Do loud pipes save lives?

[Norton72]

Forgot to ask, what's pirate gear? Is that like with the rag on the head?

[hannigan]

Well do not blame the pipes.

There are amateur race car guys 2 blocks away from my property and they are way worse than any Harley riders.

My dogs love the loud pipes and bounce around the truck barking and waging whenever I am next to them in traffic.

[Nick JD]

I read somewhere that the police have started using "noise cameras" with decibel meters that snap a photo of the number plate if a certain limit is reached.

The system uses a set of microphones and cameras to monitor and analyse sound activity. It drops background noise and scans whatever is left. The system attempts to identify the type of noise using a 'trigger list' and the volume of the source.

If the undesired sound is too loud, the system then takes a ten second video recording of the scene as evidence. The multiple microphones permit the system to triangulate the source of the sound, determining which vehicle in the footage is generating it.

[Jack FFR1846]

Logically, on motorcycles, loud pipes only save lives if someone is about to run you over from behind. You don't hear the loud pipe until the bike has passed.

My Lotus has a fairly loud exhaust that is typically only heard either behind the car or if I happen to be going through a tunnel. :). My son gave me a pair of Hella supertone horns to replace the wimpy, ill positioned stock horn (basically inside an enclosed box). I installed them in the "mouth" of the car. It's very loud now.

[gypsymoth]

reading the original question, I would have to wonder if the stupid people who ask such a question are deaf as well.

[w3stie]

Originally Posted by Norton72

Forgot to ask, what's pirate gear? Is that like with the rag on the head?

I guess it's this

[J-man]

Originally Posted by w3stie

I guess it's this

Hey, it's Steve the Pirate!

[superchicken_VI]

Quote:
Originally Posted by superchicken_VI
I've never in my life heard a set of loud pipes while in my car driving down the road.
So you can't hear the traffic around you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by superchicken_VI
In fact I think that they make the motorcyclist less likely to be able to hear traffic around them because of all of the noise they're generating. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they cause more crashes because of that.
Reconcile this please.
__________________

I don't see what there is to reconcile. I drive with classical music at a low volume, typically with windows up during when appropriate and down when appropriate. Pipes pointing away from me don't make enough noise for me to hear over the general din of traffic or typical road noise of tires on pavement/air over the car. If the pipes are pointing at me, the bike is right in front of me and I can see it better than I can hear it. However, those pipes just a few feet from a rider's head would seem to make a constant noise floor that makes it harder to hear sounds around him.

Whether in our Mini or our small SUV, "loud pipes" aren't loud enough to be useful in traffic as a warning tool. I definitely notice more bikes in traffic with riders who are either wearing hi-vis clothes or have the blinking headlights. The only time I hear the pipes is when I'm not in traffic, such as when some dude is sitting at the stopsign across the street for 5 minutes at 3 am just idling and then blasts off like he suddenly realizes he's late for a very important date.

If you want to be safer, wear full-face helmets, high-viz clothing, and maybe put a really hot chick on the back of your bike in a bikini--then everybody will see you on the road!

[Norton72]

So why does anyone care what somebody else wears? Are the haters fashion police as well? I understand about protective gear, it's a smart choice. I've only recently (in the last couple of years,) started wearing a helmet, other than when I have lived/ridden in helmet law states. Not for protection, but because when I get rear-ended at a red light and die, I don't want some a**hole telling my six year old son that his daddy died because he wasn't wearing a helmet. I've been in three accidents, the first one my fault. In the first on I was wearing a helmet, the other two not. I was lucky to be sure, but as far as protective gear beyond a helmet, jeans, boots, leather jacket -- even a light one -- and gloves have been what saved me. I ride hard, but I don't race or screw around in traffic. I can't tell you how many times I have seen guys wearing all the good gear doing stunts in traffic and riding ridiculously fast. Every dead biker I've seeing laying in a smear of blood was riding a plastic bike and wearing a helmet.

So we all have our ideals of what keeps us safe. When it's 80 degrees outside, I wear short sleeves. I' always mindful of what the road rash would be like, but if I can't enjoy my bike the way I want, I may as well be sitting around the house in a tinfoil hat.

Peace.

[Dave_O]

[68 Shovelhead]

Originally Posted by Jack FFR1846

Logically, on motorcycles, loud pipes only save lives if someone is about to run you over from behind. You don't hear the loud pipe until the bike has passed.

I actually find the healthy pipes most useful to catch the attention of some idiot in a car next to me, who is moving into my lane because they don't seem to see anything smaller than a billboard right next to them.
I have blipped the throttle to catch someones attention when I see they are entering my space (their right turn) and haven't appeared to see me. It absolutely has caused drivers to stop and look on numerous occaisions, so I'm for it.
Proper training, much practice, a properly maintained machine and good safety equipment are certainly more important than loud pipes.
We have a helmet law in this state, I see more than a few guys waring novelty helmets with "loud pipes saves lives" plastered on them. Which to me defies logic and good sense.

[superchicken_VI]

Maybe the reason it hasn't been effective with me is that I pay attention when I drive and haven't had a bike right on my front fender blip the throttle that way. Dunno.

[jackal]

No, but they can sure tick off your neighborhood, and just about anywhere else you ride.

[Norton72]

Originally Posted by superchicken_VI

I've never in my life heard a set of loud pipes while in my car driving down the road.

From this I take that if you can't hear the pipes that are so loud, then you can't hear any other traffic as well. Just verifying that is what you are saying.

Originally Posted by superchicken_VI

In fact I think that they make the motorcyclist less likely to be able to hear traffic around them because of all of the noise they're generating. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they cause more crashes because of that.

This statement seems to imply that the motorcyclist should be able to hear the traffic around them, and that loud pipes are the cause of bike accidents because the biker cannot hear the traffic.

That's what I want you to clear up. Why the biker has to hear the traffic and you don't, and how not hearing the traffic is not responsible for auto accidents, only bike accidents.

Originally Posted by superchicken_VI

I don't see what there is to reconcile. I drive with classical music at a low volume, typically with windows up during when appropriate and down when appropriate. Pipes pointing away from me don't make enough noise for me to hear over the general din of traffic or typical road noise of tires on pavement/air over the car. If the pipes are pointing at me, the bike is right in front of me and I can see it better than I can hear it. However, those pipes just a few feet from a rider's head would seem to make a constant noise floor that makes it harder to hear sounds around him.

Whether in our Mini or our small SUV, "loud pipes" aren't loud enough to be useful in traffic as a warning tool. I definitely notice more bikes in traffic with riders who are either wearing hi-vis clothes or have the blinking headlights. The only time I hear the pipes is when I'm not in traffic, such as when some dude is sitting at the stopsign across the street for 5 minutes at 3 am just idling and then blasts off like he suddenly realizes he's late for a very important date.

If you want to be safer, wear full-face helmets, high-viz clothing, and maybe put a really hot chick on the back of your bike in a bikini--then everybody will see you on the road!

I hope you realized that I agree with you, loud pipes cannot be said to save lives. Do they contribute to driver's awareness? Who knows? Who cares? I doubt that the people who started the whole "Loud Pipes Save Lives" thing even believed it. They only said it to piss off the people that hate loud pipes. Somewhere along the line when challenged on the reality of that statement, the knee-jerk reaction was to start defending it. There are some people that believe that all those stickers with the cute sayings that they plaster all over their helmets are biker gospel.

Thanks for the tips on staying safe. I've been riding for a long time, and my way works well for me. YMMV

[BobbyZ]

The funny thing is I wasn't even thinking about bikes when I posted this. It's been snowing here.
No I was thinking about cars, pickups and semis. I don't much like loud bikes, boats or snowmobiles ether.

Posting this reminded me of the time the lights went out in a bar on the res. My buddy tossed a beer bottle into the pool room just to try and get a fight going. When the lights came on we were in the middle of a real good old western bar fight.

[Barbeque John]

A bike rider can buy a horn that puts out 139db for about 40 bucks, otherwise, I guess you can route your pipes so they point forward. All the crap about about loud pipes saving lives, is just that, self justification for being an annoying, look at me, citizen. 50 years on bikes, this year.

[superchicken_VI]

Originally Posted by Norton72

From this I take that if you can't hear the pipes that are so loud, then you can't hear any other traffic as well. Just verifying that is what you are saying.



This statement seems to imply that the motorcyclist should be able to hear the traffic around them, and that loud pipes are the cause of bike accidents because the biker cannot hear the traffic.

That's what I want you to clear up. Why the biker has to hear the traffic and you don't, and how not hearing the traffic is not responsible for auto accidents, only bike accidents.



I hope you realized that I agree with you, loud pipes cannot be said to save lives. Do they contribute to driver's awareness? Who knows? Who cares? I doubt that the people who started the whole "Loud Pipes Save Lives" thing even believed it. They only said it to piss off the people that hate loud pipes. Somewhere along the line when challenged on the reality of that statement, the knee-jerk reaction was to start defending it. There are some people that believe that all those stickers with the cute sayings that they plaster all over their helmets are biker gospel.

Thanks for the tips on staying safe. I've been riding for a long time, and my way works well for me. YMMV

Ahh I see your point. I'll go in a parallel direction for a moment.

I ride bicycles on the road. Helmet, bright clothes, reflectors, use hand signals, full stop (but not foot down, I can track stand for a second) at stop signs, etc. I wouldn't dream of wearing a headset while I ride because I know I'm more vulnerable in a collision than the car that would hit me. I want to be able to hear cars approach me from the rear or any other danger coming my way. I have limited but some experience riding a motorcycle on the roads, and I didn't enjoy it. Even on a quiet bike (a small BMW with stock exhaust) I thought that the engine noise made it difficult to hear traffic around me. For this reason, I just think that yes, it's more important for a motorcyclist to hear in traffic than it is for me in a car--he will lose a whole lot more easily than me in a car.

I'm not saying I can't hear in traffic, but another set of loud pipes just becomes part of the noise, not a sound on its own. I hear sirens long before I see the emergency vehicle running the siren. I just don't hear bike exhaust as a distinct sound that draws my attention to the bike. Horns, even wimpy little horns, get my attention more.

Loud pipes are annoying to me sitting in my house or in my yard, and if I were king of the world, I'd probably get rid of them after a few hours of dealing with stuff that was actually important. But I'm not king of the world, so pipes are probably safe from me. I'm sure there is stuff that I do that annoys guys with loud pipes so we're probably even.

[Norton72]

Originally Posted by superchicken_VI

Loud pipes are annoying to me sitting in my house or in my yard, and if I were king of the world, I'd probably get rid of them after a few hours of dealing with stuff that was actually important. But I'm not king of the world, so pipes are probably safe from me. I'm sure there is stuff that I do that annoys guys with loud pipes so we're probably even.

I kind of like loud pipes, but I find that most often, I don't like those that have them. Too often they just want to draw attention to themselves and they are indeed annoying and to me, embarrassing.

[Norton72]

Just heard this quote on the news:

"In the United States the sale of helmets for toddlers learning to walk has risen by 20% in the last year, even though the instance of head injury while learning to walk remains rare."

Anyone want to bet on how long it will be until "toddler helmets" become mandatory?

[Twangasaurus]

What happens when engine technology changes to say, non-combustion? Engines would make significantly less noise, people might actually have to look where they are going to not run over someone!
Shock! Horror!