Myth that loud motorcycle (HARLEY DAVIDSON)exhaust (pipes) save lives .The loud pipes make motorist look twice for the motorcycle.

its kinda logical.. same as, Kids dont hear a electrical car and gets run over..

This one has been posted about before... use the FIND button.

quote:

Originally posted by 1 ticket:
Myth that loud motorcycle (HARLEY DAVIDSON)exhaust (pipes) save lives .The loud pipes make motorist look twice for the motorcycle.

Are not Deaf people allowed to drive?

quote:

Originally posted by dj-salo:
its kinda logical.. same as, Kids dont hear a electrical car and gets run over..

Pedestrians not paying attention, jaywalking and suddenly stepping out in front of cars get run over too, regardless of noise level.

The possible problem with “loud pipes” is the Doppler effect. You don’t necessarily hear the motorcycle until it’s passed you.

quote:

Originally posted by IT_Chief:
The possible problem with “loud pipes” is the Doppler effect. You don’t necessarily hear the motorcycle until it’s passed you.

The motorcycle's speed Doppler shifts the loud pipes' frequency beyond the range of human hearing? Don't think so.

I think everybody should run straight pipes, on cars, pick-ups, semi trucks, bikes, SUVs, etc. Ohhh how safe we would all be. Just shut up and put a muffler on it, it's noise pollution, and it's rude. Isn't there some emmisions issues with running those childlike loud pipes? Maybe some playing cards on the spokes would be ok. My impression of you would stay the same, I just wouldn't be as offended and I would still be able to hear the radio in my own vehical. Loud pipes are a poor substitute for genuine self contentment, ohh look at meee. Besides, if somebody cuts you off, and you start yelling at them, they won't hear what you are saying.

loud pipes distract motorcyclists from their surrounding - alert riding saves lives.

The example trotted out is always "the motorist doesn't see the cyclist in the blind spot, but hears the biker revving the bike" - the cyclist doesn't hear the car in HIS blind spot over his own pipes - and the car doesn't hear the motorcycle over his own stereo.

again, I say: if a motorcycle is in my blind spot, I cannot hear it, even with loud pipes. - the moral is, stay out of people's blind spots.

Where I live in the world, the noise does seem to keep away the deer and critters in the night. One strike with a deer on a motorcycle and you're a stain.

not true: my uncle had a deer jump in his lap while he was riding. not a stain - though he said he had to ride for another mile before he stopped shaking too badly to trust himself to stop and put his feet down without falling over.

Good myth to test. Also "Helmets are dangerous" and "If in trouble grab a handful of throttle".

Find out the truth about some Harley Riders head over to American Angst (not suitable for children)

http://www.goingfaster.com/angst/main.htm

The loud pipes, no helmet and no seatbelt myths are just rationalizations by people who want to do these things.

Even though exhaust systems can be made quiet, Harley chooses the make them loud. Sometimes I work the graveyard. I have little respect for those who buy and ride these excessively loud machines through neighborhoods. Loud pipes don't save lives; they just annoy.

I think I saw this something about this being false in the S&S Cycle Catalog, I worked there (S&S Cycle) for awhile, but I can't say for sure (not long enough to be an expert but long enough to read the entire catalog).

Oh and JeffBro, there can be emission problems with the loud pipes (as far as I know).

quote:

Originally posted by srmarti:

quote:

Originally posted by 1 ticket:
Myth that loud motorcycle (HARLEY DAVIDSON)exhaust (pipes) save lives .The loud pipes make motorist look twice for the motorcycle.

Are not Deaf people allowed to drive?

Would a deaf person want to drive? Not being able to hear people's horns or police sirens behind you. I doubt I'd want to drive.

quote:

Even though exhaust systems can be made quiet, Harley chooses the make them loud.

I can't say for all Harley models, but the ones the NYPD uses come with standard mufflers that are very quiet. Now it is quite possible, and apparently very easy, to remove some or all of the baffles in the mufflers. This removal makes the mufflers loud, and actually very annoying.

As far as deaf people driving, they can and do. In New York State a deaf person is required to have specialized interior mirrors that go from one side of the top of the windshield to the other. This gives the driver a better view of what is around him.

Also deaf drivers know they can't hear, which is why they tend to look around a lot more than drivers with normal hearing.

And let's not even get started with the geniuses who turn their radios all the way up, to "look at me" mode, and couldn't hear the last trump if Gabriel blasted it in their ear. (Sorry, that's pretty much the only biblical reference I know)

quote:

Originally posted by Christopher Sutton:
Even though exhaust systems can be made quiet, Harley chooses the make them loud.

Actually, Harley-Davidson does not choose to make their bikes loud. The sound a Harley makes has everything to do with the design of the engine. With the factory exhaust, a Harley isn't any louder than any other bike.

A less restrictive aftermarket exhaust, on a Harley, any motorcycle, car or other vehicle, will typically be louder. Many Harley riders, as well as the owners of many vehicle, choose to upgrade to a performance exhaust system.

The loudest bikes, Harley or otherwise, are those running straight pipes. Without baffles, it makes the bike VERY loud. Oddly, it also robs performance, so, if someone is running straight pipes on a street bike, it IS because they want to be loud.

Whereas Harley-Davidson bikes, with the OEM pipe, are NOT particularly loud, other manufacturers who attempt to make Harley Copies, DO intentionally make their bikes loud, in an effort to replicate the "Harley Sound" (Which they fail at accomplishing due to the differences in the engine designs).

In many cases, the bike being called a "Loud Harley" by a non-rider, is actually a Loud Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Victory, or an S&S powered custom bike. Obviously, none of those bikes are Harleys.

As for whether or not "Loud pipes save lives" is true or not, it would seem obvious it is not. In multiple vehicle accidents (where the bike is involved in an accident with another vehicle), the most common is when a car turns left into the path of an oncoming bike. A loud bike approaching a vehicle would not be any more noticed than a quiet bike. To start with, the sound is coming out of the back of the bike. Add to that the amount of soundproofing in modern cars, the driver listening to the stereo, possibly talking on a cell phone (or painting her nails), etc. - the sound of the pipes offers nothing in keeping the biker safe.

Additionally, almost half of all motorcycle accidents are single vehicle (only the bike is involved). Certainly, loud pipes save nothing in those situations.

There is one time when loud pipes are potentially effective. On a multi-lane road, where a bike is riding in the lane next to another vehicle, it is fairly common for the car (or van or truck) to change lanes, running into, or nearly running into the bike. I'm not talking blind spot here - in many cases, the driver will turn their head and look right at you (but not see you). The "Loud pipes save lives" guys will tall you how pulling in their clutch and revving their engine is enough to wake these drivers up. This is true. What they fail to mention is hitting your horn button would have the same effect.

Bottom line - Loud Pipes improve performance, to a point. They may save your life in very select few instances.

I wonder what the accident statistics are for cars with mega-watt stereos and a trunk full of speakers. I've never had the noise from a bike rattle the pictures off the walls in my house, but it has happened due to an extremely loud car stereo. If loud pipes save lives, cars with very loud stereo must NEVER get into accidents! :-)