--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Harmon Seaver <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <<<<<big snip>>>>>
> It was so > quiet you literally couldn't tell if it was running unless you put your hand on > it or looked at the tach. It totally amazed those of us who grew up with > Harley's (my first bike was a '47 Harley, btw). There's just no excuse for all > those noisy, smoke belching machines -- the technolgy to build better stuff has > been around for a long time -- why is US industry dragging it's feet? Because that is what consumers will buy. If no one was buying Harleys because of the noise, they would quiet them down. In the trucking industry, new truck sales are skyrocketing, and so are newer used trucks. No one wants to buy the less-efficient engines that will require much more expensive maintainance that are being mandated. Check out Cummins' http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/products/trucks/isx.cfm website and their ISX engine. I prefer the higher torque of the 600 Signature Series, but the ISX is still pretty good at 1850 ft/lbs., and can meet emmissions standards. Mercedes or VW can't compare or compete. You admitted that European manufacturers can't meet our emmissions standards using our fuel. Cummins can. I think > it's more a matter of a cowboy attitude than anything else -- the macho "I'll do > what I want and to hell with everybody else" attitude we see so prevalent in US > foreign policy and everything else. I agree that may be a portion of the problem, but I think it mostly comes down to economics. I can't afford to pay an extra $5000 for an engine that gets less mileage, and needs more maintainance. How many people would buy a Mercedes, if they had to pay $5000 extra for an engine that has less horsepower and fuel economy? > I was out fishing the other night and some asshole in a *huge* inboard boat > with dual V8 engines and absolutely no mufflers was cruising up and down the > river. What I would have given for a torpedo! A well-muffled and environmentally correct torpedo? Motie Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
