I stopped by the shop yesterday, close to closing time. They were putting up the used inventory. One Harley had the loudest pipes I believe I've heard in a long time. Ridiculously loud. Make your ears bleed loud. It was maybe the most stupid, shit-head set of pipes I've ever heard. Pissed me off immediately, and I've been riding bikes for over 33 years!
I'm not one of those noise pollution nuts. I've welded in two-chamber Flowmasters into the stock pipes on my '03 Mustang Cobra. It's got a nice rumble to it. I'm running the black Walker Holeshots on my FJR. Pleasing to the ear. But those V-twin hunks of metal, both metric cruisers and HDs, with open pipes are fucking obnoxious.
That's why I smoke them every chance I get. Pack of Harleys cluttering up one of my favorite backroads? Look out, I'm coming around. I've had them give me the slow down and wait to pass signal! Yeah, right. If the road is open, I'm going. I cannot, and will not, let a bunch of slow moving dick weeds ruin my ride.
Now, to be fair, not all Harley or cruiser riders are like that. Just enough to give most of them a bad name. I've run up onto groups of cruisers in the Hill Country, and it was laughable. Full speed (80 to 85) in the straights, then slow to 40 for the turns. Repeat. Please. Let me around before I stop and kill my self. These are not blind turns, these are wide-open sweepers, where most of us would be leaning over a bit. Not these guys and girls. There will often be a trike in the mix, for Christ's sake. A fucking trike! Excuse me, I gotta go throw up!
OK. I'm better now. Harleys? Sure, I like 'em. It just couldn't be my only bike. Maybe my fourth or fifth bike. Maybe not.