Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:06:56 -0500
Reply-To: Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Billy Bones at 100 - dumbest thing I've ever done
In-Reply-To: <11dcddf80611201138x774e431boe6661ca5962885cb@mail.gmail.com>
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You know I rpobably didn't actually break 100 either now that I think about
it. What I know now that I didn't know then was that the speedo reads 5 mph
higher than it is. So I was probably doing about 95 or 96 myself. Partially
down hill and with a strong tail wind.
On 11/20/06, Dr.Chris <gronski@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've never been able to crack 100 with my stock (the engine anyway)
> 2.1L WBX. The closest I got was 155 kmph / 96 mph downhill.
>
> Chris
>
> On 11/19/06, Warren Lail <vw.bus@mac.com> wrote:
> > Sooner or later it was bound to happen. There I was on an open,
> > straight section of I-80 in northern Nevada. Not a car in sight
> > coming or going and a wide view of the highway in front of me
> > (probably could see clear for 5 to 7 miles as the Interstate crossed
> > one of those wide desert valleys). No wind. Poor judgment. Promise
> > to never do it again.
> >
> > But ...
> >
> > The speed limit was 75. Billy Bones has a .77 fourth gear, so I was
> > cruising along at 80 (4,000 rpm). Then I see the open road, no
> > traffic, flat level ground, no wind, good tires, and before I could
> > exercise good judgment, bad judgment took over.
> >
> > I pressed the pedal down and the Subie 2.2 began to hum. Soon I was
> > at 85. At 88 I saw comm-trails streaming from my rear view mirrors.
> > At 90 both mirrors gave up and flapped in. At 93 the whole front end
> > began to glow a bright orange - eventually becoming white hot. At 95
> > my face became distorted. At 96 I almost lost consciousness and
> > began to hallucinate. At 97 I cried, but poor judgment caused me to
> > press on, and on, and on. At 99 my eyeglasses cracked. And then it
> > happened - the GPS displayed the magic number. That one second at
> > 100 seemed like an eternity. Good judgment again took over and I
> > backed way off. Drove the rest of the way home at the speed limit.
> >
> > Dumbest thing I've ever done. Poor judgment, to be sure. Promise to
> > never do that again as long as I live. It frightens me even now just
> > thinking about it.
> >
> > But I thought I would share the experience. Maybe it will keep
> > someone else from making the same mistake.
> >
> > Warren L.
> > 88 Westy "Billy Bones"
> >
>
--
Thanks,
Jeff
90' Carat (It's Blue, It's Beautiful, It needs a lot of work)
86' (Soon to be donating organs to the 90')
85' GL (sidelined but to be resurrected in the near future)
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