Honda FTW.
 

So my truck was nearing 70k and I figured it was time to put her down... American made, so shit was bound to start fucking up on it... Been budgeting for a while and determined what I could afford... Then I got a promotion.

Saturday I bought an '08 Honda Ridgeline RTL. Loaded, only two options are missing... tow package (towed exactly one trailer, one time behind my old truck in the 3.5 years I owned it) and navigation system (have a GPS already).

I'd take pictures, but Fay is fuckin' everything up currently... I seriously love this fucking rig.

Flame on.

congrats.

great vehicle. good choice.

Honda's a good brand... it'll be reliable no doubt... but I'm still not big on fully IS trucks...

now... stfu and post pics!

Love foreign made Auto's. Run forever. Nice truck...I like them.

My friend works at a Honda repair shop and has told me that those vehicles don't have many problems at all that he's seen. It's the same power plant and drive train as the Pilot. It's solid. Good choice!

And since you said "flame on," I don't care what anyone says, it ain't a truck. Nice vehicle, solid, and built for a purpose, but being a truck ain't it.

"u meet the nicest ppl on/in a honda"

dude, you're fuckin up their slogan


does it have a shovel holder?

Honda is the shit and why I do not own a vehicle that isn't a honda. Plus my bro-in-law is a honda tech and I get all my labor free and parts at cost. :lol:

No, but it has an underbed TRUNK! complete with drain plug and everything...

And it's correct, it's not really a truck... I think the term is SUT... sport utility truck... It'll do everything I'll even need it to do and more. The Ranger treated me well, but I never really hauled much with it and it only being two passenger sometimes ended up being a pain in the ass...

My only gripe with it is that it's a bit under-powered... Not that it matters for me, but it just leaves my lead foot with something to be desired.

I'm gonna keep it for a real long time, I already decided. Only mod plans so far are to tint the windows and powder coat the wheels black.... of course, I have seen some other pretty trick things done with these trucks that make me scratch my chin... Time will tell.

As for pics, as soon as it stops raining and I have a chance to wash it, pics will be taken and posted... It's supposed to rain for the next several days so there will be a wait.

Congrats man.

Congrats.
Personally, you couldn't give me a Ridgeline... but each to their own. As long as you like it, that's all that matters.

So does this mean you're going to keep the 954??

Congrats on the new purchase man, as long as your happy with it!

It's a Honda, it will run forever.

I like the Ridgelines they are phat... Can the bike fit in the back and congrats on your new ride.

With the tailgate down for sure...

Just so you know...one bike works...two bikes in the back is sketchy. :willy:

If you ever think you will have a second bike back there be sure to add an extra tie down point in the middle.

Under 70K? My Jeep hasn't had under 70K since the 70's. Over 240K on original engine. Went up Mount Evans last week with it. Here's a picture of it at 12,000 feet.
[img]http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/5109/img0772dm8.th.jpg[/img]
And yes, Mount Evans is paved all the way to the top.

do you buy anything new

When I buy something I like, I hold onto it. But they don't make them like that Jeep anymore. Try and find a new truck with a manual transmission, let alone one with a granny first gear. Armor? My jeep has full coverage of 3/16 inch steel skid plates underneath. Winch? I've pulled out more other vehicles than my own. Name a jeep trail in Colorado and my Jeep's probably been over it. I've never pulled out a Hummer or Honda, but I've never seen them on rugged trails.

NW, that is bad ass... when Jeeps were Jeeps, rock solid as fuck! They have sucked for years now... but I hear the new wranglers with the new v-6s are nice... haven't confirmed that though.

I do like the Ridgeline. Hondas are great, but you won't find one in my driveway. I simply can't. I have too many family members, and friends that rely on the Big 3. There are alot of vechicles I wouldn't mind owning from Ridgeline, Mini, and a few more I can't think of... but....

Fuck you. My JGC rules.

When my JGC hit 100K miles the tranny exploded.

Sick trucks! I recently went from a S10 to a '07 Tacoma so I imagine you're feeling the same damn thing I am...I've finally got a truck with room to spare in the cab!!

JGC's BLOW!!

Depends on how you define "nice"
Roomy, yes
Comfy, yes
all the amenities, power windows and locks, A/C, Killer stereo, Carpet, cruise. It's got all that.

Power, NO! the 3.8 is gutless as hell, especially if you put bigger wheels/tires on it.
And mileage is marginal at best. mid teens if you keep it stock and play nice.

Spot on.

One of the worst decisions Chrystler ever made was ditching the 4L I6. That engine is rock solid and the Jeep Cherokee's that ran 'em were VERY quick and torqy. My fiance owns a 94 Cherokee with 180,000 hard, ill-maintained miles but her cherokee can STILL light up the rear tires from a ROLL without much thought.....and her tires are new.

What year was it?


And I won't have mine long enough to see 100k miles. Fuck that. It's someone else's problem by then.

Prob with the I6 was it couldn't pass emissions anymore. I really think they should throw the 3L diesel from the GC in the wranger, that would be a good combo. Or at least the 4.7 V8.

We put a set of 33" tires on 16" wheels on a 2dr wrangler, and it had troubles hitting 80. The 07 Rubicon we traded in with a 4" lift and 35's was a joke on the interstate (and sucked at the gas pump) :panic:

Bah. Screw the environment. Don't you know? Global warming is no more, now the earth is cooling. That means we need to step up the polution to keep us from freazin!!!

You're right though. That V6 is pathetic. Most V6's are. On the other hand, most I6's are flippin indestructable beasts. Why the heck has the I6 gone by the wayside in almost anything except the Cummins powered trucks?

I6 indistructable... maybe... a turd... OH YEA!!

ha, i just bought a jc today... 2,500 bucks i am i now a proud new owner of a car...

Lets see you run that SS out 180,000 miles, skipping oil changes often, and dogging the hell out of it all the time. Let's see if that SS still runs as good as this Cherokee. Matter of fact, I'd line this old beat up Cherokee next to your SS any day. You'd be surprised, it'd probably hang with ya pretty darn close.

still take my Toyota over anything on the road:D

You, sir, have a point. Toyota pwnz all.

until you need to actually TOW a load.

or in your case, go over 65 mph :lol:

ehh my truck just needs gearing... and I didn't buy it to tow... I bought it to be on the road in 200K :wink:

I'm gonna actually agree with Gas on this: The I6 is a turd and not half the engine you fools make it out to be.

Show me a V6 in the same class that'll out perform and out last it then.

what's it's numbers?

Nissan 3.5L V6

the toyota 3.4 for reliablity...

chevy's 4.3 is pretty strong too....

Listed as 195HP. Don't know the torque.

The 3.4 is a darn good engine. Friend's Tacoma has that engine in it....it won't beat the Cherokee though. It'll about tie it.

Blazer with the 4.3 is REALLY a dog. Maybe the Cherokee is lighter, I don't know. But a Blazer with the 4.3 couldn't get out of it's own way.

The 4L I6 is the most balanced engine in terms of HP and torque that I have ever driven. It sinks you in the seat instantly off the line and holds you there! V6's have a tendency to be great HP producers up high, but gutless down low. My friend's 2001 Cherokee is even faster than my fiance's due to a newer engine design. I race people all the time in the ol' Jeep when I drive it. :D

22r and 22re are prolly the only more relibable engine then the 4.0 i6

I had an S10 with the 4.3L and it was fast as hell... relatively speaking.

the Cherokee vs the SS... come on... you are smoking crack!

I said its a turd but industructable... but they are shit for speed or torque.

And Marko is right on... saying the 180K cherokee will hang against a similar weight SUV with 400/400 power and all wheel drive launching... please try to not label your itenligance so poorly. :panic:

I'm not saying the SS is the best thing sense sliced bread... but COME ON! It pretty much beats most cars I come accross that isn't some special "type R" jap car or some big muscle car.

I've had 2 4.3L chevy's... one in an S10 and the other in a GMC Jimmy... the Jimmy's was the Vortec version... it had balls but the Jimmy was so fuck'n heavy that you didn't really notice... the S10 was fuck'n bad ass... it was a manual so I could smoke the tires up through third even with a 200lb sand bag over the rear axle.

if I couldn't swap the 3.4 Toyota motor into my pickup... the next is the 4.3 Vortec... it's got more hp and tq than the 3.4... but it's not toyota... :lol:

3SGTE, you wont :rockwoot:

I won't what?

Yep! My S-10 had the 4.3. I put a cold air intake,an exhaust and Hyperteched it and I could hang with most normally aspirated cars. Oh and it was a manual! Whatever vehicle you get... manual FTW!

yeah fuck autos... can't stand them... then again I never tow heavy loads... which they may be nice in... but for me... no thanks.

they are good for commuting too, especially when you are really tired

I would really only another manual if I got a sports car for some damn reason like if I lost a leg.

Good call Trip on really tired. I go thru this alot when working nights. If I know I will be out late, and driving home tired... I will take the cage...

and when you loose that leg, and you buy that manual transmission, you'll have a blast what with deciding whether to use that leg on the clutch or the gas.

I've honestly NEVER gotten so tired to the point of falling asleep on a bike. i've done 750+ mile days.

I've almost fallen asleep driving the 5 miles home from work at 4 in the afternoon... just food for thought.

I don't think it's an issue of falling asleep so much as it is being so tired your concentration wavers.

good point. and it depends on what you're riding. w/ little traffic and open roads i can pretty much cruise control with little effort.

I've skipped riding several times and took the car just b/c I wasn't feeling 100%. Maybe didn't get enough sleep the night before or whatever.

Exactly on both counts!!!

I've never been too tired to drive a manual... I've been too tired to drive PERIOD... but it's mental exhaustion... and for me... manuals are 2nd nature I don't even think about it.

it does get a bit annoying in traffic to work the clutch... but I just relax... put it in 2nd or 1st (depending on how slow traffic is moving) and let the car idle and move... I put a good cushin between me and the car in front of me... and relax...

and yes... people do cut infront of me... but it's therapy to me.... I laugh when I see all these guys pissed off... and cutting people off... to move ahead 1 spot...

in a perfect world i'd agree. But realistically if my passion for riding that day outweighs my mood or ill feeling, then i'll ride. If conditions judged when i'd saddle up then i wouldn't ride in the rain, or in heavy traffic, or any other time it wasn't terribly favorable.

typically i always feel better when im riding anyways.

I'm with you NtS... riding is my cure all...

my motto always holds true though. If it makes you frown, slow it down. Not necessarily if it makes you frown take it home and put it in the garage and sleep it off.

They do make prosthetics now

what, A isnt satisfied in the sack? whats that have to do with driving a manual with one leg...



In lue of getting into a big medical speech about ghost pain, BKA vs AKA amputees, physical therapy, atrophy, and psychologic problems associated with loosing a limb, i'll just leave it at this:


Driving a sports car with one leg is probably as much fun as playing hockey without ice skates.

oh most def! but just cause I'm feel'n down or under the weather or what ever... won't keep me from my bike... if anything... it'll lead me to her.

precisely.

You guys are fucking crazy. That kinda shit leads to crashes.

lmao.

no... riding beyond your means and not paying attention to your surroundings leads to crashes... (the ones you can prevent anyways)

obviously i don't ride the same when I'm sick as when I'm feel'n completely healthy... like NtS said... if it makes you frown slow it down... but it's being out on the bike that clears our minds... that makes us feel better... it's our medicine.

unfortunately both of you guys are right. having wrecked multiple times, its almost liberating to get past all the hype about it and just understand that crashes are going to happen. sure the way you ride highly influences the opportunity for a wreck to occur, but in reality i've "almost" wiped out so many times i cant count it on my fingers and toes. in most of those cases, experience kept me off the ground. some i can only attest to blind luck.

But in ALL of my crashes except my first one (when i was a fresh n00b) there was never a moment of panic, or any sort of expectation. I went from turning to sliding before i could make sense of it.



This is just the never ending battle between riding styles and mentalities, which i really dont like to get into. I do it for the thrills and for the challenge. I'm sure i'll gain responsibility with age, when my bruises dont heal as quick, but for now i feel my respect for the bike balances out my need for speed.

fuck prosthetics-paddle shifter. if you get prosthetics, u mite as well keep riding. reggie showers raced bikes for along time without both legs. regular everyday legs he was 6ft1, with his race legs he was 5ft9.

u could get pucks built into your new robot legs:dthumb:


and riding keeps me alert, sane, healthy-ive driven a car 2x in the last month and a half. hopefully it still works lol-if im tired, like headin to work at 4am, by 403 im wide awake, and by the time i get to work (425)its like i slept another 4hrs. if i take the car, i gota blast the radio AND sing and ill still probably fall asleep at work for about a half hr.

There's a dood around here with one fucking leg who rides. It's odd to see his crutch sticking out to the side of the bike.

Look up diablobrian on badweb. He was hit on his bike and his left leg is paralyzed.

OSP congrats on the truck. Those are great trucks.

The only thing I don't like about them is how short the bed is... you'll have to leave the tailgate down and some bikes even then will barely fit on there. If you're going to trailer it doesn't matter though.

I'll be getting a huge ass Tundra in the spring.











And you guys talking about disabled dudes at the track... last TDs I was at there was a guy with ONE FUCKING ARM... and he was MISSING HIS RIGHT ARM.

Fucking awesome.

His bike had the throttle on the left and it turned in the opposite direction so that he could pull the clutch in while rolling off the throttle simultaneously.

Both brakes were operated with the right foot. Dude was smooth out there, in the rain even :panic:

AHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAH


oh, i didnt even read your post.

Short bed... I couldn't close the tailgate on the Ranger with a bike in the back.:idk:

Ditto in the S-10! Hey Samwell,goodluck with the gas mileage on that Tundra!

Bullshit. The Buell has the shortest wheel base on the planet. Tail gate closed FTMFW.

Yup, and I put a 4X4 and a 2X6 in front of the front tire, to space it off the tonneau cover a bit. Fits like a glove. :dthumb:

XB LONG.

Further, even with the 54" wheelbase, a 6ft bed would be a stretch...

54" wheelbase...
add 8.5" to each side for 17" wheels (total of 17")...

Without tires you'd still have a 71" span... since 72" = 6ft, it's never gonna happen.

you might be able to sit it diag. and close it :idk:... but fuck it... tail gate down isn't bad... unless the tire is sitting on the tail gate... then you may run into issues

I wouldn't even worry about that.

Me either,been there,done that many,many times!

the only reason I mentioned it was because the first year of the new body style tacoma's had trouble with the inner supports coming un bonded...

but yeah... figure if I can stand on my fuck'n tail gate it should be able to hold the rear tire of my bike...

Same with 00-04 chev pickups. had a recall on tailgate supports.

yeah... the tacoma's were fixed quick... the next year I don't think had that issue... just the 05's...

What about putting the bike in diagonally?

My friend was debating the 4x4's Tundra versus the Titan. He got the Titan and couldn't be happier. Plus he got $9K off sticker.

The only thing with that is the positioning of the tie-down cleats makes strapping the thing down a bit goofy... not unmanageable, but not idea either. I'd just rock the thing straight with the tailgate down... Looking into motorcycle chock... the factory option didn't exactly excite me... neither does drilling holes in my bed...

Working in the TV news biz I have discovered that manufacturers don't build tail gates as strong as they should. Or as strong as we need them to be, more accurately.

I wouldn't hesitate to sit the wheel of a bike on it. What I'm getting at is...covering daily news every day we are in and out of our vehicles several times a day, every day. We open and shut our tail gate (on SUV's) more times in a week than the average person does in a year I bet.

The result is a shitty faulty gate on just about every car we have at the station.

$600 beaver tail trailer from Tractor Supply Co or Home Depot FTW!

tailgate down no prob--only bike longer than mine is probably gmans chop....maybe. neverr had a tailgate problem, and it weighs more than any sportbike. i ususally tie a flag off the end of it, so whoevers behind u (u know, the same idiots who try to kill u when you're riding your bike) dont have brain fade and rearend your truck AND bike

i was thinkin of mountin that new pit bull deal on the the tailgate, cuz itd be totally out the way and wouldnt take up any space, then just snug some canyon dancers for the front just incase it fails

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...aintLeftLG.jpg

that's pretty pimp... wonder if it'll work for the front too...

I hadn't even thought about mounting one of those on the tailgate. They look damn nice though.

That is a good idea but...that set-up costs about as much as a used trailer... just saying...

You don't need it for the front. Once the rear is secure in it, that motherfucker isn't going anywhere!

But the ranger also has a short bed...
The gas mileage will be fine, because I will drive it:

1. To the track
2. In the snow
3. In the very hot or very cold

Otherwise I'll have a street bike to ride.
The tail gate down is bad because I will be going to the track with toolboxes, spare wheels and tires, gas cans, bike stands, gear, fuckin' everything... the tailgate will need to close.


You don't need to put the entire bike diagonally.

My buddy has a new GMC Sierra 1500 and the same bike as I do. He has a wheel chock mounted at the front of the bed, straps the front of the bike down, then just slides the rear tire to the side and the bed closes. That way he can fill the bed with all kinds of shit.