Rant

[mararmeisto]

....Doesn't matter though...damage was done, as indicated, since people still spout it off as fact since it was 'on the news'!!!

You know... I'm one of those guys that on the way home after the event thinks of all the witty comebacks he should have used had he only thought of them at the time. However, I gotta say ~ one time this guy came up to my window as I was sitting in the saddle and knocked on the window. I rolled the window down (can I still say that?) and he said to me: "Your steering wheel is on the wrong side" ~ and it came to me, I responded: "Ironically ~ it's on the right side".

I get so much mileage out of that one!

Falco.

I used that one all the time: "No, it's on the right."

[philmeup1]

I had a guy pull up beside me and our windows were down. He said, Is that legal?? and I burst out laughing and said I hope so............ He cracked up too......

I should have said no but keep that to yourself!! I don't want to attract any attention. LOL

[sigurross]

Not my rant, but one of the guys at JB auto parts. I have an account there and get fantastic prices, as long as I can cross-reference stuff for them, but when I innocently asked him if they have any Delica parts listed, the guy had a meltdown. He really got agitated and I almost had to wipe his spittle off my glasses. They shouldn't be allowed, they are junk, it's all BS, they replace the instrument clusters in Japan to hide the true mileage, they are shipped over burnt out and rusty and not worth anything, and they are too dangerous on our roads, 25% more accidents according to ICBC, and on and on. I've never run into such sheer animosity when talking about a vehicle before. You'd think one had driven over his kid or something. Have people found that kind of aggressive prejudice common?

I had a similar experience at Napa in Victoria. I bought some front shocks and noticed they could use some dust boots so I asked if the guy if he could try to find something that would fit. He asked me "what application" and said it was a delica and that you wouldn't find it in the computers. I got sigh and an eye roll and the guy said he couldn't help me unless he had a vehicle to reference. Which is fair enough I suppose. I came back the following day hoping to get somebody else but the universe was not on my side and I got this guy again, but this time he was even more irate. Ended up going to lordco, gave them the partno of the shocks i bought from napa and they found some dust boots for me.

Luckily next time I went into Napa Ryan (assistant manager and delica owner) was working and I told him all about my experience. He just smirked and said that it wasn't going to be a problem anymore as he had been let go. Apparently he was unhelpful to one too many people.

All this said, I have nothing against victoria napa. I still go there for parts for both my cars and find the staff to be accommodating, open minded, and knowledgeable.

[Shaun Van Ramen]

This was very entertaining. Obviously the original ranter doesn't have a clue. Compare our 15-21 yr old Deli's to a comparable aged LHD (domestic) and I think you will find a Japanese grey-market import in better shape. Why? Well according to my (Japanese) wife and several friends (from said country) vehicles in Japan have to go through a safety (expensive) inspection every 2 years. which means stuff gets repaired or replaced. After a while it is no longer cost effective so they get exported.

Stats are stats and people will use them for their own personal ends. I know last year ICBC said an RHD is 270 times more likely to get in an accident while making a left-hand turn. Understandable but...

What is the rule for making a left?
Don't do so until it is safe - if RHD drivers follow this that number should blow out the window.

Q: How many of you have asked the passenger if it is safe to turn????

[psilosin]

I know last year ICBC said an RHD is 270 times more likely to get in an accident while making a left-hand turn.

Lol they did not...they have not released any stats since the original report. It would be hillarious if they did say that, and it would be a good lesson in how stats can be delivered to play havoc on people.

Stats are delivered how they make the most dramatic impact related to the subject matter. Say teh normal probability of getting in an accident making a left hand turn is 0.01% (1 in 10000). I do not believe 270x is accurate for many reasons since their dataset is so flawed (too low n, duplicates, usa imports counted as RHD imports in some cases etc etc etc etc) but even if it was valid...270 x 0.01 is 0.27% (3 in 1000). Whoopity do in real life.

270x is much more dramatic that saying an increase of .26% chance of an accident.

I have a 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000x chance of drowning in a cup of coffee compared to a tea drinker.

[glenn]

I'll bet there is a much higher correlation between HP and accidents/causalities than RHD and accidents. But I'd also bet that the NAPA/Lordco/CADA naysayers aren't calling for a ban on fast cars.

[Rattlenbang]

I'll bet there is a much higher correlation between HP and accidents/causalities than RHD and accidents. But I'd also bet that the NAPA/Lordco/CADA naysayers aren't calling for a ban on fast cars.

That's a very good point. with motorcycles, insurance rates skyrocket with increasing displacement, which is just another measure for hp. I notice it's NOT the same with automobiles. It does increase marginally for body style; i.e. a two door sport model cost more than a 4-door sedan, but not a lot more, at least not compared to motorcycles. High-end sport vehicles like Porsche and BMW are extremely expensive to repair and are designed for risky driving, and yet insurance premiums are not significantly higher. In short, we subsidize those drivers.

[Shaun Van Ramen]

I know last year ICBC said an RHD is 270 times more likely to get in an accident while making a left-hand turn.

Lol they did not...they have not released any stats since the original report. It would be hillarious if they did say that, and it would be a good lesson in how stats can be delivered to play havoc on people.

It (most likely) was not published but it was reported on the news. One of those "Should we allow 'em?" propaganda articles that the media inserts when they have nothing better to report.

And please, let's not bring motorcycles into this discussion. The insurance breakdowns and stats are used by bike haters.

[Dino]

Surprisingly enough my insurance only went up $200/year when I went from a 68hp SV650 (645cc) to a 124hp TL1000R (998cc), and that was still with less than a full year of licensed riding experience

That said I pay through the nose for my Pajero compared to what a "normal" LHD truck would run me... *sigh, the price of having something cool.

I've had quite a few people tell me that the RHD vehicles I've owned are dangerous or should be banned. Whenever I ask them why they think that it usually boils down to the argument that they aren't "made for here." Which is a fallacious way of thinking because when you think deeper, is anything really "made for here?" Humanity has never made something for the earth, we make things for ourselves, even things that are supposedly "eco friendly" are really just there so that we can further use the earth for our own ends. Anyway, enough philosophical dribble.

My favorite encounter with an "RHD muggle" was noticing a middle aged couple checking out my truck as I exited a Subway with my sandwich in hand. Ended up chatting for almost half an hour and by the end of it they were practically ready to fly to Japan and pick one up for themselves.

As for those parts guys, understand that 90% of them would rather just spend their days selling ball joints and mufflers for a 2005 Chevy Impala. And as a mechanic sometimes all I want to do is change a simple ball joint or muffler on a domestic. But I'm a car nut at heart so I enjoy dabbling in the strange world of foreign cars, the trick is finding a parts guy who has that same drive, even if it means going through a few grumpy Gus's along the way.

[Rattlenbang]

Surprisingly enough my insurance only went up $200/year when I went from a 68hp SV650 (645cc) to a 124hp TL1000R (998cc), and that was still with less than a full year of licensed riding experience
.

My '81 Honda passport 70 was $150 a year for insurance. My '82 Honda 450 was a grand! After I got collector plates, it went back down to $200

In a few years we'll be able to get collector's plates for our vans and they'll be dirt cheap to insure.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Stats are stats and people will use them for their own personal ends.

Reminds me of something Marshall McLuhan once said, and I paraphrase: Statistics to a cause are like a lamppost to a drunk ~ often used to prop things up rather than for enlightenment.

Falco.

[bbisset]

They shouldn't be allowed, they are junk, it's all BS, they replace the instrument clusters in Japan to hide the true mileage, they are shipped over burnt out and rusty and not worth anything...

Wow. I can't speak to the accident stats though there seems to be a lot of falsehood built into the ICBC version... but I can say that it almost impossible to falsify the odometer readings in Japan due to the frequency of registration requirements. This is not to say that it doesn't happen, just that when it does, the auction inspectors note it on the inspection sheet that the odometer readings have been tampered with vis-a-vis the prior history of the vehicle. I'll try to find one that shows this and post it.

In short, it's a hell of a lot easier to get away with that kind of crap in Canada/US than from a JDM vehicle.

Brian

[Shaun Van Ramen]

When it comes to bikes the basic premium rate is determined by engine displacement ONLY. Rider age, experience or training means F-all.
It goes this way;
0cc-110cc
111cc-400cc
401cc-750cc
751cc-1100cc
1101cc up.
I can't quote the current dollar amount for each displacement range but the amount probably doubles (approx.) from the range below. Get a quote from your agent :)

Why don't cars get rated that way?? Who knows? Other than bikes are perceived as higher risk. Want cheap bike insurance, ride a scooter.

[Dino]

At least for you BC guys it's all very predictable as it's public sector insurance. Here in Ontario there are vague guidlines for the private sector companies. You really have to shop around here to find the companies that suit your needs best. State Farm is nailing me to the wall on my first year with the bike, but they weigh more heavily on model year and rider experience than displacement. So for this year I'm paying out the arse, but next year it will drop almost 30%. Unfortunately all the companies get scared with imports because they can't look up anything with our short VINs. And you know what happens when insurance companies get uneasy about a car :P

[thedjjack]

When it comes to bikes the basic premium rate is determined by engine displacement ONLY. Rider age, experience or training means F-all.
It goes this way;
0cc-110cc
111cc-400cc
401cc-750cc
751cc-1100cc
1101cc up.
I can't quote the current dollar amount for each displacement range but the amount probably doubles (approx.) from the range below. Get a quote from your agent :)

Why don't cars get rated that way?? Who knows? Other than bikes are perceived as higher risk. Want cheap bike insurance, ride a scooter.

It still is not that good.... My 1982 Honda Ascot (500cc SINGLE making maybe 30hp) cost the same as 130hp 750 sportbike .....

Part of the reason it is in someone else backyard beside there Delica collection :)