> Please don't make "riding motorcycle" out to be some kind of heroic, selfless act.

I'm not. I'm simply saying it's kind of crappy to tell some road users that they should just "live with the consequences of their decisions" when those decisions benefit you and everyone else on the road.

Every motorcycle on the road is a net increase in safety, a net reduction in traffic, and a net reduction in CO2 emissions compared to that same person choosing to drive a car. Perhaps we should be encouraging these types of choices instead of being belligerent toward the people who choose them, regardless of the motivation behind those choices.

> If you tell yourself that you're selflessly helping humanity and then only "do my best" not to make noise in residential areas, you're a problem. Just admit, to yourself at least, you like to piss people off - or worse maybe you just don't care.
>
> This entire post is full of people talking about how people like you are a problem, and yet you tell yourself that you're actually a hero. Look inward.

What, exactly, would you like me to do differently? I'm being 100% serious.

As I said earlier, I ride with stock pipes. The noise levels of exhaust pipes are regulated by the state of California where I reside, and exhausts must be approved by the state. The loud bikes you hear are inevitably aftermarket exhausts that are illegal, but that doesn't stop people from installing them and riding with them. I eagerly await the day when the people choosing to do this are caught, fined, and have the offending hardware confiscated.

As I also said, I do my best to idle through residential areas. Sometimes this strictly isn't possible, such as when there's a hill. Would you prefer I hop off and push my motorcycle? Hitch it to a passing car? Something else?

Please be concrete. What am I doing wrong that you believe I could do better?

Maybe, just maybe, I'm not an asshole who likes to piss people off. Maybe I'm just a guy who enjoys riding bicycles and motorcycles, who does his best to ride in a way that doesn't inflict negative externalities on others, and who is frustrated by the complete lack of empathy and outright hostility shown by people like yourself who directly benefit from my choices.

I go out of my way to yield to pedestrians and cyclists at intersections where drivers happily blow through the crosswalks they're trying to cross. I wait for them to cross at intersections when they have the right of way even when they expect me not to, because they have the right of way. When I notice bicycles getting passed too closely, I'll ride behind them and offset slightly to ensure passing traffic gives them the clearance they're legally entitled to. I'm not saying this because I consider myself a hero, I'm saying this because I have been the cyclist in this situation or the pedestrian in this situation and therefore I have empathy for them. I am saying this because I am clearly not the asshole you've decided I am based on a caricature you've created in your head based off a single comment.

> Look inward.

People are always happy to find some member of an outgroup to blame for society's ills while ignoring those of their ingroup.

Let's all take a moment to look inward, shall we?