SF Pipe Crackdown

[Z3n]

Why are you posting your resume? Do you think it makes your opinion any more valid? Even though you've only been riding for three years and 50-60k miles, I still find it hard to believe that you've never been cut off.

I ride carefully in traffic, staying out of blind spots, showing myself to newly merged vehicles, etc, and it still happens once and a while. Having a motorcycle that makes noise that can be heard 2-3 car lengths ahead does provide an extra degree of visibility vs. a bike that makes almost no noise.

I never said I've only been riding that long. I said that it's been that long since I've gotten cut off. The thing is, not getting cut off has next to nothing to do with how much noise your bike makes, and everything to do with how you ride. If I can go 3 years through LA traffic, including years of lanesharing 40 miles a day to and from work, long trips up the coast, rides up the twisties, etc, all with stock exhausts, then why can't you? I spent my first 100k miles as a new rider raging against all of those horrible cagers who kept putting me in bad situations, until I realized I was the one who was letting their careless actions put me in a bad place.

I changed my riding style, and learned to occupy the gaps in traffic, doing whatever it took to maximize those gaps. You'll find me riding out in front of the pack, or far behind the pack, never in it. I learned to identify potentially sketchy situations and slow down or speed up to avoid them, whatever minimizes the risk the best.

You make the same assumptions that I did when I started riding...that people are going to see you, that you "showing them your lane space" is going to protect you. They're not paying attention, they're not listening, they don't give a fuck if you have the pipes of the gods or whisper quiet stock pipes. Get the hell out of there. Maintain your space cushions. Look at every car and predict what the dumbest possible thing they could do is, and then put yourself in position so you are in the best place to avoid them. Car pulling out from the right? Move to the far side of the left lane. Car preparing to make a left? Move to the far side of the right lane. Car behind you? Switch lanes so that they're in the other lane. Car in front of you? Switch lanes so you're not hidden behind them and they're not blocking your vision. At a stop? Leave it in gear and watch your mirrors to make sure that the people behind you slow down.

There are thousands of these seemingly insignificant little things that go into riding in such a fashion where you won't have to end up in panic situations anymore. If you're swerving, that's a sign you didn't adequately predict the actions that you would need to take in advance. Every crash is always a combination of factors. Removing even one of those factors can be the difference between a crash and a pucker moment, or between getting cut off or riding past the car without them even realizing that you predicted their dumb move and compensated for it before they did it. It's also not just about being careful, it's also being aggressive and committing to a course of action when the situation warrants it.

Next time you go out and ride, think about it. Compensate for the worst case scenario before it happens. See if you get cut off more or less. If someone does cut you off, think about the situation, about what you could have done to avoid it before it happened, and then do that the next time you identify a similar situation.

 

[Dug]

That video was made in 2009 so the "crack down" has been in effect for about a year.

 

[scottf954]

more gov bull shit wtf

 

[acidjzaz]

Stanley Roberts lives in loserville... population 1
.. I write to him every time i see one of his lame news stories

 

[Asphaultnaut]

why should vehicular noise ordinances not be applied to cars as well? The law does specify the same for cars as well as bikes.

Any system that only needs a government approved sticker becomes a de facto tax. If there was concern about noise, it would have a standard measurement process and a set limit that would be applied regardless of age of vehicle or aftermarket parts.

Only going after bikes, while leaving fart-cannon'd Civics alone is BS

i don't really have a problem with the noise crackdown, frankly.

i also don't really see why motorcycle-only checkpoints would be particularly illegal, and i don't have a problem with being stopped and having my stuff checked out (obviously as long as it doesn't happen every day).

don't see why california can't go the way of other states and simply require a yearly inspection that results in a sticker being clearly displayed on the bike.

 

[Deaddeaddead]

I never said I've only been riding that long. I said that it's been that long since I've gotten cut off. The thing is, not getting cut off has next to nothing to do with how much noise your bike makes, and everything to do with how you ride. If I can go 3 years through LA traffic, including years of lanesharing 40 miles a day to and from work, long trips up the coast, rides up the twisties, etc, all with stock exhausts, then why can't you? I spent my first 100k miles as a new rider raging against all of those horrible cagers who kept putting me in bad situations, until I realized I was the one who was letting their careless actions put me in a bad place.

I changed my riding style, and learned to occupy the gaps in traffic, doing whatever it took to maximize those gaps. You'll find me riding out in front of the pack, or far behind the pack, never in it. I learned to identify potentially sketchy situations and slow down or speed up to avoid them, whatever minimizes the risk the best.

You make the same assumptions that I did when I started riding...that people are going to see you, that you "showing them your lane space" is going to protect you. They're not paying attention, they're not listening, they don't give a fuck if you have the pipes of the gods or whisper quiet stock pipes. Get the hell out of there. Maintain your space cushions. Look at every car and predict what the dumbest possible thing they could do is, and then put yourself in position so you are in the best place to avoid them. Car pulling out from the right? Move to the far side of the left lane. Car preparing to make a left? Move to the far side of the right lane. Car behind you? Switch lanes so that they're in the other lane. Car in front of you? Switch lanes so you're not hidden behind them and they're not blocking your vision. At a stop? Leave it in gear and watch your mirrors to make sure that the people behind you slow down.

There are thousands of these seemingly insignificant little things that go into riding in such a fashion where you won't have to end up in panic situations anymore. If you're swerving, that's a sign you didn't adequately predict the actions that you would need to take in advance. Every crash is always a combination of factors. Removing even one of those factors can be the difference between a crash and a pucker moment, or between getting cut off or riding past the car without them even realizing that you predicted their dumb move and compensated for it before they did it. It's also not just about being careful, it's also being aggressive and committing to a course of action when the situation warrants it.

Next time you go out and ride, think about it. Compensate for the worst case scenario before it happens. See if you get cut off more or less. If someone does cut you off, think about the situation, about what you could have done to avoid it before it happened, and then do that the next time you identify a similar situation.

I certainly agree riding style has more to do with possible incursions than pipe decibel. My horn has been a greater preventer of personal mangling than my pipes.

That said, I've recently made the awesome/terrible choice to put FMF pipes on my KTM and I have to say, stand still traffic parts just a bit more than before.

 

[Z3n]

why should vehicular noise ordinances not be applied to cars as well? The law does specify the same for cars as well as bikes.

Any system that only needs a government approved sticker becomes a de facto tax. If there was concern about noise, it would have a standard measurement process and a set limit that would be applied regardless of age of vehicle or aftermarket parts.

Only going after bikes, while leaving fart-cannon'd Civics alone is BS

They already can and do go after fart can civics. The law that was recently passed was put into effect to give a means of enforcing emissions violators on bikes, which are held to a more lenient standard than cars.

 

[Starshooter10]

MC only stops are BS and IMO not legal.

I for one am GLAD CA does not have inspections. it's another waste of time/money.

oh yeah.... Gutted my stock cans... EPA noise stamp is FTW, the cop would have to REALLY inspect them to figure out its not "stock" anymore

and since its almost classic by sport bike standard... FTW

 

[Yo!Joe!!!]

Loud Motorcycle Noise = Sleep disturbance
* Higher Blood Pressure
* Increased Heart Rate
* Fatigue
* Mood Disruption

OMFG..! Only in San Francisco..!

 

[rogerc]

There are already laws that prohibit loud pipes they just need to enforce them. I hate loud pipes and wish that police would ticket the obvious LOUD vehicles regardless of type when they hear them. They don't need to set up a whole program just for motorcycles.
How about a program to stop everyone at check points to check for insurance and drivers on a suspended license or no license at all. Now this would directly relate to highway safety in my opinion.

 

[Z3n]

I certainly agree riding style has more to do with possible incursions than pipe decibel. My horn has been a greater preventer of personal mangling than my pipes.

That said, I've recently made the awesome/terrible choice to put FMF pipes on my KTM and I have to say, stand still traffic parts just a bit more than before.

Try the highbeam. More effective without the pissing people off side effect. Also, I hate it when the cops can hear me firing it off the limiter while I jump off loading docks.


Joe, you wouldn't find it annoying if I randomly fired off a siren near you?

 

[Brewbacca]

Loud pipes must have pissed off the Mayor

Im gonna shove my ferraci's up his ass. btw the mayor lives in.... sike not telling you

 

[UDRider]

Bustin' Harleys.

On Harleys.

 

[Yo!Joe!!!]

Joe, you wouldn't find it annoying if I randomly fired off a siren near you?

F-16's, A-10's, 155mm shells, C-17's air turbulence, .50 cals, MK-19's, Diesel engines, helicopters, IED's, mortars, grenades, MotoGP, AMA, F1, Indy Cars, Rock Concerts, my dog barking at night and European sirens (di-ru, di-ru) for two years... (Jesus titty fucking Christ, I feel like I'm talking to a little girl)..! No. I'm not as sensitive as you...

 

[Deaddeaddead]

Try the highbeam. More effective without the pissing people off side effect. Also, I hate it when the cops can hear me firing it off the limiter while I jump off loading docks.


Joe, you wouldn't find it annoying if I randomly fired off a siren near you?

To clarify: horn is for when a parallel vehicle drifts over.

As far as high beams, I feel like people in California don't respond.

 

[RockyMt]

Ok, I'll say it............I call bullshit on someone saying that in 2 years and 60,000 miles YOU'VE NEVER BEEN MOVED ON BY A CAR?!?! Son, send me some of what yer smokin', cuz it's waaaay better than what I've got. What alternate reality do you live in? (or is it just when a car actually hits you do you feel "violated"?) And yeah, we know yer a "racer" and all from yer sig, but please, put down the pipe................

Bumper Thigh!

 

[RockyMt]

OK, now clearly getting ticketed for a double bubble is justified, I mean really, a double bubble on a RC-51?

I painted the inside surface of my OEM bubble, yellow..the plastic makes it look Gold, the Gold looks right with the Kawi Green, and...the paint shades the light off my gauges so I can read them, and who gives a rip, clear or dark...no way am I looking through the bubble.

Either the cops down there have been on the firing line too long..Or..You were doing something that wasn't quite charge-able...but the cop felt like charging you with something.

Have YOU ever ridden an RC51? If so you'd realize the need.............

Shepards Pie!

 

[Z3n]

Ok, I'll say it............I call bullshit on someone saying that in 2 years and 60,000 miles YOU'VE NEVER BEEN MOVED ON BY A CAR?!?! Son, send me some of what yer smokin', cuz it's waaaay better than what I've got. What alternate reality do you live in? (or is it just when a car actually hits you do you feel "violated"?) And yeah, we know yer a "racer" and all from yer sig, but please, put down the pipe................

Bumper Thigh!

I can give you hundreds of examples of situations where cars would have "moved on me", except that I had already moved to the other lane, or slowed down, or sped up, making it a non-issue. Or where I chose a certain path through an intersection, a given lane, split lanes, a given lane position, based off of the cars that are coming in, the common locations of no stop right turners, etc.

And don't forget that changing lanes does make you more visible to cars than just cruising in a straight line...it takes you from moving on a static path to a more random one, which ups your visual profile and attracts attention. Just moving over to the other lane when you have someone preparing to make a left in front of you is sometimes enough to make them look twice or pause for a second and let you by.

When it comes to the roads you drive every day, it's of absolute importance to know every pothole, every bump, every bad merge, every sketchy intersection, every sight line, the timing on the signals, down to minutiae like the wideness of the lanes at any given point. It's like memorizing a favorite twisty road, or the track, but with a completely different set of priorities...giving you a good grasp of the environment you're moving through to make sure you are always capable of keeping an eye out for the normal and the extraordinary. If the normal idiot behaviors of a car driver catch you by surprise, how are you going to anticipate the amazingly stupid ones and avoid them?



I challenge anyone who doubts this to try it yourself. Think about the last 5 times someone moved into you. Think about how that situation formed, what the traffic patterns were like in the 30 seconds leading up to the situation, how you could identify it in the future, and what actions you could pre-emptively take to avoid that situation ending with a car moving in on you. Could you slow down, or speed up to avoid it? Could you switch lanes, could you maintain a buffer, could you move quicker through traffic to minimize the time you spend next to cars? If you can't identify or remember the traffic patterns that led to a car moving into you, then you're not being observant enough. Every car that's on the road matters in some way. Sometimes it's better to do 55 in the slow lane on your bike for a minute until the big group of cars you're at the back of gets some space. Sometimes it's better to do 80 through traffic to get to the gap you're almost in front of. Just like in any other form of riding away from the track, there are times to go fast, and times to go slow.

Safe street riding isn't about technical skill or going fast or being a racer. It's about reading traffic, reading conditions, and prediction. Most people pay no attention to what lane they're in, why they're in that lane, they're always reacting to the situations around them, rather than predicting them. It's about always being a mental step ahead of everything that's going on. These are the basics, the mental skills that every rider should be constantly working on. And that most riders don't think about these things is precisely why they're constantly one step behind the drivers, swerving and panic braking and getting moved in on.

In the same way that gear only helps you after you crash, emergency braking and swerving only help you when you haven't correctly identified a situation before it's happening. Identifying those situations before they occur is what allows you to take the correct actions to diffuse them.

End result? No more people moving over on you.

To clarify: horn is for when a parallel vehicle drifts over.

As far as high beams, I feel like people in California don't respond.

Different areas, different drivers...Santa Barbara actually has a lot of courteous, fairly well trained drivers. The highbeams on my morning commute were like the parting of the seas, but I also always wave to folks who move over and would see a lot of the same cars every morning.

F-16's, A-10's, 155mm shells, C-17's air turbulence, .50 cals, MK-19's, Diesel engines, helicopters, IED's, mortars, grenades, MotoGP, AMA, F1, Indy Cars, Rock Concerts, my dog barking at night and European sirens (di-ru, di-ru) for two years... (Jesus titty fucking Christ, I feel like I'm talking to a little girl)..! No. I'm not as sensitive as you...

Yeah, those are the things you chose to put yourself near. For 2 years. Come on. Give me free reign to wake you up whenever I want. Whereever you are. Any time. For the rest of your life.

 

[louemc]

I can give you hundreds of examples of situations where cars would have "moved on me", except that I had already moved to the other lane, or slowed down, or sped up, making it a non-issue.

Sometimes it's better to do 55 in the slow lane on your bike for a minute until the big group of cars you're at the back of gets some space. Sometimes it's better to do 80 through traffic to get to the gap you're almost in front of. Just like in any other form of riding away from the track, there are times to go fast, and times to go slow.

Safe street riding isn't about technical skill or going fast or being a racer. It's about reading traffic, reading conditions, and prediction. Most people pay no attention to what lane they're in, why they're in that lane, they're always reacting to the situations around them, rather than predicting them. It's about always being a mental step ahead of everything that's going on. These are the basics, the mental skills that every rider should be constantly working on. And that most riders don't think about these things is precisely why they're constantly one step behind the drivers, swerving and panic braking and getting moved in on.

In the same way that gear only helps you after you crash, emergency braking and swerving only help you when you haven't correctly identified a situation before it's happening. Identifying those situations before they occur is what allows you to take the correct actions to diffuse them.

End result? No more people moving over on you.

Z3n's whole post should be a sticky

 

[fast4d]

Z3n