One Person’s Music is Another Person’s Noise
“Heard on the Street”
We’re writing this article not as your Harley-Davidson dealer, but as fellow motorcycle riders.
There’s a threat to our sport that’s looming on the horizon. You may be aware of it already. But you may not know how deep and troubling it’s become. The threat is “noise.” Specifically, it’s the fact that right now many communities – too many – are working hard to curtail the ability of people like us to ride, because they perceive motorcycles as too noisy. Within the past year alone, community restrictions have mushroomed across the country. The ability to “ride free” has become a thing of the past in a whole lot of places already. Some of the stories I hear from fellow dealers and riders are enough to get me worried.
We raise this concern now, because there are some things we can do about this situation before it gets completely out of hand. Number one, we can ride responsibly. By this I mean: we can demonstrate basic courtesy and avoid creating excessive noise in public. We know it’s sometimes a subjective call. But other times it’s cut and dry. Unbaffled straight pipes on public streets are obnoxious. They don’t belong there, which is why our dealership doesn’t sell them.
What else can we do?
Well, most importantly, we can spread the word among fellow riders to make sure they understand how important this issue is. If we all take this threat seriously, we can stem the tide and save our sport. If we don’t, the prospects are bleak. That’s not an exaggeration. The Motor Company and the AMA already have their lobbyists working overtime fighting against the regulators, but they won’t be successful if the riding community doesn’t back them up.
Thanks for hearing us out. We all realize this is a touchy issue. It’s not fun to think about. Or write about. But it’s important to be open and honest. And we honestly feel that the best option is to police ourselves before someone else does it for us.
If we can answer any questions about noise or anything else, please stop by the service or parts department at the dealership any time.