hey harley guy

Otto Maddox wrote: I've tried to get past my HD anger issues, but with my house backing up to the country road to Barber Motorsports and Museum, the noise those douche-shooters makes is irritating, basically the sound of a badly engineered engine trying to tear itself apart.

Thank you. That's my main gripe with how those things sound; they are struggling to live at engine speeds where a Ducati or Jap bike is just starting to clear its throat.

Otto Maddox wrote: I usually spot at least one beautiful old classic British bike on the way home. That kind of makes up for the Harleys.

Or vintage Jap tin.

Disagree on the bad engineering part. Its the tools that remove the baffles or use straight pipes that are the problem. No different than the turd with an R1 and a D&D exhaust running around town in 2nd gear, you know, for the sound.

In reply to Appleseed:

The bad engineering part to me meant the 45 degree angle between the cylinders and the whole single pin in the crankshaft thing.

patgizz wrote: why do you think it is your harley given right to ride up the breakdown lane, dodging chunks of semi tires and rocks, while the rest of us sit in traffic only to have you expect one of us to let your dumb arse in when you come up on the construction sign and can't go any farther?

Ha Ha!! Sucks to be you!!

I only lane split past stopped traffic, and I do it a lot. If there's a string of cars who want to either go slower than me, of seem to have no particular motivation or direction, at a red light I'll split to the front, then split altogether.

Are they pissed? Probably. Where am I? Gone.

The DC area is home to a unique species of drivers: "The simultaneously territorial and aggressive yet slow and aimless". A study conducted over 30 years of street riding - a number of years as a motorcycle messenger included - indicates that the safest position is to always be overtaking.

Therefore I'm always overtaking...

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: OK then you two tool bags won'tI mind if I ride my bicycle down the middle of the lane and not let you pass to get where you are going more quickly then, right?

Actually, everywhere I've ever lived, there have been laws requiring slow traffic to pull over and let faster traffic past.

Frankly, what pisses me off about it is the self-importance factor, not envy.

motomoron wrote: The DC area is home to a unique species of drivers: "The simultaneously territorial and aggressive yet slow and aimless".

Haha. That about sums it up.

I have one that I REALLY hate that the Harley guys seem to love.

Some device that seems to flicker the lights high to low to high beam.

Yeah, I get that it gets others attention, but going down the highway at night when they insist on camping out behind me makes me want to do nasty things to them.

Even in the daytime, its just annoying as heck.

failboat wrote:

motomoron wrote: The DC area is home to a unique species of drivers: "The simultaneously territorial and aggressive yet slow and aimless".

Haha. That about sums it up.

Any urge to get a motorcycle died a quick death after moving to Gaithersburg. Just a quick ticket to being goo on asphault.

Apexcarver wrote: I have one that I REALLY hate that the Harley guys seem to love. Some device that seems to flicker the lights high to low to high beam. Yeah, I get that it gets others attention, but going down the highway at night when they insist on camping out behind me makes me want to do nasty things to them. Even in the daytime, its just annoying as heck.

Funny, I've only ever seen them on BMWs and Goldwings, around here.

Seen those on everything EXCEPT Harleys around here. Oh and they are supposed to be annoying. Got your attention didn't it. So you see them. If they are installed right they only work as daytime running lights and can/should be deactivated at night.

As I said in another topic. A whole lot of Harley bashing going on here. The biggest offenders I see on everything mentioned is the crotch rockets, especially those ridden by youngsters that think they are invincible. The Harley guys around here seem to be older and know they don't bounce well. Do agree about the exhaust systems that most Harley guys insist on. I just don't understand how louder exhaust that is better heard from behind really does any good at getting you noticed ahead, where it matters most.

Last night at the street fair a guy showed up on an uncorked Harley, stopped and did that inexplicable rev the motor for 5 minutes thing right next to the stage while a band was performing. It took the intervention of a crowd of at least 15 people before he turned the damn bike off.

In between songs the band said something to the effect of "and on harley solo we have this douchebag over here" so Mr. covered in officially licensed HD logo clothing got pissed jumped back on the bike and wound it out for another minute before blasting it down the street 10 times.

I thought he was gonna get lynched.

ditchdigger wrote: "and on harley solo we have this douchebag over here"

Awesome.

There was a thread with a pic of a guy sitting on a bike, steering with his feet a while back... I actually saw someone doing similar on route 11 last night, in the dark, with a Corona in his hand. I gave him a smile and a big thumbs up. No reason to ruin his night - he will be dead soon enough.

disclaimer: I don't actually know if it was a Harley. asw ot o fascinated by the spectacle before me to pay attention to the bike. It was a E36 M3ty sounding cruiser though.

Y'know, I never thought I'd say this, but the guys who are annoying me more than the straight-pipe Harley guys are the fellas with the dually diesel pickup trucks with the pipes exiting vertically behind the cab who feel the need to run their engines as loud and hard as possible to get the 200 yards from their driveways to the stop sign at the intersection in front of the house at 2am. And every other time of the day. Sounds like a friggin' tractor pull around here...

In reply to stroker:

Same here. My neighborhood is full of doctors and lawyers, and they all seem to have F250 diesel 4X4s for their daily commute to the office. It makes my morning run kind of smell bad.

In reply to stroker:

If your engine hydro-locks from heavy rain via the vertical exhaust, you might be a redneck.

In reply to Moparman:

When I worked for Volvo truck, we designed our open turn out pipes with a small hole in the bottom so water could drain out. But really, some of your guys need to chill out. Different strokes for different folks, you know? I'm not saying that really loud engines are a good thing, but just generally slamming Harley riders just because you wouldn't ride one or don't like the way they look or whatever, is a little closed minded if you asked me. Oh wait, you didn't ask me. Forget everything I just said.

As an aside, I was a truck wrench many years ago. I worked for a big company and I maintained a large fleet of trucks. The drivers would always put clamps on the fuel return lines to increase the fuel pressure, thinking they were making more power. They weren't. They were just blowing incompletely burned fuel out their stacks. Did I mention I have a large collection of C-clamps, vise grips, monkey wrenches....