Noise pollution

I imagine I’ll get the dander up of a few readers here, but here’s my beef. I love the peace and quiet of the river, the Croix in particular, launching out of William O’Brien. The sights and sounds of nature make me feel a million miles away. Til the steel horses roll by. And keep rolling down the road. They get further and further away and I can still hear them. It’s hard to believe how far away some of these rigs can be and I still have to hear them. I realize I’m in a river valley so I’m going to hear them longer.

I’m all for bikes and have been riding for the past 14 years. I’m also respectful of my neighbors and won’t wake up at 6 a.m. to mow the lawn or blast my stereo through the night. I’m all for the freedom to ride (with or without a helmet) and freedom of expression, but when you express yourself so loudly… I guess I fail to see the point. It seems rude. I’m also two-faced here and have a two stroke instead of a four on my boat so I’m not saying I’m perfect by any means. I’m just looking to vent and I guess to hear what those of you who’ve knocked the baffles out of your pipes think of my complaint, or if anyone else here sympathizes with me. I almost put a little crying graemlin here cause I feel like a whiner and probably ought to hike my skirt up a little, but dig, dag, dog, even the croak of a blue heron is preferable.

I too enjoy the quiet of the waters………….but there comes a time when it must be permissable to break that silence. Hikers don’t like ATV’s or dirt bikes. I do. When I’m hunting? Yep………..turn bout face and I could choke every one of them too.

I find that the bulk of my irritation lies within the mood I’m in at that moment. I can’t stand listening to a jet ski……………unless I’m the guy on it! Know what I mean?

As for the bikes, I only raise one issue. Why is it that if you get a hole in your exhaust pipe and the car is getting a bit noisy, that a cop will pull you over and hand you a fix it ticket? But blast 120 db’s out of a monster V-twin……..or even a pack of them……….and that’s okay? What about city noise ordinances? It’s a battle no one seems to want but it seems a little inconsistant……………ya know?

As for boats that thunder from Duluth to Owatonna………..I only ask…………….why? Even when onboard such a craft………………..if have to ask………………why? It’s not necessary. If that’s being “cool”…………I choose geek!

Go down to Pool 9 and hear those Bajas go up and down the river !! You can hear them from a mile away. They also have little respect for other boaters – over a holiday weekend last year, they were going upstream on the left side, cutting off many people in small fishing boats. Unbelievable.

Being hearing impaired has its advantages at times.

Leo, you’re a gem!!!

WHAT?

Id like to say I hear ya… but Im mostly deaf!… but truthfully… I understand your beef.. but its a tough thing to balance…. I too would prefer to hear no roaring engines… and yet I accept that if I fish on a busy lake/river Im going to… and if thats also by the road I will have road noise too… and I dont know why…. but bikers LOVE the St Croix valley… they roar up and down it everyday!… and YEAH…. they are LOUD…. free country though…. I cant say too much… even my Honey has a harley… and its LOUD… has those special pipes to make it extra loud….. too loud for me… thats for sure….
and I dont know if any of you have ever heard this…. but when I used to fish out of my old Crosby trihull on the ST Croix… I could hear the whine of those big props on those GIANT speedboats, whining right through my hull… sounded like a MONSTER skeeter…. even if they were on the other side of the river!! and if they were right buy me it put my teeth right on edge…. and any of you who have fished out there KNOW that LOTS of these boats go RIGHT by!…. I dont know if they deliberatly harrass fisherman or they are just ignorant…. however Ive “heard” that they do indeed deliberatly harrass fisherman… and even have point systems for the effects that their wakes cause on fishing boats… IE… putting waves over the sides, knocking standing anglers down, forcing anglers to sit, make anglers use bad language or gestures…. things like that…. for some reason… the croix can be a cruel place!…. I just dont go there on weekends anymore…. but lucky me.. .I can stop by on weekdays any day I want….

The wierd thing is that if you’re on a hog, it’s not really that loud. If you’re behind it though, it’ll blow your eardrums out. I understand how that sort of thing has a place at car shows, bike rallies, etc. Would be nice, though, if they had a way to cap it off when riding on the weekends.

A friend of mine let me ride his HD last weekend, and to tell you the truth it would rattle my teeth out if I had one. I’ll stick with my nice, quiet, V65 Magna for now.

For me the question is “is it on purpose” – did they make the bike extra loud or did their muffler fall off. I can understand the muffler falling off. I believe that most of those loud hogs are loud on purpose. Look – Harley even has a V.P. in charge of noise (no, not reducing it). http://www.sae.org/news/nvc-harley.htm They’re making those cycles loud on purpose. What would they think if I drove around in my truck blaring the horn? It’s only about 15db louder.

Ride free , just don’t wake up my kids to do it .

I love what the “rice burners” have done with their street cruisers. My dad just picked up a Suzuki Intruder/Volutia, 800cc V-Twin, Harley Fat Boy lookin’ bike. It’s got the rumble that guys like but it’s not “barky”. It’s got a smoothness to the thunder that seems to reduce the pang on my ear drum.

It’s been long professed that loud pipes save lives…………well, maybe once upon a time. With today’s stereo systems that shake half the block………….it’s getting harder to hear anything! If I was an active biking enthusiast, I’d start recommending the pulse headlight more than pulling baffles. They too, can be irritating…………….ever have one follow you for miles………….and miles? But I don’t spend as much time on the road as what my ears spend hearing the surrounding environment and the lights are much less intrusive, yet very effective in getting a cycle noticed.

And Gianni………….you’d get to keep your teeth too! That ‘zook is smooth as fresh black top!

Seems like a double standard to me. If I pipe my sled or run my automobile extra loud I would get a ticket. Not so with motorcycles.

This reminds me of a song by the rock group AC/DC
Rock and Roll aint noise pollution!

Unfortunately, Stillakid, I think I’ve found it’s fatal flaw:

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800cc V-Twin

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Mid-sized bikes are okay, but to be completely honest, the big pigs are really the bikes for me. When I picked up the Magna, I had to get rid of a 1978 ‘Zuki GS-1000. That thing was ‘king of the musclebikes’ and a wheelie machine to boot. Now that I’m an old fart (29) I’d much rather have the comfortable ride of the magna and the smoothness of the shaft drive.

It doesn’t surprise me that Harley has a vice president in charge of sound. The fact is that they do sound cool. I absolutely love the sound of the stock electra-glides with their mellow rumble, but too many people want volume instead of quality and go with the straight pipes; especially true of the smaller bikes.

No question that it’s a double standard – maybe not enough people complain for the police to think twice? If a discussion with the sherrif doesn’t go anywhere, perhaps a newspaper editorial will. He’s an elected official, after all.

I’ve got neighbors with (loud) Harleys. They spend more time adjusting their leathers and rev-ing their bikes in the driveway than they actually do on the road.

My ride is an ’82 BMW R100RT. Smooth and quiet as the day it was born. 60k on it and good as new. I’m just about ready to pass it on to my son – might as well ’cause I can’t keep him away from it anyway! I’ve been thinking more and more lately about combining my two favorite passtimes – selling the boat, buying some pack-rods and a scooter with enough luggage space to hold neoprene waders, pack rods & tackle and extra clothes. Motorcycle/fishing day trips – think of all the great moving water spots you could explore doing that!!!

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Mid-sized bikes are okay, but to be completely honest, the big pigs are really the bikes for me.

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While it may not be the bike for you, I’ve been very impressed with the machine. It’s the smoothest twin I’ve ever cracked a throttle on (not that I’ve tested them all) and my dad HATES vibration. He wouldn’t own it if it gave him any shake at all. And I do think that Volutia is shaft drive………….I don’t remember seeing a belt or chain. He’s a Gold Wing enthusiast too and uses that for his touring. 1500cc’s of ultra-smoothness there! Not to mention, the 800cc is easier on gas, smoother than it’s 1500cc v-twin brother, and faster in the quarter mile. It takes a longer stretch for the big guy to take over. He got a chance to compare them and he says the Kawasaki Vulcans are the same way…………more people prefer the 800cc. By the looks these days, it’s hard to tell the difference between the hogs and rice burners……….so I agree, smoother’s better and I know one older-than-me fella that’s made a pretty logical choice.

And Gianni, in your defense…………..there’s NEVER been a more dominant manufacturer of smooth rides than Honda! They’ve had a solid product for years but the other guys are getting really good themselves. If you haven’t gone test driving in a while, check ’em out just for the sake of checkin ’em out. What’s more fun than riding a smorgasbord of bikes, brand new, on the house? That’s right…………buying one once you KNOW exactly what you want from what’s available! Not interested? That’s fine! That V65 is a great ride!

I rode a Honda Pacific Coast for 24,000 miles before selling it. Looks like a big scooter with a clamshell trunk. It’d definately hold the waders and xtras, but you’d have to pack the rod on the back. It was an 800 twin, shaft drive that was smooth as could be, toted gear out of the elements, and never gave me any grief. Now, I load my gear onto a Honda 650 dual sport. The soft luggage can be a pain to take on and off, but as far as exploring for fishing goes, it is sweet. I’ve hit ATV trails that wind through mud holes and water crossing upto the seat, and it plows along. Okay, it bogged down and I had to walk it to the other side, but it started right up and I was grinning ear to ear again. If I had packed a rod, the smile would have been bigger. It can definately take you places the big V-twins can’t. Course, like Stillakid pointed out, I was probably ticking off a hiker, just as the Harley’s cheese me when I’m on the Croix.

One of the managers in my department had an 800cc Suzuki Marauder. I always thought it was a sharp looker, and he seemed really happy with it. When he went to sell it, a friend of mine took it for a run and said that I’d be disappointed, so I never bothered to try it out. He didn’t like the slower throttle reponse of the twin vs the four and I believe that bike was either chain or belt drive, which makes a big difference in how much it jolts you when you throttle up.

I’m sure that all the Japanese bikes are top-notch when it comes to comfort, fit, and especially reliability. I’ve ridden a number of the four cylinder bikes and have been very impressed. Even the ones that look hideously uncomfortable (crotchrockets) are very rideable.

This thread actually inspired me to yank the v65 out of the corner of the garage and put the battery in it for the first time in two summers. You can trust me when I say: Fuel stabilizer is not meant to last forever. It’s pretty gummy on the throttle, but hopefully a new tank of gas and a bit of carb cleaner will fix things right-quick.

Here’s a good test for you. Next time your fishing Hudson or Stillwater. Listen to how many Harley dudes rev it up in between shifting on the bridge. I’d guess it’s in the 90%+ range! I live on the North hill and can hear them just railing up the 2 hills. Why?

I also get a kick out of the Captain America and friends racing from the gas station in Hudson to the gas station in Stillwater. It’s gotta take some bucks to keep that boat fueled up!

I’m not for more laws, they can’t enforce all of them now!It’s just irratating to hear it every night and all weekend.

Later,

Ferny.

Alright Gianni! Get her on the road bud!!! Say, does your Honda have the “annual drain the float bowl or it won’t start” ritual? I’ve had 7 Hondas through the years and they’ve ALL been sensitive to sitting even 3-4 months with gas in the bowl. I try to burn it out before storage…………..but sometimes I don’t realize “that was my last ride” and it gets skipped.

You’re right about 4 cylinders being more spunky than twins, in most cases anyway. There are a couple exceptions but hey, welcome to the world motor performance! The twins are great for being real torquey on the low end and the cruisers aren’t designed for high rpms so that is, of course, where they shine.

You raise the R’s on a 4pin and the acceleration can almost be frighening! Particularly those designed to race! That stuff borders insanity for most of us!

Back to the issue……………

It’s just after 2am this morning and apparently the chic next door is seeing a (yet another) new man cuz I heard the crackin’ thunder rumble of someone’s hog, and none of my neighbors have one. The thing woke me up! For about 5 minutes, I had to endure this noise.

Sorry if I offend anyone here, but I find that unnecessarily rude. I’m sure that fella doesn’t care what my thoughts are about his hog……….as long as he’s “cool”.

I’m fairly confident I could tear the exhaust of my car and be about as loud……………for what? A ticket……………..that’s what! So, if anyone actually enforced the noise ordinance, which I do have in my town, would there be a lawsuit for discriminating bikers? I don’t know………………..the majority are actually great people………….so why the attitude of loud pipes? Those same people won’t hesitate to hush their children…………or the TV………..or the like when they’re in their own home. So why is it okay to disturb us in ours?

My neighbor to the west is probably one of the most considerate people I’ve ever met. He has a V45 Magna and because his driveway borders 2 of my bedrooms, he’ll push his bike out to the street and warm it up out there. When he comes home, he rounds the corner, kills it, and coasts into his driveway and into the garage……….EVERY time. You can safely bet your last dime I’m always trying to keep that guy happy! He deserves my respect for simply showing respect. He once asked if it was an okay day for him to use his chainsaw and leaf blower! He tries to mow the lawn when I’m not home! Of course, it’s fine every time! He’s a great example for me to learn from………..wish everyone had a neighbor like him!