Loud pipes? Grow up!

Forum Sponsor
You're all welcome to your opinions and view points, and I don't doubt that many won't change them regardless of anything anyone else will say.

But next time you're anywhere near a big truck on the road, remember what I had to say about how being able to hear a motorcycle in my blind spot helps me avoid running one over.

And the "People don't change their behaviour" argument is also silly. Unless you're able to read other peoples minds, you have no idea if being heard potentially saved you from being run over to begin with...because people heard your motorcycle, and the the other driver didn't make the move they were potentially going to make that might have resulted in you getting schmucked.

We are not mind readers, therefore it's patently impossible to tell if something you've done helped avoid an accident. By that argument...extra lighting and reflective gear done in an effort to make ones self more visible is also a waste of time because "I've never observed people behaving any differently because of it". You cannot rightfully say that, because of course you don't KNOW that...again, unless you're a mind reader.

Again:

- I am not arguing for obnoxious pipes. I don't want to be that guy, but I also don't want a silent motorcycle. There is a happy medium.
- I am not saying that horns don't also play a part, but horns are reactionary, making some noise is precautionary. Both work well together, but one works all the time, the other...only when it might already be too late. Think about it.

But being heard does help. I am proof positive of it, because I'm the guy who's been on both sides of the fence.
 
On my side of the GTA, the war museum Lancaster could have all 4 engines to the tits and make an emergency landing on the expressway and the talented transport driver wearing his phone headset with bollywood soundtrack kicking at 9 would still just change lanes into him. 10,000hp and straight pipes wont save you over here. #brampton...
 
I'll stick by my conviction that there are only three valid reasons to want loud pipes:

1) Just like when we were kids clothes pinning hockey cards into our spokes. You it want to sound like a real motorcycle. aka it doesn't.
2) You want that extra three horsepower that the exhaust will give you, even though it messes your torque curve up, so that you have to rev the crap out of it or stall.
3) Some salesperson has convinced you to subsidize their income by getting you to believe 1) or 2).

Prove me wrong. We can go back and forth on anecdotal evidence, for years to come, but that doesn't prove anything.
 
I'm European...I use the horn all the time. Car and bike. Most often in the morning at ********** jumping the lights but I'll also give a quick beep if I think I'm going to pass someone who might not know I'm there....also use it approaching the brow of a hill if I'm on a single lane road in case someone is approaching the hill from the other direction out of my sight line. It's reactionary and precautionary. I'm quite happy with my OEM pipe as it doesn't burn my legs which would be the only reason for me to change it. I learned a while ago that a really good way of saving money is not to drop $1k on a useless aftermarket pipe when all it does is piss people off and do diddly squat else.
 
PrivatePilot said:
But next time you're anywhere near a big truck on the road, remember what I had to say about how being able to hear a motorcycle in my blind spot helps me avoid running one over.
Click to expand...
Do you ride much? Big trucks aren't the problem -- I've seen plenty and known plenty of folks that have crashed. Outside of rider error, motorcycle collisions are almost always with light vehicles, and most often at intersections, road access points, and at lanechanges on multi-lane roads.

You're right there is no way to know whether pipes made any one person react differently as I approached, but I can say I have never in 30+ years seen fewer bonehead moves from drivers listening to my noise makers. I don't wear hi viz stuff myself, but a few of my riding buddies have started to wear yellow helmets and jackets -- they swear by them and can all point to situations where a driver has stopped or corrected a bonehead advance.

There's also another fundamental problem : the physics of sound travel. The sound energy from a tailpipe is directed backwards, (think of the tail pipe end like a megaphone), so backwards goes most of noise). Some does reflect around, but most of the noise goes backwards so it's not terribly alerting to the drivers that we normally crash into - they are in front of us. To see what I mean, ride behind a booming bike, then move ahead of it.
 
Mad Mike said:
There's also another fundamental problem : the physics of sound travel. The sound energy from a tailpipe is directed backwards, (think of the tail pipe end like a megaphone), so backwards goes most of noise). Some does reflect around, but most of the noise goes backwards so it's not terribly alerting to the drivers that we normally crash into - they are in front of us. To see what I mean, ride behind a booming bike, then move ahead of it.
Click to expand...

This.

Not sold on pipes making a difference to people ahead of us at 80+.

In the streets? Sure okay i'll bite.
 
crankcall said:
On my side of the GTA, the war museum Lancaster could have all 4 engines to the tits and make an emergency landing on the expressway and the talented transport driver wearing his phone headset with bollywood soundtrack kicking at 9 would still just change lanes into him. 10,000hp and straight pipes wont save you over here. #brampton...
Click to expand...

In that one situation, perhaps. There are many cases, however, where your chances of being noticed by another driver who would not otherwise be aware of your presence is greatly enhanced by engaging their sense of hearing.

Can you tell me why this has to be an all or nothing thing? That is, if the sound from an exhaust can't provide 100% protection in all conceivable (and a few inconceivable) case scenarios, it is of zero value, full stop. Why?
 
Blackfin said:
In that one situation, perhaps. There are many cases, however, where your chances of being noticed by another driver who would not otherwise be aware of your presence is greatly enhanced by engaging their sense of hearing. Can you tell me why this has to be an all or nothing thing? That is, if the sound from an exhaust can't provide 100% protection in all conceivable (and a few inconceivable) case scenarios, it is of zero value, full stop. Why?
Click to expand...
Because people want to use the argument that MORE is better.

My stock pipes are loud enough that many people turn and look, so just imagine how many more would turn and look if they were louder.
 
Last edited:
crankcall said:
On my side of the GTA, the war museum Lancaster could have all 4 engines to the tits and make an emergency landing on the expressway and the talented transport driver wearing his phone headset with bollywood soundtrack kicking at 9 would still just change lanes into him. 10,000hp and straight pipes wont save you over here. #brampton...
Click to expand...

:lmao:
 
MacDoc said:
lots more people venting
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=648485
Click to expand...

I liked this one..
[FONT=&quot]I don't know where you live, but in S Cal you are out of your mind. For the most part, our windows are rolled up and the radios/CDs/tapes are going, so we aren't going to hear your pipes until you are pretty much right next to us. And if you time it just right, you'll startle the driver and you've got a 50/50 chance that he won't startle into you instead of away from you.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]No matter where you live, if you are in traffic, those ******* pipes are going to echo around so drivers aren't going to know where you are until you are on top of them anyway.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]You know what is safer for a rider? Paying attention and not expecting others to save your life. ********, both riders and pipes, cause trouble on the road, and bikes lose in those situations.[/FONT]
Click to expand...
 
Baggsy said:
I'll stick by my conviction that there are only three valid reasons to want loud pipes:

1) Just like when we were kids clothes pinning hockey cards into our spokes. You it want to sound like a real motorcycle. aka it doesn't.
2) You want that extra three horsepower that the exhaust will give you, even though it messes your torque curve up, so that you have to rev the crap out of it or stall.
3) Some salesperson has convinced you to subsidize their income by getting you to believe 1) or 2).

Prove me wrong. We can go back and forth on anecdotal evidence, for years to come, but that doesn't prove anything.
Click to expand...


Weight savings, brah.
 
kiwi said:
I liked this one..

...I don't know where you live, but in S Cal you are out of your mind. For the most part, our windows are rolled up and the radios/CDs/tapes are going, so we aren't going to hear your pipes until you are pretty much right next to us....
Click to expand...

Well, that's good in a way since that's when we really want them to know we're there. Loud pipes it is!
 
A thread on a motorcycle forum complaining about motorcycle noises lol. My bike scares little old ladies and makes little kids give me a big thumbs up. If I wanted to ride something lifeless and boring, I'd call your sister.
 
Mad Mike said:
Do you ride much? Big trucks aren't the problem -- I've seen plenty and known plenty of folks that have crashed. Outside of rider error, motorcycle collisions are almost always with light vehicles, and most often at intersections, road access points, and at lanechanges on multi-lane roads.

You're right there is no way to know whether pipes made any one person react differently as I approached, but I can say I have never in 30+ years seen fewer bonehead moves from drivers listening to my noise makers. I don't wear hi viz stuff myself, but a few of my riding buddies have started to wear yellow helmets and jackets -- they swear by them and can all point to situations where a driver has stopped or corrected a bonehead advance.

There's also another fundamental problem : the physics of sound travel. The sound energy from a tailpipe is directed backwards, (think of the tail pipe end like a megaphone), so backwards goes most of noise). Some does reflect around, but most of the noise goes backwards so it's not terribly alerting to the drivers that we normally crash into - they are in front of us. To see what I mean, ride behind a booming bike, then move ahead of it.
Click to expand...

Mike, the point of the loud pipes isn't just to let the vehicle know you're coming, although they do. It lets the vehicle know you are there, usually in the blind spot. Are you telling me that if you stand at the side of the road you can't hear a loud bike coming down the street? Sure, it's louder if you stand behind it, but the sound disseminates 360 degrees from the source. I can hear an inline four with open pipes when it gets close to me, they're bloody loud. I agree being visible is also important, but in this business you need every tool at your disposal. When I was splitting lanes in California the traffic used to move over because they could hear me coming. I had loud pipes. If I didn't have them they wouldn't have heard a thing.
 
DucatiDan said:
A thread on a motorcycle forum complaining about motorcycle noises lol. My bike scares little old ladies and makes little kids give me a big thumbs up. If I wanted to ride something lifeless and boring, I'd call your sister.
Click to expand...

That`s hilarious. Thanks. So how was the Sister? Lots of noise?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom