Honestly, do motorcycles have to be so damn loud?

[Bake]

I used to ride many years ago, so it's not like I have a thing against motorcycles. I love 'em. But honestly, have they gotten louder? Seems like even the rice rockets try to out-loud Harleys.

And it can be pretty annoying.

And oh yeah ... YOU KIDS, GET OFF MY LAWN!

:rofl:

Bake

[Incitatus]

1. No, but it makes people in cars aware of their presence.

And they remind me of a certain South Park episode.

[femmocrat]

2. I don't know if they are louder.... but why do they have to blast their radios, too?

I know... they won't be able to hear the radio over the noise.

They fly up and down the road in front of our house and it is louder than our TV playing indoors!

I'm getting so old..... :(

[Bake]

3. We live on a quiet street and when one of 'em goes by at midnight or so,

(a) My dogs go crazy; (b) it wakes us up, which leads to (c) I have to get up and go to the bathroom, smoke, etc.; then (d) the dogs have to go out too.

Sheesh!

Bake

[femmocrat]

4. :rofl:

Then since you're up anyhow, you might as well make a pot of coffee..... ;)

[Bake]

6. Exactly!

:hi:

Bake

[Amerigo Vespucci]

8. Until Halloween 2010, I used to live in Santa Clara...

...and this neighborhood had THREE assholes with loud motorcycles who went back and forth, back and forth all day. When they came to the intersection in front of my place they would always gun it and go for the "BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" thing.

Then, next door, there were a couple of "gangsta" pricks still living with their parents. One would start the car and go in the house while it warmed up, stereo full blast. He'd do this several times a day. The brother would do the low rider thing down the street but his car stereo was garbage, all vibration, no music. One day this guy decided he was going to wash his car and open all four doors and let his gangsta rap crap entertain the neighborhood. I called the cops. He started yelling at them and calling them "motherf**kers." They cuffed him, put him in the back of the squad car, and wrote a FAT-ASSED ticket.

The officer later told me that he was only going to gibe him a warning, but because he was such a prick, he decided to teach him a lesson.

Hope the people who moved in when I moved out like the neighborhood.

:grouphug:

[LynneSin]

5. why do farts have to smell so nasty?

just the way it is

[Bake]

7. True, but that's a separate thread.

And by the way, speak for yourself. Mine are extremely fine smelling!

:rofl:

Bake

[NightWatcher]

9. tell me you've seen the South Park where they address it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_F_Word_(South_Park)

[Bake]

12. No, I just never got into South Park

But I'll check this one out. THanks!

Bake

[alphafemale]

10. I LOVE the sound of a Harley.

There's nothing else like it in the world.

[Bake]

13. I understand that at one time Harley tried to copyright its sound

They may have succeeded, I don't know.

Bake

[alphafemale]

14. No one could ever "imitate" it anyway.

lol

To me it's an amazing, wonderful, sexy sound.

[Ptah]

15. They abandoned their effort to trademark the sound:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_trademark#United_States :

More famously, Harley-Davidson attempted to register as a trademark
the distinctive "chug" of a Harley Davidson motorcycle engine.
On 1 February 1994, the company filed its application with the
following description: "The mark consists of the exhaust sound of
applicant's motorcycles, produced by V-twin, common crankpin motorcycle
engines when the goods are in use". Nine of Harley Davidson's competitors
filed oppositions against the application, arguing that cruiser-style
motorcycles of various brands use the same crankpin V-twin engine which
produces the same sound. After six years of litigation, with no end in sight,
in early 2000, Harley Davidson withdrew their application.

[Ohio Joe]

11. Yes, they do

People do not pay attention when they drive and getting hit by a car when on a bike really sucks. When they are loud, they may not be seen right away but people will hear them and there is a much better chance they will look before hitting them.

[Bake]

16. I think the current volume level is way more than needed for that purpose.

Just sayin'.

Bake

[Ohio Joe]

18. Depends

on if you are the one in your living room with them drowning out the TV or are you the one that does not want to get hit. It's all perspective I guess.

[some guy]

17. LOL

Okay, mostly I agree with what you wrote.

But the last little bit could have been phrased better.

". . . there is a much better chance they will look before hitting them."

It's like that joke - I had to swerve all over the road before I hit him.

[Ohio Joe]

19. heh

I didn't catch that when I wrote it :rofl:

[Curmudgeoness]

20. I should not have to be that loud, and if they do have to be that loud

they should be outlawed. If I had a car radio at half that volume, I would be arrested. I have a neighbor across the street who has the loudest motorcycle I have ever heard, and he loves to rev it for about 5 minutes, goes somewhere that takes one minute, then revs it for another 5 minutes when he gets back. I have fantasies of his garage engulfed in flames and that poor motorcycle in there.

I never had anything against this neighbor until he got the bike, now I hate him with a passion.

Unfortunately, I am not old enough for my hearing to be gone.

[cloudbase]

21. If, as some say,

loud pipes save lives, then insurance companies would offer a discount for having them.

[Riftaxe]

22. My suspicion is that they are just poorly made

machines, like Harley's. I do keep an air horn around during motorcycle weekend, It is amazing that they can still hear it over their bikes.

[IDemo]

23. "Loud pipes save lives" is an open question

I've ridden street bikes for over 30 years, never a Harley. I've never been in an accident, and not because of loud pipes. What counts more than having 100db+ volume or neon yellow riding gear is actively engaging the gray matter between your ears. According to the Hurt report (yes, that's really the name) most motorcycle accidents occur due to reasons ahead of the bike, not behind. But most of the audio energy from motorcycle pipes is directed toward the rear. Take a walk around an idling straight-piped Harley or other loud bike and you'll notice a distinct difference between front and rear volumes.

Not sayin' they never alert motorists at intersections, but if they are that loud you're likely covering up the sounds of other traffic approaching from the rear and even causing yourself some hearing loss over the course of time.

[snagglepuss]

24. Yesterday night I just asked my brother if he thought motorcycles this year were louder.

I've been wondering if bikers have decided to remove mufflers this year. Honestly the noise from them this spring and summer has been deafening.:wtf:

[IcyPeas]

25. There's a twit in my neighborhood...

that speeds down the street (I hear it at night) (no other cars around - so he's not doing it to be safe). It is SO LOUD it has made car alarms go off. I am thinking they somehow tweak it do do this...do they? it can't possibly be made that way.