#Honda Shadow 750

[motocrunch]

[el-osario]

[rogueartistjyn]

Trying to find a gas leak on my motorcycle. Looks like I'm going to have to disassemble the petcock & probably rebuild the carb just to make sure. I am very sad when my metal horse gets sick. Any motorcycle mutuals?

[thetkconspiracy]

What was your first motorcycle?

What was your first street bike?

I rode a bunch of dirt bikes as a kid but the very first motorcycle that was ever mine was a 1971 CB350 that my dad actually has now. Then I got an ‘01 Shadow 750 which is now with my mom as her first street bike. But before that, when I still had both those Hondas, I also got a super custom ‘78 KZ650 that I LOVED. Buuuut life happens and I sold all 3 and was supposed to inherit my dads ‘74 Z1000 (it was the original 900 but he blew that motor up in the 70s or 80s and put a 1000 in it) that I literally grew up on the back of but he never got it running 100% and ya girl couldn’t not have a bike so along came my lovely little triumph that I’ve had ever since ❤️

[gaphic]

maybe this is a weird question but you're the first person I can think of for a not-cis-man motorcyclist: what kind of bike is your starter bike? do you have an opinion on how heavy a starter bike should be? I'm looking at a Honda Shadow Aero 745cc (or practically any cruiser) for my first bike but my dad INSISTS (most likely because I'm afab) that it's WAY too heavy For Me Personally despite being considered a good starter bike and I'd prefer an opinion from someone who's Not A Cis Man

EEEEEEE THANK YOU FOR ASKING! I'm so glad you thought of me c: <3

I DO have an opinion, and it's this: you should be able to pick up your starter bike twice in a row without injury. Why? Because you're going to drop it! And if you're really learning, you're probably going to drop it a lot. You need to be able to pick up your bike quickly and confidently, even if it's on your bad side, in an awkward place, and your hands and knees are bruised, otherwise you are extremely likely to find yourself in a lot of trouble.

My beloved Yamaha XT250 weighs a fairylike 291 pounds, which I can pick up 3 times in a row if need be.

Now, for contrast, a quick google search indicates that a Honda Shadow Aero 750 weighs 560 pounds. That's more more than a CBR600RR (my long-term goal bike) WITH me on top, in full gear, after a heavy dinner! Even with the considerably less 'tippy' geometry of a cruiser, that's very heavy.

I also just generally don't trust anyone who calls anything over 400cc a 'starter bike.' 750 is a HUGE engine that absolutely no beginner needs, and learning on something so heavy, powerful, and un-maneuverable (not to mention expensive) won't do you any favors with developing the skills and good habits that could save your life down the line. That's one thing for a retiree, but for anyone else? I don't consider it a good idea

Unfortunately I don't know much about cruisers, so I can't give you much more than that, but you might wanna look into a Royal Enfield Classic 350! They're gorgeous, good quality, and at $4,699 MSRP there literally is no better value for money on the market right now

[can-i-make-image-descriptions]

[Image ID: Series of tweets from Shane Morris (@/ IAmShaneMorris) on 21 May 19 reading: Y'all wanna hear a story about the time I accidentally transported a brick of heroin from Los Angeles to Seattle? I bet. Alright, let's do this... (a thread)

I was living in Newport Beach, California, kinda just -- trying to figure life out. My buddy Tyler calls e up out of the clear blue, and he's like, "Hey dude, you wanna do the most epic road trip ever?"

I'm like, "Sure."

At the time, Tyler was a boat mechanic in South Florida, so I fly down to Miami, and I end up staying with one of his coworkers for a few days, until I can buy a Honda Shadow 750 for like $2,700. (He already had one, so I got a matching bike so we could share spare parts.)

From Miami, we set off across the United States, staying at the kind of motels along the way you see on movies like No Country For Old Men. If you're going to ride across the United States on a motorcycle, do it on two lane roads. It's worth it.

We end up swinging down through Mexico, and this isn't really important to the story, but we pulled over to rest in the middle of the desert, and these wild horses walked up to us, and were actually like... oddly friendly. They let us pet them. It was super cool. Anyway...

After like 10 days, we made it back into Southern California. He had an uncle in Temecula, and my ex was in Newport Beach, so we both rested for a few days. Riding a bike across the country takes a toll of your body. So we decided to switch it up.

We decided to sell our bikes, and buy a 1979 Dodge Ram van. I want to say we paid like $600 each for it -- $1200 all in. It needed a little work, but the important part was it was all easy stuff. We named the van Cassandra, and wrote our names on the door.

Picture of two people standing in front of a van. Picture of two people sitting on the curb next to a van.

The plan was easy: We'll drive up the Pacific Coast highway, and camp all along the way. We took the middle seats out of the van, so we could sleep in it at night incase it was raining. Then we went to REI to get hammocks for hammock camping.

On our way up, we stopped in Santa Barbara, and picked up my sister. At the time, she was in school at UCSB, and she was planning on flying home to the Bay Area to see our dad, so I was like, "Just come camping on the beach with us." So she did.

2 people standing on the beach.

Driving north, we made it so pretty cool spots, like Bixby Canyon Bridge. All along the way, we're letting anyone who meets us write their name on the van and take a picture. It was... fucking awesome.

Picture of a person sitting on a bridge. Picture of 2 people standing on the edge of a cliff next to the van.

Around Big Sir, our van had its first problem. The rear drum brakes were making awful noises, and locked up. I ended up buying a set of Craftsman tools, end then I did a brake job in the parking lot of a Wal Mart.

While I was there, I was like, "I'm gonna do a few other things." When I got the van, I changed the oil, and... that's it. (I know I should have done more of a tune up, but honestly, the van was running fine. The interior was even pretty nice.)

On these old Dodge vans, the engine access is inside the car, in between the driver and the passenger. I hadn't even lifted it up when I bough it. (I'm an idiot. I know.) So, I decided to change the spark plugs, the fuel filter, and the air filter. I'm So glad I did.

I opened up the engine cover, and sitting right on top of the engine was like, grass, straw and little bits of carpet. A mouse had made a home, right there on top of the engine block. I'm lucky it hadn't started a fire. So I cleared everything out, and changed the plugs/filter.

I remember yelling at Tyler, because he was the one who poured the oil in, and I was like, "How the fuck did you not notice there was a fucking rat's nest on top of the fucking engine block when you were pouring in the oil?!" And he was like, "It's an old car." LOL. WTF.

So anyway, we drive up into Oakland, and meet up with my friends there. We stayed at their house overnight, smoked weed, ate a meal, and chilled out. Then, we set off for Mt. Shasta, and Lake Shasta. (It's a really beautiful lake.)

Picture of a group of people standing in front of the van.

We camp at Mt. Shasta. It's beautiful. The lake was really low, but the water felt great. (Not really critical to the story, but go if you ever get the chance.)

Picture of two people around a campfire. Picture of a bridge.

Finally, we get up into Oregon, into the Cascades, and head into Washington. The whole time, we're hiking, camping, spending time in nature... it's really just one of the coolest experiences of my life. (Not sure what summit this was.)

So, here's the thing about old cars with carburetors - you needs to adjust them for altitude. An ideal fuel ratio at sea level is called stoichiometric -- which means 14.7 parts air, to 1 part fuel. As you gain altitude, you need to lean out your carb jets.

Mount Jefferson is something like 10,000 feet, so as we're driving up, probably around 6,000-7,000 feet, the van starts running way too rich. It was obvious. So... I was like, "Tyler, pull over. I'm gonna lean out these jets."

One a single barrel carb, you're only dealing with a few screws and springs, and basically.. you just kinda guess at it. (LOL.) So, I'm just listening to the engine, and then I would reach over and tap the gas pedal to see how it sounded.

So, Tyler steps out of the van, and I'm hunched over the engine, just twisting on the screws, and I hit the gas, and Tyler is like. "Holy Shit!" At first, I'm like, "Oh my God, something is on fire." So I pop up, and look around and I'm like, "What?"

Tyler, is like "What the fuck is that? I look down at the carb, and I'm like... "I dunno? Which part are you looking at? Does something look broken?" He's like, "No Dude! Look On The Cover!"

I look to my left, on the underside of the engine cover, and there's what appears to be a brick of aluminum foil, and it's taped up with aluminum tape that clamshell cover. Immediately, I'm like, "Oh shit what the fuck?"

So, I stop what I'm doing, turn the engine off, and start slowly prying this aluminum brick off the underside of the clamshell. Tyler is freaking out. (He doesn't do drugs.) He's like, "Oh my God! It's like on cops when they find drugs hidden in the car!"

I get the brick untaped, and then undo like seven layers of foil. They used a Lot of foil on this thing. What I found was a white, perfectly shrink wrapped brick. I thought it was coke, so I cut open a bit of the corner, put some on my finger, and rubbed it on my gums.

Edit of Finn and Jake from Adventure Time with flames and a galaxy background with text reading: Drugs.

If you've ever done coke, you know it's kinda hot, and then it makes your gums numb. This definitely wasn't coke, and I'm not the type of dude who does heroin. (Just, don't do heroin. Seriously. It's no good.)

So, Tyler and I are standing next to each other, when I hear tires on the gravel behind us. Let me paint you a picture: We're standing there with the hood up, clamshell open, side by side, with a brick of pure heroin.

Who do you think rolled up?

Man, a goddamn Park Ranger rolls up behind us. Just so you know, park rangers are the police. They have guns, and they just happen to work in a park. They can arrest you and everything.

I'm holding a brick of heroin in my hands, and there's a park ranger 30 feet behind me. So I reach down, and pretend to go into my tool kit. Thankfully my hands are greasy as hell, and I can pick up some tools. So I slide the brick under the seat.

I pop around with and pretend I'm putting a socket set on a breaker bar, and I'm like, "Oh hey there. How can I help you?" The guy is like, "You guys having trouble?" I'm like, "I'm just trying to jet the carbs." He's like, Oh, I remember doing that when I was your age."

Then he's like, "You ever done it before?" I'm like, "I'm kinda just learning as I go here. We're from California." The dude laughs and he's like, "Here, I'll show you."

So the ranger walks over, and he's like, "I remember these old Ram vans. So much room."

We open up the clamshell, and this guy's knee is like two inches from this brick. Man, I'm trying so hard to act normal, but Tyler? He's not playing it cool at all. He's like, "You know, I'm sure Shane can figure it out. We don't need you wasting your time on us."

The ranger is like, "Oh it's no big deal. Most of the time I'm just telling people to put their trash higher up, so the bears can't get to it." So he's just chatting with us, and I'm telling him how we bought the van and drove all the way up the coast, etc.

Finally, we get the jets set, and the ranger is like, "Alright, you boys stay safe." Lile, he had no clue he was probably two inches away from the biggest drug bust in the history of Oregon state parks.

Once he drives off, Tyler is freaking out, "Oh my God!? What are we gonna fucking do, man?" I'm just like, "Uh, we're gonna make a shit ton of money selling a brick of heroin." So, I wrapped it up, and just stuck it in the bottom of the cooler in freezer bags, under the ice.

Then, we drive up into Seattle, and I call one of my buddies who I know sells a shit ton of weight. I'm like, "Yo ******, we need to talk." I won't go into all the details, but I managed to sell it all to one person. It was lower risk. Plus, I'm not a drug dealer.

For the record, my buddy Tyler wouldn't take any of the money. Eventually, I convinced him to let me give him $600 for the van, so I could say I bought the van myself. (The van was in his name.) But this story isn't over yet...

I end up selling the van to some hippies from Ashland, and then move to Atlanta. About a year goes by, and I'm not even thinking about this van anymore. Then I get a phone call from a number I don't know. I let it go to voicemail.

The same number calls me again, 30 seconds later. So I answer it. "Hello?" The voice on the other line: "Hey, can I speak to Shane?" I'm like, "Speaking?"

Dude is like, hey, my dad gave me your number. He said he sold a van to you about a year ago?

Immediately, I'm like, "Yeah, he sold me a van." The guy is like, "Wow, that's great news. I'm so glad I found you. So, I don't like to talk about this, but I was in jail. I had a substance abuse problem, and I ended up going to jail because I made some mistakes."

I'm thinking, "What's the angle here?" So I'm like, "Oh, well -- that sucks. Anyway, how can I help you?" So the dude goes into this crazy ass long story. He tells me about how he has so many memories with the van. Yeah, it was in his dad's name, but it was his first car.

"I know it's just a beat up old van, but I'd really like to buy it back from you. Dad says you paid something like $1200 for it. I think I'd be willing to go as high as say, $1800 to get it back. The memories are just worth that to me."

The light goes on in my head. Jail. Substance abuse. He wants the van back. He is willing to pay $600 back over what I paid for it. (Street value, bagged up, if you slow-sell it, there was something like $40,000 worth of heroin in that brick.) This dude wanted his brick back.

The guy didn't go to jail because he had a substance abuse problem. No heroin junkie can afford $40,000 in heroin. The guy did tie because he was the plug. So... I decide to make some money.

Picture of Phoebe from Friends doing an evil laugh

I don't own this van anymore, but I definitely know who I sold it to, and I know I can buy it back, so... I start spinning a story. I'm like, "Man $1800 just won't do it. I've put a lot of money into this van, and it's really running like a top now. It's my daily driver."

He's like, "Oh yeah?" I'm like, "Yeah dude. She's in great condition. I redid the carb, the breaks, all the fuel lines, put some tires on it, redid the carpet on the interior, a lot. I've probably put at least $5,000 into this thing." He's like, "Wow, you really did a lot."

So he's like, "Where are you located?" I'm like, "Oh, I'm up in Ashland, Oregon." (Remember: I was in Atlanta.) He's like, Oh, that's not too bad. If it runs as well as you say, I may just drive up there with a friend and then drive it back down here."

So finally he's like, "I respect that you put a lot of work into it. Like I said, the van has a lot of sentimental value to me, and I'm glad to hear you took care of it. I think I could offer you $6200. That's what you paid for it, plus the $5000 you say you invested."

So I said, "Alright, you have a deal." As soon as we hung up, I called the people in Oregon I sold the van to (I kinda sorta knew them through friends), and I was like, "Hey, do you still have that van?" They're like, "Yeah, but it's not running." I'm like, "Oh?"

I was like, "You care if I buy it back from you?" The guy was like, "Dude, I'll sell it for $100 if you just get it out of my driveway." So I was like, "Sold." I booked a ticket to Portland the next day, and then rented a car, and drove to Ashland.

Along the way, I called up the old owner of the van's son, and I'm like, "Hey will you be free to drive up this weekend?" He's like, "Oh yeah. Totally. I can come up." It will only take me two days to drive up there." It was Tuesday. We agreed to meet on Sunday.

I fly into Portland, rent a car, and then get to Ashland on Wednesday. I go to an auto parts store, and buy a battery jumper kit, and some hand tools. I need to get the van running. I go to see the van, and it's sitting there, pretty dusty, but otherwise okay.

TL:DR -- the only thing wrong with the van was a bad battery. This couple just didn't want to spend any money on the van, because they had recently purchased a Subaru Outback. (Go figure. It's Ashland.) So, I changed the battery in an auto parts store parking lot.

Then, I took the van to one of those self cleaning car wash places, and gave it a good wash and vacuum. Honestly, it cleaned up really nice. At this point, I decided to check in with the guy, and kinda fuck with him a little bit in the process.

The guy answers really fast, and he's like "Shane! Hey buddy, what's up?" I'm like, hey, I do want to mention one thing about the van, and I hope this doesn't change your plans about buying it." He goes silent. "What's up?"

I was like, "I don't want you to be mad but, uhm, after I bought the van, my friends and I... we uh... we wrote on the outside of it with permanent marker. I can't get it off. I tried." And I hear him sigh like Hella loud. "Oh, that's fine. I can repaint it."

I'm like, "I want to be fair on the price, because I didn't tell you. So... how about I knock $200 off? I just want to pay whatever is fair to get the marker off." He says, "Thanks for telling me. I'll accept the $200 discount. See you Sunday?" I'm like, "Yup!"

So, next things next: I need to make a fake brick of heroin. So I head to a Goodwill, and buy a medium sized paperback book. It was "The Pelican Brief". I thought that was a funny detail for some reason. (Good book. Also a good movie.)

Then I get in my rental, and took off to Medford, because I couldn't find aluminium tape anywhere near Ashland. I got there, got my tape, and then bought some heavy duty foil in a grocery store. From there, I drove back to Ashland.

Making the fake brick was actually pretty easy. I just wrapped it up the same way I remember the brick being wrapped, and then taped it down with aluminium tape the same way I remember it being taped--kinda like a tic-tac-toe board. They had taped the Shit out of it.

Then... I just kinda waited. On Friday, I got a phone call from the dude letting me know he was on the road, and I said "Hey, my mechanic says we can use his bay in case you want to inspect it." And the dude was like, "Oh that won't be necessary." I'm like, "Oh I insist."

On Saturday, I called a local mechanic and I was like, "Hey, I'm selling my van to some people from out of state, and I was hoping I could give you $50 in case they want to use one of your bays to look under the care for a moment?"

(Car buying tip: Any mechanic worth his salt will take you up on this offer. It's good for both the buyer and the seller to have a mechanic take a look. They know they'll be getting any work on any fix they identify.)

We meet at this local shop on a Sunday afternoon. The guy shows up in a late model, silver Nissan Altima. He's heavily tattooed, and so is his friend. These guys look like real, OG, Mexican bangers. Like, dude is wearing the blue Nike Cortez's and Dickies. It's That look.

Immediately, I realize these aren't the soft dudes I think they are. They're real gangster, they move real weight, and I'm doing something incredibly stupid. I'm about to rip off two guys who look like they bury people neck deep and let coyotes eat your face off.

But I'm there, and they're in front of me, so I gotta go through with it. So I give them a tour. We walk around the van. It's clean. It has tire shine on it. I've washed it, and even waxed it. It looks as good as a 1979 Dodge can look.

The guy is like, "So you've done some engine work?" I'm like, "Yeah, carb, plug wires, distributor, etc." He's like, "Can I take a look?" So I help him lift the clamshell, and there's no rats nest, it's looking clean-ish... and it's sort silent. So I talk...

"When I got in here, there was a Huge rat's nest. I cleaned that out, then I got to work on the carb, the plugs, wires, belts, hoses. It's all new in there." Then, the dude reaches over, and straight up taps the aluminium brick. I start sweating. He looks at me. I look at him.

The first thing that came out of my mouth was. "I didn't bother redoing any of the heat shielding on the clamshell. Honestly, I prefer having some heating coming off the block in the winter, but I can see why you did it. Southern California is hot."

I was trying so hard to play it dumb as hell, and I sold it. He says back to me, "Yeah, this tape costs about $20 a roll, but it's worth it to beat the heat." I laugh, "Yeah, the AC just barely works. I think you've got a leak in the system somewhere."

Then he throws a curveball at me. "Can I take it for a drive?" I'm like, "Oh totally." He's like, "Do you mind if my friend drives behind me, in case it breaks down?" I say, "Oh you go right ahead." At this point, I'm thinking he's going to drive off, never to be seen again.

He's gone for about 20 minutes, and then he comes back. He's got a big smile on his face, and he's like, "Wow, it still drives great. Let's negotiate." So I'm like, "Well, you did say $6,000?" He comes back at me and he's like, "Well, I gotta ship this van back."

I'm like, "Okay, well... what's a fair price?" He says, "You have the title here in your hands?" I say. "Well, actually, I had to do a lost title But I can mail it to you in like a week." (The reality was I did, but I hadn't done the transfer from the couple yet.)

He's like, "Alright, you know, you seem like a good guy. You can mail it in a week?" I'm like, "Yup." He says, "$5000. Because it'll cost me $1,000 to ship. You're a wild man for driving this old beast as far as you did." So we shake hands. It's a deal.

I have a notepad with me, and I say, "Alright, let me write you up a bill of sale." So I write his name, and my name. His address, and my "address" (a local Ashland address where I definitely have never lived), and the "cost" of the vehicle. This is a funny wrinkle...

I said to the guy, "Hey, I'm going to write on the bill of sale that you only paid $1,000 for the van, so you can avoid paying more taxes in California when you go register it." (You pay taxes on the sale.) He's like, "Oh, thanks. I didn't think of that."

Using the hood to press on, I sign my name, he signs his, and then he's like, "Alright, here's the $5,000. Cash." So he hands reaches into his pocket, and when he does, he moves his shirt in such a way that he obviously exposes a gun in his waistband. He pauses.

As he's handing me the cash, he smiles and says, "Thanks for taking care of my van, Shane. I'm relieved to see you left my heat shielding how it was. There's a lot of value in heat shielding. Some might say it's worth quite a bit." He gets this look in his eyes. It's dark.

He continues. "You seem like a smart guy. Smart guys don't talk about things they find. They might even buy new aluminium tape, but be careless enough to leave the roll in the back seat." My throat turned into a knot. Like, my whole mouth went dry as fuck.

He stares into my fucking soul. Like, Into me, fam. Then he gets this big ass smile on his face grabs me by my shoulder, and he smiles, "If you were even smarter, you would have asked for $10,000." The he starts laughing, and the guy he's with starts laughing.

"You know, you're a hustler Shane. What do you do?" I breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm a web developer." He says, "You could have been a stone cold hustler in another life. I've never been hustled before, but you had the cajones to get your money. I like that."

They hadn't checked to see what was inside the foil. The only knew that I taped it back. So I went with it. "Well, you know. I found it when I was working on the van. I just didn't know how I'd ever sell it, so it's been in my freezer for a year now." He busts up laughing.

"Homey, you kept it in the freezer? That's wild man." So then we just sorta chop it up outside this mechanic's shop for about 20 minutes. He and I had the same taste in rap music. I wanted to just keep him happy. I was trying to think of my exit plan.

Finally, he's like, "Alright, you know I don't want this van, but ship it to me anyway. Here's $5,000. Keep the change." To be clear -- he had give me $5,000 already for the van, and then gave me Another $5,000. I played it cool. "Close enough to $10K." I dapped him up.

As soon as they left the parking lot, I sprinted into the mechanic's office where he was sitting, and he was like, "Son, that was the most obvious drug deal I have ever seen. I already called the police." I felt my heart go from 0 to one million.

Then the mechanic winks at me, and he's like, "I'm just fucking with you. Man, this is Oregon. Everyone smokes weed. Calm down. I didn't call the cops." He sees my face, and he's like, "You should have seen the look on your face." (I wasn't amused.)

The problem was, the clock was ticking. I didn't know when those dudes were going to open the foil and realize I'd just hustled them, so I was like, "Hey, if I give you $200, will you let me keep that van parked here for two days until I can get it shipped?"

He's like, "If it's here longer than two days, I'm gonna charge you. If it stays here, it's mine." So I was like, "That's fine. I'll be back" (I knew at that moment the van was going to belong to him. I was never coming back. Most states have laws for mechanics like that.)

I walked out of the mechanics office, and then walked literally seven miles back to my rental, parked at my little motel. Ashland is a small town, and I had picked the cheapest motel. I wanna say it was like a Super 8 or something?

The road this motel is on is like, pretty long and straight. Like, you could see a full quarter mile down the road, no problem. As I'm about 400 yards away from the entrance, I see a silver Nissan Altima pull in, and go to the front office.

As I walk closer, I see two guys get out, and I realize it's the same guys. They haven't seen me, but we're staying at the same fucking motel. So, I start speed walking. When I check in, it took a while, so I knew I needed to hustle so I wasn't seen.

I took off the flannel I was wearing, so I'd be in a white tank top. I folded the flannel up super small, and walked as fast as someone can walk without looking like a moron. My room was on the back side of the motel, upstairs.

Basically, as soon as I cleared the vision line of the back wall, I went into a full sprint, and ran as fast as I could up the stairs, and into my room. No sooner than the moment I slammed my door, I went over the the drapes, and peeked out. The silver Altima was driving around.

I shit you not, these guys parked two spaces away from my rental car, and their room was Directly below mine. It's a damn cheap hotel, so I could kinda/sorta hear them talking. Not word for word, but definitely the vocal tones, plus their TV.

When I saw I was quiet as a mouse, I mean, I just sat in bed, didn't turn the TV on, didn't move, and when I had to pee, I held it. I was terrified. Then... I heard it.

I heard the guy yell. (start all caps) "Motherfucker! I'm going to fucking kill him!" (end caps) Then I hear them screaming, but it's not clear what they're saying. They yell for like 15 minutes. Then they get quiet. My phone rings. It's a blocked number.

I sent it to voicemail. It rings again. Blocked number. I sent it to voicemail. Then, I hear them yelling a bit more, and then I hear the door downstairs slam. I peek out of the little gap in the drapes, and watch them take off.

As soon as I saw the car clear the corner, I left.

I grabbed my backpack, flew down the stairs, and got into my rental. I was getting the fuck out of Ashland before I got killed. I had been on the road about an hour when the guy calls me again, this time, from his real number. Not a blocked number.

I answered, "Hey M*****, What's up?" He's yelling, (start all caps) "We've got a fucking problem! You need to bring me my money, right now!" (end caps)

I was did what I do, and talked shit-- "I take it you're not a big fan of John Grisham novels. You should really give him a chance before you get angry."

The dude flew off the handle. Like he's just shouting. (start all caps) "Motherfucker I will kill you!" (end caps) over and over, so finally I'm like, M****. Calm down. Just listen. I think we can make a deal here." So he gets a little less on edge. "What's your deal?"

I said, "Look, I know you're staying at the (Whatever) Hotel. We'll meet up there. You show me you've got your gun on the hood of your car so I know I'm safe." He's like, "Okay. And?" I said, "Then, I'll take back The Pelican Brief, wrapped in foil."

"... and then I'll give you what you really want. A Tom Clancy novel. Everyone loves war fiction." He got quiet. He didn't say shit. "I'll fucking murder you, Shane. You robbed me. You fucking die from this." Then he hung up.

In 2017, the guy I ripped off for his brick of heroin was found guilty, with four other guys, of raping and murdering a 13 year old girl. They were all prominent MS-13 gang members. He got LWOP'd in his sentence. So it looks like he won't be killing me.

... and that's the story of the time I bought a van with a brick of heroin in it that belonged to an MS-13 gang member, sold the brick, and then sold him his van back with a wrapped up John Grisham novel, for $10,000. Somehow, I didn't die.

/thread /End IDs]

[crazycarny956]

#Honda shadow 750 #first start in 5 years #mechanic #hold my beer

[csajokamotoron]

Tartós teszt: Összebariztunk a Honda CL 500-zal

Mindig szerettem volna egy kisebb motort a saját motorom mellé, amivel a hétköznapokban járhatok. A robogó nekem nem jött szóba, azt valahogy nem adja azt a motorozás érzést. A Honda Magyarország kitalálta a gondolatomat, és kaptam az idei szezonra egy Honda CL 500-at. Tavalyelőtt már majdnem megvettem a Honda CMX 500 Rebel tesztmotort szezon végén, mert annyira élveztem vele közlekedni a hétköznapokban. Imádtam, hogy ott áll a garázsban elöl (a biciklik mellett), és bármikor, amikor mennem kell valahova, csak egy bukósisakot kell felvennem, nyomom a gombot és már indulok is. Aztán végül inkább napelemet szereltettünk a házra az árából. Amúgy a kis Rebel nekem látványra és érzésre is kicsi volt (180 cm magas vagyok), de olyan vagányul nézett ki mattfeketében... amúgy teljesen az én stílusom. Ha annak idején, amikor elkezdtem motorozni 1996-ban létezett volna ez a modell, biztos ilyet akartam volna. Halyette maradt a 600-as Honda Shadow, ami amúgy szerintem valahogy nagyobb volt, hosszabb felépítésű, szóval az én alkatomnak jobban megfelelt akkor. Aztán tavaly a húgom a 750-es Honda Shadow helyett vett egy CL 500-at Floridában, és én is pont ugyanolyan tesztmotort kaptam - ugyanolyan, narancssárga színben. Persze nem hozta azt a vagány, dirty rocker érzést, mint a Rebel, de a hétköznapi használatban szuper volt a Suzuki Swift helyett. Egyből felismertem a szalon udvarán, hogy ő lesz az. Amikor idén felmerült alehetősége, hogy megkapnám a Honda Scramblert tartós tesztre, egyből fellelkesültem. Most, hogy már a gyerekeket nem kell feltétlenül mindenhova nekem szállítgatnom, és a heti egy bevásárlásra még mindig ott a Swift, tök jó lesz, hogy a hétköznapokon is meglesz a motorozás érzése. És ami a legjobb, hogy már a gyerekeket is tudom furikázni, így például a lányomat tudom vinni motorral lovagolni, a fiamat pedig furulya órára... És itt megkérdezhetnétek, ogy akkor miért nem viszem őket a saját motorommal. A magyarázat az, hogy a motorom úgy el van ásva a garázsban, kerékpárokkal körülvéve és letakarva, hogy az nem életszerű jelen helyzetben, hogy ilyen kisebb utakra előlvegyem. Ráadásul nagy és nehéz, és emiatt olyan érzésem van, hogy jobban be is kell öltöznöm, ha a Street Glide-dal közlekedek. Ezzel szemben a "kis" Honda (most ez a név ragadt rá itthon) olyan nekem, mint egy motorizált bicikli, amire felülök és hipp-hopp, ott vagyok, ahol szeretném. A garázsban állandóan elérhető helyen áll. A Honda CL 500-Scramblert 623 kilométerrel kaptam meg április 25-én - csak azóta úgy beindult a szezon, hogy csak kapkodom a fejem, emiatt nem volt időm eddig beszámolni a jó hírről. Azóta folyamatosan használom, szállítom rajta a gyerekeket, elugrok a postára és intézem az ügyeket a városban. Egyébként ez a legnagyobb változás jelenleg az életemben, hogy lassan elmondhatom, hogy többet voltam Budapest belvárosában az elmúlt három hétben, mint az elmúlt években összesen, ugyanis kocsival nagy ívben kerülöm az olyan eseményeket, ami miatt be kellene mennem. A Scramblerren többször átmentem az Erzsébet hídon, amit imádok (minden hídon szeretek átmenni, és motorral a legjobb.), mentem a rakparton, és számszerűsíthető előnye, hogy a XVI. kerületből a XI. kerületbe csúcsforgalomban 75 perc helyett (ennyi volt kocsival, és el is késtem), 35 perc alatt értem oda a következő alkalommal motorral. A lovarda előtt természetes környezetben - bírja a földutat is. És ha már az előnyöknél tartunk: első alkalommal a 18. Nemzetközi Női Motoros Nap alkalmából szervezett vezetéstechnikai tréning előtt tankoltam bele. Már két osztást lement a műszeren a jelzés, így gondoltam elkerülöm, hogy a pályán fogyjon ki belőle a benzin. Amikor megláttam, hogy 1800 Ft-ot kell fizetnem, csak dörzsöltem a szemem, hogy biztos rosszul látok. Azóta már tankoltam többször is, de a maximum 3000 Ft volt... akkor még egy osztással lejjebb engedtem a műszert. Egyelőre nem mertem jobban kifogyasztani, hiszen a Harley-n pl. amikor már elkezd látszani, hogy csökken a benzinszint, akkor az azt jelenti, hogy már ideje tankolni. De legközelebb még bátrabb leszek, mert kíváncsi vagyok, hogy mennyit megy el egy tank benzinnel. Egyébként jelenleg 3,2 litert mutat a műszer átlagfogyasztásnak 100 kilométeren, amivel megdöntöttem a tavalyi rekordomat a Scramblerrel, tudniillik akkor 3,5 litert fogyasztott nekem. Úgyhogy most itt tartunk. Természetesen rögtön kapott egy telefontartót, mert ugye sokat járok a vároba és látnom kell a navigációt, és szereltem rá egy kamera tartót is, hogy legyenek onboard felvételek. Ami nagyon hiányzik, az egy táska, de hamarosan az is meglesz, addig beszereztem egy hátizsákot a CsamShop-ból. Most 950 km van benne összesen, úgyhogy hamarosan vissza kell vinnem ezres szervizre. És ami még eszembe jutott, hogy majd figyelnem kell, hogy a CL-en zsírozni kell majd a láncot rendszeresen, mert ez nem szíjas, mint a Street Glide. Csak el ne felejtsem! Honda CL 500 Műszaki adatok Motor Furat × löket (mm)67 x 66,8KeverékképzésPGM-FI elektronikus üzemanyag-befecskendezőKompresszióviszony10.7:1CO2-kibocsátás (g/km)84 g/kmÖsszlökettérfogat (cm3)471 ccmMotortípusFolyadékhűtésű, DOHC-vezérlésű, soros, négyütemű, négyszelepes, kéthengeresTeljesítmény34 kW (46.6 LE) @ 8500 ford./percForgatónyomaték43,4 Nm @ 6250 ford./percOlajmennyiség (liter)3,2 literIndításElektromosZajszint (dB)L (teljes gázzal)- 76,1 dB; L (városban) - 72,9 dB Méretek és tömeg Akkumulátor típusa és kapacitása (VAh)12V 7AhVillaszög27°Méretek (HxSzxM) (mm)2175 mm x 830 mm x 1135 mmAlváztípusAcél hídvázÜzemanyagtank kapacitás (liter)12 literÜzemanyag fogyasztás (l/100 km)3,6 l/100 kmSzabad hasmagasság (mm)155 mmSaját tömeg (kg)192 kgÜlésmagasság (mm)790 mmUtánfutás (mm)108 mmTengelytáv (mm)1485 mm Erőátvitel Tengelykapcsoló felépítéseOlajfürdős, többtárcsás, kuplungasszisztensselVégáttételLáncSebességváltó típusaHatfokozatú, lábbal kapcsolható váltó Műszerek és elektronika 12V csatlakozóOpcionálisMűszerekFolyadékkristályos műszeregység, két napiszámláló, digitális üzemanyagszint- és fogyasztásmérő, digitális óra, váltófokozat-visszajelző és váltókapcsolásra figyelmeztető jelzésHátsó lámpaLEDAutomatikus VészvillogóIgenFényszóróLED Kerekek ABS rendszer2 csatornásElső fék310 mm átmérőjű tárcsa, kétdugattyús féknyeregHátsó fék240 mm átmérőjű tárcsa, egydugattyús féknyeregElső felfüggesztés41 mm-es csúszószár-átmérőjű, fordított teleszkópvilla 150 mm-es rugóúttalHátsó felfüggesztés45 mm-es acélcsövekből összeállított lengővilla, kétoldali rugóstag, 5 fokozatban állítható rugó-előfeszítésElső abroncs110/80R19M/C 59HHátsó abroncs150/70R17M/C 69HFelni elölÖntött alumíniumFelni hátulÖntött alumínium Ára: 2 729 000 Ft Read the full article

[technical11]

New Honda Shadow Phantom 750

Honda is now ready to introduce its new Motorcycle, a cruiser model with a bobber-inspired design. Recently in mid-2023, Honda introduced the new colors of the old Shadow Phantom 750 model. In the 2024 model, we can see the same color option but some of the color patterns will be changed.

The new Honda Shadow Phantom will come with a better styling design and will have some extra features in its console. For this bike, the price will be a little higher than the global version in the Indian market. It is confirmed that this bike will be launched in the US in the first quarter year of 2024.

Read More- https://automobilehut.in/2023/12/new-honda-shadow-phantom-750.html

[artes-e-armas]

🏍️ A Honda Shadow 750 Ainda Vale A Pena? 🏍️

[thefrozenfractals]

$20.0 ~ Exhaust Muffler Pipe Heat Shield Guard For Honda Shadow VT 1100 500 700 750 800, Slip On Exhaust Pipe, Motorcycle Slip On Exhaust, Aftermarket Exhaust, Exhaust Pipes, Motorcycle Exhaust Pipe, Motorcycle Exhausts, Bike Exhaust Pipe Find Out This Slip On Exhaust Pipe

[bikes-and-ink]

[thefrozenfractals]

$100.0 ~ Honda Shadow 750 Stock Exhaust, Motorcycle Exhausts, Motorcycle Exhaust Pipe, Aftermarket Exhaust, Slip On Exhaust Pipe, Exhaust Pipes, Bike Exhaust Pipe, Motorcycle Slip On Exhaust Find Out This Motorcycle Exhausts

[autoreprise-blog]

5 Affordable Used Motorcycles Under 4K in New Jersey

Are you from New Jersey and looking for well-conditioned affordable used motorcycles? Congratulations, you’ve landed in the right place. Here at autoprice.com, we have come up with the top 5 affordable used motorcycles list under 4K in new jersey.

Here you go,

1. 2014 BMW BMW F 700 GS :

Current price-$3851 

Mileage- 40,000

A successor to the versatile BMW 650 GS, The BMW F 700 GS is suitable for any kind of rider, Whether you want to take it for an off-road adventure or just street riding. This bike is actually known for its safety features and advanced technologies. Take this beast for off or on the pavement, you will feel the same and very high level of comfort while riding. In this manageable price range, you’ll have BMW’s promising brand with limitless features, which you can’t find in others.

2. Harley Davidson-FLSTF- Fat Boy :

Current price-$3851

Mileage-28,000

This solid-cast wheels cruiser bike makes every biker’s breath away in one sight. This V-twin Softail Cruiser Bike is always ready to go for long rides. The fat boy’s big engine is powered by a 1690cc Twin Cam 103 v-twin motor and its styling is overloaded by lustering chrome, which never makes it look old.

3. 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan-1600 (Mean Streak) :

Mileage:13,600

Current Price- $3577

The polished valve cover, cooling fins for a bright all are fitted in this Hi-tech cruise beast. Kawasaki always knew that how much appearance, and rider comfort matters in biking. The 1552cc of Vulcan-1600 provides abundant low and mid-RPM powerful engines. Moreover, the condition of bikes that we demand from the seller is the uttermost requirement. We don’t want to sell you a chrome box in the name of Kawasaki Vulcan-1600.  

4. Honda Shadow Spirit 750 :

Current Price-$2475

Mileage-26000

Featuring V-twin, liquid-cooled 750cc powerful engine in its heart and commendable amenities under this price is a fire deal. Maybe while you’re reading this specification and someone just getting his payment details ready to buy it. The new one will cost you from $6,799- $7099.

5. Hyosung GT-250R :

Mileage-1

Current Price- $2291

If you care about fuel efficiency then this one suits you the best. Delivering 24.6 km/pl in the city traffic light and 33.5 km/pl in the highways makes GT-250R stand apart from the other sporting bikes. Moreover, The output of the engine is 28bhp at 10,000rpm, with a peak torque of 2.2kgm, which is made at 8000rpm and let the rear tire to move with the 5-transmission gearbox. Also, it reaches 0-100kmph in 9.66 sec.

To know more about these furious, stylish, and well-cared bikes visit Autoreprice.com.    

[wetsteve3]

1970's From Mecum

This gleaming, first-year Z1 was the fastest motorcycle in the world in 1973 and the first real Japanese superbike. The Z1 was bigger and more complicated than any Japanese machine on the market with a 903cc twin-OHC motor, and it was also the bike that finally broke the Vincent Black Shadow’s spell of “world’s fastest” that was set way back in 1948. The Z1 was originally designed as a 750 DOHC four, but when Honda introduced the CB750 in 1968, Kawasaki enlarged its engine. 

The company hired Macfarlane Studios in Los Angeles for the original design studies in 1968 and 1969, and the mockups looked like the BSA Rocket 3 with “ray-gun” mufflers. While the bodywork of Macfarlane’s studies were used on Kawasaki’s two-stroke Triples, the wooden 4-cylinder engine looked like the MV Augusta 750, the only DOHC 4-cylinder motor in production at the time. Boosting the engine to 903cc instantly trumped the Honda design, and the Z1’s styling was big and bold, emphasizing the “beefiness” of the bike whose prototype was code-named “New York Steak.”

The Z1 rightfully won Bike of the Year for several years and set off an arms race in the motorcycle world, with bigger and more powerful bikes competing for the “world’s fastest” sticker and the shortest quarter-mile times. But the Kawasaki was a landmark and set the standard for all Superbikes to come. 

The chassis was well designed and could handle the power with a decent disc brake and a solid frame that kept the wheels in line even at speed. This comprehensively restored 1973 Kawasaki Z1 is a first-year model, with a terrific, gleaming restoration. It’s a total landmark machine, with a fantastic 1970s paint job in the correct burgundy/orange two-tone.