John, I don't think so. While I harp on about 2-strokes, there's not that many. The trouble is that the boy racers go for them, alter the exhaust, make a thing that screams and you need only 1% to make things miserably loud. I suspect that fuel prices have chased inefficient vehicles off the road.

John, we share that character. It's a good character because it helps to smell out rats. And there's a lot of rats out there. Ian

I'm supposing that bolt on cranks require more precision machining which wasn't really applied to bicycles in the 60s. We had no access to anything as flash as new cotter pins so I remember trying to reshape them on the anvil. Mind you I was riding a bike that had already been discarded by my sister, then two elder brothers so it was getting a bit worn !

I'm forever "peering over the fence" to see how they do what they do. Immensely interesting to me !

That is interesting. I wonder if the particulate emissions are being replaced by two stroke scooters ?

Thanks John, it hasn't been the easiest month of my life. But I'll get home and someone will say " how was your holiday"?

I agree, but they remind me of my first bike. Why did it take so long to get cranks that are bolted on? I guess you need a puller to get them off but how often do you need to remove them? It seemed as though cotter pins required constant attention.

John, I find it rather attractive. Working my way up the mountain and watching the crops change as I gained altitude was great - something you see on a bicycle. Of course, I'm boring enough that these things interest me.

John, one thing I've noticed in Indonesia is that there are few dirty diesels. This is a big change in SE Asia. Even so............

A good idea of the gradient that you tackled on the other side !

Breathe it in ! Yes, as the kids would say "We're cooked"

That's some intensive agriculture ! Broardacre farming may be efficient as far as labour goes but it comes at such an enormous cost. I'm thinking about capital, lack of employment, support of multinationals, diversity and even productivity of land and water.

Boom, boom ! I immediately thought of the Marshall Plan but I suppose that defunct.

Perhaps the rats start to jump off before you hit something

A camouflage school dropout ?