Dear Honda Hooters: Please stay downtown in the Knoxville Old City or thereabouts...

If it's any consolation to you, I was talking with one of my downtown neighbors last night and he said he hated the event.

I was saying how it's actually a pretty good one. It pumps a lot of money into the city. And I'll take the Hooters over Bike Week or the scene at Sturgis, anytime.

But he felt differently. I gather last year after one of the events down here, his apartment sounded like the warm-up at a starting line every time the red light outside cycled.
~m.

I wonder what a psychologist would say about the need to dress up in leather and use a machine to make very loud noises?

Small penis? Latent Village People complex? Small penis latent village people complex?

Then there's the possibility that they are simply assholes.

Just as long as they stay off my lawn. I'm okay with it.

We should ban motorcycles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park altogether.

Incorrect.

Or at least the ones with loud pipes.

Correct.

I didn't realize the Hoot is this week. I'm doing the bicycle event that goes through the Dragon Saturday morning. I hope the a-holes stay away from there until I get through it.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

Didn't know there was a bicycle event on 129. What is it? I would expect to share the road, so to speak, with the bikers and zoom boys.

(P.S. Yes, you are correct about the loud pipes, but I bet if you start making noise about banning all motorcycles, i.e. lumping them all together, there might be more pressure, peer and political, from the industry and the responsible bikers to quiet down the few bad apples.)

Nice rant I pretty much agree with. On the subject of noise, I used to think some bikes were loud and others weren't, irrespective of model. Now I'm pretty much convinced that 95% of all noisy, obnoxious bikes are Harleys and most Harleys fall in that category.

It's not just tone of the engine, which Harleys have always been distinctive for. I'm not talking about that. It's that in the last 20 years or so, Harleys have apparently had to become so much louder than everything else. I submit their owners suffer from the afflictions to which Steve ascribes above worse than other motorcyclists.

Fortunately this isn't a Harley event, but there still will be more Harleys and Harley-type bikes than normal, as well as just an over abundance of less obnoxious, but still noisy bikes.

(The racers on 129 are loud, I'm sure, but I trust such modified bikes represent a small number of bikes on the road, fortunately.)

With the price of gas at $4.00 a gallon and rising. I would expect the number of motorcycle and scooters on the road to rapidly increase. Any good citizen who really cares about reducing pollution should park the car for a scooter.

The Harleys are the major source of problem, but the crotch rockets also get really loud, and these are the problem on 129. It echoes through the woods and hollers for miles. Totally selfish and unacceptable. Having said that, I think the Hoot is probably a little better, in that Hondas don't usually fall into either class of bikes.

In SC, there are no helmet laws, which means that 1) folks think they also don't need to wear decent shoes or clothes, 2) biking is ridiculously prolific, and 3) they like to ride through downtown Greenville. The noise echoing off the buildings is deafening. It completely ruins any enjoyment of the area by anyone else. Long live helmet laws!

wow - some of these comments are so elitist

"stay out of MY area and we'll all be happy"

Maybe the bikers are wishing the cars would stay of of the Smokies and Hwy 129

It does seem like many (certainly not all) motorcycle riders subscribe to a double standard when it comes to vehicle noise. The attitude seeming to be that it's ok for bikes to make noise, even if it isn't ok for cars and trucks. It's sort of like some smokers thinking that throwing their butts (cigratte, that is) down isn't littering.

wow - some of these comments are so elitist

If bikers followed the law and showed the same respect for cars that they would expect for themselves, there would be no problem in sharing the highways.

If you mean that many of them give all a bad name, that's true. Kind of like the GOP.

Watch the news buzz and talking points. "Elitist" is the new "liberal."

Duncan said it in his press conference re. gas prices the other day. The GOP is trying to tag Obama as an "elitist."

Expect to see it a lot between now and November. I was going to do a blog post about it, but I'm busy right now.

Randy posted this same complaint last year during the Hoot. I'm required to have my briefcase searched to pass from my office to my parking lot on Thursdays because of Sundown in the City. Parades and downtown festivals close the street(s) around my building.

I can list a lot of other inconveniences. But, I know all these things are good for the city. So, I don't gripe. It's a minor inconvenience to hear a few loud pipes.

As for speeders on 129, shut 'em down.

I ride a good bit. My pipes are a bit louder than stock, but not what most anyone would consider loud. Just a nice rumble. Straight pipes with no muffler are the primary culprits. I don't like riding near them. It gets on my nerves. But, for the good of tourism and the city, I hope all the Hooters have a great time, with a few loud pipes and all.

...but not what most anyone would consider loud.

Says you. I was downtown hearing the various machines last night. I challenge anyone to note the annoyingly loud bikes. Near stock Harleys, virtually all. C'mon take the FC challenge!

There was a cool Honda trike that was huge. And quiet. Parked right in front of Krutch Park. I wanted to take a photo but my phone camera is crappy and the rider looked like Hulk Hogan.

According to federal and most state and local laws, motorcycles using any muffler without the mandatory EPA label on the muffler are illegal. Arguments typically used by motorcyclists that loud mufflers increase their safety are completely refuted by all authoritative sources, what dumbo really thinks that anyway, what is a horn for, a muffler?

Motorcycles also generate 10X the amount of air pollution compared to cars, on average.