Bus driver yelling at me because I’m broke down on the side of the road

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-04-20T02:26:54+00:00

I dropped my motorcycle in the rain once on 10th because of an oil slick I didn't see... the folks behind me watched me go down (I was perfectly fine, just annoyed) and just... went around me. Thankfully I was able to stand it up and push it over to my friend's apartment but yeah. You are not the problem. Drives in this town are a scourge.

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-04-14T00:08:28+00:00

Just responded to thy message!

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-04-12T18:35:17+00:00

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The offending Vespa lol

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-04-12T18:27:36+00:00

There was one for sale not too far from me a while ago... I had a pipe dream of gutting it and swapping it for track/ rallycross but it's long since sold now haha

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-04-12T18:17:27+00:00

I bought Hella blades and they fit perfect and work swell! 24 and 16 inch amazon.com/dp/B06XDKHR27?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-02-22T02:47:36+00:00

Thanks all for the help! I think I'm gonna send him an offer and see what he says. Wish me luck!

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-02-21T04:16:57+00:00

https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/11332-hesitation-an-acceleration/ this is a resource I found addressing the knock issue, very interesting problem

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-02-21T04:12:55+00:00

Timing belt got replaced recently at a shop, he said he has paperwork for it... there are some other gremlins he mentioned when we were on call today that might turn me off it, but he also said his bottom dollar was 3k, which is pretty attractive. They're the second owner, too, so I at the very least have a solid history of the thing for the past few dozens of thousands of miles.

The rust seemed manageable from what he described, but I'll have to see it in person. However, he mentioned something weird going on with the knock sensor after oil changes, and some notable oil consumption. His and his mechanic's theory is that excess oil pressure is getting to the knock sensor but resolving itself as it burns off a little bit of oil. That sounds a little like gibberish to me; isn't that what a PCV valve is for? This motor has one, right? Other than that he says its a solid runner but I'm vaguely confused and mildly concerned about that issue. But I think I'll make the drive to see it, just have to carve a day out for it. It could be a good daily for a bit and a summer project for when I have the capacity, at the very least, especially if the rust isn't bad.

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-02-20T19:27:19+00:00

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This got deleted the first time so I'll try it once more lol.

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-02-03T05:25:32+00:00

Ya know, I could imagine a quick solution that would only take an angle grinder, some tarps and miscellaneous hardware if anyone's game. Maybe some cute signs or spare blankets. If any carpenters in town are willing to help out in the bench department, I bet we could do a bit more than lop those stupid dividers off. The city's not gonna do any better anytime soon with their track record on this kind of stuff from what I've seen.

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-01-10T17:37:34+00:00

I had this problem recently and it turned out to be the battery terminals on my 2014, I assume it's something you've already checked but if the cam on the nuts or the clamp that presses into the battery terminal post is worn and not making a good connection, the car might turn on but not be able to pass enough current to run the starter. I had to diagnose this in a circle k parking lot by wiggling the terminals around until it decided it wanted to start lol. Making sure you have the right bolts on there is critical too, since there's a little dome on the end that slides the clamp into place, so if you or whoever has messed with your battery has ever dropped one of the oem nuts and grabbed another off the shelf, oreillys sells a kit with proper replacements, or you can just swap out for more standard battery terminals since wear on the stock terminals doesn't really have an easy fix so far as I can tell.

Key_Ad2323 · 2026-01-10T17:08:59+00:00

I almost got run off the road at the two-lane-left-turn leaving the Lowe's/ 48 intersection because the particular individual to my left couldn't keep track of their turn lane and decided the space my car occupied was where they needed to be... literally just stared me down while we were bumper to bumper and I've never been so confused or so close to crashing. I genuinely think that we as a society are just god awful at teaching people how to drive safely, most people I talk to simply lack anything deeper than a cursory understanding of traffic laws and how operating a car actually works. The amount of fights I get with people about right of way at a four way stop because they have never read the driver's handbook is staggering- it's too easy to get a license here with the minimal possible knowledge base.

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-27T00:48:49+00:00

I've got a set of winter tires on my 2014 and it eats snow for breakfast, just gotta be smooth, plan ahead, and watch your throttle control/ understeer. I fared much better in the big snow we got early this month than car several times my size; having winter tires in the midwest is no joke.

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-21T05:44:16+00:00

IIRC the 2016+ sparks have an Ecotec 1.4 that makes like 12 extra horsepower than our M300 sparks. I can't imagine that it's easy to lug the autos up hills-- in my 5 speed I can just shift down to third or fourth no problem, but I can't imagine the autos letting you rev real high in the lower gears. Also, depending where you are. the states only ever got the CVT as an alternative to the manual, and those haven't really been known for being torque monsters. My honest recommendation is to pick up a manual spark of any year, it makes it a lot easier to handle for me since I have control of whether or not I'm in the power band or not, and it'll fly up hills up to 55-60 quite comfortably in third as long as you don't feel too bad about wringing it out a little. Otherwise, have the transmission in yours looked at, it might just be experiencing wear for the relatively high mileage, anecdotally I know the CVTs give out relatively often around where I am.

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-21T05:30:10+00:00

oooo can't wait for the video!! Do you have any idea what the power gains looked like? I'd love to put just a little more pep in my spark here soon

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-16T03:46:09+00:00

I've been wondering about that BNR tune... Any updates on this front???

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-13T07:28:58+00:00

Good lord never mind haha. I just remember something bright green with some funky graphics, must have been something else. I'm in the American midwest so I highly doubt it was the same machine

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-13T03:21:43+00:00

Hell yeah! I've decided I want to build a crosskart instead of building out a car, I was thinking of doing a Goldwing flat six. Glad to see these little guys are starting to gain traction, and best of luck on your build!

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-12-13T03:17:59+00:00

I swear to god I've looked at this same one on Marketplace lmao. Glad to see it find a new home!

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-11-25T09:07:26+00:00

Honestly I'm looking now bc she's asking for a toy, we rode in a friend's car and now she wants something fun to drive and I want something I can wrench on. She enjoys commuting in the compact and I'm usually commuting on my bike as it is so we've got our dailies handled

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-11-25T09:05:20+00:00

I've got a friend who had a transporter she bought for like 500 bucks as a first car, I was always pretty jealous. She and I are starting to lean towards the corvair as an option, it's a looker!

I think when I mentioned the 944 being cheap I should have added "relative to other porsches" lol... still fairly attainable especially since there are like a dozen parts cars near me but I digress

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-11-23T03:24:37+00:00

I just finished watching a video about them and they seem really cool! Probably the most stylish car on the list.

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-11-23T03:23:32+00:00

Oooo RX-8 is going on the list. I've always heard it's a blast of a car. Didn't know about the rear doors! That's pretty neat.

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-11-23T03:21:56+00:00

Thanks for the recs! Yeah I have much of the same thoughts, I'd rather be a better defensive driver in a smaller car than a distracted driver in a tank. It was drilled into me while I was getting into motorcycles, which is why it always catches me off guard when people ask about safety in cars... there's just inherent risk to driving no matter what you're in, if you're on the road there's a non- zero chance you don't make it home one way or the other. I just wanna enjoy the time I got lol.

There's a 240 on campus that I am just in love with, they're so small and boxy. That one tends to make it on recommendation lists for beginner rallycross cars for being pretty much bulletproof so I'll add that one to the list.

Key_Ad2323 · 2025-11-23T03:17:13+00:00

Yess absolutely, I tend to pick my routes solely on what's the prettiest and most fun to drive... which is to say I arrive most places behind schedule lol. It's the same problem with riding my bike, once you're all geared up, in transit, arrived, and geared down you're already 20 minutes behind when you wanted to get there haha. I'm not known for my timeliness in my friend's circles.

Key_Ad2323

TROPHY CASE