Guest
I mentioned in post #7 - if you really want to be visible, install a headlight modulator
https://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=2
It oscillates the high beam so that it appears that the headlight is flashing and really gets peoples attention. Perfectly legal in all 50 states, in fact there is a federal law permitting it.
All loud pipes do is annoy people, IMO
Guest
I just thought of something in regards to neutral.Originally Posted by curtis rosche
If the bike is chain drive, make sure the chain is snug. Every bike I ever rode with a loose chain had a more difficult to find neutral. A very slight snugging (via the chain tensioner) made neutral a heckuva lot easier to find.
Member
Anecdotal evidence doesn't really prove anything. For example, I ride a Honda Goldwing, which is one of the quietest motorcycles on the road. I have never had a near death experience such as has been described and until recently, I typically rode between 6,000 and 10,000 miles a year. I have had a few close calls but I can't say any of them would have been prevented if my motorcycle were loud. I don't claim my experience proves anything. On the other hand, loud mufflers definitely anger other motorists and give motorcycling a bad name. I know that for a fact because I hear it all the time from people who also comment about how quiet my motorcycle is.
Contributor
Curtis
Two things mentioned about the neutral , one check the type of oil required in the owners manual and change it with a new filter. Also check the clutch linkage adjustment , sometimes it's just dragging a little. Do attend a riders course, I did after riding for many years and learned a lot. I'm also a ATGATT rider. Hi visibility Darian jacket, full face helmet. My current ride is a R 1150 GS , BMW , Enjoy your new ride and staff safe. I'll pass on the headlight modulator ,I don't like them. And I rather like the quiet pipes, never understood the need for some of those really loud exhausts.
Chris
Member
If loud pipes save lives, then why do people get hit by train?
they are loud and going in a straight line?
Kurt
Contributor
OK - call me a loud pipe defender but to me there are two vehicle 'noises' that I love to hear. One is a big Harley with standard equipment muffler and the other is a big block Chevy V8 with headers, dual exhaust and glass pack mufflers. I love the rumble of both, and neither has the 'bark' that annoy's folks so much.
Contributor
There is always going to be a debate on what is best. If loud pipes save lives, shouldn't there be a lot more deaths involving Prius and pedal bikes? If flashing headlights save lives, why are so many drunks attracted to flashing lights and hitting police cars & disabled vehicles on the side of the road?
We all can share horror stories and many of us have lost family and/or friends who died while riding. The best thing to do is to become the best rider you can, always be aware and continue to educate yourself. No matter what type of bike you ride, you can always learn something new by watching other bikes and their riding styles. (Even if it's learning what NOT to do!) When you think you know everything .... seriously look at other types of bikes and how they ride, mentor new riders and you'll soon learn you will always have more to learn about bikes and riding skills!
Another great set of books and videos is Keith Code's - A Twist of the Wrist and A Twist of the Wrist 2. While it was marketed for roadracers, it shows the fundamental and physics of riding any bike from cruiser to sportbike. Most of the book content apply to all bikes and only has 1-2 chapters dedicated to roadracing.
I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that’s not going to happen."
Contributor
people get hit by airplanes TOO [while the plane are on the ground, not flying]are the plane silent or noisy
Contributor
maybe the person are deaf or maybe the person are playing a radio, I walk the tracks as a child and i could feel the vibrations from the train before I saw it or heard it
Contributor
Rather than spend money on louder mufflers which may be illegal under Federal, State, and local laws not to mention local noise ordinances, I chose to invest in several advanced rider courses over the years. Over the 40+ years I've been riding, the skills I've learned have not only kept me safe, they've increased my riding enjoyment 10 fold. Basically speaking, the more you know, the more enjoyable the ride becomes. At the end of the day, isn't that why we ride?
Mac
Last edited by Mac McQuinn; 10-20-2013 at 4:53 PM.
Member
Standard equipment HD mufflers aren't particularly loud or obnoxious. You have to pay extra to aggravate other people.
Contributor
Thats what I mean, but they sure sound nice!
[OP]
Member
Went about 200 miles this weekend, so nice to do it on such little gas! I always wear a helmet and high-vis orange. I tried to register for the bike course but its full near me till the spring.
14x48 custom 2hp 9gear lathe
9 inch pre 1940 craftsman lathe
36 inch 1914 Sydney bandsaw (BEAST)
Wood in every shelf and nook and cranny,,, seriously too much wood!
Member
Right, and it's certainly true that a soccer mom in a luxury SUV, with a crying toddler and two bickering children behind her, all the windows rolled up, will have the same sensitivity to the low frequency vibrations of a puny little 88 ci engine in a 700lb vehicle with rubber tires running on an asphalt road as a child walking in open air will have to the low frequency vibrations of 3-5 635 cubic inch, 2000+ hp engines driving 100+ ton locomotives pulling 30-100+ steel wheeled railroad cars on steel rails.
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Curtis,
Glad you enjoyed the ride. Do yourself a favor and look farther afield for the class.
It came to pass...
"Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
The road IS the destination.
Member
Having the misfortune of living in the proximity of Sturgis, South Dakota during the late summer, I have a few requests of any new motorcycle operator. Please don't travel in monolithic packs of 20 or so bikes that are impossible for other motorists to operate their vehicles around safely. Please don't use loud exhaust, the excuse of safety is erroneous. An oncoming vehicle doesn't hear a motorcycle until it is too late because of the Doppler effect. What it does do though, is cause trouble with all your neighbors. It is the reason I avoid the Black Hills in the summer, the constant, inescapable barrage of racket from infantile operators of overpriced motorcycle pipes is mind numbing. Third, please wear a helmet, always. Nebraska is a helmet law state, and I have personally seen two fatality accidents where the Sturgis bound hoard stops that the first opportunity into South Dakota to remove theirs. The last thing, follow the laws like everyone else has too. Motorcycles can be extraordinarily fast and impossible for the police to ticket, but riding one in that manner will kill you.
That all being said, they are a blast to ride, and responsible, courteous operators are no problem at all to coexist with.
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