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I guess it depends how you view history and building.  "Beck" has been around for "over 20 years". Beck early on sold the Brazillian Chamonix under Chuck Beck. The Chamonix was on a VW pan until 1995 --- according to UK internet site below. So, it wasn't until 1995 that they got tube chassis. (Not sure if those early ones made it to US - never saw one but I did see a BECK SE Speedster with the water-cooled VW engine at Carlisle years ago). Chuck Beck was Beck Development in Calif originally - it wasn't til later that Beck SE came about under Kevin Hines in Indiana and the tubular chassis was developed.  "We" refer to both as Beck when perhaps they are evolutions?

Speedsters.com - Directory of 356 Speedster replica suppliers

Their original 356 Speedster replica was based on the Beetle chassis and mechanics but since 1995 Chamonix have evolved to a more advanced design with their own tubular chassis and using water-cooled VW Golf engines instead of the original air-cooled flat-4.

Good info on Beck Development and Beck Special Edition at: Speedsters.com - Directory of 356 Speedster replica suppliers

Years ago Beck said they brought the fiberglass body production back to the US so they could better control quality.  Carey also commissioned the current versions of the 356 replica gauges (with GPS Speedo) due to quality of the original Brazilian gauges and the really bad quality of the Chinese ones. Carey also has noted the lack of quality in the new aluminum bumper "over-riders" - citing that many get rejected for air holes in the aluminum castings that can't be buffed out.

I have always been a fan of Edward Deming - who in the '60s introduced "continuous process improvement" - i.e. making a ball bearing rounder.  He turned around the Japanese auto industry so that today cars last 200k and not 50k miles.  Beck must have a copy on their shelf as they do keep improving the product.  Think Lane pointed out the new "under carriages?" used to hold the engines in and new suspension components.

PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong - just insight I gleaned from internet (and we know how accurate that is!)

Not sure where Brazilian Chamonix is now - seems to have faded around 2012 and then come back as ChamonixNG (Next Generation).  Interesting to note that they were offspring from Brazilian Puma and the Envemo.  Chuck Beck seemed to have had his technical expertise involved too.

Edward Deming quote -

No one knows the cost of a defective product - don't tell me you do. You know the cost of replacing it, but not the cost of a dissatisfied customer.

W. Edwards Deming

Last edited by WOLFGANG

@joe18d @WOLFGANG

No Beck was ever built on a belly pan.   The early ENVEMOs were, and those were tied to both my father and Chuck but at the time had nothing to do with Chamonix (actually pre-dates Chamonix).  Likewise the PUMA was on a belly pan, and both my father and Chuck did some work for PUMA (mostly my father) but that also pre-dates Chamonix.  It is likely that the linked information contains these errant statements due to some simple confusion, which I see all the time, especially since all of these companies and products stem from 2 generations of just 3 families.

From a quick scan through that linked site: unfortunately it is littered with errors and misinformation.  Its neat that someone is trying to catalog all of the companies, but its just plain wrong (and I only looked at 5-6 companies that I know the history personally).

Special Edition actually came on MUCH earlier also.  It was a side company for special projects, like the Special Edition SHOgun and the Special Edition RAMside truck bed conversions.  These were products of Ford's Rick Titus, Chuck Beck and my father, Kevin.  

The most common misconception that I always see is the history of Chamonix: Chamonix did not exist as a car factory before my father and Chuck turned it into one.  Since we stopped producing in Brazil there have been several attempted "restarts" of the Chamonix brand and the old molds.  Chamonix NG was the first, a few others failed and Athios is the latest.  I do believe that Newton, who headed up the original Chamonix plant, is involved in the restart of Athens, while some of the other attempts were outside individuals renting the old molds.

Badges:    The oval prancing horse is Chuck's own coach builder badge for Beck Development.  It was also the logo used in early 550 advertising and Chuck uses it (very limited) still today.  The Chamonix and Beck crests were designed during the era of our Brazil factory and @Lane Anderson is correct in the origin of the southern cross.  It was adopted as the worldwide Beck logo in the early 1990s and has been ever since, and yes I own the name(s) and logo(s).  The block looking Chamonix NG logo was made by one of the companies renting the molds, probably around 2011/2012, and was a tribute to the old logo since they could not actually use that logo

The history is interesting, especially as it relates to Chuck, Kevin, and the Brazilian forays. I've always wondered about the "Special Edition" name - now I know.

I think the international component is what makes the entire thing a bit exotic to the rest of us schlubs. The history of most small businesses would be pretty boring in comparison. At least mine is.

Intermeccanica started in Italy, moved to LA in the '70s and Vancouver in the '80s. Beck/Special Edition, etc. spanned 2 countries and 2 planets (Kalifornia and earth), eventually landing in "BFE" Indiana. It's a kind of "man bites dog" story that I think is really interesting. I love that it's a tale of a company that farmed production to a second-world place for economic reasons, but ended up moving all production back to the heartland of 'murica, with small-town craftsman producing world-class bespoke automobiles. We're constantly told that sort of thing is not possible in 2022.

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

i like it that Chuck Beck is a crusty chain smoking octogenarian with more fresh ideas than the average mid-sized company, and that he's still welding and fabricating long after most guys his age have toddled off the Shady Acres Home.

I like it that Carey is buying up blocks of Buttscratch, Nowhere to expand his operation. I love that he's doubled and redoubled the size of his operation, and he still can't keep up.

I love this hobby.

Last edited by Stan Galat

Working summers when I was in college I worked for Ralston Purina Company. Smoking was forbidden because it could cause explosions.  So, a lot of people chewed. Occasionally they would offer me some.  It would upset my mother to see me walk out after work chewing.

Sometimes people would cheat and smoke anyway.  One time I was in a little restroom off a stair landing.  I was sitting on the toilet having a cigarette.  I thought I heard someone coming and went to drop the cigarette between my legs into the toilet. Unfortunately, I burned myself.

I still remember the smell of my Dad's pipes in their little round rack on the mantle.  He kept them years after he quite smoking.

Mine too!

True story:

Hanging out on the beach in Jamaica with my ex-wife and a couple friends. They are trying to roll a joint, very unsuccessfully. I pick up a paper and drop some buds in and roll a perfectly round and tight joint. Watching three jaws drop simultaneously? Priceless!

I don't smoke ANYTHING as most of you know. Beer and spirits is another story though.

So how do I know how to roll? I used to watch my great-grandfather roll cigarettes when I was like 4 or something. He had a great big tin of tobacco and chainsmoked. I had no idea that memory stuck with me. It simply popped into my mind while drunk in Jamaica, watching them struggle! LOL!

I rolled a lot that week.

Last edited by DannyP

I have many fond memories of both my Father and Grandfather smoking pipes. I too loved the smell of the tobacco. Both also chewed tobacco, a nasty habit ! My Dads choice was Copenhagen in the tin, but my Gramps chewed plug tobacco. He would sometimes dry his chewed plug on the window sill when he was a little short on money and the smoke it in his pipe. Got his money's worth from his chew. Anyway, I ended with both of their pipe collections. My Grandfather was a fur trader for the Hudsons Bay Co. and spoke seven languages. He would trade pipes with other traders and ended up with pipes from all over the world. My Dad loved classic pipes like Dunhills and later the freeform pipes from Italy and Denmark. I don't smoke but I have 60 or so pipes that I inherited  and a few of my own that I will display someday. I love all the styles and woodwork. As close as I get to a pipe in my mouth is a plastic wire tie or toothpick that I manage to keep there most of the day while working on a car or projects.

@WOLFGANG posted:

Saw a You-Tube of Chuck driving a 604 around teh Talladega track for his 82nd Birthday - that was 2019 so he must be about 85 now!

https://www.bing.com/videos/se...0C28B0&FORM=VIRE

Tradition is to rent little Tally every year for Chuck's birthday.  I didn't make it out in time for the track that year but did the previous and subsequent years.  The cream coupe at the end of the video is mine.  Yes, Chuck is 85 this March, and someone already had the track rented for "test and tune" but they are letting us come out and play with them.  I sold Chuck's mule 904 to a guy in the Czech Republic, but he has his  hopped up Lister he'll be piloting this year (the white V8 car, not the green V12 car).

@Stan Galat thanks.  It's a strange little hobby/career, but I wouldn't change it for the world...

Et al.  My father has threatened to write a book as he moves further into retirement.  I'd like to see it happen to.  For those of you who know Chuck in person, he starts every story with "It was funny"...  I expect to see that tired into the book title somehow.  :-)

My dad smoked a pipe for many many years. He likely started in the mid-fifties and continued until the mid-eighties. He also smoked cigarettes as did my mom. They both quit smoking altogether some time in the 80's. Lung cancer eventually took her life in 2007 but I'm sure quitting helped prolong her life. Both of their parents smoked cigarettes which is where they probably picked up the habit. I couldn't stand the smell of the cigarettes and even as a small child and I would let them know I didn't like it. They did their best not to smoke too much around us which was nice.

My dad's pipe was another matter. I liked the aroma that drifted from the pipe and you could always tell when he was in the house. Although, once, as a small child, I picked up the empty pipe from the ashtray, put it in my mouth, and drew back on the stem with a deep inhale. I just about puked right there on the spot. Apparently drawing on an empty pipe was nothing like smoking a pipe filled with good flavored tobacco. My dad smoked Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey and Borkum Riff Black Cavendish. Based on some pipes I looked at online I'd say he had Carey brand pipes and also some Dr. Grabow Pipes, They Need No Breaking In. He bought the tobacco in the tins and we took the empty tins to store our treasures in. This was when the lid for the tin was metal. He also smoked Amphora Extra Mild Cavendish.

There are numerous family photos from when we were all growing up. All of us kids would be in the family room, usually in our underwear that we wore as pajamas. The black and white would be on but no one was watching because we were all reading one book or another and my dad would be in his chair reading the daily paper. Interesting side-note is that no one in my family took up smoking. My brother has dabbled with a cigar once or twice a yer but no one smoked cigarettes and no one took up the pipe. For me it was probably that drag on his empty pipe that did it for me.

Both my mother and father smoked in the house as that was the norm but at times it looked like it would be best to low crawl to my room. Back then men still wore cuffed trousers and on occasion would use the cuff for an ashtray so on one particular Saturday my Dad's friend Steve visited and they are all were puffing away in the living room when Dad pipes up and say's "Hey Steve you're pants are on fire"   ...........Me, I never smoked.

Last edited by Alan Merklin

I grew up with the same experience. Both parents chain smoked in the house and in their cars. Wintertime was especially terrible having both parents smoking with all the windows rolled up. I remember my two brothers and myself all crying and complaining about the smoke as we coughed and suffered with burning eyes, getting the response to sit down and shut up. I never smoked because of my hate of cigarettes. I walked around every day of my life until I moved out smelling like a dirty ashtray from all the concentrated smoke and never realized it until I started dating a girl whose family were nonsmokers. Nicotine addiction no doubt caused my parents to ignore the facts as they came to light in the mid 70's but they remained in denial of the danger they exposed their self's and children too every day.  When my parents started smoking it was the norm in society. I still have to think common sense would tell you it wasn't a healthy thing to do, but this was the excuse they used. My mother was the heavier smoker and passed from cancer 6 years ago at 78. My dad still smokes every day and night and is 85 now and has been a smoker for 73 years. Go figure. He has been a perfect customer to the tobacco industry. I used to ask smokers I knew if they were sorry they started smoking, each and every one of them said they were. Addiction is a bitch. Sorry for the long post, Alan's post brought up some strong emotions.

Last edited by Jimmy V.

I have a similar story, Jimmy.  As a small child in the 50's and 60's my parents and most of their friends smoked.  When the first Surgeon General's report came out about the negative affects my Dad quit cold turkey and never smoked again.  Still, he had smoked for decades and the damage was done.  He was taken by emphysema at 81 in 1987.  I had a half brother who also passed from emphysema in his 70s, only a few years after Dad died.  My Mom continued to smoke even when Dad was on oxygen (!) as she just couldn't break the addiction.  I remember all of the paintings (Dad's Mom was an artist) and the TV screen in the house being covered with a tarry film that was nasty to remove on the TV and impossible on the paintings.  Only a few of the latter were salvageable.  I would visit her weekly and when I got home I would have to hang my clothes in the garage or put them in the dryer to get rid of the smell.  She eventually quit when she became bed ridden from rheumatoid arthritis that was exacerbated by her smoking.  She passed from COPD at 80 in 2002.  Given how poorly they took care of themselves and the fact that they both made it to 80 or more gives me hope that I will last a bit longer.

My brother smoked for years but I was never attracted to the habit.  Blegh!

I like the smell of a good pipe tobacco but never took up the habit, I just don't desire even a remotely compromised end to my life that's almost inevitable.

My mother and father were outliers in the 1960's and they didn't smoke and didn't allow it in their home. That was a difficult decision in that era and they lost a few friends or the ability to host neighborhood parties over it. My Mother tells a story of a neighbor asking for an ashtray and telling her she didn't have any in the house. "That's OK, I'll just use the saucer of your nice china". Uh-oh....she left in a huff.

My wife has controlled asthma and he own Mother came to our house for the first time. Repeat scene; she asked for an ashtray and I said we didn't own one since it aggravated her daughter's breathing but very *tactfully* suggested she might enjoy the porch. This would have been 1988 and she didn't return to that house once in 7 years 

As for me, I've lost too many friends and family members to various cancers (breast, throat, bone) to ever take up a habit that might add me to the list.

My Beck Speedster smoked a little if I really got on it.

Good recovery from that marvelous thread drift. It's easy to drift when you get excited thinking about life's experiences we all have and want to share those with others. I'm sorry I got off course, but reading Michaels post made me think of my Dad and that lead to a story. On track, I look far and wide for a nice used Beck just because they built their own frames. I sat in one and it did have more room as well. Went I was ready to buy a speedster Beck was 3 years out on builds. I'm in my 70's so I ended up ordering a pan based car here in California because its closer (5 hours drive) and I could drop in as it was being built. I got in with a 12 month wait time. I talked to Greg today and he is still on schedule for my build. I hope to drive it to the 2022 SLO run. We will see ...........

I never smoked either  lol

@Butcher Boy posted:

Good recovery from that marvelous thread drift. It's easy to drift when you get excited thinking about life's experiences we all have and want to share those with others. I'm sorry I got off course, but reading Michaels post made me think of my Dad and that lead to a story. On track, I look far and wide for a nice used Beck just because they built their own frames. I sat in one and it did have more room as well. Went I was ready to buy a speedster Beck was 3 years out on builds. I'm in my 70's so I ended up ordering a pan based car here in California because its closer (5 hours drive) and I could drop in as it was being built. I got in with a 12 month wait time. I talked to Greg today and he is still on schedule for my build. I hope to drive it to the 2022 SLO run. We will see ...........

I never smoked either  lol

Well I am sure it will Pan Out for you  

Being close to Greg is a no brainer! Choosing your local buider, is a win win all around.

@Butcher Boy, you can have great fun in a properly built pan-based car, and Greg is the guy to go to for one of those.  Keep us posted on colors, mechanical specs, etc.  We love following build threads.

What I have ordered is a speedster powered by Subaru, a built Rancho trans with independent and 3:44 gear. All the usual Greg touches for gearing,  4 wheel disc, under dash E brake, Heat and AC, 12 gal gas tank filler cap in the front hood. I went with the GT bumpers, GT deck lid, hard  toneau cover with dual helmet farings. also ordered a half and full toneau for variety. I choose Slate Gray with Baseball glove colored interior and gray square loop carpet with Baseball vinyl trim to match. I went with the Rudge style wheels ( as they say, " only cry once! " I had the seats made 1 inch wider so I have a little room to move. also asked for little touches like bringing the dash cover all the way to the end of the dash alined with the door rail. I plan to drive the wheels off this thing so don't be surprised if I pull into your run back east someday to meet you guys.

Last edited by Butcher Boy

I smoked from the mid 70’s to the mid 90’s. I got sober in 89. It took 7 more years, and being deathly ill and hucking up a half pint of lung butter in an Atlanta hotel room, to finally quit smoking.  

The Urgent Care doc that treated my walking pneumonia was only too happy to write me an Rx for the patch and I haven’t had a cigarette since that morning.

By far the hardest of my vices to put behind me.

Last edited by dlearl476

I love the idea of a pipe. I love the smell, and think the old-school, Father-Knows-Best vibe is a completely different thing than cigarettes. My wife grew up with a smoker (her dad) - and while she can't stand the smell of cigarettes, she loves the smell of a pipe.

None of that was enough to make me hate my lungs enough to take it up as a habit.

But my current plan (at 58) is to start living as dangerously as possible on or about my 75th birthday (should I make it that long). My people are not especially long-lived, nor do they age well. We tend to be strong and robust, then fall off a proverbial cliff. Other people have golden years. We don't really.

As such, I'm absolutely buying the fastest motorcycle I can manage, which I plan to ride like I stole. Perhaps a pipe at that point in time might prove to be a good move as well.

@Butcher Boy posted:

What I have ordered is a speedster powered by Subaru, a built Rancho trans with independent and 3:44 gear. All the usual Greg touches for gearing,  4 wheel disc, under dash E brake, Heat and AC, 12 gal gas tank filler cap in the front hood. I went with the GT bumpers, GT deck lid, hard  toneau cover with dual helmet farings. also ordered a half and full toneau for variety. I choose Slate Gray with Baseball glove colored interior and gray square loop carpet with Baseball vinyl trim to match. I went with the Rudge style wheels ( as they say, " only cry once! " I had the seats made 1 inch wider so I have a little room to move. also asked for little touches like bringing the dash cover all the way to the end of the dash alined with the door rail. I plan to drive the wheels off this thing so don't be surprised if I pull into your run back east someday to meet you guys.

It's going to be extraordinary.

@Stan Galat On behalf of your loved ones I hope you won't view 75 or any other number as your sell-by date. You're always going to be worth more to society for your comments than for your corneas.

When I taught Web Developer classes I used http://deathclock.com/ as an example of how to implement website cookies in Javascript. This summer I hope to prove the site's calculations unreliable as it has me down for then. Whenever I go I want it to surprise people, so they say "Gee, he wasn't acting very dead at all this morning."

I know it's not what you intended, but I checked that deathclock, @wrkinprogress. I found out my sell-by is Aug 18, 2036 - which would make me 72. This is a few years ahead of when my dad tapped out, but a good 10 or so after my grandfather did. It's probably not that far off.

Maybe I'll buy that Triumph Thruxton and take up the pipe a bit before 75.

Everybody thinks their gonna' beat the odds, but the last time I checked: the reaper still bats 1.000.

Far be it for me to tell anyone how to live their life. If Stan wants a motorcycle and a pipe when he's 75 that's up to him.

I had a response posted about the weather thread, and deleted it. It simply would have done no good for anyone.

Live and let live.

Buy a bike. Smoke a pipe. Have a glass of Scotch.

Just don't buy a 359 or a Perry D Spyder. That peeves me big-time!

Get off my lawn, while you're at it.

@Joe Fortino posted:

Screen Shot 2022-01-29 at 7.35.32 AM

We all tend to take the big risks when we're young and have the most to lose, which is backwards of how it should be.

Of course, nobody sees it that way - when you're 20 and broke (with no dependents), it doesn't seem like you are risking all that much to generate the stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life. But the reality we gain with perspective is that we have almost everything to lose when we're young. Actuaries know it when calculating the value of a person's life for insurance purposes. There's less to lose the older one gets.

My kids are grown, my house paid for, my retirement funds are... funded, I guess (if not to my satisfaction, then at least to a much greater degree than I thought possible as a young man). I've got projects I'm in the middle of, but my house is in order.

My health is still "OK", and I'm not being unduly negative - but the meter is running for all of us, gentlemen. None of us makes it out without crossing over to the other side. I've got no intention of curling up in a fetal position and sucking my thumb under the bed in an effort to avoid what is inevitable. It really pisses my doctor off when I say it, but if I can't really LIVE my life, then I'm wondering what the point of extending it indefinitely really is?

Old men tend to become timid and just start taking up space. I understand the desire to take it easy and enjoy the fruits of 40 or 50 years of working - but I know that when I'm left to my own inclinations, I spend a lot of time laying on the couch, watching Netflix, and eating Skittles.

I'm still every bit the adrenaline junkie I've always been, and I'm grateful for that. But these days, my ability to generate adrenaline through sheer physicality is limited. My brain keeps writing checks my body can no longer cash.

It's a fine thing, then, that we live in the age of the internal combustion engine - a device which serves as an adrenaline dosing system as well as being useful in other (more practical) ways. Things with engines provide the kind of dopamine rush old men struggle to get through other avenues.

As such, I really am planning on deliberately hanging it out in ways that were imprudent for too much of my life the further along I get. Rather than going slower and slower, I'm hoping to get faster and faster. The trick is to not put other people in danger while doing it.

A murdercycle or overpowered clown-car seems weighted pretty closely to the center of the risk/reward equation.

Last edited by Stan Galat

I’m 63, a dude and a non-smoker.  According to my height and weight, Deathclock puts me at their lowest (best) rating.  The only other variable is ‘mode’, which is what I assume describes one’s general outlook on life.  If I select ‘sadistic’, I’m already dead, which tells me an occasional really bad joke doesn’t hurt you.  Same result if I choose ‘pessimistic’, so at least I now have an argument (backed by science) the next time my wife stops me for pointing out the negative in things.

That leaves ‘normal’ and ‘optimistic’.  If I choose normal, I live for 10 more years and expire in early summer at the young age of 73.  If I call myself optimistic, we’ll then I get 17 more glorious years and make it to 90.

Today is going to be a great day.  My dogs will behave on their walks, my back will feel fantastic, and the the lights will all be green.  I will get my chores, exercises and stretches done without incident or distraction, and I will still have plenty of time to play.  And my low BMI arse will be sitting in my new speedster, with my lovely wife sitting in the right seat encouraging me to make some upgrades, wind in her hair and over my scalp, youge smiles on our faces, before the end of February.  

@Stan Galat posted:

Thruxton-R_LHS_Promo_955x537

I was actually thinking something like this.

1200 cc, about 100 hp (which is pretty pedestrian these days, but plenty for a senior citizen), inverted fork, Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes. It's about 450 lbs, so I'd still be able to man-handle it. I'd probably add a 2/1 pipe, but otherwise - it looks pretty much perfect right out of the crate.

Triumph still makes classic looking bikes. I love the cafe racer look.

TFC-Genre-Thruxton-MY20-1410x793-image17-MC

The wife says, no motorcycle for you. BUT if I could, I surely would. They take up less space in the garage to boot.

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4ED04DC5-AEF8-4106-9492-4D08C46DF1D933E6D861-DCF1-4E85-8210-FDE36F7610EAMy Ducati ST4 and Ducati 750 Monster in 2013. Almost met my maker on the black Monster coming off the Cherohala Skyway in September of 2013. Had bikes constantly from 1967 to 2013. Owned a Honda 360 in college when I met my future wife. Went out to the  New River on it right after graduation then over to the 18th green of the college golf course that night to properly say goodbye to Virginia Tech. Bikes were always part of my life. My wife refused to ride with me after the birth of our first child. Took 2.5 years for my wife to nurse me back to health after the crash. She told me she would divorce me if I got another bike. So I got an intermeccanica and kept off bikes. But if the worst ever happened and somehow my beautiful bride was taken from me I’d get that Ducati sport classic 1000 that I always wanted. It would obviously be used but a more beautiful better sounding machine has not been built.

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Last edited by 550 Phil

Death Clock has me living another 30 years which puts me dying at a younger age than my dad who, as I said earlier, smoked cigarettes and a pipe for 25+ years. I've never smoked and I have a positive outlook on life. Even when I was dealing with the worst people society had to offer up. I guess my BMI is what is holding me back. I'm 5'9" and 240lbs and solid as they come. BMI is a lie and does not take into account many factors but I'm fine with it. The orthopedist said I had the strongest most dense bones he's ever tried to cut through with a bone saw. It took 5 blades to cut each tibia for my knee replacements. he said I would likely NEVER suffer from osteoporosis. Arthritis yes, osteoporosis, no. I've been given a second chance at lie more than a few times so I just keep living the way I always have.

"BMI is a lie and does not take into account many factors..."

My wife and I were once talking to the proprietor of a supplement store who was built like Chris Hemsworth, and he told us that he couldn't get life insurance because of his BMI.  It didn't matter that he was healthier that 99.9% of the folks on the planet, his BMI wasn't in insurance companies' preferred range.

I've got a 1980 BMW R100T. It's 980cc, plenty of torque, but only 65 hp.

I bought it from the original owner in 2016, when I temporarily didn't have a Spyder. I'd always wanted to own a BMW, the flat air-cooled twin is pretty cool.

I haven't ridden it in two years. I don't have the desire anymore. The guys I used to ride the bike with have all disappeared. My wife no longer wants to ride it either.

I've got two great toys anyway, the Spyder and the Cayman. They're a whole lot of fun.

It's got over 60k(heads and cylinders freshened before I bought it) on it. I replaced the tires and rebuilt and synched the carbs. I took the gauge cluster apart, cleaned it up, replaced the bulbs. Replaced the rear shocks. Took off the luggage and seat rack and crash bar. Took off the aftermarket fairing/shield and put some louder shorty mufflers on it. Removed the big flag mirrors in favor of bar-ends. Kind of a semi-cafe look. Adjusted the valves, replaced all the gear oils, engine oil every spring. 20200112_135248_HDR

$3700 takes it and all the stuff I took off.

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@DannyP posted:

I've got a 1980 BMW R100T. It's 980cc, plenty of torque, but only 65 hp.

I bought it from the original owner in 2016, when I temporarily didn't have a Spyder. I'd always wanted to own a BMW, the flat air-cooled twin is pretty cool.

I haven't ridden it in two years. I don't have the desire anymore. The guys I used to ride the bike with have all disappeared. My wife no longer wants to ride it either.

I've got two great toys anyway, the Spyder and the Cayman. They're a whole lot of fun.

It's got over 60k(heads and cylinders freshened before I bought it) on it. I replaced the tires and rebuilt and synched the carbs. I took the gauge cluster apart, cleaned it up, replaced the bulbs. Replaced the rear shocks. Took off the luggage and seat rack and crash bar. Took off the aftermarket fairing/shield and put some louder shorty mufflers on it. Removed the big flag mirrors in favor of bar-ends. Kind of a semi-cafe look. Adjusted the valves, replaced all the gear oils, engine oil every spring. 20200112_135248_HDR

$3700 takes it and all the stuff I took off.

Stan. You should buy it. I would if I wanted to be a bachelor.  

Hi Lane, what you have posted above has been a pet peeve of mine for many years. I was a competitive body builder in my 20's and 30's and was 5-6% body fat and weighed 190lbs at 5'6" tall, giving me a BMI of 31 which is said I was obese. At 5% body fat I was not obese. For this situation and many other the BMI calculator isn't accurate, or is it? This is the attitude I had until a doctor I knew explained it this way. He said my heart has to work harder to keep my 190lb body going, built out of muscle or not than it should or would if I had less muscle or fat weight and was in the 154lb range. He said my heart is enlarged and at risk trying to fuel all the extra weight. It then made sense. So, even though I wasn't obese in the being fat sense I was stressing my heart needlessly by carrying an unnatural amount of muscle for the size of my body (I had gotten that way by the help of unnatural means as well) He told me that as I aged this would make me more at risk for heart attack or stroke. After understanding this I started a reduction program. I my late 50's my knees both went bad and I started gaining fat weight because of my inactivity. I had both knees replaced last June at 60 years old,and have lost 47 lbs of body weight since. I have 20 to go to get to my goal. The pic attached is of me at winning the Mr. Ky contest at 26 years old back in 1986. I weighed 180lbs in the pic and am 5'6" tall. My body fat was measured at 5% the day before.  Was I obese? Jim Bodybuilder

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Last edited by Jimmy V.

A good friend, very lean Olympic marathon runner,  shows up for a physical at 35 with an enlarged heart... his md initially panicked of course, but hey, when you can and are running a marathon every week your heart has to enlarge to increase it's stroke volume.    He still runs 10 miles pretty much daily. and is now 67.  The issue with BMI IMO, is the inability  for this calculation to take into account body composition.  It is the same with Body surface area vs weight for dosage calculations for medications.

You have to be aware of the subtle differences. and where the tools diverge from each other and when one is better than the other to use. Just saying.

98% of the population doesn't need to worry about this happening and should pursue fitness: both muscle strength and endurance and cardiovascular endurance. The hardcore “must keep building muscle' guys who are very into bodybuilding may need to back off and watch heart health and learn what a healthy frame size is for their height and body type.

The exert above was found online at a heart health site posted by a Cardio Doc. Look at what has happened to Ronnie Coleman. This is an extreme case.

Last edited by Jimmy V.
@Stan Galat posted:

I know it's not what you intended, but I checked that deathclock, @wrkinprogress. I found out my sell-by is Aug 18, 2036 - which would make me 72. This is a few years ahead of when my dad tapped out, but a good 10 or so after my grandfather did. It's probably not that far off.

Maybe I'll buy that Triumph Thruxton and take up the pipe a bit before 75.

Everybody thinks their gonna' beat the odds, but the last time I checked: the reaper still bats 1.000.

Even George Burns and Betty White eventually move on. We lost Johnny Fever (WKRP) today.

Next up: the Queen of England.

The Reaper doesn't come for me. I'll go when I'm called by a much higher power

I have already used up more then 9 lives from my reckless youth to my military service to my road trips and motorcycle adventures. I figure I'm way ahead of where I should be at 71 and I'm still enjoying the view from this side of the grass. When I no longer feel relevant and like Stan says, "taking up space" I'm getting in my speedster and heading for the dessert Went I'm out of gas, I'll walk till I run out of gas, then let nature take it course. I don't want to lie in a bed for years waiting to die. I'd would rather go out with a big smile, totally sideways with my hair on fire. Or on a mountain top watching the sunset with a gar of moonshine in my hand... empty!

How's that for a thread drift........ lol

Unlike groceries, we don't have "Use by or Expiration dates" anywhere on our bodies so we just go about doing our thing until our "tank is empty like a car without a gas gauge. I'm still amazed I'm still chugging along approaching the 83-mile mark while I've passed so many others. Does it depend how hard or cautious you drive, the traffic you're in or just how well you keep mechanically fit? It's a long journey, the places you've been, the sights you've seen cannot be forgotten or repeated but where's the final destination, who knows. Just enjoy the trip.....I'm just saying

@ALB posted:

I guess I've been under a rock- Johnny Fever's gone!!??!!

I'd be surprised if you didn't know who he was Al. I think maybe you've just forgotten that you know who he was. I figured everyone of a certain age or more knew who his character was.

Johnny Fever is the DJ at the mic. Watch until the end, the look on Mr. Carlson's face is classic.

Last edited by Robert M

@Robert M- Oh, I know who Johnny Fever is/was (come on, that radio personality change/intro in the first episode after being told of the format change is one of the greatest pieces of TV ever!); I hadn't heard that Howard Hesseman had died on the weekend.   The character Howard and the show created will live on.

And yeah, the turkey give away was hilarious!

Last edited by ALB
@ALB posted:

@Robert M- Oh, I know who Johnny Fever is/was (come on, that radio personality change/intro in the first episode after being told of the format change is one of the greatest pieces of TV ever!); I hadn't heard that Howard Hesseman had died on the weekend.   The character Howard and the show created will live on.

And yeah, the turkey give away was hilarious!

I misunderstood which rock you were living under then. 😂

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