loud pipes save lives

When I rev my bike it's Loud otherwise it's tame and my LOUD pipes have saved me many times.

Mark

Imagine MY surprise when I was about to do a lane-change,and a blue blur goes flying by me like I was in reverse.:ohmy:
I was driving my full-size van up a hill,and was just about to change lanes to get past a rig,when this guy whooshed by me like a lightning-bolt.
I HAD been taking glances in my mirror,knowing that I was going to be passing this rig sooner or later.
I had my windows wide open at the time too,but I did NOT hear the bike approaching me...at all.
That bike was SO quiet,I couldn't believe it.
He would have been 100% at fault(speeding like a madman),but can you imagine how I would have felt?

Tough call,boys and girls:huh:

Loud pipes saves lives...
Bullshit.

Do you wear bright reflective clothes?
Have you painted your bike florescent orange?
Do you have one of those little 'see-me' flags on the back?

I love how the 'loud pipes save lives' mantra is usually spewed by a guy on a black bike with reflectors removed while wearing black leather and a black skid lid. Usually on his way to or from a drinking establishment.

If you want loud pipes, fine. I just wish people would quit trying to make it sound like a safety thing instead of an ego thing. Hell, my Buells got D&D's that fkin rip. But I don't go around saying its for safety. If anything it's probably less safe as continuous loud pipes affect my alertness and my ability to hear whats going on around me. My KZ's gonna be stealth. If I could baffle it more without affecting performance I'd do it.

Good luck, get ya some aftermarket.
Keep the shiney side up.

Mark, that's what a horn is for. If you need to get somebody's attention by blipping the throttle the same result could be achieved by hitting the horn.

Sandy, I'm guessing you wouldn't have heard it approaching from the rear even if he'd had open pipes. I got buzzed the other day by a harley doing probably 40 mph over the flow of traffic. Never heard a peep as he approached from the left rear. Yeah, sounded like thunder after he passed me. Wouldn't have helped him one bit if I'd changed lanes in front of him.

Sorry if I seemed a little fire up about the loud pipe thing. Just had a 'discussion' with some douche-canoes about this same topic last night. Ya'll ride what ya like. But if we don't police ourselves on this other's will. And we won't like the way they do it.

Keep the shiney side up.

a good aftermarket header IS! tad louder and can be rev'd quick in place of beeping the horn and as a reflex...it will get the drivers attention...but often just the oppisite of where you are riding cause they look towards their other side where the sound waves are reflecting off buildings,other cars,right ear dominate...ect..ect.....
as far as open pipes go...we got a kid in our housing suburb that has a 600 kawi with a competition only can on it and we all hate him bad....he goes to class at 6:45 a.m gets home at 3:35 pm,goes to his job at 3:55pm and comes back home at night at 10:19 pm...wanna know how i know this??????
then there are the harley guys who run straight pipes and sound like they are top fuel dragsters when they try and leave a stop sign at 10 miles an hour.....really adds to the beautiful monterey bay to listen to those assholes while your 500 yards out in a kyak,or walking barefoot in surf watching a sunset.....they need to get hit by a granny with her hearing aid turned off to bring peace and quiet back to our hamlet...my 2 cents....ride like your invisable....cause you are just that....save your stock pipes and get 200-400 header....and a better ball team:laugh: :laugh: ...

I think Harley Guy has open pipes because its the only thing he can change out on his own. It also lets others in his pack know when he is leaving and arriving. Kind of like a Yuppy Biker Mating Call. Calling out to others with a crack of the throttle while sitting at a red light for no reason whatsoever. Many times you can hear a response crack of the throttle in the distance. Maybe they were raised by Wolves. I have also noticed that the smaller the rider the louder the bike. And the newer the chaps and apparel the louder the bike....Russ

I know the OP probably didn't ask for all this. Still when you trot out the mantra on a motorcycle forum, especially as the thread title, it will attract responses just as a porch light attracts June bugs.

After living through a few of these threads, my attitude can be summed up thusly:

ok, how many times are you just driving down the highway in your car and hear a loud ass bike and look to see what it is? granted its not 100% fool proof but it helps. if it pisses people off, i dont care, not my problem, my truck is loud too, deal with it. every little bit helps, loud pipes, strobe headlight, flasher brake light, bright clothing.... it all adds up to being more visible (or audible) on the roads so other motorists see you. i'm not here to get in a pissing match with anyone, i would simply like to know how to either gut my current mufflers or where i can get a set of nice ones online. thanks.

you hear them from behind...when they pass you...or if they are going the other way...and they pass you.

loud pipes are annoying

like i said, to each his own. i personally really like the harleys with the exhaust you can hear from 2 miles away, i think its sweet. thats me, you dont have to like it, i'm not asking you to like it. i would just like to hear some advice on where to get some nice aftermarket mufflers or headers or something without being flamed for something that i choose to like or believe in. i DO think that louder pipes help, surely they cant hurt. downtown chicago driving is NUTS sometimes. oh, and those season tickets, yeah, those are through my uncle that lives with us, i'm fuckin 24 years old and a mechanic, which means, you guessed it, i'm pretty broke.

It's your bike, do what you like. As far as pulling the baffles from stock, you're looking for rivets. either toward the ends of the pipes, or directly on the exhaust hole. If you pull those, you should be able to pull out the baffles. Other option, sawzall. Shorter pipes loud as hell. Just remember you really should adjust jets. It will make an overall difference in the running of the bike. I run straights on my cop bike and new jets were a great improvement, although I do miss the popping a little. Kinda like a glass pack. You may consider getting some after market straights. The harley people seem to make mistakes and end up putting them on ebay. Also, there are some inexpensive ones around. Best of luck.

like i said, to each his own. i personally really like the harleys with the exhaust you can hear from 2 miles away, i think its sweet. thats me, you dont have to like it, i'm not asking you to like it.
No, you're just forcing them to listen to it.