There are a lot of motorcycles in the area where I live. At one time I thought it had to do with the presence of a Harley-Davidson dealer half a mile from my house; but that Harley dealer has been gone for several years but the motorcycle traffic does not seem to have diminished very much.
And Harleys are apparently the motorcycle of choice. I frankly know next to nothing about motorcycles, but I have heard that Harleys are very hard-riding, compared to many of the Japanese-built motorcycles. And Harleys are noisy, too. That is my gripe against them. It has become more and more clear to me that young people like vroom-vroom-vroom, whether from motorcycles or noisy car models; whereas old people like me would prefer to have quiet and thus dislike the noisy cars or motorcycles that drive in the vicinity.
Not only does the noise from Harleys bother people who live near the roads that they drive on. According to a March, 2009, article in Motor Cycle magazine (Hearing Protection - Listen Up), the hearing of those who ride the motorcycles is at risk, which of course makes sense since the riders are much closer to the source of the noise than I am. It's surprising to me that you don't hear more about this but my being able to easily find the referenced article shows that it's an issue that has been acknowledged.
As I said, some motorcyclists may positively like Harleys for their noise. They may also be bought out of patriotism—that is, "buy American"—and perhaps also because Harleys have a macho image. But I wish buyers of motorcyclists had the consideration to spare the neighbors the noise of their machines, and the good sense to consider their own hearing when deciding whether to buy a Harley or a quieter motorcycle. But a majority of them don't care to protect their own craniums with helmets, let alone their hearing.
Copyright © 2013 by Richard Stein
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