Aerik

I'll second what some of the others have said- as long as someone has their knees in the breeze, I don't really care what they're riding. And anyway it's true, you can see it makes their friggin day when a biker waves at them. Why not?

Hopefully I'm not jinxing you here- My first bike was an 82 V45 Magna (VF750C), that I bought in like 2003. Ran fine for a few months, and then it started this thing where it would gain revs alright but take forever to drop back down. After a bit longer it started seeming like it had no horsepower, ie I had to wrench it to get moving much at all, and it would top out at like 45 mph. And the engine started sounding funny- kind of a dry, raspy sound instead of its normal "angry bees" noise. After trying everything else, a friend suggested it was the head gasket. Took it apart and that's what it was-- a little gap in the head gasket in the rear cylinder bank. It was across one of the internal parts, so we couldn't see it or any leaks. I'm seriously hoping your v45 isn't doing what mine did- that gasket's a nightmare to get to. But you might want to check your oil for coolant and other such easy tests, just to be sure. Good luck.

Yep, the repair was a success, had a decent ride today. Anyone wants to go wander around in the evening this week (I'm out of class at like 6 every day) just let me know, otherwise I'll try to actually meet some people at the BWR thing this time on Thurs. That is every week, right?

Just an update because I'm excited-- I found the fuggin noise! A little brass bushing setup under/behind the swing arm. It appears to have been designed to help alleviate extra vibration in the end of the lower exhaust. Anyway, a buddy and I spent several hours pulling off parts while poking the bike with a screwdriver-- when the driver hit that bushing, the noise stopped! Pulled it off, and it was rusted and squeaky (there's a little part that is supposed to rotate a bit). Large amounts of PB Blaster, some sandpaper, and a huge nasty blob of axle grease, and the part's back on and the noise is gone! Like I said, I'm just excited, this noise has been progressively getting worse for like 6 months, and I couldn't fix it. I'm going riding now. Yay

Yar. If you have a bike, a 'stang, and a guitar, all you have to do to get girls is learn to feign confidence and bathe on a fairly regular basis. Also, keep your car and apartment reasonably clean. Not the bike- a clean bike tells people you don't ride enough.

I agree- I play most of everything, but I spent several years as the bassist in a metal band. I speak from experience. There's a reason I prefer to play lead now.

I know that my Shadow vibrates all over the place, but it normally doesn't bother me too much-- the rubber mounts on everything mean it just feels like power, but doesn't make your hands numb. My mirrors are normally useless above 50 miles per hour or just below the shift point, though, because they shake so hard. In my experience, more horsepower (and better pipes) both tend to give a more-noticeable vibration anyway. If you're getting a lot of noise and vibration you don't think is normal, it might be better to start checking your mountings and bushings and such to see if there's something loose/ worn that is transferring more vibration than it should.

In my experience, the minute you quit caring and start ignoring them is normally the moment they randomly start asking you out. Seriously- I went out to a bar with the guys to have some drinks and celebrate the fact that we'd all ended up single at the same time (your typical "Fuggit, they're all evil anyway, let's get drunk!" night). In the middle of our inebriated misogynistic ranting, this chick walks right up and starts talking to me. Somehow or other I ended up marrying her. I think it has to do with the fact that most attractive women are used to being pursued constantly. When they see a guy who just looks calm and collected, and isn't chasing them, half the time they'll get curious enough to start a conversation themselves, just to see what you're about. From that point, the trick is just to smile, ask questions that let her keep talking, and try not to let your big mouth ruin it. Of course, failing that, just start a band. Don't be the bassist.

I didn't think it was that crowded. Of course, since I didn't actually know anyone (let alone who was from the forum and who wasn't) my old lady and I just ate a burger, drank a beer, and sat on the bench watching the band for a while, so we were kind of off to the side anyway. I totally dug that orange bike (Boss Hoss or some such) with the v8 in it. That was nice.

It's the most bizarre high-pitched chirping noise. Kind of sounds like the "belt squeak" you get in cars sometimes. Only heard at mid-high rpms, only when the engine's warm. Matches in frequency with the engine's vibrations, but bumps can make it pause. It occurs regardless of what gear it's in and in neutral. Engine performance (acceleration, throttle response, idle, etc) appears to be unaffected. At one point we were able to make it stop by prying out on the lower pipe with a screwdriver, but couldn't find any good reason for this. We were also able to change the noise by grabbing various sections of the engine and pipes with a towel while it was running. This led me to think it was a vibration-related noise, so I set about torquing every damned bolt/ nut I could find. Changed the exhaust gaskets too, for good measure. Still had the noise. Hoping to make the problem magically solve itself, I changed the pipes, and the noise is still there. So, at this point, my plan is this: If I can't find anyone who knows what the noise is, I'm just going to ride it till whatever's causing the noise breaks, and then I'll know what to fix. Grrrrrrrrrrr

I'm curious about the actual law-enforcement policies on motorcycle exhausts? Anyone who knows more than one biker has heard more than three different "rules" about it (ie, "As long has he can stick the baton in there and it hits somethin', it's fine!"), but it'd be nice to hear what an actual officer thinks.

People like this guy are the reason I generally dislike people. Foul shit.

Ah, cool cool. I'll probably toddle on over there after the girl gets off work at 6.

I'll be there. You'll hear my sickly defective bike yowling and squeaking about 10 minutes before I arrive. Incidentally, what time to people normally show up?

I'm all for letting this particular beaten horse stay dead, but I did want to clarify in regards to what you underlined-- what I was trying to say (admittedly not in the clearest phrasing) was that, for black Americans, there isn't really any other way to refer to us (at least when we're talking about ethnic or "group" identity). I'm not African-American- I was born in Ohio. I can't say I'm (insert country)-American, because there aren't good records. When I say black American, most people know exactly what I mean-- my ancestors (at least on my father's side) were slaves, my grandparents (and my father, when he was younger) lived under Jim Crow. When I speak of family history, of my heritage and the experiences that make it what it is, black American is generally the clearest way to describe it. Virtually all black people whose families have been here since slavery fit that same description. The same description doesn't work the same with the term white American- it could be referring to a direct descendant of the Roanoke colonists or a second-generation German immigrant like my wife, with only 40-ish years of family history in this country. For that reason, and since national origins are typically easier to find and identify for white Americans, that term is simply too broad to be used in the same way as black American. Thus, when it is used, it's generally being used by someone who's speaking from some form of an "us against them" position, rather than as any accurate acknowledgement of a proud heritage, family tradition, or ethnic hardship, which could be applied to any number of European countries and their American descendants individually. If that makes any sense.

Sounds like a plan. Given that I live less than 2 miles from the wings n rings place on Broad (I think I saw that people were trying to put a bike night together there) I don't have a very good excuse for not showing up there.