Loud Pipes on Motorcycles

[Jabba]

Ya'll may have seen this before.  I get a little behind on the posts...  But here goes anyway.

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/44492/detail/

Jabba

[Momz]

Loud pipes are sometimes obnoxious. However a bit of rumble may enhance your riding experience.

One of my Valks has Cobras and the other has Dragon Packs. I don't try to rev my motor in town, and draw attention to myself. Well it's smooth enough that it isn't  about to die at idle.

And.....my penis isn't petite!

[fudgie]

fire wall blocked the link. Nothing better to hear on a weekend then a pack of HD's rumbling up the road.... Load pipes never bothered me. I don't preffer them since I am always going places and listening to music. But around town or with my HD buds, Yea I wish I had'm. Since i cut mine they sound alot better then oem.

[Jack]

I don't like loud pipes, period.  That said, I do like to hear a moderate sound from a bike or truck relative to the power of the machine.  My pipes and those on my wife's VTX are stock and I have an extra set for each in case these get damaged.  I respect my neighbor enough not to wake him up early in the morning or late at night.

[Bagger John - #3785]

I respect my neighbor enough not to wake him up early in the morning or late at night.

I do as well...up until the point at which the loud stereos, out-of-control parties and unsupervised children begin to manifest themselves. Then I wait patiently until 6AM - when the hangovers are at their peak - and light up 130dB worth of payback:

[Steve K (IA)]

I have Mark T exhaust on my I/S and home made glass packs on the Std.  They are not too loud.  I do enjoy hearing Valks with Cobra's.  Not sure I would want them on my bike and have to listen to them all the time. 

The one thing I find really annoying is HD's with straight pipes.  IMO nothing sounds worse.  On the other side, I think HD's sound best when they leave the "stock" exhaust on. Not too quiet and not too loud.

[Jabba]

That's my issue with them, is having to listen to them rumble ass down my street at all hours.  Loud stereos too.  I throw rocks at them.

Jabba

[fiddle mike]

That's my issue with them, is having to listen to them rumble ass down my street at all hours.  Loud stereos too.  I throw rocks at them.

Jabba

Bikes don't bother me.  The guy next door has a louder than stock HD and he must be the very first man in our town to go to work in the morning. No problem. In the evening his bike stereo is sometimes loud but he listens to old rock or Spanish.  If he ever goes insane and starts playing hip-hop I'll swear to the cops that I never even heard the shot.

[NiteRiderF6]

There is a write up this month in Cycle World, I believe, that has ABATE and a couple of other bike organizations encouraging bikers to "quieten" down their bikes to be more "socially responsible". Damn Democrats... 

There are times when loud pipes can be annoying, like at 3 a.m. when I'm trying to sleep. If I had a neighbor coming and going at all hours and being a nuisance, I'd ask him nicely to decist.... then call the law! My Valk is a bit loud, but I can usually control the noise to an acceptable level.... The pipes won't have an EPA logo on them though.

[Popeye]

I had Cobras on my Interstate and I have Rinehart Duals  on the Harley.  My wife, who works in a hospital, prefer that I have loud pipes. She thinks that if they can't see me, maybe the can hear me.

I try not to offend my neighbors when  leave for work or am coming home late.  I have had no
complaints so far.

[fudgie]

There is a write up this month in Cycle World, I believe, that has ABATE and a couple of other bike organizations encouraging bikers to "quieten" down their bikes to be more "socially responsible". Damn Democrats... 

There are times when loud pipes can be annoying, like at 3 a.m. when I'm trying to sleep. If I had a neighbor coming and going at all hours and being a nuisance, I'd ask him nicely to decist.... then call the law! My Valk is a bit loud, but I can usually control the noise to an acceptable level.... The pipes won't have an EPA logo on them though.

I stayed right on a BUSY corner in Sturgis at the Chip in 07. It was Kits 1st year out there. I feel asleep around 3a and she was still awake at 7a when I woke up.  She said she could not fall asleep the whole night due to the pipes while I slept like a dog! But by the 3rd night she could sleep right through them. After we got home a week later, we could not sleep without hearing straight pipes. Go figure!
I like the guy that gets up at 6a and revs his bike clear across a 200 acre camp ground and then everyone else has to join in! 
I'm getting good at home figuring out whose bike it is by the time and sound as they ride by the house.
The ones I find annoying are the ones that pop and crakle as you let off the throttle.
I bet everyone secretly likes loud pipes to a extent. You never hear a quiet bike in a burn out pit! 

[solo1]

Loud pipes were instrumental in making my sick wife sicker.  Before she died, a neighbor would always ride his HD past our house with straight pipes, not quietly either, a sorta "in your face" roar!  She generally started sleeping at 6AM just in time for this idiot to roar past. 

Nice mellow pipes I like.  Straight pipes I DON'T!

[solo1]

There is a write up this month in Cycle World, I believe, that has ABATE and a couple of other bike organizations encouraging bikers to "quieten" down their bikes to be more "socially responsible". Damn Democrats... 

There are times when loud pipes can be annoying, like at 3 a.m. when I'm trying to sleep. If I had a neighbor coming and going at all hours and being a nuisance, I'd ask him nicely to decist.... then call the law! My Valk is a bit loud, but I can usually control the noise to an acceptable level.... The pipes won't have an EPA logo on them though.

It is almost impossible to get law enforcement on loud pipes.  Most LEA's don't have a decent noise ordinance to work with.  The ordinances that do work are so draconian in nature that it's unfair and discriminatory to all  riders.  It will eventually come down to mandate STOCK systems on all motorcycles.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I feel that loud pipes do save lives. I know my Mark T’s have saved me from sharing lanes with a cage on more than one occasion. When passing a car I always downshift if I’m not sure the other driver has spotted me. It’s easy to see them suddenly look in their mirror and then I know I’ve been seen and heard.

The Mark T’s are also noticed by wildlife which is good and bad. Birds don’t seem to like the sound and will usually lift off as I approach which has caused me to hit a bunch of them. Luckily they have been small birds and caused no damage or bruises.

Deer also seem to notice the sound and will nearly always look up and keep an eye on me as I pass. I personally think they are less likely to step in front of me because of the pipes. However that doesn’t always hold true. Two summer ago I was barely able to stop a few feet from a very unconcerned doe who stopped in the road to watch me stop no more than 3 feet before hitting her. Then she slowly walked on into the woods.

Riders should also have respect for those who may be sleeping. I shift early and keep the noise down when heading to work before daylight for the same reason I don’t target practice at 6AM on the weekends.

[fiddle mike]

Frye must be right.  I've never heard of a cager looking down an  dead biker and saying, "I never even heard him, Officer".

[Willow]

I had two Valkyries, one with quiet pipes and one with louder pipes.  I still have the one with louder pipes.  I sometimes wonder whether I would still have the other one if her pipes had been louder.

Motorcycles that make noise seem to get noticed more on city streets.  That's where we need it most.

[fiddle mike]

I had two Valkyries, one with quiet pipes and one with louder pipes.  I still have the one with louder pipes.  I sometimes wonder whether I would still have the other one if her pipes had been louder.

Motorcycles that make noise seem to get noticed more on city streets.  That's where we need it most.

I just put the stock exhausts back on my Valk.  Where I live, its often better that the cagers don't know where you are till you're getting tiny in their windshields. 

Its been my experience that cagers can't hear a loud horn or loud pipes until after they've gone to bed. 

[Dogg]

my bike is stupid loud. I respect my neighbors and try to putt putt out to the road. most nieghbors up and down the street dont complain, they all know me so, its a wave and a smile...
I had this drunk walk across the street the other night when i made that sound bite i posted. it was 8 pm. i was INSIDE my garage. i walk out, this drunk guy is standing there, "hey, hey. you can cut that out anytime. you woke my daughter in law. Its annoying" .  well, HE is a nnoying.8 pm is not in violation of any noise ordinance. actually, 10pm here is the cut off but, I dont push the issue. and it was 2 minutes. My next door neighbor asked me what i was doing, since she had to walk her dog, And i told her I was recording the sound for some friends. she just laughs and keeps going. she is 74 years old.

  i dont go to work til 7am so, she is out and about by then and the other side is a summer home for financial guy from ny. the rest? whatever. most of them have bikes anyway so, its a rumble fest at 7am here...