Motorcyclists are at all times making an attempt to get essentially the most out of our bikes — essentially the most sound, essentially the most energy, essentially the most enjoyable. Some people take this to extremes, clearing out all the things that might presumably intervene with these valuable exhaust pathways, as much as and together with their spark arrestors. As a fellow motorcyclist, I encourage of you: Don’t do this.
Final night time, as I scrolled mindlessly via Instagram reels, I discovered one that actually irked me: Somebody taking a cutoff wheel to their bike’s spark arrestor, completely eradicating the display screen that stops scorching carbon particles from taking pictures out from the bike’s exhaust. The reel included just a little disclaimer, warning viewers “if that you must be sparky authorized don’t minimize it off,” however considerations concerning the regulation ought to pale compared to considerations about beginning a goddamn forest fireplace.
Do you by no means journey your dust bike — an offroad car — over useless leaves? Dry grasses? How a lot harm to the world is value that little profit to your bike’s sound? We’ve reached some extent in our artifical environmental decimation the place even Brooklyn’s Prospect Park can catch fireplace, and the blazes set by your dumb little bike mod can have far-reaching penalties. Please don’t burn down a forest simply to alter your exhaust word.
Motorcycling is inherently an train in figuring out acceptable threat, however taking pictures sparks out into the wild just isn’t acceptable. Go do one thing else dumb as a substitute, ideally one thing that’ll solely damage you if it goes badly.
