02-11-2018, 03:31 AM
When the metric system was introduced in Canada in the early 70s I was in my mid-20s. As it was based on units of tens like money, counting, my fingers; I thought it should be easier than 12 inches to the foot, 3 feet to a yard, 16 ounces to a pound, etc.
But I soon found out that many things still used the Imperial system: anything made in the USA or Britain, lumber, clothing, etc. Which is good because size 48 Alpinestars motorcycle boots mean nothing to me, but 12.5 was a perfect fit.
The worst change made was measuring gas mileage in so many liters per 100 kilometers. Still means nothing to me today. My CB1100 gets 21 kilometers to the liter. That I can understand because I pay for gas by the liter.
When it is warm I use the Fahrenheit scale. I understand how warm 60F is, but 18.3C means nothing to me. However in the winter I use the Centigrade scale because zero is the freezing point of water. Anything above zero in the winter is mild day (to a Canadian). -10C is a nice winter’s day, -20C is cold but you can dress for it, -30C is I’ll wait for a better day to go out.
I am too old to convert miles to kilometers in my head while driving in America. Fortunately Canadian cars have a function to change the digital display to MPH.
For my American friends I just tell them to drop the zero and multiply by 6 to convert to KPH and they will be close. 40 KPG is (4 x6) 25 MPH, 50 KPH is 30 MPH, 60 KPH is 35 MPH, etc.
But there are always exceptions. After buying “Made in the USA” (Moto Werk) mirror extenders, I had to use a 6mm Allen key to tighten the aluminum bolt. A 1/4 inch key would not fit and a 7/32nd inch key would slip. They now include the 6mm in their mirror extender package.
As most of the world’s goods are now being made in the Orient, the metric system will probably become a worldwide standard over time. Right now the Unites States, Burma, and Liberia are the only countries that don’t.
But I soon found out that many things still used the Imperial system: anything made in the USA or Britain, lumber, clothing, etc. Which is good because size 48 Alpinestars motorcycle boots mean nothing to me, but 12.5 was a perfect fit.
The worst change made was measuring gas mileage in so many liters per 100 kilometers. Still means nothing to me today. My CB1100 gets 21 kilometers to the liter. That I can understand because I pay for gas by the liter.
When it is warm I use the Fahrenheit scale. I understand how warm 60F is, but 18.3C means nothing to me. However in the winter I use the Centigrade scale because zero is the freezing point of water. Anything above zero in the winter is mild day (to a Canadian). -10C is a nice winter’s day, -20C is cold but you can dress for it, -30C is I’ll wait for a better day to go out.
I am too old to convert miles to kilometers in my head while driving in America. Fortunately Canadian cars have a function to change the digital display to MPH.
For my American friends I just tell them to drop the zero and multiply by 6 to convert to KPH and they will be close. 40 KPG is (4 x6) 25 MPH, 50 KPH is 30 MPH, 60 KPH is 35 MPH, etc.
But there are always exceptions. After buying “Made in the USA” (Moto Werk) mirror extenders, I had to use a 6mm Allen key to tighten the aluminum bolt. A 1/4 inch key would not fit and a 7/32nd inch key would slip. They now include the 6mm in their mirror extender package.
As most of the world’s goods are now being made in the Orient, the metric system will probably become a worldwide standard over time. Right now the Unites States, Burma, and Liberia are the only countries that don’t.