What is the point of the throttle blip?

[LuckyArmpit]

I blip too now and then. Whats the big deal? Save gas by not blipping?
That would be fine if your bike gets 4 mpg. Just like my grandfather who used to either drop the tranny in low going downhill to save brake pads or put it in neutral to save wear and tear on the transmission. Viable option if your keeping the vehicle 50 years. To me, if you don't blip when you used to because you wanna save gas is a little @nal retentive. My opinion of course.

Lucky...

[relli]

Thats pretty blippin good.....

well i appreciate the blip outta that!

[bluestringer]

Some might say that ( blipping just makes one an A$$hole ) my reply would be that some might say that using a cell phone while driving makes you an A$$hole or perhaps lighting a cigarette while driving makes you an A$$hole or eating while driving makes you an A$$hole or perhaps adjusting your mirror while driving makes you an A$$hole. Maybe butting out your cigarette while driving makes you an A$$hole. How about fiddling with the radio while driving? Does that make you an A$$hole?. My point to this is this: I'm sure everyone of us has done one of those things while driving or riding. I'd be willing to bet that 2/3 of the guys on here have wives that have put on makeup while driving. Perhaps they are a$$holes too? Soooo. tell me: have you done any of those things? Oh and yes, I blip while i'm at a light. I don't think i'm being an A$$hole. I'm just expressing my right to be free. Theres something about that in the American constitution i think.

No, I have not. Your rights end where others rights begin. Show some common respect for others.

[Drifter]

On old harleys they had to do that or they would die. and it seems people watch and see others doing it so hey i will do it also..............maybe i can scare or **** off those old people or soccer moms next to me .......so the next time they vote it will be for the cop or congressman that hates bikers. If you have to blip do it when there are not alot of other cars around think about it!

[Jim1970152]

Howdy!

I didn't mean to start a war here folks with my question! However, some interesting ideas have come up.

And, I'm not a commie -- that's just not cool at all!

However, if we examine the facts on the table, we can see that motorcycling as a recreational activity is at the mercy of the voting populace. To support this position, take note of the new EPA regulations about altering your bike.

With the epa info on your mind, make a note next time you ride of the number of people on motorcycles making excessive noise. Don't think of their noise level from your perspective as a biker -- think of it this way -- if that rider was on my street or across the street from my mother or grandmother, would that behavior/noise be acceptable?

My impression: no wonder the epa legislation is in place! Maybe it's different where you live. Where I live, and in the neighboring states I spend time in, it appears to me that many people on motorcycles are playing the old billy bad *** role -- they drive crazy, they are excessively loud, and they really try to be intimidating to the non-riding public.

Making all this noise as to hear your bike go VROOOMMMM is the kind of behavior that produces legislation that hurts us and it gives the general public the wrong image.

If you need to blip to keep your bike running, then that is a sure sign it's time for a tune-up or some other similar action to fix the problem. How safe is a vehicle that nearly dies at a stop light? Can it safely travel on the street?

Yes, all people in all groups do this -- like cagers with their cell phones, women drivers and their makeup (not all women -- not trying to upset anyone here!) -- but we are not the majority on the road -- we are more singled out and it is easier for those people (a large group) to say "they" are a problem (us, a smaller group). Said differently, even though there are fewer of us, we stick out more. And I am talking about socially and politically, not in terms of being more visible on the road -- which, as we know, is not the case. They see us being bad, but they don't see us to see us to not kill us -- that's the facts.

I posted wanting to know if there was a sound reason (pun intended!) for this behavior. What I learned is that many motorcyclists do this without much forethought and simply because they want to. Seems silly to me, but it has spawned an interesting exchange of ideas.

In my opinion, we need to be more responsible in our hobby, and we need to band together to make sure our interests are protected. Instead, we have as much division as anybody else does in this great country -- it's the "us" and "them" debate -- the "have" and the "have nots" -- that kind of thinking is not helping us and will bring a future full of limitations for us as riders.

Okay, I'm done on my soapbox. Thanks for letting me rant for a minute!

[Mesa_Slim]

A buddy of mine has a new Road King and a pretty damn fast stroked Low Rider. Neither bike sounds like it needs a throttle blip to keep running. I suspect many HDs are idling too low in order to get that lumpy, about-to-die sound.

I keed, I keed!

[scrappy]

Well...coming from blipping a sportsbike for many years and not really making much sound...I must say blipping with these freakin' Cobra's at a stoplight is just as much fun as going through the Lincoln Tunnel and really letting her rip! Those of you with louder pipes notice that you blip for no reason going under a bridge??? Or is it just me??

[honestlyinsane]

Hi my name is ....and I have blipped for 15yrs now...lol
I think it helps on shifting personally and just makes you feel cool when idling.
Granted if your bikes really loud I am sure it gets annoying to others.

All the arguements about the epa is going to do this or that....well they are going to do it anyway. Just like they have taken away most of the offroad riding.
Too many people in this country are up tight....maybe people should be more concerned about the homeless,social security, our people dying in Iraq and healthcare and a little less about noise from a motorcycle.

[Ericthejet]

I am going to start a "Blip Blog" as it seems that we have a ton of materiel.
My 84 Ninja 900 and I like to blip on the downshift like most of us do.
While at a light awaiting the signal I just let he idle as the old school header sounds great along with a lowish but within spec idle.
I blip just prior to getting the light as I'm about to engage 1st gear.

To blip or not to blip?

[jjflash]

Good points, Jim....but tell me. Where does that end? I think the division you speak of is amply illustrated by yourself and Bluestringer. In your case, while decrying the division, you still make sure you put up an us vs. them wall by slicing out the "blippers" and pointing to them.

Bluestringer seems to draw the ol' line of what he does is ok, but entirely comparable actions of others are examples of them being asses. I'm an *** if I blip my (for now) stock exhaust at a stoplight, but it's ok for him to run V&H Longshots or something?

Come on. Like honestlyinsane said, blipping is a pretty trivial thing to be all concerned about. Even sounds a little silly. For me, it's good illustration though. Is the problem that some people might do things that are a little personally annoying to others, sometimes? Is that really a "rights" violation? There's some right to not have anyone do anything that personally annoys you on public property? So we all have to quit blipping, put the stock pipes back, wear nicer clothes, and have Born To Be Tamed tattooed on our biceps?

Or is the problem that there is just a nearly overwhelming lack of good ol' tolerance for the actions...even the quite possibly annoying actions...even the annoying actions that are absolutely trivial....of others?

[jjflash]

I keed, I keed!

I know, I know!

But I did see one of those custom S&S motored hardtails at a stoplight the other die that was idling low enough to require being blipped. He didn't blip quick enough once, and it did in fact die.

[jjflash]

Within this social sub-set of motorcycle riders, blippers seem to be the majority. Hey, we're a voting bloc. So let's get the DOT, EPA, what-have-you to require blipping. Maybe force the manufacturers to install an autoblipper on all new bikes. Simple enough with the fuel injected bikes. If the bike has idled for more than 30 seconds, it blips the throttle for you.

[Destro]

[quote=Jim1970152]Howdy!

However, if we examine the facts on the table, we can see that motorcycling as a recreational activity is at the mercy of the voting populace. To support this position, take note of the new EPA regulations about altering your bike.

With the epa info on your mind, make a note next time you ride of the number of people on motorcycles making excessive noise. Don't think of their noise level from your perspective as a biker -- think of it this way -- if that rider was on my street or across the street from my mother or grandmother, would that behavior/noise be acceptable?

My impression: no wonder the epa legislation is in place! Maybe it's different where you live. Where I live, and in the neighboring states I spend time in, it appears to me that many people on motorcycles are playing the old billy bad *** role -- they drive crazy, they are excessively loud, and they really try to be intimidating to the non-riding public.

quote]

How can you cry EPA regulations here? I know altering the exhaust can in some instances be illegal but really what is it hurting. Are you going to annoy a soccer mom that by choice bought an SUV getting 10mpg. The same SUV that has an aftermarket exhaust on it that makes it sound like a race car? Did you stop and think about all of the import tuners out there with thier coffee can exhausts? You want to talk about EPA here let's talk about the fact that I may be making some noise with a blip, but my plippin' bike is getting 40mpg with a single seat on it while the SUV probably has 12 empty seats in it. You totally targeted bikes here with no regards for how loud any other vehicle is. Next time you are at a stop light listen for the guy in a sports car with a manual transmission. Is that car hurting anyone. Why do you not ride a scooter? They are quiet and have low emmisions.

And for claiming that people intimidate the public on motorcycles? Remember to smile next time you almost get run off the road by a bunch of cagers racing on our streets. Motor cycles have a stigma attached to them from long ago. Put Santa Claus on a Harley and he is instantly a badass.

I know what political party you belong to.

DESTRO

[woodchucks800]

Simple enough with the fuel injected bikes. If the bike has idled for more than 30 seconds, it blips the throttle for you.

Just what the bike needs ,another electronic gizmo or gadget to cause problems

[relli]

can you believe a blip is getting this kind of play???

[jjflash]

Just what the bike needs ,another electronic gizmo or gadget to cause problems

Yeah, but it's your responsibility to keep all the social equipment on your bike in working order. A pretty healthy fine for having an inoperable autoblipper would insure you do just that. Probably won't be any exceptions for by-passing its intended function.

"But Officer...I have been manually blipping until I can get it fixed..."

"Sorry son...we don't know but what you intentionally disconnected it so that it wouldn't blip."

[jjflash]

can you believe a blip is getting this kind of play???

Yep, because though superficially trivial it digs deep into some more important things. Lots of stuff like that.

You know, if you eat a steak it annoys some people because an animal died in the process of providing you that steak. Yet those same people eat vegetables and grains where the production involves countless dead animals.

[Lobocop]

I only blip in underground parking areas to see how many car alarms I can set off

Got 7 with one blip ... pretty soon we will need a hunting license and tags to blip in the parking lots

Ken

[Neverdun]

I'm a blippin A$$hole

[JayTheHun]

If it is an HD the blip is to keep it running.

OMG! Too funny!