Bike Weeks and idiots

[Pappy!]

We can go to Daytona every year if we want since we live so close. This year Lesa and I went back over to Leesburg Bike Fest. Last year's attendance was supposedly around 300,000 so it is a good venue.
However......................
It is laid out in a typical fashion with bikes on both sides of the Main street and down the middle. Two slow lanes of traffic in what's left of the driving lanes.
Getting to the point where I cannot stand the cursed Hyabusas and Harleys and others free revving their engines to the rev limiter!!! So cursed loud it can and will damage hearing (what I and others have left). It is simply ridiculous.
One of the owners of the business I work in damn near decked a guy on a 'Busa for doing it right next to he and his wife. He did grab the guys arm and asked him if that was necessary and was so darned mad he was ready to back it up.
Daytona now has a law stating that this will not occur in the main drag during bike week.

[dinosnake]

Daytona now has a law stating that this will not occur in the main drag during bike week.

About time.  Drives me crazy, too, one of the many reasons I hate going to anything biker related, like bike runs.  Adult children who feel they have to show off to anyone and everyone.

I've never modded my exhausts on any of my bikes, and never will.  I like QUIET.  You can't do 1,000 mile weekends with your own eardrums being blown out.  I either want as quiet as possible, to get away from it all, or my own music playing in my helmet when I need a distraction. My choice, not theirs.

[John Schmidt]

Now you know one of the two reasons I don't go to Leesburger anymore, and most years that includes Daytona. The other reason....I hate crowds. Don't feel like parking a long way from the activity either, then having to walk and walk and walk. As for hearing, I do have good hearing....just don't have good patience, especially if you're going to act like an idiot in my presence. Take your baby rattles and go somewhere besides in front of me.  

As for crowds, get more than a half dozen or so around me and I'm not comfortable....long story, of no interest to others.

[old2soon]

AND AND it gits way more FUN when ya adds alkyhol! Have a poker run near my casa called Dogs off the leash. Once was entirely too cursed much for me. The high light of that day was the-insert derogatory description fer h/d rider chekin his pipes here-blew the cursed thing up!  cursed right I laughed!    Maybe 30 40 years ago I would have enjoyed goin to Daytona or Sturgis or other big bike meets But that walkin long stretches thingy kinda slowed m down a LOT. I wanna see kidz showin teir butt all I gotta do Is go out in front of my house any weekday when school lets out!     RIDE SAFE.

[t-man403]

Daytona now has a law stating that this will not occur in the main drag during bike week.

Nice, but who's going to enforce it and how?
With that amount of bikes I can't see it helping much. would be nice if it worked.

[Pappy!]

Here is the ordinance. Look on the right side of the page and the wording nails it.
http://www.planetflorida.net/bikeweek05/
To me this just makes sense.
Who is going to enforce it? There are tons of law enforcement out on Main St. during Bike week and apparently several tickets were issued.

[PhoenixRizing]

I must be getting old cause I know have two baffles inside my cobras out of the six. Wasn't that it was too loud it was more for my neighbors when I come home from work at 4 am. I use to be those dumb  asses that revved their bikes to show off but it just gets old after awhile. I never went to the rev limit though that's just stupid.

[dinosnake]

Now you know one of the two reasons I don't go to Leesburger anymore, and most years that includes Daytona. The other reason....I hate crowds. Don't feel like parking a long way from the activity either, then having to walk and walk and walk. As for hearing, I do have good hearing....just don't have good patience, especially if you're going to act like an idiot in my presence. Take your baby rattles and go somewhere besides in front of me.  

As for crowds, get more than a half dozen or so around me and I'm not comfortable....long story, of no interest to others.

Absolutely +1 here.  I hate crowds.  

I also don't understand the idea of riding somewhere...just to stand still and hang around.  RIDE MORE WITH THAT FREE TIME, DAMNIT!! :-p  I thought you were bikers!  Why are you stopping??!

[t-man403]

Here is the ordinance. Look on the right side of the page and the wording nails it.
http://www.planetflorida.net/bikeweek05/
To me this just makes sense.
Who is going to enforce it? There are tons of law enforcement out on Main St. during Bike week and apparently several tickets were issued.

Sounds like they have it covered.
There is a small community outside of the city I go to once in a while on the weekend as do many other riders. I have friends the reside there year round and they as do others, hate the noise the loud bikes make all summer. A lot of business comes to the town due to the riders but so does a lot of unnecessary noise.

[Pappy!]

Now you know one of the two reasons I don't go to Leesburger anymore, and most years that includes Daytona. The other reason....I hate crowds. Don't feel like parking a long way from the activity either, then having to walk and walk and walk. As for hearing, I do have good hearing....just don't have good patience, especially if you're going to act like an idiot in my presence. Take your baby rattles and go somewhere besides in front of me.  

As for crowds, get more than a half dozen or so around me and I'm not comfortable....long story, of no interest to others.

Absolutely +1 here.  I hate crowds.

To people watch!!
Amazing sights and also sights that you wish you could unsee plus those WTF is he/she wearing? sights. Can also peruse the parked bikes. Lots of amazing work and customization.  

I also don't understand the idea of riding somewhere...just to stand still and hang around.  RIDE MORE WITH THAT FREE TIME, DAMNIT!! :-p  I thought you were bikers!  Why are you stopping??!

[Hooter]

Been to bike week one time. I won't go back. Even small gatherings can be annoying in the same way.  Our blessing of the bikes in Baldwin Michigan as small as it is produces some real winners. I go to town on Saturday just to set in a lawn chair on the parkway and watch the happenings. There is a lot of nice things going on but also there are the idiots. It's all good.

[Skinhead]

GET OFF MY LAWN!

Seriously, I can relate.  As I have aged, I can no longer tolerate rude, obnoxious behavior, and that seems to be the norm at not only biker events, but many sports events as well.  I don't like large crowds, and have no desire to go to any of these large gatherings.  I'll go in the off season, or head for the mountains instead. 

[phideux]

We get 3 bike rallies a year here. For the most part I put the bikes away for them.
I do put in double shifts on the ambulance though, the stupidity of the crowds is overwhelming.

[Willow]

...  You can't do 1,000 mile weekends with your own eardrums being blown out.  ...

Might be better to use the first person singular until you've done some interviewing.

I don't like crowds so I simply don't normally go to rider gatherings. I don't usually rev my engines unnecessarily but I do enjoy the sound of an outspoken motorcycle.

I'm pretty sure I've done more 1,000+ mile weekends than most riders on the board.  

[bagelboy]

I only do Ocean City Md bike week. It's the only one I ever attend. I live 400 miles away, but my cousins and I all meet up from different locations and ride together, 7 of us, and it's a nice reunion since we don't really get to see each other all year. For 3 days we catch up, have a few beers, and laugh about when we all lived together as kids. Otherwise, you can have all the obnoxious bike rallies. I'm not into them at all!

[Wizzard]

...  You can't do 1,000 mile weekends with your own eardrums being blown out.  ...

Might be better to use the first person singular until you've done some interviewing.

I don't like crowds so I simply don't normally go to rider gatherings. I don't usually rev my engines unnecessarily but I do enjoy the sound of an outspoken motorcycle.

I'm pretty sure I've done more 1,000+ mile weekends than most riders on the board.  

Agreed,, I love my cobra's and have done many 1k weekends solo and many with my wife. Neither of us find the noise too much and my wife actually loves it. The sound is what she likes to hear.

[PhoenixRizing]

I'm with the majority here also, I don't like big crowds and I can't stand stupid people. I have little patience for either. So I tend to stay away from both. I enjoy bikes and cars so if I do go I go through once look at the bikes or cars and then leave. Food and drinks are always over priced. And there's always that one person who acts stupid so I try to get out before I meet that guy. Besides once you've seen one Harley you've seen them all. 

[dinosnake]

...  You can't do 1,000 mile weekends with your own eardrums being blown out.  ...

Might be better to use the first person singular until you've done some interviewing.

I don't like crowds so I simply don't normally go to rider gatherings. I don't usually rev my engines unnecessarily but I do enjoy the sound of an outspoken motorcycle.

I'm pretty sure I've done more 1,000+ mile weekends than most riders on the board.  

Last guy i had a serious talk about it with was in the middle of Kansas.  I was about 2/3 way into a 960 mile day and we bumped into one another at a lonely gas stop.

After commenting on how quiet my Meanie was ( stock pipes), he lamented over riding for decades with open pipes and no earplugs.  Because, of course, he lost most of his hearing, he told me.

...

When i do ride with the group of guys I've chosen to trust, i try not to ride behind the 2 or 3 of them with open pipes.  Between the smell (does everyone with open pipes run rich?) and the noise, I'm happier somewhere else in the line.  I just managed to avoid the same fate this past weekend, i stretched myself and did a charity run.  Almost got stuck behind a loud Harley running so damn rich that i almost choked while waiting. Grrrr.

[Tundra]

Now you know one of the two reasons I don't go to Leesburger anymore, and most years that includes Daytona. The other reason....I hate crowds. Don't feel like parking a long way from the activity either, then having to walk and walk and walk. As for hearing, I do have good hearing....just don't have good patience, especially if you're going to act like an idiot in my presence. Take your baby rattles and go somewhere besides in front of me. 

As for crowds, get more than a half dozen or so around me and I'm not comfortable....long story, of no interest to others.

Absolutely +1 here.  I hate crowds. 

I also don't understand the idea of riding somewhere...just to stand still and hang around.  RIDE MORE WITH THAT FREE TIME, DAMNIT!! :-p  I thought you were bikers!  Why are you stopping??!

+1... best time to ride is when all the "bikers" are at bike week.

[art]

GET OFF MY LAWN!

Seriously, I can relate.  As I have aged, I can no longer tolerate rude, obnoxious behavior, and that seems to be the norm at not only biker events, but many sports events as well.  I don't like large crowds, and have no desire to go to any of these large gatherings.  I'll go in the off season, or head for the mountains instead. 

I myself never took to bike events too much. Like people said too much standing around,for what. As to sporting events forget about it. Last week I went to a Dodgers game only because my son had $500 tickets near the Dodgers dugout. The game was OK but the noise was the worst I have ever heard. I've worked at steam powered electric generating plants and in big machine shops all my life and nothing compares to that. Giant 50' tall loud speakers blasting teenebopper music and continues addvertising all kinds of junk. Free food if you want to call it that. Dodger dogs = garbage. I'll never go to a sporting advent again and since I don't have the Valk anymore I'll not be going to any bike events.

[solo1]

I like mellow pipes. I don't like bikes with straight pipes.  16 years ago one arsehole on a straight piped Harley always rode past my house, blippin' his throttle, at 6am when my terminally ill wife was trying to catch some badly needed sleep.

I don't care what the excuses are, I don't care if you say "loud pipes save lives', i don't care how you justify straight pipes, I'll never forget  what those @#$%^&* pipes did to my wife!!!

Since I quit riding, i can now say it.  In all my years of riding I never owned a motorcycle with straight pipes AND I never had an accident, if you ignore dropping the bike ( )

[fudgie]

In my 12 yrs of going to Sturgis Ive never really noticed any rude behavior or over revving of bikes on Main St. I have heard said, "GiG, don't do anything stupid" before. 

[GiG]

Yeah, and I remember when you used to be fun, man. 

[Wizzard]

In my 12 yrs of going to Sturgis Ive never really noticed any rude behavior or over revving of bikes on Main St. I have heard said, "GiG, don't do anything stupid" before.  

That's one of the things that made me get tired of Sturgis. People racking their pipes at 3 AM. Probably my choice of campgrounds,, but it was what it was. Oh,, and also some people that should not own a bike or any moving vehicle for that matter. 5 years of it was enough for me

[Skinhead]

In my 12 yrs of going to Sturgis Ive never really noticed any rude behavior or over revving of bikes on Main St. I have heard said, "GiG, don't do anything stupid" before. 

It doesn't seem to work does it Fudgie?

[fudgie]

In my 12 yrs of going to Sturgis Ive never really noticed any rude behavior or over revving of bikes on Main St. I have heard said, "GiG, don't do anything stupid" before. 

It doesn't seem to work does it Fudgie?

I can still see his grin! 

[GiG]

Well, I did manage to get busted on the sidewalk outside One Eyed Jacks in Sturgis for drinking.
Bust of the century, cops in riot gear and a SWAT team.
I just had no idea it was illegal to drink ice water in public.  

Subject of this thread is "Bike Weeks and Idiots". <    <
Sturgis cops certainly fit THAT description!  

[GiG]

In my 12 yrs of going to Sturgis Ive never really noticed any rude behavior or over revving of bikes on Main St. I have heard said, "GiG, don't do anything stupid" before. 

It doesn't seem to work does it Fudgie?

I can still see his grin! 

That was fun!
I took the warning about the undercover cop watching us at the red light on the freeway on ramp in an unmarked car as a challenge. A perfect time to do something stupid! We passed that sucker and laughed all the way back to camp...  coolsmiley

[Rams]

I used to say that there were two types of riders I would not ride with, Stupid and Loud but, I've discovered that there are some things you can not control.   Now, I ride with many of both but, tend to lay back far enough that the Loud pipes are less of a factor and the Stupid riders are observable.  

As the numbers of bikers goes up, the percentage of both Loud and Stupid stays about the same.   When alcohol or other stimulants are introduced, that factor grows by leaps and bounds.    I also don't enjoy riding in large groups.   It's rare that I'll know the riders in front or behind me.

Absolutely +1 here.  I hate crowds.  

I also don't understand the idea of riding somewhere...just to stand still and hang around.  RIDE MORE WITH THAT FREE TIME, DAMNIT!! :-p  I thought you were bikers!  Why are you stopping??!

Not a fan of large crowds either but, I don't go to biker events just to ride.   I go to see/visit with old friends and meet others I have some kind of association or relationship with.    Hard to do that while riding.   I'm planning on attending INZANE but, will not participate in the large group bike rides.    I will ride the area though with folks that I know.     In large groups, there's almost always someone that needs to prove their superior riding skills, this rarely impresses me.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I used to say that there were two types of riders I would not ride with, Stupid and Loud but, I've discovered that there are some things you can not control.   Now, I ride with many of both but, tend to lay back far enough that the Loud pipes are less of a factor and the Stupid riders are observable.  

As the numbers of bikers goes up, the percentage of both Loud and Stupid stays about the same.   When alcohol or other stimulants are introduced, that factor grows by leaps and bounds.    I also don't enjoy riding in large groups.   It's rare that I'll know the riders in front or behind me.

Absolutely +1 here.  I hate crowds.  

I also don't understand the idea of riding somewhere...just to stand still and hang around.  RIDE MORE WITH THAT FREE TIME, DAMNIT!! :-p  I thought you were bikers!  Why are you stopping??!

Not a fan of large crowds either but, I don't go to biker events just to ride.   I go to see/visit with old friends and meet others I have some kind of association or relationship with.    Hard to do that while riding.   I'm planning on attending INZANE but, will not participate in the large group bike rides.    I will ride the area though with folks that I know.     In large groups, there's almost always someone that needs to prove their superior riding skills, this rarely impresses me.

Ron, I'm not able to make Inzane this year. But you should hook up with the SoCal and AZ guys. Good riders and I've never felt anyone being stupid.