Modern Vespa

Fashion victory! Sweet find, Genie. 8)

And then I saw it. It was a box of Nestle Honey Nut Shreddies and I knew my life would change forever.
All good things come to those who wait.

Bill X

Having a nice cup of tea and a sit down after a mega fry up at wo wo campsite in Sussex

Lying down, hacking up lungs. I've had funking bronchitis for the last week and a bit.

Taking horse pill antibiotics to kill it dead. Being this ill is very boring.

Wonder I'm so sorry that you are still suffering Sister.

Lets hope that next week brings you better things and a better condition.

Well Genie's Jacket look even better in the flesh than it does on line.

We finally met up for a tuitional today and we took the long way down to a lovely pub in Smarden and on the way there and back I was doing my best to show Genie how to turn in late by braking early, turning in and clipping the apex then throttling out as soon as possible using all the road but it was a little difficult trying to show and tell but look in my mirrors to see if she was close enough to see.
Good fun trying to maintain the speed in the bends but stopping myself from going too fast so I didn't lose touch with Genie.
I do get a bit carried away sometimes.
I actually think that the Hiedenaus are causing some of your problems with your abilty to trust the front end.
They feel a bit too edgy for me but I'd still have a pair on mine given the chance. Michelins Pilot Sports do rule through.
It sounds like a really soppy thing to say but I actually got a kick out of showing how I do it and only Genie can say if it's done any good.

More later

Bill X

i had a lovely afternoon chasing bill down the backroads of kent. when he slowed down to a slightly less than stratospheric pace i was actually able to keep up with him. and yes the heidenaus are twitchy tyres but the more i ride them at speed the more used to them i get .... the ride home from maidstone was accomplished at an average speed of 130 km/h, slowing down only when the wind started to give me a cramp in my neck.

stopped off at scootech to pick up a new scooter cover to replace the one that was nicked by a thieving chav scum last night. the new one is locked to the scooter, making a total of 11 locks securing various items of my property to the outside of my home.

wonder, it sounds like you have the uber-lurgy i wish i could offer more than good wishes in your fight against the evil bacteria/virus/thing .... if a home grown head of romaine lettuce would help i am happy to drop one round? by helicopter, of course, so as to avoid the contagion

That's it decision made. Transformers in the morning. Can't wait.

Grow up Bill Grow up.

Oh yeah for those that care I'm not going to go for the Audi because there is a clause in the lease that states if I leave the company they can charge me another repayment in administration fees so it's back to the Fiat 500 or the Ford Ka but only in White or Cafe. November can't come soon enough.
I know the Ka and the 500 are girls cars but I really like them both and they are the same car built in the same factory in Italy but with different bodies bunged on.
Plus of course I can get a Ka at cost plus the PDI charge.
And because of Alice's threat to paint the Hornet I can't let that happen so I'm going to keep it until next year.
Sorry.

Bill X

Saw it today, I thought it was great. Big robots, small robots, explosions, guns, and a big body count . More action than the first one. No annoying kids at the showing I went to, and not packed (well it was 10am). A nice way to spend a Saturday morning. I didn't realize it was gonna run for as long as it did and I nearly messed up by drinking too much fanta, luckily i judged the right moment in the last 20mins or so, and didn't miss anything.

I think you'll enjoy it

Well that's me sold. I think I'll go and see it about the same time and so avoid all the horrid children.
Thanks for the review Alex.

Bill X

Forget the Ka - get the 500 - if I needed a runabout car that would be the one. IMHO (and it's only an opinion of course) it has flair that the Ka lacks.

i agree jim i think bill's more a 500 kind of a bloke. they're doing it in a gorgeous green now. the Ka is cute but a bit too girly, even for bill

And so the debate continues. The New Ka is only 8 months old where as the 500 has been out for a couple of years and yes it's really cute and lovable but there is something sharp about the Ka.
It looks like a dwarf shark.
More later.

Just had an online boo at the Ka. Neat vehicle. Wish we could get them over here in N.A.

After dumping billions of $US into the N.A. auto industry, they're still producing the huge, lumbering gas guzzlers.
They're doing a great job of telling us how economical and green these hippos are. I think most of the money doled out is going to the spinners who are trying to save the dinosaur.
Hopefully, the Fiat Chrysler marriage will bring some sense to the N.A. market place.

Is the soft-top out yet? That might be what suits you best, Bill.

No need to worry about the hair either, eh?

As if I'm not gay enough. I think a soft top would be a bit too hairdressery even for me.
What am I saying ?

The soft top won't be out for a couple of years because the car companies always wait a few years before they release the cabriolet versions.

I don't understand what will be achieved by Fiat buying Chrysler or at least buying into them. Fiat made a 400 million Euro loss last year so why would they take on a company that up till recently can't give cars away ?
Believe me Ford are going to do very well out of the destruction of the US car industry now people have been put off the other two.
There is talk of the 500 being sold in the US but if small cars don't sell very well what's the point ?
Would the American public trust an Italian car ?
Ford in Europe make a profit because they are making cars people want to buy. It's that simple. The big 3 in the US kept building cars no one wanted or could afford to buy.

Oh I'm on roll now.

Would Fiat not benefit from Chrysler's dealership network since having taken them over?

Or is it another way to tap the Italian and US governments for cash, having taken on the liabilities of Chrysler? Someone has underwritten those losses somewhere otherwise Fiat wouldn't touch Chrysler.

Bill, I also don't understand how Ford can be so successful in Europe and yet screw up their home territory. As you say, they have another chance to make their losses good.

Anyway, the Simpsons have an excellent take on the US motor industry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmsbErqGBrM&feature=related

Transformers No 2 is bloody amazing, long but amazing.
Once again Michael Mann has got the right mix of action,destruction,drama,redemption,awe,fighting,really good looking people,military hardware,explosions,humour,sadness and cliches.
Mann has this ability to make a robot fight look like a violent ballet especially when he slows the action down and boy does he love his sunsets. Everything seems to be shot either as the sun is going down or in bright sunlight with plenty of reflections of the metalic paint of the Bot's armour.
When the Bot's are having a huge punch up in the woods there's a strange mix of savage wanton intent within beautiful surroundings.
It reminded me of a japanese martial arts movie in places.
You seem to feel each punch and smash because the sound quality is so good. There are plenty of "morphing" noises going on as well.
There's some very stylish shots using drama in the foreground and lots of weaponary going off in the background. Lots of huge explosions to keep the kid in you happy as well.
Megan Fox's lipstick never comes off and her tan is a little bit too Morrocan Dusk but on the plus side she does look good in a pair of tight white jeans and shorts.
My only problem is no matter how hard you try to focus on the action it all happens so fast you miss so much detail, oh yeah, that and the more humourous sections that link the action sequences have crappy dialogue and it tries too hard to be funny in places.
Maybe I should go and see it again just to make sure.
It's quite sexy as well with lots of nubile boys and girl extras walking around during the college shots.
There is a wonderful moment when one of the elderly Bot's says bollocks which cracked me up.
Oh yeah in places it is a bit sentimental in a kind of Jerry Bruckheimer/Don Simpson kind of way but I did cry in the end again.

Love and Rockets

Bill X

I believe that the US Goverment did hand Fiat a heafty bung to either take over or buy a big stake in Chrysler and yes I'm sure that Fiat will be selling as many of thier products in Chrylser showrooms as they can as well as making thier products in Chrysler factories but that won't come for years.
Lets face it they are going to have alot of empty ones to choose from soon.
Maybe during that time US will adjust its view on big cars with really crappy fuel consumption figures and start to buy the smaller stuff ?

Bill X

Ford is a very interesting case because like GM and Chrysler they kept making big cars that no one wanted and no one in management actually pointed out that if you can't sell cars why keep making them in the naive hope that things will pick up.
Before the recession happened Ford knew that it was in trouble and so it mortaged it's assets to ensure it had some money "in the bank" which seems to have paid off because they are the one of the big three that didn't
ask for goverment funding.
Alright they made some mistakes but I think they will do well out of this and hopefully fill the gap when customers see so much uncertainty where Chrysler ond GM are concerned.
I know which one I would buy.
Ford have also forged ahead with Hyrdogen Engines which is the fuel of the future where as GM will find it difficult to sell a $40,000 battery powered electric car.

I could go on.

So, who or what owns Ford now? If they've mortgaged their assests they certainly don't.

Why is taking government bailout money worse than being mortgaged?

Well the Anglo American marketeer codswallop theory is that commercial agreements such as mortgages are less onerous than taking government bailout, since they offer more freedom of action.

It is a kiss of commercial death to take government money out of desperation. Ford knows that. Better in hock to the bank than the state.

That's the theory. The market then makes its decision. But take government cash and watch your stock fall within your own industry. Your credit is undermined, business plan falls under question as you have taken state money out of desperation and suspicion persists that your commercial decisions will be compromised by government interference.

Of course its a bit different in Europe where some car makers basically receive money from the state by means of subsidy. But then that's in our socialistic blood, and the market accepts it because its been happening for years.

The Bank own the assets due to the mortage arrangement but Ford still owns itself.
It will pay back the money at an agreed amount over however many years but will probably pack back more when its sales rise.
Ford are really big in Europe especially in France and they have done a great job in making cars of a really high quality that people want to buy.
There a 3 month waiting lists for Fiesta and new Ka so what does that tell you.
I'm going to have to make my mind up on what I'm going to buy in November.

Bill X

But, if the company is effectively state owned the stock price is not that relevant or important, at least not until it comes to privatise the compancy again.

As for being compromised by government interference, it could be said that that is not such a bad thing; instead of building and selling huge vehicles which nobody wants to buy, perhaps they'll start building greener vehicles that people do want to buy. Of course, that all depends on the governments aims versus the 'top execs' aims which seemed to be sell the people what they want and became sell the people what WE think they want.
That is probably why foreign car companies have done so well in the US at domestic companies expense and why Ford's european market share has over time lost more and more to foreign competitors as well as europe's own domestic manufacturers.

Fucking hell, Bill, I know what a mortgage is. It was rhetorical question.

I think that Ford in the US got hit with the double whammy - they were making the wrong type of cars so no one wanted to buy them and the few people who wanted them couldn't afford them due to the collapse of credit were as in Europe they were making the right cars so they only had the issue to deal with.
That's my theory anyway.

GM could have saved loads of money years ago by getting rid of the Vauxhall name and making everything an Opel.
They would have saved millions by not having to re badge and people would feel they were getting a better car because it was German and therefore could charge a premium.
Or is it me ?

Bill X

MadBadger could you be a bit more civil if you want me to explain something to you?

Thank you.

Ford Europe made a 1 Billion Euro profit in 08 and Fiat,Lancia Peugoet Citroen,Renault, Volvo,Saab and Alfa Romeo are all losing money.

Well, I owned an Opel Kadett and it was shit. I then bought a Vauxhall Chevette and never had any trouble with it.

What gives?

Edit

I am civil to you. It's the least you deserve. I was merely pointing out that Ford no longer owns itself, the banks own it. As opposed to the state.

I wonder, which will go under first, given recent history? The bank or the country?

It is potentially a great lever over the industry, as you suggest. I suspect that the acceptance of state money is terminal for the companies involved. It is not a nationalisation, but a socialisation of losses.

The tasty bits of Chrysler and GM will be sold overseas, with their decent IP being first. The manufacturing will likely disappear unless there is a concerted effort by the US government to keep it.

[quote="Wonder Machine"]It is potentially a great lever over the industry, as you suggest. I suspect that the acceptance of state money is terminal for the companies involved./quote]

I disagree. State money and ownership can keep these concerns going and people in work until the market picks up.

The banks have been bailed out at a greater cost and are already repaying the money and that will eventually allow those companies to return to private ownership.

The knob that is the private sector that shrinks in due to the cold will eventually sprout into a full grown, pulsing erection.

Thus saving us all.

Well, I'm placing my money on a slow, terminal decline. The operative word is "can". I don't believe either the will or the money will survive for that long.

We'll have to disagree on the prognosis for recovery. If these companies survive, they will be shadows of themselves, due to their financial obligations, shattered management, and need to cut, cut and cut again to meet their new business masters.

If the US has turned into a new "New Deal" economy, I'd agree with you that there's a good chance of "can". But I see no evidence of that. Perhaps the US needs a bought of mad Keynesian politics for a decade.

The banks are paying back the money they received from government by screwing businesses into paying their obligations back. Banks look after themselves as they have always done. They're still getting bonuses here.

And there endeth the lesson.

Oh I forget the best thing about Transformers is the French Bull Dog.

Bill X

Bill, I'd like to say something nice about you.

But I think you're a dick.

Water off a ducks back mate.

Mod hat on ya da ya, personal attacks are not allowed on MV.

Take this off the thread or take it outisde. No petty shit, please.

I don't see how the management should necessarily be 'shattered'. They have a lot of work to do, that is all. People will still buy their goods.

Well, well, banks are asking to be repaid money. Who'da thunk it!

I'm not as pessimistic as you are. The banks will eventually get their money back and the economy will recover. It might take a while, about 4 years in my book, but it will.

I certainly don't think that the economy is as a bad as say, 1980 or 1983, or even later, for instance.

I agree that bankers should not get bonuses in the current climate, but I don't begrudge the workers who are not to blame for the mess.

Great. Bill turns around in his petty way and says 'there endeth the lesson' to try to take the piss, I call him on it, rightly, and I am the one who gets it. Still, not surprising as you're his mate. Impartial moderation?

What a joke!

Well, I'm sorry MadBadger that you feel that way.

From your post it was not evident that you were taking the piss. I remind you of what the policy of MV is.

But since you seem to think I'm mates with Bill and that removes all other judgment, I suggest you contact another moderator about my behaviour.

Yours,

Kate

Who are the other moderators on tonight?

For the record I wasn't taking the piss but you called me a Dick that was totally uncalled for.

But hey sticks and stones.

Love

Bill X

We're volunteers, there's no schedule. I'm sure one will pop up soon.

*end of mod function*

Anyway, pleased to say that the bronchitis has almost gone, the bad news is that means a return to work next week, cough permitting.

Scooter Racing at Lydden Hill nr Dover on the 1st/2nd of August.

I'm going to go. Well you've got to havn't you.

Bill x