Today's Harley Mouth-Breather
 

"Scott en Aztlán" wrote:
>
> Your typical HMB with a minimum-protection Nazi helmet and a leather
> Harley Davidson vest was riding westbound on Culver Drive near the 5
> freeway. As we approached a red signal, he began to stab at his
> throttle - I guess his bike is such a high-performance machine that
> the engine will die if he doesn't keep the carbs clear.
>
> When the light changed, he moved forward slowly until he got beneath
> the 5 freeway overpass, at which point he twisted the grip wide open,
> obviously enjoying the reverborating sound of his straight pipes (or
> the fact that he was annoying a couple of dozen cagers - one cannot be
> sure which). This made his earlier bursts of noise pollution seem like
> the sound of pins dropping.

I can see you you're a wuss who doesn't like loud engine noises. A
group of hogs passing by is almost as good as an unmuffled helicopter
taking off 50 feet away.

> Hopefully when his unprotected noggin hits the pavement like a rotten
> cantaloupe he shuffles off this mortal ignition coil instantly, rather
> than getting lucky like Gary Busey.

Man, that's harsh! Yeah, those helmets are really stupid looking -- if
I wanted to protest a law, I'd sure find a better way of doing it -- but
that's still no reason to wish hogsters ill!

--
Cheers,
Bev
================================================== =====================
"Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the
bodies of the people who ****ed me off."

"Scott en Aztlán" wrote:
>
> On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 18:32:42 -0800, The Real Bev
> > wrote:
>
> >> When the light changed, he moved forward slowly until he got beneath
> >> the 5 freeway overpass, at which point he twisted the grip wide open,
> >> obviously enjoying the reverborating sound of his straight pipes (or
> >> the fact that he was annoying a couple of dozen cagers - one cannot be
> >> sure which). This made his earlier bursts of noise pollution seem like
> >> the sound of pins dropping.
> >
> >I can see you you're a wuss who doesn't like loud engine noises.
>
> No, I'm someone who values peace and quiet. I hate loud bikes, loud
> dogs, and loudmouth people.

We'll sleep long enough when we die. A nice loud Harley every day or so
is nothing to sneeze at.

Dogs are different, though; they make sudden noises, which is
disturbing. What REALLY gripes me are big dogs riding in cars passing
me on my bicycle. The damn things interpret 'their' territory strangely
and lean out the window and let out a loud bark only a few feet away and
it doesn't seem unlikely that the damn thing is going to eat a chunk of
your calf in the next second. I would cheerfully smash the window of
people who let their dogs do that, and even LAUGH about it. *******s.

–€Üe stuck with loudmouth people unless we wish to commit an actual
crime to shut them up, which might not be all that bad an idea
sometimes...

> I realize you ride, but no need to take my comments personally. :)

I don't, but it's not a hog and it's been a <sob> long time since I've
ridden.

> >> Hopefully when his unprotected noggin hits the pavement like a rotten
> >> cantaloupe he shuffles off this mortal ignition coil instantly, rather
> >> than getting lucky like Gary Busey.
> >
> >Man, that's harsh!
>
> What did you say? My ears are still ringing from those unmuffled
> blasts from his Harley Deafener... ;)
>
> >Yeah, those helmets are really stupid looking -- if
> >I wanted to protest a law, I'd sure find a better way of doing it -- but
> >that's still no reason to wish hogsters ill!
>
> I don't wish ALL hogsters ill - just the obnoxious ones.
>
> Why on earth can't people just enjoy a nice, QUIET ride?

Everybody knows that BMW riders are Nazis biding their time until they
can start goose-stepping again.

--
Cheers,
Bev
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooo
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala,
it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet." -- Anon.

I'm with you. I equate loud pipes with low mentality just as I do with
loud stereos. Was in local gas station this morning. Nice looking
Harley at next pump. He fires it up, accelerates hard, shift, blip.
This next to a cliff and those pipes were echoing off the cliff. What
was the point. Pulling out he was in a 35 zone so why the hard
acceleration and blipping other than to display his low IQ? Had the
town cop been there it would have been an instant ticket as it was way
above the local noise ordinance.

Harry K

On 3/5/2005 7:14 PM, Harry K wrote:

> Had the
> town cop been there it would have been an instant ticket as it was way
> above the local noise ordinance.

I seriously doubt he'd have gotten a ticket, even if there were an
officer sitting right there at the gas station waiting for someone to
drive by doing something stupid and/or illegal. Cops turn a deaf ear
when it comes to loud motorcycles, probably because they've swallowed
that stupid "loud pipes save lives" myth hook, line, and sinker.


--
~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie.
Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave.
******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."
for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Harry K wrote:
>
> I'm with you. I equate loud pipes with low mentality just as I do with
> loud stereos. Was in local gas station this morning. Nice looking
> Harley at next pump. He fires it up, accelerates hard, shift, blip.
> This next to a cliff and those pipes were echoing off the cliff. What
> was the point. Pulling out he was in a 35 zone so why the hard
> acceleration and blipping other than to display his low IQ? Had the
> town cop been there it would have been an instant ticket as it was way
> above the local noise ordinance.

Don't know about the blip, but acceleration is wonderful. You never
rode the Superman ride at Magic Mountain (local Six Flags park) or took
off in a 747? One of the neat things about bikes is that you get LOTS
of acceleration for little money.

If we want to talk about REALLY nasty noises, how about rap music played
at full volume through outwardly-pointing speakers?

--
Cheers,
Bev
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx
I've enjoyed just about as much of this as I can stand.

"Scott en Aztlán" wrote:
>
> On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 22:11:08 -0800, The Real Bev
> > wrote:
>
> >> I'm with you. I equate loud pipes with low mentality just as I do with
> >> loud stereos. Was in local gas station this morning. Nice looking
> >> Harley at next pump. He fires it up, accelerates hard, shift, blip.
> >> This next to a cliff and those pipes were echoing off the cliff. What
> >> was the point.
>
> I have a theory: I believe that the HMBs with the loud pipes either
> like the noise itself or like to irritate people (or both).

While there are undoubtedly some jerks who like to irritate people, my
guess would be that it's just the pleasure of the sound itself. I'm an
extremely considerate person, but I'm pretty sure I would not be able to
resist the temptation to let it roar...

> When they
> get into a situation where the noise will reverberate, such as
> crossing under a freeway overpass or driving next to a rock wall, they
> like to take advantage of the opportunity to compound their ear
> damage.

Surely it's not that bad...

> >> Pulling out he was in a 35 zone so why the hard
> >> acceleration and blipping other than to display his low IQ? Had the
> >> town cop been there it would have been an instant ticket as it was way
> >> above the local noise ordinance.
> >
> >Don't know about the blip, but acceleration is wonderful.
>
> You can have acceleration without deafening everyone around you.

As a matter of fact it would be better because you would be less likely
to attract LE attention.

> >If we want to talk about REALLY nasty noises, how about rap music played
> >at full volume through outwardly-pointing speakers?
>
> I would most certainly object to THAT driving through my neighborhood,
> as well. Another common occurrence to which I object is false car
> alarms.

Especially the ones that cycle through half a dozen annoying sounds.
There's a parking lot across the street, so I get to hear this quite a
bit. Pinky Tuscadero is never around when you need her.

--
Cheers, Bev
================================================== ==============
I didn't break it! It was doing that before I broke it... er...

Scott en Aztl=E1n wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 22:11:08 -0800, The Real Bev
> > wrote:
>
> >> I'm with you. I equate loud pipes with low mentality just as I do
with
> >> loud stereos. Was in local gas station this morning. Nice
looking
> >> Harley at next pump. He fires it up, accelerates hard, shift,
blip.
> >> This next to a cliff and those pipes were echoing off the cliff.
What
> >> was the point.

Frankly, some of us, even some of us with advanced degrees, really
*like* the sound of a single-pin crank narrow-angle v-twin pulling hard
at low rpms. My own is a 600cc Honda Shadow with some subtly
'modified' mufflers (Can you say, "18-inch 3/8" drill"? I knew you
could.).

> I have a theory: I believe that the HMBs with the loud pipes either
> like the noise itself or like to irritate people (or both).

It's the first, at least in my case.

> When they
> get into a situation where the noise will reverberate, such as
> crossing under a freeway overpass or driving next to a rock wall,
they
> like to take advantage of the opportunity to compound their ear
> damage.

Well, unlike your average HMB, I always wear a helmet. And, with only
600cc to work with, it still can't crank out the dBs like a Hog ... so
I really *enjoy* reflected sound!

> >> Pulling out he was in a 35 zone so why the hard
> >> acceleration and blipping other than to display his low IQ? Had
the
> >> town cop been there it would have been an instant ticket as it was
way
> >> above the local noise ordinance.

Here, in Harley's home state, most cops are willing to overlook this.
Just don't try it with loud pipes on a Katana ...

> >Don't know about the blip, but acceleration is wonderful.
>
> You can have acceleration without deafening everyone around you.

Ah, but you misunderstand the relationship between the twist grip on a
Harley and acceleration! There *is* no direct link between the two.
That part of the controls is actually a *volume control*. It has
little or no bearing on the accumulation of momentum of a Hog.

> >If we want to talk about REALLY nasty noises, how about rap music
played
> >at full volume through outwardly-pointing speakers?

How about an unmuffled Mazda race rotary? (OWWW!)

> I would most certainly object to THAT driving through my
neighborhood,
> as well. Another common occurrence to which I object is false car
> alarms.

What? *What?* WHAT?
--
Ol' C.R.

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 09:06:47 -0800, Scott en Aztlán
> wrote:

>>If we want to talk about REALLY nasty noises, how about rap music played
>>at full volume through outwardly-pointing speakers?
>
>I would most certainly object to THAT driving through my neighborhood,
>as well. Another common occurrence to which I object is false car
>alarms.

This used to be a problem about 10 years ago. I hardly ever hear car
alarms anymore. I know mine has never gone off on my current car.

On my old car, after adjusting the sensitivity properly, it only went
off twice - and neither one was a false alarm.

Around 3/6/2005 8:55 AM, Scott en Aztlán wrote:

> On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 20:04:01 -0800, Garth Almgren >
> wrote:
>
>>Cops turn a deaf ear
>
>
> Pun intended?

Definitely. "Blind eye" didn't seem to work nearly as well. :)


>>when it comes to loud motorcycles, probably because they've swallowed
>>that stupid "loud pipes save lives" myth hook, line, and sinker.
>
>
> Hmm...
>
> If cops believe that, then maybe we can convince them that "Sloth
> Kills," too...


Too late, since they've already been convinced that "speed kills," and
it's *really* difficult to get them to let go of a myth once they've
grabbed on with both hands.

It's not just cops, either; same goes for just about everyone, I'd guess.



--
~/Garth |"I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie.
Almgren | I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave.
******* | And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."
for secure mail info) --H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)