Loud pipes save lives?

[Bminder]

I've always heard that saying but I'm not convinced.
When a Harley or other bike with loud pipes is coming towards you, it's not really that loud.
After it goes by and the pipes are facing you then it's loud.
If I'm in my cage with the windows up, radio on, I don't hear a loud Harley coming. I might hear it after it goes by tho.
I don't get it. I just think loud pipes are obnoxious.

[Pat Conlon]

Billy, have you seen that South Park episode? If you haven't you should, it's  here somewhere on the forum.

It perfectly sums it up for me..

[racerrad8]

That was my brother in laws reasoning for his straight pipes.

I debated the fact many times with him and ultimately his life was lost...

Randy - RPM

[1tinindian]

Billy, have you seen that South Park episode? If you haven't you should, it's  here somewhere on the forum.

It perfectly sums it up for me..

Exactly my thoughts too, Pat.
My wife and I took a drive to the Mississippi River today, and at one of our stops, the usually "Harley" group pulls in, and one of them idled for several minutes longer than the rest, revved, shut down, restarted and revved again, almost to announce that he had "arrived"!

WHY?

Any time I have ridden with our Rally riders, the engines shut down at the moment we reach our destination.

I don't know, maybe we are not doing it "right"!?!?!?!


brum, brum, brum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FAGS!

[charleygofast]

I like my"louder than stock" Yoshimura pipe on my FJ but its not obnoxiously loud. Ever notice how those straight pipe Harleys dont rev out when they twist the throttle...they just get louder, then backfire when they let off? They gotta be loud...brap brap brap, people respect that... Re-jetting,running lean whats that mean? That is obnoxious!!!   Yeah Pat, that South Park episode rocks frickin ROCKS!!                                                                                                                                                                 Charley.                                                                                                                                               

[fj johnnie]

 I'm telling you guys they need the Auto Rev 2000. Does anyone here drive an open pipe bike to work down residential streets at 6 am? Randomly downshifting and opening the throttle for no reason?
I didn't think so . Neither do I. Harley guys on the other hand......

[Zwartie]

A buddy of mine who has a couple Ducs has a t-shirt that says "Loud Clutches Save Lives". I always thought that was a good one. Another friend of mine who used to have a Moto Guzzi had a t-shirt that says "Moto Guzzi...Going out of Business since 1921". Another good one!

But to the point - Loud Pipes Save Lives is just plain stupid. Do the same folks that support this idea also promote things such as helmets, riding gear, lighting, rider training...?

Zwartie

[Country Joe]

I like the tee shirt saying "If loud pipes save lives, just imagine what learning to ride could do."

[1tinindian]

"Harley Davidson, turning gasoline into noise, without the adverse effects of making horsepower, since 1903"!

[Steve_in_Florida]

That was my brother in laws reasoning for his straight pipes.

I debated the fact many times with him and ultimately his life was lost...

Randy - RPM

Note to self: NEVER argue with Randy (RPM). His opponents die of mysterious circumstances!

Steve

[Bminder]

But to the point - Loud Pipes Save Lives is just plain stupid. Do the same folks that support this idea also promote things such as helmets, riding gear, lighting, rider training...?

Zwartie

Haha great point!
That's one a them there rhetorical questions ain't it.

[Lotsokids]

I do like loud pipes, but not the V-twin Harley sound. For me that sound = slow. Big turn off for me. If I could run straight pipes all the time, I would. Just my preference. Maybe it gives me a false sense of security.

I owned a CBR600 about 6 years ago. The stock pipe was very quiet. It made me very nervous driving on I-5. Motorcycles are invisible, and a quiet one is worse. I opened it up with a D&D pipe and I got more confidence. At the very least someone will know you are beside them and they most likely will not try to share the lane with you (how many of you have experienced this?).

Good points made, though. The most powerful one is what Randy mentioned. That's really sad.

   

[motohorseman]

Over the decades, I've learned to not argue the "Loud Pipes Saves Lives" philosophy with those that love it/live it.

They are mentally not able to understand.

I'm not sure if they fried their minds on drugs, alcohol, in-breeding or just a general overabundance of neanderthal genetic material.

Or a combination of all of those -

I do know there are better ways to spend my time, to each their own -

UNTIL I AM WAKEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT OR MY SERENITY IS SOMEHOW DISRUPTED - THEN I WILL HAVE A NICE CONVERSATION DIRECTLY WITH THE PERP

AND I WILL SPEAK VERY CLEARLY IN A LANGUAGE THEY CAN AND WILL UNDERSTAND

And I don't care what make, model or brand of motorcycle it is, I'm not biased in that regard

[JPaganel]

The funny thing is, when you are in a car, the noise of the bike is really hard to place. A really freaking loud bike seems to be EVERYWHERE. I had one guy like that plant himself in the blind spot of my pickup. I know he's there somewhere, but I can't see him, so how useful is that knowledge to me?

Conversely, when I bought the XS400 that my wife now rides, it had shorty mufflers that were rusted or burnt out to the point of pretty much being straight pipes. Not a very big twin, but a twin loud enough to make my own ears hurt. I was almost run off the road something like three times on that bike. I put new mufflers on and started paying more attention.

So, in my experience, loud mufflers being safer is pure BS.

My understanding is that straight pipes on Harleys came from two things - all out drag bikes which need as little weight as possible and don't care about noise, and the cheap bikes, where people just couldn't afford a muffler.

[Flying Scotsman]

Im not going to take sides i like any pipe that works good and makes the bike sound good.
One point I didnt hear mentioned is pedestrians.
If you have a quiet bike they are more likely to walk out in front of you.
Loud or quiet i like both.
That being said I like hearing the engine a good pipe lets you do that.
Drag strip rules would be different but on the street to loud is to loud imo.
Find a pipe that makes you happy without bothering your neighbors and you should be fine.
If the pedestrians hear you i think its a plus they don't always look where there going.