Maybe loud pipes do save lives!!

[NC Steve]

...or at least the lives of braindead pedestrians.

Okay, hadn't been out riding in a few days, right, and get home
a) before 7 pm
b) it's less than 100 F, and
c) the humidity's fallen below 99.9 % , so I decide to take a generic putt about town this evening, from  7 - 8:30-ish.
In that time, not 1, not even 2, but three no-lookin' or hearing dumbass*s (pardon me, but it fits) decide to step out into the street in front of me. I honestly think I coulda been the Semi from Hell just as easily as a nice, quiet R65, and as long as these folks didn't hear me 1st, it wouldn't have mattered. Didn't even look before stepping out. I've often seen these folks referred to as "dead people", "the deceased", or the "dearly departed", and that's all fine if it's your thing, just don't try to decease me in your apparent rush to meet the Big Man (or woman, as the case may be) upstairs.

My favorite one was the jogger who, once he woke up and realized I was about this close to running his as* down, decided he's gonna run parallel to me, 2 inches across the yellow line, as I hit the brakes hard & go from 3rd to 1st like that! I guess he figure that in case he didn't die, he could cross the road more quickly that way? If I wasn't so busy trying to save his life (and my bike too, I'll be honest), I coulda slapped the silly #@%&*!! Or maybe he just needed a physics lesson, ie, me + bike + 40 mph = 625 lbs. & squished joggerboy.

So, while it's nice to know that I'm not disturbing my neighbor's slumber when I occasionally go for those sneakaway 5:00 a.m. rides, we ain't that quiet, are we? I mean, I can hear bikes of all shapes, sizes ,and ethnicities, and my hearing's not for sh*t, having been destroyed long ago by that damn rock 'n' roll music ( yes Dad, you were right).
What wrong with the rest of the general population?

[Bob_Roller]

I've seen this problem for the last 10 years, that I've had to leave for work at 5:15 am, with bicyclists and joggers, with their personal stereos, Ipod's etc. they think they have the road all to themselves, I have lost count of the close encounters I've had on weekends and holidays.

[tagordon]

Two days ago a pedestrian was crossing in middle of block. I watched him step into street without looking either way. Didn't even break stride. I am watching him very closely thinking what a dumb sh__ he is. And as he reaches the middle of the street he reverses direction right into my path. I was 30 feet away. I had checked for any other possible danger - had both brakes covered - preparing to veer away from this twit. He now sees me & does a cartoon dance first one way then the other. Not able to determine which way he was going to finally go I decided to stay my path & started to jab the brakes. Just as I started to skid. He decides to continue on in his original direction.
I thought about turning around & silent stalking him for a horn assault.
But the mental picture of the possible assault & charges for me if he responded poorly led me to putt on home. And chalk it up to another
reason to never be complacent when riding.
I really wish you all could have witnessed the dance thing in the middle of the street. This guy was rather large & he looked so ridiculous as he panicked in the street.
I reckon it is something we just have to learn to deal with.
"Stupid Is as Stupid Does"

[Bob_Roller]

To paraphrase a poster on Boxerworks, "God must love stupid people, because he sure made a lot of them".

[NC Steve]

To paraphrase a poster on Boxerworks, "God must love stupid people, because he sure made a lot of them".

Truer words have never been spoken...

I guess I'm just either showing my age, or getting cranky in it.
But, I was always taught as a small child that you look both ways before crossing the street, and that was back in the day when there was a lot less traffic too.

'Course, at 15, I was also taught in Driver's Ed that "left lane is for passing", but apparently nobody's heard that in the last 20 years or so either.

Ah well...

[Semper Gumby]

I guess that is what I like about the BSA's.  The stock pipes are kind of loud and I don't have to feel guilty about running them.  Plus everybody I have met yet on the bike likes the sound.  My son says he can here me coming a block away.  Hell if they were legal in 1969....

There are times though when it is really nice to have a quiet bike (like when I go by the leo sleeping in his cage!).  

[Melena]

It's not just motorcycles those idiots don't pay attention to.  I don't think they'd hear loud pipes either.

I almost took out a pedestrian when I was in my car.  Idiot was standing on the sidewalk back away from the curb looking at something over  his right shoulder.  He sure didn't look like he was going to cross the street, so I kept going, but I did slow down.  Just before I got to him he stepped to the curb and into the road without even once looking to his left, where I was.    I thought I was going to get him for sure, but he did that sudden stop thing where he had to wave his arms around in back circles to not fall over.  If I hadn't slowed down I would have been by him before he stepped off the curb.  Gheez!  

All this was before I ever rode motorcycles.  I'd do things differently now, I'm sure, whether in my car or on the bike.

[richard_t]

I tried the loud pipes for safety bit in 1963 when I got stopped by a OHP trooper, I had straight pipes on a 1956 Ford, he didn't buy it, cost me $10, so I put glass packs on the car

[thrang]

I live in an area with no pavements on the road edges, and even though I'm pretty aware of the traffic, some modern bikes and cars are that quiet I've had a few near misses when walking to the village shop and a bike comes belting round the blind bend down the road from our house.

Having said that according to my wife I am an idiot...

[Ed Miller]

Hey Thrang, wait until electric rigs become more common!  I'm the designated hearer in the little group I go running with on Tuesday evenings out of town, and some cars really are quiet.  Maybe I'm not the only one who thinks it's fun to put the car in neutral and coast down hills.  I wish I could do it on the bikes.  

On purpose, I mean, not just when I miss a shift....

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Yes, these people are idiots.  And I don't think loud pipes will save them.  Maybe save you, but if a quiet bike doesn't take them out, there are plenty of quiet cars around to help out.

Let's just hope they haven't reproduced yet.