well that settles it, i'm putting straight pipes on my bike.

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Really? Okay but a man on a motorcycle has got to be what 18 at the youngest? Most men and women I see on motorcycles are probably in their later 20's and older. So you don't think it a bit odd that people who are grown and supposedly mature have this weird obsession with attracting attention to themselves? "Wake up, look at me, I am on a motorcycle and making loud noises"! I find that behavior very immature and high schoolish. I mean really? Get a life.

Jersey "CITY".... cities have noise. If you want quiet, move to the burbs.

motorcycle dudes were uniting up and down Erie all damn morning - early - mufflers nowhere to be found.

I wanted to unite their heads with a rock.

Just seeing this thread... +100 to Jeebus and Benedict. I'm a rider as well and I think the illegality of straight pipes should be enforced, they have no right to disturb people (and give other riders a bad reputation while doing so).

For those morons who say loud pipes save lives... If you're so safety conscious, how come I never see the straight pipe crowd with even a tiny bit of safety gear? They are the last people to use proper helmets, proper armor, proper reflective colors but the first to cry safety when told off for their obnoxious loud pipes (that they do nothing but cruise around in). If they are not compensating for something, I don't know who is.

Quote: Scorpio Rising is a 1964 experimental film by Kenneth Anger, author of the Hollywood Babylon books, starring Bruce Byron as the biker Scorpio. It features themes of leather-clad bikers, the occult, Jesus and Nazis. Its camp appropriation of popular culture included an innovative use of pop music, the erotic cult of James Dean, and Sunday comics. The film was initially shown on the underground film circuit. The film features no dialogue. Instead, Anger incorporated music from popular 1950s and 1960s artists including Ricky Nelson, The Angels, The Crystals, Bobby Vinton, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. It is considered to be one of the first post-modern films[citation needed] and an influence to future directors such as Martin Scorsese and David Lynch.[citation needed] When the film was screened at an art theatre in Los Angeles, police arrested the theatre manager for obscenity and canceled the run. (Keep in mind if clicking video link) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio_Rising_(film)

You should check out Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising if you ever wondered what motorcycles dudes do when they "unite".

Hey, Jerk on your LOUD rumbling motorcycling tearing through the Hamilton Park neighborhood last night at 3:45am last night...Get a life and let us sleep!

In response to the original post, if it's Friday night outside a bar and you hear motorcycle noise around here, consider yourself lucky. Maybe if it was a Monday I could see your point. I'll agree that really loud motorcycles can be annoying, but there is actually truth to that saying "loud pipes save lives." It's because motorcycles are extremely hard to see at intersections, etc., so the theory is that you HEAR them if you don't see them. I have no scientific proof it it works, but that is the theory. Again, it's all part of city life. Complaining about loud motorcycles outside a BAR on a FRIDAY NIGHT isn't going to get much sympathy.

If your reread my post you will notice that I did not assume he has a new Harley. That your husband has had Harleys for over 20 years does not mean that he is not misinformed. Revving a dry engine with cold oil is not a good idea. It's better to start it and gently ride off so that the oil pressure makes the oil circulate in the engine while it warms up. Revving a loud bike is just annoying and will bring hate on all of us.

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This take on motorcycling always cracks me up--it's Jeremy Clarkson:

Recently, various newspapers ran a photograph of me on a small motorcycle. They all pointed out that I hate motorbikes and that by riding one I had exposed myself as a hypocrite who should commit suicide immediately.

Hmmm. Had I been photographed riding the local postmistress, then, yes, I?d have been shamed into making some kind of apology. But it was a motorcycle. And I don?t think it even remotely peculiar that a motoring journalist should ride such a thing. Not when there is a problem with the economy and many people are wondering if they should make a switch from four wheels to two.

Unfortunately, you cannot make this switch on a whim, because this is Britain and there are rules. Which means that before climbing on board you must go to a car park, put on a high-visibility jacket and spend the morning driving round some cones while a man called Dave ? all motorcycle instructors are called Dave ? explains which lever does what.

Afterwards, you will be taken on the road, where you will drive about for several hours in a state of abject fear and misery, and then you will go home and vow never to get on a motorcycle ever again.

This is called compulsory basic training and it allows you to ride any bike up to 125cc. If you want to ride something bigger, you must take a proper test. But, of course, being human, you will not want a bigger bike, because then you will be killed immediately while wearing clothing from the Ann Summers ?Dungeon? range.

Right, first things first. The motorbike is not like a car. It will not stand up when left to its own devices. So, when you are not riding it, it must be leant against a wall or a fence. I?m told some bikes come with footstools which can be lowered to keep them upright. But then you have to lift the bike onto this footstool, and that?s like trying to lift up an American.

Next: the controls. Unlike with a car, there seems to be no standardisation in the world of motorcycling. Some have gearlevers on the steering wheel. Some have them on the floor, which means you have to shift with your feet ? how stupid is that? ? and some are automatic.

Then we get to the brakes. Because bikes are designed by bikers ? and bikers, as we all know, are extremely dim ? they haven?t worked out how the front and back brake can be applied at the same time. So, to stop the front wheel, you pull a lever on the steering wheel, and to stop the one at the back, you press on a lever with one of your feet.

A word of warning, though. If you use only the front brake, you will fly over the steering wheel and be killed. If you try to use the back one, you will use the wrong foot and change into third gear instead of stopping. So you?ll hit the obstacle you were trying to avoid, and you?ll be killed.

Then there is the steering. The steering wheel comes in the shape of what can only be described as handlebars, but if you turn them ? even slightly ? while riding along, you will fall off and be killed. What you have to do is lean into the corner, fix your gaze on the course you wish to follow, and then you will fall off and be killed.

As far as the minor controls are concerned, well . . . you get a horn and lights and indicators, all of which are operated by various switches and buttons on the steering wheel, but if you look down to see which one does what, a truck will hit you and you will be killed. Oh, and for some extraordinary reason, the indicators do not self-cancel, which means you will drive with one of them on permanently, which will lead following traffic to think you are turning right. It will then undertake just as you turn left, and you will be killed.

What I?m trying to say here is that, yes, bikes and cars are both forms of transport, but they have nothing in common. Imagining that you can ride a bike because you can drive a car is like imagining you can swallow-dive off a 90ft cliff because you can play table tennis.

However, many people are making the switch because they imagine that having a small motorcycle will be cheap. It isn?t. Sure, the 125cc Vespa I tried can be bought for ?3,499, but then you will need a helmet (?300), a jacket (?500), some Freddie Mercury trousers (?100), shoes (?130), a pair of Kevlar gloves (?90), a coffin (?1,000), a headstone (?750), a cremation (?380) and flowers in the church (?200).

In other words, your small 125cc motorcycle, which has no boot, no electric windows, no stereo and no bloody heater even, will end up costing more than a Volkswagen Golf. That said, a bike is much cheaper to run than a car. In fact, it takes only half a litre of fuel to get from your house to the scene of your first fatal accident. Which means that the lifetime cost of running your new bike is just 50p.

So, once you have decided that you would like a bike, the next problem is choosing which one. And the simple answer is that, whatever you select, you will be a laughing stock. Motorbiking has always been a hobby rather than an alternative to proper transport, and as with all hobbies, the people who partake are extremely knowledgeable. It often amazes me that in their short lives bikers manage to learn as much about biking as people who angle, or those who watch trains pull into railway stations.

Whatever. Because they are so knowledgeable, they will know precisely why the bike you select is rubbish and why theirs is superb. Mostly, this has something to do with ?getting your knee down?, which is a practice undertaken by bikers moments before the crash that ends their life.

You, of course, being normal, will not be interested in getting your knee down; only in getting to work and most of the way home again before you die. That?s why I chose to test the Vespa, which is much loathed by trainspotting bikers because they say it is a scooter. This is racism. Picking on a machine because it has no crossbar is like picking on a person because he has slitty eyes or brown skin. Frankly, I liked the idea of a bike that has no crossbar, because you can simply walk up to the seat and sit down. Useful if you are Scottish and go about your daily business in a skirt.

I also liked the idea of a Vespa because most bikes are Japanese. This means they are extremely reliable so you cannot avoid a fatal crash by simply breaking down. This is entirely possible on a Vespa because it is made in Italy.

Mind you, there are some drawbacks you might like to consider. The Vespa is not driven by a chain. Instead, the engine is mounted to the side of the rear wheel for reasons that are lost in the mists of time and unimportant anyway. However, it means the bike is wider and fitted with bodywork like a car, to shroud the moving hot bits. That makes it extremely heavy. Trying to pick it up after you?ve fallen off it is impossible.

What?s more, because the heavy engine is on the right, the bike likes turning right much more than it likes turning left. This means that in all left-handed bends, you will be killed.

Unless you?ve been blown off by the sheer speed of the thing. At one point I hit 40mph and it was as though my chest was being battered by a freezing-cold hurricane. It was all I could do to keep a grip on the steering wheel with my frostbitten fingers.

I therefore hated my experience of motorcycling and would not recommend it to anyone.

The Clarksometer

If you like misery, climb aboard



ENGINE 124cc, one cylinder

POWER 14bhp @ 9500rpm

TORQUE 8.5 lb ft @ 8500rpm

TRANSMISSION Automatic

FUEL TANK CAPACITY 9.5 litres

TOP SPEED 63.4mph

PRICE ?3,499

Gee, hmm. I would have to check with my husband on that 1stGuy but I have been on many many long distance rides through the middle of nowhere and usually when we have to stop for some reason he will rev the engine once or twice. I'm pretty certain he's not trying to impress me or any willd life that may be in the area, but I will check with him tonight and find out exactly why. Maybe he's just so used to being inconsiderate he does it subconsciously.

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Enlighten us then... why DO they rev the engine unnecessarily? I have ridden for a number of years, and have never felt the need to do so. Maybe that's just because I have respect for my neighbors.

Silly me.

Jeebus:


Why do you assume he has a new Harley? He doesn't, it's an older vintage bike. I can assure you my husband knows how to operate his bike. He's had Harley's for over 20 years.

And honestly, to all those who think bikers rev the engine so everyone will look at them and think they are cool or have big penises. Are you serious? Comeon.

They let the bikes run so the engine gets warm & the oil warms up.
I guess reving up the engine so much before they take off for their ride makes them tuffer than they really are. Like the lil guys who buy really big trucks. haha

What the hell is going on with these motorcycle riders!

That's odd - if it's tuned correctly you should be able to gently ride off with the choke on and flip if off in a couple blocks after it starts to warm up. This is actually better for the bike than letting it sit at idle with low oil pressure and cold oil. If it has fuel injection (newer Harleys all do), you shouldn't even have to fiddle with the choke if it's set up right.

As a rider, people going around with loud open pipes pisses me off. A number of states are considering legislation that would require stock or government approved exhausts on all street motorcycles. This would be a very bad solution (e.g. what to do if you have a classic and need a reproduction exhaust) but when you have 1) douchebags bringing down hate on us all and 2) law enforcement not enforcing the noise laws; that's the kind of thing we can look forward to.

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Or move him to the heights.

you guys should take up a collection and buy him a Vespa!

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Honda. Thats it. I have no problem with bikes. But this guy blows up 7th and Jersey way too often.

Seriously, whats he doing? Going to Christos, then home, then over to La Rustique, then home, then over to luckys, then home. Sheesh. WALK!!!!!

yeah, i think it's a honda cruiser of some sort with minor custom on it - pipes and what not... means it's just as loud as an american bike, but twice as reliable!

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I can't remember the make. My sister lives a few doors down, and I've walked passed the culprits bike numerous times. It's DEF not American.

I wasn't kidding. The Hoboken Motorcycle Club dudes were ripping through my street the other day and scared the shit out of me!

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No, not a Harley. Its an import with a crumby paint job.

While not an expert, I think the guy sets his idle low, thus creating the noise.

He basically screams- "Look at me, I'm a douche!"

eggz, is it american or japanese?

you guys should just get ear plugs and confront him personally when u see him.

stop sweating the small stuff. there are people dying everyday.

It's the Hoboken Motorcycle Club. Those dudes are above the law!

http://www.hobokenmotorcycleclub.com/

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This guy's steps face Jersey & he puts the bike in the yard now, right? Not a Harley. Some sort of import.

I totally get this. My husband and our neighbor both ride harleys. When they get ready to go they start the bike up and let it run for maybe 2 minutes. They have to. But they aren't especially loud, just regular for Harley's. They try to be considerate and not rev the motor and since we're not into really late night stuff, generally we aren't ever home later than 11 (I know, pathetic) and we usually only take the bike out maybe 1 day on the weekend.

We have another neighbor who also rides and he leaves his bike running for 10-15 minutes every time he starts his up. He is around the corner from us and the pictures on our walls shake the whole time it's running.

It's just like everything else in life. There are those who are considerate and those who aren't.