Is a noisy bike safer?

[QUOTE=r11rs94;429741]
Are the Oakland PD's loud aftermarket pipes justified, or is this a case of law officers taking advantage of their positions of power? Do you think loud pipes will save officer's lives?[/QUOTE]

I remember when that story broke...I was amazed at such Hogwash...pun intended. They did seem to have some dumb belief that that was going to make a difference. I also wonder about the DOT approved muffler legislation coming...are they exempt?

When I was in Austin for Loud Bike Night Parade during the ROT Rally, I asked a MotoOfficer what he thought of the switch to BMW's that was happening that year...he showed me his big knarly HD tattoo and told me BMW's sucked and he was quitting Motors Division because of it,what a goof.

One of my sons drove an ambulance when he was going to college, and frequently told stories of people being TOTALLY oblivious to flashing strobes, whelping sirens, and flashing high beams, so my vote would be NO.

I live in the country, and guess what I can hear coming down the road, almost as much as the loud ppipes guys.........................the guys with the huge woofers booming inside their cars, and most have their windows up. If they are not deaf, they will be soon.


Oh, and ALWAYS ride like you are invisible, because most of the people behind the steering wheel are passengers, not drivers.

Maybe Obama can get us some econmic stimulus money for a Loud Pipes Grant. I'd also like to know if hankys are snell approved:dunno

I have an ex-brother-in-law who bought aftermarket pipes for his bike (not a BMW). When we rode the maiden voyage with him, after a few hours he asked me if I had anything for a headache and if I still carried earplugs. I gave him earplugs and tylenol. The next time we rode he had changed em back to stock, then the next time out, back to aftermarket....etc...etc. Finally one of our riding buddies asked him real seriously if those pipes came with extra bolts and screws, and he said no, why? Well he was going to need em if he kept changing em out every other ride. Personally, it doesn't matter what someone else does to their bike. It is their preference. But from what I have come to realize is you do hear em coming, but not nearly as loud as when they have passed and are going away. Just my opinion.


My Son has a set of staintunes on his R1100S. It has baffles you can take in and out. Does sound awesome! Son likes em out, Dad likes em in.

I always like to state the obvious. If you are in a dangerous situation you should have good brakes and be on them not on the gas creating more speed and noise. loud pipes are a joke and the crowd that loves them ride different bikes than us and there is no changing that. At least most of the time they are also drunk which helps at first with the pain of the crash.

Brett Endress
Altoona Pa

[QUOTE=Brettendress;430652]loud pipes are a joke and the crowd that loves them ride different bikes than us and there is no changing that.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about that. I have seen and heard many BMWs with loud pipes.

The funny thing is, these guys think they are actually getting more horsepower. I always thought BMW riders were smarter. :whistle

[QUOTE=[B]Motorcycle Safety Strategies for Avoiding Panic Braking or Swerving[/B]

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Thanks for posting this Steve - some very pertinent info.

What I would like to see is some "awareness of motorcycles and how to respond to them" in driver ed and testing. Many younger drivers have absolutely no clue how to deal with motorcyclists.

My other pet peeve - we have this multi billion dollar interstate road system that is not included in driver education (in my state). It gets completely fouled up by driver's stupidity and ignorance.

My rant for the day.

Hey guys, your response has been awsum. This has been my best thread yet. Thanks

[QUOTE=bikerfish1100;429553]sound emanates from an exhaust primarily to the rear. the farther away from the source you are, the more it becomes omnidirectional, but it is much more diffiucult to locate the exact location of the source of the noise. both conditions argue against the value of a loud open exhaust in alerting other drivers to your location.

With that said, I [U]always[/U] hear loud bikes coming at me from behind.......


when i am walking.

if i'm in the car, or on my bike... no, i only hear their blatting as i approach them from behind. once i get past them, i seem to go deaf to their racket.

that's my scientific study, and i'm sticking to it.
and fwiw- i find open pipes incredibly annoying. [U]slightly[/U] louder than stock can be nice.[/QUOTE]

Although I've had several makes of motorcycles over the years, I like Harleys a lot, and this topic comes up often. We experimented and found that, as Bikerfish states, the exhaust sound is conical to the rear of a moving bike. A Harley moving toward an intersection is not helped by the sound of it's exhaust, loud or not.

I'm not going to stick my head in a fishbowl and wear matching leathers either .:nono Do you think those guys really care or spend as much time talking about the anal compulsive who wonder if theres been a study as to weather loud pipes save lives . we just like watching you shdder as we go by and set off your alarms...

Old thread, moving this campfire type discussion over to Campfire

To back-up what Bikerfish wrote, some years ago, I read a [I]study-based[/I] article (maybe MCN, but not sure) about the FACT that a cage driver CANNOT get a "directional fix" from hearing a loud noise. This is especially true when the sound is bouncing off buildings, other vehicles, and is mixed with lots of other noise. Mostly, it's just another DISTRACTION (one among many) for our caged friends. It doesn't make them alert for motorcycles, and they may not even connect the sound of straight-pipes with two-wheelers.

Several here have commented on ambulance sirens, etc., and the crazy stuff that emergency vehicle drivers have seen . . . and the above is part of the reason.

More than any other issue, this loud pipes thing is going to produce more and more restrictions on our riding. We are a VERY small minority, and most people HATE loud pipes. [I] Finally,[/I] the AMA has come out against loud pipes. Finally.

Walking Eagle

[QUOTE=rmarkr;430697]Thanks for posting this Steve - some very pertinent info.

What I would like to see is some "awareness of motorcycles and how to respond to them" in driver ed and testing. Many younger drivers have absolutely no clue how to deal with motorcyclists.

My other pet peeve - we have this multi billion dollar interstate road system that is not included in driver education (in my state). It gets completely fouled up by driver's stupidity and ignorance.

My rant for the day.[/QUOTE]

The last year that Drivers Education(meaning teacher education, not student drivers) was a part of the curriculum at my nearby state university was 1975. Who has driver ed these days? Look at the funding and the insurance costs to provide this ,plus the curriculum thats placed in the schools and there's not room for it IF they had the $$$! My rant for the day.

[QUOTE=cruisin;429453]I have to ask; based on the "loud pipes saves lives" motto, doesn't that indicate those folks are [U]sincerely[/U] concerned about safety? If they are indeed concerned about safety, why then, to they refuse to wear helmets and why are they frequently seen wearing only tennis shoes, shorts and a t-shirt while riding? Are the loud pipes so effective that one needs no other safety gear? [B]Or [/B]-- is there another reason entirely for loud pipes? I'll leave it at that and let each answer the questions in a way that they get a warm fuzzy feeling about it all.[/QUOTE]

That's a great point. I have a buddy with a Victory Vegas Jackpot. I refuse to ride behind him as his bike produces a sound shockwave that actually pulsates my chest, not to mention the annoying volume.

The Vegas is a beautiful piece of art. But it is a horrendous motorcycle to ride. OK for a cruise down a straight boulevard, but completely inadequate and dangerous to ride on a mountain road--and no fun.

And if loud pipes are there for safety, why do so many BLAST them so loudly when standing still at a gas pump?

It's "hey look at me, I'm cool" all the way.

I was thinking too about why I like quiet pipes. My buddy and I (he's on an 1150RT) ride the NC mountains all the time. Every year, we see a bear or two on the road. We'll get about 100 feet away, stop, idle the engine, and watch. Then a loud piped bike will approach and before it even comes around the corner, the bear will run into the forest. Those guys miss a lot.

"Loud pipes save you from seeing wildlife!"