Any fellow motorcycle riders here?

LOL I have noticed I've got the same issue. It probably doesn't help that the 2 bikes don't have everything at the exact same position or thumb reach for me, either. Interestingly, when I took the riders course to get my motorcycle endorsement, I kept hitting the horn by accident.

Daniel -

As riders and non riders know, motorcycles aren't as easily seen/identified on the road as a vehicle is. To me, the stock pipes on the HD were too quiet when coupled with the visibility issue. I went just a few decibals higher, and think I've found a good balance. You won't hear it blocks over, but you can hear it a few houses up, and more if I throttle it up. However, I'm not one of those people, so I don't do that kind of stuff in neighborhoods. I do agree with your opinion on those that have exhaust so loud you can hear it from blocks away - whether it be on a motorcycle or other vehicle.

 

Lots of people think "Loud pipes save lives" - I'm not one of them - If I were, I would run "stingers" on my 2-stroke bikes. Those are for drag use - they WILL split your ear drums with their "cackle", however.

 

Actually...I believe that the OP started this thread to foster some commonality between Prius riders and Motorcyclists. I'm a citizen of both communities, and there are more than a few threads that you could replace "Prius" with "bike" and not loose much in the way of the debates, arguments, disagreements, etc.

I hate self-appointed forum cops more than most, but I really think that you can use light instead of heat to more effectively illuminate your point, whatever the heck it might be.

This is a pancake house in a PRIUS neighborhood. If Daniel had logged into a VROD forum and started venting his spleen about loud pipes, I probably still would have tactfully tried to explain to him that there are some riders out there that are trying to be a good ambassador of our community, and that there are reasons that riders and drivers both try to personalize their mounts that sometimes go beyond pure aesthetics, or a need to be obnoxious.

Both communities already have a bumper crop of folks that are struggling furiously to perpetuate some pretty unfortunate stereotypes.

Please try not to be one of them.

 

Again I say ETC, Daniel is not a motorcyclist, so nothing in common here, his feelings and comments regarding our exhaust systems was unsolicited and unnecessary, if he started a thread about cats I wouldn't be commenting there, I don't have a cat.

 

I'm just suggesting, perhaps in vain, that telling somebody to shut up might not be the best way to get your point across.

I've ridden in states where there are rolling exhaust checkpoint stations. They're kinda cool, actually. You ride up, put your scoot in Neutral, and run the tach up to 4,000 RPM, and they measure your ride for noise.
You pop positive for "obnoxious", you pay a hefty fine.

The REASON states pay money to equip these inspection stations, and get gun-toting sworn LEOs to operate them isn't just because they don't have anything else to do. There are plenty of meth labs and pedophiles out there that need LEO's attention more than motorcyclists with non-OEM exhausts.

The real reason for this “attention’ is that there's always some…..we’ll call them "ambassadors", out there that have to screw things up, and leave non-riders with the notion that we're ALL just being obnoxious for the feral joy of being an nice person.
That's why I take pains to try and communicate with non-riders (like Daniel) that there is a legitimate reason that some folks like to have an exhaust system that's a little louder than OEM stock, and that we're not just looking for people to be rude to.
That’s just me, of course.
You keep doing it your way.
I'll keep doing it mine.
You live in California, and I don't plan to ride there anytime soon but the next time I'm on a motorcycle forum and I hear some whimpering rider cussing that the Po-Po is picking on them for their pipes, I plan to remind them (respectfully, of course!) that there is a reason that noise ordinances are getting tougher and tougher.

It ain't revenue, and it ain't Big Brother being a buzz-kill for riders.

 

Just wondering, if a Lamborghini Murcielago running the OEM exhaust system pulls up to one of these inspection stations and revs it up to 5k rpm will it pass inspection ?...one passed me today and I guarantee it was 3 times louder than most motorcycles.

Anyway, I'd really like to get back to a civil motorcycle thread here, civil applying to myself of course.

I apologize if I offended Daniel, my comments wern't the nicest...I swear, I'm not a motorcycle hooligan.

Time to move on ETC...nice sub by the way.

 

-

 

Concur. Thanks.
Really.....I'm not trying to be a mod without portfolio. I've probably offended more people in my 1300 (counted) posts than your pipes have.

As far as the Lamborghini Murcielago? Well.....I guess they can afford the ticket. The specs aren't that bad to live under...at least in most states.
My V-Rod is pretty LOUD at 4,000 RPM and I passed.....barely.

The submarine is an Ohio-class SSGN. Used to be SSBNs and pack 24-ICBMs, the oldest 4 were retrofitted to do other things...like haul Spec-OP folks around and/or serve as a launch platform for up to 154 cruise missiles, all conventionally armed if we live up to treaty restrictions.
They'll probably go away pretty soon the way things are looking, but they are pretty cool for now.
YMMV.

Ride safe!

-ETC(SS)

 

Oh yeah,

<< btw, the guy standing behind me in avatar roadraced for many years. He's a great group leader and cool guy. I've seen pretty much every backroad in most directions around the SF Bay Area, oh, I do not know, 150 times on 6 hour Saturday rides. Good times. Sold last bike in 2010. Situations change to where now is not the time to ride. I'm pretty much the one and in the group where we come up on cruisers on a twisty backroad and we finagle past them in a respectful way in ... not too many seconds

Fortunately in the 7 recent years of riding, I never once had to be a the scene of a bad motorcycle accident. I heard about them so many weekends but never had to see it.









cycle-drum



There was also an R1, yzf600, CR250R and ZX-7, CBR600 and Nighthawk 700S in the garage way back when.

 

I use my ears for a living mixing sound ETC, so needless to say, some of these available exhaust systems are ridiculous and without question need to be regulated...some of my riding buddies have those make your ears bleed systems...that's why I make sure their always behind me.

On the sub thing...I got a call from Nat Geo a few years ago, they wanted to book me for a special, I would have spent 3 weeks on a Los Angeles class attack sub, I was already booked and couldn't do it...was pretty bummed about missing that one...I did get a 4 day gig on the New Orleans for the Discovery Channel, it was an LPD, it carried 2 ginormous hovercraft in the nice person end, a bunch of humvees and M1A1 tanks, pretty cool ride.

 

This forum needs a server update or something...its slower than my v in the eco mode.

 

Here's a pic from about 2004 up at Skywood Trading Post which is across the street from the famous Alice's Restaurant. This IS motorcycle central in the SF Bay Area. It is located at the intersection of Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35) and Woodside Rd (Hwy 84). This is thee launch point and hangout for countless riders year around (we only get a dusting of snow a couple times a year).



From this point, you could go north on Skyline about 5 miles, then turn onto this very garly little downhill, bumpy mountain road named 'Tunitas Creek' which will eventually take you out onto highway 1. Go a few miles South and you can turn back into a short road that leads you near a country store just off Hwy 84. Cross the street and you can jump onto the coolest little country backroad named Stage Rd. Bumpy, but like a mini little backroads track. But you better know what you're doing because it's narrow and there could be an F150 rounding the corner in the opposite direction. It's a little crazy how we put our butts on the line out there, cliffs everywhere, but we did know the tricks and took it pretty seriously. It was good sport. I only got to do 2 trackdays and both were on almost new bikes, so, obviously didn't take chances on them. If the opportunity presented, I'd like to do them more, but if not, that's ok. I'm pretty much finished with street riding, especially local backroads. Done them hundreds of times, been there done that.

The bad economy brought down the number of bikes by 2008, but there's still a lot of bikes around I'm sure. I sold my last bike in July of 2010 after I knew it was time to get out for some years.

 

Some excess water. At the end of this trip I literally poored the water out my boots... (1994 ST1100 Pan European with ABS and traction control)
Going 260km/hr (~150mph, yeah, right... Drove with a broken speedometercable for a while and adjusted the counter with a drill)

In better days:

After the crash... (ran into the side/back of a van who emergency-braked because he was cut off while I was looking next to me to get out of the ever slowing down row of cars in front of me.


It still got used like it was in the above pic and I want to get it up and running again. Due to illness (one of the results was extreme dizziness) I don't drive atm and have bought a Prius.
Just purchased two new brake-discs, so let the restoring commence (the engine block on these things last forever (there is at least one with 500,000km+ (300k miles) and thousands with 200,000+, so there are hardly any cowls available secondhand )

 

I commented, as I have a perfect right to do in a public forum, because someone bragged about having an exhaust that he described as being as loud as a jet engine. I'm not an artist, but if someone in an artists thread bragged about spray-painting the homes of strangers, I'd comment on that too.

I've made it clear that noise is noise, whether coming from a bike or a car. I drive a sports car whose loudest noise by far is the electronic "bong" that sounds when the car is started. After that, you have to almost put your ear to the trunk to hear the faint hum of the system that cools the batteries. And under maximum acceleration, which is about 1.5 seconds behind that Lamborghini 0 to 60, you don't even have to turn the stereo up, it's so quiet.

Apology accepted.

And I'm not anti-bike. Just anti noise. I really do hate loud cars as much as loud bikes. And I'm well aware that in both bikes and cars, the obnoxiously loud ones are the exception.

 

Dooley noted Daniel...have a nice day.

 

I too have been distrurbed by motorcycle noise ... while on my own 2 wheeler on the freeway.

One Saturday morning, early, like 8am I was cruising South on 880, actually about where the Tesla plant is at (was about 3 years ago). It was sorta cold out, was doing 65 ish in middle lane of freeway on my FZ1 ...

out of nowhere, not much traffic around, this asshat on a sportbike with totally uncorked pipe ....

BLEW past me on my left possibly double my speed 130 MPH, at least 110 MPH .... LOUD as a banchee ... screaming exhaust.

Scared the crap out of me. That really pissed me off, but what could I do? Chase him down and get in real trouble? He was 1/4 mile ahead of me in no time anyway.

This doens't just happen on motorcycles though. Same thing happened from a 'playa's sedan * while going up the San Mateo bridge last October.

'playa' - kind of person often found driving a car with no license or registration plate, usually just dealer plates they leave on .. forever. Often in types of car with custom rims and paint jobs leaving you wondering, gee, wonder how they get their money .... (ans - dealing) IYKWIM.

And I'm not much a fan of the cruiser's noise where you have to interrupt your conversation as they go by. But,

Here is America, we don't enforce any laws on vehicle noise pollution or disturbance of the peace.

 

An audible alert for drivers can be very helpful, ive seen women texting and applying makeup at the same time believe it or not, the streets of Los Angeles are no place for the faint of heart or skills.

My latest job has me commuting on the crazy 405 fwy in my car, its legal to split traffic here, theres been a few occations when a quiet motorcycle flew past splitting cars, i never heard them coming...lets just say, loud pipes can help to save lives.

 

what do they call motorcyclists at the ER?




















organ donors....