From my friend Steve who works in the motorbike industry:
"Steve"
As a recovering loud bike rider,
(The only loud bikes in the garage were made before the 1983 rule, one
just barely but I've not ridden it in 10 years)
I moved to a "motorcycle road" It really changed my mind about loud
bikes.
I switched out the loud pipes on my bikes and went back to the stock
pipes.
Now understand where I'm coming from. I really like the sound an
engine makes,
I grew up in a city where 400,000 people would gather on the shores of
a lake to watch a bunch of boats race around at nearly 200mph
powered by WWII surplus Rolls/Merlin V12 engines. Engines so loud you
could hear where on the course the boats were... From 12 miles away.
For me there's no better place to watch auto road racing at Laguna
then right under the pagoda, so you can HEAR/FEEL the cars go by.
I've been known to use a recorder to capture the sound of engine on
full song.
I own recordings of the sound of exhaust notes. I play them to enjoy
hearing the sounds.
But after year on the road leading to a local motorcycle bar,
A road used by many car and bike groups all weekend long.
I have to say, I hate the sound of loud bikes except when they are on
the track or in the right place.
I hate the image it portrays
I hate seeing little kids who when they see me (I ride a Honda 919 or
a BMW Airhead both with stock pipes, pipes that are on the quiet side
of the spectrum)
They cover their ears, this is before I've even started my bike.
I hate sitting in community meetings listening to everyone complain
about my favorite hobby, and livelihood.
I hate cool trails being closed down,
I hate that in places like Washington State there are laws being made
that you can't ride your motorcycle on your own land if someone else
could hear you riding it.
I hate having to stop a conversation as bike goes by.
I hate that at 11:00pm every Wednesday night a group of bikes go by
and it sounds like I'm under the pagoda at Laguna.
But most of all I hate the damage loud bikes do to our sport. Every
kid who covers their ears, every non-riding voter who hears a bike.
Every car driver that has to roll up their window when a bike goes
by,
All turn against us. Sometimes literally, sometimes but not falling
for this sport that I love, but most of the time at the ballot box.
You think the motorcycle only "safety" check points are not popular
with John and Jane Public? Nope, they love them.
To many out there, motorcycles are still too loud and too dangerous
and should be banned. They raise their health care cost, the "scare
me" say some.
It's sad that this new law, had to be made, and was made in such a way
that it specifically focuses on motorcycles and not other road users
(Diesel pick-ups, Japanese tuner cars, Subarus with pop off valves
that have megaphones attached to them, Mustang 5.0 with glass packs,
heaby chebys fleetlines with cherry bombs)
But then just about every voter drives, only about .01% of them ride a
motorcycle.
Here's something to think about.
There are more bird watchers in this country then people who ride
motorcycles...
---
JohnA in LA, CA USA
—> Let's see...Two bikes with Arrows, One with a Two Bros, One with 4
Jolly Motos, One with Microns. Oops.
|
Linear Mode
