Straight Pipes, Really?

People can ride whatever they want even if it means its some overweight lump of chrome that's too low to the ground to go around a right corner or slow down if anything within a quarter mile of it comes to a quick stop. That is until they take this lump and opt for straight pipes. Its then that my opinion is free to intrude on what ever they want to throw their leg over. For those who are wondering what in the hell I am talking about let me break it down.

First...go out and spend WAY too much on a brand new antiquated Harley.
Next, remove the stock mufflers that come on the bike.
Finally, find chrome pipes and slap them on. NOTE: these chrome pipes have NO sound deadening whatsoever.

We've all heard these guys rolling down the street/highway. They blimp the throttle and you either loose your hearing for 10 minutes because you were the unlucky schmuck who was next to them or you can't hear yourself think while they ride away. They do it because "LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES". What a load of crap. Now I agree that stock pipes on most new bikes make said bike sound neutered and there are plenty of "friendly" options to give your bike a set of balls without waking up an entire city block every time you make it over 2k RPM. For example a guy in my old building had a Harley with the stock pipes changed out but his new pipes still had mufflers. Better flow and the bike sounded like a V-Twin should. It just didn't pierce your head when he went rolling down the street.

My personal rant stems from having lived along a busy street for a solid year and having these guys blaze past at all hours of the day...and it was equally annoying and unnecessary every time. Now that I have moved I live in a VERY quiet neighborhood but there is a freeway a couple miles from the house. I was walking last night and could hear these bikes flying down the freeway. Its one thing to hear the soft rumble of traffic but something else when you can hear these bikes miles from where they are. Uncalled for.

Now, although Harley and other cruiser owners are the biggest violaters of the straight pipe noise problem, there are guys on Sport Bikes who do the same thing. Again...uncalled for.

Now...if I could only decide on the M4 or Two Brothers exhaust for my bike ;)