Those Harleys and the obnoxious noise they make - a rant

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by srandallf

wow racer. nice pan head

i had a harley with straight pipes and i have a sportbike with aftermarket D&D race can that is way louder that my harley was. sounds like a formula 1 car and would drive you insane

but, i use the sound as a horn. intersections, cars pulling out of driveways...i blip the throttle a bit and it gets the teens on their cell phones to notice me quite often and

when i get pissed at someone who cut me off on the expressway, ill let em get ahead a bit and then i drop it down to 2nd or 3rd and scream by them at 90 and it gives them a heart attack or stroke if their window is down. oh god i love doing that to A-holes in cars

and , i love the sound

D&D sure is fun, I agree. In the right places.

[ramonesfreak]

gotta love it under bridge overpasses, or down Broadway at midnight

[Shaun @ Tru6]

one of my fond memories of my 84 was when I was prototyping the 1in1out M&K for Ben. It was a long can (compared to short cans found in production) and it was loud and raucous like a big block at idle and then shrieked liked a F1 car up to redline (it was also "faster" than the short cans, but that's another post). I'd go up and down the gears all day long just to listen to it.

anyway, I'm in slow-medium traffic along the shore and a Harley pulls up to me, blat blat blat and it was just annoying with him twisting the grip every 2 seconds. he loved the way his bike sounded, me, not so much. So instead of shifting into second, I just left it in first as we ebbed and flowed. Soon he was shaking his head. And traffic was starting to slow down to a crawl. I tried a longwayaround shortcut to get out of it, ended up back on the same road a few miles down and who do I pull up next to getting back in line? Mr. Harley. He looks at me and spits out, "oh, F, not you again!" and proceeds to weave in between the lanes to get away.

[Danny_Ocean]

Q: What's the difference between a Harley and a Hoover?

A: The location of the dirt-bag.

[LakeCleElum]

If I had neighbors like that, I'd take the muffler off my lawnmower and weedwacker. I'd be out at daybreak every weekend morning until they wised up. They give real m/c riders a bad name!

[Danny_Ocean]

To the poseurs with the new leather and loud pipes, it isn't a "way of life", it's a performance stage. They get no attention during the week at their mundane jobs/lives, so they need something to get people to notice them on the weekends.

Unfortunately, now that every Tom, Dick (emphasis on "dick") and Harry has one, no-one pays attention anymore.

So...what's the next fad?

[Jagshund]

I think the true Harley Davidson folks went into hiding as soon as the accountants and housewives started wearing rhinestone "HD" shirts to the Cheesecake Factory during their weekend rides. It's no longer a lifestyle, it's a great marketing ploy.

[azasadny]

What drives me nuts are the "ricers" with their "souped up" Dodge Neons and Civics, with the obligatory coffee can muffler, sounding like a loud, angry honey bee. That, and the "whump, whump, whump" from their stereo...

[Bob Goding]

I never did figure how you could ,or even want to , patent the sound of a fart!

[Noah930]

That's not a fart!!! It's "po-ta-to po-ta-to po-ta-to."

(Not sure if I should be using green font or not. Suppose it depends upon your perspective.)

[ChrisBennet]

"Loud pipes save lives" yeah right.
If they really cared about safety they'd have a full face helmet on (or any helmet!) and some real leathers.

"Hey, if they don't like the noise, they can put up their windows and close their sunroof on days when I want to ride."

I can understand the loud music coming from kids car's - they're idiots at that age. But Harley guys don't have that excuse.

-Chris

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by dd74

You have my sympathies. I wish there was such a thing as a quiet Harley.

This one is about as quiet as a bike can be. And unlike air-cooled HD's....this one is fast...and corners well. It's funny...I've been visiting 1130cc.com (V-rod site), and most guys are really frustrated with being lumped in with the crotchless chaps and clip-on earing lawyer-types. Seems HD is attracting a bit more of an enthusiast crowd with this product line. The acquisition of MV Augusta ought to push them further in the right direction. Eventually, the Porsche designed twin cam V-rod engine will find its way into the touring line-up.



Just curious...are you angry because they're loud, or because they get away with it, and you don't with your loud SC? Something about throwing stones in glass houses comes to mind. . .

[john70t]

123HP is pretty close to an early 911T. Hmm, with the right gearing....

[Chocaholic]

620 lbs.

[sammyg2]

If a vehicle is faster than it sounds, it's cool.
If it sounds faster than it is, it's a poser.

Harley riders who install drag pipes are insecure posers who don't give a damn about anyone else but themselves, and deserve the same consideration in return.

"hey everyone look at me, I'm a bad boy because I have 62 horsepower and make allot of noise and annoy people".
They are worse than the spiked-haired honda drivers with stickers and fart can mufflers.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by srandallf

wow racer. nice pan head

i had a harley with straight pipes and i have a sportbike with aftermarket D&D race can that is way louder that my harley was. sounds like a formula 1 car and would drive you insane

but, i use the sound as a horn. intersections, cars pulling out of driveways...i blip the throttle a bit and it gets the teens on their cell phones to notice me quite often and

when i get pissed at someone who cut me off on the expressway, ill let em get ahead a bit and then i drop it down to 2nd or 3rd and scream by them at 90 and it gives them a heart attack or stroke if their window is down. oh god i love doing that to A-holes in cars

and , i love the sound

You totally suck as a human being, and I mean that in the nicest way.

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

..and corners well.

.

Corners Well?

[JavaBrewer]

For a Harley.

[Jagshund]

I'll admit to rolling down a window today to listen to a Harley at idle; it reminded me ever-so-slightly of my BB 427. When a car can be heard idling while you're in the back-corner bathroom of a concrete-block convenience store, you know it's loud. I've got nothing against HDs that are purpose-built and are loud as a result, but a wienie who slaps a louder exhaust on just for the sake of a few extra decibels ought to have his/her hand slapped.

[craigster59]

I flew in to Albuquerque today to spend a week working on a show. I went downtown to Central (Route 66) to have dinner and a few beers and my table was on the rail overlooking the 'strip'.

I kid you not, there must have been 40 bikes ride past in the hour (90% Harley) and they had the loud pipes and not one was wearing a helmet. If they're so concerned about safety, how about throwin' something on the noggin.