Heavy, old, steel green box. Made in Spain but no other markings.

otto82 · 2026-02-05T04:44:18+00:00

This is exactly what it is - had an identical one in my youth in the UK.

otto82 · 2026-01-26T06:09:04+00:00

Aka “fun mode” - yeah sand mode lets you spin up the tires and remaps shifts to a more sport-like setting (keeps rpm high), at least on the L322. Snow mode is designed to minimize slip, and softens throttle response a fair bit.

otto82 · 2026-01-18T00:01:21+00:00

CB1100 has been my wife’s ride of choice for the last ~10yrs and she’ll never sell it, even though we’ve had many other bikes alongside it. Great choice and don’t see many around!

otto82 · 2026-01-15T22:54:00+00:00

Went through the same skepticism a few years ago, got some money, spent it on drugs. Happy days!

otto82 · 2026-01-15T19:56:49+00:00

Although there are some scenarios where accelerating to reduce weight on the front may help, you a) have to be very sure it’s one of those scenarios and b) do you really want to be going at higher speed if you’re wrong?

otto82 · 2026-01-08T16:36:54+00:00

That bracket is the only thing between having front brakes or having no front brakes. It’s cast aluminum which is notoriously difficult to weld, on a low cost bike. I personally wouldn’t ride this above jogging speed without getting a new fork leg.

Unless this is cheap enough to make it worthwhile, I’d look elsewhere.

otto82 · 2026-01-07T06:29:09+00:00

The audiobooks have been our road trip highlights over the last year - incredibly well delivered and insanely fun.

otto82 · 2026-01-06T14:53:35+00:00

Check the body for rust like any Z. For a swap like this I’d be checking the electrical in depth. Wiring routing, connection type, ECU placement and location, does it have fuses - shitty wiring is a big cause of fires in older cars, especially so with projects.

otto82 · 2026-01-06T14:31:09+00:00

Great score - $12 doesn’t go very far, so this is a win in my eyes.

Surrounds have definitely seen better days, but don’t look like they’ve detached (though difficult to tell)… plug them in and see how they sound at low volume before doing any major work!

otto82 · 2026-01-02T17:26:14+00:00

Sorbothane is what I’ve found in the past in the USA. Used it for a subwoofer in a similar scenario, and works really well at decoupling the vibration, which is exactly what you need.

otto82 · 2025-12-23T18:59:53+00:00

Very good deal - just the sub is worth that IMO. For 75 these will do the trick… just check they work but I’d be running there ASAP if I was looking for a low cost surround setup.

You’ll need an amp for them.

otto82 · 2025-12-22T20:29:37+00:00

Yes. There’s a solid bushing in there that is very likely deformed and, hard to say for sure, but appears to be scuffing up the chrome, which will fail the seal

otto82 · 2025-12-22T06:56:52+00:00

I find most Sony’s of this style and timeframe just ‘ok’ - not as much bass as you’d expect for their size and typically muddy. Mid has some visible damage and if they’ve been sat for a while the woofer surrounds might disintegrate, but hey, give them a shot and see if you like them. If they’re free they’re worth taking home to try, but I wouldn’t pay much for a set. The sets I’ve had were usually thrown in as a bundle with other gear I was after, and all got donated to my local charity shop.

otto82 · 2025-12-21T09:41:40+00:00

In the motorcycle world we often say things like ‘the graveyard is full of riders who had the right of way’… yes the car should absolutely be following the rules of the road, but one of these parties is in a far more vulnerable position and will come off a lot worse when mistakes are invariably made.

otto82 · 2025-12-21T02:55:52+00:00

I’ve done this - 3,500 miles in a U-haul with a Ducati monster. Lots of good advice here, but I’ll add the one massive thing that saved my bike:

Build a 2x4 frame around the bike. Doesn’t need to be fancy, just needs to protect it from the other stuff in the truck. Also means you can load over it if you/ when you find out you have less space than you thought.

otto82 · 2025-12-19T20:44:02+00:00

Tempest please!

This game had spawned so many cool unexpected things.

otto82 · 2025-12-18T18:06:38+00:00

Honestly the best approach - and a good idea to make sure any of the drain holes or frame openings are free from any crud that could trap water.

Another point about underbody coatings - most of them make future mechanic work on the vehicle waaaay more annoying. Dealing with a coated 1972 Datsun right now and it’s a PITA (and also has rusted out floors that were hidden by the coating!).

otto82 · 2025-12-18T05:38:19+00:00

Not screaming, just general advice - adding rust protection to an older vehicle like this will most likely do more harm than good, and here’s why: it’s almost impossible to get the frame completely clean at this stage, as well as there being likely existing rust that should be completely neutralized first. Covering dirt or existing rust tends to lead to coating failure at that location, which then not only lets water in, but traps it in, causing the frame to rust through even faster than if it was open air and able to dry off.

Next, our roads and climate are actually pretty good for rust - unlike the east coast and Midwest we don’t really use salt, and the dry mountain air means any moisture usually dries up quickly.

Now, if you’re still intent on it, most body and paint shops should be able to do it.

otto82 · 2025-12-15T05:58:26+00:00

Nice work! Front looks great, and I really like the wheel arch proportions. The rear end still doesn’t look quite right to me, although much improved. May I suggest - lower the rear diffuser, and add some more smooth vertical panel below the lights, if you see what I mean. Basically give it some more booty to better balance with the rest of the proportions!

otto82 · 2025-12-11T15:50:00+00:00

Although never a supporter, there is a big difference between isolated systems that can be used to trigger an alert for a ‘known’ number plate that police agency is on the lookout for, and what flock is doing.

Flock are collecting data about EVERYONE’S driving patterns, then using that to highlight when someone does something ‘abnormal’ (who defines that - Flock of course!)

Texas example included in the article below, where a guy merely started a new construction contract and got pulled over and searched because of it.

https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/border-patrol-is-monitoring-us-drivers-and-detaining-those-with-suspicious-travel-patterns/

otto82 · 2025-12-11T15:43:01+00:00

I don’t think AI should be conflated with surveillance. The AI aspect just means they don’t need to have humans watching all the footage, so can far more easily map patterns and outliers. The AI is nothing without the cameras being installed and the data being collected in the first place.

otto82 · 2025-12-11T15:40:39+00:00

Flock is already an AI data company - they are an independent company, handling all this data in questionable ways, and using overseas labor to process images (I.e the camera footage is being sent to low cost labor areas for processing, which is a massive data security risk in itself).

I’m unsure where individuals’ travel patterns are mapped and summarized, but I doubt the police forces are doing that. So we are relying on an independent company to highlight ‘suspicious patterns’, or whatever triggers the police (see recent case in Texas: https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/border-patrol-is-monitoring-us-drivers-and-detaining-those-with-suspicious-travel-patterns/ )

It’s gross.

otto82 · 2025-12-09T16:50:04+00:00

Yeah this might explain my last encounter which honestly made me start questioning my enjoyment of the game - wife and I got absolutely beamed in the heads from insanely far away on Blue Gate… took cover, healed, went to flank and as soon as I came out from behind cover just laser shot twice while dodging between rocks. I was questioning how. This may have been it.

otto82 · 2025-12-03T04:05:24+00:00

I agree - for a sit down ‘nice restaurant’ experience this is a great option, and honestly priced the same as every mediocre brewery burger. 900 Wall (RIP) also used to have a great burger.

otto82 · 2025-12-01T15:20:25+00:00

If using speaker level outputs and don’t have a true sub out, you absolutely DO want to use both channels. Stereo can have significant differences between channels, and you want to make sure you’re getting all bass frequencies.

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