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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.
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.
