# How is riding a crazy ass motorcycle like this on the road legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 7, 2011, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149 "2011-11-07T07:20:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/21 "2011-11-07T19:57:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I always get a laugh when I see a rumble of motorcycles go by. All those tough, rugged individualists all dressed alike, riding from bar to bar to drink and then drive. Then on Monday, it’s back to the coat and tie and selling insurance again. What a joke. Eh, some of them. But others do walk the walk. For some it’s a hobby, for others it’s a life. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/22 "2011-11-07T20:22:33Z")
> [@Bambro](#): > > I do it because it annoys the shit out of you. You are a terrible human being. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/23 "2011-11-07T21:03:13Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > I’m willing to wager there is a higher percentage of mechanically inclined Harley owners vs conventional bike owners, if for no other reason than the vigilance that must be paid to the firing system. There is a tendency for carbon build-up on the spark plugs and riders are frequently familiar with the process of cleaning and re-gapping fouled plugs and/or ensuring the timing is correct. I suppose that may be true. I still believe there are many thousands if V-twin riders that know nothing about how their engine works and just send it to the shop when it stops working. And there is a bit of a gap (heh) between where it is out of tune and where it stops working. It would seem to me carbon buildup on the plugs is an indication that sometyhing is off. If you are just cleaning and re-gapping the plug you are riding an out of tune machine as suggested above. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/24 "2011-11-07T22:24:59Z")
The problem will resolve itself in time. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/25 "2011-11-08T00:36:21Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > The sign in the background gives directions to the Missouri Department of Transportation District Office. The brief description your link provides about Missouri’s handlebar laws is “Maximum of 15” above seat - Required by inspection regulations." > > So, the bike appears to be in violation. Not disputing any of this, but as a Missouri resident I gotta tell y’all I see a lot of ape-hangers that are well in excess of the 15" regulation. So it appears the regs are not well-enforced. I’ve never seen something as extreme as the OP’s photos. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/26 "2011-11-08T02:14:49Z")
We were on a driving vacation in the western U.S. a few summers ago, and came to the realization that the big [Sturgis rally](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgis_Motorcycle_Rally) was about to start when we saw lots and lots of bikes on the highway, heading in that direction. On two separate occasions, we saw guys pulled over by state troopers (this would probably have been in Idaho or Wyoming) with serious ape-hanger handlebars; we were guessing that they were getting ticketed for violating those laws. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/27 "2011-11-08T03:59:44Z")
In answer to the OP’s question, it _ **AIN’T** _ legal. And you’re absolutely correct **Astro** , a rider has almost _ **no** _ (serious) _ **control** _ over their bike, with handlebars like those. > [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > You really don’t use the handle bars much at all to control a motorcycle… Even if you tried _ **really hard** _, you couldn’t be _ **more wrong** _! > [@Bambro](#): > > I do it because it annoys the shit out of you. _ **+1!** _ > [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Eh, some of them. But others do walk the walk. For some it’s a hobby, for others it’s a life. Ride to live. Live to ride! If I have to explain it to you, you’ll never understand. > [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](#): > > You are a terrible human being. **_DILLIGAF_!** \* \*Do I Look Like I Give A Fuck? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/28 "2011-11-08T04:29:21Z")
it takes up so much space, adds absolutely nothing to the discussion and is essentially a blatant cry for attention. then on the other hand we have these ape-hangers… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/29 "2011-11-08T04:50:12Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I used to live down the street from a biker bar, and two or three times a week they’d all drive by my house in a pack like girls at the mall, all blasting their pipes and rattling the windows. This was at noon when I was trying to sleep. I wanted to murder them all after a few months. This is a pet peeve of mine. Why did you move next to a place that is objectional to you and then complain? Why do people move next to ranches and then complain that cow or pigs stink? I’ve never gotten that. > [@Princhester](#): > > Plus your arms would be hurtin’ like _fuck_, man. The people I know who have ape hangers ride them because their arms/back/hips hurt if they ride for any length of time. I don’t know anyone who would be so crazy as to ride like that. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/30 "2011-11-08T06:14:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > We were on a driving vacation in the western U.S. a few summers ago, and came to the realization that the big [Sturgis rally](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgis_Motorcycle_Rally) was about to start when we saw lots and lots of bikes on the highway, heading in that direction. On two separate occasions, we saw guys pulled over by state troopers (this would probably have been in Idaho or Wyoming) with serious ape-hanger handlebars; we were guessing that they were getting ticketed for violating those laws. On I-90 eastbound, just after entering South Dakota, there are road signs listing a bunch of the more important motorcycle laws, one of which is “Handlebars must be below shoulder height”. For people who travel between states in “unusual” vehicles, it is important to understand vehicle reciprocity. As a simple example, if you register a private passenger vehicle in a state that doesn’t require a front plate, you can’t be cited (well, successfully, at least\*) for not having a front plate by another state. Requirements among the various states differ greatly. There are some states that would probably let you register a bathtub on a skateboard. I know of at least one that doesn’t require a headlight (though if fitted it must be operable). - You won’t get anywhere arguing with the officer about it. If you can’t politely convince him in the first minute, the best thing to do is just take the ticket and contest it through channels later on. I’ve been successful by saying “It’s got a plate” when asked “Is that legal?”. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/31 "2011-11-08T07:03:29Z")
That has to be the most ridiculous image I have seen all day. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/32 "2011-11-08T07:19:56Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > That has to be the most ridiculous image I have seen all day. [SFW](http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltump8EBTq1qzujsgo1_500.gif). ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/33 "2011-11-08T07:30:34Z")
> [@scootergirl](#): > > That has to be the most ridiculous image I have seen all day. > [@drastic\_quench](#): > > [SFW](http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltump8EBTq1qzujsgo1_500.gif). Ok fine, I take it back. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/34 "2011-11-08T16:13:54Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > It would seem to me carbon buildup on the plugs is an indication that sometyhing is off. If you are just cleaning and re-gapping the plug you are riding an out of tune machine as suggested above. Not really. Did you read the short HowStuffWorks article I linked to? The long lope and the popping sounds you hear when the motor is idling and accelerating are not because the motor is out of tune; it is due to the configuration of the engine. An out of tune Harley stalls, and I doubt you or the OP are complaining about a stalled (quiet) Hog. There are advantages and disadvantages to each combustion engine that we use today. Ever own a weed-wacker? Chainsaw? Dirt bike? Or any other machine employing a light weight two-stroke motor which requires a mix of fuel and oil in order to run properly? Notice the copius amounts of blue smoke coming out of back of the machine? That isn’t because it isn’t “properly tuned up” or because the wrong motor was chosen. It is a consequence of choosing a powerful but light-weight engine. I am not nor do I ever expect to be a Harley owner. But those who do choose a bike based on the distinctive sound of the exhaust note, the feel of the loping engine, and the impressive torque accept a couple of negative side effects of the V-twin character: the heavy, low-frequency vibrations tend to rattle the frame and the pieced together components of the motor. Screws tend to back out of the frame and motor, which requires more frequent checks and maintenance. When this happens inside the carb, the timing can be thrown off. Inside a fuel injected bike: the gas to air ratio can drift. And this is no different than in a high-horsepower muscle car. Get it? It’s like the choice between the quiet, 232 horsepower low-maintenance rotary motor in the 2011 Mazda RX8 and the rumbling 220 hp high maintenance 8 cylinder 283 motor in the '67 Chevy II. Both will get you somewhere quickly, but the character of the drive (and the driver) are completely different. None of this changes the fact that ape-hangers above legal height are a road hazard, and that pipes tuned to exceed legally acceptable sound ordinances are a nuisance. But there is no reason you can’t Google “Harley motor” to determine why some bonehead drives a vehicle that sounds (to you) as though it is out of tune. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/35 "2011-11-08T17:01:51Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > In answer to the OP’s question, it _ **AIN’T** _ legal. > And you’re absolutely correct **Astro** , a rider has almost _ **no** _ (serious) _ **control** _ over their bike, with handlebars like those. > > Even if you tried _ **really hard** _, you couldn’t be _ **more wrong** _! > > _ **+1!** _ > > Ride to live. Live to ride! If I have to explain it to you, you’ll never understand. > > **_DILLIGAF_!** \* > > \*Do I Look Like I Give A Fuck? 😃 Kevin Bloody Wilson song and a biker - Live Fast Die Handsome Bud… ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/36 "2011-11-09T05:20:30Z")
Plus, everyone behind that guy has to smell his pits. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/37 "2011-11-09T15:09:31Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > Not really. Did you read the short HowStuffWorks article I linked to? The long lope and the popping sounds you hear when the motor is idling and accelerating are not because the motor is out of tune; it is due to the configuration of the engine. No, because I already know how a Harley works. Checking the link… yep pretty much what I already knew. > [@Troppus](#): > > An out of tune Harley stalls, and I doubt you or the OP are complaining about a stalled (quiet) Hog. I’m not compliaining about anything. I was just pointing out what I think are errors or misconceptions in what you and \*\*Death of Rats \*\* posted. I don’t know how out of tune a Harley can be before it stops running so I will defer to your expertise that as soon as it is out of tune at all it will immediately stop running. > [@Troppus](#): > > There are advantages and disadvantages to each combustion engine that we use today. Ever own a weed-wacker? Chainsaw? Dirt bike? Or any other machine employing a light weight two-stroke motor which requires a mix of fuel and oil in order to run properly? Notice the copius amounts of blue smoke coming out of back of the machine? That isn’t because it isn’t “properly tuned up” or because the wrong motor was chosen. It is a consequence of choosing a powerful but light-weight engine. The copius amounts of smoke coming out of a two-stroke motor is from burning the oil you mention that needs to be mixed with the gas. Unless Harley has come out with a new model that I’m not aware of I’m pretty sure we are talking about four-stroke engines so this doesn’t really have anything to do with the subject at hand. > [@Troppus](#): > > I am not nor do I ever expect to be a Harley owner. But those who do choose a bike based on the distinctive sound of the exhaust note, the feel of the loping engine, and the impressive torque … I suppose I don’t know know the inner thoughts of most of the people that ride Harleys but, from the outside anyway, it seems most of them ride them because Harleys are cool and they aren’t those rice burning pieces of shit. (channeling what I think the thought process is, not my thought process) > [@Troppus](#): > > …accept a couple of negative side effects of the V-twin character: the heavy, low-frequency vibrations tend to rattle the frame and the pieced together components of the motor. Screws tend to back out of the frame and motor, which requires more frequent checks and maintenance. When this happens inside the carb, the timing can be thrown off. Inside a fuel injected bike: the gas to air ratio can drift. And this is no different than in a high-horsepower muscle car. > > Get it? It’s like the choice between the quiet, 232 horsepower low-maintenance rotary motor in the 2011 Mazda RX8 and the rumbling 220 hp high maintenance 8 cylinder 283 motor in the '67 Chevy II. Both will get you somewhere quickly, but the character of the drive (and the driver) are completely different. Not bragging (well actually I am a little bit) but since I ride a [76 Triumph Bonneville](http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr295/justmagnus/?action=view¤t=IMG_1979.jpg) (vertical twin) my brother and I restored I’m well aware of how vibration can affect screws. I’m also aware that if the fuel mixture is rich enough to foul your plugs cleaning and re-gapping the plugs will do nothing to correct the fuel mixture. > [@Troppus](#): > > …None of this changes the fact that ape-hangers above legal height are a road hazard, and that pipes tuned to exceed legally acceptable sound ordinances are a nuisance. But there is no reason you can’t Google “Harley motor” to determine why some bonehead drives a vehicle that sounds (to you) as though it is out of tune. I don’t need to google anything to determine why some “bonehead” drives a Harley. I don’t have any problems with people that drive a Harley. You seem to have a problem believing that a fair percentage of them don’t know how to work on theier motors and that some percentage of them are too lazy or just don’t care enough to bring them into the shop when they are out of tune but before they completely stop. Although, according to you, as soon as a Harley is out of tune at all it will immediatel stop so that window is pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/38 "2011-11-09T16:42:17Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I hate those loud annoying piece of shit motorcycles. Why someone has to be such an attention whore they have to announce to the nearest two blocks they’re driving a motorcycle so shitty it’s not even tuned up I’ll never know. Oh sorry, “Loud pipes save lives” they say. False. Loud pipes are irritating as shit. > > I used to live down the street from a biker bar, and two or three times a week they’d all drive by my house in a pack like girls at the mall, all blasting their pipes and rattling the windows. This was at noon when I was trying to sleep. I wanted to murder them all after a few months. The theory is “loud pipes save lives” and the people who practice it can pull out studies that look to show its true. Make enough noise and you don’t have people cutting you off or “not seeing you”. My pipes all run the range from “louder stock” to “slightly louder than stock”. I do indeed want to make enough noise that if I’m in your blind spot you can hear me even if you can’t see me. I DO NOT and will not make enough noise that my neighbors (I live in the inner city) know my schedule. > [@Lemur866](#): > > That’s an “art bike”. While it’s drivable, it’s meant to be shown off, not actually ridden. Yes, there’s a picture of him riding it on the freeway. He probably did that for five minutes. We used to call them Trailer-Queens. Now we call them OCC Specials. I dug around trying to find a picture but couldn’t. I did a pair for a guy that were that tall and made out of chain welded to be stiff and a matching sissy bar that was 6 feet tall from the line of the frame. For a motor he used a small V-8. The bike got like 50 miles a year on it but the dude paid cash for the work and funded a lot of my riding. > [@Troppus](#): > > I’m willing to wager there is a higher percentage of mechanically inclined Harley owners vs conventional bike owners, if for no other reason than the vigilance that must be paid to the firing system. There is a tendency for carbon build-up on the spark plugs and riders are frequently familiar with the process of cleaning and re-gapping fouled plugs and/or ensuring the timing is correct. Shovelhead riders yes, not so much so on the newer motors. I think we still have a lead as mechanics but thats more to our habit of bagging (dressing out our rides with a bag or two of aftermarket goodies carried home or ripping stuff off at home and having it dressed up) than it is plugs. > [@Troppus](#): > > I am not nor do I ever expect to be a Harley owner. But those who do choose a bike based on the distinctive sound of the exhaust note, the feel of the loping engine, and the impressive torque accept a couple of negative side effects You were right to that point and from there I have to disagree a bit. I have owned and ridden Harleys since 1968 - my current stable is a 1966, a 1994 sort of and a 04. Had some others now and then but my main ride was almost always a Harley. V-twin motors do not HAVE to shake themselves apart. I throw in the Yamaha Virago series as well as the newer Harleys as evidence of that That being said I will disagree with **justrob** a bit and say that Harley owners are more likely to be mechanically inclined and more inclined to work on their own scoots than any other brand. Its an odd cultural thing that goes with the brand like HOG and leather. Most dealerships even offer training so that you can replace your own worn cables and flip a tire if you have to. Want a percentage? I would SWAG it at about 75% able to do basic motor work given the manual for their model. But that is going down and I expect it to continue to fall until we’re about the same as everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/39 "2011-11-10T14:34:07Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Shovelhead riders yes, not so much so on the newer motors. I think we still have a lead as mechanics but thats more to our habit of bagging (dressing out our rides with a bag or two of aftermarket goodies carried home or ripping stuff off at home and having it dressed up) than it is plugs. > … > That being said I will disagree with **justrob** a bit and say that Harley owners are more likely to be mechanically inclined and more inclined to work on their own scoots than any other brand. Its an odd cultural thing that goes with the brand like HOG and leather. Most dealerships even offer training so that you can replace your own worn cables and flip a tire if you have to. Want a percentage? I would SWAG it at about 75% able to do basic motor work given the manual for their model. But that is going down and I expect it to continue to fall until we’re about the same as everyone else. I suppose I can concede that although I wouldn’t agree that “dressing out our rides” with bolt on accessories translates to being able to do basic motor work. Even if 75% of Harley owners can do basic motor work that would still leave thousands of riders who can’t which is a not small number. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149/40 "2011-11-10T15:28:19Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > Not bragging (well actually I am a little bit) but since I ride a [76 Triumph Bonneville](http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr295/justmagnus/?action=view¤t=IMG_1979.jpg) (vertical twin) my brother and I restored I’m well aware of how vibration can affect screws. I like the bike. That bike is from an era when bikes were bikes and men were…Jesus? This thread makes me want to take the baffles off the VTX. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-riding-a-crazy-ass-motorcycle-like-this-on-the-road-legal/602149.md?page=3)