Monthly Archives: May 2011

I Find Your Lack of Torque Disturbing

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“Don’t try to frighten usssss with your Sorcerer’ssss waysss, Lord Vader.”

-Imperial Dude w/ Snake-Like Imperial Lisp

In times of great personal challenge and uncertainty, we often find ourselves asking ourselves, “What would Vader Do?” Yes, the Dark Lord of the Sith does seem to have a handle on things during times of crisis (in his universe, anyway). And today (while I wasn’t even in crisis mode) the question was answered before I had the chance to ask it, which is a special bit of kismet when it happens.

The answer was this here Caddy CTS-V Sport Wagon, and the (slightly altered) question was, “What Would Vader Drive?” Naturally, he’d go for this fine, insanely powerful Millennium Caddy, with its 6.2-liter Supercharged V8 that puts out 556 rebel-chasing horses and 551 lb.-ft. of planet-crushing torque. It’s much like the CTS-V sedan I mumbled about in an earlier post, and has all kinds of wicked goodness such as Brembo brakes, Caddy’s Magnetic Ride Control and a Bose sound system that is a fine medium for John Williams’ soundtracks. Oh, and best of all it’s black. Very black. They call the premium finish Black Diamond, which almost puts Mr. V’s lovely obsidian raiment to shame. Almost.

But while I’m on the subject, can you actually shame a Dark Lord, anyway? Nah. But you can say, “Kudos, Sith Master,” for this crate puts the hyper in hyperdrive. It’s every bit as fun as the sedan, yet you can haul far more light sabers, nuclear nunchuks and even an extra helmet or two. It’s almost enough to go over to the Side that is Dark. Almost.

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Air Pressure. It Amuses Me

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I often get way too delighted by what some folks would consider mundane things, but hey, mundane is in the eye of the beholder. Regard the Roadgear Programmable Digital Tire Gauge, which is especially designed for motorcycle use (I will allow you to use it on other things, though. If you must). Behold its cool backlit screen, that makes a pressure reading easy to see even if you require +2 diopter reading glasses at close range (not me, of course. I have the near vision of an Aussie Cattle Dog. Oh, crap).

Where was I? I can’t see what I wrote. Oh yes: The greatest. Tire gauge. Evah.

Feel its solid construction. Marvel at its “Double Bridge” processor, that helps the gauge adjust for changes in humidity, temperature and altitude to maintain a claimed accuracy of plus or minus 1%. The programmable part is simple: you put in the desired pressure for each tire separately, and you can recall these values when you check the air and they will be displayed below the measured value to tell you where you are, pneumatically speaking. The head swivels and is mounted at a 90-degree angle so you can access hard-to-find valves, and, coolest of all, an LED flashlight is incorporated into the body to help locate said valve in the dark (and/or the whole motorcycle if you’ve tossed it into the shrubbery).

Now, I’m not saying you have to buy a motorcycle if you don’t have one in order to use this gauge, although you probably should. But it works well with any tire (or tyre) you might come across, and measures up to 99.5 PSI. The battery is replaceable, and the ergonomics of this handsome device are exceptional. Roadgear.com will sell you one for $32.90, and they sell a boatload of other great stuff too, especially catered to the touring motorcyclist. Check ‘em out, bro.