So I think I have observed that many people are obsessed with the sanctity of life.... on thier bike. paraphrased,"Listening to music is distracting and dangerous... " "Having the ability to talk on a phone is potentially distracting and dangerous..." Why is an aftermarket exhaust that increases the noise of the bike any less dangerous than listening to an MP3 player or listening to a voicemail when riding? Do loud pipes save lives? :frown: Is: listening to a MP3 of your Staintune exhaust over a bluetooth headset while riding your bike different than installing said exhaust ? :caked: Is turning up the volume of the MP3 the same as removing the baffling? Why the outcry on headphone, yet none on exhaust notes? (duck and cover kids....):lever:
i agree with you. Apparently for some on here, every ride is an escape from reality and that's all they want to focus on. That's fine. But not every ride is a joy ride. What about those who commute...even on the slabs? How is it any different than having the music cranked in your car rockin out? Or carrying on a conversation with your passenger in your car... don't tell me you never talk to passengers in your car and don't tell me that it's "different" in a car. it's only a change in protection/risk.
Who got your panties in a bunch Noz? I have never seen you so wound up on something! :lol: I want you to go out today, and look at people talking on their cell phones, and tell me how attentive they are, or someone jamming their stereo loud. Think of it as, a cell phone conversation puts your mind in a conversation "outside" of your current focus "riding." Doesn't matter if you are in a car, or on a bike. If you listen to music, yes, it takes away focus I still believe, but for some it can give them rhythm, but I believe in city/congested situations can take away valuable hearing ability when you might need it. I believe it can also be different than talking to a passenger in a car that you are driving, because I don't know about you, but I am always looking at cars around me as the driver is driving, and I warn them if I see something dangerous....yes, I can chew gum and talk at the same time. :lol: Haven't we all bitched on this enough on the "who listens to music when they ride"?? :tongue: http://vfrworld.com/forums/anything-goes/11853-who-listens-music-when-they-ride.html Is loud exhaust safe? Well, that is debateable. I think that you will get a 50/50 mix on that. Are straight pipe harley's too loud and a nuisance? Hell yeah I think so. My biggest bitch of too loud exhaust is that it really hurts all motorcyclists, because they think of us as all of the same. I don't know how all these harley/cruiser (or loud sportbike guys) guys get away with it. For example, last night, nice quiet walk with the gf, then ROAR ROAR ROAR, three harley's roll by in a deafening screech.....UGH...I just hate people like that....give us all a bad name.
Anyone with any knowledge of accoustics can disprove the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" crap. I will not rehash that here. With exhaust, the sound originates behind the rider & must compete with wind blast & forward velocity to reach the rider. Head phones are directly in the rider's ear & the sound waves have nowhere to go but in. Anyone who can't realize there is a difference between exhaust & head phones is not the sharpest knife in the block. KC-10 FE out... lane: :usa2:
I know my carbon pipe is on the loud side. It came with the bike. (If I could find an insert to tone it down a notch I would, I'm open to ideas.) But with ear plugs the only time I can really hear it is when I crank it open. Just cruising down the interstate, wind noise is the thing I hear most. MD
Stuka - Holding a phone to your head is a distraction... physically and mentally. We agree this is bad, yes? I'm poking at the audio distraction... the decibles..., so I think your talking on the phone is a bad example unless it is a speaker phone in one's office. then it is just about the noise, right? one can chose to ignore the speaker whether it is music, your girl friend, or an exhaust note. One could talk about the difference between the cognitive load between listening and talking, but even then it depends how immersed the person is in what they are listening to, yes? The "you shouldn't listen to..." is about music or phone conversations not other noises. My point is folks seem to think that some noises are not worth condeeming and others are... or I miss understand thier frustration, so I thought I'd ask. If we have the perfect gadget that let's one listen and the same gadget let's one talk and listen without fidgeting with their hands, is that bad? is it worse than the loud pipe on the guy's bike next to you as he passes you which is also a distraction? KC: Am I sharp or dull? don't care... I am persistent. I think we could agree that acoustic energy from the exhaust hits your ears. So does a speaker. The frequency the speaker makes is more limited than the environment, so the rest of your body feels the low frequency exhaust note as well. Speakers in your ear turned way down may actually provide less energy than the exhaust note - regardless of how fast or slow the bike is moving. And then there is the person on another bike riding behind or next to that exhaust... so I think this is still a valid question for dull and sharp edged wits to discuss. Is someone with a louder modified exhaust a safer motorcyclist than someone with stock exhaust? btw, since Stuka asked...I'm ridin' cowboy today, no panties. :wink:
My answer is " Yes " but not in the way you think. Have witnessed many times over the years working the city while both on the bike and walking as an observer dopy pedestrians about to step out between parked cars in front of a motorcycle step back rapidly when they hear it about to cream them, I suspect most motorcycle couriers blasting about the city have loud cans for this reason.... One explanation is a lot of bikes have twin headlights and people used to looking for cars give a quick unthinking glance before crossing perceive the motorcycle further away than it is so think they can make it across in time, a loud pipe allows them an extra sense ie " hearing " to give them prior warning so watch the carnage when electric motorcycles take off.... The other time I find loud pipes helpful both on the bike and in the cage if a motorcycle is filtering through stop start traffic it gives a chance for the car driver to know it is slowly coming through, quite often have had cars make space for me before reaching them to get past mind it has forewarned the odd dope who has deliberately closed the gap also...
The X factor in all this is earplugs. It has nothing to do with where the noise originates. Scenarios: Earplugs - I hear exhaust (muffled) + a little wind = low intensity at all speeds Music - I hear music (low volume) + exhaust (muffled) = low intensity at all speeds No earplugs - I hear a lot of exhaust at low speeds and a lot of wind at high speeds = high intensity at all speeds = fatigue and a headache! I think whoever can't figure out that low volume exposure to noise is better than high volume needs the sharpening block. So to answer the original question, exhaust, in my opinion can be dangerous IF not wearing earplugs over the course of a long day due to the constant pounding of noise from the exhaust AND the wind noise. Fatigue would cause loss of concentration which could lead to a soccer Mom on her phone running you over...oh the irony! I think we're reaching Oil Debate territory with the noise arguments :biggrin: Where's the dead horse graphic?
That only applies to people that are paying attention as passengers. Most of my passengers do not pay attention to what is happening outside the vehicle. What about the kids in the car that distract the driver? They offer little to no help in navigating or warning of the driver either. And that little kid in the baby seat facing backwards in the back seat is even more of a distraction to the lone mother driver in the car.
I do see where you're coming from and the point you're getting at. But I'm on the side of the fence, where I welcome the loud pipes. The loud pipes for me, are to let others know I'm there, or coming up the road. Since doing the loud pipes on my bike, the number of people that try merging into me, don't see me, or other, has been cut in half. Though the loud pipes take away from my ability to completely hear what's going on around me, but being on a bike you have to drive very defensively any way. I'm constantly checking mirrors, making sure I know who's around me, and what they're doing. I don't listen to music, talk on a phone, etc. while riding.
O.K. I've got the rant worked out of my crack now in a more concise easy to follow format: If you are going to preach about the dangers of a handsfree headset to the radio, an mp3 player, a comms link to my passenger or my phone,... Please preach about loud pipes, women riding in thongs, or group rides with the bimota club, since these are all potentially more distracting - and hence dangerous - during my commute. thanks for reading... peace... back to VFR's :yield: I'd repost on craigs list, but I could only find craigslist... sorry Long. :tongue:
1. Because it is, IMO, do you listen to your MP3 loud enough that it can be heard by people in their cars? I have seen it in action, more audible than stock exhausts will get you noticed by generally unattentive drivers in heavy traffic and if it's just for that one time, it's worth it. Will your cell phone or mp3 player do that, or does it have the potential to make the listener unattentive? Lastly, I didn't get a more audible than stock exhaust to get noticed by unattentive drivers, it's just an added benefit. 2. Potentially, yes 3. You're kidding right? Ludicrous....... 4. No, any less confused now? Glad I could help. 5. You don't know the difference, Noz? Sorry Noz, I think you're out in left field on this one.....just go put on your headphones and listen to some Enya and relax, or better yet listen to a couple ringtones of Enya on your mp3 capable and bluetooth enabled phone and relax. I won't judge you if you do.............
ya know i like Loud Exhaust when i riding but i hate i when im in the car or truck and a HD rolls by rapping the throttle that sometime can scar the f**k out of you
More people look at me since I got the pipes. That includes the pretties. Anything that makes more pretties look my way is ok in my book. :biggrin: In all honesty. People hear me and then look for me in their cars. I think my pipes make me more safe. Im not touching the headphones end of this thread! :smash: I say, ride how you feel good and free and happy. If that is stark naked or with a cell-phone surgically connected to your brains :dizzy: , more power to you, it all comes down to freedom to chose your risk levels. Me, I like riding barefoot whilst wearing womens undergarments. I mean, in all honesty, who doesnt.
Must agree, a HD with Open Slash cuts makes an obscene racket, on the otherhand a VFR with a fruity aftermarket can eg Staintunes etc is a much nicer thing. :smile:
Simple answer, yes. Loud exhaust is safe. Of course if you asked, is stock exhaust safe? The answer would also be yes. Not that I sit and linger in around in blindspots, but when I do get stuck next to someone on the freeway, it's good to KNOW they hear me with my "loud exhaust". And just for the record. I listen to music, the radar detector and sometimes carry on a convo bike to bike. I can still hear horns, my bike, other vehicles etc... If that offends anyone, quit the board and demand all your posts be deleted.
