Round 3, FOAK: 1982 Kawie KZ550 C3 LTD Restoration Options

I know the LA bit to which you refer too, and that's even more
unattractive than the bit I was thinking of. So it happens there too!
The difference down in LA, I suppose, is the propensity to open up with
automatic weapons when boredom sets in.

Regarding how many lanes, I'm fairly certain there are a number of
sections in the Bay area with five or six lanes each way, but I only
meant six altogether.

Yeah, that's another bit of pan-US weirdness - why, in so many states,
is it illegal to filter bikes through traffic? It seems totally daft to
me. On several occasions I've driven (in a car) for miles in suburban
Colorado too, every so often pulling alongside the same bike held up at
yet another red light. It's daft.

Well, your mileage does vary, for sure! "His usual shite" is generally
considered valuable round 'ere.

But you were talking about 'fast' roads in California. I've driven
Sacramento to SF in <3hours in the middle of the night (Highway 280,
IIRC, starting around 2AM, in a car), but it was neither safe (after
midnight it's no longer a legal requirement to look when pulling onto a
major road, it seems), nor even close to German autobahn speeds. I've
also driven Highway 5 south of Seattle, and I'd say daytime speeds on
that are considerably higher than California, once you get out of the
built-up areas.

But as I said, I'm sure your mileage varies...

 

Nothing. I typed "They salt the roads in England, don't they?", then
you morphed into your Evil Clown personality.

Go ahead, tell me that I'm stupid and that I have no sense of
"humour".

Type it a thousand times. Whatever it takes for you to experience your
way through this situation of causality.

 

Objection. Hyperbole. Sustained.

That's a very over-populated area too, with traffic-jammed rush hours.
It's actually worse than Los Angeles in that respect.

It's caused by the kind of ignorance which is synonymous with bigotry.
The people of sparsely populated states don't want anybody to pass
them in order to clear out a traffic jam, and they act like a
filtering motorcyclist is some kind of felon when he splits lanes.

Narrow-minded people like that have to be convinced that filtering
really is a *better way*. However, the largest number of motorcycles
registered in the USA is in Southern California, where the traffic is
so congested that police cruisers cannot catch a lane-splitting rider
during rush hour.

He's been wanting to argue with me for ten years, so I'm familiar with
his tricks to get me to respond.

I avoid riding at 100 mph or more.

Most left lane traffic on the Interstate highways will be cruising at
around 85 mph,
and the California Highway Patrol will pick out the most flagrant
violator, the one who makes himself obvious by moving from lane to
lane to pass traffic that's cruising above the maximum speed limit.

Motorists caught exceeding 100 mph will pay a $500 fine to the local
municipality for the first offense, plus a 50% penalty that goes to
the state of California.

The judge has the discretion as to whether to suspend the convicted
motorist's license. The motorist's license must be suspended on the
second offense.

Each succeeding offense adds about 50% to the fine, so the third
offense will
cost the impatient motorist about $1500 and he'll be walking or riding
in someone else's vehicle for a few years, unless he needs a waiver to
operate a vehicle in the pursuit of his employment.

However, if he has no valid license, he may find himself unemployed as
a result of the suspension.

 

I've been caught (only once, thankfully) in an ice storm on I25 north of
Denver with all lanes doing a suicidal 80+MPH - never been more
frightened on a road in my life - but generally 85 wouldn't be
considered all that fast here, although average motorway speeds are
dropping because there are so many cameras now.

As I said though, neither country/state is especially fast compared to
the Autobahn.

 

Europe has far too many bendy roads for most Yanks' little minds to
cope with.

 

If you've got a real problem with partly-chewed Philips-head screws,
one trick a bike breaker showed me is to put a pin punch against the
head and give it a couple of sharp taps with a hammer. This can help
free the screw and closes up the slot, in fact you may need to tap a
screwdrive bit into it - it will form a good tight fit.

Personally, I hate Philips screws, but if they've come out OK then
unless the bike was special to me then I wouldn't bother replacing
them. Usually they come in all sorts of different lengths that are a
bugger to match.

I'd just use copper grease, but then I've got a ruddy great tub of the
stuff.

 

And *I* couldn't understand what you were trying to say and replied:

"Yes, hence the copper grease. Your point?"

Your call now.

 

Who started this 'discussion'?

 

That's four votes for it so far ;-)

Ditto

 

Precisely. Hence the use of copper-based grease. I bet you use the
stuff, too.[1]

Something like 20 years ago I bought a bloody great tin of the stuff.
It's still only half-used.

 

Indeed. I've pointed out (as has another poster) that I didn't X-post
anything: that the OP posted to three ngs.

I'm waiting for an apology but I'm not holding my breath.

 

Been a while since you were on Hwy. 101.
No lights on it in Santa Barbara for some years now.
In fact it is three lanes in each direction there all the way from
Goleta.
Construction is going on now to extend those to Summerland.
It is three lanes from Muscle Shoals all the way to Camarillo
where it goes to 4 lanes in each direction.

Yes the fun way to LA is to go through Ojai.
Once split off from my sister who was caging it to LA.
I went through Ojai, Santa Paula, Mulholland, Latigo, Malibu
and still passed her on PCH in Hermosa Beach. And I went
an additional 80 miles.

JohnA in LA, CA USA

 

What is a "bullock"?

All I know is to not pay them any mind when the Sex Pistols are here.

 

Actually, I was in Santa Barbara about two weeks ago.

You're right. It's amazing that it failed to register that the State
St. stoplight was gone. It was the only stoplight between Los Angeles
and San Francisco for years.

Yes, I noticed that two weeks ago.

Shhhh! Don't tell all the blokes in old blighty. Hwy 150 is a terrible
road, absolutely terrible, bad pavement, nothing to see, move on
folks.

Actually, I remember Hwy 150 before Lake Casitas existed. Hwy 150
originally ran straight through the Santa Ana valley to Foster Park
instead of Miramonte...

Yes, it's very possible to get stuck in stop and go traffic all the
way from Oxnard to the interchange with the San Diego Freeway.

But I remember Hwy 101 when it wasn't a freeway at all, just a four
lane divided road and I could drive my Jaguar 80 mph all the way from
Ventura to LAX.

Los Angeles has grown some since then...

Never say "Ojai", say "Shangri-La" to confuse the Japanese and other
enemy aliens like Limeys.

 

Maybe you should practice holding your breath. It might be an
advantage, considering your personal proclivities.

 

Did you forget about *moisture* and *oxygen* getting between the
screws and the alloy parts?

Nothing happens without the critical moisture and oxygen.

I live in the desert, so I don't have the rust or corrosion problems
that you blokes have.

 

I 've always favored graphite or molydbneum<sic> based anti-sieze
compounds. But that's just me...

 

Speaking of yourself again I see. You sick demented fraud.

 

A T-500 (suzuki to those younger than dirt) would be more fun and very
apropriate imnsho. 8^)

 

BORING...building blow. History you can learn at home. Road and what
is between the ditches is what matters...the rest is just window
dressing. Which is what I'd make of your guts given half a chance and
a rusty file.