I'll throw in my two cents. It can certainly be argued that the sound of a
motorcycle is part of its defensive strategy. Much like wearing a colorful
jacket, the point is not that it's your ultimate defense, but something else
that gives you a slight advantage. And really, every defensive aspect of a
motorcycle is a slight advantage. So, it's not beyond reason that you would
want to have every advantage available.
However, I will also argue that pretty much every motorcycle is loud enough
to be noticed in the few situations where it's effective. Straight pipes
are rarely going to help prevent people turning left in front of you--and
that's when you need the most advantage. In fact, the sound of the exhaust
is pretty much useless in all situations except passing (in my opinion).
But when passing, I think most all bikes are loud enough to be noticed by
the majority of folks, as John alluded to below--he notices loud bikes
sooner, but he still notices the quiet ones.
So while most folks with straight pipes tend to be complete a-holes, I don't
know if it's fair to ascribe their behavior to the entire concept of sound's
significance in riding. Yeah, there's a point where the exhaust it too loud
and you're just being a jerk, not benefitting yourself, and making life
unpleasant for those around you. But remember, those guys are jerks....
...With that said, I wish my exhaust were a bit quieter. I get really
worried about disturbing my neighbors.
- Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: John & Rosie Wong [mailto:the-wongs2453@...]
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 12:01 AM
To:
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Loud Pipes Save Lives
I'm not a big fan of loud pipes. But, I will say this. I live in CA where
lane splitting is legal. I notice much sooner the loud bikes splitting
lanes before I notice the ones with the quiet pipes. My KLR has a stock
pipe and I startle a lot of folks when idling 5mph through traffic to a stop
light.
John
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