The need to REV your motorcycle at a stop

[SirRealism]

The answers all are here: The F Word (Season 13, Episode 12) - Episode Guide - South Park Studios

This is the episode that got me hooked on South Park.

 

[schafe]

At the risk of showing my age, I hate to admit this, but all the bikes we rode during the sixties, tended to have intake valve sealing problems from cam overlap, in the air cooled heads. At a slow idle, the engine would draw gas on the intake, and also on the outgoing "slight compression leak". the carb would get raw gas lying in it, and when the throttle was opened, the engine would flood immediately, resulting in the dreaded "oops effect" of stalling at the light, and a difficult restart. AMF Harleys were particularly bad about this.
It led to the traditional blipping the throttle at the lights that is so annoying to some people. But nowadays, the old throttle blip is nothing more than a vestigal reaction learned from us old guys who were riding back then.
Oh! I finally did learn not to do this on my modern bikes, but it was a struggle. The old habits die hard.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I did it all the time with my HD Sportster. But then again it had Vance Hines pipes, so it was extremely loud and awesome

I got news for you...

It was a Sportster. It wasn't ever "awesome"...

 

[ATOMonkey]

I like the way my bike sounds. I also have a carb sync/air box leak issue and my idle bounces, and that's more annoying to me than throwing a rev.

I also do it in a lame attempt to impress chicks and annoy old people and yuppies.

 

[Rob377]

I got news for you...

It was a Sportster. It wasn't ever "awesome"...

Disagree. Sportsters can be awesome.

If that ain't awesome, I don't know what is!

 

[IndyMedic]

I don't do it, but I am sure it is mainly a "my bike is louder than your bike" thing.

 

[eldirector]

As a non-biker, I assume the revving is for one of two things (or both):
1) You crave attention and somehow think that annoying the snot out of everyone in earshot is a good thing.
2) Your bike is a POS, and needs constant throttle input to even stay running, at idle, with no load.

And don't get me started on straight pipes.

 

[clt46910]

At the risk of showing my age, I hate to admit this, but all the bikes we rode during the sixties, tended to have intake valve sealing problems from cam overlap, in the air cooled heads. At a slow idle, the engine would draw gas on the intake, and also on the outgoing "slight compression leak". the carb would get raw gas lying in it, and when the throttle was opened, the engine would flood immediately, resulting in the dreaded "oops effect" of stalling at the light, and a difficult restart. AMF Harleys were particularly bad about this.
It led to the traditional blipping the throttle at the lights that is so annoying to some people. But nowadays, the old throttle blip is nothing more than a vestigal reaction learned from us old guys who were riding back then.
Oh! I finally did learn not to do this on my modern bikes, but it was a struggle. The old habits die hard.

While not admitting anything about age, I remember those days. Was a real problem back then, hated stop lights. I stalled more then once before I learned to keep the engine repped when I first started riding.

 

[femurphy77]

I always thought that the Harley guys did that because the engine vibrations gives them that special tingly feeling.

You do know that purple is only for sarcasm, right????

 

[snowman46919]

Here:

It's a bike thing you wouldn't understand.
/thread

For those of you that don't like the noise, sorry get used to. Loud pipes get attention and save lives, is it enough percentage wise to matter I don't care as long as it saves a few of the riding brethren. I have had someone pull out in front of me and got to a full extension of almost flipping over the bike to try and get stopped because there was no time to lay it down. I have seen guys rear end someone that has pulled out in front of them and seen them come off the bike and completely clear the car they rear ended. It has cross my mind to never get on a bike again because of the things I have seen, but more than likely I will. So if loud pipes saves lives, and blipping the throttle keeps other drivers attention to the guy with the least amount of metal around him then so be it.

 

[HDSilvrStreak]

Most harley riders will refuse to wave to sport bikes or vice versa.

Pure urban legend BS. I wave to everyone, including dudes on DUI scooters and I have everyone wave back. There are more "wave" threads on bike forums than 1911 threads on INGO and everyone pretty much waves to everyone. When someone doesn't wave back, there is an equal chance that they have a Harley or Cafe Racer. They just don't wave.

It's a "Harley Hello", a "Honda Hi", a "Suzuki Salute", etc. etc.

It's actually the same a raising of the eyebrow when the pass the same person over and over in the office and you've already told them "good morning" twice. Just a quick "Hey".

 

[kickbacked]

Pure urban legend BS. I wave to everyone, including dudes on DUI scooters and I have everyone wave back. There are more "wave" threads on bike forums than 1911 threads on INGO and everyone pretty much waves to everyone. When someone doesn't wave back, there is an equal chance that they have a Harley or Cafe Racer. They just don't wave.

It's a "Harley Hello", a "Honda Hi", a "Suzuki Salute", etc. etc.

It's actually the same a raising of the eyebrow when the pass the same person over and over in the office and you've already told them "good morning" twice. Just a quick "Hey".

Defiantly not urban legend , hop on a sport bike and a ton of harley riders will not wave. This is a fact , ive seen a harley rider wave to a harley in front of me and then retract his hand when i put mine out. However sport bike riders will do this to harley riders too. Im not saying everyone does this, but id be willing to bet that every sportbike rider who has at least a year of on the road experience will have been stiffed by a harley group one time or more

 

[Rob377]

Defiantly not urban legend , hop on a sport bike and a ton of harley riders will not wave. This is a fact , ive seen a harley rider wave to a harley in front of me and then retract his hand when i put mine out. However sport bike riders will do this to harley riders too. Im not saying everyone does this, but id be willing to bet that every sportbike rider who has at least a year of on the road experience will have been stiffed by a harley group one time or more

All groups have their jerkwads. HD riders are notorious for it, but I've also seen the squidly sportbike posers do it too. I've even gotten the snub from the occasional BMW snob.

 

[eldirector]

Here:

It's a bike thing you wouldn't understand.
/thread

For those of you that don't like the noise, sorry get used to. Loud pipes get attention and save lives,

Really? So, I should straight-pipe my truck, rev it a every light, and ROAR down the road? Just to be safe, right?

If loud pipes saved lives, then the NTSB would require them on all new vehicles. I've yet to see a Honda Accord with factory "pipes"

I think any vehicle that is loud for the sake of being loud is obnoxious, and its rider/driver rude.

 

[desmodue]

Disagree. Sportsters can be awesome. If that ain't awesome, I don't know what is!

It ain't a Sportster...Scott Parker on a Harley Davidson XR750

 

[magic man]

Really? So, I should straight-pipe my truck, rev it a every light, and ROAR down the road? Just to be safe, right?

If loud pipes saved lives, then the NTSB would require them on all new vehicles. I've yet to see a Honda Accord with factory "pipes"

I think any vehicle that is loud for the sake of being loud is obnoxious, and its rider/driver rude.

Don't punish my ears, drown out my music, and annoy everyone around you because you made a CHOICE to drive a vehicle that puts you in more danger.

 

[snowman46919]

Really? So, I should straight-pipe my truck, rev it a every light, and ROAR down the road? Just to be safe, right?

If loud pipes saved lives, then the NTSB would require them on all new vehicles. I've yet to see a Honda Accord with factory "pipes"

I think any vehicle that is loud for the sake of being loud is obnoxious, and its rider/driver rude.

Don't punish my ears, drown out my music, and annoy everyone around you because you made a CHOICE to drive a vehicle that puts you in more danger.

I wasn't saying you have to be incessant about it, everything with moderation. Some people show discretion others do not. I wasn't condoning someone being a jerk. If the NTSB made sense there would be an outright ban on cell phones but there isn't.

 

[Rob377]

It ain't a Sportster...Scott Parker on a Harley Davidson XR750

I know who it is. XRs are based on the sportsters, per HD.

Not as cool as a desmodue-based Flat-tracker, but cool nonetheless.

ETA: but I'll agree that production street sportsters are generally turds.

 

[magic man]

I wasn't saying you have to be incessant about it, everything with moderation. Some people show discretion others do not. I wasn't condoning someone being a jerk. If the NTSB made sense there would be an outright ban on cell phones but there isn't.

I don't have a problem with people making a little noise, but if your sitting on your bike wearing ear plugs and blasting your straight pipes into my open window, your being an ******* as far as I'm concerned.

I agree that moderation and some consideration for the people around you would go a long way.

 

[femurphy77]

Defiantly not urban legend , hop on a sport bike and a ton of harley riders will not wave. This is a fact , ive seen a harley rider wave to a harley in front of me and then retract his hand when i put mine out. However sport bike riders will do this to harley riders too. Im not saying everyone does this, but id be willing to bet that every sportbike rider who has at least a year of on the road experience will have been stiffed by a harley group one time or more

Gotta go with kickbacked on this one, I see it all the time from the seat of my "shudder" yamaha. The funniest thing I see though is the BMW riders, I've never seen one wave to anything but another beemer. Glad I don't runwith that crowd.


And whilst I'm soapboxin' I've noticed that the "Loud pipes save lives" bunch are barely audible until they are directly in front of me or have passed me. Based on that I would say if you're depending on loud pipes to save your life they may be scraping you from somebodies front bumper before they hear you.