# I am so sick of loud motorcycles **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 15, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886 "2012-04-15T21:57:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/61 "2012-04-16T18:23:18Z")
I think loud pipes can save lives, but they don’t need to be loud all the time. My bike is quiet at idle, only loud if I really rev it. ---
**Author:** ![Dolomite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@Dolomite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dolomite)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/62 "2012-04-16T19:03:20Z")
The only thing Harleys are good for is converting gasoline into noise. Don’t really mind high-strung bike engines, is is more of a shriek than a disturbing noise. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/63 "2012-04-16T19:09:56Z")
> [@Bambro](#): > > \ > > I know. I’m an asshole. I accept that. > [@Scumpup](#): > > You left out “selfish.” “Selfish asshole” is a little redundant, don’t you think? They’re generally part and parcel. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/64 "2012-04-16T19:28:20Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > That said, I am going to buy some more lights, because I know that at night a motorcycle with a single headlight can be kind of confusing- my first thought is, “I wonder if that’s a car with a broken headlight,” and the second thought is “I wonder how far away that motorcycle really is?” I think that multiple headlights do more for making me known to the other drivers than loud pipes would. Yes. Speaking as someone who’s put hundreds of thousands of miles on various motorcycles, increasing your visibilty will do far more to keep you safe than increasing your volume. Auxiliary lights, front and rear, extra flashing brake lights, a headlight modulator, and anything else you can think of are really, really good ideas. And, even it’s true that “loud pipes save lives” (which I doubt), why should that be a blanket pass to violate the law, and the peace of others? Running a siren and lights on your car would undoubtedly make you safer, but nobody is arguing that drivers be allowed to do that, right? Finally, let me say how annoying I find it that the New York City police, who will happily write you a ticket for something as trivial as dinged paint or a dirty license plate, seem to completely ignore the law that requires motorcycles to have mufflers. Real mufflers. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/65 "2012-04-16T19:53:45Z")
> [@Bambro](#): > > I don’t know why I don’t care. I just know that I don’t. Perhaps you are simply a sociopath. Not that it is a good thing, but it beats being a psychopath. Sorta. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/66 "2012-04-16T19:53:51Z")
I get to talk to injured motorcyclists all the time (when I don’t have to talk to their grieving families instead). I think it’s fairly telling when car drivers say “the motorcycle just came out of nowhere…” when I never hear the same sort of argument from bikers. Bikers _always_ seem to see the cars that get them. And I don’t believe for a minute that motorcycles can teleport so it seems more likely to me they’re just hard to see. And here’s my point: we let deaf people drive, but not the blind. I think that speaks to the larger recognition that driving is primarily a vision-based activity. You can’t count on a driver being able to hear, but it’s a good bet they can all see. And I’ve never heard anyone complain about bikers with too much light or clothing that was too flashy. It is disappointing that loud pipe people can’t just fess up and say they like to make noise for its own sake. But to hide behind “it’s safer!” makes me a little embarassed for them. If there was ever a way to go back in time to prove it, I’d bet all I own that the first rule ever invented by humans was, “Don’t be a jerk. The penalty for that is we use you for bear bait.” I think it’s lucky for loud-pipers that we no longer engage in neolithic cave bear-style hunts. I still don’t believe there are vast numbers of people who are “just dickheads,” I have to believe folks just see things differently and are acting as sensibly as a situation demands. It’s the most effective way to address politics, religion and mental illness. Well, as long the offended parties retain the privilege to use offenders as bear bait. Oddly, it occurs to me that a lot of bikers might object to being thought of as bear bait. Heh…this is definitely the strangest planet I’ve ever lived on. ---
**Author:** ![dngnb8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@dngnb8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dngnb8)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/67 "2012-04-16T19:55:30Z")
> [@The\_Surb](#): > > So, am I going to get anywhere with the “LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES” argument? So do helmets, and theyre quieter _I ride_ ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/68 "2012-04-16T20:19:07Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > Please, please blip your throttle again while sitting at the traffic light. Yes, blip it once more! Again! You are a sexy beast sitting on all that chrome, your fat gut hanging over your belt and touching the gas tank and your blubbery jowls barely hidden behind your ridiculous face hair. If I were a woman, then surely my panties would be flooded, oh yes, blip that throttle again! I bet sex with you would be like riding a magnificent and powerful bean bag. That’s the one I’ve never understood, do motorcycles in general idle that badly that one has to keep revving them up at stoplights? If so, maybe they need to spend a little more time tuning them or something. Even lawn mowers and weed eaters can idle without having to rev them up all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/69 "2012-04-16T20:38:36Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Auxiliary lights, front and rear, extra flashing brake lights, a headlight modulator, and anything else you can think of are really, really good ideas. Check with your local and state ordinances first. Just as the idiot pipes being discussed here are illegal but generally unenforced, so too are a number of the other safety measures you mention. Headlight modulators have now become legal on a federal level, but only if they comply with a specific standard. Many jurisdictions ban flashing brake lights and/or accessory lights unless they meet very specific criteria. Though in practice if you are sensible about it, you will seldom get hassled. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/70 "2012-04-17T03:48:16Z")
> [@dngnb8](#): > > So do helmets, and theyre quieter > > _I ride_ Maybe you should read, too. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![Bambro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Bambro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambro)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/71 "2012-04-17T13:01:34Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Perhaps you are simply a sociopath. Not that it is a good thing, but it beats being a psychopath. Sorta. Possibly. I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/72 "2012-04-17T13:07:53Z")
> [@Bambro](#): > > > [@dropzone](#): > > > > Perhaps you are simply a sociopath. Not that it is a good thing, but it beats being a psychopath. Sorta. > > Possibly. > > I don’t care. Well, definitely an asshole. [Nitpick: “sociopath” and “psychopath” are considered more or less synonymous in the psychiatric community, although both terms are now outdated. Unless you are an expert debating some historical semantical nuance, for all intents and purposes the two words should be considered as synonymous.] ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/73 "2012-04-17T13:16:06Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Serious question: why not? Is it because it’s easier not to consider other people, because other people aren’t real to you / you lack empathy, or something else? I ask because I’d never be able to live with the guilt, and I wonder how other people do it. Second rule of life: Never rule out stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Bambro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Bambro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambro)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/74 "2012-04-17T13:44:39Z")
> [@iamnotbatman](#): > > Well, definitely an asshole. I already said that in my first post. Try to keep up. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/75 "2012-04-17T14:00:31Z")
Well I’m glad we’re all on the same page here. ---
**Author:** ![Bambro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Bambro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambro)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/76 "2012-04-17T14:04:33Z")
indeed ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/77 "2012-04-17T14:28:14Z")
We had our first really hot night here in NH last night (got up to high 80s during the day). I had my family room window wide open with the ceiling fan going and watching Max Manus on Netflix. Every 10 minutes or so I would be greeted with the obscene noise and vibration of some douchebag on their loud bike as they drove by my window. Joking aside, the noise is such that it penetrates my home. How the fuck is this legal? At one point a car alarm went off about half a block away and the sound of a passing bike actually drowned it out (I wouldn’t doubt it if the sound of the bike set it off in the first place). It is so incredibly annoying seeing the few ruining it for everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/78 "2012-04-17T15:12:55Z")
If you need loud pipes to save your life, it’s probably because you are driving in a way that motorists don’t expect a vehicle to behave, like swerving in and out of traffic, driving between lanes, cutting corners short, and so forth. Motorcycles are more maneuverable than cars. Great. That doesn’t exempt you from traffic laws! You know what _really_ saves lives? \*Not driving like an asshole. \* On a related note, not long ago I was passed on an interstate by a speeding bike that I observed making several sudden and unsignaled lane changes, weaving through the heavy traffic to get ahead. As he passed, I noticed the driver was wearing a bright orange T-shirt with “CAN YOU SEE ME NOW ASSHOLE?” printed on the back. My reaction was to exclaim “Fuck you!” out loud. Yeah, it’s just a stupid shirt, but here you are driving like a maniac in traffic, insulting everybody as you go by and basically stating that _your_ safety is _my_ responsibility. Just, Fuck You. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/79 "2012-04-17T15:13:28Z")
> [@Bambro](#): > > I don’t know why I don’t care. I just know that I don’t. What an excellent and thoughtfully considered answer. And so useful! “Why do you throw your garbage all over the ground when there are trash cans nearby? People work hard to keep this park clean.” > [@Bambro](#): > > I don’t know why I don’t care. I just know that I don’t. “Why don’t you flush the toilet after you use it? Do you really think people want to see and smell your shit?” > [@Bambro](#): > > I don’t know why I don’t care. I just know that I don’t. If only this attitude were fatal, or at least concurrent with sterility. Maybe one day! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886/80 "2012-04-17T15:17:58Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > If only this attitude were fatal, or at least concurrent with sterility. Maybe one day! Unfortunately it is the opposite ☹ Why can’t you be bothered to use birth control? “I don’t know why I don’t care. I just know that I don’t.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-so-sick-of-loud-motorcycles/618886.md?page=5)