Was at state park and nearby community today. I could not hear myself think. Probably thousand H-Ds....rattling along. Makes me not want to go out to enjoy nature. Plus, lots of loud vettes, too. But not as bad.

The Hondas and others were politely quiet.

Do you think it will ever change where noise ordinances are enforced anywhere?

Is it like this outside the US?

I get sick of it.

Thank you for allowing me to rant.

yeah, i've been tempted to scream "DO YOU HAVE A SMALL PENIS"

---

I am with you Jp!
Having about a dozen HD biker buddies, all of thhm use the same excuse, "Safety", the loud pipes bring attention, so the cars don't hit them. I ask them if they are so safety conscious, why don't they wear a proper helmet instead of the fake ones they sell at a lot of biker shops.

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2006 09:04PM by BigGuynRusty.

LOL!!! Small penis and going deaf for sure.

EDIT: even more annoying when you have a baby who just fell asleep in the car after a long cry and an idiot revs the bike at the red light, and the baby wakes up and cries again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2006 09:07PM by New.Dad.

Thank you Jp! for reminding me that an idiot comment does not require a response back!

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2006 09:15PM by BigGuynRusty.

thanks for making my thread oh so special.

Quote
BigGuynRusty

Quote
New.Dad
LOL!!! Small penis and going deaf for sure.

I don't know about that, but I am sure one (or all) of my biker buddies can take a picture and email it to you for inspection.

BGnR

How about they email the pic to mattkime, he's the one who wanted to ask them. I know what I know.

The "louder is safer" hypothesis should be testable. Are Harley's involved in fewer accidents than quieter motorcycles? (I don't know; but the data are probably out there for analysis). If it's determined that louder != safer, then there should be motivation for an enforceable noise ordinance. Although, given the cost of Harley's, maybe their riders are just more careful. Maybe not. That's why hypotheses are tested.

I've experienced policemen outside of bars measuring the sound level in response to neighborhood complaints; they should be able to do that for cars and motorcycles.

When I was a kid, I thought loud was cool (unless I was trying to sneak into the house long after my curfew); not anymore.

We had a harley rider that used to bump start his ride every moring in front of our house exactly at 5:30am.

Nevermind he lived 3 blocks over from our street (wouldn't want to wake HIS neighbors now).

Since he did it every mornig at the same time, we set our sprinklers to start near that time and extended the reach on a couple of them.

He started using another street after about the 3rd day. I found out he also got more than a few calls and letters as well.

It didn't solve the problem, but it made our street better.

---

Strength without compassion is brutality. Compassion without strength is weakness.

We must train our minds to desire what the situation demands.

I'm also with JP. It's very difficult to resist the generalization that all Harley-pilots are idiotic fat-heads. It's unfortunate that Harleys and the new imitation-Indians and other choppers have gotten so popular. The occasional biker I can deal with, but these rolling mid-life crises on their hogs with their West Coast Chopper teeshirts or $$$ worth of HD regalia just make me want to laugh and/or puke.

---

[picasaweb.google.com] [www.flickr.com]

I dream about the day it is cool to make your motorcycle so quiet no one can hear you coming. I'd like to see research about safety and tail-pipe intensity as well.

-Tofer

I'm with you Jp. There's about a 1/4 mile straight stretch in front of my house and they have
to get on it everytime they go by. It doesn't matter what time of day it is.

It seems about 25% of the men around here 40 and up must be going through some sort of
crisis sure enough. My sisters ex just bought a Harley and I can't imagine him on a
motorcycle of any kind. I'm really shocked at the woman in their 40's and 50's on a Harley. I
have to wonder what these folks, men or women, would do in a panic situation. Having
ridden mini-bikes, go karts and dirt bikes when younger, I really can't imagine a 60 year old
man being able to lay down a bike and let it go.

Maybe I'm going through the same thing but I bought a Scion xA and now I want to lower it
an 1.5" and put custom wheels on it instead of the factory wheel covers, not sure what's up
with that, I'll soon be 44. I will not be putting on one of those loud mufflers though. I'm
smiling everytime I get in though. I hate to admit but it does make me feel younger.

---

Grateful11

Edited to keep certain folks from crying.

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2006 10:38PM by BigGuynRusty.

Quote
Tofer
I dream about the day it is cool to make your motorcycle so quiet no one can hear you coming. I'd like to see research about safety and tail-pipe intensity as well.

-Tofer

There's a guy at work that has a brand new Honda Goldwing or something like that and I've
been beside it at stoplights and I swear you can't hear it even with my windows down.

Nothing to do with this but he doesn't wear one of those good for nothing skull cap helmets
either, he wears real helmet.

---

Grateful11

Quote
BigGuynRusty
I am with you Jp!
Having about a dozen HD biker buddies, all of thhm use the same excuse, "Safety", the loud pipes bring attention, so the cars don't hit them. I ask them if they are so safety conscious, why don't they wear a proper helmet instead of the fake ones they sell at a lot of biker shops.

BGnR

That is one of the saddest and lamest excuses that there is. If it were true, every car and truck in America would have a painfully loud exhaust note, and it would be required by law. Do insurance companies give bike owners a reduction in their premiums because their bikes are loud? No, they don't. That's because it isn't any help, it is just an excuse.

If my car had an exhaust as loud as most bikes, I would be getting pulled over and given an equipment violation ticket by every cop I pass. There is a huge double standard when it comes to car and bike exhaust sound. The law is the same, it makes no differentiation, yet it is enforced very differently.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2006 11:11PM by Racer X.

I don't know what's worse, the Harleys or the crotch rockets..street legal racing bikes. I thnk I hate that grind more than the Harley sound. That said, I hate the Harley sound. Had lots of friends when i was younger with Harleys, One of them lost his leg, another broke his collarbone twice and lives in constant pain...one more of them, still a close friend, laid his bike down on Lake Shore Drive here and scraped most of the skin off of his back. all that's left is the edge of a tattoo that was there once. He still rides a bike, doesn't wear a helmet and has a muffler. sorry, diverged.

Anyhow, you need to write your local pols and say something. At a landmark meeting with my alderman last year i mentioned that on friday and saturday nights near my house, there are lots of bikes in the area at 3 and 4 in the morning, making lots of noise. pfffffft.

One of the reasons this is a tough issue is because there lobbyists who are involved. Harly D is one of the "great" american corporate stories,,blah blah. The personal watercraft lobby is also very heavy as is the snowmobile lobby. Believe it or not, they are out there working against your deserved quiet space. in the name of commerce.

The sound hear is not truly the "Harley" sound. From the factory they are usually fairly quiet. Not like a Honda, but not too bad. I always try to compliment bikers when I hear a Harley that doesn't sound like it is coughing up a hairball. They usually respond that they are going to "fix" the exhaust as soon as they can. I just roll my eyes and walk away. My Honda doesn't make much noise at all unless I'm going 40mph or faster.

---

**************************************
MacResource User Map: [www.zeemaps.com]#

Quote
Racer X

Quote
BigGuynRusty
I am with you Jp!
Having about a dozen HD biker buddies, all of thhm use the same excuse, "Safety", the loud pipes bring attention, so the cars don't hit them. I ask them if they are so safety conscious, why don't they wear a proper helmet instead of the fake ones they sell at a lot of biker shops.

BGnR

That is one of the saddest and lamest excuses that there is. If it were true, every car and truck in America would have a painfully loud exhaust note, and it would be required by law. Do insurance companies give bike owners a reduction in their premiums because their bikes are loud? No, they don't. That's because it isn't any help, it is just an excuse.

If my car had an exhaust as loud as most bikes, I would be getting pulled over and given an equipment violation ticket by every cop I pass. There is a huge double standard when it comes to car and bike exhaust sound. The law is the same, it makes no differentiation, yet it is enforced very differently.

When I was running the SVT, I would constantly getting pulled over for loud pipes, and they were stock!

You're correct RX, completely different standards.

BGnR
RX, they aren't my brightest friends.

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

Kinda hard for a motorcycle cop to write a fellow biker a ticket for a loud bike. Some stick to the letter of the law, but I am sure others give them a pass, or ask them to take it easy in crowded areas.

Loads of very effective mufflers for cars, trucks, bikes and boats that don't hamper power. but some like to project their a-holeness.

My 500 HP musclecar is relatively quiet, especially when compared to a loud 200 HP ricer sewing machine running a chrome coffee can.

You're all getting too old. I must admit I love some exhaust notes more than others. I've been to Carmel, CA during the historic car racing weekends and I never tried of hearing the old Italian and English machinery cruising around Ocean Avenue. Actually, anywhere around the Monterey Peninsula during that weekend you are always treated to various engine and exhaust notes. Not to mention actually attending the races. I remember one year being fortunate enough to be at the same motel as the Lamborghini Club. Pretty cool lying in bed and hearing the Lambos arrive and depart. To each their own.

yeah, i've been tempted to scream "DO YOU HAVE A SMALL PENIS"

Fortunately, discretion keeps you from getting your ass kicked.


The sound hear is not truly the "Harley" sound...

BS. Of course it's the Harley sound, just louder than we'd like. In fact, for years, HDs had independent exhaust pipes that were not legal for sale ON an HD, in CA because they exceeded the state's noise level. That may still be the case. But those pipes were legal in most other states.

I like the HD sound. I just don't like it really loud. I like authoritative exhaust notes on cars, but I don't like them really loud.

Several people I know *love* Flowmaster mufflers (an oxymoron), but I've never heard one that sounds good. The factory exhaust of the '65/'66 Mustang 8-cyl was one of the best OEM sounds I've ever heard.

Also, big twins can sound really good. But even better than the uneven lope of an HD motor, was my 90? 750 Duc Sport. I'd love to hear one of the newer 1 liter models.

But too loud is too loud, on the street. A lot of bikes like to split lanes, and blasting between moving cars is not any less dangerous because of an ear-splitting exhaust. Nor is hearing it in the wee hours of the morning.

But more annoying than that is the loud, high-pitch whine of a slow moving four cylinder riced-out import.

For an everyday driver, I like quite. The CHP BMWs and the Honda GWs are whisper quiet.

Somewhere in my pile of vinyl, I have a record of an Isle of Man TT (c.66?) with some truly awesome bike sounds. One of them is Mike "The Bike" Hailwood. He's also on a 6-cylinder 250cc (!)Honda (the RC 166), but I don't remember if that recording was from the TT. Crank that up on 750w/RMS, and you have an exhilarating experience.

And later, he rode a Duc. Always like him, RIP.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

You're welcome over my place any time. I live around the corner from a Harley dealer.

age has no direct corrolation to sound intolerance.

it is noise pollution, no doubt about it.

you walk up to a biker & tell him his penis is small, and let us know how that goes.
make sure you tell us what room you're posting from in the hospital.

I too like the HD sound. However, they are TOO LOUD. When I'm sitting at a light w/ my windows up and HAVE TO TURN UP MY RADIO so I can hear it then it's too loud. Same goes for kickers.

I wonder if HD (and people w/ loud exhaust) bitch about how loud the kickers are when they are at the light. Hmmmm.

Quote
macone
You're all getting too old. I must admit I love some exhaust notes more than others. I've been to Carmel, CA during the historic car racing weekends and I never tried of hearing the old Italian and English machinery cruising around Ocean Avenue. Actually, anywhere around the Monterey Peninsula during that weekend you are always treated to various engine and exhaust notes. Not to mention actually attending the races. I remember one year being fortunate enough to be at the same motel as the Lamborghini Club. Pretty cool lying in bed and hearing the Lambos arrive and depart. To each their own.

Ah, so if we were young, or young at heart, we'd all love the sound of these ridiculous motorcycles? BS. I happen to love machine sounds, especially that of large, round, reciprocating aircraft engines.

It's not just the noise of these bikes, it's the attitude of the jackasses who ride them.

As a motorcycle owner, I believe that loud pipes have absolutely NOTHING to do with safety. It is purely an ego trip for the owner.

I have a 1980 Suzuki GS1100 - she is fairly quiet, though not as quiet as some of my other friends newer Yamahas. When I got her she had a 4-into-1 exhaust system that was a louder than what I would have liked. I replaced it with a stock 4-into-2 system that has a low grumble (in volume and frequency).

As for what these people are saying about themselves with loud pipes, this sums it up rather nicely.

- Shadow

Quote
spacescape
I too like the HD sound. However, they are TOO LOUD. When I'm sitting at a light w/ my windows up and HAVE TO TURN UP MY RADIO so I can hear it then it's too loud. Same goes for kickers.

The rule of thumb I tell people: With a bike on its stand and idling, if two people cannot stand on either side of it and have a normal volume conversation, it is too loud.

I don't think ANY Harley meets this rule.

- Shadow

Newsflash :
People have become utterly oblivious to how their actions affects others.
Loud motorcycles are but one of a myriad of ways that people show their complete
self-centeredness on a daily basis. It has become the other person's problem.
And it's only going to get worse because many of these "adults" raise children with
this same, ever worsening myopia. Welcome to the 21st Century.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2006 11:00AM by prof.

i do enjoy them when im sitting at an outdoor cafe trying to enjoy a nice breakfast/lunch

i refuse to sit outside when they are on a busy street

nothing more annoying than trying to carry on a conversation with someone and some silly harley/ricer/loud stereo n00b drives by

prof is close to right...

---

Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

Quote
the_poochies
You're welcome over my place any time. I live around the corner from a Harley dealer.

I live very close to a large Harley dealer, too. And apparently their main cruising road on the weekends.

Sneak over one dark night and burn the place down....




(Kidding.... mostly....)

---

Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

--

--
Eureka, CA

Quote
prof
Newsflash :
People have become utterly oblivious to how their actions affects others.
Loud motorcycles are but one of a myriad of ways that people show their complete
self-centeredness on a daily basis. It has become the other person's problem.
And it's only going to get worse because many of these "adults" raise children with
this same, ever worsening myopia. Welcome to the 21st Century.

Really? So, the guy in the shop today that thinks he can talk on his cell phone while using a CHOP BOX and cut some 2x4's is safe?

Bill

I was wondering just what it is about a harley and mid 40's men. They get to that age and just HAVE to have one. Then they drive around in big packs with their scruffy faces on saturday mornings. I just don't get it.

Dave

Quote
davemchine
I was wondering just what it is about a harley and mid 40's men. They get to that age and just HAVE to have one. Then they drive around in big packs with their scruffy faces on saturday mornings. I just don't get it.

Dave

RUBbees!
Rich Urban Bikers, all over the rich part of Orange County California, the worst!

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

What is the difference between a biker and a vacuum?
The position of the dirt bag

I hate that argument that the noise is a safety feature. That's very selfish, don't you think? First, they CHOOSE to buy a vehicle which they admit is unsafe.

Then they CHOOSE to bombard us with hellacious noise, claiming that it makes riding safer for them.

Why not CHOOSE a safer ride in the first place? Or walk, or ride a bicycle?

As a pedestrian, I'd be "safer" crossing a street with a noisy boom-box blaring some rap or something. But I don't.

Am I the only one that louds of motorcycle tires?

---

What it is, man, a low-down and funky feelin'

Quote
davemchine
I was wondering just what it is about a harley and mid 40's men. They get to that age and just HAVE to have one. Then they drive around in big packs with their scruffy faces on saturday mornings. I just don't get it.

Dave

I'd like to know the answer to that myself. Maybe it's the same thing that's happening to
me with my Scion. Although I didn't buy it for the reason I think HD owners buy theirs for.
I'm enjoying it so much I find myself driving slower to make my commute last longer,
that's just so not right.

Copied from above:

Maybe I'm going through the same thing but I bought a Scion xA and now I want to lower it
an 1.5" and put custom wheels on it instead of the factory wheel covers, not sure what's up
with that, I'll soon be 44. I will not be putting on one of those loud mufflers though. I'm
smiling everytime I get in though. I hate to admit but it does make me feel younger.

---

Grateful11

Quote
Dick Moore
Am I the only one that louds of motorcycle tires?

Sorry Dick but could rephrase the question?

---

Grateful11

"Having
ridden mini-bikes, go karts and dirt bikes when younger, I really can't imagine a 60 year old
man being able to lay down a bike and let it go."


SCARING ME.

I have ridden motorcycles for 18 years. I came from the school of thought it was much better to be seen than heard. I ran nothing but factory exhaust systems. Why attract unwanted attention (police)?

There is enough damage done to your hearing from wind noise. Why on earth do you want to worsen it with excessive noise from your exhaust? Because it's cool? Whatever.

Loud exhaust is a safety feature? And smoking is actually good for you. Seriously, if you want to ride safe; wear a real helmet, don't ride in the blind spot of cars and use your damn turnsignals.

Leave the loud exhaust where it belongs...on the racetrack.

---

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making
him carry me, and yet assure myself and others
that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his
lot by all possible means — except by getting off
his back. - Leo Tolstoy, novelist and Philosopher
(1828-1910)

There are dozens of properly designed quiet systems for autos and trucks that allow the engine to produce more power than a poorly designed loud one. I refuse to believe that the motorcycle community doesn't have talented designers as well.

It must be an "I am an a-hole rebel" statement.

I knew this elder guy, about 75, that rode a Honda a lot and had one of those older style
tubular foot bars on it. Out on the extremes of the bar he mounted 2 small driving lights.
Believe me you could see this guy coming, he burned them all the time.

---

Grateful11

that was only because his lights were loud. painfully and rudely loud.

People have become utterly oblivious to how their actions affects others.

Newsflash: People *have been* utterly oblivious as to how their actions affect others, for a very long time. This is not new news.


they get to that age and just HAVE to have one.

Actually, they've wanted one for a long time, and are finally at the age where they can *afford* one.

Unless one is a drug dealer, it's not easy to afford a new HD when you're young.


...being able to lay down a bike and let it go.

16-60, nobody does that on the street. That's an urban myth. A lot of people claim they can do or have done that. They're liars. A lot of people haven't done it, but believe they can. They're deluded.

Those street riders who've actually done it, have done so for one reason-- they crashed. Many of them then say "Yeah, I had to lay it down...". That's more bench race talk, than real, good street riding.


Loud exhaust is a safety feature?

Yeah, I think we can pretty much agree that nobody really believes that, not even the "proponents".

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.