|
|
| E-Mail HDRider@DiamondJim.us |
|
The "COMMENTS" PAGE
|
|
Tell It Like It Is
|
| Loud Pipes! |
|
Just the other day I read an article in one of the local MC Rags regarding police officers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pulling over Harley riders and issuing tickets for excessive noise. Seems the Police were targeting Harley riders and not riders of other makes of motorcycles. And to make matters worse they would stop these riders underneath a bridge and listen to the pipes.
A few weeks later Police in Denver, Colorado, decided to set up shop and record the exhaust noise levels of Harley riders. On this occasion a local TV station was on hand to record the incidents. In the video it shows a Denver Police office holding a portable decibel meter pointing towards a four way intersection. The State of Colorado has a law requiring all motor vehicles to have mufflers. Duh? In addition, Denver has an ordinance that says the noise cannot exceed 80 decibels from 25 feet away.
In the video, four motorcycles pass by and the officer radios ahead stating "it's the yellow one". Now all of these bikes together were loud but only one was pulled over for making excessive noise? Are decibel meters like radar guns, specific to a targeted vehicle? Another segment shows a reporter asking a motorcyclist to rev up his engine while standing approximately four feet from the exhaust pipes holding a decibel meter which records a level of 104db. All of these riders interviewed stated that the sounds emanating from their pipes was not loud. Yeah ok. I was just born yesterday too. And then in the same breath states "Loud Pipes Save Lives".
Last week at a local HOG meeting, members were discussing these news report, along with
e-mails submitted by other members and thought it might be a good idea to contact the local police department and have them record the sound level on their bikes without issuing tickets, since this was voluntary gesture generated by the owners. Then if it was too loud they would take steps to correct it.
Now here's my take on this.
Get Real People! Yes your pipes with those mufflers are loud! You know this and I know this. I don't need someone with a decibel meter to tell me that. I installed a high performance exhaust system on my bike because I want it to run better and breath better in conjunction with the other performance items I've added. The system I chose does exactly what I want and in doing so will make a lot of noise when I crack open the throttle and bring up the RPMs while running it through the gears. That's how it works! This nonsense of 'no one told me it would violate a noise ordinance' or 'it wasn't on my product specification sheet' or excuse after excuse after excuse. You are an adult and know better. You bought a Harley because that's the image you want to have. Harley's turn heads going down the street because they look and sound good. That's the sound you grew up with and that's the sound you want to have when you ride your Harley.
A noise ordinance is established in every city around the country and has been since I've been a teenager riding motorcycles over fifty years ago. Loud pipes and exceeding the speed limit while on a motorcycle has always been an issue. It's what motorcyclists do when they're riding and having a good time doing it I might add. This scenario will continue in the years to come with other riders.
Now, how do you keep your high performance pipes and mufflers and still ride where ever you want and not be pulled over? Pay attention. Show some restraint. You don't have to go from 0 to 40 in one point-five seconds while riding on city streets. Yes we all do it from time to time and don't get caught. Why don't we get caught. It's called luck. Plain and simple. I can honestly say that I have never been pulled over in all my years of riding for having loud pipes. Two speeding tickets while riding my motorcycle, yes. Why? Well I guess I was just lucky on the pipes or I knew where I was and played it safe by throttling back. As for the speeding tickets, I believe one was issued because I was on a bike and out of state and the other because, well, I was speeding.
The point I'm trying to make is be aware of your surroundings and watch the heavy hand. This works ninety nine percent of the time. Although nothing is perfect this will usually work.
You ride a motorcycle. A Harley Davidson Motorcycle. A good looking Harley Davidson Motorcycle with loud pipes. You are stereotype by law enforcement. It comes with the image. Live with it, be aware of it and act accordingly. You will survive.
I'm done. I've said what I had to say.
|
| Ok, now I'm going to trailer! |
|
Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm going to catch a lot of flak from my buddies for this. But hey, for me the time has come. I recently returned from a 10,500 mile trip that flat out tore my ass up, not to mention the bike. Now don't get me wrong here, I had a hell of a great trip and I will do it again! It was during this trip that I thought about the times I rode and continued riding through all types of weather and when I arrived at my destination, I didn't have much time there to enjoy it. In fact when I pulled into town I was taking flak from my buds about not trailering since they had arrived three to five hours earlier and in comfort. Now I know what I have said in the past about trailering, (see below), but for me maybe the time has come to start. I've ridden to many places and events over the past forty five years and I'll still ride if it's five to six hours away. But after that, I'm going to trailer. Think about it. No matter how fast you ride that machine on the highway, when all is said and done with gas stops, food breaks and what not, when you finally arrive at your destination you'll discover that you averaged 50 mph! Now think about that for a minute. When you were hauling ass down the highway at 80-90 mph, hoping that you wouldn't get pulled over just to get to an event, was it really worth it? I mean here you are, screaming down the road, stopping for gas, gulping down some food, answering some question from the travelers at the pumps and back on the road. Two and half to three hours later the same thing again. Maybe it was raining, so on with the rain gear, maybe not. You know what I'm talking about. Now, if you're trailering, you'll average at least 325-375 miles between gas stops, crusing down the highway in comfort. Nothing beats the old dashboard diner while you're on a mission. A little music, the A/C or heat depending on the time of year, moving along at 75 mph not worring about the dips, bumps or bugs on the road. Turn on the wipers when it rains instead of pulling over and jumping into the rain suit. Yeah I know it sounds like I'm wimping out, but hey, when you've ridden for as long as I have through all sorts of weather for twelve to sixteen hours straight, and a few twenty hour sessions in between, then you can talk trash to me. But for me right now, I'm looking for an enclosed trailer. Hey, no point in trailering the bike and then having to wash it first thing when I arrive. Right? Ok, I've said my piece, now lets hear it. |
|
Ride or trailer?
|
| OK, looks like I generated a bit of controversy on this subject when I stated that I ride instead of trailering. There are many opinions on this subject, so here's mine. |
| Ride. I like to ride. That's what the motorcycle is all about. Riding. The wind in your face, the panoramic view that you cannot get in any car, not even in a convertible! The feeling of being free. To explore at will, to take in and absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of the environment, both good and bad. The need to find and see more, to travel on. And after traveling for 140 plus miles, you stop to refuel. No sooner than you get off the bike people from the cages come up to you and ask about your trip, your bike, how long have you been on the road, where are you headed and a whole lot of other questions. When was the last time someone asked you the same thing when you stopped for gas for the car? Riding a motorcycle is an adventure, a thrill, an experience. Remember the saying "it's not the destination, it's the journey". Riding a motorcycle is something many people would like to do but for whatever reason, they don't. So, for lack of a better description, you're the ambassador of the biker community, like it or not. |
| Trailering - Now don't get me wrong here, trailering can be a good thing, if you or your significant other don't like to ride. Many significant others don't relish the idea of getting on the back of a bike on a seat that is, what, five - six inches wide, maybe two, two and half inches thick of a poor excuse called padding on top of a metal plate and travel down the highway for six to eight hours, arrive at the destination and begin to have a good time at the event. I don't think so. I've met very few ladies that will do that and let me tell you guys, if she does, hold on to that one. They are far and few between. I met Tim and Cody standing in line at Harley's Engine Assembley Plant at the 100th Anniversary Party in 2003. Cody rode with Tim on the back of a Softail from Washington State to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and back to Washington State again. Tim, if you're reading this, don't let her get away! So what's the next best thing? The trailer. OK so now you've decided to trailer. Why? You're heading to Daytona, Laughlin or an event in southern Arizona, or California but you live up north and you happen to have a few feet of snow or icy roads. No problem there. Makes sense to trailer. I too have trailered from the snowy mountains of Colorado to Orlando, Fl for a week and a half at bike week and Key West. And then hit a snow storm on the way back! After all, chances are you're one of the working class and only have a small window of time to get from point A to B and back to point A. Go for the trailer. But hey, if it's the spring, summer, or fall, don't come up with some lame ass excuse as to why you trailered the bike. Tell it like it is. It was too far, it was raining, I don't want to put that many miles on the bike. My friend wouldn't come this far unless I trailered. Be a man for a change and tell like it is! I'm too scared to ride that far! Last year at Laughlin, Nevada I watched a guy and his buddies pull up with four bikes on a trailer. Parked in the public parking lot across from one of the casinos on the main drag and offload the bikes. Guess where he was from? Las Vegas, Nevada. Ninety five miles away and he couldn't ride that distance? Give me a break! Stay Home RUB! You're an embarassement to the bikers world! |
| Remember this - My deal has always been, if you live one to six hours away from an event, Ride! If it's one to two thousand miles away, Ride! Nobody is saying you have to do it overnight. Remember, one third of the fun is riding there. One third of the fun is being there. One third of the fun is riding back. If you trailer the bike, you'll miss two thirds of the fun! |
|
|
| E-Mail HDRider@DiamondJim.us |
|
|