more two-wheeled things

So the fastwagons blog is become inaptly named. I haven't had a fast, quick, or reasonably quick wagon in some time. I do now have a fantastically frugal and functional Jetta TDI wagon, capable of hauling all but the biggest bikes (my 29er bigfoot bike) and capable of bladder-bursting distances between fuelings.

I ditched the 911, and the Passat, and was living a car-lite life down here in Raleigh, NC. Things are swell. Fixed up some of my neglected bikes, got a mid-level modern mountain bike (which still blows my mind with its right-now brakes) and enjoyed no car payments and the like.

Unfortunately I returned to Wisconsin for a bit, which is akin to a recovered addict hanging out with his old junkie friends (fiends?). Hearing about everyone's new toys, being back in the land of actual country roads (not the maniac-infested, congested rural highways here in the Triangle) made me want something motorized again. I had taken the MSF basic rider course back in March, and passed, and promptly got my motorcycle endorsement on my minty fresh NC driver's license. The time wasn't right, so I didn't get a bike right away.

Well, now I have one. I'll just say the trade from 320bhp to 78bhp could not have been more fun. Despite being reviewed in the mags as soft, dull, and old-tech, my bike is faster than anything I've owned. I like to translate soft as comfortable, dull as in it-doesn't-want-to-kill-me, and old-tech as bulletproof and reliable.

It's a 2000 Kawasaki ZR7, which I didn't know was a thing a week ago. It's an old air-cooled inline four, 750cc, two cams but only two valve per cylinder, and 78bhp. It's a five-speed, and I wish it was six because I find myself phantom-shifting in fifth. It'll do the quarter mile faster than my 911 could but I don't have 10% the skill to do it. It's just big enough for me and my tall frame and docile enough to putter around town.

new project?

Time for an update, and a new project.

After having this photo in my screensaver folder for years, I stumbled upon a nearly-free cruiser tandem for sale in Raleigh and renewed my interest in a crazy custom bike.

This bike, called Le Mans, was created by a Ukranian duo called Low Walk Customs (use google translate). It's very cool, won a bunch of awards, and has given me inspiration to create something similar.

Another bike that's been stuck in my brain is the MLS Gravity bike.

I'll have to wait for the shop to get built here in Raleigh before I can get my torch and welder online, but rest assured it will be crazy. Must haves: giant (203mm min) brake discs, Maxxis Hookworms, and Martini livery. Anyone handy with a paintbrush?

1200 miles in a 911

I've had the 911 for about a month and put 1200 miles on it in that time. Rain or shine, I want to get all the use out of it before Wisconsin's winter arrives. How has everyday life been with the Porsche? In a word: fantastic. Really. It does just about everything really, really well.

I'm continually impressed how everyday-usable and comfortable the 911 is while still ripping off 150mph country road blasts and slithering roundabout exits. The physical size means I can't haul four adults and large cartons like I could in the M5, but it's far more special-feeling than the M-car. On paper the 911 looks a lot like a contemporary M3 but in reality driving the 911 is more of an occasion. It doesn't have the pins-and-needles celebrity vibe of the F355 but it's also easier to park, with more storage space, and scalpel-like in traffic. Until I get the car to Road America I can't make a final judgment on the performance but it doesn't quite measure up to the Ferrari. The handling isn't as sharp (but the ride is more forgiving), the motor is nowhere as razor-sharp, the noise is unique but nothing compared to the flat-plane V8 wail, and the styling isn't as head-turning. I do love the bassy, odd growl of the flat six. There is a qualitative difference between the 3.4 and 3.6 liter motors. I've read Porsche changed the exhaust on the MkII 3.6L cars to make them sound more like a 911. It worked. There's a boomy roar in the car and a nice bark with the windows down.

The steering on the 911, though, is something else. The overall handling of the Ferrari trumps the Porsche but the alive, always-changing feeling through the Porsche's steering wheel is 911ism that can't be matched. The light nose bobs and moves around, causing changes in grip and feedaback. The heavy rear moves around despite having huge 285mm rubber.

I was really nervous about the pendulous rear. After driving the car in 36 degree rain (my car isn't equipped with PSM) I can say that it's not as dangerous as the 911 lore suggests. Yes, the rear likes to wiggle but it's easily caught and even easily encouraged. I haven't resorted to putting a post-it reading "DON'T LIFT" on the windscreen but my need to for track days. It really is fun, feeling the nose rise then feel the rear step out, leaving your foot into it and steering through the slide.

Of course all the normal-car creature comforts work well. The stereo is pretty good, the the auto climate control is flawless, and the visibility is excellent. I'm a bit conflicted on the seats; there is plenty of space but the backs don't fit my tall built. My shoulder blades are always being rolled forward. I cringe at the thought of trying to procure different factory seats. The P-car tax is significant. Maybe trying out some GT3 seats is a good start.

I feel incredibly lucky to get to experience this amazing car. It's fantastic. It might me a Porsche guy out of me. We'll see.

new steed, extra silly

Been a dearth of updates here, but it's a fine time to announce that the M5 is gone. It's somewhere outside Chicago in the hands of a young man who is hopefully ready for the "special" needs of an again M-car (he had a Porsche 944 turbo, so he ought to know what he was getting in to).

I thought long and hard about what to get next. I saw a clean red/black NSX in Chicago and after some financial calculating, realized I could afford it. I've always wanted an NSX, it's most certainly my attainable dream car and I will have one someday. I remember drooling over new ones at Acura of Brookfield as a kid. I remember thinking I could buy one immediately after graduating from college. I now can in fact buy one. Unfortunately, this specimen had some potential issues and just wasn't worth the price.

Price. That proved to be an issue in the NSX hunt. My budget placed me in the scruffy, bottom end of the market. I deliberated and realized I should wait to get a clean, sorted example when I had the funds.

What to get instead? Well, I've looked at early watercooled 911s in the past. Turns out they've continued to depreciate. For good reason: the motor can go bad, leaving you with a $10,000 bill on a $20,000 car. Good news, though, someone has developed an aftermarket fix for the issue!

Certain numbers of M96 motors, used in Boxsters, 996s, and 997s, can suffer from failure due to the intermediate shaft bearing. This shaft, part of the timing system, has a sealed bearing that can suffer from lubrication wash-out and poor oiling. Once it starts to wear, ferrous bits circulate in the motor and eventually kill it. LN Engineering has a fix but this requires removal of the motor or transmission. However, once fixed, you can expect years of happy motoring.

I looked at a lot of different cars, and ending up driving a 2002 Cabrio. I loved it. It was tons of fun and very fast. I had no interest in buying a convertible, but it resolved my fears that a 996 wouldn't feel special enough. It was.

After sifting through a sea of silver-over-gray car, I found a clean, higher-mileage red-over-tan. I loved it. I had a PPI done at Porsche North Olmstead and found no surprises. I ended up buying the car, sight unseen, and shipping it back to Wisconsin. I wasn't disappointed!

they love to watch her strut

Almost have the M5 buttoned up. After having to cut a nut off the top of the passenger side strut to release the spring and needing my American-made lightweight cheater bars to release the seized collars holding the inserts in the strut housing, I have the suspension put back into the car. Both struts were leaking a large amount of oil so it was a good thing they got replaced. I need to reattach the swaybar and do a 10-min alignment check still tomorrow, but she should drive! I sure hope this fixed the steering issue.

Here you can see where the spring left the perch. It was installed upside down I think, and somehow worked itself loose. It was under zero pre-load when I took it off the car. Didn't even need a spring compressor to disassemble the strut. Scary.

no willpower

I see beautiful things and I must have them. Sometimes it's problematic. Today's it's splendid.

trouble at the helm

The M5 is acting up. I was pulling out of the garage one morning, and heard a creak from the right front suspension. Pulled over to take a peek, noticed a squeal from the powersteering at full left lock. Everything looked legit, so I continued. Now she pulls right, hard. Like insta-lane-change hard.

I've checked everything! The right front looked towed out, so I changed it. No difference, so I changed it more. Apparently too much, because even the slowest turns yielded screeching tires. Lots of judging looks on that shakedown run. Back to the drawing board. Adjusted tow angles on both sides, all suspension components are tight. Tires all at 36 psi, all lug nuts tight, no brakes dragging.

What gives? I know this is part of owning a 20 year old car, but this one is tricky. Time to put it on the lift.

I refuse to call a 'professional.' I'm too stubborn. But I want to run this car! I had to drive on some of my favorite deserted roads on my way to a friend's house yesterday. That little wagon runs out of steam at 115. Not acceptable. Need the continent-crushing speed of the M5.

Here's a distraction, my German radio I inherited from my engineer grandfather and total gadget-geek. Classy.

brilliance while riding

Sean and I came up with some genius ideas while riding south today.

1. Chainstay/dropout mounted corkscrew to accompany your toptube-mounted wine bottle holder
2. Crank-driven tire inflation/deflation system for the Surly Pugsley
3. Bar-mounted, cone-shaped frites holder with stem-mounted mayonnaise pump
4. Baguette holster instead of a pannier
5. Built-for-speed water bikes, with propellers

Need to get busy in Solidworks. Need to market to Japan (they love weird shit). Then profit?

expensive coolant stings in wounds just like the cheap stuff

M5 fog light repair

The BMW's onboard computer was kind enough to remind me that I had a dead bulb in my parking light and also a fog light. Sick of getting these messages every time I drove the car after dark, I decided to replace the bulbs. I was quickly reminded how much fun it is to do repairs on old cars, especially when it involves ancient plastic clips. I uncovered a lot more wrong than just a bulb with the fog lights. One lens was cracked and was missing all the mounting tabs. It was just sitting in the hole in the airdam, rattling around. The plastic bracket that holds the assembly was also cracked. Brilliant. That can be repaired easily (and this little bit of plastic is forty bucks to replace), but the lens/bucket assembly is beyond recovery. If I replace one, its tattered mate would stick out like a sore thumb so I turned to FCP Groton for replacement OEM lenses.

  Cracked and sandblasted glass lenses

Proper projector lights

The worst part: broken, brittle mounting tabs. The driver's side fog light was sitting loosely in the air dam. You can also see how badly pitted the glass is: just shy of sea glass from the beach.

New glass