I fail to see how ape-hangers could be comfortable...

[blues2cruise]

I guess what made it so funny, was that he kept revving that thing so loud, over and over and it sounded like it wanted to stall..and then it did.

Are you sure you aren't laughing at someone who was struggling with a mechanical problem?

A couple of weeks ago I had a hose (part of the fuel injection) break on my car. The thing stopped idling... at speed it was fine, but if I took my foot off the gas it would just die. That by itself is no problem... I ordered a replacement hose and I can heel/toe the brake and throttle with my right foot well enough that nobody could know that I was keeping the engine running... except one day I had to wear boots. With those #$@#$ above-ankle boots I could barely modulate the throttle... so every time I came up to a stop light I was revving the engine up to 2000, letting it drop, then revving it back up, and so on... I'm sure some people thought I was trying to show off, but the truth is I was just dealing with a mechanical problem.

People are very quick to assume.

In this particular case, I think it was because he has the idle set too low. You had to be there to know it was not a mechanical problem.
You are right, though, that often people do judge.

[camthepyro]

Ummmm..... no. Maybe in a car with an extremely forgiving transmission, but I've never driven a manual that forgiving. You can stall in any gear if you let out the clutch to quickly, without applying enough gas. And either way, when I said he stalled going from 1st-2nd, that was just an assumption, based on his speed. It's possible he was still letting out the clutch into 1st, and was almost all the way out when he stalled. But from 1st-2nd makes more sense. I'm not sure how easily bikes stall, but try putting the bike in first, then get up to some really low speed, like 5-10mph, and switch into 2nd without giving it much gas. If it acts the same way as a car, it will stall.

[dieziege]

He probably hit 4th instead of 2nd... it's a common mistake to make (easier if the shift linkage is maladjusted)...

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The engine is still running but WAY off the power band so no accelleration.

Once a normal (road) car is rolling, you should never slip the clutch. I always slam and drop the clutch (move the pedal as fast as I can in either direction)... but I always match engine/transmission revs (either double clutching or just using the throttle) too so there is no lurch and no wear on the clutch. If you don't match revs, the car will jerk and in extreme cases you can break things (I know someone who broke a clutch pressure plate doing that) but the engine won't actually stall...though if you short shift from 1st to 4th you might as well have stalled.

[NorthernPete]

Id still laugh at him...because I know, if I stall out, be it mechanical or my own fault, people will be laughing at me...

[Myself002]

embarrassing mistakes happen in all vehicles not just cars... or motorcycles...

[NorthernPete]

they are funnier on bikes then cars usually...cause then people fall down....

[Myself002]

even better with boats..

[NorthernPete]

ohhhh..cause then they fall down and get wet! agreed!

[earwig]

Hey Sev... having 2 headlights is great for redundancy... and my bike has a flasher on it so I can hit it and both come on and the other is super bright so I can get cagers attention real fast. I am guessing you are trying to start with me because I said ape hangers are mentally challenged right? Well, find me a bike that comes with the big stupid ape hangers from the factory, and show me a useful reason for having them on a bike. And... you said "I cannot understand why anyone would put those on their bike"... I didn't put them on my bike... it came that way.

[Mintbread]

I think headlights like this:



look awful and mentally challenged. I cannot understand why anyone would put those on their bike.

Besides, one is for high bear and the other is for low. So when you're riding around with just the low beams on the bike looks stick-eyed.

I personally think one giant saucepan type headlight looks even more mentally challenged. I dare say it is a throwback to the early days when they just shoved a car headlight on there so they could see where they were going. Function over style indeed.

Regarding the high/low issue, I run dual filament globes in both headlights so they are both always on and they both get very bright together, keeping the symetry. Plus if one bulb blows I can still get around with the other till I pick up a new globe. Sheer genius!