"Loud Pipes Save Lives"

[Jackrat]

Don't like REAL loud pipes,but a reasonable level of MC music has to be good for ya'.
Harelys with straight pipes give me the shits but a Duke at full noise just has to be one of the coolest sounds out there,almost as good as an XS with punched out baffles that I'm sitting on.

[Bonez]

Don't like REAL loud pipes,but a reasonable level of MC music has to be good for ya'.
Harelys with straight pipes give me the shits but a Duke at full noise just has to be one of the coolest sounds out there,almost as good as an XS with punched out baffles that I'm sitting on.

Hmmmm-gazes at the GB400

[Clockwork]

The poll question may be a little overstated but I hoenestly believe that most drivers are well aware when I'm around. In a year of commuting up and down the Hutt Valley I just don't seem to suffer from the sorts of problems that many rider on this site complain of.

[Marknz]

Yea, I like loud pipes and apparently mine are a bit on the rough side if you're unlucky enough to be behind me. They come to very good effect in traffic, and are excellent when you come across some cager reading, talking on a cellphone or texting while they are driving... great fun.

[Waylander]

Was gonna post this when Wolf first started this thread but my net jaked up on me and I just now got it working.



I think it helps a little. Tells drivers that there is something out there and maybe, just maybe, they might watch out for it. Like it says in that article,

Think about the last time you heard a siren, were you able to identify the location of the approaching vehicle by the sound alone or did you not in fact have to wait to make visual contact with it before you could precisely identify its location relative to you?

That's true but you do usually look when hearing sirens right? You look for the sirens so that you and see if it's something you have to react to i.e. move out of they way and such. My experience has been when a car starts to move into your lane a pulling in the clutch with a bit of brake to let those behind know you might slow down suddenly and giving a good bit of throttle alerts the driver, "hey blind monkey I'm riding here!!" soon enough for them to cease. Kept soccer mom mini van from running me into the median barrier in lace>Aucklandlace> that way once.

[sAsLEX]

There are two types of sound you need to measure - first one is sound level (dB) and is directional. The second method sound power that is non-directional (radiated) and is measured in Bels. There are 10 dB to the bel.

An official way of recording sound level is to measure the bike with a sound measuring device. Its done at half a meter horizontally behind the bike and 45 degrees to the side.

is actually far more complex and expensive, so complex that ltsa couldn't follow simple guide lines so using their masterful intelligence asked Harry the cleaner what he thought would be a good test.

[Drew]

The poll question may be a little overstated but I hoenestly believe that most drivers are well aware when I'm around. In a year of commuting up and down the Hutt Valley I just don't seem to suffer from the sorts of problems that many rider on this site complain of.

I'm the same. But I think it comes from having done it so often, you know what to expect. The down side is complacency, could get me in the shit when a cage driver does something I haven't seen before, but that is getting serious, cos I have seen some crazy shit. The falcon that fell off the ngauranga flyover being the most out-there! Wonder who and what the next one will do to top that.

[The Preacher]

Loud pipes do help when filtering... the cars move over because they can hear you coming... I'm not sure if my pipe is "overly" loud but it does it's job *loves after market pipes*

The Virago has a very quite system so everyone tells me, therefore it must be because I wobble all over the road that makes cagers pull over to the left

[Jackrat]

Hmmm MK2,
Coming to the end of a passing lane an I'm in the slow lane watching my mirrors for the inevitable clown that thinks a truck with nowhere to go is going to get out of their way.I look ahead to see weather this inevitable clown is going to head on the on coming traffic when I can't get out of his way because THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO YA' CLOWN.
I hear/sence something an look down to see a bright green 600cc sport bike right beside my drivers door.Seems todays clown is a biker,a biker that just got by without killing himself (this time)and he knew it too.No sound at all,even from in front.
On another occasion I'm humming along an I hear a sound,check the mirror an here comes an HD around 50 meters back.
Says it all really!!!

[Pixie]

I'm sceptical;all I know is when I'm in a car I rarely hear a bike.Cars are very well sound proofed.
As for the filtering comment, people who pull over for bikes see them in their mirrors.

[Jantar]

I'm sceptical;all I know is when I'm in a car I rarely hear a bike.Cars are very wll sound proofed.
As for the filtering comment, people who pull over for bikes see them in their mirrors.

I must agree with you here. The only times I hear bikes when I'm in a cage is as they pass me, seldom as they are coming up behind.

On my own bikes, I try to to keep the noise down to a minimum, and I wear a well sealed helmet to keep air noise to a minimum. Thus long rides without having to wear ear plugs are normal.

[Mooch]

I'm sceptical;all I know is when I'm in a car I rarely hear a bike.Cars are very wll sound proofed.
As for the filtering comment, people who pull over for bikes see them in their mirrors.

My experience is different; I had a Kawa KR1 250 for many years, stock exhaust. Hardly made any noise below 7,500 rpm. I hardly ever remember car drivers looking in rear vision mirrors when coming up behind them and often had people pull out at intersections. I noticed a marked difference in car driver bike attention with the Ducati. I see far more drivers checking the rear view mirror and more drivers are inclined to move to the left than with the Kr1. It's possibly on the loud side as it runs a full arrows system. I don't filter so I can't speak from that point of view and still ride with the attitude that bikes are invisible to car drivers. But anything that improves my chances of being noticed by other motorists must be a good thing.

[Kickaha]

I don't recall ever having heard a bike coming when I'm driving the ute I normally notice them because I know how to use my mirrors.

personal opinion on the "loud pipes save lives" is that it's just a big wank so people can justify having them.

[Clockwork]

I don't recall ever having heard a bike coming when I'm driving the ute I normally notice them because I know how to use my mirrors.

personal opinion on the "loud pipes save lives" is that it's just a big wank so people can justify having them.

Sorry, but I don't need to "wank" to justify my exhausts...... they're legal, I can afford them and I like them. That all I need thanks.

[Kickaha]

Sorry, but I don't need to "wank" to justify my exhausts...... they're legal, I can afford them and I like them. That all I need thanks.

My mistake I should have been a bit clearer in my comment as there's a big difference in a so called "legal loud pipe" and one that is obnoxiosly loud and obviously illegal