What Irked You Today?

[Tom Geiger]

Bikes are fun on quiet , country roads .. That's about it for me .

I found the same thing when I decided to pull out my old 10 speed bicycle and ride it for exercise. I took it out on the same streets that I rode it on fearlessly as a teenager. I was absolutely fearful! Traffic ran a few feet from me, and I always felt I was about to get hit. I don't know if there is much more traffic today or that I know much more about traffic and people than I did when I was a trusting teen!

[Harry P.]

And where the heck did WILLIS ever come from??

That's how the family name is correctly pronounced. It's "Will-is," not Wiil-eeze."

[Harry P.]

Something that irks me to no end are these guys with their Harleys with open pipes that sit at a red light and constantly rev the engine over and over

Yes! Agreed!

I see you... you're a tough biker dude, you're on a Harley, you're the coolest guy ever... I see you. I get it. You're way cooler than me.

Enough with the endless revving the engine already.

[Harry P.]

And on a similar note... the bozos who think that I have an interest in what they're listening to on their car radio.

Wow! You have a radio in your car??? You must be some sort of big shot! I'm very impressed!

Here's a clue: I also have a radio in my car. I also have a volume control. In fact, I have a factory-installed subwoofer in the trunk. But I'm not as immature as you are... I don't force everyone around me to listen to what I want to listen to.

Grow up already.

[Rob Hall]

And on a similar note... the bozos who think that I have an interest in what they're listening to on their car radio.

I do see some drivers keeping it to themselves by wearing ear buds or the large over-the-ear headphones while driving...

[Scott Colmer]

You are getting soo close to one of my biggies. The Rumbler. The guy who spent a bunch of money on a car stereo that will make your mirrors shake. I just don't get it. And please go away.

[Rob Hall]

Back in high school I knew guys that spent more on the stereo than on the car...worn out late '70s-early '80s rusty beaters with powerful sound systems.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Rob Hall

[Tom Geiger]

You are getting soo close to one of my biggies. The Rumbler. The guy who spent a bunch of money on a car stereo that will make your mirrors shake. I just don't get it. And please go away.

Yup! I was in Baltimore last week in a parking garage. A dude in an old beat to heck Blazer had his million dollar stereo blasting out the garage. He was in and out of the car looking around to see who noticed. He was enjoying hearing all his noise echoing in the garage. Just one bullet through his battery!

[cobraman]

What irks me about the loud stereos is that it is usually crappy music and a lot of times they sound like they bought the speakers at the 99 cent store.

[Harry P.]

What I don't get is spending a bazillion dollars on a sound system that produce nothing but vibration, not music. What's the deal with that?

I can rattle my car's sheetmetal better than you can? Seriously? That's some sort of accomplishment?

[Danno]

. . . guys that spent more on the stereo than on the car...worn out late '70s-early '80s rusty beaters with powerful sound systems.

Every piece of carp beater junior-jalopy that gets stolen supposedly has a multi-million dollar sound system in it, but the minimum-wage yahoo has no receipts, invoices, or workorders to prove it. But then, that's only if the heap had full-coverage insurance.

{And, they are usually Hondas - God's gifts to car thieves.}

If it had no insurance, it had no sounds. Funny how that works.

[Harry P.]

{And, they are usually Hondas - God's gifts to car thieves.}

My son had an Acura RSX. Stolen last Christmas Eve (happy holidays!) for the engine. I hear the engine in those things is highly "stealable." When the police tracked the car down, it had been completely stripped.

[Rob Hall]

Every piece of carp beater junior-jalopy that gets stolen supposedly has a multi-million dollar sound system in it, but the minimum-wage yahoo has no receipts, invoices, or workorders to prove it. But then, that's only if the heap had full-coverage insurance.

{And, they are usually Hondas - God's gifts to car thieves.}

If it had no insurance, it had no sounds. Funny how that works.

LoL...I remember back in the day kids put home shelf-style wooden case speakers in their rear shelves...the worn out cars with loud sound systems I remember from high school were late '70s-early '80s Monte Carlos, Grand Prix, Regals, the occasional Camaro or Firebird, Impalas...

[Danno]

My son had an Acura RSX. Stolen last Christmas Eve (happy holidays!) for the engine. I hear the engine in those things is highly "stealable." When the police tracked the car down, it had been completely stripped.

Highly sought-after by the rice rocket brigades.

[Harry P.]

Highly sought-after by the rice rocket brigades.

Well, they got one.

Now the kid drives a Volvo. Suddenly he's all growed up!

[Joe Handley]

Well, they got one.

Now the kid drives a Volvo. Suddenly he's all growed up!

And what kind of Volvo does he drive Harry, it may not be any more grown up than my 200, if you know what I mean

Edited November 6, 2013 by Joe Handley

[Thatswhatshesaid]

And on a similar note... the bozos who think that I have an interest in what they're listening to on their car radio.

Or how about the people who walk around public places (in stores is the most annoying) with music blasting from their cell phones?

[martinfan5]

Not being able to listen to the one radio station that is at all worth listing to here in the valley because its a rim shot station to the valley, and you are lucky if you can get it to come in while you are driving around

Edited November 6, 2013 by martinfan5

[Guest]

I do see some drivers keeping it to themselves by wearing ear buds or the large over-the-ear headphones while driving...

That my friend is illegal, and dangerous.

[chevyfever2009]

What I don't get is spending a bazillion dollars on a sound system that produce nothing but vibration, not music. What's the deal with that?

I can rattle my car's sheetmetal better than you can? Seriously? That's some sort of accomplishment?

Because when I use to have my stereo system use to take it to competions and I had the loudest system aroundit would it hit a 193 decibel in port wars. Theres no difference in my system making noise and those stupid bikes with the stupid loud pipes

Edited November 6, 2013 by chevyfever2009

[Harry P.]

And what kind of Volvo does he drive Harry, it may not be any more grown up than my 200, if you know what I mean

S60.

[Tom Geiger]

Every piece of carp beater junior-jalopy that gets stolen supposedly has a multi-million dollar sound system in it, but the minimum-wage yahoo has no receipts, invoices, or workorders to prove it. But then, that's only if the heap had full-coverage insurance.

Help officer ! They stole my car with the stolen sound system I installed in it!

[von Zipper]

I LOVE it when the topic of Harleys and loud pipes comes up and as I write this I decided not to quote any ones comment -positive or negative.

But I am hoping to give "my side of the story"

First of all, WHY would I spend ALOT of money on big bore/high compression heads and pistons just to cork them off at the exhaust ?

Then there's the school of thought "Loud Pipes Save Lives"....which does not apply to older people who can't hear very well to begin with or people with super loud stereos, distracted drivers no matter what they are distracted about. And lets face it-there are a lot of people who for many unknown reasons that hate motorcycles.

When you are on a machine that weighs perhaps 1/4 of what the vehicles around you do, you learn to pay attention to your surroundings. The last I checked motorcycles have the same rights on the road as any other car or truck.

I put over 125 thousand miles on this Harley, rode it from one side of this country to the other and had a few close calls. There have been a few times I have straight legged a car that got too close-kicking a dent in a fender or door to get their attention, I always carry a pocket full of nuts/bolts and ball bearings to drop out of my pocket when people get too close with no re-guard for my "social distance" ....and if that didn't get the point across I had some thing in the other pocket for those times

You can see I had dual fish tail straight pipes, NO mufflers-it ran best on 104 octane. As far as being a "P.O.S" ....all I can say is beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[KingSix]

I LOVE it when the topic of Harleys and loud pipes comes up and as I write this I decided not to quote any ones comment -positive or negative.

But I am hoping to give "my side of the story"

First of all, WHY would I spend ALOT of money on big bore/high compression heads and pistons just to cork them off at the exhaust ?

Then there's the school of thought "Loud Pipes Save Lives"....which does not apply to older people who can't hear very well to begin with or people with super loud stereos, distracted drivers no matter what they are distracted about. And lets face it-there are a lot of people who for many unknown reasons that hate motorcycles.

When you are on a machine that weighs perhaps 1/4 of what the vehicles around you do, you learn to pay attention to your surroundings. The last I checked motorcycles have the same rights on the road as any other car or truck.

I put over 125 thousand miles on this Harley, rode it from one side of this country to the other and had a few close calls. There have been a few times I have straight legged a car that got too close-kicking a dent in a fender or door to get their attention, I always carry a pocket full of nuts/bolts and ball bearings to drop out of my pocket when people get too close with no re-guard for my "social distance" ....and if that didn't get the point across I had some thing in the other pocket for those times

You can see I had dual fish tail straight pipes, NO mufflers-it ran best on 104 octane. As far as being a "P.O.S" ....all I can say is beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Dang Skippy ... the ones that complain about it are the same ones that sit on the porch and yell at kids "get off my lawn" ..LOL

[Harry P.]

Running a bike without mufflers is illegal, isn't it? I mean, not that some bikers would care.... but it is illegal, for the same reason that running a car without mufflers is illegal. Can you imagine what the world would sound like if everyone decided they don't need mufflers on their car/bike? Maybe I need to take the mufflers off my car so I can annoy everyone around me? And maybe turn up the stereo to 11, too. You know, to show the world how cool I am.