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kkim · August 16th, 2010, 12:08 PM

Gee, who knew such a simple question would raise such a fuss?

The reason I started this was due to the large number of new riders/owners coming on the board and wanting to change the exhaust as one of the very first things w/o even knowing what it does and what damage they are causing.

Will it save lives????Who knows??? If you're riding so unaware that you position yourself in a blind spot of another vehicle or some soccer mom has her windows rolled up, talking on her cell or has the stereo at full volume listening to the greatest hits form the 70's/80's/90's, do you really think you'll be heard even if you are running "the loudest exhaust" they make?

A loud exhaust, MAY save your life in a very isolated incident, but for the most part, no.

We all do things that we feel will insure/increase our sense of safety on the road. If having a loud pipe is one of them, I'm not a believer in it. Alex pointed out some really good alternatives that actually work.

The real damage you do with an obnoxiously loud exhaust is one that deals with public perception. Most that look up when you ride by with that thing are plotting your demise. The average person could care less what your bike sounds like and for the most part they would rather NOT hear you than have to listen to your obnoxiously loud tooter, blaring/spewing your garbage.

Who cares what they think, right... what do they know, anyway?? Well, the dirt bike community used to have the same attitude about bikes many years ago. Manufactures were delivering off road bikes with a token muffler that essentially let the bike make all the noise a two stroke could muster. I owned many of those bikes and thought how great/bad assed I was raising clouds of dust and riding like the world champion

that I just knew I was in someones area behind their houses.

This scenario happened all across the United States and eventually more and more people got fed up with the noise and dust that dirt bikes presented. They organized themselves, appealed to their law makers and riding areas started closing down. Police started to give chase offroad... and you better hope they never caught you.

Today, 2 strokes have for the most part been eliminated from most manufactures line ups. They saw the writing on the wall from Federal laws that would require stricter and stricter emissions standards that was easier to meet using a 4 stroke engine.

Well boys and girls, the same thing is happening today with street bikes. Due to some/many that cannot use some good common sense, they push the acceptable noise envelope and raise the ire of influential people who can change laws to make enforcing a sound limit a reality. They have enlisted the help of the people that shut down the dirt bike riding areas and make it their mission to have you ride a stock exhaust. There have already been attempts in California to make having an aftermarket exhaust on the street, illegal. It's failed for now, but keep on riding with loud exhausts and the scales will tip one day.

I admit it... I'm a contributing factor to the problem. I have an aftermarket system on my bike. But I did so with the full realization of how this fit in with making the bike free of the mandated emissions. And when I did replace the stock exhaust, I did so with the quietest, full system made for our bikes. Hell, I was one of those begging and pleading with Kerry at Area P to develop a quieter version of their race exhaust. That he responded to consumer demand has earned him my respect as a supporter for the little guys. You all don't realize how much of an asset his business model is for our ninjette community. He has a customer for life if he has products that I can use. It is louder at full song and even at idle, but knowing how much sound/noise is a problem with the average citizen, I ride like a granny when in populated area as to avoid attention.

The dirt bike community has a saying to help riders understand the problem of noise pollution...

LESS SOUND, MORE GROUND.

Hopefully, you'll see the similarities between what's happened in the dirt bike world and what is happening in the street bike world.

Ride aware and police yourselves (ourselves) or one day the real police will come knocking on your door about that loud exhaust you have.

August 16th, 2010, 12:08 PM	#108
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Gee, who knew such a simple question would raise such a fuss? The reason I started this was due to the large number of new riders/owners coming on the board and wanting to change the exhaust as one of the very first things w/o even knowing what it does and what damage they are causing. Will it save lives????Who knows??? If you're riding so unaware that you position yourself in a blind spot of another vehicle or some soccer mom has her windows rolled up, talking on her cell or has the stereo at full volume listening to the greatest hits form the 70's/80's/90's, do you really think you'll be heard even if you are running "the loudest exhaust" they make? A loud exhaust, MAY save your life in a very isolated incident, but for the most part, no. We all do things that we feel will insure/increase our sense of safety on the road. If having a loud pipe is one of them, I'm not a believer in it. Alex pointed out some really good alternatives that actually work. The real damage you do with an obnoxiously loud exhaust is one that deals with public perception. Most that look up when you ride by with that thing are plotting your demise. The average person could care less what your bike sounds like and for the most part they would rather NOT hear you than have to listen to your obnoxiously loud tooter, blaring/spewing your garbage. Who cares what they think, right... what do they know, anyway?? Well, the dirt bike community used to have the same attitude about bikes many years ago. Manufactures were delivering off road bikes with a token muffler that essentially let the bike make all the noise a two stroke could muster. I owned many of those bikes and thought how great/bad assed I was raising clouds of dust and riding like the world champion that I just knew I was in someones area behind their houses. This scenario happened all across the United States and eventually more and more people got fed up with the noise and dust that dirt bikes presented. They organized themselves, appealed to their law makers and riding areas started closing down. Police started to give chase offroad... and you better hope they never caught you. Today, 2 strokes have for the most part been eliminated from most manufactures line ups. They saw the writing on the wall from Federal laws that would require stricter and stricter emissions standards that was easier to meet using a 4 stroke engine. Well boys and girls, the same thing is happening today with street bikes. Due to some/many that cannot use some good common sense, they push the acceptable noise envelope and raise the ire of influential people who can change laws to make enforcing a sound limit a reality. They have enlisted the help of the people that shut down the dirt bike riding areas and make it their mission to have you ride a stock exhaust. There have already been attempts in California to make having an aftermarket exhaust on the street, illegal. It's failed for now, but keep on riding with loud exhausts and the scales will tip one day. I admit it... I'm a contributing factor to the problem. I have an aftermarket system on my bike. But I did so with the full realization of how this fit in with making the bike free of the mandated emissions. And when I did replace the stock exhaust, I did so with the quietest, full system made for our bikes. Hell, I was one of those begging and pleading with Kerry at Area P to develop a quieter version of their race exhaust. That he responded to consumer demand has earned him my respect as a supporter for the little guys. You all don't realize how much of an asset his business model is for our ninjette community. He has a customer for life if he has products that I can use. It is louder at full song and even at idle, but knowing how much sound/noise is a problem with the average citizen, I ride like a granny when in populated area as to avoid attention. The dirt bike community has a saying to help riders understand the problem of noise pollution... LESS SOUND, MORE GROUND. Hopefully, you'll see the similarities between what's happened in the dirt bike world and what is happening in the street bike world. Ride aware and police yourselves (ourselves) or one day the real police will come knocking on your door about that loud exhaust you have.