I dont guess it totally necassary to brake when they do that, they just get me all tense cause when they cut back in they are on an angle that looks like the bike is fixing to slide right out from under them. My uncle owns a Harley and they are quite fun and can be relaxing on a nice day, I would never buy one of my own as I dont like to ride enough to justify having it but I do take his bike for a ride now and again.

 

That about covers it! Bikes, trucks, guns, hunters, police officers, etc. A few morons get the attention and that sticks in peoples minds.

Most bike riders I come across are considerate and smart riders. A few will ride on my flank, stop at night with their headlight aimed right at my rear or side view mirror, cut too close on lane changes or ride up front at traffic lights and stop about 6" in front of the front bumper of the first car in line.

 

I always knew that many people don't like loud pipes. Some feel very strongly about it. Sound is invasive, you can't avoid it like if there's something you don't want to see, you can close your eyes or look in another direction. I myself discriminate, a big V8 or V-twin can be very loud and I have NO problem with that, most anything else I don't want to hear it. It's just personal preference. Two stroke dirt bikes sound great if I'm the one making the noise, but if it's somebody else, or it's a 4 stroke forget it. Perhaps I'm strange.

When one of my neighbors gets out an ATV or snowmobile and does laps around thier 1/4 acre yard for three hours while I'm sitting at home doing almost anything - it's maddening. Next door they like to warm up the van with an exhaust leak for 30-45 minutes every morning at 6 a.m.

I'm torn. I don't want to bother anybody else. Sometimes I like to fool myself into thinking that everybody likes the sound of my very loud bike as much as I do, but I know that's not true. Using proper technique (rpms, gradual acceleration, coasting, etc.) I can really dial down the volume which I always do when I think it matters, but I know I'm bothering people at times - and that bothers me. I bring my exhaust baffles in a grocery bag when I get my bike inspected every year "they fell out again" I grin. I must remove them before I even make it home from the inspection - can't help it, can't explain it. If I had to keep them in I might quit riding.

I totally understand people really disliking the 'noise' (music), all I have to do is imagine that Honda Accord with a fart can and a 1K watt subwoofer rolling slowly by my house while I'm trying to sleep or something. This explains some peoples dislike of motorcycles, and that they might then dislike all motorcycles for this and other reasons.

This is not exactly what I'm after here. You might not be aware so I'll share. There is a very small percentage of people who hate motorcycles/riders so much that they will attempt to murder, or seriously injur them. They will go out of their way to try to run them off the road with thier car/truck. They put oil on the road at key locations. They throw heavy dangerous objects from thier vehicles or from highway overpasses. They string 'clotheslines' accross roads... I could share stories - not all my own.

I'd be very surprized if anyone here was guilty of such acts let alone admit to them. But have you ever had the urge? Why? Do you know of anyone who has? What drives it? Bikers are evil people and we do the world a favor by killing them? Loud bikes get quieter when they're crushed up into tiny pieces? Crazy ricers who wheelie past you between lanes going 100+ mph will learn to slow down once their spine is snapped in half? What is the thought process? Why target motorcycles and attack them with a car/truck/van?

It can be made to look like an accident - so there's a fair chance of getting away with it. That speaks to why some don't stop themselves, but why do they do it? That's what I'm after.

 

I don't hate bikes, or bikers for that matter.
I wish I had a Dukati, or CBR for the performance rides on the mountain curves.

A Harley, or loud sounding bike to scare the begeeses out of the Waltons taking that sunday ride.
Just kidding.

Whats up with the chained wallets?

+

 

I rode a bike for years and of course I drive trucks and cars. So I have been on both sides of the fence.

In general I think people don't like the noise of the Harley types. A lot of the bikers seem to go out of their way to make their bikes louder. The people down my street have Harleys and they don't seem to realize most of their neighbors really don't want to hear them coming home several blocks away at night.

As far as road manners, most experienced bikers are cautious because there are a lot of careless drivers out there. People DO NOT SEE motorcycles. I have been there done that, and they just don't see you. So the biker should always assume he is invisible and drive accordingly. Any accident between a bike and a car is going to have one sure loser. It is the young guys who have little road experience that get into the most interesting wrecks. But even the experienced guys get hit once in awhile since they are invisible.

Now as for bicycles, I hate them, too many attitudes with those guys. I say this even though I too ride bicycles from time to time, but I treat myself like an really slow motorcycle, all the same traffic laws, very invisible and dead meat on the road.

Just my opinions,

Jim Henderson

 

Because they can. These people are absolutely terrified that they might not be the toughest guy out there. (With good reason, they're a bunch of pathetic wimps.) So, they find a group of people who are at a physical disadvantage (bikes are pretty unsafe, after all), and pick on them. It's the same sort of bullying as when a high schooler steals a first-grader's lunch money.

These people are the lowest of the low. I don't hate (or even dislike) bikers. I do hate [jerks] like this.

 

I have never owned a motorbike, but I have no problem with them or folks who ride them. I do hate seeing folks ride without a helmet, the same way I feel about folks who don't wear a seat belt in their vehicles.

 

I used to ride, but gave it up after getting tired of having to dodge cars too often. I can understand wanting to have pipes with a little sound to them just to help other people notice that you are there, but they need to realize that in a residential area they should keep it toned down. Usually my gripe is that they a lot of times the ricers seem to act like they don't have to follow the law. The zig zag in and out of traffic and driver over the speed limit while doing it. If they can't weave it isn't unusual for them to think that the middle between the vehicles makes for another lane for them. I had one guy try passing me on a residential street on the right only he didn't know that I was going to turn right. The bike caught my front bumper and he went rolling across the street thumping his head on the curb. Luckily he wasn't hurt and the bike wasn't hurt hurt too bad either. Then he was dumb enough to tell the cops what he was doing. It is a two way street. If they want respect then drive responsibly and more people will be OK with you. Also realize that especially at night it is easy not to pick your bike out of the lights behind you and if you try to go by somebody they can easily miss knowing you are there and have a accident.

 

I am a biker (83 Beemer 1200), but I must say a LOT of my experiences with other bikers have been negative, its not about sound (I happen to love it), but about some of the antics they commit to get to a place quicker than I...

One example was me overtaking a truck in my car doing about 140mph (no speed limits) - truck was doing about 80mph - an R1 came right up between me and the truck doing about 150 - given the turbulence, and how close I was to the truck, it was suicidal, was the one of the most rediculous things I have ever seen. He could have waited 5 seconds, and passed both us easily.

 

I agree the biggest most offensive thing is a harley with straight pipes. The rice rockets seem to be much higher pitched, but those harleys put the noise right in your face when they goose the throttle, which they seem to do often, sort of a "in your face" attitude. I think that hurts them more than anything else they do when on their bikes.

 

I have no problems with motorcycles and would never deliberately try to injure someone on one. But they are more dangerous than cars and must be treated with respect. I have some photos of a motorcycle accident. Can't post them here. But a rice rider was traveling at 140 mph and hit a tree. Dismembered and evicerated the rider. Someone picked up his liver and laid it on his chest.

 

You have only picked out 1 of many things that people dislike or even hate. People hate bikes, atv's, ricers, pickups, lifted pickups, semi's, diesel....you name it and someone has a hate for it.

A reasonable person will realize that his/her choice of transportation (or anything else for that matter) is personal preference and will make that choice unobtrusive to people around them. Guess what....we are not reasonable all the time.

Bikes are great...the people who ride careless, stupid, dangerous, are the ones that pi** others off. Like others have said, experience is the great teacher. The bike rider will ride accordingly and the car/truck driver will drive accordingly. It's usually the inexperienced, rude, rider/driver that gets into trouble or causes others to want to exhibit like behavior.

Human nature.....ain't it grand!!

 

I lived in a neighboorhood, that there was a lot of traffic [cars & bikes ]I loved hearing the Harleys pass by though. [nice sound ]I owned several bikes that were fairly loud, but I respected the neighborhood at certain times.I own a Stang with modified exhaust now , plus my truck.I love a nice sound coming from a nice tuned engine.

 

If your riding in traffic, its up to you to make certain that others see you.
stay out of blind spots, make sure you can see the driver's face in mirror of the car infront of you, be sure to signal, use hand signals as well as blinkers. Don't tailgate. If someone wants to tailgate you, pull over and let them go.

Get a bike that suits your experience and abilities. NOBODY's first road bike should be over 500cc, and even thats too big IMO.

Loud pipes are cool for the person riding, but they just make you look like an idiot to 80% of the others on the road.

 

Loud pipes. I hate them. On anything, but bikers playing Billy-Badass must think they are just so cool and get a kick out of showing off with them. Like in a convenience store parking lot or a traffic light. They're loud enough to literally damage the hearing of bystanders for Christ's sake. I already have hearing loss and tinnitus. I need someone making it worse.

They're also hard to see in traffic. They're also overly dangerous. They are harder to drive, control, and see than cars/trucks. Folks with extremely poor experience ride them all the time. 2 folks just got killed locally on their new toy (Harley) doing the Billy-Badass biker no helmet thing. And then morons give their children rides on the things in traffic (another local fatality with a grandma playing Billie-Badass biker). If you aren't an outlaw biker, dressing up like a Mongol, Bandido, or Hell's Angel is just goofy.

The racing bikes are just as bad. I've never seen anyone not drive dangerously and irresponsibly on one. It's always excessive speed and darting in and out of traffic.

But if it weren't for the loud pipes, I'd probably wouldn't even care what grown adults did on bikes except for exposing minor children to unnecessary danger. Though I suspect that many Billy-Badass bikers probably coerce their old lady into not wearing a helmet.

Of course you have normal people driving touring bikes with mufflers and wearing safety equipment that drive responsibly, I don't really have a beef with them.

Flame on if you want.