Encounter with the Sheriff

The other day I decided to install an led taillight on my '68 TR6. I had been riding my new Triumph most recently, so I didn't even know if the old one would fire up. I thought it would be best to start it up and take it around the block a few times just to get it warmed up.

Now, my old bike is the loudest motorcycle I've ever heard. I run the original style twin high pipes, sans mufflers, and it's funny to frequently see Harley riders look over at the bike, fully expecting to see an old Knucklehead or something of the sort, instead to be amazed and perplexed at finding out that it isn't.

As I pulled up to a stop sign, a sheriff approaching from my left aimed his car at me and wedged me at the curb. I was really nervous because I wasn't wearing a helmet, after all, I was just on my residential street. He didn't seem to notice that I didn't have a lid on, but instead he lectured me about my Triumph not being street legal. He said I didn't have a tail light, so I kindly pointed to the light he had apparently not seen, and I had to explain how the pipes were legal. He said, "There is no way these pipes are legal, we can barely hear ourselves over the noise!"

Fortunately, he reluctantly bought my story about the pipes, and since I was stopped right in front of my house, I didn't even have to have a police escort home.