[mjw930]

I personally don't buy into the "loud pipes save lives" mantra. The physics don't bear it out. How many times have you been tooling down the road and been surprised by an ambulance or fire truck on your tail? You tend ot notice the lights rather than hear the sound when you are both traveling in the same direction and they are coming up from behind you.

In the situation where you're in traffic and someone is beside you then yes, loud pipes will increase your chances of being noticed by the brain dead cager talking in the cell phone that's about to pull into your lane. Problem is that these aren't the types of incidents that usually cause fatal problems for us. It's usually some fool who turns in front of you and claims they didn't see you. Ask any amulance drive how many times someone has cut them off or turned in front of them, you'll be surprised at the answer and their sirens are 10 times louder than our bikes could ever be and the sound is being radiated in front of the vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, I love loud pipes but I'm not going to use an excuse that's never been scientificaly proven to justify them. If I like them then they go on the bike, period.

My :2cents:

 

[mjw930]

Karl,

You're right, it's not the Doppler effect that's at question, it's the volume. Since the sound is emitted behind the bike the relative volume in front of the bike is very much lower.

Does it add a degree of safety, yes. Does it save lives? The few studies that have been done don't come to that conclusion.

Another example of something that seems obvious not being reality because all of the variables aren't factored in. Scientists spend entire careers attempting to prove hypothesis that make perfect sense on paper.

There's a very good position paper on "excessive noise" published by the AMA. Read it completely before you dismiss it, it makes some very valid points. Especially regarding how your future rights might be reduced due to the actions of a few.

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/positions/noise.asp

 

[mjw930]

John,

I agree that the V-Mods aren't excessive but they are borderline. The whole point of the article is that exercising your "right" to loud pipes can and will, at some point, cause the police to start enforcing existing noise ordinances. Take a look at Daytona Beach. As of bikeweek 2001 the police were instructed to begin enforcing their "loud pipes" ordinance. Because of that, thousands of people with excessively loud pipes (drag pipes, etc.) were ticketed. Added to the mix were people like you and me with modified pipes that are still far quieter than open pipes getting tickets because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time (I got off with a warning on my V-Mods).

Remember, even though you might not agree with what is excessive the letter of the law states that you cannot modify your pipes to emit more noise than the EPA mandated stock pipes. If they pull you over and you have anything other than the factory pipes they can write you a noise ticket. They don't have to break out a sound meter in most jurisdictions.

Non factory pipes + officer thinks their louder = ticket

Don't get me wrong, the first thing I changed was the pipes. What I don't want to see happen is the few who run open pipes ruin it for those of us looking for a bit more noise and a lot more performance.

 

[mjw930]

V-Mods are louder than either the 16 ga or the V-Modded 16 ga. The V-Mods have a lower pitch than either 16 ga pipe but more volume. It sounds like (pun intended ) you would like the stock 16 ga sound.

You might also consider the V&H pipe. It has a unique sound that's really pretty good. A bit louder than the stock 16 ga.

 

[mjw930]

Lastly - a comment about the AMA - I read the article related to loud pipes and their general position statement when they first put it out earlier this year. I was considering joining because I wanted someone that would protect the rights of all motorcyclists. That position statement helped me to decide that I would not join thier organization. I do realize that some people have an arrogant attitude about what they can and can't do; and somehow it is thier right to annoy the crap out of people around them. These people have the same attitude on many facets of life and ruin many things for everyone. However, I leave my house at 3:30 AM in the mornings so I can go to the gym. I have asked every neighbor if they have heard me leave. The answer for all is "no". I ride with the rpms as low as possible until I get out of my neighborhood and onto a major roadway. In other words, what I'm saying is that those with loud pipes - including me - can be respectful when in low noise areas but use the pipes to our advantage when surrounded by jerks like on Atlanta highways. To me it's the best of both worlds.

Y'all have a good day and remember this is just my opinion, do with it what you will. :2cents

I think their position on loud pipes and your consideration of your neighbors are in line with each other, not opposed. IMHO You're the poster child for responsible use of "loud" pipes.

As for fighting for our rights I think this parragraph speaks volumes.

Q: Why did the AMA suddenly issue this position statement?
A: The AMA has fought motorcycle bans in St. Louis, Detroit, Brockton, Massachusetts, and Springfield, Illinois. The foundation for each was tied to excessive noise. More recently we have confronted proposed motorcycle prohibitions in Chicago and New York City. Motorcycle noise, again, was the justification for these proposals.

In the past several years, the AMA has spent well over $100,000 defending lawsuits and confronting legislative prohibitions initiated by zealous legislators responding to their belief that motorcycles are too loud. In Europe, where road closures to stifle excessive noise are becoming almost commonplace, anti-tampering legislation and restrictive sound emission requirements are under serious consideration.

The position results from the Board's desire to avoid further restrictions on motorcycling. If the excessive noise problem is not addressed voluntarily, and in a timely fashion, these restrictions are inevitable. The Board agrees that failing to raise this warning, despite the potential negative reception by some, would be shirking their responsibility to AMA members and the motorcycling community.