About a couple weeks back there was a large gathering of harleys/hogs/cruisers (whatever u want to call them) near Bayshore and Geneva. They had a bunch of police cars closing down the roads for several blocks as the hogs made their way from 1 point to another. I was stuck behind a police car blocking the intersection for a good 10 minutes. As I strolled up to the female cop, I asked her if they enforce noise ordinances on bikes. I had to repeat myself several times because she couldn't hear me (hell I couldn't even hear my own voice) because those harleys were going WOT with their straight pipes roaring. They were all speeding, revving their engines and the police just watched. But as she finally heard me when I shouted at her, she said it wasn't really their job to enforce the rule, and that CHP handles those types of situations. I told her that the SFPD could make a fortune off of them by handing out fix-it tickets and speeding tickets to the harley guys. They acted like douchebags and they should've gotten tickets.

 

I think some haley are just too loud. Not even sound sexy. Just obnoxiusly loud. And many of them ride so aggresively as if they own the road. They don't realize my humble suby can run them #$% over if I go insane. Please, quite the #$% down and don't make me go insane.

Sports bike, in the other hand, sound sexy even when they are loudly modified. But they never are loud as haley..

 

I can see and hear the difference, but that doesn't matter, I won't be enforcing these laws.

I understand bumper to bumper traffic and someone is trying to jump over to another lane and they "hear" you lane sharing, or when someone is chaining lanes at 60+ and "hears" you coming. I understand all that. I mean it helps but I don't see the big deal because in the end, How you ride and how you react to your surrounding is what will save your life.

But I strongly agree with cracking down on loud bikes when its a Harley type bike because those things are LOOOOOOUUUUDDDDD, even from the factory so like... wtf?

 

too bad it's only in the north beach section and not in all of SF

I find it funny that the cop said these bikes were doing donuts lol

I've never seen a harley/cruiser do donuts, except for the sport bikes

 

Cops already have the power to pull over anything they want for any reason. This is a concentrated effort in a specific locale.

Yes, ride like you're invisible. But, sometimes even the most cautious rider tastes the pavement. I'll take any advantage I can get.

Since when do HDs come with straight pipes from the factory? Those noisemakers are all aftermarket. Listen to a LEO HD, thats the sound of a factory HD.

 

I have to agree with this. I usually try to give a bit more room by moving to the other side of my lane, as bikers need all the space they can get with idiot drivers, however, most of the time when I don't notice riders are because they're traveling fast enough to fly by me between my intermittent glances at my rear view mirror, which shouldn't happen unless I'm sitting in traffic.

I'm sure we've all had to swerve out of the way because some driver didn't check what's next to them as they enter the lane we're in. However, I don't think any LEO would ever accept that as an excuse for putting a straight pipe on our car. Certain risks come with certain activities, if you decide to ride, you should be accepting the risks that come with it.

+1 to this enforcement and I hope it'll actually be enforced.

 

Thank Jeebus! It's about time. I was just thinking of this today... I've been getting so sick of listening to them roll by my office and apartment on their way back across the Bay Bridge, setting off every car alarm on the block. And it's not the sport bikes I'm talking about. I don't even notice those. It's the tricked out Harleys and those giant GoldWings with sound systems blaring.

 

Spoolin is right. The cruisers are pretty quite from factory. I has one before, it was quite. I put on a set of Vance&Hines w/ baffles... still pretty mellow. The V&H had removable baffles... HOLLY HELL!!! That bike could rattle the paint off your walls!!!!

I put the baffles back in... it was unnecessary loud.

 

That's Darwins Law of Natural Selection at it's best...

Loud pipes on Sport bikes can stay, those damn a-holes with loud *** pipes on the cruisers can go...

 

yeah screw loud hogs..... But on another note.....Me and my R1 aint pullin over for no stinkin cop...... peeesshOUT!

 

I've had 3 Ducati's come into the shop in the last week for loud pipe and lighting (turn signal and lack of licence plate light) tickets...its a bunch of crap. But hey, glad the few ruined it for the rest of us

 

cant they or dont they have horns?????

 

you cant hear teh loud pipes til they pass you

 

I'm sick of being deafened by Harley's... especially when I used to get pulled over for a loud Camaro that would get drowned out by a passing Harley when I was being pulled over.

For cars so should go bikes

 

i'm all for anything that makes things quieter. those kinda bikes are just way too loud. in the city where there are buildings all around, that noise echoes like crazy. so ridiculous. i would, sadly, rather listen to a ricer with a fart can drive by than those freakishly loud harleys... and i really hate ricer fart cans....