MidwestMike wrote:
You are thinking loud noise attracts the dogs???

Did you ever pull in the clutch and really rev it when a dog starts to come up to you?

Did you ever observe a dog attack or chase a car or bicycle, something that was making less noise, but still moving...?

I didn't say it attracted them, but what I have noticed is how the sound agitates them. I've seen lots of dogs on leashes go practically berserk as I approach them making them difficult for the owners to control. I know that being quieter won't completely solve the problem because a misbehaved dog is just as likely to chase a bicycle or a jogger as it is a motorcycle. My thinking is that I can get past most of those occasions because I'll be past them before they know it.

drumsonly2002 wrote:
Never had any dog problems while riding but appears very dangerous. That is a serious problem to encounter. Hard to deal with any type of situation as it takes both hands to control the bike in most cases. What to do when attacked by a dog? That is a life threatening problem as one could crash and do major harm to one self or others over an unsupervised dog. Is it legal to stab or club the threat for self-preservation, or will the tree huggers sue?

My first concern was to control myself and the bike, so my full attention was concentrated on doing just that. The animal was clearly in an agitated state and yelling at him with my visor down wasn't making a big impression on him or the owner for that manner. To be honest I don't think killing the dog was first and foremost on my mind...getting his attention and having him break off the attack was. In a small town you know everybody and it was true in this instance because I knew the owner who afterwards apologized profusely. Admittedly I did suggest that he have the dog put down to prevent this from happening to someone less able to defend themselves.

That,s quite the unique situation you have there. I,m thinking possibly there are not that many big cruiser bikes in your town and these Northern dogs tend to be high strung ( hyper sled pullers ) maybe your bike its,self is strange enough to set them off as opposed to the pipes, it,s not likely every walking dog you come upon you rap off your pipes. I experienced kind of a similar thing in Phoenix which proved to me the average mutt in his yard or street dog running loose reacts violently to an unusual confrontation. I could no longer jog or bicycle for daily exercise ( burnt my knee joints out playing hockey most of my life ) so i tried roller blades on the streets. Man, talk about hanging out a sign for all dogs corralled in their yards or running loose to make me a target. I was already used to carrying pepper spray while walking my dogs so i carried it while rolling, there was something about a guy rolling down the street on those little wheels that drove all dogs crazy. And i never saw anyone else do that on our local streets. I,m sure your aware of bear spray canisters in Alaska, but they would be too large for your bike situation, but you certainly could carry the small hand held in a cup holder type thing on your bike available to grab, and the neat thing is most dogs, ( pit-bulls excepted, i know from personal experience fending off that breed ) once you hit them with pepper spray, they see you again they tell you plainly, i,m ok. don,t spray me again!! The down-side of pepper spray is you will get yourself too, not likely the perfect scenario where the attacking dog is downwind from you, but it,s easier to choke off pepper spraying yourself than having meat ripped out of your body. You can effectively shoot a pistol from your rolling bike with left hand, but it tends to work only in a controlled situation. When you get a surprise encounter like you did you only have time like you said to control the bike and preserve your own safety. Tough one for you, my thought of course is if he is,nt right in front just gas that big v-twin and scoot, easier said than done.

Midnitmike wrote:
mbk wrote:
If dogs come up to bite you because of your pipes, I would recommend this silencer . . . . .



I'm a lifelong dog owner, but I love that philosophy. All I would need is an extra set of hands and feet to pull it off the next time something happens in less time than it takes to tell.


Why would you need a extra set of hands and feet? If the dogs come out to bite you or possibly make you wreck the bike simply stop, put the kickstand down, get off the bike and shoot the sonsofbitches!!! Then have a nice ride.

I've had dogs chase me while I was running or riding my bicycle. And I'm not making that much noise. Keep the pipes and send a bill to the owner of the dogs for your medical bills. They shouldn't' be free to chase bikes. Next time might be a kid on a bike, or an old man running.

Might work / might not, but have you thought about mounting an eclectic air horn on your bike. There are several models that are loud as hell. It is not going to make you friends with the dog, but if he is baring down on you and you give him an unexpected blast in the face, I would think he would hesitate a bit, possibly long enough for you to roll on by. . . . just a thought.

I had similar responses from dogs when I had V&H longshots. I've since gone to Bassani duals with 4" mufflers. They give a much deeper tone and I don't have dogs run out anymore either.

As far as dogs go, they'd have to be square in front of me for me to brake, otherwise I'm twisting the throttle to change the intercept point.

I took my grandaughter for a ride in my sidecar at Christmas, and my bike has V&H's Longshots. I haven't heard from her since. It's the pipes.

Midnitemike. Let me know what you want to do about the OEM pipes. They are yours for the shipping. I'm betting that their are other R* riders in Alaska that have OEM pipes just sitting around.

The same asshole dogs chase me with my Road Star (also with longshots) chase my SV650 with stock exhaust. I love dogs myself, but if the horn don't ward them off I have and will continue to kick the shit out of them. I'll be damned if I let someone's pet get a piece of me when I'm driving by. Boot in the ear or snout gets their attention. I'm not trying to hurt them, but I make damn sure they have a negative experience.