Hey man, sorry if I pee'd in your cereal with that phrase, it was just an off-the-cuff remark about the new exhaust. Not that I need to self-justify or anything but I'll do it, just to help myself sleep a little better at night. I own three bikes, one of them a Harley actually (with V&H pipes)! All three of my bikes are stupid loud (the Ducati has a dry clutch so it always sounds loud and broken). I also live in a neighborhood with very nice families. So generally, I don't leave early or come home late, I push my bikes out to the end of my street before I start them if I leave anywhere between 7:30-8:30am, and with the way my neighborhood is set up, I can cut the engine off and coast all the way up into my driveway.
I understand a lot of people's gripes with obnoxious squids with their loud ass pipes and over-revving and all that, but I can also see how a loud bike draws attention while on the road. I sit in heavy VA/MD traffic for 2 hours everyday/5 days a week. Sometimes I ride in as well. So as a cage-jockey I've experienced enough times when I could hear a bike coming (most of the time, splitting) so that I can nudge my car slightly over to give them space. And as a rider, I've had enough people with cell phones glued to their hands almost cut me off that I was glad a loud pipe was heard (because they're sure as poop ain't looking). And yes, no amount of bright reflective gear will help you if the other drivers aren't even looking, but they might be able to hear.
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