Driving The Elio?

[Smitty901]

Well my HD Road Glide Ultra weights about 1000 pounds and it handles like a dream, and yes I ride it in a lot of bad weather.
Just rode here in a 40 degree rain storm

 

[wheaters]

I agree, too many drivers pace the car next to them and have no clue they are disturbing the flow of traffic. Of course many drivers today have no clue at all either.

I totally agree, it's dangerous to drive "in formation" alongside another vehicle, even on a multi lane highway or motorway. If you do so, and an incident occurs, you have no escape by steering and can only brake.

I often suffer fools who do this so they can grin and wave or take photos of my little car. I usually brake and lose them that way if the road is clear behind me and it's safe to do so.

 

[nthawk68]

Have you never driven your left hand drive vehicle in a country where they normally drive on the left side of the carriageway, or a right hand drive vehicle in a country where they drive on the right?

It's not a problem and that's a more extreme case. Either way, if you are so close that you can't see around the vehicle in front to safely pull out to overtake, then you are simply driving too close for safety.

The Elio has a central driving position (smaller offset for the driver than either of the above) so you can drive it as easily on either side of the carriageway.

Wheaters,

I was stationed at RAF Alconbury for 3 years and had a British Ford Cortina and a US VW Passat and did not have a problem with passing or situation awareness. My problem was making sure I was in the L/H side of the road when I drove the american car... You Brits drive on the unRight side of the road because we drive on the Right side of the road...

 

[Joshua Caldwell]

I totally agree, it's dangerous to drive "in formation" alongside another vehicle, even on a multi lane highway or motorway. If you do so, and an incident occurs, you have no escape by steering and can only brake.

I often suffer fools who do this so they can grin and wave or take photos of my little car. I usually brake and lose them that way if the road is clear behind me and it's safe to do so.

like the bikers yesterday. Coming home the other day a pickup truck was flanked by bikes on either side (shoulder and center line) and I came around the curve and freaked. The centerline guy missed me by less than a foot.

 

[champsman]

It's an automatic why wouldn't it downshift automatically (kickdown) when passing for that extra boost of power?

This is not your standard automatic from the big three auto makers. This is a AMT style (automated manual transmission) therefore it will drive very similar to an automatic, or you can select the gears manually. IMO you get the best of both worlds.

 

[champsman]

When the warranty is over you can stuff a whole Honda engine and trans in there. 200hp oughta get the elio moving!

might try useing a Goldwing motor, 6 cyl, direct injection, and higher redline, more compact size

 

[wheaters]

Wheaters,

I was stationed at RAF Alconbury for 3 years and had a British Ford Cortina and a US VW Passat and did not have a problem with passing or situation awareness. My problem was making sure I was in the L/H side of the road when I drove the american car... You Brits drive on the unRight side of the road because we drive on the Right side of the road...

To be honest, having been based in Germany and driven extensively in Europe then and since, I dont really care which side of the road people drive on, as long as everyone agrees!

In Germany we had a right hand drive automatic Hillman and a left hand drive manual/stick shift VW Beetle and managed to drive both without too much drama. When I first drove the Beetle, sitting on the left, a few times I reached out with my left hand to change gear and found only a window winder.....soon got over that!

The most dangerous time regarding which side of the road to be on was back in UK visiting family, when emerging from a filling station on a deserted road. I had no visual clues of seeing other traffic, and I suppose, having mentally "switched off" because I was back in my home country, I briefly pulled out onto the incorrect side...soon corrected before meeting any other vehicles.

This summer we took my little car to Spain and across the Pyrenees into France, 2000 miles on the "wrong" side of the road. I think driving a RH drive car on the right actually made it easier on the very narrow hairpin bends on the mountain passes. So did the "outrigger" front suspension - being able to see exactly where the front wheel is means you can place it exactly where it needs to be, without clipping the verge.

 

[wheaters]

Nthawk68, is your username from being the owner of a Honda Nighthawk?

If so, I could be Nthawk91...I have a very low mileage 1991 750 Nighthawk under wraps in my garage!

 

[nthawk68]

I actually had a nighthawk 650 for about 5 years, but I took the term nthawk from the earlier version of the HH60 helicopter called the nighthawk, it morphed into a pavehawk when it got the enhanced navigation suite. I agree with you, I enjoyed driving the L/ H drive in England as I knew where my tires were on some of those narrow roads.

 

[wheaters]

I actually had a nighthawk 650 for about 5 years, but I took the term nthawk from the earlier version of the HH60 helicopter called the nighthawk, it morphed into a pavehawk when it got the enhanced navigation suite. I agree with you, I enjoyed driving the L/ H drive in England as I knew where my tires were on some of those narrow roads.

I see now, thanks! I flew over 325 hours on the S-70 Blackhawk (Hong Kong Government) and about six hours on the PaveHawk, plus another five or six on the PaveLow (Albuquerque, exchange visit, early 1990s. The three S-70s we flew in HK are now back in the USA, firefighting work, I believe. I bought my CB750 Nighthawk in HK