Design with in Reach videos

Galileo satellite fails to reach desired orbit

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One of Europe’s most important space projects, and one that is already four years behind schedule, suffered another setback on Saturday. ...

Inside the Ring: Pentagon goes hypersonic with long-range rapid attack weapon

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An experimental scramjet-powered, ultrahigh speed strike vehicle is emerging as the Pentagon’s main choice for a new long-range, rapid att...

An experimental scramjet-powered, ultrahigh speed strike vehicle is emerging as the Pentagon’s main choice for a new long-range, rapid attack weapon, a senior Pentagon official says. Alan R. Shaffer, principal deputy assistant defense secretary for research and engineering, told a defense industry conference that prototypes and recent tests proved concepts for hypersonic arms, and several systems are part of a high-priority effort by Pentagon weapons developers, despite the era of sharply-diminished defense spending. Hypersonic vehicles can deliver nuclear or conventional payloads in precision strikes against increasingly hard-to-penetrate air defenses of countries like China, Russia and Iran, he said. “We, the U.S., do not want to be the second country to understand how to have controlled scramjet hypersonics,” Mr. Shaffer told the Precision Strike Association’s annual review on Tuesday. The comments come 2 1/2 months after China’s surprise Jan. 9 test of a new hypersonic glide vehicle, dubbed the Wu-14. That ultrahigh speed maneuvering vehicle test represents a major challenge for current U.S. missile defenses, which are designed to counter non-maneuvering ballistic missile threats. Lee Fuell, a technical intelligence specialist with the Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center, told a congressional China commission hearing Jan. 31 that China’s hypersonic glide vehicle is a ballistic missile-launched system that glides and maneuvers to its target at speeds up to Mach 10 (about 7,611 mph). “At this point, we think that’s associated with their nuclear deterrent forces,” said Mr. Fuell, who noted the Chinese could use the system with conventional warheads for long-range precision strikes. Mr. Shaffer declined to comment on how the Chinese hypersonic test has changed U.S. plans for hypersonic weapons. PHOTOS: Michelle, Malia, Sasha Obama tour China on taxpayer dime But the senior weapons research official said the Pentagon’s most promising hypersonic vehicle is the X-51, a cruise missile-sized weapon powered by an advanced engine called a scramjet. The X-51, developed by Boeing, flies at up to 3,882 mph, or Mach 5.1, and is launched from under the wing of a B-52 bomber. The experimental aircraft is a good candidate to win this year’s Collier Trophy, the annual award recognizing the most significant recent achievement in air or space flight, Mr. Shaffer said. Mr. Shaffer said hypersonic weapons, when fully developed, will be less expensive than current jets and cruise missiles powered by complex turbine engines with many parts. A scramjet, or supersonic combusting ramjet, hypersonic vehicle has few moving parts. After three difficult tests, including one described awkwardly by testers as an “un-ignition event,” the X-51 scored a breakthrough last year. During a successful flight test, the vehicle flew for just 300 seconds but traveled several thousand miles and reached a height of 80,000 feet — considered near-space — at over Mach 5. “It’s the second time we have shown a scramjet can ignite and give positive acceleration,” Mr. Shaffer said. “That is a huge deal. That means we are now starting to understand hypersonics.” The next step is for weapons engineers to make the system affordable, and Mr. Shaffer urged engineers to tackle the problem. Another hypersonic weapon on the Pentagon’s drawing board is the HTV-2, or Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, that is boosted by a missile — like the Chinese WU-14 — and then maneuvers and glides to its target at very high speeds. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/19/inside-the-ring-pentagon-goes-hypersonic-with-long/#ixzz2wbxchhoO Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter Less

Britain to send Tornado fighters to Northern Iraq

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Britain has agreed to send military equipment to Kurdish forces fighting jihadists in northern Iraq to support US weapons which have already...

Karzai hopes for end to political impasse as Afghans mark independence

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Afghanistan is marking 95 years of full independence. But amid the pomp and ceremony in Kabul where President Hamid Karzai laid a wreath a...

New car offers freedom for disabled drivers

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The Czech-produced Elbee is a vehicle designed specifically for wheelchair-bound people, allowing them to drive their car without leaving th...

New hybrid aircraft turns into car upon landing

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Just another day out flying and cruising around town for the latest in hybrid technology: the SkyCruiser. One could be mistaken for thinki...

Russia: Is this UFO-style AMPHIBIOUS vehicle the future of transport?

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Video ID: 20141102-014 M/S Burevestnik-24 gliding W/S Burevestnik-24 taking off M/S Burevestnik-24 C/U Burevestnik-24 C/U Burevestnik-24 wi...

Russia: See daredevils race space-age steamliners

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Video ID: 20141105-043 W/S Racer in streamliner M/S Racer Alexey Kristayev carrying streamline racer W/S Setting up streamliner W/S Setting...

Cleaner, greener shower could save hundreds of euros a year

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In space, astronauts go for long periods of time without a fresh supply of water. Floating in a capsule in outer space, they wash and drink ...

In space, astronauts go for long periods of time without a fresh supply of water. Floating in a capsule in outer space, they wash and drink from the same continuously recycled source. So why do we not do the same down on Earth, asks Swedish industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi. His OrbSys Shower is a high-tech purification system that recycles water while you wash. In a similar way to space showers, it works on a “closed loop system”: after it goes down the drain, hot water from the tap is instantly purified to drinking water standard before being pumped back out of the shower-head. As the process is very quick, the water is still hot and only needs to be slightly reheated. “This is the rocket science part. After the water is collected in the drain and analysed, the shower pump shoots it through our purification system, which consists of a micro-capsule that takes away the larger particles. Then it goes to the nano-capsule, which takes away all of the smaller contaminants, making sure that the water that reaches the user from the recycling loop is always crystal-clear and nice to shower in,” says Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, CEO of Orbital Systems. Its inventor is confident that this is the shower of the future, enabling savings of up to 90 percent on water and 80 percent on energy, while its efficient filtration system elevates the water above drinking-quality, offering better hygiene. “Our market is anybody who takes a shower, actually, and the biggest benefit it gives is to the market segment where water consumption is the highest, such as bathing establishments, gyms, sports centres and also private households where the water consumption and the water prices are high,” he says. While it may eventually result in considerable savings both for your pocket and for the environment, there is no clear indication as to how much the shower actually costs to install and upkeep, although estimates stand at several thousand euros a piece. According to its inventor, it pays for itself after two years. Less

Internet banking: a hacker’s ideal target

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Like Swiss Emmental cheese, the ways your online banking accounts are protected might be full of holes. According to internet security so...

Like Swiss Emmental cheese, the ways your online banking accounts are protected might be full of holes. According to internet security software developer Kaspersky, the number of cyberthreats reached record levels in 2014. One in three computers or mobile devices were subjected to at least one web attack over the year. Particular targets are companies or individuals using internet banking. In January, a Swiss firm lost an estimated one million euros in an online financial transaction that was hacked. The victim, an accountant at the company, was unaware of what was going on. It started when he opened an email containing an attachment infected with a virus. Once they had taken control of his computer, all the hackers had to do was wait for him to connect online with his bank. “When he tried to connect to his bank online, he activated the “Trojan horse”. A message appeared asking him to hold. For 20 or 30 minutes, he wasn’t able to use his computer at all. During that time, the pirates took control of the computer and carried out several money transfers onto foreign accounts,” says Frederic Marchon, spokesman for the Fribourg Police. Plenty of viruses allowing that kind of illegal activity are available on the internet. The most updated versions are available for just over 1,000 euros on the darknet. The hacker gets a warning as soon as someone connects with their bank online using an infected computer. This IT expert explains how it works: “I can monitor all the computers I have successfully hacked, and I can see precisely, among them, how many are currently banking online and therefore vulnerable. So here, there are two which are currently connected,” says IT expert Cedric Enzler. Faced with a growing number of cyber attacks on companies, Switzerland has set up an emergency centre to track the attacks and analyse them. But the nature of the centre means they cannot provide with any names or figures. “It’s a really big problem. You’ve got to realise that anyone who wants to do harm and wants to make money that way will automatically turn to e-banking,” says IT security expert Max Klaus. For this professor at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, there’s another big problem with this kind of cyber attack: most of the tools we use for internet banking like calculators or smartphone applications designed to read cryptograms are vulnerable to hacking. “From an electronic point of vue, internet banking is safe. We use secure channels using SSL encryption. The problem comes from the client’s computer, its use no longer guarantees a secure connexion. Whether it’s a computer or a smartphone, hackers can take control and security is compromised,” says Professor Reto Koenig. None of the banks contacted agreed to answer to our questions on camera. Swiss banks warn their clients about security problems linked to the use of internet in their general conditions – a warning which often comes with a clause clearing the bank of any responsibility in the event of an attack. “The client is a victim twice over. First, he’s the victim of a crook, and then he has hardly any chance to defend himself because of the general conditions in his contract. Sometimes, there are agreements between banks and clients but unfortunately, most of the time, these agreements are kept secret, they are confidential, so it’s hard to find out what the procedure is, which is of course detrimental to the client,” says Mathieu Fleury, of the Swiss consumer’s rights association. A coordinated cyber security taskforce and response scheme, aimed at providing cyber security services for small and medium enterprises in Europe, is to begin pilot deployments in 2015, starting in the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium. EU authorities are concerned about the vulnerability of SMEs because they employ two-thirds of Europe’s workforce. Less

Large Hadron Collider smashes energy record

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The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN has reached the record-breaking energy of 13 TeV (teraelectronvolts). At #LHC, beams are stable a...

US warplane policy over Russia dangerous

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The US deployment of advanced warplanes to NATO allies in Europe amid tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine is a “dangerous” p...

The US deployment of advanced warplanes to NATO allies in Europe amid tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine is a “dangerous” policy that makes the US less safe, a foreign policy analyst says.“It’s hard to overstate how dangerous and absurd this deployment is,” James Jatras said Wednesday during a phone interview with Press TV.“These countries being allied with us in NATO are making us less safe and less secure here in America than more so,” Jatras said.US Air Force Secretary Deborah James said during a visit to the Paris Air Show on Monday that the US could deploy stealthy F-22 fighter jets as a show of force against Russian actions in Ukraine and elsewhere around the continent."I could easily see the day -- though I couldn't tell you the day exactly -- when the F-22, for example, rotates in is a possibility. I don't see why that couldn't happen in the future," she said."The biggest threat on my mind is what's happening with Russia and the activities of Russia," she added. "It's extremely worrisome on what's going on in the Ukraine." For months, the Pentagon has been rotating aircraft through Europe, including B-2 and B-52 bombers, for exercises with allies under Operation Atlantic Resolve, which it calls "America's commitment to European security."James said the F-22 Raptor, the Pentagon's premier fighter, could join that list. The fighter jets, which were designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, can be configured to attack other aircraft or bomb ground targets.This comes as the Pentagon plans to store heavy weaponry, tanks and other vehicles for as many as 5,000 American troops in eastern European countries bordering Russia, US officials said Saturday.The deployment of advanced equipment would be the first such move since the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.A Russian defense official said on Monday that Moscow would swiftly respond to any moves by Washington to build up military resources in Europe by fortifying its western border with more troops, tanks, planes and missile systems. Ties between Washington and Moscow have reached an all-time low over the crisis in Ukraine, which began after pro-Western forces ousted the country’s president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February 2014.Tensions further intensified after Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for reunification with Russia in March last year. Less

please remain seated for your short crossing across the river wyre 6mins 44seconds

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Since the development of Fleetwood, from around 1830, a ferry has operated across the River Wyre to Knott End on Sea. The early ferries were...

Since the development of Fleetwood, from around 1830, a ferry has operated across the River Wyre to Knott End on Sea. The early ferries were powered by oar or sail. In 1892 an agreement with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway resulted in new jetties being constructed on both sides of the river and since that time the service has continued, first with steam powered vessels and more recently diesel launches. During the 1990s, despite numerous operators, passenger numbers decreased and it was reduced to a summer only service and then completely suspended in 2001. Following from this an agreement was reached between Lancashire County Council and Wyre Borough Council for a new ferry to be constructed that would provide a year round service.The ferry will be part of the Lancashire Coastal Cycle Path and integrated into the local bus and tram services, with facilities at Fleetwood being upgraded to allow it to operate over a greater tidal range. The operation and maintenance contract has been awarded to Wyre Marine Services to run the ferry service for the next 10 years. A design and supervision of construction contract was awarded to Salisbury based naval architect Ian Darley and the build contract to Mustang Marine, in Pembroke Dock, for the 'as yet' unnamed twin screw, fully enclosed, water jet powered displacement vessel. The name is being chosen by a competition involving local school children. The design brief was for a small highly manoeuvrable, robust, sea worthy but shallow draught craft providing good weather protection for both passengers and crew. The result is a fully enclosed steel ferry of 10.85m LOA with a maximum beam 4.5m and a full load draught 0.87m. It will operate at a speed of 7 knots and have an MCA Class V(C) passenger certificate for 35 persons. To maximise the effect of the waterjets, a single chine hull form with a shallow dead rise was chosen. This configuration allows safe operation over and around the sand banks at the river entrance. The keel plate is 10mm, bottom plating is 8mm, side plating, bulkheads and decks are 5mm. The water jets are beneath an overhanging counter for protection which is important when turning in the confines of the Fleetwood terminus. Two strakes of heavy rubber 'D' fender protect the hull. Although not mandatory for a vessel of this class, the hull is subdivided into five watertight compartments to ensure the ferry complies with the one compartment damage survivability regulations. Paint coatings both internally and externally are applied, generally by airless spray, in accordance with a specification prepared especially for the vessel by Jotun Paints. Cathodic protection is by stud fixed zinc anodes from M G Duff International with particular care being taken to protect the aluminium alloy water jets and to ensure that they are totally isolated from the steel hull. The full width deck house is constructed in 5mm plate and has large Houdini Marine double glazed, clamp in pattern aluminium alloy framed windows throughout. Bulwark cappings, guard rails, mooring posts, mast and other external fittings are all stainless steel for ease of maintenance. The weathertight counterbalanced sliding boarding door and steel watertight engine compartment door is from Point Engineering. Seatite aluminium alloy flush hatches provide access to the peaks and other lower deck compartments. Boarding is on the port side only from an amidships boarding deck. The wheelhouse is offset to port, accessible from the main cabin and giving the helmsman an excellent view of passenger movements. Berthing arrangements at both jetties are such that the ferry can easily be operated by a crew of two. To cater for the large rise and fall of tide and the boarding platforms at Fleetwood, a hinged stainless steel telescopic ramp is installed. Operated by electric winches and hydraulic rams, it gives the ferry a safe boarding range from sea level to 1.5m above. Both the ramp and boarding door have a clear width of 1m to allow comfortable access for wheelchairs, baby buggies and bicycles. A comprehensive and high quality fitout was the prime requirement of the owners. The operating contract is for 10 years and with this in mind the machinery and water jet package supplied by Volvo Penta includes a maintenance contract of the same duration. Main engines comprise a pair of model D5AT turbocharged marine diesels each developing 95kW (129bhp) at 2,300rpm and fitted with a ZF model ZF220PL reverse reduction gearbox with a reduction ratio of 1:1 and powering a Kamewa model FF270 270mm diameter single stage axial flow water jet. Because of the shallow water operations the engines are cooled using Duramax keel coolers, supplied by European Marine & Machinery Agencies (EMMA), recessed into the side plating port and starboard. Kobelt engine controls, also provided by EMMA, are of push pull type and the steering gear is hand hydraulic from Kamewa. The engine compartment is amidships and is well insulated to A30 standards using mineral wool, providing both fire protection and sound reduction. Noise reduction is further enhanced by twin Isophon stainless steel silencers on each dry engine exhaust. The water jets are in a water tight space to the rear of the engine compartment and are coupled to the engines with 40mm diameter rigid stainless steel shafts and Aquadrive units supported on roller bearings. For maintenance of the jets while afloat, access traps are fitted in the bottom of the aft peak. In the bow thruster compartment, forward of the engine compartment, is a 250mm diameter, 9.5kW hydraulic bow thruster from Vetus Den Ouden who also supplied the hydraulic anchor windlass, starboard main engine mounted pump, reservoir and controls for all hydraulic equipment. Other machinery includes a Cleghorn Waring model CM50FE bronze centrifugal pump belt driven through an electro magnetic clutch from the port main engine for jetty wash down and fire duties. Cabin heating is provided by an Eberspacher model D8LC diesel fired hot air heater mounted in the bow thruster compartment and engine compartment ventilation is provided by two 315mm diameter centrifugal fans from Elta Fans. Passenger spaces are fully insulated using mineral wool, linings are Grenamat non-combustible boards supplied by Duncan Reeds Limited, the aluminium suspended ceiling system is from Dampa and the studded rubber sole covering from Acorn Rubber. Extensive use has been made of stainless steel for grab rails, seat frames and other fittings within the cabin to give passenger friendly, easily cleaned surfaces. There is seating for all passengers on melamine faced seating around the perimeter of the cabin. Also provided are wheelchair restraining plates and bicycle support frames. Lighting of the cabin and other spaces, a 250W searchlight, 500W boarding lights and navigation lamps are by Sondia Lighting. The primary electrical supply is 24V DC from two banks of sealed pattern batteries in the engine compartment. A 220/1/50 AC shore supply system includes a switch mode, 25 amp charger. Three Hepworth/Wynn straight line wipers are installed on the wheelhouse. The horn is Marco and the electronic outfit, including compass, echo sounder, log, radar and VHF are from Raymarine. By putting this versatile ferry into operation both Lancashire and Wyre councils are hoping that many more passengers, including shoppers, tourists and commuters, will be attracted to the much improved service. Less

‘Progress made’, but is it enough? No conclusion in Iran nuclear talks

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An Iranian diplomat has told euronews the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna will break down if a deal is not reached by Monday. The comment was...

UK: People who think they can fly make a huge splash in Bognor's Birdman

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The International Bognor Birdman took place on the south coast of England, Saturday. The Birdman is a flying competition, where people try t...

Denmark’s first astronaut heads to space

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Denmark’s first astronaut has blasted off into space on a Russian Soyuz rocket bound for the International Space Station. Andreas Mogens...

Intellectual Sunnis, Theatrical Shias

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"As regards the rich intellectual heritage of Islam, it must be emphasised that the Sunnis have always been its main proponents and custodia...

"As regards the rich intellectual heritage of Islam, it must be emphasised that the Sunnis have always been its main proponents and custodians: the greatest philosophers of Islam - Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Ibn-Rushd, Ibn-Sina, Al-Ghazzali, and Ibn-Khaldun - were all Sunnis." "The Shias are essentially a sect within Islam and do not deserve to be treated on an equal footing with the Sunni majority." "As regards the Sunnis, it is worth pointing out that it is amongst these people that our future allies are to be sought." A regrettable misconception currently in vogue amongst many who claim to understand the Islamic world is that the Shias are somehow more liberal than the Sunnis. Such a manner of viewing things seems to be partly effected by the ongoing conflicts the Middle East, where the Sunnis have at times been guilty of barbaric acts of wellnigh epic proportions. Even so, the mentioned misconception must be dispelled sooner rather than later, because our ability to develop a cordial relationship with the Islamic world hinges on whether we succeed in reaching out to the Sunni majority or not. Contrary to popular conception, the Sunni majority is not at all sympathetic to the theocratic aspirations of the monarchs of the Gulf and their Salafi-Hanbali henchmen. Salafism represents a minority within Sunni Islam, but owing to the fact that the Salafists have often been heavily funded with petrodollars and weapons by the monarchies of the Gulf as well as the Anglo-Americans, they are a vocal minority exercising political influence to a degree far in excess of their actual numerical strength. The Sunni majority adheres to the Hanafi school of law. It is interesting to note that the Hanafi school of law is predominant in the non-Arabic regions of the Islamic world: Turkey, the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, South Asia, and Afghanistan. The Hanafi school of law has been successful in abstracting the essence Islam from the tribal context in which it arose; this is to say that it has carried out a de-arabisation of Islam. In doing so, the Hanafi school of law has given its variety of Sunni Islam a distinctly cosmopolitian outlook in contradistinction to the tribal Islam of the Hanbalis. The Hanafis are renowned for their creative interpretation of the precepts of Islam with a view to making religion compatible with time and circumstance. As regards the rich intellectual heritage of Islam, it must be emphasised that the Sunnis have always been its main proponents and custodians: the greatest philosophers of Islam - Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Ibn-Rushd, Ibn-Sina, Al-Ghazzali, and Ibn-Khaldun - were all Sunnis. Likewise, mystical Islam or Sufism is accepted by the Hanafis as an integral part of their Islamic heritage, whereas it is rejected as a heresy by the Hanbalis. The Shias, like the Salafists, represent the polarising forces in the Islamic world. The monarchies of the Gulf are not the sole obtstacles to unity in the Islamic world; Iran is as great a stumbling block in this respect. The double-dealing nature of the Mullahs in Qom should be obvious to anyone who has taken the time to study the history of this country. The denunciation of Israel is a weekly event in Iran, but this seemingly uncompromising anti-Zionism did not prevent the Iranians from cooperating with Israel against both the Soviet Union and Iraq (cf. the destruction of Osirak). Similarly, America may be the Great Satan in the geo-theological scheme of things, but the Iranians have never been averse to striking deals with their arch-enemy either, as seen in the case of the Iran-Contra affair. In order to understand the double-dealing nature of the Iranians one must familiarise oneself certain core theological and jurisprudential concepts of Shia Islam. Two such concepts are zahir and batin. The English equivalents of these concepts are apparent and hidden, visible and occult, or exoteric and esoteric. What you would do well to note regarding the modus operandi of the Shias is that they are able to combine a seemingly liberal exterior with a veiled fundamentalistic adherence to the dogmae of their religion. In many Muslim countries, the Shias are prominent in the showbiz industry, thus leaving one with the optical illusion that the Shias are liberal or westernised, whereas the Sunnis are puritans enslaved by a medieval mindset. This optical illusion has a great deal to do with the Shias' all too frequent recourse to Taqiyya, a concept which is central to Shia jurisprudence and only of peripheral importance to the jurisprudence of the Sunnis. Given the fact that the Shias are a minority in most countries, it is permissible for them to conceal their religious affiliations so as to avoid persecution, but there is no denying that these tactics of dissimulation are subject to misuse. Sham conversions to Christianity, particularly amongst the Shias, is not an unheard of phenomenon amongst asylum seekers in many Western countries. Taqiyya, in this case, serves the purpose of furthering one's economic-existential interests rather than guarding one against persecution. An interesting example in this regard is the Iranian scholar Reza Aslan who - so it seems to me - converted to Evangelical Christianity in order to carve out an academic career for himself as a biblical scholar, and reverted to being a Shia upon attaining his ph.D. I have visited many an Islamic country, and I am yet to see any evidence of the Shias' being more liberal than the Sunnis. To the contrary, during the month of Muharram I have seen Shia mobs march through Sunni neighbourhoods while hurling insults at those Islamic khalifs whom they do not consider the legitimate successors to Muhammed; this spectacle is very much reminiscent of the Orangemen who march through Catholic neighbourhoods with the primary purpose of flexing their sectarian muscle. The Shias are essentially a sect within Islam and do not deserve to be treated on an equal footing with the Sunni majority. The very word Shia means party or faction; this self-designation in itself tells us something about the sectarian ethos of the Shias. This sectarian ethos of the Shias is radically at odds with the ecumenism of the Sufis, who are no strangers to praying alongside Christians and Buddhists in Central Asia. And we would do well to note that the Sufis are currently being persectuted in Iran. Sectarianism also informs the foreign policy of the Iranians, who did not lift a finger in support of Gaddafi - a man who had advocated the case of Iran at the Arab League summits on more than one occasion; the ingratitude of the Iranians in this regard was beneath contempt. The only occasions on which the Mullahs of Qom voice their indignation is when their fellow Shias are under fire, be it in Syria or in Bahrain. The same sectarianism can be witnessed amongst the Shias of the Arabic nations: they seem more interested in singing the praises of their Mullahs in Qom than worrying about the well-being of the countries in which they actually reside. There are two internal sources of all the ills of the Islamic world: one is Saudi Arabia and the other is Iran. It is incumbent on the Muslims to do their utmost to repel the incursions of both the Salafists and the pro-Iranian Shias into their countries. As regards the Sunnis, it is worth pointing out that it is amongst these people that our future allies are to be sought. VIDEO: Shiite Theatrics Less

I’ll Never Own An Old Harley

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What they say may be true. Or at least, it’s why so many went Jap back in the day. Me among them. I have been working on an ’80 Harle...

What they say may be true. Or at least, it’s why so many went Jap back in the day. Me among them. I have been working on an ’80 Harley Sportster for about a month now. Mark that. Working on an ’80 Sportster. Not riding the thing. I understand now why they’re often referred to as Hardley-Ablesons. You get one running, maybe. But not for long. Then you go back to working on the bike. This, apparently, is part of the mystique. Even more so, brilliant design such as the absence of sufficient clearance for bolt heads such that you cannot get a socket on them without either grinding down your socket so thin it’ll clear the hair-width’s gap between say the side of the starter solenoid bracket – or using an open wrench on the bolt and working it out, torturously, a quarter-turn at a time. If, that is, you can get the wrench on the bolt. On the Sporty you usually can’t. Even if you could get a socket on the starter solenoid bracket, it’s not a clear shot. A wobbler extender bar won’t do the trick. You have to first remove the engine cover on the side of the bike. Onto which the master cylinder for the rear brake is bolted. Did I mention the brake line from the rear master cylinder literally runs a couple of hair-widths away from the big twin’s rear exhaust pipe – and that you cannot check the fluid level in the rear master cylinder without either removing the rear exhaust pipe from the engine or unbolting the rear master cylinder? Yes, they designed it this way. It’s stock. Have you ever tried to set points on a Harley? (And, yes, this 1980 model bike has points. It also has a generator.) On every Japanese bike I’ve worked on – which is a lot of bikes, all makes – the engine is designed such that it can be turned over manually using a breaker bar/socket or even just a wrench. There will be a bolt on the engine – connected to the crankshaft – for just this reason. Because routine maintenance (e.g., setting points, checking and adjusting valve clearances) involves slowly rotating the engine, so as to get a piston at top dead center, etc. You do not use a breaker bar or a wrench on a 1980 Sportster. You use a jack – and your hands. First, raise the rear wheel. Now, use your hands to try to get the transmission into fourth gear. This is so as to make the engine easier to rotate… by turning the rear wheel. Which – with the tranny in gear – will move the engine’s reciprocating assembly. You will need two people. It also helps to remove both spark plugs. Jesus Christ! Have you ever heard the story about the West’s first hands-on look at a MiG 25? The Mach 3-capable Soviet interceptor was considered – thought to be – incredibly advanced. (How else did it achieve Mach 3?) The West was desperate to have a look, but this was hard given all MiG 25s were in the Soviet Union. Then one day in 1976, a Soviet pilot – Viktor Belenko – defected to the West by flying his MiG 25 to Japan. His plane was thoroughly dissected. Vacuum tubes were found. The only reason the MiG 25 went as fast as it did was because the Soviets installed a pair of monstrous Tumanksy R-15 afterburning turbojets. But at least the MiG 25 was fast. A 1980 Harley is not. It makes a lot of noise – when it runs. But this is the equivalent, in motorcycle terms, of a toothless dog that barks a lot. The big twin does make a lot of torque, so it pulls like a diesel (again, when it runs) and so only needs four forward gears. But you won’t get very far – and not just because it’s likely to break down. The Harley’s gas tank holds a little more than two gallons of fuel. Most Jap bikes have twice as much capacity – and also go twice as far on each gallon. One of my old Jap bikes – a ’76 Kz900 – gets about 40 MPG. And it has a dual overhead cam engine which is made entirely out of aluminum whereas the pushrod-actuated Harley “Ironhead” has – yes – cast iron heads and cylinders. The Hardly gets maybe 20. So half the mileage – with about half the fuel supply. Not having much experience with these bikes, I assumed someone in search of a chopper or bobber had added a tiny tank for aesthetic reasons. People do such things. You do not expect the factory to do such things. The Harley factory did such a thing. It is supposed to be this way. This is how the bike was designed. So also the absence of fuses. There are breakers instead. And they tend to break. Possibly because the bike vibrates like an old F100 with a broken engine mount and four cupped tires and blown shocks, with the leaf springs poking through the rusted out floorpans. Possibly also because Harley “engineers” located the breakers – with exposed metal contacts – directly facing the battery and within easy arcing distance of the battery cables or your wedding ring, if you stick your hand down there. Every Jap bike I have ever dealt with has its electrical panel located away from the battery. Usually, under a side cover. So you can access the relays, fuses and so on without having to pull the battery. Which, of course, you must do on the Harley, in order to access the breakers. Which also requires unbolting the seat. Which requires tools – which you may not have out on the road. Taking off the micro-sized gas tank also requires tools – and fairly extensive disassembly. There is a long bolt up front that runs through a bracket that also holds the ignition coil. There are spacers and washers galore. Then there is another bolt – mounted under the rear of the tank and not easy to see or reach. Both of these bolts must be removed before the tank can be removed. With Jap bikes, it is – typically – one bolt, at the rear of the tank. Under the seat – which often pops off using the key. Then just slide the tank back a little and take it off. My teeth are beginning to ache. It is not my intent to mock Harleys. Merely to warn you. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Less