2-Strokes 4-ever said:
However, a Harley rides by, and is gone. When on the trail or track, we WILL bother others because we are often (many of us) in the same area all day. So if the Harley rider is offensive... then we have a right to be too?
That is an assumption that I would be riding my "loud" bike in one spot all day.. and not "moving on" down the road.. And you can hear a loud Harley from a whole lot further away, but thats not what my point was, I was only trying to say that these are street legal vehicles that everyone encounters daily and yet they have NO noise limitations. Even my car cant be that loud in my state. Also, Harleys tend to travel in packs(sometimes just 2-3, but sometimes many more!) as well, if youve never seen such, then I throw my hands up now and give up!
If riding trails and you dont start out away from houses then you should at some time be away from them, unless the "trail" is around your own house.. that is just simple common sense, I learned that at like 12 after getting salt rock shot at me for riding near someones home all day. When I was real young a kid was riding his bike up and down a road in a desert campground(Mobiland) we used to go to alot, a man came out and asked the boy if he had another sparkplug, the boy replied "no" and the man used a cresent wrench to break off the tip of the plug that was in the running engine.
When I think of trails I think more of fire-roads that are out in the middle of nowhere, if your riding near a large housing area thats not exactly the smartest thing in the first place, and in doing so your "being" exactly what those who dont ride bikes or own them dont want to hear or see..
Track: I think its obvious that a Track should be out and away from Homes, this really is a no brainer. If the land owner has homes nearby he shouldnt have built a track there(more common sense).
I dont think anyone should have the "right" to be offensive, but I sure would appreciate
equal restrictions on noise. And it is no secret that Harley bikes can be very offensive, and I dont think I even need to go into all that... One could say since they have no limitation on noise that they indeed do have the right to be offensive! Depends on how ya wanna look at it I guess..
I know the bikes are loud and I understand the effect that has overall, and I guess what gets me is that our sport can be "picked on" while a Harley rider can go where he/she wants in areas where population is thick and be as loud as they wish.
edit: If you want quiet I could recommend a drz110, mine is about as loud as a lawnmower, when I take it out from my garage to the hills near my home my wife doesnt even hear me come or go. I dont ride my RM around my home at all, even though it would be totally legal for me to do so here, I dont because of how loud it is.