What Am I Missing?

[Ah Pook]

Loud pipes-saves lives
Helmet-hermetically sealed from all drafts and sounds
Stereo-cranking the worst of the '80s muzak-???

Help me out here. I am not a biker but do like bikes. Is this just a way of being MORE annoying?

[mcantar18c]

Loud pipes DO save lives.
The point of a helmet is to protect your head from things you don't want touching it. This includes asphalt, car windshields, bugs, and wind.
Radios on bikes are dumb.

[Mazin]

Live to ride
ride to live

Whip it, whip it good.

The thing about most harley riders today is that most dont grasp the true purpose to riding. Most get a bike and gear just to try to act like they can relate to the last sons of anarchy episode. They put maybe a hundred miles in that bike that they spend more time cleaning then riding and think they are super jo biker when the tow the bikes up to sturgis. I love to ride, the feeling of the bike and road few truly understand, the thought of not being able to get back on a bike hurts like hell, for few its a passion. I will attest though you are the lowest member of the food chain when your on the road, people just dont look for motorcyclist. Im all about safty but the fact is the loud pipes just are annoying i think that if you want to improve your safety on the road you need to be defensive at all times. Save your money on those loud ass pipesthat say "hey look at me im a tool", and invest in some training like the total control school or some abate classes. This is not only for harley riders but it goes for sportbike as well even more so. You can do all the performance and cosmetic upgrades you want but if you dont know how to ride safe your just another squid waiting to be windshield smudges.

[TFOGGER]

Loud pipes annoy people, but at least they notice you while being annoying. That being said, my bikes all have quiet exhaust.

If I choose to enjoy music on the bike, I have speakers in my helmet that don't interfere with my ability to hear outside sounds. Thus, I don't annoy those around me with my questionable choice in music.

[Byte Stryke]

Loud pipes DO save lives.

I had an incident a few months ago...

Loud Pipes save lives, Right up until you get some dumbfuck revving his shit outside of your window at 0230.
Then you get arrested and your Harley impounded because you wanted to be cool

That tow driver was a complete dick with his bike too.
The guy Locked his Bike when he got arrested and took his keys.
So the Tow driver laid it on its side and winched it up onto the truck... dragging it the whole way.


edit: Be careful with your "loud Pipes" as many municipalities have enacted noise ordinances and will impound your bike and cite you if you cannot "repair the condition" on the spot.

[Ronin13]

Loud pipes may save lives, but I'm tempted to plug the INSANELY Loud pipes with extra large potatoes sometimes. I can understand it's "cool" but if it's so loud that car alarms go off from 200 ft away then you're just being obnoxious.

[Mazin]

Also for godsake get that helmit off of your back seat and put it on your freaking head. Gear is the best way to help save your ass if the worse should happen. Riders in shorts, sandles and a wife beater scream "squid" to me, you dont look cool when your covered in road rash from not wearing any gear.

[Zundfolge]

What has always annoyed me is that the noise laws don't seem to apply to Harleys.

Back in my high school days I remember getting a lecture by some cop because I had headers and straight pipes on my '69 Mustang. He actually had to stop his lecture as some loud hog rode by.

I called him on his hypocrisy ... he reminded me that he was the law and I should just shut up (I was 17 so I shut up).

[Byte Stryke]

Also for godsake get that helmit off of your back seat and put it on your freaking head. Gear is the best way to help save your ass if the worse should happen. Riders in shorts, sandles and a wife beater scream "squid" to me, you dont look cool when your covered in road rash from not wearing any gear.

but it's their RIGHT to be free man...

and its your right to pay higher insurance rates for it.
If you dont believe me, go get two quotes from the same company, one in a helmet state and one in an optional state.


CO and NE are good examples.

[Mazin]

But thats the fault of stupid drivers driving up rates, when i had my last bike (yamaha r1) i paid $250.00 for the year for full coverage but a $1000 deductable. I dont want to say helmits should be manditory, my comment was simply to reflect that the proper gear will save you from very nasty injuries or death.