Yard sales and cell phones. (rant)

[workinallthetime]

well i guess since you guys have called my views and experiences everything from retarded to and excuse i just have one thing to say.
IF ITS TO LOUD YOUR TO OLD !!!!!

I didt run around blasting my pipe all over town i did it when i felt it was necessary. You say i should have known how to keep myself in a "safe" situation, well thats great 90% of the time, but that 10% when you cant control the 5 cars around you, the mom changing the diaper while driving, the business guy yapping on the phone, the late for work teen, the old man who cant see or hear yet we continue to let him drive. Oh i know acording to you guys i should have just sat there and waited to see if i was going to make it home to my wife and newborn daughter, or make my presence known because they were envading my space? Harly's come out of the box loud, rice rockets are quiet. The gain in power was well worth the pipe on the street or on the track.

im done here, sold the bikes years ago, when i realized its not when a 4 wheeler takes you down its if you live or die when it happens. They always say the same thing " i didnt know he was there"
i guess if it was a 77 f-150 with cherry bombs it would be ok.

ohh and one of my best frinds was cut in half by a mustang while ridding his HD one cool sunday morning, another one died when someone dicided to take pictures of leaves and parked in the middle of the road around a blind corner. i was ridding next to a guy who stuck his head through the pasenger door of a car that pulled out in front of us.

back to road rage please, not crying over the sound the ride next to you is making.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I am 29. I know a lot of guys who will disagree with you in saying that I am old. I just don't like loud pipes on any bike.

If you wanted more power on your bike there were cans available that gave you more power yet didn't raise the sound as much as other cans available. You also could have changed sprockets for faster speeds as well as a bunch of other little items to improve your speed at the track.

As I said before, you are taught to not put yourself in situations where you have no escape. If you let yourself get boxed in by a bunch of cars it is your own fault.

I honestly don't think most sport bike exhaust are too loud but there are some. It is the harleys that you can hear for miles away that annoy me. But if you were relying on the sound of your exhaust to be what saves your live then you are asking for trouble.

 

[Gatorboy]

Those who tailgate me when I'm already going over the limit, get blocked at first opportunity.

Hopefully you are not in the left (passing) lane -- for the rule "Slower Traffic Keep Right" applies and you should get over. The speed limit has no bearing, if someone is coming up on you, then YOU are slower traffic.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

well i guess since you guys have called my views and experiences everything from retarded to and excuse i just have one thing to say.
IF ITS TO LOUD YOUR TO OLD !!!!!

I didt run around blasting my pipe all over town i did it when i felt it was necessary. You say i should have known how to keep myself in a "safe" situation, well thats great 90% of the time, but that 10% when you cant control the 5 cars around you, the mom changing the diaper while driving, the business guy yapping on the phone, the late for work teen, the old man who cant see or hear yet we continue to let him drive. Oh i know acording to you guys i should have just sat there and waited to see if i was going to make it home to my wife and newborn daughter, or make my presence known because they were envading my space? Harly's come out of the box loud, rice rockets are quiet. The gain in power was well worth the pipe on the street or on the track.

im done here, sold the bikes years ago, when i realized its not when a 4 wheeler takes you down its if you live or die when it happens. They always say the same thing " i didnt know he was there"
i guess if it was a 77 f-150 with cherry bombs it would be ok.

ohh and one of my best frinds was cut in half by a mustang while ridding his HD one cool sunday morning, another one died when someone dicided to take pictures of leaves and parked in the middle of the road around a blind corner. i was ridding next to a guy who stuck his head through the pasenger door of a car that pulled out in front of us.

back to road rage please, not crying over the sound the ride next to you is making.

So...Let me get this straight. YOUR contention is, anyone who finds loud, obnoxious noise that has absolutely no purpose other than to be loud and obnoxious, to be.....LOUD and OBNOXIOUS, is too old. Too old for WHAT? Too old to be aggrevating the people we share the road with? Too old to act like we don't care about the rest of the world and only about ourselves? You seem to also contend that anyone could ride a motorcycle with little or no regard for their own personal saftey, in a careless and wreckless manner, and NEVER have to worry about a thing, so long as their exhaust is.....LOUD and OBNOXIOUS so everyone knows we're there. Pure BS there.

Hmmmm. Your post seems a little LOUD and OBNOXIOUS IMHO.

Loud pipes don't "save" anyone, and they infuriate most. They project a bad image for bikes in general, causing more bad karma for a "sport" that already has its share of that.

I've rode since 1969. Never was without a bike since. Still own one. (No, I'm not "too old") I've rode from coast to coast, been in all but 3 states, rode in over 20 foriegn countries, and worn out several bikes. I've held an AMA membership for 37 years. I competed in organized racing for 20 years. This ISN'T just speculation. I've BTDT, and got a closet full of tee-shirts. All loud bikes do is cause other drivers to become less considerate, less willing to share "their road", and create ill feelings towards ALL cyclist's, regardless of quiet or loud. Those other drivers have the same voting power as each biker. And there's a heck of a lot MORE non-riders.

There may be a desired "cause and effect" in the minds of some riders, but that doesn't change the realities. Most people DON'T ride. Most people find unneccisarly loud bikes to be rude, offensive, distracting, and inconsiderate. Those things will tend to PROMOTE road rage rather than promote biker saftey. Loud MAY save a rider here and there, but just as likely they've cost more lives in the long run because of the ilk they've generated towards bikes.

 

[bluetc30]

i have a couple of words....cell phone blocker they work great

 

[patrick_g]

Since this thread has been running I have on two occasions gone to the local convenience store/filling station for diesel fuel (once per diesel truck.) Just bad luck but both times there was a herd of Harleys there with all the juvenile antics associated with the negative image of bikers.

(My wife and I have had bikes and been around them and their various sorts of owners/riders. Not all bikers are alike but there is a tendency for birds of a feather to flock together.)

Both of these recent encounters included having my ears assaulted with lots of totally unnecessary noise when these idiots would fire up to leave and spend 3-4 minutes having a who can make the most noise contest. First one then another demonstrates how loud he can make his stationery bike. They even lured a rice pilot to join in with some high notes from his crotch rocket(sounded like a jilliion RPM but not too loud)

So they all take off down the road showing off with max acceleration and no appreciation for the posted speed limit. Tail end charley had dual straight pipes and you could hear him above all the rest as he raced off down the road. I won't mention any other attributes or indications of lifestyle, just the noise. If they weren't loud and obnoxious to the max, no one would have paid them any attention and they could have just gone on their way to have fun and enjoy their outing but apparently being loud and obnoxious in public places IS a BIG part of their fun.

Observation: If someone is complaining about "OLD" people driving who can't hear then how does making lots of noise help make these deaf duffers know you are there? Seems there is a bit of an inconsistency in the complaint!

I wonder what it is about the old deaf duffer that irritates the biker the most. Probably the fact that he ignores the bikers loud noise when the biker is craving recognition of some sort even if it is negative. Like a spoiled brat, it is better to the child to be noticed in a negative context than to be ignored.

Is there a 12 step program for recovering attention starved socially incompetent bikers?

Funny how so many folks claim to be the rugged individualistic loaner cut from the cloth of James Dean and to prove it buy and wear a REGULATION biker uniform and gather in flocks of like minded to be appreciated.

Pat

 

[Gator6x4]

Load mufflers - or - no mufflers on a motorcycle does not bother me. I know I am in the TO OLD catergory. Some of What does bother me on the highway is, women or men on cell phones, people who stop in the roadway on an interstate in a 70 MPH zone to let someone onto the road from a entrance ramp, people that will stop in a travel lane on an interstate to watch someone change a flat tire, don't forget the "Rubber Neckers" at auto accidents, people that will give the I-Q sign when someone does not stop and let them on the interstate, people who will only pass on a four lane highway, I don't care if it is a no-passing zone or a passing zone, yet when they reach a four lane highway will travel at a speed well in excess of the speed limit, women applying makeup on a Interstate highway traveling at 70 MPH plus in very heavy traffic, people who pass, pull back in front and slow 10-15 mph below the speed limit. Road rage is alive and well. I don't think people stop to think how many people today are on anger medication. One will lose every time they take a mouth or automobile to a gun fight. And one that I have a special place for, the individuals that drives by the "Lane Closed Ahead Sign" and then become very-very mad when traffic does not stop to let him into the proper travel lane. Of course we know what happens when traffic stops to let them in, "Traffic Jam", "Grid Lock". What about the good ole "Blind Spotter". All truck drivers love this individual, speed up they stay there, slow down, same spot. People that pull trailers with to small of a vehicle, with the trailer loaded about 15 tons overweight. How would they stop if an emergency situation presented itself. Drug, legal and illegal and alcohol users driving in a trance like state at 70-80 mph. Farmers that place 15 rolls of hay on a trailer designed to haul 3, drive ten miles an hour and back traffic up for miles. People who think 70 mph is a safe speed to drive with slick tires in a heavy rain storm. People who think child safety seats are for other peoples children. The list goes on and on, but I have done enough ranting today.

 

[KubotaSteve]

Road rage is just a quicker way to die, either from another mad driver or causing yourself so much stress you have a heart attack. I used to get fired up at other drivers and block and do other things, but finally mellowed out. After driving on 270 and 495 in and around Washington DC, it gave me new perspective, not to mention the crazy people out on the roads now.
I can't stand people from the city moving out my way. They come out here for peace and quiet and cheaper houses, but then they expect it to be like the city (that's another rant) and drive like they are in the city. A family had moved from the city and their daughter was 16 or 17 was driving her 12 year old brother somewhere. She was flying out an old hilly country road (hill hopping she was going so fast) and popped over a hit and down in the valley was a huge farm tractor with a hay spear on the back. She jumped the hill and by the time she hit the pavement it was too late and it killed her brother. Now our county is getting awful because it is populating so fast the remaining farmers are having a terrible time moving their equipment around. Newbies don't respect the tractors and realize they are entitled to the road.

 

[Bird]

This thread reminds me of when I was a young patrolman back in the dark ages many moons ago. I was working in one of the wealthier, nicer neighborhoods and the police department got frequent complaints about the kids with their loud mufflers; cars as well as motorcycles, so I've written a few traffic citations for that violation. All but one of the people I issued citations to simply paid the fine ($10 back then). However, I issued a citation to a wealthy smart aleck teenager in a new car who told me I couldn't give him a ticket because he and his dad had taken that new car to a muffler shop and had the mufflers changed and the guy at the muffler shop told them these mufflers were legal (of course they were legal if you drove sensibly instead of winding up the RPM in lower gears and then let off the accelerator as he was doing). So he and his dad came to court. After I testified, the boy's dad wanted to testify. So he got on the witness stand, turned to the judge and said, "Judge, we took that car to a muffler shop and told the guy we wanted something that would make a little noise, but be legal, and besides, judge, that car isn't as loud as these old city busses." The judge asked, "Do you have anything else to say?" The father said, "No" and the judge said, "We're not comparing your car to city busses, jet airplanes, and atomic explosions; we do the best we can with what we have. That'll be $50."

 

[AlanB]

FWJ, You can always tell a German, you just can't tell them much

As to the loud pipes argument, My history reads very similar to FWJ's as to motorcycle's. I ride, both kids ride, wife rides,,, will spend next week at the AMA Youth Nationals with my son competing.

I tend to believe a bit more in the "loud pipes loose rights" slogan then anything else. And as I sit in traffic, and listen to the unmuffled bikes out there I know why.

As to road riding, I have just about given it up, I swear I just felt like a moving target, and have just chosen to remove myself from that list.