Posted on 08/24/2007 8:27:53 AM PDT by devane617
The good thing about Harleys is that they don’t run half the time so in actuality you get 50% noise attenuation.
WHY did you resurrect a thread that was a year old?
They should have added to this list of morons the ones that drive their cars around with the bass audio turned up to brain emulsifying levels so you can feel the vibrations a half mile away.
Because it is more relevant now than a year ago. Thanks for the ping!
You know, in written form, that's just not as clear, LOL
Monday, September 18, 2006
So. Many. Loud. Pipes. They really suck!
My friend and co-worker Paulie and I rode down to Ocean City, MD for the DelMarVa bike week this past weekend. The hours spent at the event and listening to all the loud pipes sucked. The rest of the weekend; that was fun.
This blog is called the Motorcycle Manifesto. According to Dictionary.Com, the definition of a manifesto is as follows:
a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization.
Rather than prattle on about what we did, where we went, what we saw, I'll point you to this link for that. What I will do here, however, is be the manifesto guy, and lay out some intentions and rules and guide lines for motorcyclists to follow - if they want to shed their stupid image and stop being garage and trailer queens.
The Motorcycle Manifesto's Guide to being a Motorcyclist (or... Being a Motorcyclist for Dummies)
1. Do not trailer your bike to a motorcycling event. Doing so makes you look like a complete idiot. The exceptions are physical handicaps (which begs the question, if you can't ride the bike, why have it?), excessively pricey show-only bikes, and stupid alcoholics who can't control themselves for a weekend. Maybe the occasional "bring the kids along". That's really it. There is a reason people who actually ride jokingly say things like, "I rode my bike to trailer week." Yes, it is a direct assault on your manhood.
2. Your loud pipes don't save any lives - especially when you're just another biker in the mix (they all sound the same, stupid!), and when you're riding through the middle of a family vacation city at the beach. You're not saving lives, you're pissing people off while being starved for attention and validation. You suck. And frankly, you're causing more risk than not, because everyone driving a car is suddenly assaulted from all sides with so much noise it'll harm their driving far more than you sucking as a rider and staying in their blindspots anyway.
3. As a loud pipe addendum, do you REALLY need to be running up and down the town's main drag at 4:30am keeping people awake? Really? No. You don't. So don't do it. You probably got your fill of attention during the day time hours when you were doing the same thing for hours on end. You just couldn't hear all the admiration and adoration because of... yep, your loud pipes.
4. When you have the same exact model of bike that about 15,000 other show attendees have, please don't explain to everyone who wanders by why yours is so special. It isn't. It may be nice and may be the perfect bike for you, but trust me... there is nothing special or unique about any Harley Davidson Softtail or Dyna that you drove off the showroom floor and into your trailer to bring home. They're all the same. Be happy with your bike (especially since it's so clean after riding in the covered trailer!) and get on with your life. Buying a factory Harley is like buying a Toyota Camry. It's the new ubiquitous machine on the road. Deal with it.
5. Don't get drunk then get on your bike. Do I really, actually need to explain why that's such a bad idea?
6. Get some rider training. Dragging your feet for a block or two is bad riding, it's dangerous and again, makes you look like an incompetent idiot. Don't do it. Power walking around a turn rather than riding the bike - yeah, bad. Simple rule: If your bike is in motion, get your feet off the ground. Unless you're a dirt or flat-track racer, that's a golden rule. Hey, it's your ankle that'll get destroyed - I'm just trying to save you some pain and humiliation, and the ability to walk ever again.
7. If you MUST trailer your bike in to town, don't take up valuable public parking spots outside of your motel/hotel's parking lot. Some of us like to go out to eat, visit some stores and travel about the city. Riders will make fun of you and make you cry. They'll probably tell you your puppy is ugly, too, just to further humiliate you.
8. Don't. Do. Not. Don't ever ask someone why they don't ride a "real bike". Not only is it rude, but honestly, anyone buying a $25k "me too" bike has no room to talk. Harley Davidson makes some fantastic machines, but a lot of people buying them are doing it solely for the "look what I bought" cool factor and don't really know anything about bikes, nor how to decide which is really the right bike for them. And frankly, Harley Davidsons are assembled, and many of their parts made here in the USA, but there are a LOT of parts on those bikes with "Made in Taiwan", "Made in Maylasia" and "Made in China" stickers on them. Plenty of the Japanese cruiser style bikes are likewise assembled here, with many of the parts being designed, machined and built here. For less. And most of the Japanese cruiser style bikes out perform Harley in power, braking and handling. So the notion of a "real bike" is a slipper, subjective one at best.
9. Your ridiculous, barely legal skull-cap of a helmet won't protect anything in a collision. You're wearing it as a "buck the system" statement because the state has a mandatory helmet law and you're just wearing it to keep from getting pulled over. Wow. You rebel, you! If you really want to be that rebel, then take the stupid lid off your head because it's pointless anyway - it doesn't protect. Period. If you really want to make your statement, just flaunt the law and go helmetless. I'm sure your widow (or widower) and kids will have great respect for "the rebel who was". Helmets really are good things, but if you choose to do without, then do it right and make your statement. Otherwise, you're just like the rest of us; conforming. But you're not doing it for safety's sake. No, sir. You're just selling out and "giving in to the man". So really...
10. The rest of the safety gear is a much-debated topic. Do what you want. There are those who believe that road rash is sexy and manly and proves your worth as a productive member of society. Really. Enjoy.
Here is a classic! He actually admits he likes loud pipes so he can push cars around!
“Based upon my own first hand experiences riding motorcycles, I can say without a doubt that Loud Pipes do save lives! I have been in many situations, particularly when I am splitting lanes, where revving my engine and making noise got cagers to notice me and make way.”
http://www.bikerlawblog.com/index.php/biker_laws/2006/11/29/do_loud_pipes_on_motorcycles_save_lives_
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