Why so Loud!!!!

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Although getting used to ear plugs is a personal decision, you may be surprised to find all of the things that you can hear with ear plugs that you cannot hear without them. By blocking certain ambient noises such as wind noise, other sounds are more noticeable and by blocking ambient noise a rider can greatly reduce fatigue which may result in a more alert and attentive rider. Many lifelong motorcyclists have experienced hearing loss later in life even though they never rode "loud" motorcycles.

The issue of loud pipes saving lives has been disproven statistically, scientifically, and through common sense. They do not. The short version:

Most of our hazards approach us from the front, the noise from loud exhaust travels to the back.

The low pitch of loud exhaust does not allow other motorists to determine direction. Low pitch sounds are not located by the human ear easily, which is why placement of the subwoofer in your stereo system is not as critical as the placement of the tweeter. It is also why sirens and horns are higher pitch - we can tell where they are coming from.

The constant noise from a loud exhaust is far more likely to distract the rider, cause fatigue, and prevent them from hearing approaching hazards around them than it is to alert other motorists. Anyone who has ever worked in a loud factory can attest to the effects of noise and it's relation to fatigue. A distracted, fatigued rider is far more likely to be involved in an accident than an alert attentive rider. This is true for multi vehicle as well as single vehicle accidents.

The only concrete result of loud obnoxious exhausts on motorcycles is to foster a negative image of motorcycles with the general public. As a result we are likely to see more and more restrictions on motorcycles, which will prevent them from accessing certain areas and ultimately prevent (eliminate)motorcycle accidents in those areas.

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Cliflyri wrote:

The issue of loud pipes saving lives has been disproven statistically, scientifically, and through common sense. They do not. The short version:

Most of our hazards approach us from the front, the noise from loud exhaust travels to the back.
It is also why sirens and horns are higher pitch - we can tell where they are coming from.

Click to expand...

Loud pipes DO get you noticed , visibility is everything, when I ride out with my Harley pals the traffic moves out of the way, thy hear the bikes coming , they hear a rumble , they wonder what it is and they start looking around them, this is not statistics or science it is simply experience.

On the old science front - high pitch sirens are almost impossible to pin down for direction, in tests conducted for the UK fire brigade they determined that a low pulse rather like an enormous fart wasexcellent for pinpointing dirction. they tested the siren interspersed with the fart and found it very successful - the siren tellsthe motoristthere is a problem and the fart tells you where it is coming from. If you wish to test this try farting at an inopportune moment at say a quiet moment at a dinner party , see how many people look at you.....[ not very scientific]

Anyone who defends their right to not wear a helmet makes a clear choice - and one day will have their head examined....:gunhead:

BB

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Fellas!!!!!!!!:gunhead:

Those guys on the Harleys weren't pulling out ear plugs!!! They were pulling out earphones which allowed them to communicate with each other, and listen to the MP3 sticks they got stuffed into what used to be the zippo lighter pocket on their leather jackets!!! Isn't technology wonderful??????:clapper:

NOT!!!!

Kyle :coollep:

My hairs turning white, my collar still blue, my neck always been red!!!!

By the way......Just bought a 1996 wing /W/ the trailer!!!!:cooldj: