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.
sadly there stupid shithead everywhere that assum that loud pipes are a right. doesn't matter what the fucker drives...pickup, cars motorcycles etc. Everyone of those people is so stupid they need to be isntitutionalized. Here's a better one. That. Law. Did NOT. Have. To. Be. Written. It only got written beacuse of the people you elected and the morons that just have to have loud pipes. Oh and on that note show me a lawn mower that can pass that law...right now. Even the electric mowers will flunk. There is an app for that...just remind them. The first ride is free. 8^) All my motorcycles have stock pipes only one passes that fucked over POS law...and the inbrred alcoholic glue sniffing crack whore politicians that passed it.
