Here is my loud pipe rant for today:
The public may not be all that enthusiastic about electric vehicles due to cost and range limitations (I hear that sales of EVs are falling and not meeting manufacturers' projections), but I do think they will appreciate their lack of noise, especially when it comes to motorcycles. One of my favorite rides in the San Francisco Bay Area is to ride up Mt. Hamilton to visit the Lick Observatory and then ride back down the east side of the mountain to Livermore, head east and return to my home on the coast. The Observatory is open in the morning and it makes a nice place to stop, admire the view and use their restroom and water fountain before continuing the ride. The first time I took this ride was with a friend in 1962 while riding my Vespa 125. That was quite an adventure then as there was not a sole east of the Observatory, other than a few cows. Things have changed now and the ride is more like either a race track or a noisy parade, depending upon the riding group and time of day.
Last night, in the October issue of
City Bike I read an article regarding the Observatory astronomers complaining about being wakened during the mornings by groups of loud motorcycles trying to save everyone's lives within a quarter mile radius. Apparently the astronomers would prefer to sleep in after working all night and didn't appreciate their lives being saved. So the Observatory asked that the CHP establish a checkpoint during the morning on the access road, Highway 130, to inspect for muffler equipment violations. The CHP responded that they didn't have the staff nor the budget to comply with that request. The Observatory has now announced that starting October 1 it would close their parking lot on top of the mountain to motorcycle riders during the mornings and not allow access until after noon.
Anyone traveling around San Jose will appreciate that there is much less traffic during the morning on the narrow and twisty road up Mt. Hamilton. Riding there during the morning makes for a much more enjoyable ride. Closing the parking lot to motorcycle riders during the morning is going to suck. I hope the loud-pipe contingent appreciate what they have done for riders of quiet motorcycles in their efforts to inform the rest of the public that they are in the vicinity.
In my opinion, electric motorcycles have the potential to completely change the public's perception of the sport due to their quiet operation. I just hope that day comes before we are completely banned from public roads.
