Motorcycle noise: Not cool at all

My son has very sensitive hearing-we always have to cover our ears when those bikers are around! I know that Harleys are supposed to be cool-but really, they are awfully loud!

motorcycles are loud for a reason. people driving cars do not see motorcycles all the time. they do not look for them. motorcycles are alot smaller than cars and do not have the protection around them that cars have. therefore they need to be heard so that people look for them. it is a safety precaution and i think all motorcycles should be loud. people also do not give them enough room, thinking they are small they don't need much room. i have been on the back and while stopped have been able to turn around and touch the car behind me. that is not cool. give us some room and look for us, we do our best to let you know we are there with our loud pipes, help us be safe by not tailgating us and watch for us. most motorcycle accidents are caused by cars not seeing mototcycles. if you can't see us, then the least we can do is let you hear us to bring your attention to look for us.

LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES.

Loud motorcycle mufflers are illegal, just not enforced. All motorcycle mufflers sold in the US and meant for street use are required by federal regulations established in 1986 to bear a clearly visible and permanent EPA label.
The police can look for the label and ticket the bike.
The safety argument is bogus, just do a little research, any semi authoritative source cuts right through this BS. Regardless, it is simply no excuse for motorcyclists to violate the rights of everyone else with intrusive noise - this applies to probably 80% of the motorcyclists on our northern VA roads.
This link will provide the entire background on the problem of motorcycle noise, and the seemingly unknown regulations and tools for law enforcement.
http://noiseoff.org/pipes/

Everyone has their own opinion about loud pipes and I used to think in that direction as well "loud pipes save lives" but I've been in my cage when I heard loud pipes on the highway but I have no idea of where they are at only that they are close. Plus you have those that are distracted on phones and such that could give a rats ass if you have loud pipes or not if they want in your lane they are coming.
I now fall under the reason for having loud pipes is that they are just plan cool and that's why I have them on my bike.

My house is about 75 ft from the road , and on saturdays and sundays , a group of 10 or 15 will go by and it only last a minute , and they look like their having fun, so to each is own,

It"s not like you have to listen to them allday like in a desmantling shop for 8 hrs.. lightin up out there...

My house is about 75 ft from the road , and on saturdays and sundays , a group of 10 or 15 will go by and it only last a minute , and they look like their having fun, so to each is own,
It"s not like you have to listen to them allday like in a desmantling shop for 8 hrs.. lightin up out there...

Loud pipes (within reason)do save lives because they do give you a warning that a motorcycle is near.

If bikers do their part by not revving their bikes when they leave in the morning or come in at night,I have no problem with it.

Nothing is worse then finding out at the last second you have a motorcyclist in your blind spots as you try to change lanes.

Hammatime , thats true aswell.
loooook ouut,,

How could motorcycles be bothering someone since not as if these are loud as those ambulances.

I had a house 200 ft from the road and
when a group went by it was loud inside
the house. The bikes can be heard 2 miles
away. The police should be forced to
crack down on illegal exhausts .
Do not expect this any time soon if you
live near Milwaukee. Repeated letters
to the governer of wi. come back with
a form letter saying they are concerned.
A recent letter to a state representative
came back with a reply that it is local
law enforcements job to enforce the state
laws.
A bunch of buck passers!

Tabor,
I have been doing the same thing in my state for over 1 year. Here a couple of points - absolutely no one knows about the federal regulations first of all (links below). The county and state laws need to be properly worded to specifically enable
the police to pull over loud motorcycles and look for the EPA label that will be on all street legal motorcycle mufflers sold in the US.
Subpart D—Motorcycles
ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx...
Subpart E—Motorcycle Exhaust Systems
ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx...
Look up your state and county laws that regulate motorcycle mufflers. Read the article at www.noiseoff.org/pipes . Then work with a local or state elected representative to get the laws changed to enable the enforcement by EPA label.
It does get peoples attention when you can legitimately say that over 80% of the motorcycles don't use mufflers that are designed for street legal use according to the federal regulations. The police can't do anything if the required laws are not in place, and this is almost certainly the case as you will understand when you read the article.

I have a crappy job and no education, therefore I am better then you!

loud pipes violate rights wrote:

Loud motorcycle mufflers are illegal, just not enforced. All motorcycle mufflers sold in the US and meant for street use are required by federal regulations established in 1986 to bear a clearly visible and permanent EPA label.
The police can look for the label and ticket the bike.
The safety argument is bogus, just do a little research, any semi authoritative source cuts right through this BS. Regardless, it is simply no excuse for motorcyclists to violate the rights of everyone else with intrusive noise - this applies to probably 80% of the motorcyclists on our northern VA roads.
This link will provide the entire background on the problem of motorcycle noise, and the seemingly unknown regulations and tools for law enforcement.
http://noiseoff.org/pipes/

Ok, you must not know alot about riding bikes because this guy is right. Illegal or not loud pipes are one of a bikers best friends when it comes to not being seen by other drivers. My father was ticketed and had to get new pipes on his bike because they were to loud, a mere month later a minivan backed over him going about 10 miles an hour in a parking lot of all places. If the driver couldnt hear him yelling in pain I'm sure a loud muffler would have let the driver think "hey that sounds like a loud vehicle behind me maybe i shouldnt back up until he is passed me". Had security guard not have been there to hear him he would have probably died because he was unconcious and the driver of the van drove off without even knowing anything happened, but was pulled over not to long after because the security guard called in his plate numbers. So until you have been in a situation where your life was put at risk because of another driver not seeing you on a bike DO NOT go around saying this is BS.

That motorcycle noise safety thing is bogus. One loud biker can disturb a thousand households. Some make noise just for THOI. Is there a group/association taking this noise issue to the politicos?

live for music wrote:

motorcycles are loud for a reason. people driving cars do not see motorcycles all the time. they do not look for them. motorcycles are alot smaller than cars and do not have the protection around them that cars have. therefore they need to be heard so that people look for them. it is a safety precaution and i think all motorcycles should be loud. people also do not give them enough room, thinking they are small they don't need much room. i have been on the back and while stopped have been able to turn around and touch the car behind me. that is not cool. give us some room and look for us, we do our best to let you know we are there with our loud pipes, help us be safe by not tailgating us and watch for us. most motorcycle accidents are caused by cars not seeing mototcycles. if you can't see us, then the least we can do is let you hear us to bring your attention to look for us.
LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES.

I really think your comment is a load of horse***. The fact is that most motorcycles are around in the warm weather, the time when most people have the windows rolled up and their air on. Especially given that most people play their radios, they won't hear a motorcycle coming until it's right on top of them. I think that many motorcyclists want their machines to be loud for the same reason that many cigarette boat operators want their machines to be loud- and it has nothing to do with safety. It's a testosterone thing.

Dave

My girlfriend can have a big "O" On a Harley And it makes an exciting pull over. Roll on wind in your hair and the roar of pure thunder under your ass.... be safe...

Loud pipes can not save lives. this is just some sorry excuse foar middle aged losers to draw attention to themselves. think about it, the sound comes out the BACK of the bike, you can't hear it as you aproach it, or if it is behind you, or even if the bike is to the left or right of you. All of which are the ways that a car will likely hit a motorcycle. A car does not run over a bike that is in front of it!!!! As a matter or fact I will bet that Harleys have a greater chance of being in an accident than other bikes because of their crazy riders. LOUD PIPES DO NOT SAVE LIVES!

LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES... Bullshit...If you want to save lives wear a full face helmet and some real protective gear, not a brain bucket and a wife beater, we (Americans) are sick of your sound!!!

I know that Harleys are supposed to be cool-but really, they are awfully I own a harly and its loud , i sorry that it hurts your sons ears .
I have been ran off the road once on a country road on a curv,once
I had to lay it down on route 3 in front of walmart because of a young lady on a cell phone who slAMED ON HER BRAKES IN FRONT OF ME IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND THEN LEFT THE ACCIDENT , WHICH LEFT ME WITH A BROKEN LEFT LEG AND DISTROYED ACL. I AM TURELY SORRY FOR YOUR PROBLEMS BUT AT THAT TIME I CHANGED MY PIPES TO VANCE & HINES TRUE DULES YES THEY ARE LOUD BUT PEOPLE CAN NOT SAY THEY DID NOT HERE OR SEE ME . I NOW RIDE SAFE !!!! ALL THE CELL PHONE ,TEXTING JUNKIES HEARE ME . SORRY ABOUT THAT BOBT.

james wrote:

Loud pipes can not save lives. this is just some sorry excuse foar middle aged losers to draw attention to themselves. think about it, the sound comes out the BACK of the bike, you can't hear it as you aproach it, or if it is behind you, or even if the bike is to the left or right of you. All of which are the ways that a car will likely hit a motorcycle. A car does not run over a bike that is in front of it!!!! As a matter or fact I will bet that Harleys have a greater chance of being in an accident than other bikes because of their crazy riders. LOUD PIPES DO NOT SAVE LIVES!

so you are saying that NO BIKE has EVER been REAR ENDED by a car?? Interesting little bubble you live in... & YES YOU CAN hear a bike (or a car) with loud pipes coming towards you ... sound travels in all directions ~ try standing with your back to someone & talking to them ~ now explain to me why you were able to hear them, when their mouth was facing away from you & the sound was obviously directed in a straight line away from your ears...
Could you please type with your back to me? I'm tired of reading your uneducated B.S.! thanks!