1 hour ago
(This post was last modified: 1 hour ago by Gone in 60.)
Following up on the weird circumstance of having a baffle blow out of my Enfield's left muffler right after I was admonished that the bike was too quiet by a shoe repair man in Irvine, I pulled the other baffle and decided to ride for a while without them. (Great work, by the way. Exquisite replacement of a zipper on my Tourmaster boot. If you need shoe repairs in OC, he's off the 5, south on Culver in the big shopping center). I also wanted to put a few miles on my newly traded touring seat to see how it felt. So far, I had only logged a few runs to Trader Joe's with it.
For reference, these are AEW brand mufflers, a popular aftermarket choice made in India for the Interceptor and Continental 650. Beautifully made and were only about $350 shipped early last year.
I took a casual "no destination in mind" ride yesterday evening after the heat of the day waned a bit to see if I'd want to leave out the new baffles when they arrive. The first thing I noticed, just two miles from home, was a 2013 CB1100 coming the other way out of Santiago Canyon. Seeing another CB is really an occasion, isn't it? No idea who owns it.
I proceeded through Santiago Canyon, past Cook's Corner, the local biker bar. A few blocks past it, a wizened, grey-bearded Harley guy pulled up next to me at a light. He was wearing the most amazing WW1-style goggles. Pointed at my bike and gave a thumbs-up. We rode together for a few blocks, till traffic thickened, and I slid through a gaggle of cars waiting at a light while he held back, limited by the width of his machine.
At cruising speed, the staccato of the mufflers is definitely present, but not droning or bothersome. I enjoyed a ride up the coast through Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar before swinging back up to home, skirting the Newport Back Bay hiking trail. There has been a much-appreciated effort to curb annoyingly loud cars and motorcycles in this area, and I didn't seem to raise any eyebrows. Coming up our street, Mrs. was on the front porch gardening. As I parked, she shrugged and said it wasn't loud enough to be bothersome.
Guess I'll leave them alone for a while.
For reference, these are AEW brand mufflers, a popular aftermarket choice made in India for the Interceptor and Continental 650. Beautifully made and were only about $350 shipped early last year.
I took a casual "no destination in mind" ride yesterday evening after the heat of the day waned a bit to see if I'd want to leave out the new baffles when they arrive. The first thing I noticed, just two miles from home, was a 2013 CB1100 coming the other way out of Santiago Canyon. Seeing another CB is really an occasion, isn't it? No idea who owns it.
I proceeded through Santiago Canyon, past Cook's Corner, the local biker bar. A few blocks past it, a wizened, grey-bearded Harley guy pulled up next to me at a light. He was wearing the most amazing WW1-style goggles. Pointed at my bike and gave a thumbs-up. We rode together for a few blocks, till traffic thickened, and I slid through a gaggle of cars waiting at a light while he held back, limited by the width of his machine.
At cruising speed, the staccato of the mufflers is definitely present, but not droning or bothersome. I enjoyed a ride up the coast through Laguna Beach and Corona del Mar before swinging back up to home, skirting the Newport Back Bay hiking trail. There has been a much-appreciated effort to curb annoyingly loud cars and motorcycles in this area, and I didn't seem to raise any eyebrows. Coming up our street, Mrs. was on the front porch gardening. As I parked, she shrugged and said it wasn't loud enough to be bothersome.
Guess I'll leave them alone for a while.
You know what? I actually would like a pickle.