hausdok Posted June 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 I watched the movie, "Something Wild," on TV yesterday. 1986. Lots of shots of the World Trade Center. Gas at the Shell was 78 cents. LOL, In April of 1971 I bought an Arco station in Amenia, NY and was the youngest Arco dealer in the country for about five months until I broke my femur in a car accident. At the time, I sold regular for $.36.9 and would raise hell with corporate when they'd jack my price .6 cents a gallon to keep pace with Texaco. At the time, most gas companies followed Texaco; if Texaco raised their price $.06 a gallong, they'd follow suit - if Texaco dropped its price, they'd follow suit. It was a pain in the ass. I was selling hi test for $.41.9 a gallon but getting $1 a quart for the Castrol I was using in the engines I was hopping up for the gear ballers in town. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpdewitt Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Ca: 1970 First car: '62 catalina $75 with 4 flats and a clogged carb. Abandoned behind a bar. Got it running for less than $100 First gallon of gas: $0.35, same as a pack of smokes. New car at the time: 3.5K more or less. 2011 Comparable new car: 23K Gas: $3.90 Smokes: God knows, had to quit or die. How come transportation related costs have gone up about 10x, but food costs and wages have not? Someone is making a fortune even in bad economic times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Jones Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Unions[:-paperba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Unions[:-paperba That ain't it. Order one without unions, it costs the same. [] Mike, that Indian has a mega-muffler on it. It's a parade bike, and who cares if it's only 80% original? Oh, right there's the price tag. Dangit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Ca: 1970 First car: '62 catalina $75 with 4 flats and a clogged carb. Abandoned behind a bar. Got it running for less than $100 First gallon of gas: $0.35, same as a pack of smokes. New car at the time: 3.5K more or less. 2011 Comparable new car: 23K Gas: $3.90 Smokes: God knows, had to quit or die. How come transportation related costs have gone up about 10x, but food costs and wages have not? Someone is making a fortune even in bad economic times... In 1927, a Model T roadster could be had, brand new, for $350, minus the ragtop, that was extra.A guy with a good trade, like a railroad engineer, could earn $350 in one year. Average Joe would probably need 2 years to earn that. A dozen eggs cost 24 cents. A 1927 Sears kit house could cost about $1800. But the 1/2 acre lot, in this town, 2 blocks from the beach, could be had for $350. A city lot for the price of a cheapo car. [] A Model T style KIA car today $16,000. 43 times increase. A kid just out of school might be able to earn $35,000 a year. 100 times increase. If I had that lot today, I could list it for $350,000. 1000 times increase. The house would be assessed for about $180,000. 100 times increase. But people are paying $680,000 for 70+ year old houses down there. No wonder the country is broke. I got to add one more thing. High grade eggs are $4.80, only a 20 times increase. No wonder Farmer Dan wants to subdivide the farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Unions[:-paperba That ain't it. Order one without unions, it costs the same. [] Mike, that Indian has a mega-muffler on it. It's a parade bike, and who cares if it's only 80% original? Oh, right there's the price tag. Dangit. Where do you see the muffler? The box on the left side is the air cleaner, I don't see the muffler in those pics. If the bike is documented 80% original it has to be worth at least 22k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Unions[:-paperba That ain't it. Order one without unions, it costs the same. [] Mike, that Indian has a mega-muffler on it. It's a parade bike, and who cares if it's only 80% original? Oh, right there's the price tag. Dangit. Where do you see the muffler? The box on the left side is the air cleaner, I don't see the muffler in those pics. If the bike is documented 80% original it has to be worth at least 22k. Thanks, Chris. I thought I was looking at some kind of WWII silencer, but get it now. Hope I'm more alert for my job today. It's a late one, 4PM to 7:30. Bending over backward for my client, better not fall on my ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Big air cleaner to keep out the dirt or desert dust. Left side throttle handle on the handle bars so that you could shoot your side arm while moving. The modern chopper comes from the GI's returning from WWII and chopping up their bikes to lighten them up for racing and hill climbs. Lee Marvin rides an Indian in the "Wild Ones". Brando rides some little Brit scooter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terence McCann Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 A small rant. Toward the end of Bush Jr. term I was paying 4.50 a gallon for gas. There was much discussion, with great vibrato, on the evening news as to the cause. China came in as the main offender with the expanding economy and their thirst for energy. Next was the refineries - they were outdated and under the boot of the EPA with too many regulations. Then there were the oil speculators that were driving up the prices. Last but not least let's not forget the drill baby drill - and drill now mantra as if supply and demand was the problem. If we got every drop of oil from US shores the price would still remain high (better GP though). Then the balloon burst, at the end of Bush Jr. term, and the gas price fell to 1.67 here. I had to stop and wonder why. Had China gone away? Did the EPA relax all the rules and then we were able to build new refineries? Did everyone in the USA stop filling up? The price had dropped by 69% in months but demand didn't. How on earth can that happen? How can anyone drop their price by 69%??? (think about that, if you charged 400.00 per inspection you are now doing them for 125.00). What happened to the basic supply and demand economics? Truth be known the Middle East could flood the market with oil however if you keep the prices artificially inflated it really doesn't matter does it. The tail wags the dog. Although I'm not one for government intervention greed unchecked will be the undoing (again) of the economy. As we approached the 4.50 mark again you can not have gasoline prices going back up by a 69% increase while people still can't find work and those that have jobs see either no salary increase or 1-2% increase. And it's not just gas prices - anything that is shipped, farmed, etc gets inflated. \soapbox off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 Big air cleaner to keep out the dirt or desert dust. Left side throttle handle on the handle bars so that you could shoot your side arm while moving. The modern chopper comes from the GI's returning from WWII and chopping up their bikes to lighten them up for racing and hill climbs. Lee Marvin rides an Indian in the "Wild Ones". Brando rides some little Brit scooter. I think it is a Norton, brother of the Triumph. He burns some cool doughnuts with it. 1953. I had to climb over a Triumph a couple of weeks ago. They're very similar, but different logo on the tank, of course. I was able to kneel on the seat of the Honda, got the cover off OK. (In Canada, we are allowed to install panels, even Federals, on their sides. We're funny that way.) Click to Enlarge 54.76 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted June 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I think it is a Norton, brother of the Triumph. He burns some cool doughnuts with it. Nah, it was Brando's own bike - a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird. When I was a teenager, I was nuts about everything motorcyclish and idolized Brando in that role. I had a huge scrapbook full of photos and articles about motorcycles and I had a collection of old motorcycle toys. Jeez, wish I had some of those old antique tin motorcycle toys now - I could probably sell 'em and go on a nice vacation. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted June 28, 2011 Report Share Posted June 28, 2011 I think it is a Norton, brother of the Triumph. He burns some cool doughnuts with it. Nah, it was Brando's own bike - a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird. When I was a teenager, I was nuts about everything motorcyclish and idolized Brando in that role. I had a huge scrapbook full of photos and articles about motorcycles and I had a collection of old motorcycle toys. Jeez, wish I had some of those old antique tin motorcycle toys now - I could probably sell 'em and go on a nice vacation. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike You are right, of course. About the bike and the tin toys.Here's a shot of the director yelling instructions to a grinning Brando. The Thunderbird was a 650. That was no scooter. Click to Enlarge 33.14 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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