Unutterably Silly Quiz

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Pullleeeeeezzzzz......


I am honored to say that I equaled Ernst Jakob Henne's 1935 speed record, and in the very same location, (the A3 autobahn (Frankfurt-München route, Germany), while riding the same make motorcycle (BMW) while roadracing with a group of friends. We were actually flagged down by police and told to go slower despite the Autobahn's "No Speed Limit" permission at the time. It really is amazing that I've lived this long...


Stitchawl

I have this image in my head of your avatar on a bike taking a curve with your knee just an inch or two off pavement.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Daithi

I have this image in my head of your avatar on a bike taking a curve with your knee just an inch or two off pavement.

Not this boy... I'm no racer, which is why racing on the Autobahn was so much fun. Straight, smooth, and wide. No knee-dragging or peg burying. Just insanely high speed riding. Never gone that fast before or since, and never will! In fact, these days motorcycle manufacturers have gotten together and agreed to instal 'limiters' on almost all 'recreational' motorcycles. Although speedometers might show speeds as high as 180mph (290kph) on some 'go fast' bikes, they actually won't go higher than about 125-130mph (200kph) before the limiters kick in and disengage the drivetrain.

Pretty wise on their part.


Stitchawl

[Fbone]

No guesses?

[SneakySnake]

world's fastest Indian?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

world's fastest Indian?

Feather or turban?

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Fbone

No guesses?

200mph? Seeing as how Stitchawl hasn't actually told us how fast the 1935 record he equalled was...

I have been at 152 mph in a road car, on a British Motorway where the speed limit is 70 mph, but that's another story .

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by orlok

200mph? Seeing as how Stitchawl hasn't actually told us how fast the 1935 record he equalled was...

I have been at 152 mph in a road car, on a British Motorway where the speed limit is 70 mph, but that's another story .

Old Ernst set his record at 159.01 mph (256kph) The cop told us he clocked us a 160mph and that he was tempted to arrest us on the spot. But as we were a group of about 8 riders, he really couldn't file a specific complaint proving which of us was 'driving at an unsafe speed' nor prove that all of us were. In clear dry weather, there is no fixed speed limit on that section of Autobahn, just the directive to "drive within safe speeds for the road condition at the time." We were at the last day of a 14-day tour, riding fast on the high Alpine passes. We'd just come down from the Grossglockner Glacier with its dozens of hairpin curves, (36 of them!) jumped on the Autobahn and headed back to the hotel where the tour was to end. Well, it was clear, dry, almost ruler straight, and no other traffic... It seemed like a good idea at the time. Frankly, I didn't look at my own speedometer. I was too scared to move my eyes off the road...

In my defense, I can say with all honesty that I have only received one speeding ticket in my life, and that was when I was 20 years old driving 35 in a 25mph zone on a military base. I deserved it. I was speeding.

Stitchawl

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

In my defense, I can say with all honesty that I have only received one speeding ticket in my life, and that was when I was 20 years old driving 35 in a 25mph zone on a military base. I deserved it. I was speeding.

Stitchawl

When I was in the Army, I had a guy that worked for me that was transferring to another station. While he was driving from one place to another getting paperwork signed off, an MP pulled him over and gave him a ticket for going 3 miles per hour over the speed limit. He actually had to go before a military judge to get the ticket cleared before they would let him leave. The judge threw the ticket out.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Daithi

The judge threw the ticket out.

Good on the judge. Save us from petty tyrants!

[Fbone]

It seems a man has doubled Ernst's speed record.

On 25 September 2010, Rocky Robinson (USA) achieved an average speed of 605.697 km/h (376.363 mi/h) in his Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner [2 Suzuki engines] over a measured kilometre (0.6 miles) at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA.

[Fbone]

Here's a toughie.

What is the most dangerous tree in the world?
Where can it be found?
What famous explorer died from it?

[poohbear_nc]

I have no idea what it is, but it must be tropical or Aussie - where all the poisonous stuff is.

Explorer = Captain Cook?

[Stitchawl]

I know that it's in the Florida Everglades, but can't remember the name...
And because I'm certain of the Florida connection, for the explorer I'd guess Ponce de Leon, but that's just a guess.


Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I have no idea what it is, but it must be tropical or Aussie - where all the poisonous stuff is.

Explorer = Captain Cook?

England has its Yew tree that's pretty poisonous too, but you have to eat parts of that to get deaded... The one in Florida, if you even touch it, you are in deep doodoo... Columbia is a good pick for its Borachero tree... You make scopalomine from that! It grows in Thailand too, and natives use it to kill bothersome dogs...


Stitchawl

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I know that it's in the Florida Everglades, but can't remember the name...
And because I'm certain of the Florida connection, for the explorer I'd guess Ponce de Leon, but that's just a guess.


Stitchawl

Very good. It is the manchineel (Hippomane mancinella) of the Florida Everglades and the Caribbean coast. And poor Ponce de Leon was killed by an arrow poisoned by the sap from this tree. The tree is so deadly that standing under it in a rain shower will blister skin and cause blindness. The smoke from burning its wood is fatal. Some countries put a red "X" on its bark to warn people. It's apple-like fruit is poisonous also.