Can you explain the appeal of exceptionally loud motorcycles?

My guess:

“thwaaARRPPpp” = “Hey look at my super motorcycle! It’s awesome!”

“thwaaARRPPpp” = “This motorcycle has one of the most badass machine ever! It will disappear and you will get all the smoke a second after it starts!”

—-> The louder the better.

I can, but I choose not to for fear of reprisals from those with tiny penises

@ucme I’ve ridden everything from big 1200cc superbikes to 50 cc scooters and I am totally convinced it takes bigger balls to drive a 50 cc scooter on the road than it does to drive a hog!

Women should be taught this at an early age.

@ucme is correct. A loud engine between a rider’s legs is a substitution / replacement for a miniature penis.

It’s an interesting concept, this debate is currently raging in F1 since the cars were modified this year carrying turbo powered hybrid engines.
Many find the much quieter engine note to be detrimental to the sports image & just last week the Mercedes cars tested a “trumpet” fitted to the exhaust in an attempt to amplify the engine to a louder level. I think it’s pathetic, boy racer bullshit, the cars were changed to reduce spiralling costs & lower emissions, making F1 a cleaner, greener product.
The volume of the engine is completely irrelevant, unless of course you have a tiny penis.

I had one biker tell me he went with the loud exhaust because most drivers are too fucking stupid to notice his bike and he needed that added protection.

The rumble

@Adirondackwannabe has hit the nail on the head. It is an added defense measure in a world where somehow most motorcycle riders apparently automatically assume the mantle of a target once they enter the roadway.
Also it sounds really cool.
For people who associate the loud growl with a tiny penis, well, perhaps it is the accuser who has a tiny appendage.
Also @LuckyGuy, I disagree with the bigger balls on the smaller bike analogy. It takes the same size balls to ride a FatBoy down the highway as it does to ride a dirt bike. Both riders are incredibly insane to take such a risk. But man oh man is it ever a blast!

@elbanditoroso Well, my penis IS pretty miniscule. So much so I haven’t found it yet.

I put custom pipes on my bike so that it would be a little louder (and I can rev the throttle for extra Brrap). I did it for safety. My pipes aren’t so loud people are cursing me, generally, but if I start it up too early in the morning I’m aware I woke the whole neighborhood.

“Can you explain the appeal of exceptionally loud trucks?”
“Can you explain the appeal of exceptionally loud cars?”

“Can you explain the appeal of putting a playing card on the spokes of your bicycle?”

I’ll take a guess here. There must be something liberating in announcing to the world that you don’t give a shit about anyone else. There are a few “acceptable” or legal ways to play the sociopath, and this appears to be one of them.

I really wish they were able to fill that need for shitting on people in another way, however. Maybe someone can invent the “I want to try to destroy the lives of my fellow humans” videogame, which allows people to create noise pollution machines.

@hominid Next time there’s a question about smoking I am borrowing your answer.

I think the “small penis” theory, while true in some cases, is a little easy.

I want to like the idea that it’s for safety, but don’t motorcycles, like all vehicles, come with horns? I drove a tiny Honda Civic that barely made a sound from the engine. Someone didn’t see me on the highway, I just leaned on the horn. Worked fine.

I do like @hominid‘s theory. When a super-loud bike screams by my house at 5AM, I certainly feel like they don’t give a fuck about anyone but themselves.

@cookieman HAHAHAHA, horns. That was a good one.

Quiet vehicles tend to get cut off. My car makes more noise than normal; not “fart can” exhaust, but loud enough to let other motorists know there’s a vehicle in their blind spot or get pedestrians to think twice about jaywalking. If I lacked the minimal protection my 2200-pound Corolla has (it’s ~600–4000 pounds lighter than other cars, but still tougher than a bike), I’d probably want to up the decibels a bit just for safety’s sake.

That said, there is a point where it’s a bit gratuitous… unless you’re driving/riding a competition vehicle which actually benefits from lower exhaust restriction, but those vehicles are rarely street-legal.

@cookieman Very idealistic. You’ve never been in city traffic, have you? Horns are either ignored or interpreted the same as flipping the bird. My horn has never gotten the attention of anyone who didn’t hear my engine, except occasionally in a way that provoked road rage. Horns indeed….

Wait – so, motorcycles need to be loud for safety? This is hands down one of the most absurd things I have heard. I’m pretty sure…

- We use sight to determine the existence of other vehicles on the road.
– The deaf still drive, but the blind do not.

What am I missing here? Is there something unique about a motorcycle that requires that it be heard rather than seen?

@hominid How many motorcyclist do you know? I know a few less than I used to because someone in a car wasn’t paying attention. Eyes have a limited field of vision, mirrors have blind spots, but ears are 360-degree passive sensors.

The more sensible motorbike owners I know fit a muffler/silencer to their bikes, tons of power, reduced engine note…perfect!

@GloPro: I don’t know. I’m asking, do bikes have loud horns?

@jerv: I’ve been driving into and around Boston almost every day since I was seventeen. I know all about city driving. I don’t buy that argument.

@jerv: ”@hominid How many motorcyclist do you know? I know a few less than I used to because someone in a car wasn’t paying attention.”

I’m confused. Was this in response to something I said? How does it relate in any way?

@hominid You seem not to understand; I’m trying to walk you through the logic one step at a time.

Hybrid cars are much bigger than motercycles. The government declared a minimum sound volume because it was deemed these cars were too quiet to be safe for pedestrians and bicycles to know they are there. Deaf guys may be on bikes, but probably not blind ones, right @hominid? You’d think those 2,800 deaths by hybrid cars would have been prevented because, hey, people should use their eyes.

@cookieman Your comment made me laugh because my horn makes me laugh. It’s pathetic. The tiniest of ‘meep.’ Also, most quick evasive maneuvers require both hands on the handlebars and a knowledge of counter-steering principles.

@jerv: ”@hominid You seem not to understand; I’m trying to walk you through the logic one step at a time.”

That would be great. Is this step #1?...

@jerv: “How many motorcyclist do you know? I know a few less than I used to because someone in a car wasn’t paying attention. Eyes have a limited field of vision, mirrors have blind spots, but ears are 360-degree passive sensors.”

I’ll interpret that to mean that we use all of our senses (except for the deaf). Is this step one? I’m not sure where you’re going. What’s #2?

For those of you who don’t get it, many many automobile drivers seem to acquire selective vision when it comes to motorcycles on the road with them.
Not only selective vision but they seem to actually go out of their way to hit motorcyclists.

An extremely loud motorcycle can save the riders’ lives.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been riding down a street near a business area and had cars simply turn left into the the parking lot right in front of me as I am traveling the other way!

Perhaps with a split second more time had I revved my sociopathically loud engine the driver would have awakened from his/her stupor and waited for me to pass as they do for oncoming automobiles.

@cookieman I grew up there. It’s largely what I’m basing it on; personal experience around Boston, along with my years in Seattle.

@hominid Yes. Personally, I rely on hearing to know whether there’s someone where my mirrors don’t cover when I cannot afford the luxury of looking over my shoulder. Maybe I drive weird, but I consider driving to be something other than sitting there listening to the radio watching scenery go by. I consider it something that requires a bit more attention than many give it. But maybe I’m just biased by the number of close calls I’ve survived because I was paying attention while a fellow motorist was on their phone, reading a book, fixing their makeup, or otherwise oblivious to what a 2–6000 pound hunk of metal can do at highway speeds. Or even alone in certain weather when I heard the tires slip before I could feel a skid.
Driving solely on vision is, in my mind, dangerous.

@jerv – You’re going to get no argument from me in your assessment that people are inattentive drivers. It’s a real problem. But I’m failing to see the connection between the fact that nearly everyone is inattentively driving around a huge weapon and a need to generate more noise pollution. That’s the step that I need.

If making things louder were the appropriate step towards safety, then it would make sense for vehicle manufacturers to race towards creating the loudest – and therefore the safest – vehicles on the market.

It seems that you’re laying the foundation for an argument against the existence of motorcycles, but I suspect that’s not where you are going. Maybe you could elaborate.

The rumble is caused by the V Twin’s horrible original design. It’s arguably the most poorly balanced piston engine ever created. More on that later.

BMW’s flat twin design is infinitely smoother as it’s piston motion occurs on a single axis. It’s disadvantage is that the protruding cylinder heads create road clearance problems for those of us that are man enough to properly stuff it into corners.

Honda experimented with smoother V Four designs but proved difficult to cool uniformly.

The most naturally balanced engines are wide angle V12s as the cycle of some cylinders cancel the vibration of others. But back to motorcycles…

The V Twin problem:

Imagine looking at V Twin equipped motorcycle from the side. Now visualize a clock in front of the motor’s side. Combustion occurs only at 11 and then 1 O’clock.

The result is the grating pause THUMP pause THUMP pause pause pause pause pause pause pause pause pause THUMP pause THUMP pause pause, etc. racket.

The Harley Davidson Evolution engine attempted to minimize this issue by altering the points on the crank where the connecting rods attach.

So when some leatherhead thinks he’s all macho setting off every car alarm on my street he has instead invested in already bad outdated technology.

Sad.

He could have instead mounted a proper modern sportbike that screams effortlessly to +13,000 RPM

REGARDING ALL THE PENIS COMPENSATION CRAP ITT:

People that make such unfounded observations are demonstrating classic fear of that which they do not understand. You’re a ‘phobe, pure and simple, like any other kind. Perhaps it’s best if you don’t discuss things you cannot comprehend.

Yes, my Integra is somewhat loud but not for it’s own sake. The open intake, free flow exhaust and catalytic converter delete (sue me) makes for a satisfying sound but more importantly increases the car’s performance. This results in FUN, not fretting about the bulge in my trousers.

Extra credit: If one dissects a Boxer dog one finds that it is powered by a flat twin engine.

@hominid But I’m failing to see the connection between the fact that nearly everyone is inattentively driving around a huge weapon and a need to generate more noise pollution.

Perhaps you should read some of the other responses regarding the relation between extra loud motorcycles and how they save the lives of the motorcyclists.

The Loud Noise awakens the inattentive driver and quite often saves everyone from a nasty crash.

How hard is that to understand?

@Dan_Lyons: “Perhaps you should read some of the other responses regarding the relation between extra loud motorcycles and how they save the lives of the motorcyclists.

The Loud Noise awakens the inattentive driver and quite often saves everyone from a nasty crash.

How hard is that to understand?”

Because what you just wrote reads like an argument against the existence of the motorcycle – not an argument for more noise pollution.

Yesterday I watched a woman on a big noisy cycle weaving in and out of 3 lanes on a fairly busy highway, exceeding the speed limit by about 12 miles an hour (based on my own speed, which was slightly under the limit of 65). She was not wearing a helmet or any type of protective clothing.

Really dumb.

Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin’ with the wind
And the feelin’ that I’m under
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Born to be…err…mild?

^ Born to be wrinklerock old.

@hominid I don’t know. That’s pretty lame. It would be stupid to argue against the existence of motorcycles since they already exist and there is no way on earth we will cause them to cease to exist.

Ergo, it is quite obvious that I am arguing that the noisier the bike, the more aware the other drivers might be to its existence.

^ Motorcycles are fun and dangerous.

The almighty state will find a way to rid the country of them in time.

Obamacare HATES any activity that is a threat to a subject’s health.

@Dan_Lyons: “Ergo, it is quite obvious that I am arguing that the noisier the bike, the more aware the other drivers might be to its existence.”

Don’t we have noise laws? Isn’t this the whole purpose of a muffler? You (and others) are proposing that there is something unique about a motorcycle that requires an exemption from noise pollution laws. Make the case. It’s not enough to say that allowing higher levels of noise pollution for motorcycles would save lives. You’re proposing that the rights of motorcycle drivers trump the rights of everyone else.

And isn’t part of the charm that a motorcycle is a dangerous vehicle? I live close to NH, and I’ve been bombarded with “live free or die” sentiments in the form of no helmet laws. But now we need to put a perpetual alarm on these things and screw with everyone just because someone wants to feel the excitement of driving a dangerous vehicle?

While making your case for more noise pollution, please try to include whether or not this should also include quieter cars, bicyclists (pedal), and pedestrians. I’m interested in where this can go.

Note: I’m not being argumentative for the sake of it, or playing devil’s advocate. I really do not see how this case can be made. People seem to be saying, “it saves lives”, and then cross their arms as though that did it. It certainly did not. And you know that “it saves lives” wouldn’t fly in many other arguments/topics. You’d be all over that.

Born to place Eddy Merckx permanently in your “wank bank”

@hominid Maybe you didn’t see my comment about there being a government regulation in the minimum noise levels of vehicles? That alone is proof that noise is considered a safety factor, not detriment. The existence if horns further supports noise being a safety factor. I’m not advocating obnoxiously loud engines on cars or excessively loud motorcycles, but you absolutely cannot deny that sound is used for safety purposes.

When I ride my Moto I have one earbud in listening to music. The reason I don’t use both is so I can keep an ear on my surroundings. I also feel like fewer people see me since I swapped from a bright red jacket to a black one.

@GloPro: “That alone is proof that noise is considered a safety factor, not detriment.”

I don’t think you saw my posts. I’m not saying that noise pollution is a detriment to safety. I’m trying to see that important connection between allowing noise pollution so people can drive their motorcycles. Why do motorcyclists’ rights trump everyone else?

^^^ http://www.velominati.com/the-lexicon/#A-Merckx

@GloPro Ditch the jacket and the top. You’ll get some people noticing a bit more.

@SecondHandStoke: Thank you for the inside mechanical info. That was really useful.

@Adirondackwannabe When one headlight just isn’t enough.

The intention is to drown out the rap music drifting out of many cars today. Anything is preferable to that.

@GloPro Yup. Just keep those high beams going.:)

No. I hate all motorcycles and think every rider should be required by law to wear a helmet. With stiff fines if they don’t. I mean, if people in cars are required to wear a seat belt, why should motorcyclists get to throw safety to the wind?

@hominid I’m trying to see that important connection between allowing noise pollution so people can drive their motorcycles. Why do motorcyclists’ rights trump everyone else?

The important connection is fewer traffic accidents and traffic fatalities. And by the way, it isn’t just motorcyclists who die in traffic accidents involving an automobile and a motorcycle. Pedestrians are also hurt when the heavy metal vehicles careen off the roadway onto the sidewalks. And once in a while the automobile driver is hurt or killed when, trying to avoid the motorcycle, s/he goes over a cliff.

So lemme see, what is more important, that we protect people from a little noise or we try to save lives?
And regardless of your feelings on the matter, it came to my attention long ago that many cops are bike riders off duty and would no more ticket a loud motorcycle than they would ticket a brother officer.

I seriously doubt that it’s for “safety” that my neighbors growing up used to ride their motorcycles down our quiet suburban street at an extremely loud volume enough to make me, as a kid under 5 years old, cry. I have heard motorcycles much quieter than that that only get loud when they get up to speed on the freeway, which seems to be when the noise would be the least “offensive”.

But considering that most motorcycles I see riding around freeways here weave between cars in an illegal fashion, it’s no one’s problem but theirs if they are “invisible” in that case.

@Dan_Lyons: “So lemme see, what is more important, that we protect people from a little noise or we try to save lives?”

You’re playing safety vs rights of others in the same way people support the NSA. Don’t assume that I’m in support of safety over other rights. I think the burden is always on those who wish to increase safety.

I’m open to you (or anyone) actually making the case. I just haven’t seen any attempt here. Saying “safety, safety, safety” isn’t telling us why we need to make everything else a nightmare *.

I find it odd that you’re even trying to make the case for safety. I thought the whole purpose of driving around in a motorcycle was the thrill of doing something extremely unsafe.

* Re: nightmare…

@Dan_Lyons: “a little noise”

Wow. I’m not sure where to begin.

Let’s try this:
– You have chosen to purchase a motorcycle. You have chosen to accept the risks.
– I have not. Yet I have to be subjected to extreme noise pollution because of your choice.
– The noise generated by a loud motorcycle does not affect just you. It affects me, my environment, my sleeping kids, my mother, my sister and her sleeping kid, the ability to sit outside and relax for a minute, the ability to sit inside and relax for a minute. Any place you drive around is where you spread the noise. So, I may have spent every moment of the past 10 years saving to find a nice, quiet house in a quiet neighborhood only to be exposed absurd noise levels.

I moved to the “country” back in 2002 and found that it was much louder there than in the suburbs due to the large amount of bikers. There are parts of rural MA that are louder than downtown Boston – and it’s due to a handful of “safe” motorcycles.

Please, make the case for making everyone who is not you miserable just so you can feel safer riding your noise machine. I’d rather be convinced so I don’t need to resent what I see as the immoral behavior of the sociopath.

@hominid So we agree to disagree.

What annoys me is those damn little scooters that everyone has in the Summer time that make that strident, giant mosquito noise.

The most dangerous vee-hick-le around here is driven by old folks, I give you the mobility scooter!!
Tearing up the pavement like a demented bunch of Hell’s Grannies, dey fwighten me.

@Symbeline I get irritated just watching people sit on them with legs together. They just look like they have an extra speedy Hoveround.
@ucme Exactly.

@hominid

Sounds like you should take advantage of your right to relocate.

^ I did. But the strange thing is, the right of people to drive their loud motorcycles wherever they want trumps everyone else’s right to be able to sleep and/or not have to be bombarded with unnecessary noise. A five minute drive by one of these things spreads the “love” to many people.

^ Or should I say there’s a reason why I don’t live next to JFK and LaGuardia.

I wonder if there’s a maximum noise level allowed by law?

@jca In my town, there is. Everyone here has a motorcycle, and people complained a lot about the noise at some point, so they established some law where the noise can’t exceed a certain limit, nor can you drive them around the small streets after 11pm.

@jca – Apparently this varies from state-to-state.

There are extremely loud diesel trucks, hot rod cars, and jake breaks out there, too. It isn’t just motorcycles making noise.
I don’t find a few seconds of a loud Moto driving by just totally ruins my day and makes me miserable like @hominid does. It must be a non-stop irritation like a dirt pit behind your house. Otherwise, I think your level of disgust is a little over-the-top.

Banning motorcycles just isn’t going to happen. It’s tough to enforce noise laws on Motos with enhanced mufflers because you wouldn’t know when it was parked and catching one isn’t so easy if they know they are being pursued. There isn’t an easy answer, I suppose, if this is an issue that bothers you. Like smoking is for me, this is something you just have to suck up, most likely, and try not to let it get to you too much.

@GloPro: “I don’t find a few seconds of a loud Moto driving by just totally ruins my day and makes me miserable like @hominid does. It must be a non-stop irritation like a dirt pit behind your house. Otherwise, I think your level of disgust is a little over-the-top.”

Really? Over-the-top? This attitude is precisely why it is so disgusting. You don’t know anything about my life or anyone else that these motorcycles drive by. You don’t know who works third-shift, you don’t know who is dealing with serious illness and attempting to rest, you don’t know who has kids who are sleeping, you don’t know who is trying to have a conversation with someone in their house and is suddenly someone comes into their house (yes, that is what noise pollution does). The nature of noise pollution is that it is sprayed all over the place. It terrorizes people wherever they are. It comes into their yard and their house – yet if someone walked into your house or yard, you would feel that there is a violation. Would you be ok with it if I entered your house for only 30 seconds? Or would you exhibit “over-the-top” disgust?

There are things people can do that affect other people. To not care or minimize the impact it has on people’s lives is extremely anti-social and shows a complete lack of empathy or compassion.

I don’t buy the warning excuse because many motorcyclists from my experience drive like nuts anyways, usually going well over the speed limit, tailgating, etc, etc. I figure these motorcyclists are no different from those who drive muscle cars and jacked up pick up trucks, to basically say ‘look at me, look at me and how cool and manly I am’.

Yep. Over-the-top.

You do know that there are soundproofing materials and white noise machines that can help you soften the noise. Apparently you are way more sensitive to any form of noise pollution than someone living in a city, clearly, and even someone living in a smaller town. As I sit in my home now I can hear the traffic. I take note on days the ambulance or fire trucks seem to be extra busy. I hear my neighbor’s music in the afternoons. I don’t like living next to crying babies. But it’s pretty easy to tune out. I can’t let those things bother me.

I’m not saying that I don’t get it, and that’s why I compare it to cigarettes for me. I can smell a smoker 3 cars in front of me in the summer with their window down and me on my bike with a full face helmet on. It irritates me every time I get up from an outdoor dining table to get fresh air. I hate going to a bar or club and having to wash my hair before bed because it reeks of smoke. But I realize that my hands are tied and this is not something I can control. I don’t let it spike my blood pressure and get indignant about my rights being violated so others can live.

It isn’t possible for everyone to live completely unencumbered by what others do. So, again, I can understand having a dirt bike pit near the house or down the road being a major problem, but an occasional motorcycle driving by your house is not something to get so worked up over. Babies, nappers, ill people and third-shifters have all managed to live in noisy cities just fine. A mostly quiet countryside sounds pretty good by comparison.

@hominid Out of curiosity, is smoking an anti-social display?

@GloPro You do know that there are soundproofing materials and white noise machines that can help you soften the noise.

I’m not taking anyone’s side on here but I did want to mention about the sound proofing…that’s a hell of a lot of work to do, and if you don’t own your own place, next to impossible unless you have a kick ass landlord.
If you do own your own place, you have to A) know what you’re doing for soundproofing which requires at least some basics in indoors construction and B) you gotta be willing to shell out the dough that all the materials will cost. (or pay for workers to get it done, if you don’t know how)

Mind you, I don’t think any amount of homemade soundproofing will ever block out the noise of motorcycles, so it’s probably best to try and get used to them. I’ve lived in this motorcycle town for years so I barely notice the sounds anymore. But I could definitely wring my upstairs neighbor’s neck haha

@GloPro

No. Smoking is a lavish indulgence.

@GloPro – Ok. So because you want to drive around on a motorcycle, everyone else needs to just suck it up. They need to buy sound machines and soundproof their home. As long as you’re aware that you are saying that you don’t give a shit about anyone.

Note that traffic, an ambulance, etc. are all necessary things. And we can decide what our tolerance is and invest in a house that will accommodate our needs. But unnecessarily going out of your way to be even louder and driving around with that, spreading it around in neighborhoods that may not be loud is plain aggressive and anti-social. And immoral.

I understand that people walking into your house and shaking you awake or shaking your baby awake feels conceptually different, but it really isn’t that different.

@GloPro: ”@hominid Out of curiosity, is smoking an anti-social display?”

Yes. Very much so – if you are doing it where someone is exposed. Air and noise pollution are very much related. People have a difficult time with this because they feel they have the “right” to do whatever they want and don’t think it affects other people. But noise and air are things that do not respect property boundaries.

@SecondHandStoke Not according to @hominid‘s definition of imposition on others. “There are things people can do that affect other people. To not care or minimize the impact it has on people’s lives is extremely anti-social and shows a complete lack if empathy or compassion.”

@hominid I believe that between working (for free) at the ER, volunteering for Search and Rescue, and walking my older neighbor’s dog for her twice a day every day that I am comfortable in my sense of caring for others. I drive a motorcycle because I get pleasure from doing so in a way I don’t feel from any other activity. I feel free, I feel centered, and I get some of my best thinking done. So if I indulge in something millions of people find pleasure in then we’ll just have to live with you believing I am an anti-social, immoral, aggressive, insensitive human being. You can’t win them all.

Some motorcycles are extremely loud. Others, not so much. I don’t think all motorcycles are awful.

I live on a rural road where there are some really loud, really fast ones. They must go 100 mph on Sundays. How there are not more accidents, I am not sure.

As far as noise proofing, when one is sitting outside, all the noise proofing in the world won’t help, as you can’t noise proof the sky.

Ambulances and fire trucks are not things I hear too often where I live. Motorcycles I hear a lot, but not so often that it makes me crazy.

@GloPro

When exactly did all this happen? Who precisely decided for everyone else that smokers are in need of some sort of remedy?

Who mandated and when that non smokers were somehow in the right and smokers in the wrong??

So you’re “allergic” to cigarette smoke. Well guess what, it’s harmfully reactive in my body too. Can we be brothers now?

You sprayed on too much of your brusk and clumsy cologne that has that talentless pop star’s name on it. It’s wrecking my $15, yes $15 per pack smoking experience yet it’s now understood that I should be the one to stand out in the rain.

Fun hating losers see others enjoying themselves and just can’t stand it.

@ibstubro “Can you explain the appeal of exceptionally loud trucks?”
Guys with small limp penises.

“Can you explain the appeal of exceptionally loud cars?”
Young men under 20 with small limp penises.

“Can you explain the appeal of putting a playing card on the spokes of your bicycle?”
Boys and girls who want to ride Harleys but are not old enough.

@She was not wearing a helmet or any type of protective clothing.
So long as she was wearing something leather and form-fitting with no cellulite or muffing tops who cares.

Someone has made an anti-muffintop statement.

Grrrrrrrrrr…

@Hypocrisy_Central I repeat from my statement above:

“REGARDING ALL THE PENIS COMPENSATION CRAP ITT:

People that make such unfounded observations are demonstrating classic fear of that which they do not understand. You’re a ‘phobe, pure and simple, like any other kind. Perhaps it’s best if you don’t discuss things you cannot comprehend.

Yes, my Integra is somewhat loud but not for it’s own sake. The open intake, free flow exhaust and catalytic converter delete (sue me) makes for a satisfying sound but more importantly increases the car’s performance. This results in FUN, not fretting about the bulge in my trousers.”

@GloPro: “So if I indulge in something millions of people find pleasure in then we’ll just have to live with you believing I am an anti-social, immoral, aggressive, insensitive human being. You can’t win them all.”

I’m not saying that you are not a great person. But here it appears you have a blind spot. We all do. The challenge is to shift when presented with new info.

Remember – I have no problem with you riding and enjoying motorcycles. My only issue here is the “loud” part. If you receive great pleasure from riding, then this is great. But if you then decide that you are uncomfortable with the safety of your hobby and therefore should be make your toy louder, then that is where you have gone from simply enjoying your life to intruding on others.

@SecondHandStoke I repeat from my statement above:
“REGARDING ALL THE PENIS COMPENSATION CRAP ITT:
My answer to why people had loud trucks and such was basically a satirical answer, keeping inline with the grapevine here.

^Apologies.

^ Think nothing of it, I have hide 8 miles thick and growing, thanks to Fluther, hee hee hee

I like muffintops and cannot lie.

I can therefore be trusted.

Yeah, I hear you. I did put a new muffler system on my bike because it wasn’t loud enough. I drive it non-stop all summer because it gets me 55 mpg and I can maneuver through road construction right up to the front. I also don’t struggle to find parking here in this tourist town. There are a lot of benefits to me for taking my bike.
I’d rather my blind spot on this issue than not be seen in the blind spot of someone else. Bikes are pretty tolerated around here or we wouldn’t have two huge bike rallies a year. Now those are loud weekends.

Before anyone might comment: it is perfectly legal for me to skip to the front of the line at stoplights and road construction. If you understand the mechanics of the bike and cooling system this maneuver makes sense and is not just being a jerk on a bike.

There was an impromptu bike rally at a local bar here a week or so ago, to see 50–70 bikes roar through the intersection like the Light Brigade, accompanied by the sound of rolling thunder is something to behold. Like a mechanized modern day cavalry on their horses of iron with the sound of many hooves.

^^^ Don’t forget the tattoos, titties, leather, and beards.

@GloPro & @Hypocrisy_Central And tiny phalluses

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I wrote this to a member in a PM, but it is apropos here:

My bro-in-law had a FatBoy Harely D with straight pipes that was so damn loud that even riding it (my first time) was somewhat difficult.
But there were several occasions when cars were unsafely changing lanes right on top of me that I was scared I would be crushed, knocked down and killed. So I revved the engine (clutch engaged).
Believe me, those unsafe lane changers leapt back into their lanes and looked at me as if to say, “where the hell did you come from?”
Many many other bikers have told me similar stories.

On the other hand, I understand completely how nauseating these loud engines can be on human beings, especially the young while napping, and on animals. I remember the dogs whining and howling as I drove (flew) by.

And there is the other thing. Riding a motorcycle (for me) was never about the danger so much as it is about flying. Riding a bike with no enclosed vehicular body is like flying down the road in a sitting position.
And ever since i was a kid flying has been one of my fondest dreams.

But your argument {against the noisy bikes} is right, and just as valid as mine.

^ @GloPro doesn’t have a tiny penis…...she possesses none at all…....maybe controlling one attached to a spouse, but not owning on. As for me…...not bragging but I have had no complaints and a couple of jaw drops…..so….... ;-)

@Hypocrisy_Central Methinks thou doth protetht too much!

Noise ordinances in Missouri are a town-by-town thing.

Here’s a kind of cool story:
A town was passing an ordinance that would allow the police to ticket kids playing their car stereos too loud. Some young man wrote to the paper a paragraph long stream-of-consciousness sentence (no punctuation or capitalization) saying that the jack brakes on semi-trucks passing through town on the 2 major interstates were much more of a noise problem. The local paper printed the paragraph, as written (partially tongue in cheek I suspect) and the city council ultimately passed a noise ordinance prohibiting jack brakes in city limits. I was proud of the kid.

Motorcycle noise limits by state:

http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/motorcycle-noise-limits/

Now whether or not it’s enforced or how diligently is a whole ‘nother matter.

If you get past all the excuses, it is the sound of RAW POWER. Kinda like a lions roar It invokes something primitive in us that acts like an adrenaline rush. Not everyone likes it but I do..

For people who do ride loud bikes:

Doesn’t that noise cause hearing damage? Does every rider wear ear plugs to prevent it? If you do use hearing protection, doesn’t that mask road noise, emergency sirens and car horns?

^^ Good questions all.

Hmmmmm??