The M3 entered service with the U.S., realizing it was a short-term resolution to an ongoing downside. While a a lot bigger and extra succesful tank was nonetheless being developed, the U.S. wanted one thing to assist assist its infantry whereas opposing enemy armor, so the M3 boasted a 75mm gun able to firing excessive explosive, armor-piercing munitions. A secondary .37mm cannon sat atop the tank, and two Browning M1919 7.62 mm machine weapons had been emplaced in fastened positions.
The M3 was a medium tank, however a 75mm gun made it pack a major punch. While it had a brief U.S. operational lifespan of solely 16 months, the U.S. and U.Okay. manufactured a number of variants, together with bigger howitzers constructed upon the tank’s chassis; others boasted extra sturdy engines and a few fashions aided in tank restoration and minesweeping. This made the M3 a flexible platform that would function in a number of environments whereas offering a wide range of capabilities.
In phrases of fight effectiveness and vary, the M3 may fireplace as much as a most efficient vary of two,700 meters (roughly 1.67 miles). The tank carried 46 75mm rounds, 178 for a 37mm cannon mounted in a totally traversable turret atop the tank, and 9,200 rounds for the machine weapons. It additionally boasted an aircraft-based high-octane energy plant able to reaching a most pace of 26 mph on the street and 16 mph in off-road circumstances.
The extent of the Beeper Mini outage is unclear. In response to the corporate’s put up on X in regards to the ongoing points, customers gave conflicting studies relating to their potential to make use of the service, however it seems that a few of these customers aren’t utilizing Beeper Mini, however moderately Beeper Cloud, which makes use of a unique methodology of accessing iMessage. Internally at SlashGear, some workers are experiencing the reported Beeper Mini outage whereas others stay ready to make use of the service.
According to a press release obtained by TechCrunch from Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky, “all data indicates” that the outage is the results of Apple discovering a strategy to lower Beeper Mini off from its companies. Apple, which has lengthy seen iMessage as a powerful type of platform lock-in for iOS, has probably been working to unplug Beeper Mini from iMessage for the reason that service went stay. Cutting the Android app off on Friday may additionally have been a strategic play since Beeper workers will now must scramble because the weekend begins in the event that they hope to engineer a brand new strategy to maintain the service operating.
Apple has introduced RCS chat support for iPhone shall be coming at a while in 2024, however as of now, Beeper Mini was the one method for Android customers to ship wealthy messages and high-resolution media to iPhone customers with no third-party service like WhatsApp.
The search for the “great American trail bike” has been ongoing for years. If you want to go far, far back in time, the call has been answered for every generation. Our fathers’ fathers had their Hodakas and Trail 90s; our fathers had KDXs and XR200s. So what fills the gap left by those machines? What simple, lightweight trail bikes offer that kind of performance, ease of use and reliability?
Beta’s solution is to take a page from the past and return to the 200 two-stroke. While almost every other manufacturer is turning to either race bikes or dual-sport bikes, Beta saw the obvious need to find middle ground. The 200RR is in a class by itself. It selectively uses modern technology where it’s most needed; it has electric start, oil injection and multi-level mapping. It does not have fuel injection or new-age electronics simply because it doesn’t need all that to reach its final destination.
THE CLASS WITHOUT A CLASS
The 200cc two-stroke vanished in America for a very long time despite its one-time popularity. Why? It might have started, at least in part, due to government pressure. Back in 1990, the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) started asking manufacturers to clean up their offerings in what they defined as the off-highway vehicle category. That resulted in bigger, more complicated trail bikes. Competition bikes were exempt, so two-strokes and most other off-road bikes were eventually defined as race bikes. The 200 was left behind simply because most racing organizations didn’t have a 200 class.
In 2019, the guys at Beta realized that wasn’t a very good reason not to offer a small-displacement trail bike, so the 200RR was born. The engineers started with the then-new 125RR, punched it out to 190cc and added electric start with oil injection. The result was a bike that was almost in a class of its own. We say “almost,” because Rieju also has a 200cc two-stroke. Right now, that Spanish manufacturer is just getting started—even Beta is a massive company by comparison.
The 200RR has evolved since its introduction. It still uses a ball-ramp-driven power valve, which is externally adjustable—although, the owner’s manual discourages any changes from the standard positions (one turn in). You do get to alter the power delivery through a map switch, which is located right in front of the fuel-tank filler. There’s a sunshine emoji for the aggressive map and a rain cloud for the mild setting. The 6-speed gearbox is identical to the 125’s, but with much taller final gearing. There’s no kickstarter, but there’s still a place to put one if you don’t trust the button. Beta sells a kit for that guy. The chassis is similar but not identical to the one for the 250RR and the 300RR. It’s just a little smaller in a few dimensions. The weight without fuel comes in at 223 pounds.
The fork is an open-cartridge Sachs, which is held in place by a CNC-machined triple clamp. The rear shock is also made by Sachs and has linkage connecting it to the swingarm. The brakes are Nissin and the tires are Maxxis.
WHY 200s RULE
Now we know why 200cc two-strokes were so popular back in the day. The 200RR is an outrageously good trail bike. The low-end power is bottomless; you almost can’t stall it by accident. It has considerable flywheel effect, and beyond that, the 200 produces thick, usable torque. The jetting is flawless, too. It doesn’t load up even after long periods of partial throttle. There’s no detonation, and it starts easily then warms up quickly. On the other end of the rpm range, the power output is respectable, too. After making such surprising low-end, we expected it to go flat on top. That’s not the case. The 200 revs out past 9000 rpm, just like most 250cc two-strokes. Peak power is decent, but no more than that of a good-running 125.
Sachs suspension components are used at both ends and are set up for technical riding on tight trails.
The only place where the 200 surrenders ground to more competition-oriented bikes is in between the two extremes. When you’re in the middle rpm range and you want to conjure a quick burst of acceleration, you expect a quick dab on the clutch to do the job. That’s not the result. The 200 more or less continues on its planned course regardless of clutch use. It gains power and rpm in a very linear fashion. That’s one reason it’s so unstoppable in difficult terrain—the 200 plods forward at its own pace, always finding traction, always making progress.
All that translates to a bike that excels on tight, technical trails for any level of rider. The reason that 125s are difficult on the trail is because they generally have a sharp, sudden hit somewhere in the powerband. That results in wheelspin and lost momentum. By the same token, some riders can grab too much throttle on a 300 and find themselves in the same kind of trouble. The 200 is immune to both situations. It holds a steady engine speed easily even when the rider is anything but steady.
SLOW HAND
The 200RR’s overall handling character is steady, too. There’s nothing nervous or twitchy happening, even when the terrain is rocky and choppy. The 200 is lighter than most offroad two-strokes by a good 10 pounds, and that goes even further towards making one of the easiest bikes to ride in difficult conditions.
It’s clear that the guys at Beta have a very specific idea of who will be riding this bike. They set up the suspension for a light rider and slow speeds. The Sachs fork and shock are very soft. There’s a limited amount of preload adjustment at the top of the right fork leg and a damping clicker on the left side. You can max them both out and still have a very soft fork. Same goes for the shock. In the past, we have found that Sachs suspension is at its best when set up on the soft side. It does very well in rocks at low speed, and that gives the bike a comfortable ride at an easy trail pace. If you get ambitious and want to stiffen it up, things don’t always work out well. Stiffer springs will only get you so far before you have to make valving changes. There are a few companies out there with extensive Sachs experience, like Race Tech and WER, but they generally report that under hard use that the components need more frequent maintenance to keep their oil clean. Beta’s Race Editions are all sold with KYB suspension, and if you have competition in mind, it’s best to look in that direction.
Between the slow-revving power delivery and the soft suspension, the 200RR is easy to ride in difficult terrain.Beta uses components from all over the world. Nissin does the braking at both ends.The 200RR uses a mix of traditional technology and modern features. Carburetion is done the old-fashioned way—with a carburetor.
All that makes sense in light of the fact that the 200RR was never meant to be a racer. Still, there are some features and lack of features that aren’t especially logical. The bike is more or less sold as a stripper; it has no radiator fan and no handguards, presumably to keep the retail price down. Yet, it’s not that inexpensive, and it does have some unnecessary accessories like a horn and some instrument controls. The rain-cloud map offers no real advantage; it only takes away power in areas where the motor isn’t that strong in the first place. While we’re complaining, the kickstand is too short and the rear brake is grabby.
In truth, we feel a little guilty complaining about anything here. In certain areas, the 200RR excels like no other bike currently available, and we’re grateful that it even exists. The 200cc trail bike presents a solution to a problem that has been dogging the dirt bike world for years. The biggest mystery is why there aren’t more.
The President of the United Auto Workers (UAW), Shawn Fain, announced a more aggressive stage of the ongoing strike during a presentation on Friday, October 13. He stated that automakers had become accustomed to the union making announcements on Fridays about additional factories participating in the labor campaign. However, Fain emphasized that things can now change “at any time.”
Instead of announcing further strikes specifically, Fain declared a new phase in the standup strike. Going forward, the UAW will call out plants as needed, with little notice.
According to Fain, the UAW is shifting from a defensive stance to focusing on hard negotiations in order to achieve “total economic and social justice.”
Fain did not provide specific details about the negotiations with General Motors or Stellantis. His presentation came a day after the UAW strike expanded to include Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant. During his speech, he specifically addressed Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford.
Fain mentioned that Farley earned $21 million last year, and he called on him to take action by reflecting on the situation and the financial resources of Ford. He urged Farley to use the company’s large checkbook, which is typically reserved for spending millions on executives or Wall Street initiatives.
On October 12, Ford responded to the strike by stating that the UAW’s decision to call a strike at the Kentucky Truck Plant was irresponsible but not surprising. The company referenced the union leadership’s strategy of causing reputational damage and industrial chaos to keep the “Detroit 3” (Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis) weakened for an extended period of time.
The Kentucky plant is Ford’s largest factory and generates $25 million in revenue annually. It is responsible for producing the F-Series Super Duty, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator, and it employs 8,700 UAW members.
The UAW initiated the strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis on September 15, 2023. Since then, the union has gradually enlisted additional workers to participate in the labor campaign. Recently, nearly 4,000 members from Mack Trucks also joined the movement.
In my previous column on 16 August, I expressed my frustration with the practice of car manufacturers charging ongoing fees for certain features in their vehicles. It bothers me that they want to maintain some level of ownership or control over a product long after it has been purchased.
I’ve received a lot of feedback on this issue. Only a few people have defended the practice, but even with well-reasoned arguments or analogies, I remain unconvinced. The majority of people agree that it is an unpleasant practice.
In light of this, BMW has announced that it will stop charging fees for hardware-based features in its future cars (although software-based features will still be subject to fees).
Pieter Nota, BMW’s sales and marketing boss, explained at the Munich Motor Show: “We initially thought that offering the option to activate certain features later would be an added service for customers. However, the level of acceptance among users was not high.
Many people felt that they were being charged twice, which was not actually the case, but perception is reality, as I always say. That’s why we decided to discontinue this practice.”
Let me provide an analogy. Imagine a property developer who constructs 1000 houses with identical designs, all of which have an en suite bathroom. This helps keep costs down instead of building some houses with and some without en suite bathrooms.
You purchase one of these houses, move in, and are thrilled with it. It’s a fantastic place, and it’s all yours! But what’s behind this door? Oh, that, the developers say, is an extra bathroom. However, you can only access it if you pay them £30 per month indefinitely.
General Motors (GM) has announced plans to eliminate approximately 200 engineering positions as part of its ongoing efforts to adapt and streamline operations. The company assures that affected employees will have the opportunity to transition into other roles within the organization.
This decision is part of GM’s broader strategy, called “Winning with Simplicity,” which aims to simplify design and engineering processes, reduce costs and complexity, and enhance marketing, engineering, and manufacturing efficiency. By significantly reducing the number of trim levels and part numbers, GM aims to retain desirable features while streamlining operations.
In a statement, GM confirmed the decision, stating that it is rebalancing its engineering resources to align with its growth strategy and will help engineers affected by the cuts to apply for other open positions within the company. GM is also targeting $2 billion in cost reduction over the next two years and plans to reduce sales and marketing finances by $800 million.
However, in addition to internal adjustments, GM also faces external pressures from changing industry regulations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a significant increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which has sparked debates and concerns within the automotive sector, including GM.
Prior to the public release of the proposal, GM presented a claim to the Biden Administration warning that strict fuel economy standards could result in potential fines of up to $300 billion for automakers. However, as the proposal undergoes further examination, GM’s certainty regarding this figure has started to waver.
The legal dispute between Stellantis and Mahindra regarding the sale of the Jeep-like Roxor in the United States has taken a new turn. The Eastern District Court of Michigan has ruled that the post-2020 version of the Roxor can be sold in the US, as reported by Automotive News.
This conflict originated in 2018 when Mahindra introduced the Roxor in the US. Initially, the vehicle had vertical slits in the grille, which gave it a similar appearance to the Jeep CJ models. Stellantis, previously known as FCA, filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission to prevent the entry of the small SUV into the country. A judge determined that the Roxor infringed upon Jeep’s trade dress.
Since its debut in the automotive world in 1964, the coveted Porsche 911 has continued an ongoing legacy as the ultimate sports car. Earlier this month, Porsche Classic auctioned a special one-off car dedicated to the Porsche Club of America: the 911 Classic Club Coupe. The Porsche 911 Classic Club Coupe sold for an astonishing $1.2 million to a private collector at the 75th Anniversary Porsche Auction held at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia by Broad Arrow Auctions. Discovered through the community of passionate Porsche enthusiasts, the seven-figure 996 generation Porsche was purchased by none other than American comedian and Porsche fanatic Jerry Seinfeld.
Jerry Seinfeld just recently took delivery of the 911 Classic Club Coupe as part of a private event where he accepted the keys and took his first drive. Joining a collection that includes examples like the very first production Porsche 911, a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, and countless other historic Porsches, the PCA 911 Classic Club Coupe is in good hands with Jerry Seinfeld. Now that the Porsche 911 Classic Club Coupe is safely in the hands of its proud owner, we hope to see Jerry Seinfeld displaying his new prized possession at future events. View all current Porsche 911 models for sale on duPont REGISTRY by clicking the link below.
