Biker Files Complaint After New Pipes Receive Zero Compliments During First Weekend of Laconia Rally

Rally attendees accused of ignoring Eddie “Two Blips” Lawson’s major acoustic investment

By Biker Nation Staff

LACONIA, NH — A motorcycle enthusiast has filed what he is calling an “informal but emotionally significant complaint” after spending the first weekend of the Laconia rally riding around with a brand-new $2,400 exhaust system and receiving absolutely no compliments.

Eddie “Two Blips” Lawson, known by friends for giving his throttle exactly two unnecessary twists before shutting off his bike, said the opening weekend was supposed to be a major moment in his personal motorcycle journey.

Instead, it became what he described as “a complete failure of the biker community to recognize excellence.”

“I didn’t spend twenty-four hundred dollars on these pipes to be treated like some stock motorcycle,” Lawson said, standing beside his bike near Weirs Beach and giving the throttle a short demonstration for reporters, several pedestrians, and one visibly annoyed dog. “At a minimum, I expected three compliments, two questions, and one guy asking me to rev it again.”

According to witnesses, Lawson began the rally in good spirits. He arrived Friday morning, cruised slowly through the Weirs Beach area, parked near a row of vendors, gave the throttle two sharp blips, waited briefly for public reaction, then looked around in confusion when nobody made eye contact.

By lunchtime, he had moved his motorcycle closer to a food stand.

“He kept repositioning the bike every couple of hours,” said his longtime riding buddy, Steve Harper. “At first I thought he was trying to find a warmer spot out of the wind. Then I realized he was looking for better acoustics and a more appreciative crowd.”

Harper said Lawson became increasingly frustrated as the day went on.

“He asked me four times if the new pipes sounded different,” Harper said. “I told him yes because I wanted lunch to be peaceful.”

Several vendors reported that Lawson rode slowly past their booths throughout the weekend, often downshifting for no obvious mechanical reason.

“At first I thought he was having carburetor trouble,” said one vendor selling leather bracelets and skull rings. “Then I realized he was just repeatedly announcing his arrival.”

Another vendor said Lawson appeared to be “fishing for compliments with horsepower.”

“He would pull up, blip the throttle twice, look around, then kind of nod like we were all supposed to understand something important had just happened,” the vendor said. “I sell doo rags. I’m not qualified to evaluate emotional exhaust tone.”

By Saturday afternoon, Lawson had reportedly become convinced the rally itself was the problem.

In a handwritten statement delivered near the rally information area, Lawson accused the first weekend crowd of failing to provide “a fair acoustic environment for individual pipe recognition.” He also requested the creation of a designated “Exhaust Appreciation Zone” somewhere between Weirs Beach and the main traffic jam, where riders could rev their motorcycles and receive “honest but enthusiastic feedback from their peers.”

The request was quickly rejected, citing space limitations, safety concerns, and “the general will to survive.”

“We appreciate Eddie’s feedback,” said one event volunteer. “Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that every exhaust system receives the recognition it believes it deserves.”

The volunteer added that the first weekend of Laconia already contained enough motorcycles, stereo systems, revving engines, and parking-lot conversations to make it difficult for any one rider to “stand out acoustically without becoming a public nuisance.”

Lawson strongly disagreed.

“There’s loud, and then there’s meaningful loud,” he said. “Anybody can make noise. These pipes have character. They tell a story.”

When asked what story the pipes tell, Lawson paused.

“Freedom,” he said. “And maybe mild financial regret.”

A self-proclaimed motorcycle acoustics expert, who was sitting nearby eating fries and watching traffic crawl toward Weirs Beach, offered a more technical assessment.

“His exhaust is definitely loud,” the man said. “But the Laconia environment is saturated. You’ve got baggers, choppers, trikes, stereo systems, Canadian riders, rental Jeeps, confused tourists, and that one guy who keeps starting his bike every nine minutes for no reason. Eddie’s pipes are competing in a crowded emotional marketplace.”

The expert said Lawson’s biggest issue may be unrealistic expectations.

“A new exhaust feels life-changing to the owner,” he explained. “To everyone else, it sounds like another motorcycle interrupting a conversation.”

Despite the lack of public praise, Lawson said he still believes the upgrade was worth it.

“People may not have said anything, but I know they noticed,” he said. “Some of them looked over. One woman covered her ears. That’s a reaction.”

Lawson said he plans to return later in rally week with additional upgrades, possibly including a high-flow air cleaner, a louder cam, and a small sign reading, “Ask Me About My Pipes.”

He is also considering having shirts printed that say, “Yes, They’re New.”

As of press time, Lawson was seen leaving the Weirs Beach area, stopping near the exit, blipping the throttle twice, waiting three seconds, then riding away after no one applauded.