Loud Pipes Save Lives?

[kkim]

What's your opinion of loud pipes on bikes?

[alex.s]

I have a loud pipe. so loud, it hurts my ears even when I have earplugs in. People in cars do not hear me. People who do hear me, STILL refuse to look when changing lanes. It's my opinion that operating under the assumption that you're visible/audible AT ALL is a bad idea and will lead you to put yourself in the situation where someone else is able to cause an accident involving you.

with that said, most bikers compliment the way it sounds.

[ithaca00]

I'll take a perfectly silent bike please.

Loud pipes are like those $5 deer horns. Neither do anything to prevent people from ruining your day.

[HKr1]

i don't care, i'm a bad mofo and just want the loudest pipe so people notice me

lol

[M]

If loud pipes save lives, imagine how many lives could be saved by those riding defensively...

[Blackwidow]

i think you need more options for the poll. Yes, loud pipes do not automatically mean you're never gonna get into a tough situation, but you can't completely dismiss it either. For example, i always drive with a window down, and hearing a bike coming helps A LOT, especially on freeways in traffic, if i hear a loud pipe, i look behind me looking for bikes before i change my lane. Sure there are situations where windows are up and you can't really hear anything, or some people completely ignore to acknowledge the sound or could careless.

In my personal opinion, loud pipes won't save lifes, but it can cut the chance down by a big percent.

[want1sobad]

Originally Posted by ithaca00

I'll take a perfectly silent bike please.

Loud pipes are like those $5 deer horns. Neither do anything to prevent people from ruining your day.

[dubojr1]

I vote we send this to the Mythbusters....

I love my QC Area P Exhaust! I can't imagine why anyone would want it any louder than that.

[Hadyn]

All cars, and especially the expensive luxury ones, are designed to minimize road/wind/outside noise. That level of muffling combined with car stereos, cell phones, bluetooth headsets and passengers pretty much nullify the effects of loud pipes. If someone is distracted enough, there's not a sound in the world that could bring them back to reality.

I've pointed this out before, but people are more or less 'trained' to respond to horns and sirens. The sound of a loud exhaust is just a background noise. Additionally, it's more difficult to pinpoint the position of a droning engine roar than a sharp horn. Unless your pipes are loud enough to break car windows, being aware and using your horn will do you a lot more good than sputtering around town and annoying everyone but the guy who's merging into your lane on top of you.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Blackwidow]

Originally Posted by dubojr1

I vote we send this to the Mythbusters....

I think thats a great idea.

[hubcapbandit]

Originally Posted by ithaca00

I'll take a perfectly silent bike please.

Agreed on that one! Loud pipes just irritate the hell out of me. I don't see the point in them, other than to irritate your neighbors when you leave in the morning.

[00NissanNinja]

I've learned first hand that people won't notice you even if you make a lot of noise, so I no longer ride under the assumption that I can be heard or seen (Heck in some cases people might not even care about hitting you). While a loud pipe in some cases will draw some attention by people who are actually interested in the sound, when you are out on the road most of the time the noise from your pipe wouldn't matter. People have to actually be being attention (like checking their blind spots, listening for things, watching their mirrors, maintaining their lane, etc)and be interested in what is coming in order for any bit of noticing you on a bike.

[bdavison]

I have a story from the other side of the fence.
Last year when I was in Pennsylvania I was in a rental car. We were pretty well off the beaten path on some rural back roads.

I was at a side street about to turn onto a main road. The side street was right at the apex of a turn in the main road so it was pretty hard to see what was coming in either direction.

I looked both ways...real good....and just as I was about to pull out, I heard "loud pipes" so I waited....and shortly after, a fellow motorcyclist rounded the corner.

Now had he been sporting some quiet tooters, its likely he would have become my rental car's new hood ornament.

Im all for loud pipes if you want them. If you like them, go get them.....it might just keep me from killing you.

I also ride with a group regularly. I cant count how many times we've woken up a sidestreet cager with a blip on the throttle. It definitely works, and can be very useful.

[austexjg]

Loud pipes are disturbing - to everyone.

[Reswob]

Originally Posted by austexjg

Loud pipes are disturbing - to everyone.

Which proves that they work. If they're disturbing then obviously you can hear the bike.

[bob706]

You could make an arguement about loud pipes saving lives under certain circumstances but there is no substitute for riding smart and safe.

[austexjg]

Originally Posted by Reswob

Which proves that they work. If they're disturbing then obviously you can hear the bike.

Only after the idiot passes - needing a loud pipe to be safe is a foolish notion.

[CC Cowboy]

I like a silent bike (I'm old) but I think that loud pipes do make you more visible (as in people look for where the sound is coming from).

I have only had a very few bikes that weren't loud.

[Snake]

I voted yes. As others have stated, you can't assume that everyone see's and hears you but every little bit helps. If you use the argument that drivers aren't paying attention and won't hear you even with loud pipes than why go through the trouble of wearing reflective gear? Why? : Because every little bit helps along with driving deffensively.

[Snake]

KKim, So what is your opinion on loud pipes on bikes?

[alex.s]

If someone is attentive enough to notice the sound of a bike, they're probably attentive enough not to smash straight into them. unfortunately there is a LARGE number of people who aren't hardly attentive at all when driving. they drive the same road every day and have their routine and are bored with it so they talk on their phone and do their make-up while they run it and if someone gets in their way, they're in a big expidition so they can be seen so other people know to get out of the way. and if they don't, those people crash. what they crash into doesn't matter. i've seen inattentive people in over-protective cars hit poles, parked cars, i even saw a white expidition with some stupid soccer mom in it crash into a solid wall on her cell phone, get out without hanging up, and sat there with her+her car partial in the intersection screaming at the other person on the phone (who I can only assume was her husband... poor bastard!)

the point is, if someone isn't paying attention, you trying to get their attention with bells and whistles isn't going to work. yes, if you're flying around a blind corner like a bat out of hell, and someone is waiting to turn out, they might hear you. maybe. but instead of relying on that, don't you think it might be a better idea to simply not put yourself in the position where a car could pull out in front of you and you wouldn't have enough margin to avoid hitting them? maybe you shouldn't scream around a blind corner that has a turn out on the other side? didn't know about the turn-out? who's fault is that?

I'm not saying drive slow like a granny, but I am saying relying on others noticing you is a BAD idea. riding outside of your abilities and not maintaining a good margin for error is a BAD idea. and doing it all in conditions where if you mess up, you get hit by a truck is a BAD idea.

[supahamster]

Originally Posted by Snake

I voted yes. As others have stated, you can't assume that everyone see's and hears you but every little bit helps. If you use the argument that drivers aren't paying attention and won't hear you even with loud pipes than why go through the trouble of wearing reflective gear? Why? : Because every little bit helps along with driving deffensively.

^+1, everything counts when it comes to safety. I guess the debate is whether the potential hearing loss is offset by additional safety. Personally I've had situations splitting lanes in bumper-to-bumper traffic, where a loud exhaust helped. It deterred a few non-signalling drivers back to their lane until I passed.

For mild to high-speed riding, I don't think it'll have a significant effect. My 2c

[Blackwidow]

i think sirens are annoying as hell, especially if they are passing right next to me and the sound just pierces my brain cells!

SOUND does get attention, thats why paramedics have it, thats why cops have it and thats why fire trucks have it. Even with those loud sirens, you still get the occastional retard crossing the intersection and smashing into a medic truck. Its a fact we have idiots in the world...but like it was said in this thread, every little bit counts. reflective clothes, loud pipes, defensive riding, they all increase your chances of being seen and heard.

[austexjg]

All those examples are of sirens facing forward - unless you plan on doing the same to your exhaust, there is no comparision.

[Blackwidow]

the comparison is that its sound. some cruisers have super loud pipes, and their not facing forward, i can hear them a mile away.

[Soujyu]

Originally Posted by austexjg

Loud pipes are disturbing - to everyone.

Originally Posted by Reswob

Which proves that they work. If they're disturbing then obviously you can hear the bike.

...and if enough members of the non-riding public get pissed off, we'll be prohibited from riding anything but a 50cc moped or one of those new-fangled electric bicycles.

I've wanted to make my exhaust quieter, anyway. Too bad the market isn't there for that.

[Reswob]

Originally Posted by austexjg

Only after the idiot passes - needing a loud pipe to be safe is a foolish notion.

I can barely hear myself think over the roar of my mud terrains on the highway, but I always hear when a 600+ revvs up and rockets by me - well BEFORE he actually passes me. You know how the doppler effect works, right?

[ScraitT]

There's kind of 3 sides to this...

1) The people who don't notice the loud pipe...even if they DO hear it, they don't care enough to look to see if the bike is 40 feet back, or 3 feet back in their blind spot. These of course are the dangerous drivers that will come over in your lane without really looking...the pipe just doesn't make a difference to these people.

2) The people who hear it and actually care enough and pay attention to where it's coming from. Unfortunately, this scenario isn't nearly enough drivers....also, I'm betting a lot of these drivers see the bike and know it's there without hearing the pipe because they are alert drivers.

3) The people that the pipe just annoys and pisses off. This could be someone that hates noise or just hates bikes and this pisses them off more. It could be someone that just is having a bad day or has a headache. But there's definitely people that the pipe will annoy, and the problem with that is that there are some (thankfully not many) of those people that will purposely drive like an ass to piss you off and make you as miserable as they are. They aren't going to run you over, but they may cut you off or swerve in your lane a bit to piss you off...


There are definitely SOME times a pipe can help you....however theres are SOME times a pipe can potentially be worse. And there's ALL the time that a loud ass pipe can piss off all your neighbors.

The ideal "loud" pipe to me would be the newer types that they are doing for cars with butterfly valves on a switch. You could have stockish sounding exhaust, and with the flip of a switch, it opens up, drastically increasing the volume.

[kkim]

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/dis...r_risk_rights/

http://www.virginiawind.com/byways/l...save_lives.asp

[bob706]

" First, a word on motorcycle safety:
If you've put yourself in a position where someone has to see [hear] you in order for you to be safe -- to see [hear] you, and to give a f**k -- you've already blown it."


Nuff said

[HKr1]

My stereo is too loud..... I dont hear crap while Iam driving

[austexjg]

"You know how the doppler effect works, right?"

It might, but not here, and loud pipes don't make it so... Slamming into a car will not be avoided because of a loud exhaust, especially if you need to speed to be heard.

But if it makes you sleep better...

[Hadyn]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

i think sirens are annoying as hell, especially if they are passing right next to me and the sound just pierces my brain cells!

SOUND does get attention, thats why paramedics have it, thats why cops have it and thats why fire trucks have it. Even with those loud sirens, you still get the occastional retard crossing the intersection and smashing into a medic truck. Its a fact we have idiots in the world...but like it was said in this thread, every little bit counts. reflective clothes, loud pipes, defensive riding, they all increase your chances of being seen and heard.

Like I already said: sirens, alarms, horns, bells, etc work because from the time you start riding in a car, you're hearing them as sounds that demand your attention. Everyone knows that a horn or siren means "Hey, you're in the way/in danger/a sh*thead that needs to learn how to drive."
Loud engines and exhausts carry none of that in-grained 'warning' connotation. Usually, they're coming from someone's little riced-out civic or big-ass bubba truck, and they're ignored. Yes there are situations where a loud exhaust note will make you more noticeable, but there are also situations where standing up on your pegs and flapping your arms like a chicken would make you visible. Do you do it? No, because it's ridiculous and probably does more harm than good.

Originally Posted by Reswob

You know how the doppler effect works, right?

The doppler effect actually works against the effectiveness of loud pipes. Whenever a source of noise is in forward motion, you would hear it from a shorter distance away than if it was stationary because of the compression of sound waves.

EDIT:
Don't take any of this the wrong way. There's little I like better than the sound of a bike, and I -always- try to see what kind of bike is riding by, but like other people have said, fooling yourself into thinking you're any safer because your bike is loud is just silly.

[Snake]

KKim, you being the OP. I am interested to know your opinion on the subject.

[welcome2thedawn]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

i think you need more options for the poll. Yes, loud pipes do not automatically mean you're never gonna get into a tough situation, but you can't completely dismiss it either. For example, i always drive with a window down, and hearing a bike coming helps A LOT, especially on freeways in traffic, if i hear a loud pipe, i look behind me looking for bikes before i change my lane. Sure there are situations where windows are up and you can't really hear anything, or some people completely ignore to acknowledge the sound or could careless.

In my personal opinion, loud pipes won't save lifes, but it can cut the chance down by a big percent.

i will have to agree with this...while i wouldn't just make a general statement, saying they do....i have seen evidence of them getting peoples attention...example, if my boyfriend and i are riding, and people get too close, are on the phone, whatever...he revs the engine, his bike being much louder than mine, and it get's their attention....obviously this wouldn't always be the case....but i'd say it works better than a horn

[greg737]

Loudness is a very common American lifestyle choice. Everything we do is loud.

Getting any sort of attention is better than getting no attention. Everyone is struggling to be noticed in our American culture.

If it isn't loud to begin with we'll find a way to make it loud. Going skiing or snowboarding on the quiet, snowy slopes? Strap on the Ipod and crank it up!

And if it's already loud, we'll find a way to make it louder.... Traveling on an airplane? It's already pretty loud inside the airplane so let's strap on the Ipod and crank it up so loud you drown out the already loud airplane.

Going to a bar? The music will be so loud you have to lean toward the person you're talking to and shout to be heard.

Have you noticed there are a pretty good number of products being advertised with claims to cure tinnitus? The fact that you even know what the word "Tinnitus" means should tell you there's too much noise in our culture. When I was a kid nobody (besides doctors) had ever heard of tinnitus.

[Reswob]

I think a lot of you are taking the phrase "loud pipes save lives" much to literally. Sure, if you ride like an idiot, and/or the driver that runs into you would've run into just as much as if you were a fire truck with your siren on, then your exhaust note alone wouldn't save you.

But obviously the louder you are, the more you are going to get noticed. No one is going to try to argue that the quieter you are, the more conspicuous you are. Are they!? It's exactly like riding a bright coloured bike as opposed to a black one, and wearing a "loud" helmet. Neither of those alone will save your ass, but they sure don't hurt your visibility.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by welcome2thedawn

i will have to agree with this...while i wouldn't just make a general statement, saying they do....i have seen evidence of them getting peoples attention...example, if my boyfriend and i are riding, and people get too close, are on the phone, whatever...he revs the engine, his bike being much louder than mine, and it get's their attention....obviously this wouldn't always be the case....but i'd say it works better than a horn

do you honestly think a revved engine communicates the message "you fu@#ed up" better than a horn? how many cars do you know that rev their engine when they're going to hit someone? or when someone starts pulling out in front of them?
now sure, in a low-speed situation where someone is creeping toward you, and you want to be "polite", by all means. rev the sh!# out of it and piss everyone around you off. don't bother with that "wimpy sounding" meep meep. that crap's for cars, right?

[alex.s]

just had an idea. maybe we should all get these instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnzw_i4YmKk

[00NissanNinja]

I would have to agree, revving the engine is not going to communicate hey you are fing up idiot, the horn does a better job of that. But I think she is just saying making more noise next to the car made the cager notice . But again I am sure that If I did that (in some cases) they probably would shrug and continue to move over (Some people might notice though and correct themselves). Like I said it really depends on the driver and whether they are being attentive. Loud pipes may help but do not assume they do...tis why I don't want a loud exhaust-area p quiet core for me
kkim you just had to start the war again huh lol