Friday, June 20, 2003
There is a circle of hell reserved for people who ride obnoxiously loud motorcycles. Now, I admire a good motorcycle. It sure looks like a lot of fun. But. When you can be heard a half mile away, that is not a good thing. Look. Loud engines are a sign of bad design. Full stop. If it makes noise, it's badly engineered. It is not something to be proud of. It is not something to enjoy. If you want loud, get a stereo. It sounds better and it's cheaper. Good engines are whisper quiet. On the other hand, I can only admire Harley-Davidson's success in marketing what is fundamentally a design flaw to balding idiots with too much gut and too much money. But then, the circle of hell isn't for the manufacturers, but the jerks who buy from them.