What is it with Harley riders?

[GeneV]

The thing I hate most about hog riders is how they put on the screaming eagles exhaust, and just make a loud racket as they fly by you. Like shut up, I don't wanna hear all that.

Years ago, I read an interview with Sonny Barger, the head guy for Oakland's Hell's Angels. He was talking about bikes, and he was saying that they would take a "perfectly good Harley", chop it up and customize it into something barely ridable....because that's what they do. He also said that if it was up to him, he'd be riding around a Goldwing lol!

 

[Rockbadchild]

It is call rev match ... I do it every time I drive anything standard and I know why and always knew why I do it, I would also say most people do know why they do it, it stops the jerk motion when letting the clutch go when down shifting. But rev match or blipping the engine when downshifting is different then ''gunning the engine when slowing up for a stop sign or whatever''

 

[Dftodd]

Could they be down shifting? When I do that w/mine it does sound like I'm revving it up a bit.

I always bumped the throttle just a touch to synch the rpms when downshifting. I started doing that after downshifting on wet pavement and having the back tire lock up and start to slide for a second.

Brother, that will sure make you clench. I think I was picking seat out of my bottom for a couple hours after that

With load pipes it's more pronounced.

 

[WinterDeere]

I always hear, "loud pipes save lives". But I've yet to hear any set of pipes that can be heard far enough ahead of any bike, when I have my car windows closed, air conditioning going, and the modern sound system blasting out my favorite tunes, to make any difference to the safety of that rider if unseen otherwise. It's an excuse for people to make noise, satisfying their inner 6-year old, without any real merit.

That's fine, I like loud cars, but I don't need to make false excuses for that.

 

[alexinPA]

I'd ask the question above for different reason. I see more and more people riding like old ladies. Ever seen a single bike going veryyyy slow and holding up long line of cars? I see it all the time...

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I have a neighbor that had a Harley (luckily the Harley is gone, not sure why). This dude would rev that thing like it was his job. He has small kids, numerous neighbors have small kids, elderly neighbors, etc. He would still rev it every time he got on it. SO freaking annoying!!

I mean I do kinda get it. When I lived in India I had a 83 Royal Enfield that had some LOUD pipes. I did get to the point where I enjoyed the roar. That being said I would not roll into my house and twist it just to hear the noise. Rant over!

 

[MossRoad]

This is an old thread that I had started what seemed like a couple years ago but I see it has been much longer than that.

What I was questioning is why Harley riders have to "blip" their throttle when pulling up to a stop etc. I was thinking that they just like the sound of their engine and got a lot of "blips" of feedback in this thread.

Reading the article posted below made me remember many years ago driving stick shift cars pickups,trucks and, yes even a Harley 74CI back in the fifties, that "blipping" the throttle was an aid in downshifting.

I don't recall anyone in this thread mentioning this as the reason for Harley riders doing just the same without going back and reading the whole thread. Just seems odd so wondering if a lot of riders do it "automatically" without thinking about the reason?

The article is about motorcycle quick-shifting and the automatic "blip" when down shifting. Interesting stuff!

How does a quickshifter work? - RevZilla

Quickshifters are becoming more common on more kinds of motorcycles. Here's what they do.

www.revzilla.com

The next steps up for my bike would have been adding an air shifter, then lightening the crank shaft.

 

[Rockbadchild]

The same person will feels two completely different emotion if you are driving it or if you are observing on the side line (most people anyways). There is nothing like going through the gears with something that has a amazing sound make you want to keep pushing it. But even with a amazing sound and while you are driving, it still can get annoying on long trip... There is definitely a time and place for everything. For sure a loud exhaust is annoying when you hear it every day or late at night or early in the morning, sometime just in general, I get both side, the best are the exhaust that are quiet until you light it up or these electronic bypass exhaust port on cars. There is definitely people who like to hear themself all the time and these individual are annoying I think we can all agree on that.

 

[tacticalturnip]

South Park actually did a lovely episode on the subject entitled 'The F Word' and it really was pretty decent satire.

The sound of obnoxiously loud motorcycles on a lovely summer day makes me want to just immediately mock them, so I do. Once have I regretted it, and that's because it ended up being a large group of antique Indian bikes; if they didn't stand there throttling them it seems they'd of stalled out. I didn't mind eating that crow, not at all.

But a 7 year old bike and a 70 year old bike are two very different things.

 

[tacticalturnip]

The guy who spends all day setup with a home office in Starbucks is the same guy who buys the loudest bike he can, and really lets the world know. The only difference between the two is the means they choose to use to impress the world with how awesome they are.

 

[fidowanttobe]

Sigh . . . . ,
Anyone ever had an EV scooter or bicycle suddenly, silently show up outside your drivers window scaring the crap out of you????
Kinda proves the point on loud pipes.
I don't sit at the light revving to "keep it running", But I do match rip-ems to downshift so the wife doesn't mash her nose into the back of my head.
And if I have to explain HD to you, ain't no way you'll understand.
Same as brand loyalty to (yuk), Fords, Levi's, Starbucks, Traegers or Cabela's.
To each, his own.

 

[tacticalturnip]

There is a big difference between the stock actions and noise of a modern motorcycle, and the noise they're capable of when purposefully manipulated by their operator. If you're not doing anything to create excess noise, you're not the problem; it's no different than the diesel douches who insist on r0o0o0olLing cOaL.

So again, if it doesn't apply, it's not about you- but I assumed that was a given.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Sigh . . . . ,
Anyone ever had an EV scooter or bicycle suddenly, silently show up outside your drivers window scaring the crap out of you????
Kinda proves the point on loud pipes.
I don't sit at the light revving to "keep it running", But I do match rip-ems to downshift so the wife doesn't mash her nose into the back of my head.
And if I have to explain HD to you, ain't no way you'll understand.
Same as brand loyalty to (yuk), Fords, Levi's, Starbucks, Traegers or Cabela's.
To each, his own.

Same has happen to me with loud vehicle even on my bike which is quiet I got spook by a Harley they other day ... sound do not travel up wind good luck luck hearing that ninja coming behind you at 100 miles/h.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Same has happen to me with loud vehicle even on my bike which is quiet I got spook by a Harley they other dat ... sound do not travel up wind good luck luck hearing that ninja coming at you at 100 miles/h behind you.

The way sound carries is fascinating; if you're not feeling the movement of the ground, many modern armored vehicles could sneak up on you.

You don't really hear an Abrams until it's passing you, suddenly that turbine is deafening.

 

[Rockbadchild]

The way sound carries is fascinating; if you're not feeling the movement of the ground, many modern armored vehicles could sneak up on you.

You don't really hear an Abrams until it's passing you, suddenly that turbine is deafening.

right ? or like when the guy is next to you and you are yelling at him but he can't make out what you are saying but the guys a mile down the road hear us loud and clear.

 

[tacticalturnip]

right ? or like when the guy is next to you and you are yelling at him but he can't make out what you are saying but the guys a mile down the road hear use loud and clear.

Or how my children can never seem to hear a word I'm saying when I'm right next to them, but I can hear them whisper down the hall.

I wonder if they're willfully ignoring me...

 

[bcp]

Bruce

 

[KubotainNH]

Wow, it's been almost 10 years since this thread started but I still remember it. Time flies but the loud bikes are still around.

 

[5030]

I rode a Harley as a kid and have always liked the sound. What I don't understand is the habit of gunning the engine when slowing up for a stop sign or whatever. Is this something they teach in "Harley School" or what.

Far as I'm concerned, it's a testosterone thing. They want to sound macho all the time and it's irritating all the time too. Sometimes I think I should stuff a potato up their exhaust pipes when they are parked. I own 4 bikes and none of them make that atrocious sound a Hardley does and 3 of them would suck the paint off of 99% of Hardleys on the street anyway. The louder they are, the slower they go though the owners 'think' they are fast, in reality they aren't.

When I'm out riding my Triumph Rocket 3 and a Hardley pulls up next to me at a light and revs the motor, I ignore them because I know I can quite literally suck the paint off of them. Same applies to my Norton and my Triumph Bonneville and none of them are obnoxiously loud either.

The Harley thing about 'Loud pipes save lives' is BS. All loud pipes do is pizz off people and then they enact noise ordinances.

 

[Dftodd]

Sigh . . . . ,
Anyone ever had an EV scooter or bicycle suddenly, silently show up outside your drivers window scaring the crap out of you????
Kinda proves the point on loud pipes.
I don't sit at the light revving to "keep it running", But I do match rip-ems to downshift so the wife doesn't mash her nose into the back of my head.
And if I have to explain HD to you, ain't no way you'll understand.
Same as brand loyalty to (yuk), Fords, Levi's, Starbucks, Traegers or Cabela's.
To each, his own.

It's not just the scooters, or bicycles. Most gas powered cars are super quiet.

I had my neighbor sneak up on me one day with her Toyota camry. Dog was sniffing something her kids dropped in their yard while we were out walking.

I didn't hear her pull up. But me and the dog shot 10ft straight into the air when she bumped her horn after waiting for us to move for a few minutes

Of course I was quite embarrassed and apologized for holding her up.