Date:         Tue, 2 Dec 2008 20:32:41 -0700
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: video: Making of a Vanagon
In-Reply-To:  <5ebe10a0812021750n37b41c5cpb87079d272f2bc36@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

>  I can fit 2 mountain bikes in the back of my New Beetle, while
> running circles around you on any obstacle course.  The original
> Beetle was poor handling, poorly heated, slow, unsafe and with
> marginal brakes.  That's why I had 3 of them.  :-)

How many bits were the bikes chopped up into?

The New Beetle has understeer understeer understeer... and that's on
the tautest suspension available (Aussie & Euro). Being a rebodied
no-fun Golf, that's a given.

The original Beetle had no swaybar. Handling was, basically, evil.
After the introduction of a front bar (with no other modifications)
the handling was transformed. Any 50s (or earlier) Bug can have a bar
added. Unsafe? No way. I used to zoom along in the 64 Bug I had for a
year or so. Even on the skinny crossplies it came with, it would zip
around twisty narrow roads; if the rear slid out a bit, just keep the
pedal down and it goes around the bend, no worries. So long as the
brakes were maintained they were OK. Heat wasn't so bad as long as the
valves were working and there were no holes or leaks in the system;
items on the back floor in front of the vents were liable to be baked.
With a 1.3-based (single-port) 1.6 it was no fireball, but it was
adequate. Of course it had no hatch, but there was a big bin behind
the back seat and said seat could be folded. I liked it well enough.

--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Mollusc, Toyota & VW van nut
Temporarily in Calgary, AB, Canada
<goose1047@gmail.com>

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