Loud Pipes Save Lives (NOT!)
I had this discussion with a nice lady at church the other day. (I go to a pretty neat church).
She sides with those that claim loud pipes are, in fact, a safety device, not an obnoxious nuisance.
I fall firmly in the opposing camp.
But, to be fair, I decided to do some online research, seeking some cold hard facts.
Apparently there aren’t any.
There are a number of compelling arguments for both sides, but no hard data.
What do you think, and why do you think it? And, do you know of any scientific research on the subject.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:20 am
As one who now wears hearing aids, was told the week I turned 40 that I needed bi-focals & hearing aids NOT a good week, I am interested in the negative effects of loud noises.
I was told that nothing I did caused the hearing loss BUT I was raised on a ranch around loud equipment, gun fire and of course 1960s-1970s rock-n-roll music full blast. If you ride a motorcycle or are around ANY loud equipment use ear plugs. Hearing aids cost about $4,500-$5,000 a pair and have to be replaced every 3 years or so. A bag of cheap foam ear plugs allow you to still hear but tones down the noise and protects your hearing.
If we wanted to be 100% safe we would not ride motorcycles or come out from under the bed. Take all the safety measures you can and enjoy the ride!
March 18th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
They are obnoxious and unnecessary. Skill and alert attention to driving conditions save lives. A biker who needs objectionable noise to substitute for lack of skill ought to consider the advice of the MSF, the AMA, and most of all the DOT which madates maximum noice emission from a given source.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:36 am
As a slogan, “Loud Pipes Save Lives” is just a nifty excuse for loud pipes. I’ve never heard of dual exhausts and glass packs on a truck justified this way. Still, I accept that owners want their bikes to sound a certain way, whether quiet or loud. My experience is that the only people that hear the loud pipes are behind the bike. When I meet a bike I don’t hear it until after it’s passed, or if it passes me. I mostly hear them as they pass my house!
I don’t have a problem with loud pipes but it is a bit of a stretch to assign life-saving qualities to them–I think it is safer to say the owner just plain likes the sound and that’s ok by me.