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From: RonB <ronb02NOSPAM@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: Re: Gentoo Takes Good Care Of Its SOPHISTICATED Users
Date: Sun, 2 Jun 2024 23:16:04 -0000 (UTC)
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On 2024-06-02, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 2 Jun 2024 13:41:25 -0000 (UTC), RonB wrote:
>
>> If that's the case, I would suggest you buy British cars and motorcycles
>> (if there are still any made in England). I liked my Sunbeam Alpine and
>> my Triumph Bonneville, but they definitely required constant tinkering.
>> Fun to drive/ride though.
>
> You have to pick carefully to avoid Thairumphs. 
>
> https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/features/bikes/where-
> was-your-triumph-motorcycle-made
>
> So what bikes are assembled here in the UK?
>
> “The Speed Triples, Tiger Sports, Explorers, Rocket IIIs and Daytonas. The 
> decision of what to build where comes partly from logistics – if the vast 
> majority of the market is Europe or US based, it makes more sense to 
> manufacture in the UK. If the volume is elsewhere, it might make more 
> sense to build it in Thailand.

I haven't really looked into Triumphs for a long while, I didn't know if 
they were still made in England or not. They still look good in the ads. But 
the cost is absurd now.

I liked my Bonneville, but I would have to take the brake shoes off the back 
wheel about every week and sand them down, otherwise it would squawk every 
time I hit the brakes. But the chrome and paint were very nice, and it 
handled great on the road. The weight was low and the wheelbase was long. 
Accelerated very quickly.

My twin brother owned a Triumph Trident. That one had a higher top end, but 
I only rode it one time. I opened it up and was driving about 90 mph when 
the throttle stuck. Nothing like trying to stear it at 90 mph with one hand 
while using the other hand to try to unstick the throttle. But my brother 
rode that bike all over the west and got more use out of it than I got out 
of my Bonneville.

Before the Triumph, I owned three different Aermacchi "Harley-Davidsons." I 
bought a 125cc Rapido on time while working at McDonalds in Great Falls at 
16 years old. It was originally an Italian race bike. The Harley dealers 
weren't that fond of these small bikes that got foisted on them, but Harley 
had their own financing (Kilborn Finance) and insurance divisions and they 
were easy to buy. I rode that bike for awhile than traded it in for a new 
350cc Sprint, which was also originally a race bike. (Relatively famous one 
for its division.) The weight in these was low and they had a long wheel 
base, so the handled extremely well. One time a guy at work wanted to try 
out my Sprint as he owned a Honda 350. So we were going to ride each other's 
bikes. I made it as far as a corner in the parking lot and almost tipped the 
damn thing over — the weight was high and the wheelbase was short. I told 
him you can ride the Sprint but that was as far as I was going on the Honda.

While I owned the Sprint, Harley cleared out the 100cc Bajas (which were 
known as desert racers that did pretty well in the Baja 1000). I didn't ride 
this one much, but did take it out in the Montana mountains a few times. 
Engine was very high off the ground. When coming down the road I had gone up 
earlier, a tree had fallen over the trail — I rode right over it without 
crashing. The Baja was made kind of like a "trials" bike. 

And that's all four of my motorcycles. Owned them all in about an 8 year span 
(from 16 to 24 years old). Motorcycles weren't that practical as your only 
vehicle in Montana (and later Nebraska, where I went to "college" — 
glorified Sunday school). 

> The Norton relaunch ended in embezzlement and fraud. TVS (India) bought 
> the smoking wreckage and the Commandos are back in production made in the 
> UK.
>
> https://www.cycleworld.com/story/bikes/norton-commando-961-first-
> look-2023/

My dad almost bought a Commando when Norton went out of business (the original 
factory). They were clearing them out cheap at the time.

> I don't think they've made it to the US yet. I'm not sure about British 
> cars, or at least British badges. I'm not sure the Brits actually own any 
> of them, which may be an improvement. I never had a Brit bike but I did 
> have the requisite sports car, a AH Sprite. It was fun at the time.
>
> That jogged my memory. I'd added two decals in front of each door, a US 
> flag upside down. Nothing has changed.

The Alpine was "hatchback" coupe but it ran like a sports car. It was 
originally my dad's.

-- 
[Self-centered, Woke] "pride is a life of self-destructive fakery, an 
entrapment to a false and self-created matrix of twisted unreality." 
"It was pride that changed angels into devils..."     — St. Augustine