Your story made me think of my divorce a bunch of years ago and how it would have been a lot easier to clear my head and sort things out if I would have had a bike at the time and taken a road trip like you. Looking forward to part 2!
On loud pipes saves lives (#2), I could just about agree when it comes to lane splitting. The exhaust noise would bounce of the other vehicles and possibly warn the cars that something is coming. Otherwise I agree, loud pipes do more harm than good. Especially with the public's perception of motorcyclists. Take Boise Idaho for example. They just passed a law banning all but stock pipes. As far as it being better to split lanes than stay in your own lane(#10)well, that's certainly debatable.
On loud pipes saves lives (#2), I could just about agree when it comes to lane splitting. The exhaust noise would bounce of the other vehicles and possibly warn the cars that something is coming. Otherwise I agree, loud pipes do more harm than good. Especially with the public's perception of motorcyclists. Take Boise Idaho for example. They just passed a law banning all but stock pipes. As far as it being better to split lanes than stay in your own lane(#10)well, that's certainly debatable.