Motorcycle owners and others who deal with them---"Loud pipes save lifes" Agree or disagree?

Question

Community, help me out here.

There's a lot of good thinking on this question, but i want to see what the majority thinks. Personally, the only time loud pipes bother me is when someone's just tweaking them to show off, and on the road they've sometimes helped me from taking out some guy who i just didn't see in my mirrors.

So, YOU tell US.

Answer 1

rider here. mine is factory stock, and in the close shaves i've had, it's because of numnuts was on a cell phone and too involved to even see the cage that was beside me that dam near creamed him. if a cager cant see another cager, no pipe short of a morter tube will get their attention. if u put ur faith in loud pipes, u will wind up gettin to compliant.......and them pipes wont do jack chit on makin a cager hit the brakes, and that cage is gonna cream u.

Answer 2

Disagree.
I like mine louder than the stock whisper, but not too loud. I actually made mine quieter the other day. I tried the pull in the clutch and rev it thing a while ago. It worked, she heard me. But I would have gotten a better response from using my horn. She realized she had cut me off, but now she thought she had a pissed off biker behind her and because she was (scared, I guess) she REALLY drove like an idiot. She suddenly pulled over to let me pass, without seeing that she had just blocked the right turn I was signalling for. I'll depend on the horn. The stock one on my HD is as loud as any other, and louder than the ones on my Japanese cycles. I find that pushing a button with my thumb is a lot easier than messing around with the gas and clutch at a time where control is really important.

As far as air horns go, they DO work. Work wonders actually.
I had a twin air horn on my Suzuki. One day a guy in a large truck started to make a right out of Dunkin Donuts without looking left. I hit the horn. Automatic reaction: this guy cranked the wheel over and climbed the sidewalk, as he spastically looked all around for an 18 wheeler. You should have seen the look on his face!!!! Sheer panic! I waved as I went by (all fingers, BIG smile).

Then, there's my other defense. It only takes a fraction of a second to drop the vocal cords into "parade ground carry".

Loud pipes draw attention, the reason people say they're safer. Unfortunately, there is a huge downside, they draw attention.

Answer 3

I've seen a guy with a loud set of Vance & Hines use the throttle to "wake" the guy in the car trying to change lanes directly into his bike. You can do the same thing with a good horn (which don't come stock on bikes, it seems). The thing is that the car wasn't any more aware the rider until he hit the throttle. The pipes were loud already.

Evidence would indicate that it's not a true statement, despite anecdotal evidence such as above. I've yet to see a sport bike that didn't sound like an annoyed weed whacker, unless it was one that sounded like a blender. These riders are just as able to use their horns to avoid getting run over as cruiser riders with the loud pipes.

So, I disagree. What saves lives is the rider's awareness of traffic and pre-planning as they go along.

Answer 4

Disagree. Most of the sounds come from behind and to the side of the bike. So it might help an inattentive driver know the a bike is along side them in traffic, but I think biggest problem and danger for bikes is what is in front of them. The loud pipes will not help out much there.

Answer 5

There's no reason to believe that loud pipes save lives. A loud horn is more useful.

Answer 6

DISAGREE.
There are way too many nut cases out there who just do not like those on bikes (motorcycles).
Given the chance to avoid these nut cases should be on every street rider's mind.
Annoyances have easily set off an already super stressed or "I HATE MOTORCYCLES" type to do something to those who are not protected by 4000 lbs. of steel (and plastic)!

Answer 7

Disagree.

Most problems occur in front of your vehicle. Sound travels behind it.

Counting on loud pipes to make drivers aware of you is a crutch - motorcyclists must use all their senses and skills to stay aware and alive on the road.

Anywhoo - for those folks who say their pipe are loud for safety reasons - just check out what other 'safety' gear their wearing. Full face helmet? Nope, usually a little skull-cap. Brightly colored gear with reflective areas? Nope, black leather.

If you see a rider wearing bright orange day-glo gear, a full face helmet AND running loud pipes, then it's because they feel safer with them.

If you see a rider with little or no helmet, black gear, and loud pipes -- it's a fashion statement.

Answer 8

Disagree...Noise Polution.

Answer 9

i agree, i ride in populated areas a lot. i've got V&H short shotguns on my harley and i think when your just cruising through town people really hear it coming, i'd rather piss you off for a few minutes then have some idiot back out into me!
oh yeah, i got pulled over the other day on it, not for the pipes, because i stretched out my arms for a minute and took my hands off the bars, but anyway - when the trooper asked me if i knew why i got stopped i said "must be the pipes" cop said "nope, they are all loud".......lol

Answer 10

Nope, all loud pipes do is piss off people around you. Ditch your stock Jap horn, and install a dual set of car horns. Cheap, about $25 to do. I have Cadillac horns on my CBR-RR, no one expects it, and it'll certainly wake someone up if they need it!