I hauled my butt out of bed early this morning (well, early for me) to go to the local Patriot Harley Davidson dealership, which is one of the staging points for the Rolling Thunder ride into and through DC. I got there just before 8:00, and the line of bikes was already 2 miles long going west on Rte 50 through Fairfax (the group ride pushes off at 9:00). That's significantly longer than the previous times I've gone. The bikes stage in one lane of Rte. 50, in double file.
This year may be the last year of "official" Rolling Thunder, due to increasing costs and organizational challenges. The people who have been organizing it wanted a larger better funded entity to take it over, but as I understand it, there weren't any takers for this voluntary charity event. However, it will probably continue informally with many thousands of bikers showing up each year, just as many showed up on Memorial Day weekend for years before the event became organized.
But the reason I bring this up on this Forum is the thrill of sitting in the middle of thousands of rumbling bikes, many with barely muffled pipes, that shakes your guts. Rolling down I-66 through Rosslyn into DC you pass through a tunnel. Of course, everyone braps their throttles in the tunnel for maximum fun and effect, and I thought, "how could electric motors ever replace this aural and visceral experience? Thousands of electric bikes would sound like a buzzing beehive or lame something else.
Likewise, I'm sure some of you have revved your GT engines with X-pipes inside tunnels and got the same experience. How could a quietly whining electric motor get the blood boiling like a V8 on boost? Ain't gonna happen. Fortunately, I won't live long enough to see all motorcycles or cars switch to electric power plants. To paraphrase Patrick Henry, "Give me Internal combustion, or give me death!!!"
This year may be the last year of "official" Rolling Thunder, due to increasing costs and organizational challenges. The people who have been organizing it wanted a larger better funded entity to take it over, but as I understand it, there weren't any takers for this voluntary charity event. However, it will probably continue informally with many thousands of bikers showing up each year, just as many showed up on Memorial Day weekend for years before the event became organized.
But the reason I bring this up on this Forum is the thrill of sitting in the middle of thousands of rumbling bikes, many with barely muffled pipes, that shakes your guts. Rolling down I-66 through Rosslyn into DC you pass through a tunnel. Of course, everyone braps their throttles in the tunnel for maximum fun and effect, and I thought, "how could electric motors ever replace this aural and visceral experience? Thousands of electric bikes would sound like a buzzing beehive or lame something else.
Likewise, I'm sure some of you have revved your GT engines with X-pipes inside tunnels and got the same experience. How could a quietly whining electric motor get the blood boiling like a V8 on boost? Ain't gonna happen. Fortunately, I won't live long enough to see all motorcycles or cars switch to electric power plants. To paraphrase Patrick Henry, "Give me Internal combustion, or give me death!!!"
