Johnny,
The prettiest motorcycle I ever saw was a late 1940s Sunbeam, in a showroom
in Hollywood, California.
Second best was a friend's Ariel Square Four, which sounded like an
automobile when started.    Another beauty was the Triumph Speedtwin.
The only Triumph I ever rode on almost killed me, since I got the hang of it
while riding slowly in a parking lot, and when I was going to take it out
onto the street, ran into a stranded steel cable which was ...neck high.
Fortunately, I was only going two miles an hour, so it dragged me off the
seat and the back fender, but had I been going just a tad faster, I'd have
either broken my neck or .......been decapitated.
Fifty plus years later it still gives me the shivers how close I came to a
quick demise.

I would have guessed that the way gas prices are heading, US 4x4s and SUV
sales would have dropped about 90%, but somehow they keep selling.
I do understand that there are some absolute needs (supposedly anyway, like
carrying plywood twice a year), but only a 10-20% decrease? Is it just me or
am I missing a weekly drop of 10-20%/week on light truck sales over the last
several weeks? Soon, they will be worth more in scrap metal than in trade in
value.

In Taipei I didn't see any Suburban size or 1/2 ton 4x4s and somehow they
get by, and no they are not midgets. But you ought to see and hear 3-400 2
stroke
scooters all take off from a red light at the same time in the deep metro
areas(think smoky bar bee hive). I did see a dad with 2 kids(backpacks) and
a dog, and brief case
all heading out together in the morning on a 150cc size scooter. I don't
thing we're ready for that yet in the US, especially in January in the
midwest. But who know, if prices get as
high as they are in the UK, you may see a lot of changes in trasportation
lifestyle. It's coming, just don't know when. My 75 year old dad just bought
a bike for the first time in 35 years and is riding it to the store, that's
a shift.