A dangerous myth: Loud pipes alert car drivers

[Grahameeboy]

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like the noise....


I'll still stand by what i've said previously in this thread though.

Lier lier...exhaust catch your pants on fire..

I must me odd cause I luv the sound of my standard SV pipes.......never been a 'noise' person.......

[Wolf]

I've just browsed through the whole thread and I can't seem to find anyone who thinks its a good idea to rely on a loud exhaust.

Most people who are for loud pipes seem to say that they can be useful in certain situations. I can't really see how anyone disagrees with this.

I disagree with it because they annoy the shit out of people - that is equally true for motorcyle exhausts and those wanky metal rubbish tins found on the backs of some cages.

Being a nuisance to achieve something of debatable merit, when the answer is to be more alert yourself, seems of no value to me.

In my experience, the alert people are going to be aware of you anyway, even if your bike were whisper-quiet, and the oblivious ones are not going to notice you whatever you do.

I've had a bike with an overly loud (as in receiving warnings from the Traffic cops to "get it fixed or get ticketed") exhaust and I've had really quiet bikes. I have not noticed any appreciable difference in the amount of work I have had to do to ensure I don't get hit by other road users.

The percentage of people who have been demonstrably aware of my presence has been the same - suggesting that they were in an alert state anyway. The majority still acted like dicks despite the fact that the bike's noise was literally painful.

I suspect the only people I seriously got to notice my loud bike were the poor fuckers in the houses I passed who were trying to sleep or watch their TV shows.

I'd personally rather not annoy people and continue being alert to the possibility that someone is going to be "silly".

[Wolf]

And to those who claim that drivers notice them because of their pipes,You will never know why they notice you,wether it was the pipes or the headlight or movement in the mirror.
Unless you approach a group of legally blind drivers.

I fully agree. I had the same percentage of people notice my noisy bike as I had notice all the quieter bikes (and that very same bike when the muffler was in good repair) - which I take to mean that had the bike still been in good repair and quieter, they probably would have noticed me anyway. The fucking great hole in the pipe just before the muffler certainly didn't prevent people from pulling out in front of me...

[chickenfunkstar]

I disagree with it because they annoy the shit out of people - that is equally true for motorcyle exhausts and those wanky metal rubbish tins found on the backs of some cages.

Being a nuisance to achieve something of debatable merit, when the answer is to be more alert yourself, seems of no value to me.

In my experience, the alert people are going to be aware of you anyway, even if your bike were whisper-quiet, and the oblivious ones are not going to notice you whatever you do.

I've had a bike with an overly loud (as in receiving warnings from the Traffic cops to "get it fixed or get ticketed") exhaust and I've had really quiet bikes. I have not noticed any appreciable difference in the amount of work I have had to do to ensure I don't get hit by other road users.

The percentage of people who have been demonstrably aware of my presence has been the same - suggesting that they were in an alert state anyway. The majority still acted like dicks despite the fact that the bike's noise was literally painful.

I suspect the only people I seriously got to notice my loud bike were the poor fuckers in the houses I passed who were trying to sleep or watch their TV shows.

I'd personally rather not annoy people and continue being alert to the possibility that someone is going to be "silly".

Yeah, they could annoy people, particularly if ridden inconsideratly. I am aware of this and do try to be as considerate as possible, particularly at night in residential zones. I think that's really another argument though.

I don't think the exhaust on my bike is dis-tastefully loud, but I guess one mans 'nice' exhaust is another man's 'obnoxious' exhaust.

I'm sure plenty of people would disagree that a loud exhaust makes NO difference to cagers awareness of a motorbike.

If the absolute worst thing loud pipes can do is make no difference to cagers awareness and the best thing they can do is create quite a bit of awareness, on average they'll make at least some difference? (If that makes any sence)

[SVrunner]

There will always be someone who misses us & pulls out.
The main point is to be noticed.
If lights on, wearing Hi Vis jacket, white helmet or louder than normal pipe helps somebody not paying full attention wake up & notice you then it's worth it.