The ’22 Tundra, Re-Examined

It has taken 15 years to build a new Tundra. It’s taken almost that long for me to post something new on this site. Coincidence?

The recent history of full-size pickup trucks in the United States, the home of (apparently) more people that have to move belongings around and haul things than any other nation on earth, has been an interesting one. When I was a kid, well before these things became the best-selling vehicles on the American Road, I loved the big metal clydesdales. I was particularly interested in the one that resided at my home in Texas, which was a type of which most of the 20 to 30-something owners of trucks these days have never set eyes on, heard of, or seen in person. The object of my young obsession was, stand back, a 1972 International Harvester 1310-Eight Camper Special. Standard cab, 8-foot bed, 392 cubic-inch V8, 5,000 lb. payload capacity, full-floating rear axle, leaf springs at all four corners (including two-stage monsters on the rear that could be used on a dump truck) and a frame you could use as the basis for a bomb shelter. It had huge interstate struck-style mirrors, and this One-Ton wonder was designed primarily to haul an enormous slide-in camper, which it did quite well. Those things were quite popular in the day, and as a result I developed an appreciation for light trucks that could do heavy chores. I loved the things, way before they took over the highways from sea-to-shining.

Cut to 2004. We had a small horse herd and an older, heavy two-horse trailer it was decided the wife needed to step up from a ’97 midsized SUV to a 1/2 ton pickup for towing and general hauling duties. We got a slightly used ’04 Toyota Tundra, which turned out to be an excellent truck. Being in the Northeast, 7 or 8 years later we had the frame replaced due to rust issues (they dump so much salt and “melting agents” on the roads around here it takes years off of vehicles, regardless of the manufacturer). The replacement of the frame was covered under a Toyota warranty arrangement (and took our dealership a mere 5 days to achieve). But not too long after, we got a bigger horse trailer and as I had reviewed a couple of 2nd generation Tundras and preferred them to the competition we traded in our our ‘04 for a brand spankin’ 2014. If anything, it’s turned out to be more of a workhorse than the truck it replaced and a seriously solid farm truck with a glorious 5.7 Liter V8 that has been stellar in reliability and hauling muscle. It also has a decent ride, and other than some over-boosted power steering has been as good if not better overall that the trucks I’ve reviewed from all the other guys over the years. I think this is because it was designed by truck engineers that weren’t so focused on making it a platform for the latest tech, and from the frame up was a platform unique to the brand’s other offerings. Granted, over time the Sequoia used the basic frame and both it and the Land Cruiser adopted the 5.7-Liter V8, but the Tundra backbone certainly looks like it came first, and the basic engineering (with this, at least) was for the truck before the other projects.

Or so I believed. But after bringing this up with Toyota, they stated that the ’07-on chassis was more of a world design sort of thing than rubes like me thought, and even told me the American team actually had more influence on the ’22 Tundra’s frame than the earlier model. “We actually had more design input into this new global architecture, and it allowed us to marry the best of Land Cruiser and Tundra into a global truck platform,” explains Jay Sackett, Executive Program Manager for Tundra. So why so much focus on the frame in my history of the new truck? Well, in this case it’s not just a critical part of the vehicle and its ability to haul and tow stuff without getting (literally) bent out of shape. The new Tundra backbone is at the center of the story of the Tundra’s complete metamorphosis, and makes it probably the only full-size pickup that’s largely based on a world-conquering SUV. An aside: the Tundra’s Super Bowl ad this year prominently features the heritage of the truck, including the Land Cruiser in a definite nod to the legendary ute. So what we have here is an intriguing story based on a few months of careful research, and (of course) a week with the truck on my own turf. Some of my theory may even be true. I also got some very enlightening answers from the Tundra engineering team, which considering their manic schedules these days was much appreciated. As you will see, they did their work under some very challenging conditions including dealing with COVID, and what I consider to be a very tight timeline for such a big project. And the finished product is a very unique bird as a result, and quite a bold (yet not free from tradition) expression of where we are in the evolution of the trusty old pickup.

So the story goes like this: roughly 2 years before the launch of the 2022 Tundra, a substantial team of engineers was assembled in Japan (cue Avengers music here), with a very critical mission: design the new World platform for the new Land Cruiser, Tundra and Sequoia as well as for other (officially undisclosed) trucks and SUVs. The key here is these are all actually very different vehicles, for a Land Cruiser and a full-size pickup have very different missions in life and the new frame would logically have to be primarily designed for one, and then modified to handle the other. I want to stress this means the “hero” vehicle may get the most initial attention, but it doesn’t require the secondary vehicle to be a compromise in the least. The last time I checked, Tundra is sold only in North America, is built at only one plant, meaning there are only so many units that can be built in this one facility. The Land Cruiser and its variants are sold all over the world, and while I don’t know Toyota’s production capacity for this one when you add the other derivations that will use this basic global frame architecture you realize the Tundra is more of a specialized piece, being a full-size pickup solely for the North American market. Therefore, the fact that the new Tundra has a fully boxed frame unlike the boxed, double-channel and open channel Triple Tech masterpiece from before, and you can see that the influence of the new Land Cruiser chassis is obvious and logical, from a production point of view.

To further my theory, we have a new coil spring rear suspension that also looks taken almost directly from the Cruiser. By now, you’ve no doubt seen Toyota’s excitement over the new rear end and heard why it’s better than the old leaf spring setup of the past. But the stiffer frame means the suspension has to be softer and more flexible to maintain a decent ride, and while there are some real benefits to the coil (or optional air) springs I want you to ponder this: the new suspension is a whole order of magnitude more complex than the simple old setup from before. There’s nothing that should cause any real reliability issues as it’s still a simple, time-tested way of suspending a straight or “live” axle, but the old housing was located just with the leaf springs while the new axle has five different links and an anti-sway bar, and this makes for more complex assembly and probably more overall weight. In return you get more tracking precision and likely more suspension travel. And ride quality? Toyota doesn’t agree with my assessment, but then again, I don’t think the RAM coil rear suspension is any better than the leaf springs it replaced, either. I’m talking real world, day-to-day rough and smooth road activity as opposed to test course stuff. As for the Tundra, I drove our ’14, with its stock TRD Off-Road suspension back-to-back with a ’22 Tundra Limited with its TRD Off-Road suspension package over some very diverse roads, and actually thought the old leaf spring/less rigid rear frame on our truck road better over several surfaces. Handling is a different story, for the newbie is much tighter, more responsive and sharper, and while the new frame and suspension helps I think the biggest change is the new electronic power steering. It’s quite good.

My thinking is that when it comes to a 1/2 Ton pickup, a vehicle that routinely goes (when actually used to haul things) from no load to up to a ton when fully burdened, it’s really hard to beat the old leaf spring when constructed of the latest steels and composites, to delivering the best load stability and overall ride quality. SUVs like the Land Cruiser don’t carry loads the way a full-size pickup does, and the fact that a pickup’s bed can flex away from the rest of the body is a real advantage on rough roads with heavy loads. There’s also the simplicity, with far fewer components to repair and replace if you drive over an unseen crater while hauling a gross of cannon balls to the armory. The traditional rear end is a tough one, which is why it’s been largely unchanged over time. Oh, and I should note the old Chevy C-10 of the 60s and early 70s had rear coils, with massive beam-type locating arms. How did that work out?

Of course, back then people bought trucks primarily to haul cargo and work, not as a second car the way they do these days. GM learned the rear coils didn’t suit the job description as well as leafs, I guess. Obviously pickups are more urbanized this century, and therefore have suspensions optimized for the life they now lead. This means that the standards for smooth pavement ride quality are higher, and the off-road requirements are for a more comfortable ride than in the past as well. Unlike most vehicles, pickups have to do this under widely varied load conditions because you could be hauling nothing in the bed or a load of barbells. A big load played havoc with the rear coils of old, especially when the trucks had a lot of miles on them and the shocks were overtaxed. Time will tell how this new rear setup does compared to the old leafs, but all I know is the ride on the new Tundra, while well-controlled, seems a bit busier over roads that get a fair amount of snowplow traffic in the winter. By “busy” I mean more high frequency vibes as if the tightness of the rear end frame/coil setup is passing more road character to the cab. I actually watched a YouTube program from Canada where the lads did some towing with the Tundra and a Silverado, and they basically said the same thing when it came to similar roads. It’s important to note none of the suspension components were really broken in on the test truck I had with only 600 miles on the clock, so it’s reasonable to assume things may improve over time. It’s not punishing by any means; just more active than the older truck which seemed to absorb more irregularities.

But in terms of the rest of the driving dynamics, steering feel with the new electric boost is much more responsive with much better feedback than before, and overall the truck corners really well for such a big ol’ thing. Since I’m obsessed by the frame behind all these changes, I should note it’s a fascinating construction, and I’ll let Jay Sackett, Executive Program Manager for Tundra, explain: “The new frame is built with new technology that allows us to do different things,” he said, in response to my question of how they ward off rust with the new backbone. “The previous frame relied on a layer-on-layer design to create additional stiffness in areas, but our new Dejima welding technology allows for the marrying of different thickness in metal in a way that allows us to be more efficient-improve strength in areas where needed and reduce weight where it’s not. The technology also creates cleaner welds. Ultimately, we can achieve better stiffness out of the frame and have improved drainage.” You can see that such technology will benefit any vehicle that’s built on it, in addition to helping with long term durability.

Next, we get to the engine bay. There are two interesting things here, and I’m not referring to the twin turbochargers (compelling though they are). As you know, the V8 has been replaced by a 3.5 Liter V6 (that’s really closer to 3.4, for some odd reason) with a brace of very finely tuned turbochargers, or Tubbos as I called them when I still lived in Texas many, many years ago. Now, if we go back to the original Tundra’s V8 offering it was a 4.7-Liter unit that was sourced (or at least closely based on) a Lexus V8 of the same displacement. Low and behold, the 3rd generation Tundra’s new engine is based on the 3.5 Liter Twin-Turbo Lexus engine found in the likes of the LS 500. There are some differences, yes, but the basics are the same right down to bore and stroke. The 2007 Tundra initially had the Lexus-derived engine, but Toyota also built the superb 5.7 Liter V8 that was from the ground up a proprietary truck engine. It has been a real jewel in every aspect except for gas mileage (although to be honest it was in the ballpark of every competitor with similar output). So the new ’22 engine has more power (389 Horsepower, 479 lb.-ft. of torque), better fuel economy and drives beautifully, assisted by a new 10-Speed Automatic transmission. But is Toyota going to follow past practice and at some point build a proprietary engine primarily for the Tundra; a mill not based on any other current Toyota offering? “The global platform was designed with a certain level of future proofing and what potential powertrains could be employed in this truck,” explains Sackett, “which as Mike Sweers (executive chief engineer for the Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, Tacoma and 4Runner vehicle programs) has addressed a few times is capable of accepting different powertrains. Ultimately, this is something under constant study.”

So with the constant advancement of powertrain technology, including the Hybrid version of the V6 which will appear at dealers any time now, it’s logical to think this new Tundra will serve as the basis for Toyota’s full size pickup/SUV/mystery vehicle for several years to come, and will be able to accommodate a variety propulsion units. The current V6’s developmental history has a bit of intrigue to it, above and beyond the Lexus connection. This story is a doozy, because both concerns involved refuse to talk about it, at least with me. Interested?

Back around 2010-2011, Toyota and Ford decided to share resources and co-develop a Hybrid engine for light trucks. A few years later they called it off and went their separate ways, with the only public statement basically saying they decided to go in different directions. As mentioned, neither Ford or Toyota will address this issue when asked about it, as if they are taking a page from politics. But low and behold, Ford showed up in 2021 with a Hybrid engine in the F 150, a 3.5 Liter Twin-Turbocharged V6 with a series-mounted 47 horsepower electric motor and a 10-Speed Automatic transmission. In 2022, Toyota is releasing a Hybrid engine; a 3.5-Liter Twin Turbo V6 with a series-mounted 48 horsepower electric motor and a 10-Speed Automatic transmission. Amazing, yes? Horsepower and torque numbers are very close as well. It’s important to note that the V6 engines aren’t identical at all, as the Toyota is a longer-stroke mill that makes its torque lower in the rev range and there’s all kinds of detail differences that contrast how the two companies do things. The Ford uses a Lithium-Ion battery pack mounted underneath the bed, the Tundra has a Nickel-Metal-Hydride residing under the rear seat. Both trucks are Crew Cabs, and this doesn’t surprise me as all as the truck manufacturers have convinced the consumers that they need a full four door beast even though people are having smaller families, and the bigger cab reduces cargo and towing capacity and hauling room while weighing and costing more. But these same car companies have, after decades of effort, sold the notion that a pickup is not a work vehicle as much as a beefy second car for folks with an “active lifestyle.” But this is a story for another time.

Anyway, the Ford and Toyota are practically twins in the Hybrid drivetrain department, but from there they are quite different. The Tundra has borrowed from their midsize Tacoma pickup and created a composite cargo bed that is light, rustproof, quite durable, needs no bed liner (although you can get a traction-helping coating as it gets slippery when wet). It’s also an inch or so shallower, but I don’t think most folks will notice. There’s extensive use of aluminum in the body (common practice these days), and our Limited TRD Off-Road tester has Toyota’s new skid plates covering the engine and fuel tank that, they tell me, are made of ballistic nylon. I have always associated this material with fabrics used for apparel and luggage, but this is a hard plastic affair and there’s no reason it’s shouldn’t be strong enough to offer decent protection. It’s also lighter than steel or even aluminum, and will never rust or corrode. Miles of use and the odd boulder bashing will tell how these things work, but it’s pretty ambitious.

As mentioned the steering is completely overhauled, and is now boosted via electric motor as opposed to straight hydraulics. This enables lane tracing and other wonders, if you like that kind of thing. It also lets the towing software back your trailer up, for the black boxes can steer the car without your pesky hu-man interference. One of the reasons the new Tundra (like all new cars and pickups) is rather costly is the heavy load of electronic aides, and in the case of the TRD off-Road package you get some excellent 4X4 supplements including very sophisticated traction aides, Crawl Control and a locking rear differential. Then there’s Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 which includes a Pre-Collision System w/Pedestrian Detection, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert w/Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Automatic High Beams and Road Sign Assist. Wait, then theres the Star Safety System with includes Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-lock Brake System, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Brake Assist and Smart Stop Technology®. Got that? All this techie porn adds to the price of the vehicle, but in return you get much more vehicle.

And while I’m on the subject of magic boxes, inside Toyota has decided to create their on in-house interface system with their new phone/voice/touchscreen integration creation, and this works part and parcel with the optional new 14” touchscreen (the standard 8” also uses the new interface). It’s an ambitious new system, especially when it comes to voice interaction at a high level. The thing is, the more controls become touch and voice based the more the simple controls of the past disappear. This would be fine if the new tech was always an improvement, but (in my opinion, which is INCREDIBLY VALUABLE) it often isn’t a good way to go in the car control environment. When you introduce touch screen interaction, or even speech commands, it requires your attention to be focused away from the road even though you might initially think otherwise. Clearly, this is a diatribe for another day but even if the Tundra’s new system is the best there is, I found it counterintuitive and no real advancement, except for the excellent back-up/360 degree cameras on our Limited. Voice interaction is good, but it still takes longer to cue the system, let it bounce off the cloud when required and respond, compared to using a convenient, tactile switch or knob.

These are of course complaints that can be made about all the competition, and many will no doubt not find these as bugs but features. A lot of this is generational, and some who have grown up with touchscreens will be fascinated to learn there was a time when you weren’t expected to tie your phone into your car or plug your watch into a charger every couple of days. Naturally, the Tundra’s Lane Tracing magic is pretty much identical to their other vehicles, and I’d really like them (along with all the OEMs) get adaptive cruise control right before they start letting the car steer itself. These systems still makes mistakes, especially on curves and often hit the brakes far later and harder to a driver who’s paying attention. Why do I hammer on the Tundra for all this stuff, when it’s a common ailment? It’s because this is Toyota’s freshest platform, newest technology and will likely be around for at least ten years. For me, these are foibles in an otherwise excellent new truck because the hard parts are excellent and with some tweakage they’ll really get this beast dialed in. Adjustments need to made, such as addressing a hood that doesn’t open high enough. How weird is that? They need to do something about the bumpers, too, for you need to be able to get into the truck bed at times with the tailgate down, and the rear bumper (no doubt designed for aerodynamics first) has no purchase for your foot on the ends. It doesn’t look like a rear aftermarket bumper would be a simple thing, and no idea what trying to put a winch or a solid front bumper with guards (ranchers often use such things to open swing gates with the truck’s front end) would entail, either. Again, the truck looks aimed squarely at the suburbanite, because that’s what the sales figures and focus groups must tell them to do.

While I’m opining about things that should be addressed, one other thing is, as of now, the Hybrid version will only be available in a CrewMax version. I think a Doublecab would benefit from this engine option too, but Toyota told me, “We wanted to focus the Hybrid on the volume vehicle, of which the CrewMax is far and away the leading choice. Ultimately it comes down to offering our premium powertrain on our premium vehicles.” Interesting, no? I stand by my previous statement about Crew Cabs. The public is enamored to the Crew because most buyers really don’t need a truck to begin with, and it’s the flavor of the day much like the station wagon, then minivan, then SUV was over the last several decades. These vehicles, if you follow the curve, have higher profit margins than what they replaced. So, why doesn’t Toyota build more plants to build more Tundras? Well, ponder that they are very savvy at this car stuff, and always have their eyes down the road to have the products they think will be in demand the most in the future. They always have a competitive offering no matter what the class, and this has included the Tundra. As all the other guys are dumping passenger cars all together, it’s telling that Toyota is still churning out cars and when trucks fall out of favor due to their fuel economy, cost, bulk, lack of practical electric versions, etc. they will be right there with products ready to go while the other guys scramble to retool. They’re build as many Tundras as they feel they need to sell. If they decide need more, they’ll find a way to do it.

But as for the new Tundra itself, the new one has excellent specs for both urban truck dandies (like their ad where a stylish owner takes his truck to get cappuccino and impress his friends) and actual working pickups. Will it be as trouble free as its progenitor? Any reliability issues that could conceivably crop up with the new drivetrain(s) will likely be sorted and fixed; Toyota is really, really good at finding problems and correcting them quickly. I boldly predict they’ll even put some tow hooks on the 4WD models, as apparently it has put YouTubers into a conniption and the truck-as-an-apocalyptic-war-wagon set (who never will use their hooks) has demanded them be prominently displayed; red if possible. Toyota’s done what they had to do to satisfy the needs of global production unification as well as the bell-and-whistle nature of the current car market. Funny thing: I’ve heard, when I’ve been unfortunate enough to listen to questionable auto voices, these sages say, “Toyota needed to improve the Tundra to compete with Ford, GM and Ram.” The fact is, the Tundra has always done well, and they’ve sold ever one they’ve built. As mentioned above, they would have to build a couple of more plants to have a high enough volume to “compete” with Ford sales, and they clearly don’t see the need to at this time. The new version is loaded with all the techie goods that the previous was lacking, but time will tell what this does to the overall reliability or durability, especially the Twin-Turbo V6. In the past, turbocharged gas engines haven’t been known for their longevity, but Toyota knows this and if they stick to tradition this mill should be overbuilt, overcooled and designed for the long haul. Does this all add up to a better pickup; one that beats the other guys? Again, long term durability results for those that actually work these vehicles will be the ultimate answer. Until then, the “I wanna drive around in truck that’s tough, like me” set will find much to like about the new Tundra. It does handle well for a truck, goes about its business without complaint and is quiet and a pleasure to drive. That may well be what matters most.

Doesn’t Editor’s not sound official? Yeah, I thought so too. Anyway, as the sole operator of this mess I have been away for quite some time. I think there wasn’t a drone in the sky when I left. I am returning, quite soon. More shenanigans on the wheeled front. Stay tuned-

So, that was certainly an Alternate August, and now it is an Exceptional Early September. The Great Storm of ’11 (I say that in a way that pays homage to a certain episode of Vicar of Dibley that I hope some of you might recognize) did an amazing amount of disruption to the state of Connecticut and more (and less) in other parts of the East Coast. It could have been so much worse, but what this storm did more than anything else was show how incredibly fragile our wired (and wireless) infrastructure is, as this state in particular lost power in a very substantial fashion.

At our house, we were spared any damage to the structure itself but a mighty limb from a mighty oak from our mighty nice next-door neighbors came a crashing down in the driveway, and felled our power line (already dead, fortunately) our cable/internet line and our phone line. The phone line never quit, though. I found this amusing, for as recently as a few months ago static would render it unusable whenever it rained until a really sharp AT&T lineman finally figured out the problem and fixed it. As my beloved needed to get down said driveway to check on the horses which are six miles from here, I braved Irene’s reduced wrath as she was winding down and armed with my Farm Boss savagely severed the key limbs that blocked our way so we had a clear drive.

She got out fine, but then the real obstacle course around our town revealed itself. There were some series Ents blocking roads all over the place, and what was really bizarre to me about a lot of the results of this storm was the almost tornadic (is that I word? It is now) nature of the damage. In this case I’m referring to the contrast between trees left unscathed and trees left seriously scathed. To the best of my knowledge Irene (which was a Tropical Storm by the time it reached us) spawned no tornados or even much lighting around us, but there were certainly some microbursts of wind that took out some pretty serious vegetation. A lot of the new “tree wires” the power company installed recently to help prevent power outages or at least reduce repair time did a pretty impressive job of keeping the trees from hitting the ground and probably did prevent even worse damage, but probably not by that much due to the sheer scope of the storm.

So, let’s talk repair timelines. The storm hit late Saturday into Sunday, and we lost power (according to our standby generator’s log, which incidentally never missed a beat in nearly five days of non-stop service) at 9:17 AM Sunday the 28th. As our land phone line still worked fine (unlike our cell service, which died completely sometime Sunday as towers lost power), I was able to contact various concerns about outages and our need for repair. The power company had no estimate at all for restoration, which is completely understandable at this early stage of the crisis. The cable/internet company was really nice on the phone and said we’d have service by September 6th at the latest. Their tech showed up on Monday the 29th to access damage, and I was initially hopeful we’d have internet back sooner than later. This did not turn out to be the case, as I shall address later. I didn’t even call the phone company until Saturday, September 3rd, to tell them we needed them to rehang the fallen portion of still-functioning phone line. Despite me telling them there was certainly no rush as it was out of harm’s way, they showed up in a couple of hours and did the deed. Oh, and another aside: we started this event with only about 57% propane capacity for our generator, and once it was clear to me we might be without power for days I contacted to the propane company to arrange a refill. This meant stopping by their facility which is 10 minutes from here on Tuesday the 30th, and I was surprised to learn even though they have several massive submarine-sized tanks of propane they have no backup generator, meaning their computers were down in addition to facing unprecedented demand for their fuel. But a nice lady working there took down my information using the tried-and-true pad and pencil method, and assured me they’d be by to fill me up on Wednesday. They didn’t show up until Thursday, September 1, and didn’t even call to tell me they’d be late, but our generator refused to run out before then (word to the wise: you can dramatically stretch your propane if you turn off everything you don’t absolutely need to power yet keep your refrigerator, well pump, fans when it’s sweltering, etc. properly juiced. I know: Duh). When the gas truck did arrive about 11 AM the driver was clearly pretty tired, and told me he’s never seen anything like this week’s mess in his 40 years in the business. I certainly believe him. What I couldn’t believe was the chaos a bit earlier in the week when some gas stations couldn’t pump since they had no power and the ones that did started running out of gas. There were lines everywhere, which is always a weird sight, I figure traffic lights had battery backups, but they finally failed, too, and a lot of people had problems figuring out what to do. Scary, actually. Having an Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 urban-sport motorcycle proved great at getting around fallen trees, as well as frugal w/precious gasoline (although our Prius was even less thirsty. Think of that: the fact that it uses electricity to help propel it became key when there was not electricity to pump gas. Ironic).

The Big Restore really got cranking on Thursday, and as our own Connecticut Light and Power crews (as well as those from United Illuminating that provides power in certain parts of the state) were understandably swamped there were utility crews from all over the country coming to our aid. Our lines were restored by some wonderful men and women from Michigan, and it’s a really interesting outfit as they go all over when there’s a crisis and help put the grid back together. As every utility company has its own particular way of doing things, think of how much experience comes into play when you arrive from far away to fix a local system. They did a great job at repairing our fallen power line, and I have a lot of admiration for these people. Rescued our electrons, they did. Power was restored (and the Generac got a much-earned rest) at 7:26 PM on September 1st, and there was much rejoicing.

Friday night at about 9PM or so a truck from the cable company arrived, and re-hung the cable/internet line. As of now, though (Sunday the 4th at 2PM), we still have no service. Bummer. Once again, as it has throughout this crisis, a local Bagel cafe has served me well as they have satisfyingly quick free wi-fi. The smartness of my phone (once the cell service was re-powered mid-week) has also been a major help with keeping the email, texting, surfing, etc. So all in all, we got through this storm with only a bit of inconvenience, unlike countless thousands of others who really got slammed by this bitchy witch called Irene. Hopefully some good will come of this, and steps will be taken to fortify the grid better in the future. I should point out that despite perfect weather starting Monday morning there’s still folks without power here, and God help all those people in parts of New York state, Vermont and elsewhere who are dealing with the flooding we were spared from here, on top of everything else the storm dished out. We take so much for granted while the weather is mild, no?

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.

I vote. Always have. That said, I feel like it is often a futile enterprise, getting more futile every year. Ignorance in the USA is getting worse as people become more and more selfish and shallow, which incidentally is exactly what the people making money off of some pretty morally bankrupt pursuits want. But this is another rant for another day, or perhaps not at all.
No, this is about how I love the fact I live in a small Connecticut town. And in this small town on November 2nd, we voted for a number of candidates but the most interesting race to me was for retiring Senator Chris Dodd’s old seat. On the Left, we have long-time Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and on the Right, the World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon. For those of you from out of state, I am not making this up. Linda McMahon actually won the Republican primary, even though her qualifications are exclusively running the steroid-pumped “entertainment” empire created by her husband, Vince. She pumped millions of wrestling dollars into her own campaign and a substantial number of people actually voted for her, primarily because she puppets the usual conservative talking points of cutting taxes, stop big government, etc. See “Ignorance in the USA” above.
When life becomes more and more like the film Robocop it is a cause for concern. But these were the candidates, and my charming little town did a very fine job of conducting an election. Regard, if you will, the dramatic pink semicircle of paint on the parking lot surface behind my Jolie-ridden Triumph and Phil Read replica helmet, defining where no campaign rabble may cross. Our folks don’t fool about. Cross that line with your campaign rhetoric, and you get hurt. Personally, I think Invisible Fence collars should be required on all political operatives who stray onto the Town Hall Grounds. A jolt of electrons will keep them at bay, should they violate the purified voting space.
Anyway,
Once inside the Town Hall, I pondered if there could be any wrestlers about, citizens of my small town in fact, who may be doing their civic duty. Then, I got nervous. What if there were in fact TWO wrestlers in my town; one supporting Linda as the WWE Empire payed his rent and one on the side of Richard, on account of, well, let’s just say a lot of his wrestling friends died young due to steroids and the McMahons are in a very dark cloud when it comes to this subject.
An impromptu WWE-style fight could well result if both of these large warriors were at the polling place at the same time (‘cause it’s what they do for a living, after all), and then what? Well, if we still had the beautiful old mechanical voting machines, I could see one humungous combatant picking it up (hopefully with no one behind the curtain) and clocking his opponent with it. This, I have to admit, would be great theater.
But those machines are in museums somewhere. Now, we have those stupid bubble-in forms, with their pathetic little tables w/blinders. If the wrestlers engaged each other with these flimsy, sad card tables, it would be more like a bridge tournament gone bad instead of a truly violent WWE-type spectacle. Sad, really.
Anyway, as it turns out we don’t have a wrestling Senator, as Blumenthal cleaned McMahon’s clock at the polls. Yet. I still can’t believe anybody voted for her at all. But then, nearly 60 million people wanted John McCain to be President, and Sarah Palin to be our Vice President. Think about that. If your really, truthfully know anything about these two people, beyond their well-financed propaganda machines, it should scare the hell out of you. But this is where we are.
No wonder so many want to legalize pot so badly. I completely understand.

Me and the Missus had a rare night out last night, where we enjoyed movie and a dinner. An aside: I dearly desire to change the whole dinner and a movie chronology, because it is flawed. First, see the movie. Then, have an excellent repast. I especially, and strongly recommend this for a first date. Why? Simple. It works whether you’re on your first date, or have been together 20+ years like Danielle and me. You have an immediate, shared experience that’s already on your mind, to discuss over a meal. It is fresh, and it (and I’m quoting my hero Ricky Bobby here), JUST HAPPENED. If it’s your first date, the awkwardness of early getting to know each other conversation gets mixed in with talking ’bout that wild flick you just watched. Two people go to see a film, they often see two different films. It can actually tell you a lot.
And as for us mature relationship types, we can talk about the film and get away from the day-to-day for a bit. Lovely.
So anyway, I’ve always disliked film reviews since I often read ones of movies I worked on (few as they were) and there were so many conclusions reached by reviewers that claimed to know what the director, a true auteur, was thinking. “He chose the blue coffee cup, because it represents Picasso’s Blue Period.” No, you Dink, he chose blue because it’s all they had on the prop truck.

Anyhow we saw Salt, with Angelina Jolie (ooh la la) and Liev Schreiber ( ooh la sabretooth). We love both of these actors, and they and the rest of the cast were great. As was the editing. OK, here’s my review: check your brain at the door, as there is much in this film that is, let us say, implausible, but so what? Buy the ticket, take the big-screen ride. It’s fun. Angelina is a frail, lovely thing that looks like a supermodel, but she could never pull off this role if she didn’t actually have serious backbone. She makes you believe she is unstoppable, as she is very good at her craft.
Of course, the fact that I now own the bike she rode in the film (her actual on-screen saddle time was just a few seconds, but she does actually ride) may have influenced why we saw the film in the theater. But there are some great twists and turns in the movie. Enjoy.

The rain stopped here in the Northeast late Wednesday if memory serves, yet I am still pumping out water from the basement at regular intervals. We only got about 5 inches of of the stuff, yet it was a real freakin’ ordeal for a while there and even forced the cancellation of my annual trip to NYC for the International Auto Show Press Extravaganza. Weirdest of all, we have a new sinkhole in the back yard that I discovered when I was strolling over to the rain gauge and sank unexpectedly. One minute, waltzing along; the next I’m deep into the earth’s crust. Despair. But, we were still much better off than our neighbors in Rhode Island. What a mess.

It is a painful thing to actually give the cable company a bit of credit, but during a recent power outage the cable went down as well, which is odd especially since this was not weather related in the least. Anyway, I called the endless loop of automated BS that is our cable/internet provider and basically got nowhere. However, after about an hour I took a ride around the block and discovered a cable tech’s cherry picker, and apparently the junction box doohickey failed when the power went down. I think this box usually has a battery backup since cable usually stays up when the power goes out, but I’m not sure. What I am sure about is the solution that got the cable back online, which was to put a tiny Honda putt-putt generator on top of the box and plug it in. Very quick fix, and, dare I say it? Clever.

Wednesday, our 9-year-old Friesian died suddenly. Very weird. He literally dropped in his tracks, and the best we can figure is that it was either a heart attack, or more likely according to our vet, an aneurysm.
He was a fine horse. I gave him grief as he had quite an ego, and if ever there was a horse destined to play Gaston in Beauty and the Beast in real life, it was Cappy. Danielle is handling this well, but is inside deeply distraught. With all the horror in Haiti (and I deeply recommend supporting Doctors w/o Borders, but naturally do as you think best), it’s easy for many people to say this was just a horse; just a dumb animal. This is rot. He trod lightly on this earth, and did more than most know to entertain a lot of people and regularly paid tribute to the war fallen in our local Memorial Day parade.
You can never fathom why loved ones are taken from us, especially years before it seems even remotely fair. But we’re stuck with it. The nice part about the spirits that touch us is the happiness and soul remains with us, where the flesh has passed and goes back to the earth. Thanks Cappy, for your contribution to our lives.