Shanghai Muffler Man -- modding my JH600

[euphonius]

I arrived at 77 Jiaoji Lu around 10 a.m., about an hour later than planned. Red egg guy said Mister Muffler gets busy, so an early start is essential. Between them, Missus and Mister Muffler handled an amazing array of ride-ins. Like this guy, with his little Sachs 100cc MadAss. (There was a shop selling these down the street for 9,000 RMB.)



Or this guy, with his little Jianshe mini-chopper! (His battery fitting had broken loose.) Though it's shaped like a Regal Raptor or even a classic H-D, the saddle was not much higher than his knee!





Notice the air horns up front. That's become quite a theme here in Shanghai. Little bikes with big horsepower and even bigger sound from their tailpipes and their air horns. Did I mention? Air horns of course come in all colors.



Then there was this bike, which we glimpsed earlier in Missus Mister Muffler's able grip. Nice back rest for hauling the girlfriend to Xujiahui!



But you won't get a great girlfriend in the first place unless you equip your bike properly. Here's a wider view to give you a better idea.





Spider-Man can be relied upon to conceal your fake Hong Kong plate.



This guy's bike was completely decked out in strings of glue-on LEDs, which create a beautiful effect at night. But he wanted more. But the spoiler wing he wanted to install didn't fit. So the Missus got right to work, fabricating a couple of stainless brackets to bolt it on securely. "Now my bike will really fly," he told me.



Chinese stomachs work like clockwork, especially at noon. The guys in the neighboring shop did it right, and surely put our muffler team in a mind to eat.



That's why God made daughters. Here's lunch being made in the back of the shop, almost close enough to splash on my bike!



The Mufflers took all of five minutes to eat -- standing rather than squatting -- and I ventured over to a little minibike shop two doors down.





I thought I was getting used to all the scooter mods. Then this guy wheeled in. Oh my God! I was so surprised I started shooting with my iPhone, whose lens is designed to fit right under my finger. But you get the picture....



This guy really must be overdosing on girlfriends. Let's take a closer look.



Did someone say air horns? I count three!



Or, no, maybe that's a police loudhailer, right there below, er, Cupid. Is that really Cupid?



Now that's what I call a proper license plate!



Did someone say "muffler"? This is the four-color tailpipe, with the meaningless additional virtual mini tailpipe just in case. I asked what the little green muffler was for. He delivered his reply with a straight face, the cigaret still dangling from his lip: "It serves no useful purpose whatsoever."



Now this is what you call a true chick-magnet control console. One can particularly appreciate the blue bar, blue grips and the blue ancillary mirror on the far left. He's even got blue bolts. The orange secondary fairing serves conveniently for cigaret storage.



Sorry, but, no, we're not finished yet...