I bow down before the Great Satan

[Spook]

"Finally caved and picked up some Super Tech oil filters."

I just wanna' know how well the filter works...

Jon Satterfield purchased and dissected several filters for Honda Motorcycles. We all owe him a big debt of gratitude. Here's his results:

Filter Surface area Sq.In. Filter Thickness Relief Valve PSI Case Thickness Drainback Valve Comments

AMSOil

SMF 103 36 .038 25 10 mil nitrile Internally contaminated with dirt particles when new. Excellent filter media, but not much of it.

Bosch

3323 82 .038 25 20 mil silicon Very good filter media, similar surface area to stock filter.

Mobil-1

M1-110 60 .038 25 20 mil silicon Excellent filter media, but only 2/3 the surface area of a stock filter.

Pure One

PL14620 110 .030 17 20 mil silicon Excellent filter media, and there's a bit more of it than stock.

SuperTech

ST6607 41 .023 18 10 mil nitrile Comparable to an OEM filter, but $2 instead of $13.

Toyo Roki

OEM 94 .035 18 20 mil nitrile Decent filter media - not up to the standards of the Purolator, Mobil-1, or AMSOil, but there's a lot of it.

 

[TCMike]

"Finally caved and picked up some Super Tech oil filters."

I just wanna' know how well the filter works...

And just how would any of us know that first hand? In reality, you could have an oil filter that was horrible, did absolutely no filtering, and you would never know from using it.

They are said to be pretty good filters, but exactly how good is beyond any of us determining.

+1

Only a true scientific test in a controlled lab could realy show diferences. That's why I just stick a rag in a pop can, and duct tape it on. :grin:

 

[Fred W]

+1
Only a true scientific test in a controlled lab could realy show diferences. That's why I just stick a rag in a pop can, and duct tape it on. :grin:

I like it...

Then you can take the rag off and use your special T&M® Filter Recharger kit to clean it and restuff it into the can for the next 20k miles!

Brilliant!!

 

[RadioHowie]

Folks, Spooks post is a good one, but it is in table form that doesn't display well in Forum view.

To view the details in table form, click "Reply" to Spook's post above mine and you can view the details as Spook meant them to be displayed.

 

[Spook]

Folks, Spooks post is a good one, but it is in table form that doesn't display well in Forum view.
To view the details in table form, click "Reply" to Spook's post above mine and you can view the details as Spook meant them to be displayed.

Here is the link to the whole article. Got it out of the bin o facts

https://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Filters.html

 

[Crash Cash]

As a commercial enterprise, one can't help but admire Walmart. They have discipline, extraordinary planning and execute with predatorial efficiency. They've taken unprecedented advantage of the Darwinism of markets.
As a social phenomena, though, I hate them. They've essentially killed nearly all of the small town America that I remember as a child. They've been responsible for sending massive amounts of our treasury overseas to purchase goods not made in this country. And for those who say that they offer good products at great prices, I respond with "at what unseen cost."

It's a Faustian pact, this discount consumerism. Nearly all sides of it.

(Says a guy who rides a Japanese bike.)

Bravo. Well said. Of course I ride a Japanese bike because it's of much higher quality and more fully-featured than anything available domestically.

And I sometimes feel sad that I have to buy stuff at Harbor Freight because Sear's just doesn't have it.

 

[ctfjr]

Local sales outlets can successfully compete with WalMart but not in generic commodity type products where the customer doesn't need on-site assistance.
The local vendor has to offer value not available at WalMart.

The local vendors have to specialize away from commodities into more unique and specialized products where the customer sees additional value.

WalMart is a juggernaut but it's not unbeatable.

What a lot of wishful thinking - actually sounds a lot like the company (Walmart) line when they are proposing to come into a new town. I ride a lot across the States and have seen a ton of small towns with their Walmarts & empty former local shops. Hey, I'd be the 1st to tell you that when I'm on the road I always shop in them - yeah I even had my hair cut at one in Rapid City. The bottom line is they kill local businesses when they move in.

 

[mdisher]

What a lot of wishful thinking - actually sounds a lot like the company (Walmart) line when they are proposing to come into a new town. I ride a lot across the States and have seen a ton of small towns with their Walmarts & empty former local shops. Hey, I'd be the 1st to tell you that when I'm on the road I always shop in them - yeah I even had my hair cut at one in Rapid City. The bottom line is they kill local businesses when they move in.

That they can do, but times they are a changing. If Wal-mart wasn't the store to move in and put some of the older single mom-n-pop stores out of business in a position where they feel the can't compete, it'd be someone else. Consumers vote with their dollars, and apparently they are voting for Wal-Mart and not Kenny Shoe stores anymore.

Around here Meijer is just a big as the mega Wal-Marts and also carries just about everything, in fact we had mega Meijers for at least 10 years before any of the Wal-Marts around here super sized themselves.

It's very difficult to run a lot of specialty stores these days, and Wal-Mart isn't the only factor, yet they seem to get all the blame.

Lowes/Home Depot/Menards has impacted local hardware stores far than Wal-Mart ever has.

Go figure.

 

[ctfjr]

That they can do, but times they are a changing. If Wal-mart wasn't the store to move in and put some of the older single mom-n-pop stores out of business in a position where they feel the can't compete, it'd be someone else. Consumers vote with their dollars, and apparently they are voting for Wal-Mart and not Kenny Shoe stores anymore.

Yes, that argument definately holds water but at what cost? Did you ever try to get customer assistance at a Walmart like you used to be able to at the local _____ (you fill in the blanks - TV / audio store, appliance store . . .) Some consumers lose out when they want (need) genuine advise on a purchase. Last year I stopped in a Walmart to get a small mpg player while on the road. The earpiece was obviously too big to go under the helmet but they also sell the earpieces separately. I sure wish I could have video taped the salesperson trying to help me - didn't know dick & was the 'manager' of that department. You get what you pay for.

 

[Crash Cash]

Did you ever try to get customer assistance at a Walmart like you used to be able to at the local _____ (you fill in the blanks - TV / audio store, appliance store . . .) Some consumers lose out when they want (need) genuine advise on a purchase.

Actually, you can't get that no matter how expensive the store is. Either you get someone that doesn't know what you're talking about, or you get a quick "we don't sell that" from someone that doesn't care, if you're lucky enough to get someone at all. Or worse, you get someone that just pulls random answers out of their ass.

Last weekend I was shopping for an electric lawnmower, and the Home Depot guy told me "there's no such thing as an electric lawnmower, that means 'electric start'" and it irritated me so much that I said "ok, where's the f*cking gas cap then, smart guy?" and I'm not usually the snappy comeback sort.

I'd rather do without that sort of customer "assistance" and advice, thank you very much. And yes, I remember the days when you could get accurate information on a product without having to ask to see the manual. If they're going to have crap service, they better also have low prices to go with it. I'm not paying extra so my money can go into Mr. Drooling Moron's paycheck.

It's so bad I don't even bother going to the local malls, I just use Google and Amazon to find stuff.

 

[Bulldog9]

WalMart has saved millions of customers billions of dollars. Much more efficent than any program yet conceived or executed by the government.
Hard to understand why anyone would be negative about WalMart. If it's beneath you to mix with the masses don't go there in your BMW, Volvo or Prius. Pay a bit more somewhere else so you can puff out your chest and boost your self-esteem

Here is why I despise Wallmart....

While I understand that this store has brought a higher quality of living and great value/savings to people who would never have access to the name brands and discounts they sell at, I have to ask at what cost?

Walmarts marketing plan is to flood communities with their stores, and to make it the most convenient and cheapest place to shop. The super low prices drive local mom & pop stores out of business, electronic retailers, small clothing and sporting goods stores, hardware stores, and now even grocery stores.

They do this knowing that the local economy cant support their stores, not to mention all the local stores. Soon, the local stores close, and after Walmart has cornered the market, they end up closing their slower stores as well. I try in principle and whenever possible to support local stores and shops over walmart, but lets face it, it is sometimes not possible. I mostly buy motor oil car wax stuff, and thats it, unless I am travelling and need something. In these cases, Walmart is THE place to go because they will have it.

In my town, there is a Target next to the Walmart, it is amazing to see the difference in the patron culture. Go in the Walmart, and it IS like a 3rd world country, with few if any people speaking english. We're not just talking Mexican or South American, Philipino, African, Mid East, Asian, etc. This includes check out clerks, managers, stockers, and shoppers. GO next door to the target and it is like you are in Western Europe......... Very strange.

 

[Jon T]

Whether Wal Mart, Target, or mom n pop's cycle 'cessories, what's the part number for the $2 super tech filter that will fit my '04 FJR?

 

[Fred W]

Did you ever try to get customer assistance at a Walmart like you used to be able to at the local _____ (you fill in the blanks - TV / audio store, appliance store . . .) Some consumers lose out when they want (need) genuine advise on a purchase.

Actually, you can't get that no matter how expensive the store is. Either you get someone that doesn't know what you're talking about, or you get a quick "we don't sell that" from someone that doesn't care, if you're lucky enough to get someone at all. Or worse, you get someone that just pulls random answers out of their ass.

Last weekend I was shopping for an electric lawnmower, and the Home Depot guy told me "there's no such thing as an electric lawnmower, that means 'electric start'" and it irritated me so much that I said "ok, where's the f*cking gas cap then, smart guy?" and I'm not usually the snappy comeback sort.

I'd rather do without that sort of customer "assistance" and advice, thank you very much. And yes, I remember the days when you could get accurate information on a product without having to ask to see the manual. If they're going to have crap service, they better also have low prices to go with it. I'm not paying extra so my money can go into Mr. Drooling Moron's paycheck.

It's so bad I don't even bother going to the local malls, I just use Google and Amazon to find stuff.

Your example only strengthens the original point about predatory marketing practices of the big chain stores. Walmart and Home Despot are two peas from the same pod. They both operate on the same basic principles. Home Despot is putting the Mom and Pop Hardware and lumber stores out of business the same way Walmart does in the others. When I want help with something I know the crew at my local True Value store will know the answer, or if they don't they will actually take the time to find out. But guess what? They are having trouble competing with the big box Home Depot that moved into town.

But you really cannot blame these merchants for what they do/. It is the American way. Free economy in action. The fault lies with the modern consumer who is willing to put up with shitty or nonexistent service, inferior quality merchandise and a limited selection if they can save themselves a few of bucks.

 

[Knifemaker]

Whether Wal Mart, Target, or mom n pop's cycle 'cessories, what's the part number for the $2 super tech filter that will fit my '04 FJR?

ST7317

Scary how I know that from memory....

KM

 

[Toecutter]

Nice pic! I wonder whose bike it is? I've had that as wallpaper on my laptop since before I bought my bike.

 

[jmdaniel]

Finally caved and picked up some Super Tech oil filters. The lame sticker peels off nicely, to leave an almost plain black can behind.
Except for some lettering on the end. What does that say?

"Careful use of a little bit of engine cleaner here would be nice."

WalMart sucks, plain and simple. And I say that from having to supply to them. I won't bore you with the anecdotes. The last time I was actually in one, a few years back, I feared for the future of this country. Ya see, I was in the self checkout lane, behind a few of the regulars. It was like they were taking their 8th grade finals. You know, the last test before they left high school forever.

The machine says scan your first object, Ellie May, and I'm looking real hard at that pork n' beans can that I put in the cart first. Why does it keep telling me to look at it? :blink:

 

[TCMike]

Take a look at the parking lot late night, or early morning. Wal-mart's lots have more oil stains than any other lot I've seen. The Target next door isn't quite as busy, but it holds it's own, and the lot has very few stains. Just one more reason not to ride you bike to Wally. Don't want anyone dropping their bike after hitting a greasy spot.

 

[RadioHowie]

Wal-mart's lots have more oil stains than any other lot I've seen.

Three words.....

CRUISER BIKE NIGHT!

 

[Knifemaker]

At some point in the future, there will only be a few corperations that control and provide everything. We can bitch about Wal-mart , but as they are not breakiing any laws, they will continue on their path, along with many other companies.

Busisnesses now (and really always have been) based on the survival of the fittest. As each grows, it begins to dominate its particular comsumer sector and either becomes stronger...or fails.

We now live in a time where there are more Uber-companies instead of multiple tiny ones. Some areas are still up for grabs, as compitition can only cut pricing so far before losing profit. Look at how many cell phone companies there are. At some point these will be pared down also.

Circuit City died because Best Buy just out performed them. Grantted some businesses fail do to bad leadership or just poor desisions along the way...but the era of "mom and pop" stores has ended and it really ain't doing much to bitch about it when millions of folks do shop at Wal-Mart and will likely never be talked out of it.

Their low price promise to consumers and how they achieve it may cause contraversay , which in itself just gives them more ad time and actualy makes them appealing to many.

I have read here how some say they don't like Wal-mart...but said they still shop there sometimes. And really if they never did step into a Wal-mart, I seriously doubt they are going to put a stop to it all. Too many folks in this country have embraced "satan" and he ain't going to go away because a few don't like him.

You might as well try convincing the whole country to stop drinking. I doubt we are on a path of destruction, more likely we are just evolving. In a thousand years this all will seem silly.

KM

 

[RAVENRIDER]

The reason that Walmart can retail their stuff below what the little guys can buy it wholesale, is because of one big thing: Volume. And they are ruthless in their wholesale buying practices. Walmart dictates to manufacturers the price they will pay them for what they want, and for those manufacturers that won't "play ball", they will find another one who will and crush them, just like the Mom and Pop stores.

So true.

Some of the smaller manufacturing clients I've worked with in the past were nearly put out of business by Walmart. At first they were psyched to have landed a contract with Walmart thinking they had finally made into the big leagues. Then they find out Walmart short pays them for any deduction Walmart comes up with - real or imagined. Then the Walmart trucks show up at the end of the given product's sales season with the unsold items for return. Hard stuff on a small manufacturer.

That said, yeah, I shop at Walmart on occasion too.