What loud pipes really say...

[NFG]

My M900 is almost a month mine, and it's my first bike.  It's used, and came with Termi pipes, and it sounds like the sexiest machine on the planet, I love it.  I am very conscious about the noise, and I feel a little guilty every time I start it in the morning, especially 'cause I have to hold the revs high until it warms up a bit.  I try to be quiet in my neighborhood as well, coasting or driving slow when possible.

But the loud pipes are the best safety device money can buy: no one fails to notice me in quiet streets, and on the freeway it's only big trucks who don't hear me coming. 

In a world where an unnoticed bike is likely to be ruined by the inattentive, I'd rather be loud. 

[Revax30]

You actually get used to tinnitus, well at least I have.  Freak hunting accident.  I was the freak that accidentally stood to close to my huting buddy with open pipes on his shotgun.  

[m1moto]

My bike is not nearly as load as a HD with those stupid straight pipes. I agree with Corey. Take it it easy and keep it down when you need to. I cant' stand the HD crowd rolling up to a restaurant and blipping their bikes for no reason.

[kopfjäger]

I cant' stand the HD crowd rolling up to a restaurant and blipping their bikes for no reason.

Yeah, those HD guy's are the only one running loud pipes.

ZARD - Ducati 1098 full kit racing

[NAKID]

That's a nice looking system...

[Bill in OKC]

Loud pipes say "9 world championships"  http://www.motogp.com/

[orangelion03]

My bike came with Zards when I bought it.  The dB reducers were in the spare parts box, still wrapped in their original bubble-wrap.  After a few weeks of riding around, I decided to slip the reducers in and listen to the result.  I've kept them on since.  Pipe still sounds nice, but the sound is much mellower and far less obnoxious.  I too loathe the H-D straight pipe crowd and I figure I shouldnt be making similar noise.

[Buckethead]

Personally, I find the "pop" or "snap" more annoying than the rumble. That may be a byproduct of me having played bass guitar for a long time. Or it could be the byproduct of having to deal with guitar players who felt the need to turn it to "11." Constantly.

Too Loud

That bike sounded really good, right up until he ran over that chain-link fence with that family of cats hiding behind it. 

[victor441]

You actually get used to tinnitus, well at least I have.  Freak hunting accident.  I was the freak that accidentally stood to close to my hunting buddy with open pipes on his shotgun.  

me too fortunately, am living with it OK after a year or so and it has got a little better (FWIW driving a Lotus 7 replica a LOT got me), but read some tinnitus horror stories that kinda freaked me out at the beginning...i.e. madness, suicide, divorce, etc ...anyway now wear earplugs when doing long duration noisy activities, also added a resonator to the car and have stock pipes on my Monster

[NFG]

Personally, I find the "pop" or "snap" more annoying than the rumble.

Yes, that really annoys me too.  HD bikes with the bubbling POP after each boom is downright rude.  My wife hates those, but fell immediately in love with my Monster.  (The bike too!)

now wear earplugs when doing long duration noisy activities

Mowing the lawn demanded earplugs for me.  Was so much easier to tolerate with 'em in.  The bike isn't nearly noisy enough to warrant it, and the idea of wearing plugs is tempered by the attendant drop in hazard volume.  I want to hear that horn or screeching brake. 

[EvilSteve]

I'm waiting for people to realize that just because they think their pipe sounds "nice" doesn't mean it isn't obnoxiously loud to other people. If your pipe is over 100db, then it's too loud, period. If you're only ever riding around in the country then not such a big deal but otherwise you're part of the problem. Put the baffles in and save other riders the drama of draconian laws, when the laws are coming to your city then you might understand.

As for loud pipes save lives, no, they don't. Loud pipes *might* alert someone to the presence of a motorcycle (or construction equipment) and they *might* see you and *might* not hit you. If you're banking on *might* you'll lose. Aware and skillful riders save lives, loud pipes piss people off and bring ugly myopic legislation that affects everyone.

blah blah blah, not the first time I've said this shit, won't be the last, most people won't change until it means a ticket and then everyone suffers.

[NFG]

I'm waiting for people to realize that just because they think their pipe sounds "nice" doesn't mean it isn't obnoxiously loud to other people.

I wonder, did I miss the part where someone said otherwise or are you dragging another thread's baggage into this discussion?

If your pipe is over 100db, then it's too loud, period.

Speaking only for myself, my pipes are quieter than the legal limit.  They're fully compliant AND they sound nice.

As for loud pipes save lives, no, they don't. Loud pipes *might* alert someone to the presence of a motorcycle (or construction equipment) and they *might* see you and *might* not hit you. If you're banking on *might* you'll lose. Aware and skillful riders save lives, loud pipes piss people off and bring ugly myopic legislation that affects everyone.

If I might paraphrase what you said:
Louder pipes make you more noticeable, we're agreed so far.
A significant portion of car accidents involving bikes seem to be a result of a car not noticing the bike.  I think we're still on the same page.
Riders who are more aware and more skilled are more likely to avoid an accident.  <insert 'duh' here>
Some bad apples might ruin it for the rest of us.

Your point appears to be that things that are too loud are too loud, and riders who are better are better, and dick riders are dicks.

Well, you haven't gone out on a limb here, and I think we're all agreed.  

[Popeye the Sailor]

The bike isn't nearly noisy enough to warrant it, and the idea of wearing plugs is tempered by the attendant drop in hazard volume.  I want to hear that horn or screeching brake. 

You may want to read this thread before you continue on without the earplugs.

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=25518.0

Also, loud pipes do *nothing* for safety. If you like the noise, consider it good enough.



Also also, welcome to the board.

[Ducatl]

I'm waiting for people to realize that just because they think their pipe sounds "nice" doesn't mean it isn't obnoxiously loud to other people. If your pipe is over 100db, then it's too loud, period. If you're only ever riding around in the country then not such a big deal but otherwise you're part of the problem. Put the baffles in and save other riders the drama of draconian laws, when the laws are coming to your city then you might understand.

As for loud pipes save lives, no, they don't. Loud pipes *might* alert someone to the presence of a motorcycle (or construction equipment) and they *might* see you and *might* not hit you. If you're banking on *might* you'll lose. Aware and skillful riders save lives, loud pipes piss people off and bring ugly myopic legislation that affects everyone.

blah blah blah, not the first time I've said this shit, won't be the last, most people won't change until it means a ticket and then everyone suffers.

Not that I'm disagreeing with you but it sounds like you're advocating the use of stock systems and also upset about possibly having to run one? The end results seems fairly similar in your scenario.  The other thing is, probably 85% of the "way over the legal sound limit" vehicles I see rolling down the street are not motorcycles...they're cars.

Also, there are no guarantees in motorcycling, nobody promised loud pipes will save ALL lives.  It's all about chance and decreasing that chance, even slightly, might in fact save your life.  Statistically speaking I think it's probably near impossible to accurately measure the amount of impact they have on motorcycle accidents involving cars.

[Popeye the Sailor]

The only time I have *ever* heard a motorcycle and known it was a moto was AFTER it went by. Typically when they lane split by me on the highway I don't hear them. I notice modulating headlights, but the sound is directed backwards-so all it does is make it feel like you're make the beast with two backsing my ear after you pass me.