2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Lots of medium-large crossovers offer a third row. Almost all of them offer very little room in that row.
It’s the dilemma of room -...
2021 BMW X5
The main problem with electric cars isn’ the range.
It’s the wait.
Put another way, how far it goes is a less a problem than how...
2021 Subaru Ascent
Subaru’s thing used to be small, rugged cars - sedans and wagons - that were built to deal with bad roads and poor weather...
2021 Mercedes E450
V6 engines are disappearing - even from luxury sedans like the Mercedes E-Class - a type of car which used to come standard with...
The Spectrum Meets in the Middle
A luxury car isn't defined solely by its luxury. What makes it so is that most people can't afford it. If almost anyone can,...
2021 Jaguar F-Pace
Jaguars were famous, once, for their silky in-line sixes and V12s - as well as their uniquely elegant English styling. Nothing else looks like...
2021 Ram 1500 TRX
When does 450 horsepower seem kind of . . . limp? When you’re behind the wheel of something with more than 700 horsepower.
That’s the...
2021 Genesis GV80
The Genesis GV80 does not have a V8, as its name seems to suggest it might. But it does have something else that’s getting...
2021 Acura TLX
You used to be able to get a V6 in a Honda Accord sedan. But now that one’s a four cylinder-only sedan.
The good news...
2021 Lexus NX300h
Buying a hybrid is beginning to make economic sense again - because the price of gas is going up again. Which can make up...
2021 Hyundai Elantra
There is one class of new car left that offers buyers real choice - as opposed to a choice of badge. Ironically, it is...
2021 Hyundai Elantra Walkabout!
Here's a look a something different for a change... which is surprising, given the class of car we're looking at. Almost every other class...
Classic Cars
The Old Car Experience
If you’ve never driven an old car - as opposed to a used car - you have probably never experienced certain things that were...
What We’ve Gained . . and Lost Along the Way
When every new car comes standard with air conditioning - and an LCD touchscreen - such things become given things.
It becomes harder to make...
The TRX vs. The TA
The '21 Ram TRX I am test-driving this week has more than three times as much horsepower (702) as the 455 V8 in my...
The Americano Cubano
America may soon look a lot like Cuba - with lots of ancient cars on the road, kept on the road by determined owners...
A Tale of Two Idles
Before there were computers in cars, all it took to adjust the engine idle speed was a screwdriver and five minutes or so.
You turned...
Doomed: 1989 Ford Fiesta Shogun
You have probably heard about the Ford Taurus SHO - which was a Taurus equipped with a Yamaha-built 3 liter DOHC V6 engine that...
Parts Store Archeology
Once upon a time, oil came in cans.
They stacked nicely but made a mess when you tried to extract the oil, which you did...
The Forgotten Last Muscle Car
It’s a strange but true thing that one of the last real muscle cars was - here it comes - a Buick.
The 1973-1974 Century...
Old School Fast
Fast is not just about the numbers. Does it feel fast to be traveling 500 miles per hour in an Airbus? It feels much...
Plug n’ Play
One of the great things about old cars is you can selectively update them with modern technology without them turning into modern cars.
An overdrive...
It Used to Be Fun
New cars have everything going for them except fun. Most are suffocatingly “safe” - and as entertaining as anything else with that word attached...
Motorcycles
Spring Bike Pre-Flight
Motorcycles have something in common with lawn mowers and weed whackers: It's common for them to just sit for months during the off season....
Why The King Died
No, not Elvis.
This old Kawasaki motorcycle I've got sitting in my office. It has a neat little engine of a type you don't see...
Indoor Motorcycle Storage
After my divorce, I realized I needed a new companion. The problem being, “she” was living in the garage.
I refer to my much-beloved and...
Reader Question: Mummified ’83 Silverwing?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kyle asks: I am having my grandmother ship a 1983 Honda GL650 Silverwing to me. It...
Enter the ZRX
I started one of my bikes yesterday after it had been sitting for the past six months - the time it took for me...
First Bikes
Bikes are not unlike shoes in that you want one that fits.
If you're a big guy, there are bikes that won't. And if you're...
No Helmet, no Diaper . . .
It's hard to not get down when you see what's going on all around. The poltroonish passivity of the populace. Stay safe!
Diaper up!
So I...
The DeadWire
People aren’t getting much of a charge out of Harley’s first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire . . . literally.
Owners - and there aren’t many -...
Reader Question: Home for Old Kaw?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Fred asks: I've been a reader for years (but a slacker on donations). I used to...
Cycle Therapy
There are sound, practical reasons for owning a motorcycle that transcend fantastic gas mileage and low buy-in cost. I speak of the therapeutic aspects of...
Little Stinker Emerges!
Yesterday was one of the first warm/dry days we've had up here in The Woods of southwest Virginia, so I decided to step away...
Buyer’s Remorse . . .
If electric cars are The Future how come one in five who own them are returning to the Past?
They are replacing their first electric...
Latest Radio: Bill Meyer Show 5/6/21
Here's the audio of my weekly gabble with Bill Meyer over at KMED radio in Oregon; we talked about a number of interesting topics,...
What About The Children?
A child just died - but not because of the 'Rona. Essentially no children have died because of the 'Rona.
But a 15-year-old Colorado boy...
And They All Look Just the Same . . .
There are two chief reasons for the homogenous appearance of new cars. And they're related.
The first reason is that all new cars - all...
Latest Radio: Bryan Hyde Show 5/4/21
Here's the audio of my weekly gabble with Bryan Hyde; we talked about property rights and Face Burqa'ing, among other things!
. . .
Got a...
Face Burqa Signage and Property Rights
Do signs have rights?
More precisely, are we bound by respect for the property rights of store owners as supposedly expressed by signs that state...
Diaper Report 5/3/21
Yesterday, I was able to do something I haven't in nearly a year: Walk into an Earth Fare without wearing a Holy Diaper -...
Closing Our Doors
Yesterday a group of us met to discuss the Situation.
How to resume normalcy without waiting on the rest of the country - or even...
Elon’s Test Track
Who gets the blame when the government knowingly allows the public roads to be used as a test-track for dangerous technologies?
That’s the question which...
Why the Drive Matters . . .
Cars are just the vehicle for the drive - the being able to go where you like, whenever you like and how you like.
It...
The “Cases” We’re Not Hearing About . . .
We have heard endlessly, practically every 15 minutes - about "the cases!" "the cases!" - of positive tests. But almost nothing about the cases...
Latest Radio: Bill Meyer Show 4/29/21
Here's the audio of this week's gabble with Bill Meyer over at KMED Radio in heart of darkness Oregon! We talked about Elon's Musk,...
Cycles
Spring Bike Pre-Flight
Motorcycles have something in common with lawn mowers and weed whackers: It's common for them to just sit for months during the off season....
The Electrocution of Motorcycles
A car is fundamentally an appliance.
While a few are bought and kept for the fun of it or because the buyer likes the looks...
Why The King Died
No, not Elvis.
This old Kawasaki motorcycle I've got sitting in my office. It has a neat little engine of a type you don't see...
Reader Question: Mummified ’83 Silverwing?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Kyle asks: I am having my grandmother ship a 1983 Honda GL650 Silverwing to me. It...
Give ‘Em an Inch . . .
The problem with giving an inch is they always take a mile. This is why it is so important to never give them the...
Enter the ZRX
I started one of my bikes yesterday after it had been sitting for the past six months - the time it took for me...
Reader Question: Some Bike Advice?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Sam writes: On Wednesday I saw a guy riding a green and white Kawasaki Super Sherpa...
First Bikes
Bikes are not unlike shoes in that you want one that fits.
If you're a big guy, there are bikes that won't. And if you're...
Reader Question: 1980 Harley Starting Problem?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Jon asks: I hope you can point me in the right direction. I saw your video...
Two-Wheeled Post-Corona
Old motorcycles, like old cars, are probably going to experience a resurgence in interest as people become interested in low-cost transportation again.
There may be even...
Rueing the Sherpa
As hysteria about Coronavirus spreads - faster than the disease and possibly more dangerous than the disease - I’m really regretting having sold my...
New Car Reviews
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS
Lots of medium-large crossovers offer a third row. Almost all of them offer very little room in that row.
It’s the dilemma of room -...
2021 BMW X5
The main problem with electric cars isn’ the range.
It’s the wait.
Put another way, how far it goes is a less a problem than how...
2021 Subaru Ascent
Subaru’s thing used to be small, rugged cars - sedans and wagons - that were built to deal with bad roads and poor weather...
2021 Mercedes E450
V6 engines are disappearing - even from luxury sedans like the Mercedes E-Class - a type of car which used to come standard with...
The Spectrum Meets in the Middle
A luxury car isn't defined solely by its luxury. What makes it so is that most people can't afford it. If almost anyone can,...
2021 Jaguar F-Pace
Jaguars were famous, once, for their silky in-line sixes and V12s - as well as their uniquely elegant English styling. Nothing else looks like...
2021 Ram 1500 TRX
When does 450 horsepower seem kind of . . . limp? When you’re behind the wheel of something with more than 700 horsepower.
That’s the...
2021 Genesis GV80
The Genesis GV80 does not have a V8, as its name seems to suggest it might. But it does have something else that’s getting...
2021 Acura TLX
You used to be able to get a V6 in a Honda Accord sedan. But now that one’s a four cylinder-only sedan.
The good news...
2021 Lexus NX300h
Buying a hybrid is beginning to make economic sense again - because the price of gas is going up again. Which can make up...
2021 Hyundai Elantra
There is one class of new car left that offers buyers real choice - as opposed to a choice of badge. Ironically, it is...
Reader Question: Fair Price for 2004 Buick LaCrosse?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Jerry asks: How much would you offer for an '04 Buick LaCrosse with under 40k miles...
Reader Question: EZPass?
Here's the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Mark asks: Where I live, the bridge tolls (from NJ to PA) were increased for the...
Reader Question: A Room Full of Faces?
Here's the latest reader question - more of a report, actually - along with my reply!
Peter writes: Last Wednesday evening, my wife and I...
