Sociopaths and Motorcycles?

Question

Does it appear that a majority of bikers tend to be sociopaths? Reading recent replys about loud pipes. It appears that they don't care about others, just as long as they are happy.

Answer 1

Gosh, were you a psych major? Or criminology?
Sociopaths ... hmmmmmm. Perhaps. I suspect that many adopt at least a temporary persona of a sociopath, since that is the image that goes along with their clothes and machine.
The "loud pipe save lives" crowd, like the "the can have my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers" crowd, like the "see this here tattoo? Says I've got testacles fer sure" crowd ... they are all seeking image, persona, worth that they can acquire with a check (or decent credit, anyway).
I think you nailed with the observation that they don't care about others, just as long as they are happy. They are trying to buy happiness/freedom/status/community.
Pity they fail so miserably.
I suspect that this is why there are so many Harleys with under 10,000 miles on them, slowly rusting solid in the garages of a bunch of middle-aged, middle class, middling intelligence bald guys.
Good catch.

Answer 2

Quite a few bikers think that loud pipes save lives.....There is a invention called a HORN.

Heck if loud pipes saved lives, wouldn't the insurance industry lobby for the loud pipes? After all it was the insurance lobby that gave helmet laws, seat belt laws and now cell phone laws.

I've talked to some firemen and a few cops and they all say people can't here their sirens with bikers being the worse. That because of their own noise the bikers are wearing ear plugs or ipods for music.

Pipe down and wear louder cloths so you can be better seen.

Loud Pipes and Lose Rights

Answer 3

We're not sociopaths! But a lot of the questions here, especially ones about loud pipes, are very negative in tone, and they tend to get some very heated/cranky/unfriendly answers. If you check some of the other questions in the Motorcycles category, you'll see a lot of the same people answering, but in a much nicer, friendlier way. On the road there's a battle between cars and bikes and some people take it too personally (cagers and bikers both are guilty of this!) and it's definitely spilled over to the Internet.

Answer 4

Many of us motorcyclist do care and are concerned about the non motorcycle public. I have been riding for 40 years and my dad just sold his Heritage Softail and retired at 80 years old.
Sad to say we motorcyclist are not noticed because we are quiet and respectful of the rights of others. Yes, I tend to agree that there are quite a few "sociopaths" in the motorcycle community as well as in the car community.

Many of the so called "outlaw" bikers try to appear to care with token toy runs or other charity runs. However these are mainly another excuse to party.

The BOGUS slogan of "LOUD PIPES SAVES LIVES" bears no fact as the mathematics of the Doppler Effect and noise compressions don't add up. Plus no one has kept any records.

Don't blame the bike! Blame the biker.

Read Harley Davidson's response to loud pipes. http://motorcyclecruiser.com/newsandupdates/harley_davidson_motorcycle_noise/

Answer 5

Most of the people who answer questions here have never touched a motorcycle (like that moron Reality Check).

Is it not sociopathic to expect everyone to keep the world nice and quiet and peaceful just for you? I'm not a fan of superloud pipes, but the world is a noisy place, especially in the cities. Big trucks, garbage trucks, airplanes, everything makes noise. However, people like to pick on motorcycles because they think they are frivolous (in reality it's cars that are frivolous, bikes are frugal).

No one ever said anyone has the right to not be offended or annoyed. People these days seem to feel they do, and they get offended way to easily.

Live and let live is a dead concept.

Answer 6

Actually the loud pipes help to keep them safe. It allows other drivers to hear and subsequently see them coming.

That being said, there are a lot of motorcycle drivers who seem to think the traffic rules don't apply to them, especially in heavy traffic on I-95 which I take every day back and forth to work. They drive down between two lanes, which can be especially dangerous if a car changes lanes at the same time.

I think they should be forced to follow the same rules as all drivers....but they can so fast that a lot of police cars can't get them.

Answer 7

I love my freedom to be in the wind and I am happy with my very loud pipes...
I gets the cages rattled= especialy when they cannot talk on the silly cell phones!
I dont realy know what a sociopath is...
Perhaps you should invest in a pair of earplugs and a dictionary before you start 'stereotyping' the real Americans...

Answer 8

90% of motorcyclists, especially the Harley riders, are middle aged white guys with mid-life crisis's. Just like toupees, khakis and red convertibles, the Harley has become an iconic symbol of middle aged anxiety. The loud pipes effectively act as a call to all other males stating "Look at me, I'm still a virile and aggressive man!". Although I cant stand the noise myself, I still feel sorry for the old buggers!

Answer 9

I'm against loud pipes myself, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they're sociopaths. Inconsiderate and selfish, yes.

Answer 10

Well I would say I was definitely in some sort of panicked crazy state - which instantly dissipated upon perching on my first motorcycle.

So we only crazy when off the motorcycle, or when the motorcycle is threatened or our ability to ride the motorcycle is threatened.