[Meer123]

My name is Al and in a prior life, I loved old BMW’s (2002's are my favorites) along with other old oddities like Alfa GTV’s, Datsun 510’s and 240Z’s as well as most older rear wheel drive Toyotas. Strangely, I also had a soft spot for old lifted trucks, classic Bronco’s and Land Cruisers and an occasional Land Rover Discovery … and just to round it out, I like motorcycles – my last one being a Kawasaki Ninja.

I got married a few years ago and as soon as the kids arrived – things changed – a lot! Hahaha. I miss my old hobbies and my 100k mile Honda Accord and my new Nissan Quest do not do it for me – but I love my kids so at least for now, I don’t indulge much on anything with an internal combustion engine beyond the occasional oil change.

Then a year or two ago, I stuck a 2 stroke motor (similar to a mower or weed trimmer) into my old mountain bike and got it to give me around 100MPG! I built three of them, I still have one but I have sold off two to thin the herd and perhaps embark on an electric bike project before I do the ultimate – an electric car inspired by many folks on these forums! Anyway, the 2 stroke bikes were cheap – not fast and the farthest thing from glamorous but in a time of $4.00 per gallon gas, I can't think of a better hobby – it’s almost noble … I am not a greenie and my favorite things gulp gasoline but I’m also a realist in that fossil fuels are finite resources – if we can conserve a little, we’ll be able to play a bit more later … and if I happen to minimize my expenditure that might indirectly subsidize idiots that like crashing planes into our cities – then all the better.

I feel like I’m in good company – thanks for having me.

Affiliations:

BMW Car Club of America (National Capital Chapter) – Sports Car Club of America (Mid Atlantic Region) - Land Rover Club of America – Land Cruiser Club – National Rifle Association – St Mary of Sorrows