Maybe I needed loud pipes!

[Zinfan]

So my first crash while riding my road bike happened today.  I was riding through the town of John Day when a lady jaywalked right in front of me from the right.  I tried to dive left but I think my hand guard clipped her and we both went down.  I was only going 20 mph and wearing all my gear so I was fine, the lady had a bloody nose and went with her husband to the hospital to get checked out. 

I was fortunate that a state cop happened by just a minute or so after the crash and while my bike was still on it's side and the lady still on the ground so he could figure out what happened.  Plus plenty of witnesses as well.  I have no idea what she was thinking, it's not like a fully loaded Stelvio is easily missed and I had cars behind me as well, she just didn't look at all I suppose (she did not have a cell phone).  Needed those loud pipes to warn her of impending traffic. 

The bike had minor scratches on the plastic hand guard and mirror and my left side driving light is pretty scratched up but I was thinking of replacing that anyways.  Police said it wasn't my fault and said I could go but I did wait until he checked on the lady to make sure they weren't going to change their story but that wasn't an issue and after he got back to me I took off.   I had actually planned to spend the night in John Day but after this incident I headed south the Burn, Or fully expecting a deer to add to my days excitement but at least they managed to see me coming and stayed away.  Oh Vey what a day!

[Demar]

Glad you're OK. Glad the lady is OK. Glad the Stelvio is OK.

Put a Mistral carbon pipe on it.

Stay safe.

[oldbike54]

 Dangit !

 Dusty

[Tom]

No, you don't need loud pipes.  Fiamms are your best friend.  Hitting the button on those things will alert anyone on the street to you being in traffic.

[80CX100]

I'm a loud pipe believer,,, I do like the sound,,, but I also like the commanding presence that they give me on the bike,,, people around me,,, notice me and my bike,,, that is a good thing.

In the last few years,,, I've had many more, close encounters, with mindless pedestrians and cyclists,, than vehicles,,, I can usually watch the cars and predict what they're going to do,,, and respond accordingly,,,, but I find that lots of cyclists and pedestrians,,, just seem to be in their own fog, not paying attention at all

Glad you're ok,,, and it worked out reasonably well,,, could have ended much worse.

[Tom]

Doesn't hurt to hit the horns to get pedestrians to recognize the danger.  This is on an '80 SP1000NT stock exhaust w/Fiamm horns going down the same street in John Day, OR. 

[Zinfan]

There was no time to use the horn.  She stepped out from in front of a large pickup truck that blocked me from being able to see her until the last second.  I was riding carefully near the centerline but had no time to react.

[yogidozer]

maybe she had a fantasy about running into a biker to sweep her off her feet?

[Old Jock]

There was no time to use the horn.  She stepped out from in front of a large pickup truck that blocked me from being able to see her until the last second.  I was riding carefully near the centerline but had no time to react.

First glad all is well and no person or bike were badly damaged. I do feel sorry for the lady and for you its a helluva shock when that happens. I end up shaking like a leaf and I've been on both sides of that sort of accident.

As I was reading this and before I got to your reply here, I was thinking exactly the same thing.

Horns are fine when you have the time, a lot of the time you don't.

I also believe (just from personal anecdotal experience) if the horns are too loud it can often make people go into "Rabbit in the headlight mode". The horns overload their senses and they freeze.

As far as pipes go, I run both the Ducati and the Guzzi with louder end cans, mainly because I like the sound.

Providing the cans are more towards bass end of the scale, then they don't usually attract the winces that I see when the open pipe brigade pass BUT they are sufficiently loud to make people aware of your presence.

I'll probably get stick for this of course, its just my opinion

[stevet]

Given what I'm reading, no pipes after the headers, 2 pairs of Fiamm Freeway Busters, and lights and sirens from a firetruck would not have helped here.  She was in a trance (not paying attention), she was entering the road from an obstructed view, and the rider just happened to be in her path at the wrong time, hidden from the rider's view.  She should be lucky it wasn't a freight truck the clipped her.

No, loud pipes would do nothing here.  Except upset the local population as a whole.  I wish the motorcycling community could get over this whole fascination with loud exhaust.  You may like it.  The majority of those around you don't .  We do not have the right to run non-EPA mufflers.  We do not have the right to impinge upon the peace of others.  And you are fooling yourself thinking loud pipes are safety items.  If a ped turns their head and sees you coming it's because they were taught how to cross the street at age 5.  If they don't, they probably weren't.

And to the rider who said he likes the commanding presence loud pipes give him... it seems to me that notion is ego talking.  A commanding presence would assume those around you will obey the noise of your machine.  That's a false statement (and a false sense of security), proven daily by emergency responders who can't get walkers or riders or drivers to get out of their way when they are traveling with lights and sirens.  Your defensive skills as a properly trained rider are what give you the best chance to survive a ride, not loud exhaust.

Steve.

[Aaron D.]

A loudspeaker playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" playing all the time...that would get us noticed.

[yogidozer]

have room for  passenger?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZjb29a1JzY

[Cam3512]

"SHEEPLE".

Definition:  /She-pull/.  1. By nature, humans that prefer to sleepwalk through life and would rather follow others with their head down than walk tall with situational awareness of their surroundings. 2. The majority of human beings that live life with their head up their ass.

[Zinfan]

Thanks for the thoughts guys.  To be clear I was trying to lighten my mood by bringing up the loud pipes, I didn't have a decent title for this thread but since I've been on the road for two weeks and have seen (or heard) numerous loud bikes I went with it.  I have no plans to make my bike louder.

Old Jock and Steve are right, she had no awareness at the time and I had the bad luck to be there when she stepped out.  As I talked to the police i watched others cross the road at that same spot.

[slowmover]

Have you heard from her lawyer yet?

[stevet]

I was on a modern, uphill freeway entrance ramp this morning driving my 2-ton work vehicle, a lovely late model Ford Crown Victoria PI.  Clear weather, moderate traffic.  My windows were open, the radio was off, and I was a bit over 50mph getting ready to merge in.  My door mirror showed a clear path for me to enter traffic.  I turned my head hard left to check my blind spot.  Whoa!  Pacing my speed in the right traffic lane was a big bagger with a big dude on it.  I took my foot off the gas and even waved at him to pull ahead of me.  Instead, he guns it and veers left.  Only then did I hear the straight pipes as he pulled ahead of and away from me.  I never heard those pipes while he was behind me.

I concluded that the guy thinks I saw him from the beginning and that I would be the one to alter my course away from him.  First lethal mistake on his part. I follow that with the notion he's thinking I should hear the warning of his pipes.  Second lethal mistake on his part.  Yep, me hitting him would probably have been my fault, but that wouldn't help him feel any better if my big car would have hip checked his relatively small bike.

Be careful out there.

Steve.

[Cool Runnings]

I was on a modern, uphill freeway entrance ramp this morning driving my 2-ton work vehicle, a lovely late model Ford Crown Victoria PI.  Clear weather, moderate traffic.  My windows were open, the radio was off, and I was a bit over 50mph getting ready to merge in.  My door mirror showed a clear path for me to enter traffic.  I turned my head hard left to check my blind spot.  Whoa!  Pacing my speed in the right traffic lane was a big bagger with a big dude on it.  I took my foot off the gas and even waved at him to pull ahead of me.  Instead, he guns it and veers left.  Only then did I hear the straight pipes as he pulled ahead of and away from me.  I never heard those pipes while he was behind me.

I concluded that the guy thinks I saw him from the beginning and that I would be the one to alter my course away from him.  First lethal mistake on his part. I follow that with the notion he's thinking I should hear the warning of his pipes.  Second lethal mistake on his part.  Yep, me hitting him would probably have been my fault, but that wouldn't help him feel any better if my big car would have hip checked his relatively small bike.

Be careful out there.

Steve.

Do you wear your seat belt, do you follow speed limit laws? 

[Nic in Western NYS]

Pedestrians can be almost squirrel-like in their randomness.

[Dofin]

Steve your story is a lesson for EVERYONE!!!  Stay out of the BLIND Spot!!  I've had cars and Bikes come up behind me and then pace me to stay on my left or right smack in my blind spot.  VERY aggravating!!  STAY out out of the Blind spot!!

[oldbike54]

 IMHO horns are useless except to display anger after the fact , kind of a waste of time and energy . As mentioned before , loud horns usually just confuse the whole situation , if someone has already pulled a bad move , what is honking going to accomplish ? In fact , I have witnessed a driver relentlessly honking at a car in front of them when the driver in front can't move because their path is blocked . One guy did that to me after my old Chevy truck had stalled in an intersection , I got out , walked back to him and politely asked him which side of his face he wanted punched .

 Dusty

[LowRyter]

sorry for your misfortune 

[Sasquatch Jim]

 A music player loudly playing the Mexican version of "Deguello" might help.

 It's the music Santa Anna played to the defenders of the Alamo before his big attack.
 It is famous as the throat cutter song meaning "No quarter will be given".

  Click here to hear Santa Annas' version.
https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Santa-Anna-Orders-No-Quarter-Bugle-Sounds

If my horn button played this, no could ignore me.  Although I might get shot by a Texican.
 Deguello is to a Texan much like Gary Owen is to a Lakota.

[Zinfan]

Have you heard from her lawyer yet?

No but if I'm honest it preys on my mind a bit.  Small town local lady (the state policeman knows the family as well) and I'm from California, 850 miles from home so anything can happen I guess.  I stayed longer than required to get info from the police and tripled checked that they had no concerns about my riding or culpability in the matter.  No report filed but that is due to technical reasons (report needed if $1500 damage done to my bike) and I have the incident number and business card of the trooper who responded to the accident.

I believe the trooper also had a body camera recording the entire time and his patrol car camera would have been able to film the area as well.   As stated above she was still on the ground along with my bike, both in the original positions when he showed up so there should be enough evidence to show fault I hope.  Mostly I hope she is ok and we all go our separate ways.  I don't plan to pass through John Day any time soon that is for sure.  I

[rodekyll]

I'm a loud pipe believer,,, I do like the sound,,, but I also like the commanding presence that they give me on the bike,,, people around me,,, notice me and my bike,,, that is a good thing.

[snip]

You can make the same maturity statement and get just as much 'commanding presence' without all the noise by wearing your underpants on the outside of your jeans.  If you REALLY need to say to the world at large "Look at me -- I'm a biking moron who got off my leash."  then yes, you need to do both.

[edited for language - Rk]

[Tom]

 

[Red Dog]

You can make the same maturity statement and get just as much 'commanding presence' without all the noise by wearing your underpants on the outside of your jeans.  If you REALLY need to say to the world at large "Look at me -- I'm a f***ing moron who got off my leash."  then yes, you need to do both.
But you get noticed and have exactly the same 'commanding presence' AND you emphasize your maturity level without all the noise if you wear your underpants on the outside of your jeans.

Thank You! Saved me a lot of typing.

[Tom]

Loud pipes for the sake of being loud will put you in the same group as the LOUD PIPE HD riders.    If tuning your bike with a more open exhaust results in a little louder exhaust because it's less restrictive then that's the end result.  Not because you want your bike to be LOUD!!! 

If better horns don't help in an emergency situation then look at your riding style in the same situation that was described.  The last part is that sometimes an accident will bite you. 

[oldbike54]

 I have found that wearing underwear on my head is a very effective method of attracting attention 

 Dusty

[Tom]

This should help the OP in the same situation if you had loud pipes.  Look at page 2.  Even though it was the pedestrian's fault.  You could have ended up with an equipment violation per Oregon vehicle equipment requirements.  From there, I not sure how an interstate ticket would be handled.  OR to CA.

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TS/docs/VehEq/OregonEquipmentHandoutcolor.pdf

�
Vehicle must be equipped with a muffler
that meets the following noise levels:
�
Motor vehicles: before 1976,  94 dBA
�
Motor vehicles 1976 & after, 91 dBA
�
Motorcycles before 1976,  94 dBA
�
Motorcycles 1976, 91 dBA
�
Motorcycles after 1976, 89 dBA
�
Emission of any loud or unnecessary noise from
a motor vehicle is prohibited. 
�
Less restrictive exhaust systems may not meet
exhaust emission standards.
�
Permitted dB levels vary according to vehicle
type and year of manufacture.   
�
Removal of catalytic converters is not permitted
by state and federal emission laws.

[rodekyll]

I agree that there are degrees of loudness over stock, and that there is a point between stock and no-effing-ends-on the-headers where the extra noise is acceptable.  I also agree that there are legitimate reasons for some extra exhaust note.  But to be noticed as the motorcycling equivalent of a chrome-codpieced He-Man action figure so's to command attention isn't one of them.