What loud pipes really say...

[Betty]

Statler, again I think you are looking at absolutes. At some point you are going to be in a vulnerable position unless you only ride on private roads with no traffic. I'll give an example:

I was on my wife's bike (much louder than mine) and making a legitimate/legal overtaking move when a guy in a ute decided to do the same thing cutting into my lane. I would not have been able to get ahead of him as I was at his rear quarter and was not inclined to move into the oncoming traffic. I came off the throttle a little and the noise on decel alerted him to the error of his ways and he quickly swerved back into his lane.

So in that instance I don't think I put myself in a position riskier than any other where you need to overtake. Could I have stopped before a collision? Maybe. Would I have subsequently been rear-ended if I had braked? Probably. Did the exhaust stop a collision? In this case I would say more than likely.

If I had been on my bike, would it have made a difference? Nobody knows. Would my wife still have all her internal organs if she had been on her bike (rather than a rental) in a similar situation? Probably not, but who knows?

[kingbaby]

This thread is giving me a headache.

It's way louder than my bike.

I think apple has an app for that 

[Betty]

I have a habit of pulling up to the guys (sportbike or HD) that are sitting at the light blippin' the throttle and telling them I can fix their bike if it's having trouble idling.   Best part, I can.     

Bravo Sir, any concessions for two-strokes?

[Statler]

your thumb on the horn?



I'm not trying to argue....and only looking at overall themes....one overall theme I ride with is to not rely on a loud bike as a safety feature.  of course there are no absolutes...not disagreeing there.

and if you were overtaking a car that was doing the same thing weren't you a little close to him?   how far away was the car in front of him and was he closing in fast on that guy and likely to move over?    

I'm familiar with commuting by bike although I choose not to anymore.  7 years of school with bike as only vehicle.   Every ride into the office now on nice days includes at least one car doing something technically wrong and endangering me.....I still look at each time as what I could have done differently, not what they did wrong.

[Statler]

and as allways...these things are discussed with a grin and  .

[kingbaby]

Bravo Sir, any concessions for two-strokes?

If you're on a two-stoke in downtown (where I live). I'll give you a 


Haven't seen that one yet.   

...Cops two blocks back probably did though   

[Statler]

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing diiiiiiing a diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing a diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing ding.......


riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing a dinnnnnng diiiiiiiiiing.


<blue smoke>

[NFG]

I'm not trying to argue....and only looking at overall themes....one overall theme I ride with is to not rely on a loud bike as a safety feature.  of course there are no absolutes...not disagreeing there.

The thing is, no one is relying on it as a safety feature.  No one thinks a bright orange jacket or hawaiian shirt is going to be all they need to do, but as I said earlier, every bit helps.

I wear boots instead of sneakers, I wear jeans instead of shorts, I wear a fully protected jacket and a helmet and proper gloves.  My lights are always on, my pipes are always loud.  None of these things I do means I am any less attentive to the potential disasters when I ride, but every single one of those increases my odds of being seen and staying safe.  I ride as if everyone's out to get me, but I also take every opportunity ensure they notice me and to increase my odds if the worst happens.

[Betty]

I'm not trying to argue

I was ... nah like I said I like the debate it just frustrates me when people can't see a different view to their own (not that I am suggesting that is what you are doing ) ... plus some people will use your wisdom as 'proof' in their argument.

your thumb on the horn?

Under the circumstances decel was a better option ... which also made the horn redundant

and if you were overtaking a car that was doing the same thing weren't you a little close to him?   how far away was the car in front of him and was he closing in fast on that guy and likely to move over?  

It was just bad timing, he had been following the car at the same speed for a while and decided it was time to overtake, I was already in that lane. I always re-visit these things in my head as well and hindsight may offer a different solution but was that a realistic thing to do in the circumstances

[Howie]

Actually, that's not correct. Those regulations are only for the manufacturer to be able to sell the vehicle and has no bearing on the end consumer.

Glad to see someone figured this out.  Also, few if any, bikes met the CFR. 
The CFR requires the label must be:
  In contrasting colors.
  Easily visible.
  Permanently affixed, most are embossed.
Even police Harleys do not comply.

Also, since when do parked motorcycles make noise?

Yes, I agree the motorcycle community needs to do more self monitoring.
 

[Monster Dave]

if you can actually notice your noise making a difference then technically you are likely in the wrong place ...

Actually I beg to differ on that. Riding in said position acknowledges that the rider is riding in a view angle where he can see the driver and is not in a blind spot. Just because you can see them doesn't always mean that they can see you, but you can safely ride a car length behind someone and still clearly see thier face in a mirror or through the rear window. So technically, that's riding in the safest viewing postion possible. Just because you can see the driver doesn't mean that you're riding on their coat tails.

[Betty]

snip ... but you can safely ride a car length behind someone and still clearly see thier face in a mirror or through the rear window. So technically, that's riding in the safest viewing postion possible. Just because you can see the driver doesn't mean that you're riding on their coat tails.

A car length is way too close in my opinion - there is no time for you to react. We are actually taught a 3 second spacing ... you would have to be travelling pretty slowly to only cover a car length in 3 seconds.

But if I can change tack slightly, what about dry clutches ... surely they save live . They do tend to project quite a bit of sound forward.

[kopfjäger]

 

Enjoy your bike responsively.  If you don't, you are giving the rest of us a bad name.  HD riders already ruined their reputation.  Let's NOT ruin ours.  

 

Yes, sir. 

[psycledelic]

How can a tread that started with making fun of small penis's turn in to such a technical debate about riding.   

 

[NFG]

How can a tread that started with making fun of small penis's turn in to such a technical debate about riding.   

Isn't it great?  =D