fivemeister Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 (edited) Having ridden since the early 70's, its quite obvious that there is far less land available for us to indulge our chosen sport. As trials riders we generally tinker about on an old pit tip, a corner of a sympathetic farmers land or a disused quarry or the like and we have generally gotten away with it for years. There's no doubt that this small island of our is getting more crowded and the area's that we ride are mostly within earshot of someone somewhere. As in the title - which has been a saying around for years (I saw it recently in a 1982 copy of the motorcycle mechanics magazine) is it time we completely eradicated the noisy motorcycle exhaust? Im talking about bikes like the 4RT which has (in my opinion) a very antisocial exhaust note when revved - a sound which seems to carry over a long way. I hear four stroke enduro bikes in the woods miles away and the noise is grating (and Im a bike lover) No doubt poor old mrs biggins who lives next door to the quarry is pulling her hair out!! If we had very quiet bikes, would people be more tolerant and leave us alone? I think that they would - its the noise that winds people up. What are your thoughts? Edited February 28, 2008 by Fivemeister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outlaw dave Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Couldn't agree more - actually I think the saying is " Less Sound More Ground" ( it rhymes) Even in a huge Country like Canada, the noise issue has become worse because of the four-stroke enduro/MX bikes with after market pipes. ( This in a place where noisy Choppers are rarely pulled over by the cops) - We have all said it many times ( At least us old guys) Education is the name of the game, but young riders tend to be a difficult group to control. - I think it's ironic that two strokes, which used to be bad mouthed because of the noise, are now quieter than the so called " Environmentally friendly" four bangers. Hats off to Beta, who have a Rev 4 that is extremely quiet. - They should all be like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivemeister Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 actually I think the saying is " Less Sound More Ground" ( it rhymes) Yep - thats what I meant to type - I had just been reading something off the LARA (land access....) site and ground came out as land... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomant Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Electric bikes make no sound of course... That's the way to go IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgshannon Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Electric bikes make no sound of course Yes, but a battery rupture might endanger the rare 3 legged snail's natural habitat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I agree that quiter bikes would be good. I for one like the sound of a motorcycle exhaust, not the obnoxious straight pipes or the super loud "competition type" exhaust for off road. but the not so loud stock exhaust. But in an ever more crowding world quiter is the way to go. Now I am extremely tired of hearing about people that move to their new house within a mile of an existing Off Road Vehicle Park that has been in operation for over 30 yrs and a month later complaining about the noise and dust. And then getting restrictions in place for how much of this land can now be used and at what time of year. This has happened locally for me, well locally is about a 45 min drive. The other good example is the family that moves from the city out into the country for the "quiet country living" and they move next door to dairy farm, hog farm, cattle ranch, etc..... and begin to complain about the smell, and actually cause legal troubles for the Farmer. Do some research before you move into that new house!! But these are the same people that will sit out on their back deck blaring their radios while enjoying the relaxation of the outside or have very loud bass sound systems in their cars and heaven forbid you complain about their "right" to make that noise. My point is that in my opinion here in the states it is not actually a noise issue. It is more of a tolerence issue. Most people for some reason believe that they are so important that everyone else must not do anything that may upset or inconvenience these people. But these same people believe that they have the "right" to engage in their chosen recreational activity without hassle. Again, I agree that quieter bikes is in the best interest of all motorcycle enthusiasts, but I would also like to see quieter neighbors, less people worried about every little thing I do, quieter lawn mowers, quieter cars, quieter snowmobiles (I live a mile from the river and when they running the river you can hear them really well, don't bother me none just means somebody having fun with their toys.) OK rant over (for now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02-apr Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Having ridden since the early 70's, its quite obvious that there is far less land available for us to indulge our chosen sport. As trials riders we generally tinker about on an old pit tip, a corner of a sympathetic farmers land or a disused quarry or the like and we have generally gotten away with it for years.There's no doubt that this small island of our is getting more crowded and the area's that we ride are mostly within earshot of someone somewhere. As in the title - which has been a saying around for years (I saw it recently in a 1982 copy of the motorcycle mechanics magazine) is it time we completely eradicated the noisy motorcycle exhaust? Im talking about bikes like the 4RT which has (in my opinion) a very antisocial exhaust note when revved - a sound which seems to carry over a long way. I hear four stroke enduro bikes in the woods miles away and the noise is grating (and Im a bike lover) No doubt poor old mrs biggins who lives next door to the quarry is pulling her hair out!! If we had very quiet bikes, would people be more tolerant and leave us alone? I think that they would - its the noise that winds people up. What are your thoughts? Thirty years too late I'm afraid. We knew then the intolerance was there, the only surprise is how long it has actually taken to manifest itself as action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky7s Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Doubt it would make a blind bit of difference to be honest - many people A) hate to see other people out enjoying themselves and have an irrational dislike of all thinks motorcycle. For example....this happened to me and Austin yesterday.... We were riding down a paved track, as we do a couple of times most weeks, to get to one of spots we ride ( a disused M.O.D. site). We were trickling along so not causing anarchic mayhem or such like, when an old guy in a parked mercedes swings open his door (causing me to take avoiding action and swerve around it). Then came the inevitable 'Oi!-ing' which i ignored and kept riding. He then got back in his car and drove up behind us, at which point, on the assumption that he was going to try and nudge us off, i lit off into the surrounding woods, but Austin stopped to see what he was after and it turned out that he owns the part of the track outside his house and he objected to us using it. His objection was along the lines of ' I pay for this drive to be maintained and i dont want it damaged'. Quite how 2 80kg trials bikes are going to damage a concrete track is beyond my physics skills, but i dont suppose for a second that the local police - who also use the site for riot control and firearms training, and use the same track for access in their several riot vans - get the same treatment...... Today, we were riding on another disused M.O.D site (there are a few in these parts) when a nice S.A. guy came over to us and apologised profusely for the fact that his farm owner boss had complained to him about the noise and wanted us to move on. We pointed out in the friendliest way possible that it was M.O.D land and not his bosses, and that the police had given us advice that we were ok to ride there, at which he said 'No worries, he just told me to come tell you guys - he's a bit of an a**hole and he hates motorbikes'. Turned out the guy was an enduro rider so we chatted for a few minutes and did our bit to promote trials riding as the superior form of riding My point is that some people are just like that, no matter how quiet you are or how sensibly and considerately you ride Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectionone Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I'm a proponent of the dbSnorkel (thedbsnorkel.com) on trials bikes and have been using it on my GG 250 and it makes it sound like 80cc. There is a little bit of power loss which smoothes out powerband. It fits on standard 9" diameter oval silencers which means GG and Beta only. I can ride in backyard since I'm quieter than a lawnmower and leaf blower. Most brand new 2-strokes start out quiet but since some brands don't have repackable silencers, they can get loud over time. The middle muffler is another part that gets clogged up with burnt oil. On the GG it is packed with a steel wool type material so I think it could be cleaned out with solvent. On the downside, a quiet bike doesn't have the thrill factor of a loud pipe which appeals to a lot of riders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivemeister Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 My point is that some people are just like that, no matter how quiet you are or how sensibly and considerately you ride Yes they are - and ZIPPY puts it brilliantly, absolutely spot on. However, my point is - if we didn't make as much noise, maybe these eejits wouldn't notice us so much in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilc0 Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) It's all about the noise. If you want to hear the most wonderfull noise in the world,go and stand behind the start gate's of a pre65 scramble,"Lush". You could step out your own front door these day's and someone would complain about it.Screw them screw them all. Edited February 29, 2008 by bilc0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boofont Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Don't think it would any difference at all; it's a mindset that the (British) public have. Do you think if you turned up with a trailer full of electric bikes to ask a land owner if you could use his land he would look at them and say of course you can, they're electric bikes, no problem at all. It's just not going to happen. There's too much legislation these days, and many people are selfish. What I do find interesting though is the explosion of mountain biking. How are these guy's finding places to ride where as we can't, don't they cause a similar amount of damage? Granted we stray of a track to get to the section but generally a lap of the land will leave just one track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky7s Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Don't think it would any difference at all; it's a mindset that the (British) public have. Do you think if you turned up with a trailer full of electric bikes to ask a land owner if you could use his land he would look at them and say of course you can, they're electric bikes, no problem at all. It's just not going to happen. There's too much legislation these days, and many people are selfish. What I do find interesting though is the explosion of mountain biking. How are these guy's finding places to ride where as we can't, don't they cause a similar amount of damage? Granted we stray of a track to get to the section but generally a lap of the land will leave just one track. I think MB riders have less grief to contend with purely because its non motorised sport, and not percieved as being a danger by the public at large, although a pedestrian was killed around here last year after being hit by a guy on a downhill bike. You can at least hear a trials bike coming before it mows you down . Also, i dont think they pay so much mind to permission etc....they just find a spot and get on with riding it. As far as the legislative aspect goes, to my way of thinking, if more kids were actively encouraged to take up some form of sport, be it trials, MB'ing or whatever, and weren't slapped down at every opportunity as they are now, there would be less of them hanging around the local shops with their hoods up and a bottle of cheap booze in hand causing a nuisance. What would the cost be of some sort of goverment led scheme be, when offset against the likely drop in police time, court time, social workers time and associated expense these things lead to? Would probably pay for itself. This country is proof that we reap what we sow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02-apr Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Not so sure about that try this http://www.singletrackworld.com/article.ph...8b630cadcf6ab8d to see that the mountain bike users are also worried about the walkers' selfish attitudes. I am also a cyclist (mainly on the road) and there seems to be a surprising number of cyclists who are against mountain bike use as it disrupts their peaceful enjoyment when out walking. Those gears can click very loudly you know! And as for the coloured outfits - well! I'm afraid it's all part of the modern culture of "You are doing something I don't do therefore you must stop doing it whether it affects me or not". I have heard reports of tons of material being helicoptered in at vast expense to make good damage to hills but the walking lobby don't highlight that because it's caused by feet not wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodzilla Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 While I agree that the anti-access crowd will want us out no matter what, even if we are 100% silent but the point is, at least here in the Colorado area being quiet keeps those that are NOT anti's from turning into anti's. Globally we are all being forced into smaller and smaller areas, we all have to share, while one point of view says the anti's are "selfish" for wanting quiet, are we being selfish for being as loud as we want? 98% of the population does not give a rats behind if we ride or not, and those 98% would NEVER know we were out there if we were just quiet. Being loud turns the average joe against us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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