Colours, HP vs RPM, Plasma

["Kim Boydell" <boydell@domain.elided>]

Hi All,

Just some miscellaneous ramblings.

First, Mike Miller's 1979 chocolate brown Alfa spider that is for sale - The
colour is probably Bronzo Met. A.R. 837, because that is colour
of my 1979 spider.  Every Alfa person I've met, including the painter at the
local (former) Alfa dealer asked me if that is an original colour.  Its nice
to know that there is more than one out there.

FrankenSpider and Fly Yellow paint. I know what it is like needing sun
glasses to drive a car.  My old BMW 2002 was "City of Ottawa Public Works
Truck" orange.  It was so orange that it caused a glow in underground
parking garages, there was no problem finding that car, even at
3 a.m. with a belly full of beer (I have since matured).  Personally I
prefer Ferraris in Fly Yellow rather than red and a Fly Yellow spider would
look just as good.

RPM vs. HP

If I recall during the hey day of Yamaha vs. Honda racing in the early
1960's Honda had a 5 cylinder 50 cc GP bike.  Apparently it had more gears
than most transmission have teeth but it only ran between 15,000 and 18,000
rpm, (or was it between 20,000 and 22,000 RPM and had 18 gears, I just can't
remember).  It was fast as stink but totally impractical for the road.  The
rider would effectively stay within a very narrow power band and shift
continuously.  So, what is the point I am trying to make?  No point, except
that, like all cars, there are take-offs to be made.

One reason I bought an Alfa Spider instead of something really exotic
(besides money) is I want to drive it and park it when I get to where I am
going, not trailer it and keep it in storage.

Speaking of motorcycles and the thread on velocity stacks I started a while
ago (which I enjoyed and learned something in reading all the responses),
the velocity stacks on my old Moto Guzzi were serious, not like the after
market stacks seen on Japanese bikes. The screening was closer to chicken
wire and it was bowed out so that the screening didn't interfere with air
flow.  Hey, it was Italian, they didn't do it for show, just for go.

The cylinders didn't have iron liners like most bikes at the time.
Apparently
they inserted a wire, probably with a very high chromium, in the cylinder
and then ran a very high charge through the wire.  The wire would literally
explode turning into plasma and evenly coating the cylinder walls.  It was
reported to be far harder than any other liner and could take a lot of dust
etc.  It also, apparently, transferred heat better than iron liners, at
least that is what I remember the publicity brochure saying.  Of course, if
the coating was every damaged, either an iron liner would have to be pressed
in or a whole new barrel would have to be purchased.

Kim

79 Spider Veloce, Bronzo Met.
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