I love the simple life

[Paul in NZ]

God knows I'm a Luddite when I come to my transport choices – I like old
motorcycles and commute 100km a day in a 1990 Toyota Corolla SW (only 275,000km on the clock). That does not stop me coveting modern luxury vehicles which seem to be available at very very low prices. I mean a nice E34 (I guess) BMW 525 wagon would surely be a GREAT kayak tug. Roof rails built in, comfy, fast, luxury… Cor – they look nice too…

So – I was teasing the head mech next door to work for turning up in a Subaru wagon as he normally vilifies the things. (it cost him $500 so fair enough) They had a tidy looking 525 Wagon out front so I casually asked him what about one of those? Apparently I could have that one for $200 which is about what the scrappie will give us, its `overheating' and I doubt the owner will fix it. Probably blown a head gasket due to the fan failing….. Hmm… I was raised by a mechanic, I rebuild old motorcycles and a head gasket? Pfft! Crikey – this could be a blimmin cheap `classy' car methinks.

With age comes wisdom so I dutifully toddled off to complete the mission for
Vicki I was engaged upon and having done that thought – erm – so a garage full of professional mechanics won't touch it, what am I thinking????

Anyway, being a mug I went back and asked Jason – prick of a thing to work on, cam chains fiddly and if you have never done one before you will drop half the bits into the engine, has sodium filled valves so you can grind em, have to buy all the bits from BM , heads usually porous and you need to sort the fan – if we do it, probably $3500 to $4000, you might get luck and get away with a head plane and a new fan… Of course it needs tyres etc but… Then we suspect there is an ignition issue that might need a new key from Germany or it could be the separate computer just in charge of security…

Gah! I gave up the cheapo beemer dream. Seriously, suddenly my Corolla is
looking damn fine… I can't think of anything on it that would need more than
$700 to fix? I've seen old Triumphs with cases stiched up with weld so they
look like they are rejects from frankenstiens lab and they still run!

I have a feeling we are going to regret all this technology in vehicles, they
can't be fixed and the ecological costs of scrapping and making new must be
horrendus. Why can't they just make a simple vehicle that will run for ages and be cheap to repair for ever... You know, like an old Triumph Twin...

[Ixion]

Why can't they just make a simple vehicle that will run for ages and be cheap to repair for ever... You know, like an old Triumph Twin.


Meh. Much too complicated. Too many cylinders. And all them unnecessary wasteful valves and camshafts and gears n stuff going round n round n round n up n down n up n down n....b. Proper bikes don't need all that.

[zahria]

I have a feeling we are going to regret all this technology in vehicles, they
can't be fixed and the ecological costs of scrapping and making new must be
horrendus. Why can't they just make a simple vehicle that will run for ages and be cheap to repair for ever... You know, like an old Triumph Twin...[/QUOTE]

Back to the future young man, buy yourself a horse, cart and top hat...

[jonbuoy]

Pretty much everything - cars, bikes, electrical goods made after 1990 seems to be "disposable", if it breaks throw it away. :(

[scumdog]

I love the basic things (I'm talking wheels-wise)

After upsetting the lower-pecking order types I visited this morning I took the afternoon off and cruised on CBs Sporty - then I needed to pick up some steel and stuff from an engineers so used the Thunderbird (big boot doncha know!), ya can't get more basic than those two machines.

Simple, don't need much fixin' and when they do it's easy.

And then sat back in the 26+ degree sunny day and had a few beers while figuring out stuff on my '37 Ford.

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

I've got a 330 E46 BMW. Great car but when anything goes wrong it's all computer, sensors, BUS relays etc and not for the home mechanic (which I am not but will try my hand occasionally).

Truly great cars if they are serviced properly but not for the home mechanic. Stay away from modern BMWs if they haven't been serviced properly.

E34s are about half way towards E46s (in terms of being able to service it yourself). Can be done but would take a fair bit of specialist knowledge from what I've heard.

[arcturus]

well done all i drive is a very simple 3 cylinder 1000 cc daihatsu charade super simple to repair seldom needed as for my bike one ttr600 air cooled reliable only problem can be a mule to kick on occasions

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

well done all i drive is a very simple 3 cylinder 1000 cc daihatsu charade super simple to repair seldom needed as for my bike one ttr600 air cooled reliable only problem can be a mule to kick on occasions

Best car I ever owned was a Daihatsu Charade GTTI (and this is versus various sport orientated cars). 1 litre, 12 valve engine with a turbo stuck on it. Thing was like a go kart - nothing else on the road could handle like it for the power. It was like it was on tracks round corners. The epitome of power and handling (in a car) in my opinion.

I'm now a fan of the 3 cylinder engines hence my street triple - they rock also.

[AllanB]

Must say I love my 'turn-key' Honda. Oil & filter change and there is bugger all else required for 24,000 kms! Well apart from tyres, rego, WOF ........

I do wonder about the 'ride-by-wire' throttles appearing everywhere (including HD) - if the computer has a sensor spaz and opens the throttle wide open ......

The new Bonnie is one of the few success stories of late of a simple-ish modern motor. Shame they don't give it a extra 10 hp :mad:

[Motu]

I knew there was something seriously wrong when people started walking away from water pump jobs - like your BMW,cars parked up in the yard because they couldn't afford to replace the water pump,the job is worth more than the car!

That's why I went for the airhead as my ride for the rest of my life (well,maybe) - The the most simple,fixable,easy to work on,able to be modified bike I could find....without going too far back in time.I'm just sick of over complication and models having a 3 month run as far as parts are concerned.The airhead has a 25 year parts run,and you can still get the parts!!!!

Charade GT Ti - definitely one of the best cars I've ever owned,they are a rocket! That was another car I picked up as being not worth repairing by the owner - and I could have bought one for how much it cost me to put it back on the road,and that's not counting the labour.

[pete376403]

KLR650 - simple single, (ok 4 valve, DOHC and water cooled) but the design is well over 20 years old and hasn't changed much in that time, a single carburettor, real basic ignition system. Sometimes described as a japanese Royal Enfield
And as for Enfield - still using the basic design laid down in the 40's or 50's.

Not everything is super complicated

[Bonez]

I have one of those complicated 4 cylinder nippon things from the '70s. Hell, only on my second set of points and third set of plugs in the 23 years I've had it. Tyres last more than 5000kms too. Poor dear survived being flogged by the stepsons and their mates while I was at work. She's a keeper.

[Dadpole]

I have one of those complicated 4 cylinder nippon things from the '70s.

Na mate - They will never catch on - Too many cylinders to be reliable - just a passing fashion.

[koba]

I'm just sick of over complication and models having a 3 month run as far as parts are concerned.The airhead has a 25 year parts run,and you can still get the parts!!!!



Yep! My VW beetle is amazing for parts availability and price.
I'm liking the 1990 Hiace van too, brilliant engine - soo simple!

[martybabe]

I used to work for the AA in England, their vision of the future was for far less mobile mechanics and far more recovery trucks. On the basis that it's getting harder and harder to fix anything at the side of the road with all the modern twixnollogy, they foresee a time when you ring in a breakdown you get towed no other option.

I don't have a problem with that if vehicles are 99.999% reliable but we seem to live in an age where reliability hasn't caught up with technology, Renault being a prime example of this. So the days of a simple but frequently needed fix have gone but the days of infrequent but catastrophic breakdown ( not necessarily terminal but you sure as hell aren't going anywhere) are upon us.

Sadly we are in transition, I miss the days when you could fix everything with a 'Brummy screwdriver' more commonly known as a Hammer but I long for the days when you don't have to fix anything ever, what a lot of free time we will all have to ride. :shifty:

[Bonez]

Na mate - They will never catch on - Too many cylinders to be reliable - just a passing fashion.Never. Electric starters are a waste of time too don't ya know.

[carver]

I like my GSXR1000
4 big simple pistons..

easy to work on too

[Motu]

it's getting harder and harder to fix anything at the side of the road with all the modern twixnollogy, they foresee a time when you ring in a breakdown you get towed no other option.


I stopped going out on breakdowns in the late '90's - you can't get them going anymore with a set of points or a coil,they are tow ins now.And I stopped towing them in too - two mechanics going out for a line tow is more expensive than the cost of a transporter....especially if the tow company gets all your work.

[XRVrider]

Spent some mechanic years specialising on V8's, great engines, specially the Chev's. Worked on race cars, t-buckets, old yank cruisers etc... gotta love em. For me they are the real cars, simple engines, just big and thirsty. Sound great and hands down, better than every boy racer 4 cylinder, lowered piece of shit these days. No need to race to 50 kph to blow off show off, just cruising slowly in a V8 says it all.

[Motu]

I used to get people come in and say ''Do you know anything about V8's?''.I was like ????? Wot,is there something special about them? In the '60's and '70's they were just engines in cars,open the bonnet of an Aussie car or a Yank Tank and there might be a V8 in there...or not.You didn't need a degree in V8's to work on them - they were made by Yanks,that makes them impossible to be complex.Dumber than dumb.

Anyway,if they asked that sort of question,then I didn't want to be anywhere near their ''V8''

[XRVrider]

Yeah it was funny to have the big rough looking hard guys come into the workshop almost timidly asking me to work on the "big tough complicated beast". C'mon guys its just got a few extra cylinders than your grans Morri thou. Same principle just v'd. Simple engine, just more spark plugs and a way complicated dizzy... not. Fun to drive though, great velocity it felt when really accelerating, probably cos usually in a big car i spose.

[Motoracer]

From the trainees to the big bosses. Nearly everyone aims to buy a new car here and once the KMs are over 100,000, they reckon it is nearing the end of the life. I am not saying German workmanship and technoligy ain't built to last but they (no one else for that matter) ain't got anything on Japanies vehicles. It is a bit biased to compair the cars here and in NZ becuase the cars here get ABSOLUTLY thrashed on the autobahns. Even rust old ford transits are always flying around at 160 - 190 or more. Also the currency makes it more affordable to own newer cars.

Anyway, I say Japanies cars are the way to go! :2thumbsup I would only choose anything else, as a company car. Meaning I would not be responcible for repairs and breakdowns.

[xwhatsit]

I dunno about this `simple old car thing'. I'd definitely back that up w.r.t. my 250RS; SOHC, single cylinder, air-cooled etc. However my '62 Mk.I Mini is fookin' scary. Sure it might only have two valves per cylinder, and the thermostat->radiator->waterpump interconnect was easy to comprehend (and hopefully is reliable enough) once I got my head around it. But the ignition system?!?!

Jesus Christ what a dicey proposition. You can't possibly tell me that that was the best idea they could come up with at the time. Engine driving a shaft which turns a square rod around and around opening and closing switches... sparks flying everywhere... bits of metal getting worn away 5000 times a minute. Vacuum advance from a spindly bit of tube which goes all the way around the engine to the carb to suck open and closed a diaphragm which rotates the whole assembly around. It just seems miraculous the whole thing can last more than a trip around the block.

I suppose they were waiting for the invention of the transistor in the 1950s... could've had contactless electronic ignition back then, but with the vibration a vacuum tube might've been even more unreliable than points+dizzy!

[Motu]

The Lucas distributor was one of the best,it was simple and gave very little trouble - and points were in every service station and garage,and service stations were everywhere too.Able to be diagnosed and repaired on the side of the road...kinda what we are talking about.

[Dodgyiti]

That's why I went for the airhead as my ride for the rest of my life (well,maybe).

I'll take that as "Still room for a Guzzi twin" then:2thumbsup


Paul(in NZ),
I thought you would have come to this conclusion when you fixed up the ? (Jappa)

People only regret technology when it breaks down and it is either horrendously expensive to fix, or increasingly as Motu said, no one wants to or can't fix it.

I am sticking to my old stuff too, points, carbs and the odd relay is about all I'm prepared to tackle now, taken 40 something years just to get that (reasonably) under control:pinch:

[Paul in NZ]

Paul(in NZ), I thought you would have come to this conclusion when you fixed up the ? (Jappa) :

If you mean the FRZ400 - nah, its a piece of piss. No more technology than a rect / reg which could be easily replaced with almost anything and the ignition module which is pretty straight forwards and parts were relatively OK ish. The beemer cars are just nuts by comparison...

[Dodgyiti]

Agreed.
I am actually a bit scared of modern cars and bikes.
My g/f thinks I know about cars because I can swap engines in my old Holdens...


When in reality I'm a caveman with a flint and a thigh bone club

[Voltaire]

A 71 Kombi lives at my place.
Bet some of you guys have good Kombi stories.....

" The road is always clear in front of a Kombi "

[Motu]

I'll take that as "Still room for a Guzzi twin" then:2thumbsup


Yes.When I rode my first V twin Guzzi's in 1980 (S3 and V50) I was suitably impressed,and made it my long term plan to own one....after I'd sampled a few more bikes.Of course I already had the Stornello and had ridden a Falcone too.So puzzling that a BMW suits me more than a Guzzi now,when they didn't back then.

Kombi stories....uh yeah.I once had a '58 Kombi and a '61 Beetle.....and one 1300cc engine.....and not enough tyres either.I made my own Baja before the kits were available - with a gas axe and tinsnips.I would change engines on the road outside my mothers place by pulling the engine out on a beer crate...the vehicles back to back.Using Kombi wheels on the back of the Beetle was good....using Beetle wheels on the front of the Kombi not so good.Using wrong headlamps on either vehicle does not work! A narrow vertical beam.

My years of VW playing ended when I decided to fit a tacho to the Kombi....and not feeling like running a wire all the way back to the engine,I used one already supplied...the oil light wire.Gosh,you are getting ahead of my story! The inevitable happened on a saturday night coming off the motorway at Wellersly St - it came to a stop at the Queen St lights,at least there were enough people on the street to push it around the corner onto Queens St.A thrown rod and twisted cases.

[Dodgyiti]

All Kombi stories have been permenantly erased from my memory to protect what remains of my sanity.


The Mini dizzy is a nice simple and sturdy setup in contrast to other parts of the car:shutup:

With all those older cars you could replace the points and set the timing with a tail light bulb, 2 wires and a flat screwdriver and a 1/2 or 9/16 spanner. Can't get more 'side of the road' than that.

[Voltaire]

...side of the road....

I once did a R75/5 gearbox swap on the high street outside Motobins....went for a pub lunch and next day caught the ferry to France.
The BMW toolkit supplied is very comprehensive....even has a test lamp.

I had a Boyer in it for a while but it didn't like sub zero temperatures...but the points didn't mind so they stayed and Mr Boyer went.