Andrew Hale: IT Talk & Other Topics

I shared fake news yesterday. There. I admit it. I shared the latest fan renderings of the upcoming Jeep Wrangler pickup, which were presented in such a way that made it sound like it was the official design released by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, or FCA, Jeep's parent company. Like many times before it and many times after, this was just a couple renderings of what fans of the Wrangler believe the new small-pickup will look like. My shared content sparked a discussion among friends over two things. 1) Critique of the design and 2) Relevance of fan renderings. I'd like to discuss these two things.

Even though I know I'm at least a couple years from seriously buying a new bike, I'm still always shopping. With the internet as my primary shopping tool, I find myself boiling bikes down to the numbers. On paper, Bonnies, Sportsters and others aren't terribly impressive. However, in their day they were fast as hell. Now, we've got street-legal machines that can do 0 to speeding ticket in a few seconds. The dealers might as well take the license plate brackets off and throw in free tire warmers because these new machines are designed with the nearest track in mind.

There's a dividing belief in the motorcycle community over the saying "Loud Pipes Save Lives". A lot of riders, primarily on cruisers are all for loud pipes while many, both riders and non-riders, just find it annoying. I'm for loud pipes for reasons of safety and for enjoyment. First, let's talk about hybrids.

Despite the faults I can find with my VLX 600 (the runt of Honda Shadow line-up), I still love it. It's great for around-town riding, comfortable, and doesn't look terrible from the factory either. However, my two primary complaints about it are the lack of overall power (I can't say at what RPM power starts dropping since it doesn't have a tach), and the sound. I could even live with the power it has stock but it's way too quiet. With stock pipes, the VLX sounds like a really awesome sewing machine. To top it off, the bike sat for the better part of 2 years before I bought it. The previous owner said that he started it up every now and again and it seems to run alright, but low-end throttle response is choppy at best. It also took longer than average to warm up and seemed to show symptoms of running bit lean. With that, my goal is to make the shadow run better, get a bit more power and overall, just give it some balls.

So, you want a motorcycle? Got the need for speed? Maybe you just wanna cruise and feel a bit of wind in your face , right? Whatever your reason(s) may be for wanting to get your two-wheeled beast of your choice, there are plenty of differences between bikes and cars. According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the primary differences between cars and motorcycles are stability and vulnerability. In the real-world, there's a few other differences worth noting.

If you're reading this, you've already probably bought your first motorcycle and are looking to upgrade. That, or, you're my grandma. (Yes Grandma, I'm fine and I've been taking care of my self. I love you too.) But this article is geared towards riders, not Grandma. She hates the idea of her baby riding on a motorcycle anyway. Back to the topic, so you're looking for your second motorcycle, eh? Well, it's very different then buying your first. It's harder in some respects and easier in others. Read-on.

Let me start by saying that I'm a new rider (to motorcycles that is). I got my license in February of '12 and bought my first bike the following March. Needless to say, it was the single greatest decision of my life. There's nothing like the exhilaration a motorcycle provides. The bike I bought was an '03 Honda Shadow VLX 600. I knew that it was a good beginner bike and due to being tall, the cruiser position was much more comfortable than any of the "beginner" sport bikes I sat on. Well, after only a few months of owning it, I've learned that "beginner" is marketing for "slow". I want something faster. During my initial butt-testing of motorcycles at the 2 dealers that reside in our town, I found that I loved nearly every Triumph a swung a leg over. The Street Triple particularly called out to me. I recently got to take the Street Triple and the Bonneville out for test rides and thought I'd blab about my initial impressions.