Harley people rant!!!

[2000mc]

harley rant... well my rant would be more that law enforcement hasnt squashed the insanely loud pipes.

but if the muffler falls off your minivan, the first or second cop ya drive past will give ya a fix it ticket.

[Frank Lee]

Thank you, you are correct.

My theory is that most of these stupid cops have open pipe hardleys themselves.

[evolutionmovement]

Awesome! I've hated these Harley sissies for years and it's nice to see they're so hated by others. Loud pipes to the extent that they have don't do anything but piss people off. I always give motorcyclists plenty of space, except for Harleys.

I almost killed one of them once when I was cruising on the highway, trying to cool my head off from some personal **** and he rolled up alongside my open windows and blasted pipes just to be funny. He wasn't laughing when I immediately swerved into him and made him jump two lanes. Good thing for him, I guess, that there wasn't a car on his other side for whatever the life of a Harley poser is worth living. What, no I didn't do it on purpose, officer—I just dropped my cell phone and didn't see him when I went to pick it up. You know us drivers—never paying attention, can't move our bodies without turning the wheel.

Those were my angrier days. I'm much better now.

[MadisonMPG]

^^^Strange

FACTS:
Loud pipes are obnoxious, end of story.
Good sounding pipes are nice.
Street bike riders are the most annoying riders.
People need to pay more attention.

[VanFan]

As a (dormant) motorcyclist and neighbor to the Hells Angels of Oakland, I have come to recognize that sector of the biker population which is more bike fetishist than the other 98% (99%?).

I have never owned a vehicle that I didn't see as only transportation (double negative!). I have had many bikes and cars in 40 years on the road, rarely washed and never waxed them.

Just keep them in safe running condition with a clean windshield. But I look forward to getting my 1981 BMW R65 back together (blown tranny) and maybe getting a new Honda CRF230M late next year.

[JeremyinIndy]

If "loud pipes save lives" then why can't the car drivers have straight pipes or run open exhaust cutouts on the street? My grey T-bird apparrently seems to go invisible ALL THE TIME and I want some of that extra safety too!

Is it the same reason they don't have to even wear a helmet, yet we're legally forced to wear seatbelts inside a many-thousand pound steel cage built to protect us? I know that we need organ donors, but come on.

The excessive throttle blips while pulling up to a stop *could be* rev matching for the downshifts (they're not, all the bikes I've ever watched do this hold the clutch until they have it back in neutral after stopped)
It *could be* trying to keep a badly adjusted carb from loading up on fuel from idling too long (it's not, all cruiser bike carbs aren't bad and if yours is, there are even people you can give money to who can fix them!)

Just like you don't have to keep the throttle pinned until your clutch is fully disengaged for a gear change, but it's not as loud that way and the revs can match faster. Or you don't have to rack them off going under every bridge, honest the trolls won't get you if you don't.

+1 on the monkey / loud noise reference. There is a weird primal feeling of power to drive or use something obscenely loud. Doesn't really seem to matter if it's a car, chainsaw, motorcycle, subwoofer, rivetgun, air tools... It wakes up the unevolved primate part of your mind. "Hahaha, I can shatter the peaceful silence with my really f**king loud thing! Bow before me all things that are not loud!!! I am loud, destructor of worlds!"

So, wait how do the guys with Electric Motorcycles ride safely? I mean, they're QUIET, that can't be safe! Put a card in the spokes? Get a megaphone and pretend they're Crazy Frog?
Brrrrrrriiiiing dingdingdadadingding baba breeeeeeeeee breeeeeeeeeeeeee breeeeeebaba ding bada biiimm biiiiiiiimmm...

In conclusion: Loud Pipes piss everyone off.
Loud pipes make people build quieter vehicle cabins and put in bigger stereo systems so they WON'T HEAR things like bikers or your child / pedestrians before they run them down.
Pinkie wave at bikers.

[Doofus McFancypants]

love the Pinkey Wave - have to use that.

Has anyone challanged the Seatbelt laws and sited the Helmet law as the reason for the challenge?

I would think a good lawyer could make a strong case for "No Helmet? then no seatbelt"

I always wear seatbelt - I like my face to stay on my head and not end up outside the windshield.

[captainslug]

Originally Posted by JeremyinIndy

So, wait how do the guys with Electric Motorcycles ride safely?

The same way every other motorcyclist should: By riding cautiously.

Loud pipes won't save lives if they're piloted by reckless idiots.

[shovel]

Originally Posted by Doofus McFancypants

love the Pinkey Wave - have to use that.

Has anyone challanged the Seatbelt laws and sited the Helmet law as the reason for the challenge?

I would think a good lawyer could make a strong case for "No Helmet? then no seatbelt"
.

I've often wondered why it's perfectly legal to sell engine, seat, wheels and bars motorcycles, but not legal to sell a four wheeled ultra-light, ultra-basic car without jumping through a whole other set of cost prohibitive hoops.

On the topic of loud pipes... anyone catch the South Park lampooning biker jerks? It's like they were reading this topic...

[dcb]

re: light 4 wheeler, Hmm, I wonder, if you have the purchaser sign a waiver or something like "The buyer acknowledges that this vehicle aint no cage, It might keep the rain off of you but maybe not for long if it is raining squirrels"