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6 May, 2024: The networking issue during the past two days has been identified and appears to be fixed. Will keep monitoring.

interests / rec.motorcycles / Re: Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....

On Monday, May 11, 1992 at 7:15:22 PM UTC-5, Willie Sanchez wrote:
> I was recently turned on to a gentleman in L.A. whose is really into Turbo
> 750 cows. He is very pleasant and knows a great deal about this bike. I
> asked him to ship me his catalog of Turbo services that he offers. He can
> be called for advice, techincal or otherwise, or just to talk about your
> turbo...I am in no way affilliated with his shop but am planning to order
> so of his products. If you own a turbo 750 you should definately give him
> a call. I scanned and uploaded his parts list, and it follows this posting.
> I posted the text with no spellchecking or fix up of any kind, but you should
> be able to make most, if not all of it out. If you are riding along one day,
> and spot a cow with Florida plates "TURRRBO", give me a toot...c u on the road.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> HORSEPOWER UNLIMITED
> 5 5 4 4 G R O S V E N O R B L V D .
> LOS AN GELES, CA. 90066
> (3 10) 827 - 5595 FAX (3 10) 645 - 8845
> KAWASAKI GPz 750 TURBO PARTS LIST
> 1 . S T R O K E R C R A N K S H A F T S $ 5 9 5 . O O
> Increased displacement for more torque, horsepower, and less turbo lag.
> 2. CRANKSHAFT BLUEPRINTING S295.00
> Crankshaft is magnafluxed, straightened, oil holes are chamfered, journals
> polished, and everything checked. Balanced with Rods. A RACE READY
> CRANKSHAFT!
> 3. CRANKSHAFT LIGHTENING $325.00
> Crankshaft is lightened for quicker acceleration, and more horsepower. Balancin
> g
> Included.
> 4. SUPER CRANKSHAFTS $435.00
> The crankshaft is first blueprinted, and then it is streamlined, polished, knif
> e-edged
> and lightened. THE ULTIMATE RACING CRANKSHAFT!
> 5. CRANKSHAFT BALANCING $ 135.00
> Crankshaft is finely balanced for smoother running and more horsepower.
> 6. FALICON CONNECTING RODS $480.00
> SUPER STRONG! A DIRECT BOLT O~!
> 7. STOCK ROD STRENGTHENING $140.00
> Rods are magnafluxed, shot peened, and beams are polished for maximum strength!
> 8. 810cc PISTON KITS $350.00
> Wiseco Forged Pistons. 8:1 compression ratio. Increases displacement for more
> torque and horsepower with less lag. Includes pistons, rings, and pins.
> 9. BORE AND HONE CYLINDERS $120.00
> Cylinders are bored and honed to individual pistons. Price is with purchase of
> piston kit #8. If you supply your own pistons, the job will cost: $ 1 5 0 . O O
> 1 0, n or RIN G CY L I N D ER S $ 6 0 . O O
> For Stock or Big Bore sleeves. Used with copper head gasket for the ultimate in
> sealing.
> 1 1 .CHROME MOLY CYLINDER STUDS $ 65 .00
> Will not st}etch like the stock soft studs.
> 12.CHROME MOLY CYLINDER NUTS $ 50.00
> Much stronger than the stock nuts.
> 1 3 . C O P P E R H E A D G A S K E T S $ PER ORDER
> The ultimate head gasket material!
> 1 4 . C O P P E R B A S E G A S K E T S . $ PER ORDER
> Will not crush like the stock base gaskets.
> 1 5 . M E C H A N I C A L S T O P C A M T E N S l O Ne~ $ 3 0 . O O
> This prevents automatic tensioner from backing out and sticking, leaving cam-ch
> ain loose.
> 1 6 . C Y L I N D E R H E A D P O R T I N G $ PER ORDER
> From mild street to FULL RACE!
> 1 7 . S T A I N L E S S S T E E L V A L V E S $ PER ORDER
> Better flow and much more durable. Stock and oversize valves available.
> 18.BRONZE VALVE GUIDES $ 45.00
> Smoother valve operation and longer life. STRONGLY recommended for high lift ca
> ms.
> l9.H EAVY DUTY VALVE SPRINGS $ 45.00
> Better valve control and sealing. STRONGLY recommended for aftermarket cams.
> 20.CAM FOLLOWER B UCKETS $ 150.00
> Replaces stock soft followers. For use with high rate racing cams.
> 2 1 .SLOTTED CAM SPROCKETS $ 60.00
> For Degreeing in stock or aftermarket cams for maximum performance.
> 2 2 . A F T E R M A R K E T C A M S H A F T S $ PER ORDE
> R
> More horsepower for the street or the track.
> 23.RACING CLUTCH SPRINGS $ 25.00
> This keeps the clutch from slipping under higher horsepower levels.
> 24.BANDED AND BALANCED CLUTCH BASKET $160.00
> This keeps the clutch basket from exploding under heavy racing conditions..
> 25.DYNA 35,000 VOLT COILS $ 94.00
> Stronger spark for better performance. Recommended for HIGH BOOST applications.
> 26.DYNA REV LIMITER $ 64.00
> This protects the engine from over-rev damage caused by missed shifts or other
> problems!
> 2 7 . T A Y L O R " P R O ~ P L U G W I R E S $ 3 2 . O
> O
> Better looks and performance.
> 28.AUTOLITE RACING SPARK PLUGS $ 2.50
> Testing has proven that these are the BEST!
> 29.PORTED SPIDER PIPE $ 95.00
> Better flow for more horsepower and less TURBO LAG!
> 30.SINGLE EXHAUST PIPE $265.00
> This cuts 15 pounds off of the bike. It looks better, sounds better, and makes
> big-power.
> 3 1 .MODIFIED TURBO COMPRESSOR HOU SING $ 75.00
> The housing is machined and polished for increased airflow.
> 35.DIAL A BOOST KITS $ 12~.00
> This kit makes the boost adjustable with the TURN OF A DIAL!
> 3 6. TWO STA G E WA S T E G A T E S $ 2 5 0 . O O
> This allows a LOW OR HIGH BOOST selection with the PUSH OF A BUTTON!
> Both stages are adjusted by the TURN OF A DIAL!
> 3 7 . B O O S T G A U G E K I T S $ PER ORDER
> A Quality liquid filled boost gauge for boost levels up to 30 pounds.
> 38.HOSE CLAMP KITS $ 15.00
> 15 high quality stainless steel clamps to replace poor quality stock clamps. It
> Prevents air
> leaks in
> the air intake system. STRONGLY recommended for all bikes.
> 39.TURBO SURGE CHAMBER RESEAL $ 70.00
> This prevents air leaks and rough running. Airbox is disassembled, permanently
> resealed,
> and
> reassembled using heavy duty hardware for high boost levels.
> 40.ADJ USTABLE FU EL PRESS. REGULATOR $ 85 .00
> Raise or Lower Fuel Pressure to tune bike for modifications. Raised pressure is
> RICHER!
> 41.FUEL PRESSURE GAUGE KIT $ 75.00
> A quality liquid filled gauge for tracking fuel pressure changes when tuning bi
> ke with the
> adjustable fuel pressure regulator. A COMPLETE KIT, EASY TO INSTALL!
> 4 2 . A D J U S T A B L E F U E L I N J E C T I O N $ 1 2 5 . O O
> Fuel injection rack is made ADJUSTABLE for tuning. Includes Adjustable Fuel Pre
> ss
> Regulator.
> 43.RACE MODIFIED FUEL INJECTION $440.00
> The fuel injection throats are bored from 30mm to 34mm. Fuel injectors are flow
> matched,
> and
> injection rack is made adjustable. Includes Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator.
> 44.0XYGEN SENSOR KITS $ 175.00
> The ultimate tuning tool. Tells EXACT Air-Fuel mixture by reading exhaust and i
> ndicates
> with
> an easy to read, three COLOR display. STRONGLY recommended for all bikes.
> COMPLETE KI'
> 45.RACE MODIFIED COMPUTER KITS $495.00
> The Computer is changed to the RACE PROGRAM operation. Wastegate is made
> adjustable for
> DIAL-A-BOOST kil which is included, along with a TURBO velocity stack. The FIRS
> T
> STEP
> when modifying your bike. This creates BIG POWER GAINS.
> 4 6 . E L E C T R I C S H I F T E R K I T S $ 1 9 0 . O O
> This only works when you "ARM" it. You can shift full throttle WITHOUT THE
> CLUTCH, in a
> split second. This is actually easier on the engine, clutch, and transmission t
> han normal
> shifting.
> 4 7 . A I R S H I F T E R K I T S $ 1 9 5 . O O
> Lightening quick shifts at the touch of a button. COMPLETE KIT. Best for DRAG
> RACING!
> 48 .TRANSMISSION UN DERCUTTING $ 160.00
> The Transmission gears are undercut for smoother, more precise shifting. STRONG
> LY
> recommended for bikes with the air shifters.
> 4 9 . R . K . 6 3 o r o " R I N G C H A I N $ PER ORDER
> A direcl replacement for the stock chain. SUPER STRONG! Long Lasting.
> ALSO AVAILABLE WITH GOLD LINKS FOR GREAT LOOKS!
> 50.ALUMINUM REAR SPROCKET $ 1.05
> Great looks and much lighter than stock steel rear sprocket. PER TOOTH
> 5 1 .ULTRALIGHT ALUM. SPROCKET $ 50.00
> The sprocket is custom machined for the lightest weight possible!
> 5 2 . N I T R O U S O X I D E K I T S $ PER ORDER
> Horsepower at the touch of a button. For the person who can NEVER have ENOUGH
> POWER!
> 53.EARLS STAINLESS BRAKE LINES $ 185.00
> Great looks and much better brake performance than the stock rubber lines.. TEST
> ED AND
> READY FOR INSTALLATION.
> 54.TELEFIX FORK BRACE $ 99.00
> Greatly improves handling and high speed stability. A DIRECT BOLT ON IN 5
> MINUTES!
> 55 .TARGA SOLO TAIL PIECE $ 1 65.00
> This changes the stock seat into a sporty solo seat. EASY 7'0 Il~i'STA~L!
> 5 6 . T A R G A W I N D S C R E E N S $ PER ORDER
> These are available in TALL, COLORED, OR TINTED. LOOKS GREAT!
> 57.FLUSH MOUNT HEADLIGHT COVER $ 28.00
> This improves Aerodynamics and protects the Light from damage.
> 58.CORBIN GUNFIGHTER SEAT $180.00
> REDUCES NUMB BUT. GREAT LOOKS AND COMFORT FOR THOSE LONG
> RIDES.
> 59.TARGA FENDER ELIMINATOR KIT $ 80.00
> This eliminates the rear fender and tucks in turn signals for the ROAD RACE loo
> k. High
> quality stainless steel. EASY TO INSTALL!
> 60.FAIRING BRA $ 42.00
> This protects the fairing from scratches, bugs, debris, and other hazards.. EASY
> TO
> INSTALL!
> 6 1 .TANK BRA $ 48.00
> This protects the tank from scratches, fading, and other damage. EASY TO INSTAL
> L!
> 62.FRONT FORK SPRINGS $ 66.00
> These are stiffer rate springs for a better ride and handling.
> 63.DRAG RACING WHEELIE BAR $325.00
> This is a bolt on WHEELIE BAR for those trips to the dragstrip. 65 inch length.
> CHROME
> MOLY STEEL. Includes an adjustable strut.
> 64.0NE MAN BIKE STAND $ 99.00
> Tired of your centerstand dragging in corners? REMOVE IT! This is a stand that
> rolls
> under the
> rear swingarm and lifts the bike easily and securely to a level raised posistio
> n. WON'T
> SCRATCH
> 65.H EAVY DUTY CYCLE RAMP $ 96.00
> This is lightweight aluminum that has been stamped in a "U" shape. 1300 pound c
> apacity.
> Has
> traction ridges and the shape helps hold the bike straight. THE BEST MONEY CAN
> BUY!
> 66.LOCKHART 750 TURBO T- SHIRTS $ 15.00
> These were last produced in 1986. Now being produced for "HORSEPOWER
> UNLIMITED"
> ONLY. Show evervone how ~roud vou are to own THE BEST BIKE EVER MADE!
> 67. HORSEPOWER UNLIMITED TURBO T - SH IRT $ 12.00
> THIS IS OUR OWN DESIGN. RED AND BLACK WITH TURBO LOGO!
> 6 8 . FA C T O R Y T U R B 0 7 5 0 EN G I N E P O S T E R $ 2 5 . O
> O
> X-RAY VIEW of turbo and engine! Beautiful detail. LIMITED SUPPLY, CALL!
> WHEN THESE ARE GONE THEY ARE GONE!
> 6 9 . U S E D T U R B O S $ PER ORDER
> 7 0 . R E B U I L T T U R B O S $ PER ORDER
> 7 1 . E N G I N E B U I L D I N G $ PER ORDER
> 7 2 . N E W A N D U S E D S T O C K P A R T S $ PER ORDER
> 73 .WE WANT TO H EA R FROM YOU !
> PARTS BOUGHT, SOLD, TRADED! VOLUME DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
> GENERAL INFORMATION
> ALL PARTS ARE SH IPPED BY U.P.S.
> PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE SHIPPING.
> PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
> FREE TECHNICAL ADVICE. JUST CALL!
> PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS OF OUR ITEMS.
> KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR OTHER TURBOS IN
> YOUR AREA. THESE BIKES MUST BE PRESERVED.
> GPz 750 TURBO CLUB FORMING!
> IF YOU KNOW OR SEE SOMEONE WITH A 750 TURBO, AND CAN GET THEIR
> NAME,
> ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER FOR THE NATIONAL OWNERS DIRECTORY
> WHICH
> WE ARE COMPILING, PLEASE DO SO. ONCE COMPLETED YOU WILL KNOW
> WHERE
> TO FIND PEOPLE IN YOUR AREA WHO KNOW WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THESE
> GREAT FACTORY HOT-ROD MOTORCYCLES. THANK YOU
> MIKE CHESTNUT OWNER
> (310) 827-5~95 HORSEPOWER UNLIMITED
> 5 P E C I A L N O T E: I AM LOOKING FOR SOME OF THE FACTORY
> ACCESSORIES
> THAT WERE AVAILABLE WHEN THE BIKES WERE NEW. THEY INCLUDE A
> BIKE
> COVER, HELMET, POSTERS AND OTHERS IF ANYONE HAS ANY OF THESE
> ITEMS
> AND WOULD BE WILLING TO SELL THEM PLEASE CALL ME AS SOON AS
> POSSIBLE!
> I WILL PAY TOP DOLLAR OR WORK A KILLER TRADE FOR ANY OF THESE
> ITEMS.
> REMEMBER: TH ESE BIKES HAVE MORE PERFORMANCE
> S T Y L E A N D F U N T H A N M A N Y O F T H E N E W B I K E S .
> P L U S, T H EY A R E R A R E, A N D H O L D I N G T H E I R V A L U E .
> RIDE IN CONTROL WHEN YOU HAVE BOOSTED TH E
> PERFORMANCE, AND GET USED TO THE NEW POWER!
> HORSEPOWER UNLIMITED ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR
> RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGES OR INJ URY
> R F. 1. A T F. n T o T 1~ F 11 C F ~ F T 11 F ~ F P .~ 1~ T
> ~
I still have a 1985 GPZ 750 Turbo I bought new. Don't ride it as much but would like to know if this group is still active. Anyone else out there still?

Click here to read the complete article

On Tue, 28 Feb 2023 11:15:04 -0800 (PST), TheChev69 <jtool2009@live.com> wrote:

> I still have a 1985 GPZ 750 Turbo I bought new. Don't ride it as
> much but would like to know if this group is still active. Anyone
> else out there still?

Nobody here but us chickens <gobble gobble>.

I think everybody else has pulled up stakes and gone over to
Farcebook. uk.rec.motorcycles OTOH remains active on USENET.

--
Worst Case

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 9:13:31 AM UTC-6, "Worst...@dizum.com wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Feb 2023 11:15:04 -0800 (PST), TheChev69 <jtoo...@live.com> wrote:
>
> > I still have a 1985 GPZ 750 Turbo I bought new. Don't ride it as
> > much but would like to know if this group is still active. Anyone
> > else out there still?
> Nobody here but us chickens <gobble gobble>.
>
> I think everybody else has pulled up stakes and gone over to
> Farcebook. uk.rec.motorcycles OTOH remains active on USENET.
>
> --
> Worst Case

I look here once on a long while. There were about 3 pages of ads for drugs and whatever before I got to this post. Most of the groups I followed over time have gone dead.
AIOE, Eternal September, and Google Groups are the only ways I know to use Usenet for free. I guess AIOE has had problems recently.

On Thu, 2 Mar 2023 03:35:37 -0800 (PST), Dean Hoffman <deanh6929@gmail.com> wrote:

> There were about 3 pages of ads for drugs and whatever before I got
> to this post.

Here's an exceprt from the comments to a script I use:

> #!/usr/bin/python3
>
> # is_tout.py
> # xxx . 2023 Jan 06
>
> """Look for embedded spam links.

This script is used to flag eMail that contains links (URLs) to what
are probably spam sites. Because such eMail touts suspicious sites,
it may itself be considered spam.

Normally spam is what is left over after disposing of inbound eMail
from known sources, but USENET is different. We have to be receptive
to all USENET posts to our favorite discussion groups because we don't
maintain a whitelist of contributors. With eMail there are reverse
blacklists (RBLs) we can use to vet senders. Because USENET is such a
vanishingly small portion of online traffic nowadays, RBL maintainers
do not accept nominations to USENET blacklists even though spam is a
huge portion of USENET traffic. It doesn't help that practically all
USENET spam originates from @GMail addresses owned by Google along
with the largest USENET gateway by far, Google Groups. There is a
distinct lack of motivation to do anything about USENET spam. We just
don't want to pay a lot of attention to the USENET posts that tout
spam sites. For this reason, we take advantage of the filtering
capabilities of our Mail User Agent (MUA).

This script is a predicate. That is, it returns a yes/no value. We
configure our MUA to invoke it while receiving posts from USENET
accounts by writing a filtering rule that passes to this script the
file name of one unread inbound post. This script then returns
non-ZERO if the mail appears to be a tout.

For example, here is an excerpt from one of the *claws-mail*
configuration files, ~.claws-mail.matcherrc:

> [#news/USENET/rec.motorcycles]
> enabled rulename "USENET Touts" unread & ~test "is_tout.py %F" mark_as_read color 2

This rule tests each (unread) post (%F) in a USENET discussion group
(rec.motorcycles) against this predicate (is_tout.py). If the test
succeeds, the post is marked as read, and its summary line in the
mailbox directory is colored red.

This script actually tries to read each post as an eMail, parsing all
the parts. It can do about three per second on our machine. It's not
clear at this writing whether the effort is altogether necessary for
USENET traffic which mostly does not rely on MIME support. Suffice it
to say, that if a post cannot be parsed for any reason such as bad
encoding, it is considered spam.

Identification of spam sites is problematic. This script uses *whois*
to find the age of the domain of each site. Spam sites are
predominately less than a year old. This script also looks at the
domain registrar, but this is hardly ever determinate. We go through
the motions anyway just to remember how to do it in case we think of
some other domain-registration checks we can use.

--
Worst Case

https://megaweedmarketltd.com/
https://qualitypinballcompany.com/
https://qualityvariegatedplants.com/

Hi,
Dean Hoffman a tapoté :
>
>
> I look here once on a long while. There were about 3 pages of ads for drugs and whatever before I got to this post. Most of the groups I followed over time have gone dead.
> AIOE, Eternal September, and Google Groups are the only ways I know to use Usenet for free. I guess AIOE has had problems recently.

Fighting against spam is really hard...
I'm trying to do that on my server but I only succeed in fr.*

You can access to usenet by many servers by example :
<http://usenet-fr.yakakwatik.org/>

--
Stéphane

"Worst wrote:
> On Thu, 2 Mar 2023 03:35:37 -0800 (PST), Dean Hoffman <deanh6929@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> There were about 3 pages of ads for drugs and whatever before I got
>> to this post.
>
> Here's an exceprt from the comments to a script I use:
>
>> #!/usr/bin/python3
>>
>> # is_tout.py
>> # xxx . 2023 Jan 06
>>
>> """Look for embedded spam links.
>
> This script is used to flag eMail that contains links (URLs) to what
> are probably spam sites. Because such eMail touts suspicious sites,
> it may itself be considered spam.
>

Being able to post links is important. On a text-only group it's the
only way to share images or large files.

Let's try to agree on a subject word, like "motorcycle", to see if it
helps.

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska

On Thu, 9 Mar 2023 19:01:47 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska <bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

> Being able to post links is important. On a text-only group it's the
> only way to share images or large files.

Yeahbutt, your links won't be mistaken for links to head shops. All
kinds of filters can be devised, but I decided, if I were to enact one
kind of universal filter, then filtering out the posts touting illicit
drug sites was likely to be the most productive.

Here are other considerations:

> # We DO NOT subscribe to any domain-authority checkers. These services
> # operate Web crawlers to assess spammyness of most sites. Submitting a
> # domain to authority checker(s) could yield a definite spam score but
> # would be prohibitively expensive.

> # This script maintains a cache of recent domain-name hits. It flags
> # mail containing links to these domains without further processing.

> # Optionally, this script may be used to scan all the mail in a mailbox
> # if it is called with a single mailbox folder name instead of a single
> # file name. All linked domains are appended to the cache.

> # Here is an excerpt from the cache, ~/.is_tout.cache:

> # > www.cycletrader.com:False:1673299362.70796
> # > polkadotchocobar.com:False:1673299362.70796
> # > www.spacecoastharley.com:False:1673299362.70796

> # Obviously polkadotchocobar.com is a spam site that has escaped the age
> # criterion. You can edit the cache as follows:

> # > www.cycletrader.com:False:1673299362.70796
> # > polkadotchocobar.com:True:1673299362.70796
> # > www.spacecoastharley.com:False:1673299362.70796

> # This script will subsequently flag posts touting polkadotchocobar.com
> # until its cache entry is purged six months after first having been
> # touted.

> # Real-world experience teaches us that USENET spam posts are emitted in
> # bursts. It may be valuable someday to track how close together (on
> # the close order of minutes) mentions of a particular domain occur.

> # In the future, we may have to seed the cache of spam sites with
> # various URL-shortening services such as tinyurl.com in order to flag
> # posts touting them as spam. For now, the problem is minor, and we
> # don't do it because posts may legitimately post tinyurl.com links.

> # We've also seen Google queries where the actual spam link is buried in
> # the query parameters.

> Let's try to agree on a subject word, like "motorcycle", to see if it
> helps.

Well, there's an idea. It won't help. If you eliminate posts without
the word *motorcycle* in their subject line, you won't hear from
newbies and Reeky uninitiates who don't know or want to follow the
rulez. Further, trolls who want to break the rulez can easily
masquerade as Reeky initiates.

By discriminating against links to head shops, one does purify the
discourse to a large extent. I will admit that the process *is
largely manual*, but my filter facilitates manual intervention.

Still, I wonder what motivates dope dealers to post here — of all
places! Do they not occupy other venues? I get that it's cheap
advertising, but <rhetorical question> any possible revenue from
posting to a moribund USENET discussion group can't possibly repay the
effort, can it? </rhetorical question>

I used to frequent http://reddit.com/r/walmart to follow salient
topics about work rulez among what is a relatively closed group of
retail workers. About 200 participate daily, but the number of posts
is about 1200, so a few are posting a lot. Curiously the most
prolific posters are the newest, and their posts are the longest and
most devoid of content. I came to suspect that these were soldiers in
water armies whose task was to dilute the discourse.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_water_army

At the cost of manually eliminating them by name, I could quickly skim
the discourse that was left.

Again, the purpose of diluting discourse at r/walmart eludes me as
does the purpose of diluting discourse at Reeky, but I can't escape
the suspicion that somebody sees the discourse as a threat.

Now, r/walmart was a moderated discussion and posts were frequently
spiked, but the moderators were helpless to curb the water armies. I
imagine the same would be so for Reeky were the KOTL to try to exert
that kind of control, which is unprecedented here.

Nevertheless, I yearn for that very thing. Shirley, the volume of
posts would decline and discourse here would recover. After all, I
know a dope dealer when I see one. Shirley, everyone else can spot
one, too. It wouldn't be that hard to do away with them.

--
Worst Case

"Worst wrote:
> On Thu, 9 Mar 2023 19:01:47 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska <bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:
>
>> Being able to post links is important. On a text-only group it's the
>> only way to share images or large files.
>
> Yeahbutt, your links won't be mistaken for links to head shops. All
> kinds of filters can be devised, but I decided, if I were to enact one
> kind of universal filter, then filtering out the posts touting illicit
> drug sites was likely to be the most productive.
>

Might it not be easier to simply ignore the spam and seek out relevant
posts? I don't pretend it's a good fix, merely that it's doable at the
reader level, not admin, and easy to try. Data volume isn't a problem,
at least not yet.
> Here are other considerations:
>
>> # We DO NOT subscribe to any domain-authority checkers. These services
>> # operate Web crawlers to assess spammyness of most sites. Submitting a
>> # domain to authority checker(s) could yield a definite spam score but
>> # would be prohibitively expensive.
>
>> # This script maintains a cache of recent domain-name hits. It flags
>> # mail containing links to these domains without further processing.
>
>> # Optionally, this script may be used to scan all the mail in a mailbox
>> # if it is called with a single mailbox folder name instead of a single
>> # file name. All linked domains are appended to the cache.
>
>> # Here is an excerpt from the cache, ~/.is_tout.cache:
>
>> # > www.cycletrader.com:False:1673299362.70796
>> # > polkadotchocobar.com:False:1673299362.70796
>> # > www.spacecoastharley.com:False:1673299362.70796
>
>> # Obviously polkadotchocobar.com is a spam site that has escaped the age
>> # criterion. You can edit the cache as follows:
>
>> # > www.cycletrader.com:False:1673299362.70796
>> # > polkadotchocobar.com:True:1673299362.70796
>> # > www.spacecoastharley.com:False:1673299362.70796
>
>> # This script will subsequently flag posts touting polkadotchocobar.com
>> # until its cache entry is purged six months after first having been
>> # touted.
>
>> # Real-world experience teaches us that USENET spam posts are emitted in
>> # bursts. It may be valuable someday to track how close together (on
>> # the close order of minutes) mentions of a particular domain occur.
>
>> # In the future, we may have to seed the cache of spam sites with
>> # various URL-shortening services such as tinyurl.com in order to flag
>> # posts touting them as spam. For now, the problem is minor, and we
>> # don't do it because posts may legitimately post tinyurl.com links.
>
>> # We've also seen Google queries where the actual spam link is buried in
>> # the query parameters.
>
>> Let's try to agree on a subject word, like "motorcycle", to see if it
>> helps.
>
> Well, there's an idea. It won't help. If you eliminate posts without
> the word *motorcycle* in their subject line, you won't hear from
> newbies and Reeky uninitiates who don't know or want to follow the
> rulez. Further, trolls who want to break the rulez can easily
> masquerade as Reeky initiates.
>

No reason to think the trolls are that attentive, which might or might not
be mistaken. It's an easy experiment, practicable by readers. I can
search threads by subject word and look first at those with an expected
word or phrase. Newbies will have to stumble a bit, but that's a tiny
minority in a shrinking pool.
> By discriminating against links to head shops, one does purify the
> discourse to a large extent. I will admit that the process *is
> largely manual*, but my filter facilitates manual intervention.
>
> Still, I wonder what motivates dope dealers to post here ??? of all
> places! Do they not occupy other venues? I get that it's cheap
> advertising, but <rhetorical question> any possible revenue from
> posting to a moribund USENET discussion group can't possibly repay the
> effort, can it? </rhetorical question>
>
It's a widely-carried group which presumably attracts no scrutiny
from hostile camps. If it were made to attract scrutiny perhaps
dealers would seek other venues.

> I used to frequent http://reddit.com/r/walmart to follow salient
> topics about work rulez among what is a relatively closed group of
> retail workers. About 200 participate daily, but the number of posts
> is about 1200, so a few are posting a lot. Curiously the most
> prolific posters are the newest, and their posts are the longest and
> most devoid of content. I came to suspect that these were soldiers in
> water armies whose task was to dilute the discourse.
>
> - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_water_army
>
> At the cost of manually eliminating them by name, I could quickly skim
> the discourse that was left.
>
> Again, the purpose of diluting discourse at r/walmart eludes me as
> does the purpose of diluting discourse at Reeky, but I can't escape
> the suspicion that somebody sees the discourse as a threat.
>
> Now, r/walmart was a moderated discussion and posts were frequently
> spiked, but the moderators were helpless to curb the water armies. I
> imagine the same would be so for Reeky were the KOTL to try to exert
> that kind of control, which is unprecedented here.
>
> Nevertheless, I yearn for that very thing. Shirley, the volume of
> posts would decline and discourse here would recover. After all, I
> know a dope dealer when I see one. Shirley, everyone else can spot
> one, too. It wouldn't be that hard to do away with them.
>

IIRC, the volume of posts declined first, the group became fallow
and was then repurposed by the dealers. There's no hostility to
normal traffic, because there wasn't much (or any) for a long time.

It isn't clear the discourse can recover, but with a little social
cooperation among the old-timers it might be maintained at a useful
level.

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska

On Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:25:38 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska <bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

> IIRC, the volume of posts declined first, the group became fallow
> and was then repurposed by the dealers. There's no hostility to
> normal traffic, because there wasn't much (or any) for a long time.

<Rango>I stand corrected!</Rango>

How do you 'splain the relative good health of uk.rec.moto?

> It isn't clear the discourse can recover, but with a little social
> cooperation among the old-timers it might be maintained at a useful
> level.

To read this thread, you'd set up a filter to approve posts with Kaw
in the title.

--
Worst Case

"Worst wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:25:38 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska <bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:
>
>> IIRC, the volume of posts declined first, the group became fallow
>> and was then repurposed by the dealers. There's no hostility to
>> normal traffic, because there wasn't much (or any) for a long time.
>
> <Rango>I stand corrected!</Rango>
>
> How do you 'splain the relative good health of uk.rec.moto?
>

I cannot, and will start reading uk.rec.moto.. to see if clues
emerge.

But it did seem that much of the rec.moto... discourse was between
youngish folks in the tech sector. That's to say people with good
salaries, ample free time and excellent Net access. As the y2k
bubble came and went so too did traffic in rec.motorcycles, along
with ba.motorcycles. I'd have expected a similar pattern in the UK,
but maybe the bubble and bust were less dramatic. At the time it was
said that interest shifted to Web forums. Possibly it's true, as a
latecomer I found progressively more useful information on web forums
and less in Usenet archives.

>> It isn't clear the discourse can recover, but with a little social
>> cooperation among the old-timers it might be maintained at a useful
>> level.
>
> To read this thread, you'd set up a filter to approve posts with Kaw
> in the title.

I'm using the tin newsreader via eternel-september. The word "filter"
does not show up in the man page nor help page. Can a filter be set up
in my situation? It's easy to search for keywords, but I have to type
them in by hand. I've added " motorcycle" to this subject line as a
tracking aid. So far it seems to work.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

On Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 5:07:59 PM UTC-5, bob prohaska wrote:
> "Worst wrote:
> > On Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:25:38 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska <b...@www.zefox.net> wrote:
> >
> >> IIRC, the volume of posts declined first, the group became fallow
> >> and was then repurposed by the dealers. There's no hostility to
> >> normal traffic, because there wasn't much (or any) for a long time.
> >
> > <Rango>I stand corrected!</Rango>
> >
> > How do you 'splain the relative good health of uk.rec.moto?
> >
> I cannot, and will start reading uk.rec.moto.. to see if clues
> emerge.
>
> But it did seem that much of the rec.moto... discourse was between
> youngish folks in the tech sector. That's to say people with good
> salaries, ample free time and excellent Net access. As the y2k
> bubble came and went so too did traffic in rec.motorcycles, along
> with ba.motorcycles. I'd have expected a similar pattern in the UK,
> but maybe the bubble and bust were less dramatic. At the time it was
> said that interest shifted to Web forums. Possibly it's true, as a
> latecomer I found progressively more useful information on web forums
> and less in Usenet archives.
> >> It isn't clear the discourse can recover, but with a little social
> >> cooperation among the old-timers it might be maintained at a useful
> >> level.
> >
> > To read this thread, you'd set up a filter to approve posts with Kaw
> > in the title.
> I'm using the tin newsreader via eternel-september. The word "filter"
> does not show up in the man page nor help page. Can a filter be set up
> in my situation? It's easy to search for keywords, but I have to type
> them in by hand. I've added " motorcycle" to this subject line as a
> tracking aid. So far it seems to work.
>
> Thanks for writing!
>
> bob prohaska

I had Thunderbird newsreader on my MacBook Air and would connect using AIOE. One of the long ago software updates made the text so small my old eyes couldn't read it. Others apparently had the same problem. None of the fixes did any good. Thunderbird had some good filtering.
The easiest and cheapest was just to start using Google Groups.

On Sun, 12 Mar 2023 18:09:21 -0700 (PDT), Dean Hoffman <deanh6929@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 5:07:59=E2=80=AFPM UTC-5, bob prohaska wrote:

> > ... it did seem that much of the rec.moto discourse was between
> > youngish folks in the tech sector. That's to say people with good
> > salaries, ample free time and excellent Net access. As the y2k
> > bubble came and went so too did traffic in rec.motorcycles, along
> > with ba.motorcycles. I'd have expected a similar pattern in the UK,
> > but maybe the bubble and bust were less dramatic. At the time it was
> > said that interest shifted to Web forums. Possibly it's true, as a
> > latecomer I found progressively more useful information on web forums

Demographics then! I would dispute the characterization of USENET
readers of either rec.moto or uk.rec.moto as youngish. I imagine them
now as "over the hill," although uk.rec.moto seems to be organizing a
ride on the continent this summer. Perhaps, at one time, they were
employed professionals with ready cash and a certain amount of
leisure. Sadly the spare time and spondulics have waned as their
interest in motorcycling in general and USENET posting in particular
has waned with ever advancing age.

Indeed the Web forums siphoned off some interest — particularly from
dedicated and on-topic posters.

But the history of Reeky — should it ever be written — will span a
long period of time — enough for at least a couple of generations of
enthusiasts to come and go.

As to what insulates uk.rec.moto from the desiccating winds of time —
who can say? Perhaps it's just their soggy climate.

However, I paint a darker picture. I blame the Cancel Culture. The
banter on Reeky was always pretty rough; you had to be thick skinned
enough to take it and dish it out in turn. The discourse turned
vicious, though, and suddenly everybody decided it wasn't as much fun
anymore. There were major news stories going around, delving into the
excesses of Social Media, and posters could picture their local school
boards coming after them for things they had written on Reeky in more
forgiving times. Because the anonymity of USENET was easily breached,
the alternative was to stop posting there.

> > I'm using the tin newsreader via eternel-september. The word "filter"
> > does not show up in the man page nor help page. Can a filter be set up
> > in my situation? It's easy to search for keywords, but I have to type
> > them in by hand. I've added " motorcycle" to this subject line as a
> > tracking aid. So far it seems to work.

> I had Thunderbird newsreader on my MacBook Air and would connect
> using AIOE. One of the long ago software updates made the text so
> small my old eyes couldn't read it. Others apparently had the same
> problem. None of the fixes did any good. Thunderbird had some
> good filtering. The easiest and cheapest was just to start using
> Google Groups.

According to the *help* docs, *tin* does read *regex* filters from the
~/.tin/filter file.

- http://www.tin.org/bin/man.cgi?section=5&topic=tin

Google Groups, I believe, can do filtering similar to *tin*.

Neither of these support the kind of active filters whose state
changes in real time to respond to changing traffic. My filter, for
example, looks up the age of new URLs that pop up in the body of
USENET posts to determine whether the URLs and the posts that contain
them are likely to be spam.

.... so, if you don't want to stick with the Do No Evil Empire, you
need to find a newsreader that will allow filters to run active
scripting code in real time. Unfortunately I'm not in any position to
recommend one. I happen to access GigaNews from my Mail User Agent
(MUA), which is *claws-mail*.

--
Worst Case

Subject	Author
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	TheChev69
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	"Worst Case"
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	Dean Hoffman
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	"Worst Case"
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	jose mile
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	bob prohaska
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	"Worst Case"
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read... motorcycle	bob prohaska
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read... motorcycle	"Worst Case"
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read... motorcycle	bob prohaska
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read... motorcycle	Dean Hoffman
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read... motorcycle	"Worst Case"
Kawasaki 750 Turbo owners please read....	yamo'