Stereo systems are like Harleys


You'll never see two exactly alike. They are an expression of the owners ideas on design and performance, usually within the construct of a budget. Often put together over time with new and used parts.

I love that about this hobby. How boring would it be if we all had the same ideas of how a system should sound or look?

When you go to any kind of a rally, be it a poker run, charity ride or whatever.... it's customary to just walk around, checking out other peoples rides and chatting it up. It's a great way to meet people and have fun. Oddly, those bikers who's stigma is to be rowdy and obnoxious, are the nicest people I've met. Never once have I ever heard comments like DUH you should done this or that with your bike. Everything and everybody is accepted as is.

Perhaps some folks around here could learn a thing or two from the bikers. 


treynolds155
I lived in Redding CT for years and I was 10 minutes from Marcus Dairy in Danbury that had become a Sunday morning mecca for bikers from all over...hundreds of every type of bike (and a couple times a year sponsored "special event" Sundays with easily thousands) with greasy egg sandwiches to help that Sat nite hangover...I had two interesting bikes and got many useful tips and stories from strangers. Sadly the place was gone by 2011 (I had moved away in 2000), but nobody around that scene will ever forget it. There's nothing in the audio world remotely like that...nothing.
First bike, S90 Honda....learned how to make small cc work for you.
Second, RD350.  Keep the nose down, and fly away. 2 strokes pissed some off and best left behind.  Spouse inherited it...
"You let your wife ride an RD?!" (common comment)
She completed college @ SF State riding a 180 Yamaha scoot and wanted better brakes and handling...and was the right size and weight for it.
3rd and final, 550 Vision V twin '83 with the fairing, shaft drive, daily ride to work and weekend wanders with spouse.
We rode down to the 1st GP @ Laguna Seca to watch the real runners qualify and drag knee.  Got to walk the entire track the night before the races on a lovely warm night.  Still remember standing on the corkscrew and considering the transition it presented....
Stopped riding in Houston, a bit too warm for proper attire and most roads too straight.
Would love to get back into a saddle, but blood thinners make me leak too easily and I bruise if you look at me hard...
But I can still pick out the sound of a Duck 1/2 mi. away....*G*

Audio and bikes held nothing in common for me, other than the sound of a well-tuned (or badly needing) high RPM yowl. ;)
As a certified H-D technician of over 27 years and being raised around them I will agree to a certain extent that owning a Harley is like owning audio gear. The obsession part of it anyway.

What I don't see is a guy go out and buy a McIntosh amp and all of a sudden think they're a tuff guy or pretend they have been into audio their whole lives after they bought their first stand alone DAC at 40yrs old.

Those are the guys that go on poker runs and charity rides. Every one of those rides end up with accidents.
I don't have to be there to know what happened,  the bikes and the story's usually end up at my garage.

@onhwy61 has it right. Image the nonsense I have had to put up with since fictional shows like OCC came out. It was a phenomenon that I like to call biker by checkbook.
Their bike hasn't even left the showroom floor and they already got all the current t-shirts, leather accesories, do rags and boots. Looking like a kindergartener on their first day of school.
It used to piss me off (mostly the ones with bigger check books than mine) now I just laugh while I get paid to install back rests and crash bars along with the other items in a pile of newly acquired accessories.

@bdp24 you better be careful it's not 1975 anymore. Things have changed.
I heard those "San Francisco bikers" like to ride them with no seats.


@wolf_garcia 
Have been to Marcus Dairy quite a number of times on a Heritage Softail (carbureted). That's an old pleasant memory.  Tried riding the '76 shovelhead rigid chopper up there one time...too much pain, seems I waited too long and tried to fool myself into thinkin' this will be fun!  WTH its only 90 miles each way...yeah right. Still have both of them.  BTW, going to Limerock for the IMSA race in July (if its not cancelled).

@lostbears 
Yeah it's been ARC since early 70s,  Corvettes since early 70s,  My dad was a Harley fan so we had a bike or two around.  Fun stuff.

To the OP:  yup rallies are one thing, biker parties are another thing altogether.  Usually runnin' on the ragged edge of...well you know.