[Munch]

Thats what “noise ordinances” are for. That gives everyone the freedom of choice. Live in a area that wants it quiet and the loud pipe people can go around ( much like to the mass boycott of Myrtle Beach ) or be able to freely do what you want in other towns. It gives everyone options. Not just trampling on the rights of everyone…. yes everyone for the sake of “not having your hearing assaulted”.

I am not a fan of overly loud pipes…. but 30 secs…heck even a ferry ride out of your day and the rest is to your liking…. I will keep the freedom. Much as the same way I wouldn’t try to force a law on soccer moms to limit their mode of transportation to indicate the true number of kids they have…..or Johnny sports car to a sedan or coupe that can only do 90 mph cause they don’t need the extra horses. Should we all be running around in the Smartfortwo because everything else is not economic enough and though you only carry a weeks worth of groceries you really don’t need the SUV that you spent $30+ grand on? Not only do I hate the law but I also get worried about whats next down the pike.

Loud pipes are loud…and can get irritating no doubts especially if they are straight pipe, no matter the bike. However a full on restriction of freedom is near communistic ( yes I said the C word)

[Munch]

I’ll keep my freedoms thank you.

Whats their next argument ….. freedom is a privilege and not a right? And if you can’t enjoy that without offending someone then you shouldn’t have it?

Seriously you would think a state, like most other states, near bankrupt would have other things to do then target any group for the sake of regulating anything and everything they can. There again I can see the sheer genius of it….keep introducing regulations, laws restrictions in small increments so 1) they can generate money from it via legal fees. 2) Get the people used to being told what to do in every aspect of their lives so they can’t see whats being taken away from them…. that away when the big stuff comes up…. “See what we have done for you? Can you not see the logic behind what we offer…… You do not know whats good for you….we do……..” hmmmm come to think of it…kinda sounds like the main brain computer off of I-Robot.

Aftermarket anything is never about NEED. It’s personalization, expression, improvement and the list goes on. Not to mention it keeps companies competitive with each other. Think OEM parts are expensive now?….Let that garbage law go into place and watch the prices rocket.
Like how any specific model bike has progressed ….. yup that’ll disappear to (given a complete lockdown) because it will “stop” folks who are not in engineering degrees (read: tinkerers) from experimenting and creating better things that a corporate entity didn’t seem valid at the time. Yet som of the improvements you see today are by everyday folks “tinkering” …finding the results…make it known…. then the manu’s, usually years later, go “damn that was a good idea let’s use it!”

What does it take to wake people and find out how even the smallest of laws can lead to a slippery slope Freedom Abandoned?

So Mrs. Bitchy britches hates “loud” pipes…. given that she’s likely going 15 miles below speed limit she will not have to listen to it for long….then in the next 30 secs. of her life she can find something else to bitch about.

Oh but wait! I can see the next argument…. “what’s everyone worried about, theres only a small population of these kinds and it won’t effect everyone”….. Sooooooo why bother and leave people alone…..

I give you respect WZ for looking at both sides of the fence…. I just ask you to take your thinking further then your normally comfortable with as I do anyone I talk with. Most people get to a certain point and figure their comfortable with that conclusion and fail to think further then that.
Think of all the aspects that can get influenced by that law…on both sides.

[Munch]

Eternal I wasn’t really going after you…. just addin….. BUT….

“”While the rude and thoughtless reactions we’ve seen around the internet are reprehensible, you have to at least understand what might lead a person to react that way.””
(SIDE BAR: If I am misunderstanding your statement…. ignore me I am over worked in a town with the types of idiots described below)

Umm no I don’t have to understand where any num nutz and where their brains are or are coming from. I operate under one rule….Unless it’s my ring on your finger or I brought you into this world….your feelings are not my responsibility. If they are pissed, disturbed or whatever about this brave young person doing what he loved…..then that’s their problem….no one elses. And should remain as such. It is astounding how so many people can’t control their own lives but try to make an effort to control others…. either by direct or indirect measures. Granted in this day and age… as someone above has said… some of those are likely trolls.

[Munch]

/applaud

[Munch]

………..that is left for the parent and participant, not any nanny type organization.

[Munch]

You can blame it on the “go big or go home” mentality that is not expressed by us few on this site. Much like the same reason cars are starting to come standard with 17″ rims and unless its 20+ years old you will never see a car below 15 inch rims. Can some of these young bucks even remember what a 13″ rim looked like….and no its not the spare tire.

Another reason I would guess is that we are still and I hate this word…. Suburban….. We have to travel longer distances to get to the city (most not all, no picking here…I know some of us live in the city most don’t….I don’t) which puts us on highways and long haul “country” roads. Which for most will find a 250 impractical….especially cruiser variety.

[Munch]

Thanks for the non TMI ….. heck not speaking for days….. hell they just call me introverted. For the most part you either love me or hate me and for most I rather it be the latter…1 less person I feel the need to be concerned about. As far as the dating thing….. just gotta wait til you find that one you get intensely interested in.

[Munch]

Lol…makesure to draw or place any bolts and nuts in a manner where they are easily recognised and known to be going back. Tune ups…. check for proper plug types…..hot…cold…..get correct tapping specs and torque.

[Munch]

So now that you know….grab the perverbial bootstraps and get it handled……though relationship problems and job problems….not limited to folks with that diagnoses…..its a human thing. Don’t let it be a crutch for explaining things away…use it as a driving force for improvement.

[Munch]

Depressed….why? Does anything she told you change who you are? Or the things you have accomplished? Spending too much time lamenting over what might have or would have been, you will blind yourself to what can or could be……which of those can you change?

As is our saying here….cowboy up and ride on!

[Munch]

Nah your likely correct…. I in no way proclaim to be a motorcycle historian. Hell I will leave most of that you folks who can keep all the letter and number designations stored in memory….me sometimes I left to the mercy of google and other search engines.

[Munch]

The Honda would be a good break in for you. Also I would recommend:

Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic or Custom.. Custom is intended solo but with a seat change can carry 2 and thats easy enough to do and find.

Honda’s 750 or the 950

The boulevards…. would tell you which ones but I never liked the styling for some reason so I never learned them

The Sporties I would not recommend. They are big on torque and power and very low on comfort especially on a 2 up adventure. Think of them as the Miata of the bike industry. Sitting beside them on my V900 they look like ten speed bicycles.
Most Soft tails…upwards to the Glide family are all HD standard 1600 cc’c (their 96 ci engine) and on down, but not lower then 1500 cc’s last I looked. The reason the Vmax is not good….. that’s the “Vette” bike. Much like I wouldn’t recommend a Warrior either.

Do go out and sit on them get a feel for them. If your lucky you may live in an area that will even grant you a test ride on one or two.

side bar: The higher CC bikes suggested are only in the assumption that you have had prior riding experience and have taken the MSF or equivalent course… if not I would recommend down stepping to 750 cc’s and lower.

[Munch]

As a beginner there is no dumb question….except maybe of course..”Does this thing run on gas?”.

The Honda would be a decent starter depending on the model. Some were upwards of 1100 cc’s. and some as low as 500 cc’s . The 500 would be perfect the 1100 refer to the same dangers as the 1500.

Another thing that would get a caution also is your mechanical ability and understanding and/or the availability of a bike shop near you willing to turn wrenches on it. Some will- most won’t. The average age for a bike to be worked on with out going to a custom style shop is about 10 to 15 years old. Shadows were fairly popular making it bit easier then some to find replacement parts. That doesn’t mean however that you still won’t have to do some searching.

Don’t get too hung up on the mileage aspect of searching. My Vulcan 900 is an ’09 and I am pushing 16k on it. Not to mention this is my second bike in as many years…..no the other one didn’t get wrecked…I upgraded.

Mileage can give you a gauge of few things…. Was it ridden often, never, a lot. Factor in the age of the bike….then you get answers. An ’85 with 11k miles on it… your either talking a week end warrior that may have bar hopped…. or ridden hard then forgot about. Any bike you look at take that into account and then make sure to put the seller through an interview process. Kind of like buying a pet . Why are you selling it? Has it given you any problems? Whats the maintenance history on it? When was the last time it was put in the wind? Who if not you was the one that rode it? What kind of rider were they? A lot of these questions can help you judge the person selling the bike and get an idea on what the bike went through before sales….. make sure to look and inspect the bike while your getting your answers.

[Munch]

To make a small point a Vulcan 1500 and Vulcan 1500 Drifter are very different bikes with the same motor.

The basic 1500 is a standard tourer cruiser made to go the distance. The as some folks refer to on here….old man bike with the “pseudo” not good for riding ….riding position with floor boards or peg, depending on the model passenger seating so on and so forth.

The Drifter has a big difference in the suspension set up where the whole rear of the bike hinges under the seat of the rider for the suspension. Some folks had complaints of the seats and fenders getting damaged from too much travel. Though Kawi will tell you it’s not likely (roll eyes). It was stylized to bring back memories of the old Indians. For some it was mission accomplished. They are even in demand to this day.

[Munch]

Yes extremely…. the 1500 will have a huge amount of torque not only for take offs but in ways few talk about that can be a potential problem. And thats with down shifting. Few really address the issue of down shifting and letting off the clutch too quick. That bike has enough torque to lock down the wheel and send you into dangerous situations. Like in a turn with a stop sign at the end….. your already in the turn…. mis judge your speed …go down one gear to many let off the clutch…. suddenly your ass end gets loose. Or even in the right gear during a wetter ride.

I have the Vulcan in the 900 flavor. Started on the 500. The difference in power and torque is night and day. The Vulcan 500 is very understanding of noobness but once you get to understand riding better you can get a performance out of her like any big bike you can find. Without all the extra weight. Once I was confident I stepped up to the 900 and low and behold the day of delivery was a rainy day. Like anyone getting a new toy, I decided to go get it anyways. I rode the V500 many a time in rain, wasn’t to worried.
On entry to exit ramps off a main road I could down shift to first and have no worries of lock ups. Tried that on the 900….yea glad I don’t ride like I have a rod up my a….. anyway, the rear started to lock up and luckily I kept my wits to get back on the clutch before she could get the back end around on me. The 1500…. would have been even more less forgiving.

Stick with about a 700cc MAX for cruisers, below preferably and even then its going to depend on the make of the bike and its intended purposes.

[Author]

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