Those Harleys and the obnoxious noise they make - a rant

[look 171]

Here's my whine of the day. We have a 7 month baby that almost only sleep during the day if we take a drive in our van( yeah, at $4.50 a gallon) for an hour. There's always some butt head that likes to rev to high hell under a over pass as we wait to get on the freeway. Baby jumps and there it goes. He will cry for another half an hour, non stop. We live back into the caynon and this 2 guys in their Harleys rev their freaking bikes at this little blind corner not once but several times early on the weekends. Never fails. that sound bounces off the canyon wall right into our babies bed room. You guys ever see a little jump from a loud noise and wake up crying? I want to run a steel wire across the bend. Also like to wash the street with motor oil for these butt heads. I talk to them about it. Its like talking to a stone. One of these guy is a school admin. and we think they are gay. One of those young man, old man situtations.

[cantdrv55]

Same here, Look. I have a 10 mo old baby who wakes up from his nap whenever the neighbors ride by. The kid is grouchy when his nap gets cut short.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

I live down the road from a guy with a noisy SC and he's driving me insane...

True story, last week pulling into Starbucks I notice two CHP BMWs sharing a space. After getting my coffee I walk over to the two and strike up a bike conversation by asking how they like their BMWs. The older of the two said he really missed the HD and said the BMW was unreliable and poorly made...humm... Before leaving I asked if they ever ticket loud bikes with aftermarket pipes and the older cop says "Not if it's a Harley"

BMWs?

LOL! What is your county made of money?!?!?!

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by procon

Nothing like sitting outside at my favorite local restaurant & having some jackass come by revving his hog up just as he passes through.

IMHO it's just a dim witted way of saying, LOOK AT ME!!!!!

The rider is actually saying, "Hahahaha Edited - language removed, Z-man you!"

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

Corners Well?

Obviously it's not a sport bike / crotch rocket. It corners well for a cruiser...and far better than any aircooled HD I've ridden in the past. I've scraped footpegs a time or two without much effort...that's probably my only gripe. Even though the wheelbase is long, and the rear tire is 240mm wide, it is very tossable and doesn't require brute force to shuttle it through the esses in N. GA. Power is good enough to enable spirited riding through the twisties.

Must give credit where credit is due. They did a very good job with the frame and handling of this bike. The engine (for a twin) is stunning. There is Porsche DNA there without a doubt, blended with just enough HD DNA to let you know you're on a motorcycle and not an electric scooter. Seems the V-rod is their biggest seller in Europe and Asia (hence the metric hardware), but not here in the US. Visited Orange County HD last time I was in CA. Huge dealership packed with aircooled pigs. Not a V-rod to be found anywhere (including in the Service department).

I went from a BMW K1200RS to this bike without regret. The beemer was more refined, a bit faster, more electronics, but just as heavy. Mostly, I got tired of the ache in my shoulders after about 90 minutes of riding from the ergos. The V-rod fits my body better....can ride all day without pain. That's a plus.

I have to admit, I do like the sound of the aircooled bikes. I hate the posers, but I like the sound...doesn't bother me a bit. Similar to the appreciation I might have for the sound of a 1970's small block V-8. Not fast by today's standards, and could easily be muffled, but just shouldn't be.

[lm6y]

Harley Davidson is THE most efficient way to turn raw fuel into noise, without the side benefit of horsepower.

We had a new neighbor move in with a pretty nice bike actually. It was all set up so he could go out and be "seen" (as in, LOOK AT ME I'M AN ATTENTION WHORE!!!!). He worked nights, and used to warm it up for 10 - 15 minutes from idle to wide open at 10:30 at night.

My other neighbor that lives next to him has a Street/Strip '70 Z-28 that races at the strip on weekends. Really nice car, and he's lived here long enough that we all like him, and love the car. When we "tuned" it with open headers next to the bikers house at around 1:00 in the afternoon. Our new neighbor got the idea, and we haven't had a problem since. Turns out he's a nice guy, just got caught up in the poser lifestyle, and wasn't thinking.

[djmcmath]

I don't believe in the "loud pipes save lives" line either. Here's why:

1 - With modern insulated cars, you can't hear ANYTHING outside, especially if you have the radio on. Even my slightly older BMW damps virtually everything, even most of the loud pipe noise. The traffic won't hear you, especially if they're not listening.
2 - There are better ways to get noticed -- visibility is the key. Wear reflective gear, including an orange vest if you're serious about being seen. Reflective tape on your helmet, reflective tape on your orange and white vest ... I guarantee you'll be more noticed -- in a safe way -- than with the loud pipes.
3 - The overwhelming majority of HD riders don't particularly seem to care about safety. The overwhelming majority of Harley riders that I see don't bother to wear helmets at all. The few that bother just wear the tiny ones that won't do any good anyway.

If the loud pipes crowd wants to claim that it's a safety measure, follow through by being visible and taking appropriate safety measures in other areas too, not just the ones that annoy other people. Otherwise, you can get noticed just fine with a good quality horn.

Just my $.02,
Dan

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by lm6y

Turns out he's a nice guy, just got caught up in the poser lifestyle, and wasn't thinking.

Those last three words are the operative phrase.

[VINMAN]

Yawn.......

[peppy]

4. In the single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slide out and fall due to over braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It's definitely true that louder pipes save lives - as do headlights, bright clothing, proper helmets and other safety gear, correct lane positioning and proper awareness (S.I.P.D.E. method) while riding. Anyone who thinks that louder pipes don't save lives is simply kidding themselves. However I'll agree 100% that simply slapping on loud pipes is not a substitute for common sense or using the right gear (including helmets, gloves, etc.)

When you go out on a motorcycle (or bicycle for that matter) you need to realize and accept the fact that everyone out there is capable of killing you. You have no more protection than a pedestrian. As such, you need to do ANYTHING to increase your chance of survival. Each individual thing you do (including the decision to run with louder pipes) has a cumulative effect on increasing your chances of survival.

Also, if "new cars are so well insulated so you can't hear anything outside anyway", why would it bother you?

My Mercedes is EXTREMELY well insulated with the top and windows up, but if there's a loud Harley next to me or approaching, I can still hear it. I don't drive around with the stereo at ear-splitting volume, which is just as dangerous/stupid as driving around with earphones in...

[VINMAN]

Great post Jeff!

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Obviously it's not a sport bike / crotch rocket. ...snipped.

Ha ha.
It's still a Harley.
So you're no different than the rest of us Edited - language removed, Z-man, posers. Take your punishment from the PPOT elite, and like it.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Anyone who thinks that louder pipes don't save lives is simply kidding themselves. However I'll agree 100% that simply slapping on loud pipes is not a substitute for common sense or using the right gear (including helmets, gloves, etc.)

Those brain blaster stereo's should be the greatest safety device known to man. The noise is roughly equivalent to buying penis enlargement pills off the web. The noise is behind the bike, so everybody ahead or to the sides isn't getting the alarm. If it was fast, I could understand. Harleys wont pull a greased string out of a cat's ass.

My worst ever experience was at "Nightfall," a Friday night music festival all summer in Chatt. Lots of bikes (200 or more) would show up. They eventually got run off for revving the engines while the show was on (they agreed to behave & were let back in, but had to park around the corner). One nice summer evening, I was sitting on some steps enjoying the music. Hogg Rider cranks 'er up. He's standing by the bike just revving it up to show how cool he is. He is blowing sand & dirt from the sidewalk into our faces. When he lets it back down to idle, I yell to him that "it's not cool." He revs again. One of the girls comments to me at his next "break." I reply, loud enough for this imbecile to hear, "See how cool it's going to be when I put my cigar out on his gas tank." It got quiet after he thought about that.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by djmcmath

I don't believe in the "loud pipes save lives" line either. Here's why:

1 - With modern insulated cars, you can't hear ANYTHING outside, especially if you have the radio on.

People don't drive with their windows down on your planet?

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

People don't drive with their windows down on your planet?

Around here the only ones who drive with the windows down are the punks with their rap music blaring and the boom box booming. Why do these low-life's have to roll down the windows when they crank the stereo up?
The same reason harley riders have to have loud pipes. They need the attention.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Around here the only ones who drive with the windows down are the punks with their rap music blaring and the boom box booming. Why do these low-life's have to roll down the windows when they crank the stereo up?
The same reason harley riders have to have loud pipes. They need the attention.

Why do you have to ride with your windows up? And if new cars are so good at deadening sound, how do you even know those kids are playing loud music anyway?

[ramonesfreak]

ive never driven with my windows up. my air conditioner has never worked in my jeep or porsche and i chain smoke.

some people like their windows down. some people love the sound of an engine. i love my crotch rocket's screaming in-line 4 cyclinder engine revved to 12,000 RPM. i had a harley and also loved the rumbling sound of that engine.

the only thing i dont like about my 911 is that it sounds like a honda accord. i laugh at all the people on this board that think their stock 911 exhaust sounds "like heaven". haha. I cant even hear mine and am looking forward to the day when that thing is LOUD

some of us like LOUD engines. If I had F18's flying over my house every day. I would be in heaven.

why do people feel the need to say that people that have loud pipes are posers, punks, need attention etc... maybe some of us just love the sound of a loud engine.

[ramonesfreak]

THE MOST heavenly sound on this planet as far as wingless vehicles are concerned



I suppose this dude is a poser and just wants attention? well, kudos to him. his exhaust makes my day

[m21sniper]

God Damn that sounds good!

If you click the link in my sig and turn up your volume you'll hear what my neighbors hear when i pull my Shark out of the garage. Even at idle it shakes the foundation of my apt.