I love motorcycles, and until I moved to Canada (helmet law, bleh) I was a regular rider. But I still see no good reason for loud. I think the superbikes are worse than the HDs.
i agree. some loud biker that goes through the streets near my house will always piss me off. noise pollution is just another form of disrespect.
Performance is one. Safety is another. And I'm sure for some, to feel like a big man. There is a reason for the bumper sticker "loud pipes save lives". I can't tell you the number of times I've nearly been cut off on the highway in which I was able to avoid a disastrous outcome by simply rolling on the throttle to alert the driver of my whereabouts. In addition to that, they are also good for scaring the crap out of deer who are thinking about intersecting your path.
There used to be a guy who lived in my neighborhood who had a loud HD. He would leave in the morning around 5:30am and upon doing so, open the throttle wide. That's just a guy being a jackass with no respect. If I come home late, say after 9:00pm, when I know most kids are sleeping, I more or less coast and try to make as little noise as possible. You can control your noise if you want to.
Unfortunately, I think most riders are like that. A lot of guys tear off the line at a green light... with a big grin. F*ing loud
I know it sounds silly but it is an asset to have when riding in traffic. But to your point and the point of the OP, most cases are guys just being jackasses and not giving a shit about what people think.
and that's cool. i dont hate motorcycles. i hate people who are disrespectful about the noise they produce and flaunt it.
I don't think you get the concept of 'too big to fail' if you think Excelsior-Henderson would have fallen under that category