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Jan 17
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Wyoming Republicans Propose Ban on Electric Car Sales

By General Posts

from https://www.newsmax.com

A group of Republican state legislators in Wyoming have proposed a ban on electric vehicles in the state until 2035 in an attempt to protect the oil and gas industries.

A group of Republican state legislators in Wyoming have proposed a ban on electric vehicles in the state until 2035 in an attempt to protect the oil and gas industries.

The bill, which was introduced on Friday, states: “The proliferation of electric vehicles at the expense of gas-powered vehicles will have deleterious impacts on Wyoming’s communities and will be detrimental to Wyoming’s economy and the ability for the country to efficiently engage in commerce.”

Wyoming state Sen. Jim Anderson, a Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors, told The Cowboy State Daily that the legislation came after several states moved to ban the sale of gas combustion cars, and noted that if the measure passes, “The Legislature would be saying, ‘If you don’t like our petroleum cars, well, we don’t like your electric cars.’ ”

Co-sponsor Sen. Brian Boner said that the resolution would be a symbolic measure, but that it would still be meaningful.

“One might even say tongue-in-cheek, but obviously it’s a very serious issue that deserves some public discussion,” Boner said.

“I’m interested in making sure that the solutions that some folks want to the so-called climate crisis are actually practical in real life,” he added. “I just don’t appreciate when other states try to force technology that isn’t ready.”

 

Apr 14
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At Largest Market: Two-wheeler sales crash to 10-year-low in FY22

By General Posts

Two-wheeler sales crash to 10-year-low in FY22; motorcycles fall below 9 mn
India is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers and also the largest market for it. (China being second)

One of the primary reasons for this downfall is the spiraling cost of fuel prices.
by John from https://www.newswwc.com/

New Delhi: Rural distress impacted the Indian two-wheeler segment, one of the largest in the world, in a big way that their sales in 2021-22 fell sharply, for the first time in ten years, to 13,466,000 units, as per the latest data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). It was in 2011-2012 that the two-wheeler sales were close to this number at 13,409,00.

( India’s Financial Year is calculated as from 01-April-2021 to 31-March-2022 )

Throughout the year, demand for motorcycles and scooters was impacted by rural distress and higher ownership cost amidst soaring fuel prices. Sales of two-wheelers, particularly motorcycles failed to gather momentum even during the festive months, leaving the companies burdened with a pile of unsold stocks. As a result, the overall sales of motorcycles fell below the 9-lakh mark for the first time since 2016-2017, SIAM report said.

One of the primary reasons for this downfall is the spiraling cost of fuel prices. Barring two months, petrol prices escalated in almost all months of FY22, sometimes even thrice a month that severely impacted the demand of entry-level motorcycles which is the primary choice of the budget-conscious low-income consumers.

New motorcycle sales are directly correlated with fuel prices, as 62% of the country’s fuel sales are consumed by the two-wheeler segment.

According to market experts, spike in auto fuel prices has triggered the rate of deferment majorly among the consumers of below 125cc two-wheelers that hold about 80% of the total market. Besides, shortage of semiconductors and high container charges have also deterred the production levels of OEMs.

Besides, frequent price hikes by the OEMs to overcome the spike in input cost coupled with moderation in rural demand hugely deterred the buying sentiments of consumers.

Additionally, electric vehicle demand continues to witness pickup in the states with higher government incentives like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka etc., which are also key markets for conventional two-wheelers.

All the segments except the two wheelers are in green. Passenger vehicle sales grew 13.2% to 30,69,499 units in FY 22 compared to 27,11,457 units in FY21. Sales of passenger cars stood at 14,67,056 units, utility vehicles at 14,89,178 units and vans at 1,13,265 units.

As fuel prices skyrocket and concerns grow over the running cost of petrol and diesel vehicles, the electric vehicles market has quietly started to build up. As fiscal 2021-22 came to a close, the green brigade — still small in numbers — seems to be coming of age, also charged by government subsidies.

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Mar 17
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Different Types of Fire Extinguishers for your Workshop

By General Posts

Different types of Fire? Yes !
Know the Class Category for Fire Extinguishers

by Keith Dooley and Roger Tunsley from ehow.com

Auto garages are full of electrical equipment, gasoline, oil and chemicals, any of which can cause or make a fire worse.

For this reason, it is best that your workshop is equipped with relevant type/s of fire extinguishers to deal with different types of fire.

Fires are classified by the type of material that’s burning.

There’s a broad international agreement on fire classifications in Australia, Asia and Europe.

But the American classifications differ.

CLICK HERE To Read this key Tip for your DIY Workshop or full-fledged Garage business.

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Dec 20
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Climate Dogma Killed Biden’s “Build Back Better”

By General Posts

by Michael Shellenberger

A half trillion dollars to subsidize renewables would have raised energy prices, worsened inflation, and undermined decarbonization. But what do we do now?

The centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda is dead. Senator Joe Manchin today announced that he could not support Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation which consisted of $1.7 trillion in new spending and would have added $158 billion to the national debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The largest component of spending, $570 billion, was for renewables, electric cars, and other climate change investments.

Progressives, environmentalists, and Democrats are furious with Sen. Manchin, but it was their own climate and renewables dogmatism that doomed the legislation. Democratic Senators could have written legislation that expanded nuclear energy and natural gas, the two main drivers of decarbonization, which are strongly supported by Manchin, and Republicans, but instead investments went overwhelmingly to solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars.

It’s true that there were good things in Build Back Better, and that one of the worst climate provisions, the Clean Energy Performance Program, was already removed. Build Back Better included a tax credit for existing nuclear power plants, funding for advanced nuclear fuels, funding for fusion R&D, and financial support for communities hurt by the transition to renewables.

But the money for nuclear would not have made much if any difference to the operating of nuclear plans. Nuclear plants in California, Massachusetts and New York are being shut down, despite already being profitable, for ideological reasons. Legislatures in less anti-nuclear states like Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticult step in to save their plants when they need to. And higher electricity prices due to natural gas shortages are making nuclear plants in other states even more profitable.

Of Build Back Better’s $550 billion for climate and energy, the vast majority of it was for weather-dependent renewables and their enabling infrastructure, including $29 billion for a “green bank” program to finance renewables and $10 billion for rural electric cooperatives to switch to renewables. Such subsidies were being offered despite years of false claims by many of the legislation’s sponsors and advocates that solar and wind were already cheaper than grid electricity.

Most dangerously, Build Back Better would have undermined electricity reliability, raised energy prices, and made the U.S. more dependent on foreign energy imports. Over-reliance on weather-dependent renewables in Texas and California, and under-investment in reliable, weather-independent nuclear and natural gas plants, led directly to deadly blackouts in those states.

I testified as much to this problem to Manchin’s Senate Commitee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Sen. Manchin made clear today that the role of renewables in making electricity expensive and unreliable was one of his top concerns. “The main thing that we need is dependability and reliability,” he said this morning. “If not, you’ll have what happened in Texas and California.” In his statement, Manchin said, “If enacted, the bill will also risk the reliability of our electric grid and increase our dependence on foreign supply chains.”

Adding weather-dependent energy sources can only make grids more resilient if significantly more money is spent maintaining reliable power sources to make up for their lost revenue and lost operation hours. That’s what Germany has done, deciding to burn more coal rather than continue operating its nuclear plants, which it’s shutting down, or rely too heavily on imported natural gas.

Manchin is also right that Build Back Better would increase dependence on energy imports. Over 80% of the world’s solar panels are made in China by incarcerated Uighyr Muslims living in concentration camps and against whom the Chinese government is committing “genocide,” according to the U.S. State Department.

Build Back Better contained incentives for the return of solar manufacturing to the U.S., but they were far too small to compete with solar panels made by incarcerated people in China’s already-built and heavily-subsidized mega-factories. Nor did they deal with the coming solar panel waste crisis.

“We have been energy independent for the first time for the first time in 60, 70 years or more,” noted Manchin, “and we should not have to depend on other parts of the world to give us the energy, or be able to hold us hostage for the energy, or the foreign supply chains that we need for the products we need every day.”

Everywhere in the world that solar and wind are deployed at scale they increase electricity prices dramatically. California increased its electricity prices seven times more than the rest of the U.S. over the last decade. Germany has the highest electricity prices in Europe, and is breaking new records with the energy shortage caused by lack of adequate natural gas supplies globally.

And now the entire world is paying the price of climate alarmism and renewables dogmatism. Climate shareholder activism and the ESG “sustainable” investment movement caused governments and private sector actors to underinvest in oil and gas production and over-invest in weather-dependent renewables. The result is historic shortages of natural gas and oil.

For the last several weeks Europen and Asian nations have been breaking records for the cost of electricity, due to shortages of natural gas supplies. Oil prices are set to rise to $125 per barrel next year and $150 in 2023, and U.S. winter natural gas prices will be 30% higher this year. Even nuclear-heavy France, which became over-invested in renewables and natural gas, and under-invested in nuclear, is seeing record electricity prices.

But what then, does it mean for climate change? And what should be done to safeguard American energy supplies going forward?

Dec 05
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Energy Clarity: Our need for cheap, plentiful, reliable energy

By General Posts

By Alex Epstein From Center for Industrial Progress

When making energy choices, there are three major criteria that need to be considered:

1. Is it cheap? Simply put, if you can’t afford energy, then you don’t have energy.

2. Is it plentiful? If energy is scarce, then many people will have little to no energy.

3. Is it reliable? If energy is unreliable, then you won’t have it when you need it.

In other words, energy is only valuable to the extent that it is cheap, plentiful, and reliable.
And to make it that way, we have to discover cheap, plentiful, reliable processes for generating energy.

Energy is a process

Energy is a process. Whether it’s coal, oil, gas, solar, wind, we describe them as materials, but they’re really processes. The materials are just one part of the process, but the whole process can include things like mining, refining, manufacturing, transportation, operation, maintenance, and disposal.

And then you have to look at how the whole process adds up. When we see something in the marketplace being cheaper or more expensive that reflects the whole process.

The general reason why certain forms of energy are not adopted is because the process to produce them is too expensive or it’s not reliable.

Let’s look at some examples of this.

Jimmy Fallon’s irrefutable case against “renewables”

For this first example, I’m going to let comedian Jimmy Fallon do the talking.

“New Scientist Magazine reported on Wednesday that in the future, cars can be powered by hazelnuts. That’s encouraging considering an eight ounce jar of hazelnuts costs about nine dollars. Yeah, I got an idea for a car that runs on bald eagle heads and Faberge eggs.”

So you may be thinking, “Isn’t hazelnut energy renewable? Doesn’t it come from the sun? Isn’t the sun free and forever? What’s going on here?” It’s all about the process.

While we don’t have to pay the sun, we do have to pay for the land, the labor, and many other inputs necessary to make hazelnut energy. And with hazelnuts, the process to produce them is very costly. The same turns out to be true for many alternatives.

Jul 16
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Dream E-Type: Early days of the Honda 4-Stroke

By General Posts

from https://www.thesundaily.my

Mr Honda’s disdain for two-stroke engines fuelled the relentless pursuit of perfection for his little four-strokers.

It was March 1951 when Soichiro Honda summoned engineer Kiyoshi Kawashima from Hamamatsu.

“‘Kawashima, would you mind coming over for a moment?’ It was the beginning of a two-month stint in the capital as I worked on the design of the E-Type 4-stroke engine in a corner of the Tokyo Plant,” recalls Kawashima. “When the plans were at last ready the Old Man dashed in to see it, bringing Fujisawa, with him.” (Takeo Fujisawa was Honda Motor Co Ltd’s co-founder.)

Kawashima can remember clearly that day in May 1951. “As he showed the plans to Fujisawa, Mr. Honda gave us an enthusiastic commentary: ‘Ah, I see. You have this kind of valve and the cam goes like that. This is what I call an engine, it isn’t just a two-stroke machine that looks as though it’s been cut from a bamboo tube with holes drilled. This will sell. Honda will do well with this!’ Mr. Fujisawa didn’t have any understanding of the plans, he didn’t know anything about mechanical things at all, so he just said things like ‘Hm, yes, that’s great,’” said Kawashima, laughing.

The now-legendary test crossing of the Hakone Pass took place on July 15. In those days the Hakone Pass was considered the ultimate test for a motor vehicle. Even lorries could only get over it if they stopped for a rest every now and then. So it was certainly a challenge for a small 150cc motorcycle. Kawashima acted as both the engine designer and on that occasion, as test rider.

“Actually we’d been using the Hakone Pass as a test track for quite some time by then. I was sure we could climb it, but I was pretty nervous because the Old Man and Mr. Fujisawa were coming along as well.

“If the engine had overheated or something and conked out right in front of Mr. Fujisawa, the Old Man would have suffered a terrible loss of face. That day a typhoon was approaching but history relates that the engine was completely untroubled in the torrential rain and raced up the hill in top gear.

“I joked to myself that it was lucky there was so much rain and spray, because it meant that the air-cooling worked liked water-cooling and helped keep the temperature down. Although I say that I went up in top gear, there were only two gears, which was just as well,” he said, laughing. “Looking back on it, I think that was a good, plucky little engine.”

The story goes that the motorcycle overtook the Buick that Honda and Fujisawa were riding in. Kawashima went over first and the three men were reunited at the summit of the pass, where they hugged each other with delight.

The Dream E-Type was Honda’s first four-stroke machine. The Japanese motorcycle industry had become more competitive about a year before and bikes with four-stroke engines were produced for the first time. The market started to show preference for four-stroke rather than two-stroke bikes.

Later, Honda came to be known as “Four-Stroke Honda” although in fact it was rather slow in switching to the new type of engine. But at this time a lot of four-stroke engines were fitted with side-valves for reasons of economy and ease of manufacture, while Honda opted for the overhead valve system.

Another difference was that Honda’s bikes, both two- and four-stroke, were much more powerful than other Japanese machines with 150cc engines.

“The Old Man probably wanted to make proper four-stroke bikes from the very beginning. In those days people’s ideas about two-stroke engines were rather hazy and since they burn up lubricating oil, which isn’t meant to be burnt, the Old Man probably only tolerated them as a kind of stop-gap at a time when he had no money and inadequate facility,” said Kawashima.

“For two decades after the launch in the following year of Cub F-Type (a two-stroker), Honda made only four-stroke bikes. The E-Type was the first bike the Old Man really enjoyed making.”

The E-Type’s frame, like that of the D-Type’s, was of channel-frame construction, but because there had been so much trouble with the failure of the wet-cone clutch on the D-Type, the E-Type was fitted instead with a dry-type multiple disc clutch. The clutch control was also changed to the more conventional left-hand lever system.

Kawashima recalls: “On reflection, we realised we had made a mistake in being too unique and we decided to make our bikes more conventional. But since it’s not Honda’s way to revert to old designs, we decided that the point of difference should be the quality of the engine. These were extraordinary bikes in the best sense. They sold well and brought pleasure to both customers and dealers.”

The E-Type went on sale in October 1951. Compared to the D-Type, which had shipped 160 units per month at its peak, 500 units of the E-Type were being shipped out a month only half a year after its launch and a year later, when it was fitted with a third gear, that rose to 2,000; three years later annual production reached 32,000 units.

Now that Honda had overcome the critical problems of its early years, the company would, as Honda himself had predicted, start to expand thanks to the success of the E-Type and seize the opportunity for rapid future development.

Kawashima riding a Dream E-Type at the Suzuka Circuit on April 1, 1992.

Mar 26
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Motul Set For 2021 MotoGP Campaign With Team Suzuki And Pramac Racing

By General Posts

from https://www.scoop.co.nz

Motul continues winning partnership with reigning MotoGP champions Team Suzuki- Motul and PRAMAC Racing sign exclusive deal for 2021

The 2020 MotoGP World Championship season was an incredible year, which saw Team Suzuki and Motul claim a clean sweep across the Drivers and Teams Titles. The famed Japanese manufacturer will continue with riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir, a line up that remains unchanged since 2019, with a clear aim of repeating the championship successes in 2021.

Motul will continue as the Official Lubricant Partner of the Suzuki factory team, extending the close working relationship between the two brands that have delivered success at the top flight of motorcycle racing for the past 32 years. This partnership has pinned its hopes on the championship-winning Suzuki GSX-RR, which has seen only minor upgrades due to a MotoGP engine freeze over the winter. The aim is clear for 2021 – to repeat the success of 2020 and achieve back-to-back titles.

Motul also confirms a key technical partnership with PRAMAC Racing for the MotoGP World Championship, inking a three-year deal which will see Motul and PRAMAC Racing competing at the top flight of motorbike racing until 2023. Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco will be leading the charge in 2021, both on the highly competitive Ducati Desmosedici GP bike which scored 5 podium finishes in the hands of PRAMAC Racing during the 2020 season.

This partnership extends away from the race track, where Motul Heavy Duty will be working closely with PRAMAC’s industrial applications in the energy and material handling sector. Motul will provide first fill lubricants at factory level for PowerGen equipment, providing high-performance diesel and gas lubricants to improve mechanical efficiency.

The 2021 MotoGP World Championship season begins this weekend, at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on the 26-28 of March 2021. The action begins with the two Free Practice sessions on Friday, with Qualifying on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday.

Sep 23
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Oil Transfer Problem on a 2019 Harley-Davidson

By General Posts

Recently I was on a ride from South Carolina to Sturgis (and then on to Colorado). One of the crew, my friend Biji, is one of those guys who has been a motorhead since Moses came down from the mountain with the stone tablets, and he’s studied M8s since they came on the scene.

We have all heard about the early M8 engines having a problem with oil transfer from the transmission to the primary case. The obvious result is not enough oil in the transmission and too much in the primary. We have also heard that Harley fixed that problem on newer models. I thought my new 2019 Glide should be good-to-go. However, Biji said that wasn’t the case and each of us needed to check our transmission oil.

I’ll start by saying this sucks to write about. I am a die-hard Harley guy. I’m not just invested in these bikes. I’m all in. I work on my own bike. I read Harley-Davidson history, hung out with great builders, built bobber, ran chopper events, rode cross country all around Harleys. Possibly, the main reasons I ride a Harley is the Chopper Culture. We like to work on our bikes.

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Aug 13
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Red Line Synthetic Oil Announces Expansion of Powersports Oil Line with New 15W50 Powersports Oil

By General Posts

Benicia, Calif. (2020) – Red Line Synthetic Oil, a leader in the performance lubricants industry, today announced the newest product in their powersports line-up, 15W50 Powersports Oil. The new weight will be available for order beginning September 1st at Red Line Oil and Tucker Powersports.

Red Line’s 15W50 Powersports Oil is formulated for high-performance engines in a variety of applications including ATVs, motorcycles, UTVs, and additional powersports vehicles. Red Line’s motorcycle and powersports lubricants are designed to resist the chopping and shearing action of powersport transmissions, while ensuring the viscosity meets the desired specification. Additionally, Red Line’s Powersports Oils provide superior wear protection under even the most adverse conditions and extreme temperatures. It is recommended for metric motorcycles (KTM, Husqvarna, Ducati, Yamaha, BMW, etc.), any powersport vehicle calling for a 15W50 engine oil, and is suitable for JASO MA2 applications.

With the introduction of this new viscosity, Red Line now offers powersports enthusiasts seven different weights to choose from, all designed to maximize performance and protection. The 15W50 oil joins the line of popular powersports products from Red Line, which also includes the company’s recently launched Chain Lube with Shockproof.

“At Red Line, our high-performing products are an integral part of our powersports lineup,” said Kit Szwarcburg, Marketing Director of Red Line Synthetic Oil. “Thanks to the introduction of our 15W50 Powersports Oil, our customers now have even more quality options when it comes to maintaining and protecting their equipment.”

For more info on Red Line Synthetic Oil, please visit www.redlineoil.com or follow Red Line Synthetic Oil on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

About Red Line Synthetic Oil

In 1979, Red Line Synthetic Oil began creating lubricants for the racing industry. Today, Red Line Synthetic Oil manufactures more than 100 products, including motor oils, gear oils, ATFs, assembly lubes, fuel additives and the popular WaterWetter cooling additive for the automotive, motorcycle, marine and industrial markets. Red Line Synthetic Oil uses extensive knowledge of racing to create high-performance products for track cars and street vehicles. To find a dealer or order online, log on to www.redlineoil.com.