Modern Vespa

I'm with Bill Burr on this one.

Having worked for Steve for many years, I can say with confidence that Bill Burr (and probably Bill Dog as well) does not even begin to comprehend what Steve's skills were. I'm not idolizing him here, because he had some serious character flaws and I am very much aware of those flaws.

And no, he didn't solder the phones together. He wasn't even particularly technical, though he understood technology better than most CEOs.

What Steve had was a rare combination of vision, taste, and the force of will to make it happen. He was impatient and mercurial and he would not hesitate to call something shit (right to your face) about anything that didn't meet his high standards. And he had a cult of personality that allowed him get away with it.

So, yeah. Steve was what brought Apple back from the brink, and he made the iPhone happen through leadership, not by actually designing the circuits or writing the software. I was there for the whole thing -- his return to Apple, his ascent to CEO, the iMac, the iPod, and the iPhone. I had a front row seat for it, and Steve was the only person on earth who could have pulled that off.

Also, Bill Burr can fuck right the fuck off.

That works in the message body but not in the title.

Do you have a "90 HRS / WK And Loving It" T-shirt?

Oh, and Woz is going to be in GR soon.

No BBcode in titles though...

I can give you a good deal on plans for an ark...

It is, in fact, the "I dont care's" of this world that are pissing me off today.
*sighs*

I know that era predates yours by a little, Jess. But still.

And the irony of "Buy With Apple Pay" is wonderful.

I do not.

The weather is bad ,can't ride , I'm bored and decided to remove the evap system! Now what!

I've got a whole bunch of specialty tools for Vespa models, and this year, I decided to ride a Kymco People GTi instead of a Vespa in the Scooter Cannonball. It's supposed to be either a reliable BV or a Honda SH with cheap plastics. I figured it would be easy to work on, and that I would be able to sail right through getting it ready.
So today I decided to put a new rear brake disk and rear tire on, and got to the part where the swingarm comes off. It's not a Vespa, so it should pop right off. And it's stuck solid to the axle. That's supposed to be a Piaggio problem, not a Kymco problem. But it's stuck on just like it would be on a GT200 that you rode in two feet of surf. My Vespa speciality tool doesn't work, Harbor Freight, which I just passed after running up to Lowes for a couple of M10x1.25x50 bolts, is closed until tomorrow, and if I break the swingarm trying to coax it off with a mallet, I can't just grab another one off the shelf.

I hope the price was right.

What were you thinking of hitting with the mallet? The swingarm, or the axle?

I always tap the end of the axle (modestly) using my copper-headed mallet (an antique someone gave me) but a wooden or plastic mallet should be relatively safe there.

So, I'd had the plumber here a couple of times this year, and thought we were done for a while.

I'd noticed some moisture in the basement ceiling beneath our toilet, which I'd already suspected the seal on. Lifted it to replace, only to find a cracke that I would have never seen otherwise. I thought we were done, but today the ceiling looked worse. It could have been a delayed effect, but I could peep into an opening in the adjacent closet and saw a worrying drop hanging from a pipe joint. I was hoping I wouldn't have to repair the ceiling, but today decided that ship had sailed, so I took a poke at it with a prh bar, and liberated a pint of water. Fortunately I anticipated a mess and protected the carpeting.

A bucket will get me through the weekend, but my boys will be invited back once again. Good think I like them.

If washing dishes isn't bad enough, my favorite wine glass busted while cleaning and gave me a good slicing in two places. 😠

Yikes!

Indeed/ I still have the scar on my finger...and clear memory of when I attempted to rescue a breaking glass in the sink when I was 16. That stuff bleeds.

Bonneville is on marketplace, and i've started packing only my possessions because now she's afraid of moving because it's just too comfy here.

So I hope she has a plan to pay the mortgage, cause i'm not fucking staying here.

Gave me chills!

this happened to me on holiday, took a nice meaty slice out of my index finger

since then I have never put glasses in the washing up bowl

This is kinda pissing me off today, but also pleasing me at the same time.

Slow puncture in the rear of my BV350. Fould a garage that deals with scooters/motorbikes, gave them a call, got the price.... WTAF! He then said it's way cheaper if I just bring in the rear wheel.

Ya, I'll do that. I mean, how hard can it be removing a wheel?

Then I watched Robots videos... you are f**king kidding me?

So now I've got to diamantle the whole rear end (feels like it) and take just the wheel. I'm quite looking forward to it though, be a nice learning curve.

And yes, I.m pretty new to scooters! You can tell, can't you?

Take it on the chin and ride it in.

My own indecision and inability to stop "shopping".

Just buy it,

Justify it later.

You go Sister.

You just want me to buy it so I'll quit whining.

No, I just want you to be happy.

That's very kind of you. I just sent them an email.

I have a soft spot for that particular flat grey.

You can thank Toyota for bringing that back into vogue.

Ho man mandatory overtime Friday! I'm usually off Friday through Sunday.

$o $orry to hear that

Hope it's double bubble...

that feeling of pulling teeth when trying to help some people

I noticed!

Completely your fault for not suggesting Rotella off the bat. What's wrong with you?

they don't sponsor me.

What's pissing me today? I'll tell you: paying over the odds for stuff because I live in the UK.
I ordered Vespa top case and associated paraphernalia from Germany. The equivalent stuff is either not available in the UK or because it is scarce, is expensive. I wait for months for a special order to have a colour matched backrest before giving up and paying the additional cost to have it shipped by another company who have it in stock. Their shipping costs are almost twice as high for the same service!
Then when the parts arrive in the UK, the automated system picks up that the postcode final letter is incorrect, so this holds up the package. Several phone calls later, waiting for twenty plus minutes on hold each time, and I am told initially I have to get the sender to change the address. Sender says, no can do. Another person on the phone of the delivery company says it will get sorted out by an actual human and not to worry.
From tracking I see the package gets "sorted", so I am thinking (foolishly) that things are back on track.
However the Customs and Excise people decide they want to have their fun, tormenting me and raise the tax on what's already been charged. Okay, so now it's on its way to the delivery hub and I think, (foolishly) yes, I've gotten away with it, but no; it won't get delivered until I pay the customs tax and duty and I still haven't received a letter which tells me the amount and gives me a 17 digit code necessary for settling the bill. I (wisely) find out from a web search that I can speed things up by phoning the delivery company to get the 17 digit code from them to pay the bill, so that the package will then be released to be delivered. I phone them and surprisingly it doesn't take twenty minutes to get through. I take a note of the number and then rather than allow me to pay by phone, I am directed to go online to do it. I do this and find that the lovely people at Customs have valued my stuff around 10% more than I actually paid for them including shipping etc. This doesn't seem right, so I phone the number I am directed to by the delivery company. I get through to speak to someone relatively quickly who tells me that Customs will levy duties on the goods based on what they think that the goods would cost in the UK. I can appeal to claim back if I think the charges are excessive but I have to print out the form, fill it in and send it by post.
So I go online and pay the Customs etc. and hopefully the package will be delivered tomorrow.
I can then find out what the Customs based their charges on from the documents that are sent with the package, so I can try to get any excess charges refunded.
The whole process from start to finish has been horrendous. I feel totally taken advantage of.
Why should a top case etc. end up costing me close to 25% of what I paid for the scooter? It's absolutely insane! I mean I could understand it if the parts were being shipped halfway around the world but the UK and Germany aren't that far apart distance-wise. The availability and prices of Vespa parts and accessories in the UK are woeful. The fact that Customs base their charges on the inflated prices I would have to pay if buying them in the UK, is just robbery. The fact it takes a day to send the package to the UK from Germany and more than a week to get them from one part of the UK to another, due to red tape, is just ridiculous. No wonder I am pissed off. Why does it seem that when it comes to being a Vespa owner in the UK, everybody concerned with getting reasonably priced parts from their source to here is out to get their pound of flesh, frustrate me and leave me feeling totally ripped-off?

Welcome to MV. Looks like you'll fit right in with the rest of the poms here.

calling a Scotsman a pom..

looks like their 2nd post may also be in the this thread

Hi, welcome to MV

I know I'm a "moaning Scot", rather than a "whinging pom". Moaning really isn't an effective form of therapy, but it is cheap (unlike Vespa accessories)!
I feel like I've been suckered into buying a two-wheeled Ferrari though it is classy !