Topic: Loud bikes...

[techy5025]

.....this should make for some interesting discussion! 

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=bizarre&id=5593943

Jim

[boatsdickson]

Loud bikes...

A good rule of thumb is that your average motorcycle -- as approved by government standards -- should hum like a sewing machine, she said.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
                                                         BULLSH!T
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[kslrr]

This is nothing more than another attack from the anti motorcycle crowd.  There are those people that get off from telling others what they can and cannot do!!!!!!!!!11

[upperlake04]

  I consider myself a part of the motorcycling crowd. Loud pipes, in an area used by other people, are obnoxious and rude and show the owner to be self-centred and lacking in respect for his fellow citizens.
 Just to point out the view of the other side

[HITMAN]

Gads, they whine because they cannot hear their cell phone while driving, talking and sipping that mocha.  Nobody seems to complain about my Suburban w/Detroit deisel, on a cold day it's considerably louder than any of my bikes.

The officer that pulls me over better have a tape-measure of decible meter, otherwise he/she will be very unhappy in the courtroom.

[tramp]

most people who hit motorcycles never heard them

[Daves_76_SS]

most people who hit motorcycles never heard them

Exactly!!!

[droopy]

riders in New York City are subject to a minimum $440 fine for having a muffler or exhaust system that can be heard within 200 feet.  my bikes have to stay away from new york city stock there loud enough to be heard that far at idle 

[mick750F]

most people who hit motorcycles never heard them

   More importantly they probably never saw them...

   Most people who have been in a cage on cage accident never heard the the other cage either...at least until it was too late.

   Personally I don't care much for loud pipes on the street. Bikes that set off car alarms and wake the dead are just plain rude, obnoxious and extremely inconsiderate. They're not saving anyone's life, just degrading the life of people around them. Wearing bright orange/green/yellow safety colors will go a lot further in making your presence known than loud pipes will though I doubt that wearing them makes much of a difference either. Your best defense is YOU! Ride like everyone is out to get you. People that hit bikes are usually too preoccupied, too feeble, too self-centered or too fundamentally challenged to even be aware that there's anything besides them on the road. Needless to say, these people should be taking public transportation and shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of anything more advanced than a Playskool steering wheel.

Mike

[m00ntan]

From Baltimore.  Loud exahust is bull#$%*.  Most have taken out their baffles without adjusting their filters or jets.  I had somebody who wanted to ride into the indoor garage without baffles.  It's insulting.  I can blow an air horn into their face and get the same affect, and the bike will last longer.

[mark]

Had some twit on a hog pass me in the pickup a while back. He just HAD to demonstrate his drag pipes(pull the clutch and throw a big rev - just to be an a--hole) on the way by.

What saved his dumb a$$ that time was not the loud pipes, but the fact that I couldn't kick the door open in his face at 65mph.

My 2 cents on the matter.


Happy trails.

[oldbiker]

If I could afford a Rolls Royce, I would revel in its silent comfort!

When I ride my CB I am proud that it is relatively quiet showing that it is a fine bike which does not need to advertise its presence by making a noise.

When I was racing the volume did not matter, but in a suburb of a city quietness is politeness.

[upperlake04]

If I could afford a Rolls Royce, I would revel in its silent comfort!

When I ride my CB I am proud that it is relatively quiet showing that it is a fine bike which does not need to advertise its presence by making a noise.

When I was racing the volume did not matter, but in a suburb of a city quietness is politeness.

That could only have been written by an English gentleman with the self-assurance that comes with maturity.  Cheers OB

[Bikebuff]

If I could afford a Rolls Royce, I would revel in its silent comfort!

When I ride my CB I am proud that it is relatively quiet showing that it is a fine bike which does not need to advertise its presence by making a noise.

When I was racing the volume did not matter, but in a suburb of a city quietness is politeness.

That could only have been written by an English gentleman with the self-assurance that comes with maturity.  Cheers OB

BOTH are well, well said!

Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin the din of loud pipes by Harley's is an everyday occurrence, which is to say most appear to be unaffected by it.  I, for one think its ridiculous and quite obnoxious.  However, on the track its nice to hear the bikes' symphony of sound.  Quite the melody to my ears. 

Prost!

[Shiftredline]

I live in Baltimore Also. I hate getting invovled with these stupid debate but here is my take. I live in a neighborhood that just about everyone has a bike with loud exhausts. it is accepted. Most of us on my street try to do the least amount of warm up on the bike when we leave in the morning so we are not waking the whole neighborhood. My Honda Chopper has a loud exhaust. And I like it. I am however not like some A'holes who go around blipping the throttle every chance they get. I do believe it has aided in the fact that other vehicles on the road hear me if I am caught in their blind spot. Then again I do not ride my bike around Malls or Establishments just to show off.

Well that is my $0.02 .

[USN20]

Funny how the anti-motorcycle crowd complains about loud bikes. When in fact there are way more boom-box vehicles on the road thumping and bumping away 24/7 regardless of the season. Most of us have experienced the window-rattling effects. This behavior seems to be acceptable to law enforcement but yet the bikes are singled out for their "excessive" noise levels. Where is the justification for this double standard? Please do tell ...  

[cafehonda]

Most people who complain about loud pipes don't ride and therefore aren't concerned with what happens to those who do. I don't care for children, but I get assailed and regailed with the ever more fascinating stories of their cute activities. I ride with loud pipes, they talk incessantly about their kids. It kinda balances out.

[martini]

I can see the argument for loud pipes and I'm not oppossed to those that have them thinking that it makes them safer. What I can't stand, and think is obnoxious and ridiculous, is bikes so loud that they actually cause rattle windows. IMHO this has nothing to do with safety and is probably more a reflection of the size of a certain part of the riders anatomy. My 2 cents.

[TwoTired]

I live in a neighborhood that just about everyone has a bike with loud exhausts. it is accepted.

I expect this sentiment is echoed by several of the "Loud Bike Crowd", so don't take the following as a personal attack.
 I believe the statement that "It is accepted" is a misinterpretation.
They may have simply decided that the noise being made wasn't worth the effort of hurling a brick at the perpetrator.  Or, eliminating the problem at its source.  They also know that calling the police will, at best, bring a patrol car 15-30 minutes after the event has past, and then only if there isn't something else to do or they feel inclined to do more paperwork.
Even if you actually have a neighborhood where each and every individual "accepted" bike noise, do you only operate your bike in that neighborhood?  I venture to predict that other neighborhoods you ride through find people who are not so sympathetic to loud pipes.  Do you care?  If not, this would explain noise ordinances and their proliferation.

I have noisy bikes in this neighborhood, as well, along with the boom cars that try to make up for the small engine size and low IQ levels with festival levels of speaker emanations.
It is not accepted, it is forced upon me and my family.

Infants and children always push the boundaries of behavior in order to establish just where those boundaries are.  Some people don't mature beyond this practice.  If Joe cool has a loud bike, then I'll make mine louder to be "cooler". Besides, who's going to stop me?

Well, it is communities that have had enough of infantile behavior, that will stop you, or make you pay dearly for it.  Infants and children also complain loudly when limits are imposed.

Usually, if you slap someone in the face (or ears) often enough, something will be done to get you to stop.  Can someone that doesn't deserve punishment be hurt, too?  You betcha.  Especially with an over-reaction.  However, if you loud pipes guys won't police yourselves, why do you not expect an abused society won't do it for you?

Your freedom to persue happiness does not extend to my ears.  I love the sound of a well tuned engine singing the horsepower song... at the track.  But, not when I'm trying to sleep through the flu or cope with other illness, hear a quiet passage of music or movie, have a discussion with a family member, have a phone conversation, or simply relax after a long day in a noisy, hectic environment.  Your noise intrusion is a personal attack.  It is NOT accepted, even if it is tolerated on occasion.

Do I pay for your adolescent persuit to be noisy on a bike?  Yes, I do. With extra animosity from drivers at anything on two wheels.  Is THAT fair?  Do you like being a willing accomplice to other bikers injuries?
You want to save lives?  Stop antagonizing the populace, be they bikers or not.  It is a problem within your control to do something about.  How many excuses will you use to avoid taking appropriate action?

Regards,

[upperlake04]

 Thats telling them TT

[Rocking-M]

I don't know why Upperlake got into this topic, he's to damn old to hear anything anyway. 

[neil young]

i have a four into one Kirker,its loud so i switched to a set of nos jardines.still loud but in a nicer way. i know my riding buddies think so anyway (my buddy mike hated riding behind me)my neighbors kids liked the Kirker tho

[techy5025]

This issue may be settled not by noise ordinances but rather by emission laws. It's only a matter
of time before other states follow California regards emissions.

I recently bought a replacement exhaust off eBay to replace the one I dinged when I dropped the
bike. Then I noticed that the pipe...although it fit OK...had a catalytic converter in line. Got to checking
and found all the new bikes sold in California have one. Actually, it probably helps the gas mileage because
with it the bike can be run leaner. To use it requires a different computer and other stuff so I am looking
for a "non-California" pipe.

You can always gen up an excuse to justify bad practices. As I've said before, I believe the argument that loud
pipes save lives is hogwash. The real reason is to attract attention to the owner....just like the loud boomboxes.

Why would anyone want to ride around on something that will eventually make them deaf?

Jim

[firecracker]

...Why would anyone want to ride around on something that will eventually make them deaf?

When I was a kid, somebody told me that the bikes weren't loud to the rider, because they were riding so fast, the sound was behind them.

You mean that's not true


 

[Shiftredline]

I live in a neighborhood that just about everyone has a bike with loud exhausts. it is accepted.

I expect this sentiment is echoed by several of the "Loud Bike Crowd", so don't take the following as a personal attack.
 I believe the statement that "It is accepted" is a misinterpretation.
They may have simply decided that the noise being made wasn't worth the effort of hurling a brick at the perpetrator.  Or, eliminating the problem at its source.  They also know that calling the police will, at best, bring a patrol car 15-30 minutes after the event has past, and then only if there isn't something else to do or they feel inclined to do more paperwork.
Even if you actually have a neighborhood where each and every individual "accepted" bike noise, do you only operate your bike in that neighborhood?  I venture to predict that other neighborhoods you ride through find people who are not so sympathetic to loud pipes.  Do you care?  If not, this would explain noise ordinances and their proliferation.

I have noisy bikes in this neighborhood, as well, along with the boom cars that try to make up for the small engine size and low IQ levels with festival levels of speaker emanations.
It is not accepted, it is forced upon me and my family.

Infants and children always push the boundaries of behavior in order to establish just where those boundaries are.  Some people don't mature beyond this practice.  If Joe cool has a loud bike, then I'll make mine louder to be "cooler". Besides, who's going to stop me?

Well, it is communities that have had enough of infantile behavior, that will stop you, or make you pay dearly for it.  Infants and children also complain loudly when limits are imposed.

Usually, if you slap someone in the face (or ears) often enough, something will be done to get you to stop.  Can someone that doesn't deserve punishment be hurt, too?  You betcha.  Especially with an over-reaction.  However, if you loud pipes guys won't police yourselves, why do you not expect an abused society won't do it for you?

Your freedom to persue happiness does not extend to my ears.  I love the sound of a well tuned engine singing the horsepower song... at the track.  But, not when I'm trying to sleep through the flu or cope with other illness, hear a quiet passage of music or movie, have a discussion with a family member, have a phone conversation, or simply relax after a long day in a noisy, hectic environment.  Your noise intrusion is a personal attack.  It is NOT accepted, even if it is tolerated on occasion.

Do I pay for your adolescent persuit to be noisy on a bike?  Yes, I do. With extra animosity from drivers at anything on two wheels.  Is THAT fair?  Do you like being a willing accomplice to other bikers injuries?
You want to save lives?  Stop antagonizing the populace, be they bikers or not.  It is a problem within your control to do something about.  How many excuses will you use to avoid taking appropriate action?

Regards,

TwoTired,
No I did not take this as a personal attack. This is how you feel and I respect your opinions. You know the problem with issues like this is that you could bring anything into it. The neighbors gas weed wacker is annoying. He works all day then comes home when my kids are taking a nap and wants to cut his grass. You see what I mean. We could argue that just about everything we do in  life affects someone. Like I said before I do not know why I even got started in this topic.

[tsp37]

I'm with the quieter is better crowd, although the rumble of a BIG V8 in good form can still give me goosebumps.  But then again, I don't have to live with that racket all of the time.  A smooth 396 at idle sings a lullaby that can fill my sleep with sweet dreams.

[techy5025]

I can somewhat understand the lawn mower analogy, but the difference...in my opinion...is that most people don't remove
their mufflers to deliberately make them noisier. The noise is just inherent in the operation of the beast.

Jim

[sparty]

My new exhaust will most likely be loud - Kerker with a 2" comp baffle.  But with my ear plugs it will be quite enough.  As long as I don't whap the throttle at stop lights, I don't think there will be many complaints.  My exhaust is necessary to get the power out of my high HP mill.  There are tons of guys in my area with v-twins with exhausts that are VERY loud, much louder than mine.  As long as they are crusing the roads, my bike will be considered quiet.

Sparty

[Steve F]

One man's "noise" is another man's music!  I'm not too fond of the loud pipes in residential areas.  Even a bike with straight pipes can learn not to go full throttle down the street, and keep the music at a sensible dB level.  But then, there's my neighbor with the Harley crowd that blast down the street....any time of the day waking the dead.

[upperlake04]

 Well Jim - a quick tally of unique responders shows 11 yays and 11 nays, with 1 fence-sitter and 1 confused miscreant who didn't realize there was a question   A well-rounded group I'd say.

[GoatBaSS]

 
For me,
stealth
is key.
 


How else do you guys bend the speed limit late at night without getting caught. Cant be sly if they hear you coming. 

[cleveland]

That crap would never pass here in Milwaukee.  LOL  Got to thank Harley for that. 

Pro teal excluded, Chicago is filled with whinny people.  They banned sidewalk mascots (Liberty taxes lady liberty, Verlo Mattress man, Culvers guy, etc) because they "distract drivers and cause accidents."  What really happened is a local politician spilled some of his coffee on his self while juggling his phone, coffee, smoke, and trying to driving all at the same time.  Instead of manning up and taking responsibility for his actions, he pushed to have them banned and won.  Those people make me sick. 

[nickjtc]

I have an article written by an English motorcycle journalist somewhere at home, about the impact loud pipes have on the people around the rider. His most incisive comment, however, went along the lines of......

Rider on bike with obnoxiously loud pipes (NOTE: this could be a cruiser OR a sportbike with 'for off road use only' race pipes):

....."Look at me and admire the vastness of my penis."

Innocent onlooker:

....."Wanker!"

Being the GHOF that I am (and now GGHOF: see other post today) I just don't get it. Why would you seek to piss off the (non-riding) public around you? Anyone who still clings to the belief that 'loud pipes save lives' is deluding themselves. There is no reference in the Hurt Report             ( http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html ) to any accidents which may have been averted if the motorcycle had loud pipes.

A friend who had loud pipes on his sportbike ended up with a speeding ticket and a fine for the loudness of his pipes simply because he commuted past a police station every day and upset one of the admin staff so much that they camped outside one day and stopped him.

GGHOF, out.

[sandcastcb750]

This noise situation is mostly a Harley or Harley clone problem. They think more noise is more power, which is ofcourse is incorrect, and in some cases maybe makes the bike run worse.

If you buy new NOS Honda pipes for CB750s (like HM300s), they say not to be used on 1983 or newer models. Good luck making them fit, ha ha.

[cleveland]

I have to disagree.  Loud pipes (not obnoxiously loud, just loud) do bring awareness of the bikes presence.  We ride bikes, so it is in out nature to always be on the look out for someone on a bike.  A lot of people have never ridden a bike or know anyone that does ride.  So they tend to be less aware of riders. 

Personally I don't see any difference between someone that has loud pipes, a loud muscle car, or someone that plays their radio too loud.  It is a "cool" factor for the person.  I may not want to hear the vehicles, but I don't want to infringe on their civil liberties either.   

Who we want to think of us as cool directly effects how we try to be cool.  I have have a pair of sponge bob square pants pajamas because my kids this that is cool.  I could give a dam what the guy next door thinks of them. 

So I think it has more to do with who we want to impress and less to do with penis size. 

[boatsdickson]

I have have a pair of sponge bob square pants pajamas because my kids this that is cool.  I could give a dam what the guy next door thinks of them. 

Yeah, but do you have a spongebob shirt? 

[cleveland]

I don't think I have one of those, but it looks like it would be fun to play with. 

[nickjtc]

Someone could lose an eye getting too close to that.