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This thread is not to bash bikers or anything, mainly it is for me and many others who don't understand it. Why do many bikers feel the need to have such loud bikes? Is it an attention thing? Is it a "power" thing?
I have heard the argument of loud pipes so that cars and trucks can hear you as well as see you, but if your not wearing a helmet it's kind of pointless as it's contradictory.
My uncle is 48 and been riding Harley's since he was 17. He has several years of bikes and has them all muffled, they are quiet and very smooth to drive. Why would you want it loud and obnoxious unless you were starved for attention? And if your that attention hungry there in an underlying problem that could use counseling?
I've been riding since 1967, and I like bikes that aren't too loud. My bike makes a nice intake roar when I open it up, but I doubt that anyone else hears it. I seldom see a Harley or any cruiser that hasn't had its exhaust system modified for more sound.
Some just like the noise, some think loud means fast or cool. When your sitting in front of the muffler or pipes it isn't near as loud as the bystander.
Well, ask a car guy why he throws on headers and an exhaust on his car and you'll get the same answers. Part of it is the additional power, part of it is a 'hey, look at me!' syndrome, and part of it is just for the pleasure of the driver.
And while I do believe that there is such a thing as 'too loud' and that the 'loud pipes save lives' argument is a bit of a weak one, I will say that it's petty to suggest the rider has some deep-seeded 'attention *****' issues that need sorted out. The same could be said for the chicks in the super slutty outfits or the douchebag with 2-sizes-too-small Ed Hardy t-shirt on, but I don't see thread after thread talking about that.
I ride a Honda VFR and it has an aftermarket exhaust on it. My personal reason for it? I like the sound. I could BS you and say that it's for the negligible HP gains or the weight savings, but it's not. I like to hear the bike. It adds to the whole experience. If you've ever seen that Magnaflow commercial with Mario Andretti driving the Vette around the desert, that pretty much sums it all up for me. And yes, I do like a bit of attention. Not 'look at me' loud, but enough of a tone that another gearhead might hear it and think, 'Ooh, I like that!'. Is it vain? Maybe, but let's get real; we're a vain society. If we weren't, no one would go buy clothes at Nordstrom when they could just as easily wear $5 sweats from Wal-Mart. And, FWIW, mine is not obnoxiously loud. I kept the inserts in so that I wouldn't wake the neighbors when I leave for work at 5:45AM. So far, no complaints.
Mike
Last edited by whiteboyslo; 11-24-2010 at 03:00 PM..
I got an email some years ago and I so wish I had kept it. In it a guy is sitting on a cruiser bike at a red light and a good looking gal crossess the street in front of him. He revs his bike. You are unable to hear him because of the pipes but you can clearly read his lips as he says "I have a small penis".
This thread is not to bash bikers or anything, mainly it is for me and many others who don't understand it. Why do many bikers feel the need to have such loud bikes? Is it an attention thing? Is it a "power" thing?
I have heard the argument of loud pipes so that cars and trucks can hear you as well as see you, but if your not wearing a helmet it's kind of pointless as it's contradictory.
My uncle is 48 and been riding Harley's since he was 17. He has several years of bikes and has them all muffled, they are quiet and very smooth to drive. Why would you want it loud and obnoxious unless you were starved for attention? And if your that attention hungry there in an underlying problem that could use counseling?
I put an FMF slip-on on my ZZR600 because with the stock pipe I could not hear the engine at all when I was above about 50 mph with wind blast and earplugs. It deepened the tone but wasn't obnoxiously loud, but did help me know what the engine was doing at all times.
It was probably marginally more attention-getting, and it did seem to provide snappier throttle response, though I doubt torque was increased very much along the rev range.
Now I'm okay with not being able to hear the engine, and my neighbors already don't like the loudness of my stock bike when it's 6am or 9pm. And then with the new laws coming, it's safe to say I'll never own another motorcycle with a loud pipe.
I ride quiet bikes like BMW but I can argue with the effects of loud pipes in one scenario: When I'm driving my van or car in traffic and it's bumper to bumper, I will hear a loud rider coming up behind me so it gives me a chance to pull over to the left of the number one lane I'm in so that the upcoming bike can split the lane with me safely. I appreciate it when other drivers do it for me when I split traffic on my BMW bike. Although most of the time I've already made the pass before most drivers even know I'm there.
Other than splitting traffic, I can't think of too many other reasons to have loud pipes. But I'm sure there are plenty.
If I wanted to ride on a hairdryer, I'd adapt one for street use.
A motorcycle ought to sound like one...it's as simple as that.
Some people like Rock music, some like Symphony, and some like both Country AND Western. It's all in personal taste. Just because one person dislikes it, doesn't indicate that those who do need therapy. Or perhaps those who feel the need to try and control other's tastes are the one's in need of it?
PS: The OP seems to be trolling.....for attention??
I like for a motorcycle to have a good healthy sound, but not an excessively loud one. All the latter does is irritate other people and give us all bad PR. It irritates me, a motorcycle rider, to hear someone go down my side street at 2 AM with a bike loud enough to vibrate the glass in the windowframes...and it nearly always is a 45-degree V-Twin.
As for the "hair dryer" sound, perhaps the person riding the bike with that sound likes it. Now would that be classical, rock, C&W...?
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