Loud bikes save lives?

Question

You see it, may or may not believe it and definatly hear it, but there has to be a limit as to how loud the bike can be.

I know many riders who completely believe it to be true, I on the otherhand do not fully believe but I understand the why some would and think they are correct but only to a small extent. On a bike even a small benifet has rewards so I have nothing against loud pipes except for the occational guy out reving his bike way too late/early for other reason but to rev it, not trying to rev match a shift or anything other than trying to make noise on a bike with absolutly no baffels.

Where do you guys stand on this one?

Bike you ride?

Area where you are located?

Answer 1

I  BELIEVE been riding for thirty years and they have saved me countless times I try to be quite most of the time but she barks look out if I want some just like to hear themselves.  It was allot more fun back when before all the yuppies.

That guy is just mad coz the guy across the street.. WWWAAAAAA! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Answer 2

no i don't believe so... sure it could tell people there's a bike near by, but espeically in cars that are moving sounds get distorted and it can be difficult to tell where a single noise is coming from, meaning, even with louder sound it would stil be difficult to put a direction to it...

li live east of houston texas, in baytown.i ride a four stroke 200cc dirt bike round my subdivision... it's only loud if i redline it.... otherwise it's pretty quiet... i also have no head light or anything so there's no riding after dark, and i won't take it out and start running it before 10 am (most the people in my subdivision are gone by 8) been doing it a few weeks now, had some neighbors admire my bike, but no one's complained about it yet...

i try to remain as respectful as i can since riders already get a bad reputation. i know i don't really belong on the road (again it's a subdivision) so as far as i'm concerned every car/truck on the road has the right of way.

Answer 3

Loud pipes may be an advantage in a narrow ringe of events. Pissed off voters are much more damaging to the hobby than the tiny advantage gained by the noise.

Answer 4

My argument is that if an extremely annoying and loud exhaust on a motorcycle will bring attention to the motorcyclist then using the same argument drivers in cars can say they would use the same tactic to gain attention by also having extremely loud exhausts or extremeley loud sound systems as they are driving down the street so pedestrains crossing will hear them.

But I'm sure some Harley guy with loud pipes will complain that the guy in the car with that loud bass sound system blasting right next to him, but his loud pipes don't bother anyone.

Those loud pipes set off car alarms which is another annoyance.

The point is that if all motorcycles had extremely loud exhausts, then it would be more annoying than beneficial to the community.

If someone is so afraid of getting on a motorcycle where they need to use extremely loud noises and to be an annoyance to point out where they are, they shouldn't even be on a motorcycle.

The contridicting part is that many of these riders say loud pipes save lives which would indicate they are extremely careful of their well being, yet at the same time, they don't wear a helmet.  Ummm, durrr

Answer 5

If sound doesn't signal proximity, why do emergency vehicles have sirens, and what the heck is the horn for?

Answer 6

Well loud pipes got enough attention to start this thread and for 21 people so far to respond. So there you go. I do not have loud pipes on my bike, just making an observation.

Answer 7

I wouldn't use the word loud. It just can't be silent. I ride a bicycle, and if my bell is loud enough for motorcycles I think a bike as loud as my bike bell is loud enough. I do agree though

Answer 8

you don't hear anything ahead of the bike you say....

bull ****, you don't!

i'm in saskatchewan canada, i have very loud pipes, and i was recently pulled over.  it was a new sgt in my small town that didn't know me yet.  he heard me from 3 or 4 blocks away IN FRONT OF ME, so he pulled me over because of what he heard (yes, i was being an ***, i was accelerating wide open)

once he knew who i was, no ticket, he politley asked me not to rev like that anymore, and i asked him... do you want to see baffles added to this bike, he replied no, it's fine if you don't go wide open in town.

so that busts it.... i was heard to the front by a long ways, and we have nice cops in town that appreciate a nice bike.

i actually just yesterday started it up in my shop for a local constable and he thought it was sweet.

and on the funny flip side, all the squiddies on crotch rockets get pulled over for anything and everything here

you're d**n rights loud pipes make a difference!

Answer 9

I've owned 14 quiet bikes and somehow I lived through it.   The thing is to ride a bike capable of acceleration and maneuverability and then be aware.  I know that is too much to ask of alot of people, considering that half of all bikers are below average intelligence and ride bikes incapable of basic motorcycle dexterity.

One good thing about loud pipes, you know who is an idiot and an ****** immediately.

Being right next to a some tard running straight pipes is bad enough.  But the worst is when you are out in nature, far from the road where you can no longer hear cars or semi trucks......but you hear the idiots on the Harleys loud and clear.  

Too bad there has to be a law to force people to be considerate of others.  Noise laws have my vote.

Answer 10

no they don't they might help a little while in heavy traffic that's about all ,but they sure sound good on any bike

07 H-D Sportster 883L with custom drag pipes I run it  with the baffles installed to quiet it down a little, I live in Southern California

Answer 11

It's been proven over and over that loud pipes do not save lives.  The noise of the pipes go to the side and behind, not out front where you need most to be noticed.

The best proof is that every year in the US several dozen people are hit by trains.  Pedestrians who walk right out in front of trains, and don't see them or hear them, because the noise of a train is to the side and the back of the engine.

This is the same kind of self-justifying urban legend as the one about how helmets cause neck injuries.  People who want to believe them convince themselves and repeat them over and over, but the actual statistics show otherwise.

Loud pipes are for jerks who feel the world is their playpen.  They give ALL of us bikers a black eye.

A few years ago I lived in San Francisco on the third floor of a house.  Across the street was some a**hole with a two-stroke bike with an exhaust extractor that made the most godawful noise.  I haven't heard one of these in quite some time so I assume they are illegal now.  This jerk would get up at 4:00am and rev his bike to warm it up for about five minutes.  No jury would have convicted me if I'd shot him.

Answer 12

I'm a motorcyclist before a cager.

One day while driving my car, windows rolled up and the radio on, I accidentally "almost" ran a Harley with loud pipes off the road into a ditch.

Thankfully because of both our quick reactions, no one was hurt.

The biker was approaching my blind spot.

I turned my head, put on my blinkers and proceeded to change lanes.

He veered to the other side of his lane, accelerated to get along side of me and proceeded to yell and wave his fist at me.

I rolled down my window to hear what he was yelling, as he accelerated away.

His exhaust was so loud, it sounded like the Apollo13 on take off.

My point - with my windows rolled up and radio on, I didn't hear his bike at all.

Answer 13

I believe.

But, there is a point, like most things, where more is not better.

I see people saying that it just lets others know there's a bike around, and not where it is. So be it. There's a benefit, however small, in that. When people hear me, they look for me.

There is also such a thing as too quiet. People are already introducing legislation to INCREASE the noise level of hybrid autos. Blind people see with their ears, and are getting run over.

I run baffled pipes, but louder than stock.

I respect my neighbors, to the point of checking with them.

For the most part, they are not motorcycle people - at all.

Yet, I don't wake or bother anyone. Even when I have to go at 3AM.

Loud pipes save lives? Yes. Especially in in-town traffic.

Loud pipes irritate? Yes. Even me. Don't get me wrong, I love a set of drags, but not on the street.

I aim for the happy medium where my butt doesn't get run over or pulled over.

The bike is a Harley Davidson FXD35.

I ride all over New Hampshire, sometimes into Massachusetts and Vermont.

Answer 14

How about loud tires =). My dual sport hums like a monster truck on the road It's really annoying to listen to.

I hate really loud bikes there is no need for it. People leave the windows up the A.C. and the radio on so they probably won't notice anyway. If you want to get noticed get a brighter head light or leave your high beams on during the day. mabey even a modulator if it's legal where you live.

Answer 15

Yes the noise helps, especially on the freeway in heavy traffic. I know, I used to ride the white line to and from work on 3 freeways every day in L.A. I rode a GS1100EZ and it was quiet and people used to change lanes into me all the time. If it wasn't for the tremendous power of the bike I'd be dead.I would just crack the throttle a little and zoom up to 80 in a second and be out of trouble. Slamming on the brakes would just get you run over.The traffic always heard the HD guys out there and hardly ever ran them into the center divider or off the shoulder.

Answer 16

Anything a cyclist can do to be seen helps his/her chances of avoiding a 2-car wreck. The main problem, as I see it is that the most dangerous car is the one up ahead about to turn in front of a speeding bike. Loud pipes probably won't help as much as running with the headlight on. I've owned over 30 motorcycles and my present bike is a CX650 Honda, being made into a (Morgan style) 3-wheeler. It will have dual megaphones and glass pack mufflers.

Answer 17

No. Loud bikes just tell people there is a bike nearby.  Not where it is or what its doing.

Answer 18

With the drivers on cell phones, music blaring,a nd kids yelling, blind spots on SUVs and minivans.

Many a life has been spared by the loud rumbling of pipes.

Answer 19

They scare deer.

Answer 20

I think they help more with getting deers attention than other motorists. Motorists will be consumed in something stupid like yakking on a phone or eating, putting makeup on or something other than driving and will smash into a cycle without realizing it.

A deer is just a dumb animal with an instinct to stay alive, but have no coordination skills short of seeing food, and eating it. Crossing roads are NOT a deers strong suit. They will seem to scatter if something loud is approaching though.

BMW K75S (loud, 94000 miles)

HD Fat Bob (quiet, 1200 miles)

Answer 21

It is about being seen, unfortunately not for safety (doesn't work that way), but for posing (hey look at me). I like a little sound, but these obnoxious bikes are just eroding our freedom to ride. p**s the right people off and we all get legislated out of existence.

Answer 22

its not true i saw it on myth busters

Answer 23

they do help be notice.....and just for that reason only they help.... sure some are louder than others and some do rev them a bit much even for me a rider but when it comes down to it .. i want them to know im there beide them before they cut me off by not seeing me..... for some reason people can see people on bicycles or people walking  but cant see a motorcycle beside them.... really sucks when a car just pulls over and your there....... sportster and las vegas..... they kill one of us  riders about every week here....stand for louder pipes

Answer 24

Loud pipes don't do anything other than please the owner and annoy the citizenry.  The main result has been a torrent of anti-motorcycle legislation that is even  eroding  free speech and association in some places. Loud pipes are no more effective than deer whistles, the idea that either give a rider an edge is wishful thinking.

A  loud horn is more useful but a quick throttle hand is best.

Though I own two Honda cruisers with stock exhausts, I don't have anything against loud pipes themselves and would much rather hear my next door neighbor's  loud Harley than loud jungle music blaring from a cage.

I live on the TX coast and ride a Honda Valkyrie and Shadow VLX

Answer 25

loud pipes are obnoxious- defensive driving and common sense and sobriety saves lives- i'm safer on my scooter than some a$$hole with loud pipes.

Answer 26

I don't think loud pipes are a valid safety measure.  Particularly, considering that most of the hazards to a biker are going to be in *front* of the bike, and most of the sound from loud pipes is directed behind and/or to the side of the bike.

The American Motorcyclist Association's position on loud pipes is clear.

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/po...

I like the rumble of a beefy exhaust note and I have installed after-market pipes (Hard Krome) on my Honda Shadow ACE 750.  However, I'm honest about it.  I don't pretend it's for safety reasons.

It's because I don't want my bike to sound like a sewing machine.

Santa Fe, NM

Answer 27

I like a  little noise more like good glass packes but the open exhaust no. And there are plenty of studies to show that loud pipes do not save life's.