I'll just leave this here: https://youtu.be/xGyKBFCd_u4It's good that you don't let it get to you.
But in my neighborhood, living on a hill on a fairly well-traveled secondary suburban street, the main culprits rousing me from my slumbers aren't normally bikes at all, but rather a parade of Vin Diesel wannabes in their backfiring unmuffled low-slung Nipponese shit boxes.
I don't know why, but they don't wave or nod when they pass me..... ;)Harley riders are different to other bikers - they live in a special world of their own. On another planet even. Or several different planets as there are different sorts of Harley riders too. The hardcore guys, and the newbies and weekend posers - the bankers, lawyers, and accountants - the ones wrapped up in daygo waterproofs who don't 'get it' but still think they look 'rebellious' 'cos they are on a Harley. ::)
Harley riders are different to other bikers - they live in a special world of their own. On another planet even. Or several different planets as there are different sorts of Harley riders too. The hardcore guys, and the newbies and weekend posers - the bankers, lawyers, and accountants - the ones wrapped up in daygo waterproofs who don't 'get it' but still think they look 'rebellious' 'cos they are on a Harley. ::)
When I started riding back in the day most of us bikers used to give each other a nod in greeting as we passed in opposite directions on the road. I still do. But these days I am finding myself in the minority. There are certain types who won't return this courtesy - for a variety of reasons: Moped/scooter riders (too busy delivering pizzas/drugs or looking for bike/phones to rob), Riders on 'L' plates (too young or ignorant to know better), commuters who aren't interested in bikes and just want cheap transport, and of course Harley riders. 9 times out of 10 a Harley rider won't return a nod of companionship or solidarity - unless of course it's to another HD rider. They are a breed apart. :P
*puts on flak jacket and prepares to be flamed by the HD riders on here* :-X
I used to feel the same way you do about the HD boys. Full disclosure, I've never even ridden Harley. I have however ridden with several guys on their baggers, and felt fully accepted on my Conti GT. I have come to the conclusion that (in the US at least) there are just so many HD riders compared to anyone else, that there is a greater chance of the particular rider not noticing you, having clutch in, or just being a douche. I have passed many other types of bikes and not gotten a wave or nod. I have also passed countless Harley guys that do give a wave or nod. I don't take it personal anymore.I live in the UK and 2 wheel culture is different here compared to the USA. I have ridden (but not owned) a Sportster and loved it, but even if I could afford to buy one I know that it would be stolen straight away living in London. :(
I live in the UK and 2 wheel culture is different here compared to the USA. I have ridden (but not owned) a Sportster and loved it, but even if I could afford to buy one I know that it would be stolen straight away living in London. :(Just a couple of years ago I worked on a project involving property theft in the UK. The stats for motorcycle / scooters were pretty shocking. And very organized. One element was thieves riding double in the morning traffic and following their targets to work. The police say that they get an order for parts for a particular brand / model so they swoop in and steel a donor bike.
I used to feel the same way you do about the HD boys. Full disclosure, I've never even ridden Harley. I have however ridden with several guys on their baggers, and felt fully accepted on my Conti GT. I have come to the conclusion that (in the US at least) there are just so many HD riders compared to anyone else, that there is a greater chance of the particular rider not noticing you, having clutch in, or just being a douche. I have passed many other types of bikes and not gotten a wave or nod. I have also passed countless Harley guys that do give a wave or nod. I don't take it personal anymore.
The individual HD guys I come into contact with are usually quite nice and are often interested in my RE. Unfortunately I don't know any Harley riders on a personal level that would make it easy to ask questions like the following;
1. Do you realize how annoying really loud pipes are?
2. At your age do you really like or need to make a spectacle of yourself?
3. What is the real attraction to riding in large groups?
4. Is displaying "attitude" important to you?
The previous comment about HD riders being on another planet seems very apt.
Despite being puzzled and put off by HD culture I really admire some of the bikes, particularly the older XLCH models. I could see myself owning one albeit with real mufflers. ;D
Just imagine that all the cars on that car park all had loud pipes as well. If we all ride with loud pipes, why shouldn't they?
The only answer to this kind of question are electric cars and electric bikes. And everything else made illegal.Not true. There is a grey in between the black (all loud) and white (all electric) and that is that everybody behaves...
The nice thing about Harley's is that when you go on one of their forums it doesn't have a constant stream of posts whining about other bikes. The insecurity about ones bike of choice isn't limited to RE owners, I've noticed it on triumph forums too.Say what you want about Harley's but I've never met an owner of one that didn't think it was absolutely the best bike on the planet. I haven't owned an HD street bike since 1971, but when I did I was insufferable. (Not that I'm any better now.) ;)
Say what you want about Harley's but I've never met an owner of one that didn't think it was absolutely the best bike on the planet. I haven't owned an HD street bike since 1971, but when I did I was insufferable. (Not that I'm any better now.) ;)I know a lot of HD owners and while they may prefer HD to all other brands, every single one of them can also appreciate other styles and manufacturers. I'm still a HD owner for another week and while I wouldn't buy any other brand for a tourer or cruiser, I recognize there are plenty of other makers out there that make great bikes too. Hell, just last night I had a couple harley guys admiring my RE. If the internet is to be believed guys like that don't exist, but in the real world I'm constantly meeting cool folks on all brands, regardless of what I'm riding.
What. The. Actual. Hell. Was that?
It's like stream of consciousness gone wrong.
Back to seriousness (sorry I haven't read the devolved thread), we have lots of Harley riders here, a majority in fact, but none of them are nearly as noisy or annoying as the young hotshots driving big diesel pickups that are so loud they put the Harley riders to shame.
The nice thing about Harley's is that when you go on one of their forums it doesn't have a constant stream of posts whining about other bikes.Because to many of them other bikes (or their riders) don't even exist and are not worthy of their time? ;)
Because to many of them other bikes (or their riders) don't even exist and are not worthy of their time? ;)
Because to many of them other bikes (or their riders) don't even exist and are not worthy of their time? ;)
The HD bikers i know have their Harley to ride. Long distances. Often more than 20.000km per year. Impossible with indian garbage. Not the kind of people who pretend they are still in the 60s, when english cycles were great. Rockers and leather-boys on their cafe racers, not just old farts on their cheap indian wannabee bikes..
I'm going to suggest that viczena ain't here for the hunting.
And people like you are enabling them.WTF? I actually think i am doing the opposite. Trying to get rid of the bikers image of being a hooligan that doesn't give a rats f*ck about anything or anybody.
Put your helmets on a go for a ride ???Let me finish my coffee first.
maybe with an almost naked young lady with flip flops on back as an added example of Dope.That's what i am missing and that's what really is bothering me.
Trying to get rid of the bikers image of being a hooligan that doesn't give a rats f*ck about anything or anybody. Do you really believe that you will be excempted?
(https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=30540.0;attach=56427;image)
Speaking of "dreaded thoughts", it's difficult to discern what exactly is happening here. It could be some guys bump-starting a bike. Or it might be some wacky game of Saddlebag Butt-JengaTM in progress. I knew you guys were freaky.
What I do notice is Dangerous behavior- flying past me in my lane at 127MPH with the added screaming pipe, or the same individual lane splltting at loud dangerous speed, or maybe with an almost naked young lady with flip flops on back as an added example of Dope.Those sort of guys tend to remove themselves from the gene pool fairly quickly. That doesn't bother me. It does bother me when they take others with them. I used to see some guy who used to fly up and down my residential road at great speed (and noise) every day overtaking everything he could in a 30 MPH limit for no reason. Suddenly he's not around any more. Same with the guys on L plated scooters who used to pass me every day on my way to work and fly past everybody else - often appearing from nowhere and overtaking on the inside. Suddenly not around any more. I hope they are enjoying their hospital food and learning their lesson.
That truly bothers me
I saw a good one today. A smoky old shitbox going down the road, followed by a couple of Harley guys with the usual earsplitting pipes. They were dodging and weaving the smoke and the way they were gesticulating to each other at a traffic light, it seemed clear they didn't enjoy the pollution from the old car. Irony, much?
The nice thing about Harley's is that when you go on one of their forums it doesn't have a constant stream of posts whining about other bikes. The insecurity about ones bike of choice isn't limited to RE owners, I've noticed it on triumph forums too.
Completely true, they just don't care. Go to a BMW group on Facebook and they spent an inordinate amount of time talking trash about Harley's, more so than any other group. Then they dog pile the BMW owners that still own Harley's when they say "Hey, wait a minute."
I've owned many a BMW but some people in that group are just whiners, complainers and snobs. It's unreal.
I wrote this and posted it online when a real obnoxious ass comes along:
https://medium.com/@ibjaxon/how-to-be-a-beemer-elitist-8871bd4372fc
I never subscribed to the "Loud Pipes save lives" bullshit.
Except I was saying to a friend a while ago that found an exception to that rule : we can hear the kid from down the street on his Husky dirt bike coming from a couple of blocks away thanks to his loud pipe. That gives us time to get inside, hide behind a tree or something before he gets here, travelling at warp speed on the back wheel. He does an OK wheelie buts it's all power, no balance point. It's only a matter of time before he takes himself out. It's best to be somewhere else when he does 😂
Except I was saying to a friend a while ago that found an exception to that rule : we can hear the kid from down the street on his Husky dirt bike coming from a couple of blocks away thanks to his loud pipe. That gives us time to get inside, hide behind a tree or something before he gets here, travelling at warp speed on the back wheel. He does an OK wheelie buts it's all power, no balance point. It's only a matter of time before he takes himself out. It's best to be somewhere else when he does 😂Good one Gizzo.
as a bicyclist I find bicyclists can be annoying and dangerous. Coming cross a major bicycling event on my favorite canyon road and/or stretched out for miles on a narrow highway with no shoulder. I want everyone to get home safe at the end of the day but in the meantime my temperature/pressure can rise a few degrees.
working on a survey crew for the state on our highway system convinced me it was not a place I would want to be on a bicycle. lucky for me we have some dirt trails where I ride regularly.
My lightning with the 535 high com piston etc. and a megaphone pipe with the baffle blown out is a most obnoxiously loud bike. It sounds like bang bang bang (not in smooth uniform way) and is as earsplitting as many a harley.
Cheers and beers
Warwick
A little extra sound on just about any bike sounds nice to me. Not straight pipes of course, but a Harley with that "Flowmasters" or Steve McQueen "Bullit" sound is beautiful. Sorry, but "sewing machine" bikes just don't cut it for me.
And, I may be anecdotal(hate the word") but a little extra sound can alert a sleepy driver on a highway that you are next to him(oops non woke. I mean individual- shoot me)
A little extra sound on just about any bike sounds nice to me. Not straight pipes of course, but a Harley with that "Flowmasters" or Steve McQueen "Bullit" sound is beautiful. Sorry, but "sewing machine" bikes just don't cut it for me.
And, I may be anecdotal(hate the word") but a little extra sound can alert a sleepy driver on a highway that you are next to him(oops non woke. I mean individual- shoot me)
Hey Sand squid, I'm 65, young man!
Oh, and MarkZ
If I can get upstate it will be a Sunday 8am at your diner
And all you fellow locals, shoot a personal message if you're heading that way over there, or be square
I agree with this. Which is why I swapped out the stock mufflers. The new ones growl (and scream if you really make them), and it just sounds better than listening to the ticking of the engine that seems louder than the stock exhaust note.
I don't know everyone's ages here, but it seems that those against louder exhaust are 60-ish and over, and the younger crowd, such as myself (even at 45) are perfectly okay with, and even like, a little extra noise on their bikes.
We could make this REALLY interesting and turn it into a Boomer vs Gen-x/Millennial thing ;D
That said, seriously, to each his own. It really shouldn't make any difference in how we enjoy riding our bikes, and if we're so easily miffed at the miscreants who rumble by on loud-ass Harleys or scream by on ear-splitting crotch rockets, maybe we should reconsider our willingness to be outside among society. Or, move someplace where THEY are NOT.
Just for the sake of being loud. Most of the air cooled bikes are strangled by the exhaust.
I like the exhaust as much open as it is necessary, to optimize airflow.
But in New York a few years back, where they do have yearly inspections they stopped over 300 bikes one Sunday and every one that didn't have an OEM stamp on their pipe got a hefty ticket.
That's cuz they from the gub'mint and they here to help.
In the early 70's the California Highway Patrol set up random vehicle inspections in some pretty unlikely places. Coming back from a race meet at Willow Springs in my old Dodge panel truck I was stopped in one. They looked at EVERY darned thing on my truck, wrote me a list of violations and then the somewhat overzealous inspector wanted me to unload my race bike for inspection. I shrugged my shoulders and started to comply when the OIC came over, eyed my Ducati, turned to the inspector and said "you're kidding, right?" Then he said "sorry 'bout that, have a nice day."
Yes, the regulations in germany are strict, but not evil. As long as you have the EU markings on your exhaust and didnt remove your dbKiller, you are normally safe. Same with exhaust valves.Where exactly is the EU stamp on the 650 OEM silencer?
It is still possible to get a good flowing exhaust on your bike. But if the cops already hear you from miles away, your chances are not good.
And exhausts without EU marking are a no go. The cops can be as dumb as a wet fart, but they all know exactly where to look for the marking. Exhaust, light, mirrors.
If they find the markings, you are normally good to go.
Interestingly most of the Harley exhausts dont have the EU marking, but are still legal. The cops know that, so the chances are good that you can pass with a OEM lookalike exhaust.
And if you got a real exotic dancer, you can do whatever you want.
A little extra sound on just about any bike sounds nice to me. Not straight pipes of course, but a Harley with that "Flowmasters" or Steve McQueen "Bullit" sound is beautiful. Sorry, but "sewing machine" bikes just don't cut it for me.
And, I may be anecdotal(hate the word") but a little extra sound can alert a sleepy driver on a highway that you are next to him(oops non woke. I mean individual- shoot me)
That's one of the things I love about these bikes - they managed to give them a real sound. Not too loud, and not just a whisper.If you are committed, search for "universal catalytic converter replacement". About $80 USD as small as 2inches dia / 8inches long. O2 sensor bung included. Any decent muffler shop can reduce and install. Decorate to suit.
I would love an exhaust system that keeps the sound while losing 25 or 30 pounds. I think the TEC Stinger comes closest. I just haven't reconciled my self to losing the cats entirely. I like clean air.
If you are committed, search for "universal catalytic converter replacement". About $80 USD as small as 2inches dia / 8inches long. O2 sensor bung included. Any decent muffler shop can reduce and install. Decorate to suit.
This Sunday they're predicting rain, so I'll most likely drive over, but if the forecast changes for the better, breakfast at 8, and a ride afterward. That being said I'm there every Sunday and all are welcome. A PM before hand is a good idea, just in case I decide to go fishing or something. ;) But anyone that sees this is welcome, no matter what they ride.
Love to be there, but it's a bit far for me. If anybody wants to meet in SE Idaho, send me a PM. (That is, if it doesn't snow again.) Loud pipes, no cats, all OK, nobody cares.
Ultimately I would like to switch the mufflers I have (EMGO) for the ones I initially wanted... Scorpion...
This way I will have the weight savings and reduce the noise made by the EMGO pipes.
But for now, very happy with the setup, for the price, even if it is louder than I wanted...
When funds become available.... enjoying what I have for now.
Thanks, but I'll take the snow. I've seen the mosquitoes there.