole "free market good, nationalization bad" has been really hammered in.

not sure if we'll get rid of it in my lifetime tbh. but most of the lovely social policies we have left stem from the more progressive governing we had before I was born 😅

btw why did you learn dutch? (maybe I asked before)

in reply to bazkie 👩🏼‍💻 bitplanes 🎵

@bazkie I moved to Suffolk, which is not /that/ far from the Netherlands (especially at the point of Lowestoft which is the furthest Eastern part of England) and has many cultural and trade links with NL, also I am a former radio pirate and was always curious about the pirate radio scene there and started listening to the stations and wanted to learn the language (piratenzenders are quite surreal, with 3 different languages of music and songs which are a mix of synthpop/disco, country and western and seashanties 😁 )
in reply to Alex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK

@vfrmedia ohh right I think you mentioned that before! those piratenzenders sure are something else :D it's funny how it combines, eh, "rural culture" with everything else!
in reply to Alex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK

I love pirate radio!

I don't know if it's actually a pirate station, here's an FM broadcaster near Quinault Lake here that plays all kinds of odds and ends with weird stuff in between. It might fall under LPFM, but I doubt the FCC would hassle them anyway since it's in the middle of nowhere and low power.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

@vfrmedia what's LPFM?

I wonder if maybe the FCC is a bit more relaxed these days since people listen to FM radio less (or well, I imagine that they do)

in reply to Neil E. Hodges Neil E. Hodges reshared this.

the "free market" is to economics what the frictionless spherical cow is to high school physics.

The very existence of corporations means there is no free market. Corporations are a legal construct of governments that grants a business (and later even a mere collection of assets) status as a district entity separated to some degree from the owners and workers within.

As such, there is no choice between "government vs corporations" because they are *two sides of the same coin*...it is all one big hegemony.

We have all been thoroughly conditioned to think otherwise for a couple of centuries now. It is thoroughly ingrained the minds of everyone in the "free world" that corporations are the capitalist free market and government is the socialist planned economy but that is pure BS.

The biggest economies in the world have arrived in the same place from two different directions...the US being a corporatocratic regime and China practising state capitalism.

As such deregulation just means re-regulation.


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

≠ PHYSICAL REMOVAL WILL BE REQUIRED ≠ is ignored

Neil E. Hodges doesn't like this.


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Did my first battery replacement tonight, including filling the replacement battery with electrolyte. 👍 #motorcycle


Sat on a VFR1200 while out running errands with my wife. It was very heavy. :P #motorcycle


Honda should bring back the VFR street bikes. :3 #motorcycle
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

they brought the cbr600rr back, surely the vfr is next?


in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Nice! Too bad though that so many bikes don't have a proper exhaust anymore, but an ungainly box hanging down there.


Really feels like there are more folks riding motorcycles than in past Summers. :3 #motorcycle #Seattle



I usually do clutch less downshifts on my CBR (though not when shifting down into first). :3

#motorcycle

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I’ve been wondering if that’s an intentional feature or a side-effect of how the mechanics work, and is it good for the gearbox?
in reply to Beady Belle Fanchannel

It's a side-effect and the gearbox should be fine as long as you do it right. ;)


Rode my CBR for the first time in months today. My riding skills weren't rusty at all! :D #motorcycle



Drivers in the US sure are dangerous. :/

Road rage suspect caught after viral hit-and-run caught on camera


A camera in Oregon captured the moment a minivan swerved across three lanes on the highway, hitting a motorcyclist in what police are calling an intentional attack. NBC News' Yasmin Vossoughian explains how the suspect is now in custody after a critical tip to the police.

#motorcycle

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Terrible behaviour from the driver, but never argue with aggressive drivers and idiots however right you are. Just suck it up, get out and get home safe.


TIL the #Honda Rebel 300 isn't available in California. #motorcycle

reshared this

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

It used to be. I guess it didn't sell well?

I will say I see a lot more Rebel 500s than 300s. Our post-covid 75-80mph average freeway speeds probably have something to do with that.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

It's not available in Australia either. We do get 500 cc (CMX500) and 1100 cc (CMX1100) models though.


Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: reshared this.


Riding a Motorcycle is Easy! | Ride With Us — RevZilla


New to motorcycles? Learn how to ride with confidence! 🏍️
In this video, Zack Courts teaches you how to ride a motorcycle by breaking down the basic motorcycle controls every beginner needs to know:

✅ Front & Rear Brakes
✅ Clutch & Throttle
✅ Shift Lever & Transmission
✅ Kickstand, Ignition, and Starter Button

What does a motorcycle rider look like? Exactly like you!

Riding is easier than you think—and we’ve got your back. Whether you're just curious or ready to hit the road, we’ll help you take the first step. So Ride With Us!

#motorcycle

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Is shifting standardized across brands?
I haven't ridden in ages....
though still have the endorsement on my license...
in reply to Kenny Chaffin

Yep, no major manufacturer is doing their own things with respect to transmission controls anymore.


Saw a VFR800 while out running errands with @clover . 👀 #motorcycle



Feels like there are more motorcycles out than usual lately. :D #Seattle #motorcycle




Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Emilio Scotto (Buenos Aires, September 27, 1954) is an Argentine adventurer, photojournalist, and writer. As of 2009 he holds the Guinness record for the world's longest motorcycle ride, spanning 10 years, 214 countries and a total distance of 457,000 miles (735,000 km). The ride was done on a 1980 Honda Gold Wing GL1100 motorcycle Scotto calls "Black Princess", which now sits in the Don's Riverside Car Museum in Laughlin, Nevada. Scotto recounted his travels in a 224-page book illustrated with his photographs, The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey, published in 2007.

#motorcycle



Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Did my first oil change today (CBR)! It was really easy, but kind of messy. :P #motorcycle
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I found it takes 3 messy tries to find the least messy way. On my Tenere there was no less messy way. You have to drain oil in 3 silly stupid places where it is hard to place containers. Then fill from a really awkward place too. It uses the frame to hold oil.



A fifth generation VFR800Fi just went up for sale on Marketplace a few miles from me.

I wish I had the money for it. :(

#motorcycle


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


I never thought he'd actually say it, even though studies over the years have shown this to be true. :P

Motorcycles can FIX this major USA Issue, but we're too lazy.

#motorcycle

reshared this


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Harley's current strategy of "milk our existing customers for all they're worth" as opposed to their previous strategy of "get more people into our brand" really feels like a sign of the times in a more general sense. :/ #motorcycle


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Any fans of the #VFR series out there? :3

#motorcycle #Honda

reshared this

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Absolutely! I owned a 91 from 1997-2000. Still miss that exhaust sound and cam gear drive whine.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I can now properly say yes 😄 loving mine

(I was searching #vfr to see what came up)

#vfr

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.




AI Vision Explained (and How to Avoid Paying for It) — FortNine

Motorcycle AI Vision is coming. But what is it really worth?

#motorcycle #LLM #AI

This entry was edited (1 year ago)

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


> Got a Ninja 1000SX.
> Eventually got into regularly doing 100+ MPH on Eastern Washington Interstates.
> Downsized to a CBR650R because I realized that 100+ MPH is a bit TOO fast.
> Still ended up around 100 MPH sometimes.
> Was doing something around 80 MPH on a Western Washington State Route where the speed limit was 55 MPH, and Labor Day morning traffic was light.
> Got a speeding ticket and just paid it because I know what I did.
> Stopped going so fast.

🗑️ #motorcycle

This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

I have GPS proof of doing 155 in Nevada on a BMW K1200GT. When he pulled me over the only thing he wanted to see was the motorcycle endorsement on my license. After he saw it we chatted about bikes for about an hour and he wrote me for 5 over.

Right after that I got rid of that bike and now I ride dirt.


in reply to Adam Hunt

There have been windows for bicycle riding, but none long enough for the kind of motorcycle riding I want to do. :(

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


reshared this


Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


Learning how to ride motorcycles (and riding them frequently for a few years) has significantly improved my #bicycle handling skills. :3 #motorcycle #cycling

reshared this

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

My motorcycle riding has made me a more defensive driver as well.
in reply to Murphestophelese MurphMeister

@murph
Absolutely!

Getting into bicycling and motorcycling gave me a whole new perspective on road travel. They made me acutely aware of how small vehicles use the roads and position themselves, and that significantly improved my car driving.



I ordered steel brake lines for my CBR650R back in April, and only now did I have the energy to look into it. After calling The Moto Connection and not getting anyone, I called HEL Performance directly. They said that their business with The Moto Connection was terminated shortly after I'd placed my order, and said that I'd have to either go through The Moto Connection or #PayPal to resolve it. Thankfully, they did sell me the same part directly for the amount I'd originally paid, even though the part is more expensive now. :)

I filed a dispute with PayPal, but they denied it because it had been too long since the transaction. Then I called The Moto Connection and left a message about wanting to cancel my order. I'll keep calling throughout the week, but if they don't get back to me by Friday, I think my only recourse is a chargeback through my credit card. :(

#motorcycle

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

(The stock brake lines on my CBR feel worse than the TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes on my Crust Romanceur bicycle. :/ )
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the shop there.

You will love the feel of the new brake-line when you get it installed. Those rubber lines are really spongey.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Finally got a hold of The Moto Connection this morning and they quickly refunded my original order. 👍


Shannon Prickett reshared this.


This entry was edited (1 year ago)

reshared this



While my first non-scooter #motorcycle was a used #KTM 690 Duke, I probably would never buy a KTM bike again.

Maybe if I did more of my own maintenance, I'd be singing a different tune.

in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Was it maintenance-heavy? Or did you encounter mechanical issues?
in reply to Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺

It was a bit too rough, rowdy, and kind of clunky. Made learning how to ride less fun. :/

Neil E. Hodges reshared this.


. @clover and I went to our local #Honda and #Kawasaki dealer so she could check out the '24 CBR650R, and the one they had on the floor had the new #eClutch. The older salesperson said he rode a '24 CB650R (one that sold before it arrived at the shop) and really liked it. He even said it was so much better than Honda's #DCT! #motorcycle