A dangerous myth: Loud pipes alert car drivers

[marty]

oooh mummy my pipes might be too loud and the police might want to talk to me and no one can hear me and i should ride a mountain bike cause they are environmentally friendly and why wasn't there any signs to tell me there was some gravel on the corner and my bike won't go 300km/h and i can't speed without being scared of getting a ticket and it's not my fault and i like to take up the junga but i don't know where to go to get it.........

[Patch]

I have a full stainless system with Yoshi RS-3 pipes, which were already in place when I bought my baby last month. I don't particularly think any safety gadget is better than the next one as most people have know idea what the hell their mirrors are for, to busy combing their hair, doing lippy or reading newspaper and eating breakfast - idiots, we all know them.

In these cases, pipes ain't gonna help you, but yes, in some instances they do help, especially at the lights when the prick is still stationary at the green, couple of good blips and we're away


I have had mentioned to me on a couple of occasions, other bikers know when I am behind them or I knew it was you, I heard you coming a block away

I wouldn't be without 'em. Personal choice as it is. Each to their own.

[N4CR]

I disagree. I used to have a fair amount of incidents a week where evasive action was needed to avoid crashes with my original exhaust. I was not putting myself into trouble, people were simply slowing quickly and changing lanes, pulling out of ques etc etc the usual shit that retards end up doing. By riding with caution I managed to avoid them all.

After two particularly bad weeks of this crap I decided to chuck on a straight through pipe. No more pullouts no more nothing. It was great. I have very very few incidents where I have to take action any more, mabey once or twice a month.

[Gremlin]

I think a loud pipe does help. Maybe not at motorway speeds, but it does when doing 50-70 ish. I have had people turning around looking for the noise, so they can definitely hear it when I'm a car back. They also move into the slow lane occasionally, which is nice

I won't rely on it, but if it does help, then I won't complain.

[scumdog]

bit.
I didn't hear the motor till he was level with my rear bumper and as he passed me I also saw that he had straight pipes with the only concession to noise reduction being fishtails on the pipes.

So that's how close an unmuffled Harley can get before a car driver will hear it.
Don't rely on your loud pipes waking up some dozy ass in a car,it'll kill you.

Been saying that ALL along, you see the the stickers "Loud Pipes save Lives" but it's a crock - it MAY help but not as much as you think, especially if the engine is not under load.

[Jantar]

I fully agree with ScumDog. Riding with him last week, when I was behind his Sporty I could hear it quite clearly, but when I was in the lead if I couldn't see him in my mirrors I wouldn't have known he was there.

Noisy exhausts only let others know that you have already passed by.

[SlowHand]

Black leather, a snarl and some loud pipes get you more room in traffic than any flouro vest.

So if I wear my black leathers after a bad night of curry and a dozen beers, and proceed to run around making angry cat noises, I could score with a chick in a cheap motel room somewhere?

[Waylander]

Cagers certainly have a surprised look on thier faces when I'm passing between them on my way home from Judea to Papamoa at 5:05pm.

Can only imagine what it's like for the lady on my right in the minivan with the window down as we sit and wait for the lights to change green. Because ofcourse the dick on my left happens to be a boy racer and will no doubt insist on being in front of me when we get across the intersection. He never is though...

Had a guy in a Merc today start to cut me off. Grab the clutch roll the throttle, suddenly he moves back into his lane. (I'm about half a meter behind his rear bumper in the right lane with him in the left)

[skidMark]

Anyone who releys on noisy exhausts,headlamps on,or on highbeam,fluro jackets,daytime running lamps or a rotating beacon on top of their helmet - is flirting with danger.They can be added to your awareness package,but don't make them the basis of your safety kit.

ive got a safety jacket on and headlights on high beam during the day so ill ride but naked cus im such a good rider i won't fall off and because of the lights and jacket cars will see me...

it still amazes me everyday how people on scooters going down the road at 50 kph wear nothing but a hemlet as i have learnt 50 kph is 50 kph doesnt matter if your riding a hayabusa or a pgo comet 50cc it don't matter

and my exhaust is loud and it gets old ladys attention at least get the odd evil look and the one finger salute from the odd granny hahahaha i just go in my helmet laughing my arse off

[dawnrazor]

Oh very good Ms Razor.........now will you 'pipe' down.....he he lol

your just being a catalyst here........no sorry that was shite, was trying to make a catalytic converter pun.....balls....I've clearly exhausted all possible options

[dawnrazor]

So if I wear my black leathers after a bad night of curry and a dozen beers, and proceed to run around making angry cat noises, I could score with a chick in a cheap motel room somewhere?

curry +beer, for fucks sake they'll smell ya before they see you

[Lou Girardin]

What do you meanby 75db? is that the normal noise heard cruising round, or is this the attenuation from outside sources.

0

Internal noise level at 100 km/h is the test.

[sAsLEX]

Been saying that ALL along,it MAY help but not as much as you think.

So you are against a measure which many people have said has helped them avoid being knocked off their bikes? Surely as enforcer of the saftey nazis you would see this as a positive thing?

Ok I will put it another way. Dropping the walking speed to 40 over may reduce the road toll, but not as much as they think. Should we scrap that piece of legislation then?

[Kickaha]

So you are against a measure which many people have said has helped them avoid being knocked off their bikes? Surely as enforcer of the saftey nazis you would see this as a positive thing?

I take it that you and evryone else that advocates loud pipes also have no problem with boy racers and their loud exhausts as well then?


I haven't ever believed the loud pipes saves lives since I had a conti equipped Ducati,didn't ever make any difference travelling in traffic, by the time they heard me I was along side,

I've always thought it was an excuse either
A) dreamed up by someone in advertising to sell a product
B) dreamed up by motorcyclists to justify having them

[Cookie]

Loud pipes aren't to effective at motorway speeds,but they are pretty good at waking up dozy drivers at intersections,if you have something that barks on the over run they certainly look up if you chop it down and back off.My old BSA running Goldy cams and an open megaphone sounded like it was tearing the very fabric of time and space,at 5.30am going to work it sounded like 425db at the very least.

This morning a f*ckwit started to pull out in front of me at an intersection where I had the right of way. I was literally in front of him when he started to come at me from my right.

He was INCHES away from me he finally braked. I had one of those weird bullet-time experiences where I thought about where the point of impact was going to be and wondered how long a smashed shin takes to heal.

All I could do was give him my special "stare of death" as I went past and he stared back as if to say "Where the hell did you come from?".

The sooner I get some LOUD farking pipes the better!

I can't slow to a crawl and sound my horn at every bloody intersection but a little more noise will at least double the sensory input I provide to morons like that - uping my chances a bit.

I am not worried so much about the motorway right now. I am betting I will get hit first at an intersection.