It's a real shame, because we have a cultural problem of glorified
ignorance. In a sense I feel sorry for these lads, because they are
tinkerers, hackers of a kind like us, but with grossly curtailed
opportunities for expression and exploration. When I was a kid,
modding bikes and engines was everyday fun.
Wouldn't they potentially be great engineers with the right guidance
and education? But today they all follow the same dumb formula, sawing
of the exhaust pipe and catalytic convertor, mis-tuning the engine,
jacking down the suspension, doing a really shit paint job... The
culture beneath that is basically anti-social, not individualistic.
Sadly one has to wonder whether the days of 2-stroke scooters are also
numbered in the UK. There are still lots of middle-aged Mods, you can
find them by the hundreds at summer seaside town scooter rallies. But
turning the air blue with the stench of two-stroke oil particulates
seems less and less acceptable each year. Maybe I am growing long in
the tooth.
Now, don't get me started on inappropriate use of emergency vehicle
sirens, which is the REAL noise pollution issue in Britain today.
Wouldn't they potentially be great engineers with the right guidance and education? But today they all follow the same dumb formula, sawing of the exhaust pipe and catalytic convertor, mis-tuning the engine, jacking down the suspension, doing a really shit paint job... The culture beneath that is basically anti-social, not individualistic.
Sadly one has to wonder whether the days of 2-stroke scooters are also numbered in the UK. There are still lots of middle-aged Mods, you can find them by the hundreds at summer seaside town scooter rallies. But turning the air blue with the stench of two-stroke oil particulates seems less and less acceptable each year. Maybe I am growing long in the tooth.
Now, don't get me started on inappropriate use of emergency vehicle sirens, which is the REAL noise pollution issue in Britain today.