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Hello new people, allow me to repeat: die in a car fire.

An interesting greeting considering the current topic ;)

Here's a thing about the biker issue.

I used to ride a bicycle a lot, I've never forgotten what it was like on busy roads. I always (weather in my car, or my truck) give cyclists, and motorbikers plenty of room, I'll even hang back in traffic to make sure I get the room to pass wide.

Sadly this week has proved to be something of a bitch, and the irony is that partly thru' my own fault (by way of insufficient observation) I was hit by a 20 tonne fork lift truck, causing some cosmetic damage to my beautiful red rig :( I was not distracted by anything, I just didn't see it coming until the last second, and BUMP! But it could have been much worse.

Sorry to hear about the Red Rig, Bella - but glad it didn't damage *your* rig!

I guess I was gunning for an full electric car on my 40th, but they were not afordable yet.  Looked at the Zap, but felt it was a bit of a death trap:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZAP_Xebra

Mon Jun 25 2012 11:01:10 AM EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

I guess I missed out on the opportunity to become a motorcycle owner during my mid life crisis. Now I'll have to wait until I'm 50.

Anyone have an extra $30 Grand... 

http://www.betterplace.com/

This is available where I am. I would LOVE to get one!

well, i.e. my experiences about electric vehicles in china, everything runs on bateries & electricity except the cars which are dominated by the traditional automobile industry there as well.

They have three wheeled bikes in the form factor of a pickup truck with a cargo bay in the size of 4 bigger chairs; much similar to the vespa cargo trike. You can find them everywhere, almost every age. from brand new to 40 years old. I didn't see a single one of these which didn't run on battery power meanwhile. Many didn't even have a working chain to transmit pedal power to the wheels anymore.

In that week I saw 2 gas powered 2 strike motorbikes (the loud, smelly, slow ones, you know?), and lots of them electricaly powered.

cars aren't ready to be run electric? well maybe then that concept has to die. at least the way its currently done.

oh, and for those unwilling to take two wheels, heres the twizzy:

https://www.google.com/search?q=renault+twizy&hl=en&client=iceweasel-a&pwst=1&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=FhLzT56JJ4jN4QTC3szaCQ&ved=0CHIQsAQ&biw=1676&bih=913&sei=HRLzT92wEIje4QScy-TfCQ

(already met 3 of them on the road)

which is smarter than a smart. Its  legaly registered as a quad over here.

Twizzy's no good for Israel. It's too hot here even with the wind blowing at you.

For the time being I'd rather have fuel that isn't being
made artifically expensive because of someone's agenda.

Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans!  And I suppose to the British, who by now are probably pretty damned glad they got rid of us back then.....

Thu Jul 05 2012 09:08:41 AM EDT from IGnatius T Foobar

And to think, we fought a war of independence to escape taxes that were a tenth of what the current regime now levies.

Nyah! Nyah!

<laughs>

Well, I wouldn't be so quick to give Bella her belly laughs....unless you know what *their* tax rates are like today.  ;-)

Fleeb,

That was pretty exciting news, actually.  Though they seem to be somewhat cagey in stating it definitively....

I think UK's sales tax is like 20%, but it's called VAT.

Even ours is lower. It's been 16% for a while, but now it's going back up to 17%. Oh frabjous day!

It does seem unfair that after the country takes over a third of your salary, they then turn around grab another 17% from everything you buy, including food.

<sends the Big Bang to Aahz's house>

There.  That should help.