Loud Pipes!

[Moto Fugazzi]

Some jackass just started his HD with full throttle and straight pipes merely inches away from people on the street outside of the bar I was at. A bunch of people jumped and yelled at the sudden noise. Dude on the bike started laughing, then a lit cigarette was thrown at him. Then 2 more. He quickly rode off before others got to him. I guess people in Milwaukee are sick of straight pipes! I'm not sure what to make of this.
Ken

[oldbike54]

 He should have calmly explained how many lives he was saving 

 Dusty

[Wayne Orwig]

Flatulent pipes lose rights.

[Moto Fugazzi]

If loud pipes save lives, why don't they offer insurance discounts on them?
Ken

[cruzziguzzi]

Loud pipes draw butts.

Todd.

[redrider90]

He should have calmly explained how many lives he was saving 

 Dusty

 

[Guzzistajohn]

$500.00 loud pipes and a $25.00 helmet. That's safety!

[John Ulrich]

The snowmobile industry started self policing the aftermarket exhaust makers because landowners were sick of hearing illegal pipes on sleds in the middle of the night.  What would happen is the land owners would not permit the trail to cross their property the next year and that really screwed things up.  The industry was worried about losing the sport to noise.   The loud bike crowd is gonna get hit harder by towns with patio restaurants enacting noise ordnances. 

[Shorty]

I thought you guys liked character 

[Arizona Wayne]

I was at a Sam's Club gas station in norCal a couple years ago and a Harley owner started his MC after filling up w/gas.  It was SO LOUD I JUMPED !!     So when I filled up my VX800 Suzuki with gas I made sure he & his wife got their earful with it's loud high rpm pipes !!      Since I don't live there I didn't care what all the other customers there thought.

I put medium loud pipes on my 750 Breva and I like it that way, especially on a freeway.  Nobody can say they didn't know I was close unless they're deaf. 

[lucian]

I never got the load pipe argument until recently. I knew a bike was close, do to the fact I could here it.Turns out it was directly behind me, hidden by the separation between the two rear windows of my work van. I could not believe when that bike swerved just enough to become visible in my rear view mirror. I have since been re thinking the whole concept. I do now believe that hearing a MC could be just as important as seeing one from a safety perspective. My 2 cents.

[atavar]

So make an automatic circuit that beeps your horn once a second..

[Moto Fugazzi]

$500.00 loud pipes and a $25.00 helmet. That's safety!

He wasn't wearing a helmet. I'm sure he spent that $25 on drinks before he rode off.
Ken

[Perazzimx14]

He wasn't wearing a helmet. I'm sure he spent that $25 on drinks before he rode off.
Ken

Staying hydrated, very smart!

[Gliderjohn]

In a fantasy it would be grins to fly a P-47 at full power about 10 feet above a biker rally at 4am towing a lit banner "Loud pipes save lives". One might get cursed at a bit.
GliderJohn

[LaMojo]

A long time friend, his wife, and my wife and I had been going to Jefferson, TX for many years.  We've seen downtown transition from retail businesses that had been there for years to those that have started catering to tourist.  Antique stores, restaurants etc.  Was a nice place to just stroll around to visit and have lunch.  Then the Harley goofs started congregating with their loud pipes.  See me.  See me- Starving for attention.   We don't go there anymore.  The town has lost that laid back charm for us.

I don't have such a low self esteem of myself that I feel like I need the attention of loud pipes.

[swordds]

The lives they may save are not worth saving - just my 2 cents.

[redrider]

There are laws and statutes governing exhaust systems. Sadly, they are not enforced. Justice turns a blind eye when the enforcers are part of the problem. I have spoken with many LEO's about this and they all laugh it off. Sure, I have aftermarket exhaust on all of my bikes. With baffles.

[Scud]

Some jackass just started his HD with full throttle and straight pipes merely inches away from people on the street outside of the bar I was at. A bunch of people jumped and yelled at the sudden noise. Dude on the bike started laughing, then a lit cigarette was thrown at him. Then 2 more. He quickly rode off before others got to him. I guess people in Milwaukee are sick of straight pipes! I'm not sure what to make of this.
Ken

Here in California, if someone lights a cigarette, we throw a Harley pipe at them. 

On a serious note: that is an interesting event, which perhaps speaks to a growing intolerance of excessively loud pipes.

An example regarding voluntary enforcement: One dual-sport event I've participated in a few times requires a sound check before the motorcycle gets a tag to participate. They make a point of telling people not to bother bringing a loud bike, because they will not be allowed to ride it in the event. While some people complained, the majority appreciated the enforcement. The event seems to be growing and they are welcome in the community. FYI the event is in Bishop, CA - organized by a club in Ventura, CA.

[SeanF]

Some jackass just started his HD with full throttle and straight pipes merely inches away from people on the street outside of the bar I was at. A bunch of people jumped and yelled at the sudden noise. Dude on the bike started laughing, then a lit cigarette was thrown at him. Then 2 more. He quickly rode off before others got to him. I guess people in Milwaukee are sick of straight pipes! I'm not sure what to make of this.
Ken

That's a fun story...but I am struck by the irony of smokers chasing off a loud pipes guy.

[Perazzimx14]

That's a fun story...but I am struck by the irony of smokers chasing off a loud pipes guy.

The Harley rider did get several people to throw down their cigarettes.

[canuguzzi]

Stupid people do stupid things which get other stupid people to enact stupid regulations that everyone else complains about.

[drlapo]

Did you see the South park episode involving loud Harley riders?.
They change the dictionary definition of fag to"an obnoxious Harley rider"

[Toecutter]

"So make an automatic circuit that beeps your horn once a second.."

Heh. Like the turn-signal buzzer that was on my CB750 when I first bought it. Holy hell that thing was annoying. Never left my signals on, though.

Chirp...chirp...chi rp...chirp...

I think you're on to something, If they all believe loud pipes save lives, then maybe we should create a wind-powered noise maker. Like a  deer whistle, but for humans. See if they walk the walk.

[redrider90]

I never got the load pipe argument until recently. I knew a bike was close, do to the fact I could here it.Turns out it was directly behind me, hidden by the separation between the two rear windows of my work van. I could not believe when that bike swerved just enough to become visible in my rear view mirror. I have since been re thinking the whole concept. I do now believe that hearing a MC could be just as important as seeing one from a safety perspective. My 2 cents.

You were in a work van that allows a lot more outside noise in than the average cage. Besides well insulated quite cages  there are other factors that make it more likely that people will not hear a MC; other people in the car talking , and playing the radio and or music. Seems to me that the BMW crowd ride some of the quietist bikes out there. When was the last time you heard a BMer with loud pipes on it?
One more issue is that most accidents are are front end, T-bone and read end accidents and driving off the road accidents. None of those accidents would be helped by straight pipes.
The only accident that one could possibly  benefit from loud pipes is where the bike is very close to a cage and slightly behind and or along side it on a 4-6 lane road. That kind of accident is probably in the lower single digit range. When it comes to physics (most noise emitted by loud pipes exit behind the bike) and the vast number of accidents are not broadside on multilane highway where a loud MC might be heard,  I say loud pipes do not save lives.

[wrbix]

"Loud Pipes Save Lives" - just the obnoxious, attention-seeking crowd's rationalization for their noise.

Loud pipes serve lies - lies that benefit no one; the lies being:
- all motorcycles are loud,
- all motorcyclists are asshats.
.....to the general public those are widely held beliefs as a result.

[ken farr]

There are laws and statutes governing exhaust systems. Sadly, they are not enforced. Justice turns a blind eye when the enforcers are part of the problem. I have spoken with many LEO's about this and they all laugh it off. Sure, I have aftermarket exhaust on all of my bikes. With baffles.

My observations:
Legislation via the legislators are the ones at fault, at least in California.
Used to be, modified exhaust was probable cause for a stop, however, some legislator liked his straight pipes, so the section was revised to a required db level, measured by a calibrated device for a period of time at a constant throttle setting, etc....so basically, now it is unenforceable.
Ape hangers, same thing.  Before I retired took a collision report, solo mc with major injury.  Once I was able to talk to patch wearing individual, he basically told me his arms fell asleep and he lost grip.....

Then there was the towing doubles, as long as the last trailer was a boat trailer.....well, that's a story for another time.

Common sense is officially an outdated concept.


kjf

[Fuzzy]

The hostility...
civilians who come to such conclusions regarding all motorcyclists are either not paying attention, or have a whole other set of problems that have nothing to do with us.
I don't like straight pipes either, but I also don't like my neighbors lawnmower outside my window. It's just the way it goes.
OK, let me have it...

[Arizona Wayne]

The hostility...
civilians who come to such conclusions regarding all motorcyclists are either not paying attention, or have a whole other set of problems that have nothing to do with us.
I don't like straight pipes either, but I also don't like my neighbors lawnmower outside my window. It's just the way it goes.
OK, let me have it...

Speaking of loud lawmowers.......... ........we owned a corner home and the house on our right became a rental.   This nice looking couple moved into it and they had 2 teenage boys.  Both parents worked and between then the boys came home from school and when the parents come home from work the boys decided to blast the whole neighbor hood with their music out of their open garage.   So I got fed up with that in pretty short order...........so I took the muffler off my mower motor, installed a 3" pipe, put it right on our property line boundary right near to their driveway and ran the mower @ 1/2 speed.    It didn't take them long to get the message. From then on any time they knew I was home or saw me coming home, they shut down their music.      We never discussed this item verbally.

[wrbix]

The hostility...
civilians who come to such conclusions regarding all motorcyclists are either not paying attention, or have a whole other set of problems that have nothing to do with us.
I don't like straight pipes either, but I also don't like my neighbors lawnmower outside my window. It's just the way it goes.
OK, let me have it...

"Civilians"?- aren't we?
Anyway, these civilians "pay attention" to and form lasting impressions of motorcycles that intrude upon their consciousnesses - those being the loud ones. In my many years of riding, I've numerous times had folks comment how quiet my rides are - but then I've lived mostly in SC - the natural habitat of the loud piped sociopath.