# Why are motorcycles so loud? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628 "2014-08-15T18:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/21 "2014-08-15T23:42:28Z")
Even stock motorcycles are loud. To get decent power out of small engines, you have to go all out. The compression ratios, cam profiles, rev limits, etc. are all similar to something like an Indycar. Ever been next to one of those? They’re loud! A few years ago, a 2 liter car engine made around 100 hp. My last .6L bike made the same power. Of course, I deleted the cat and drilled out the muffler, but it was still pretty quiet compared to a big CC twin. ---
**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:** [August 15, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/22 "2014-08-15T23:57:35Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Even stock motorcycles are loud. To get decent power out of small engines, you have to go all out. The compression ratios, cam profiles, rev limits, etc. are all similar to something like an Indycar. Ever been next to one of those? They’re loud! A few years ago, a 2 liter car engine made around 100 hp. My last .6L bike made the same power. Of course, I deleted the cat and drilled out the muffler, but it was still pretty quiet compared to a big CC twin. So rules and regulations designed to protect the environment and people’s hearing and peace are for other people, not for you, right? And you wouldn’t mind if I drove past your house in my siren-equipped car, with the cat deleted and the muffler baffles drilled out, maybe at 3:00 AM, right? ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/23 "2014-08-16T00:36:08Z")
You should look into how many small engined vehicles actually come equipped with cats. I think you’d be surprised. Most people said they could only tell when I revved it really high, other than that it sounded stock. Besides, we’re talking about a race motorcycle, who says I wasn’t modifying it for a race track? Drive by if you wish. Even stop in, I’m a car guy and I’ll check it out. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/24 "2014-08-16T00:55:37Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I wouldn’t use the phrase “dick waving”. But I’m kind and soft spoken. I’d call it “posturing”. What makes both terms accurate is that most HDs are slow, when compared with “lesser” bikes. As Macbeth put it, “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/25 "2014-08-16T02:20:31Z")
You can make a Corvette perform better than a Ferrari for a lot cheaper, but if you want a Ferrari, a technically superior Corvette won’t make you happy. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/26 "2014-08-16T02:33:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > There’s a bumper sticker that says “Loud pipes save lives” but that’s debatable – the noise is being directed behind you, when the people you want to alert are ahead of you. > > So it’s mostly dick-waving. > > When lane-splitting (legal, here in California) a modest amount of engine noise is a good throat-clearing “excuse me, but I’d like to pass through and could use an eentsy bit more space, thank you”. > > My pipes are factory-issued. No, it’s a dick substitute. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/27 "2014-08-16T03:14:41Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > My bike (Honda Shadow) is quiet as far as motorcycles go. If I could make it as quiet as a car, I would; it has the muffler that came on it. Another Shadow rider here (750). With my helmet on I literally can’t hear my bike unless I blip the throttle at a light (which I really don’t do). I spend about half the time thinking “this is a nice peaceful ride, I like this” and half the time thinking “I kinda wish I could hear a little rumble with this ride”. No dick waving involved, but it is a motorcycle and I wouldn’t mind hearing it once in a while. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for the car behind me to roll up their windows or someone pumping gas 150 feet away from me to have their eyes watering from the sound, but a little extra noise, just for me, would be nice once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/28 "2014-08-16T04:23:08Z")
To the outraged posters in this thread. It is interesting to me, a rider for over 30 years who has had quiet & loud bikes and who can make a loud bike be quiet by how it is ridden and make a quiet bike very loud by how it is ridden, with all this, I have never had anyone ever come up to me IRL, including LEO’s and complain about noise, attire, bike looks, NADA. Where are all the aggrieved people? ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/29 "2014-08-16T04:46:39Z")
To divert everyone’s attention away from the rider’s small penis. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/30 "2014-08-16T04:48:36Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Where are all the aggrieved people? Bikes are generally loud but I can only think of a handful of times were excessively loud. Most of the time it’s actually the sports bikes with riders who really like to gun the engine hard that I hear. There’s a guy in my neighborhood and when he leaves I can hear him after he stops at the intersection half a mile away. But he doesn’t do it at night so it doesn’t bother me. I get annoyed at the Labor Day celebrations in Mountain View, Arkansas. The entire town square is taken up by various musical groups playing acoustic instruments and singing without electronic assistance of any kind. A single motorcycle driving by can drown out any nearby group playing. I have yet to go without having the music interrupted by two or more bikes slowly cruising through the area. It’s annoying but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it’s their first time there? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/31 "2014-08-16T05:50:26Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > … > Where are all the aggrieved people? You expect us to walk up to a biker and say “Hey! Your bike is too damned loud you idiot!” In the immortal words of Shrek: “Yeah. Like that’s gonnae happen!” ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/32 "2014-08-16T05:55:09Z")
Loud pipes suck. Loud bikes suck. I’ve been riding 30 years. My pipes have always been stock. My last 3 bikes, going back 20 years, have been quiet BMWs. > [@jsc1953](#): > > When lane-splitting (legal, here in California) a modest amount of engine noise is a good throat-clearing “excuse me, but I’d like to pass through and could use an eentsy bit more space, thank you”. > > My pipes are factory-issued. Be careful. Lane splitting is not legal in California. Accurately put, lane splitting is _ **not illegal** _ in California. A subtle but important difference. There is no law that allows us to lane split (sometimes called lane sharing). While lane splitting, you could get a citation for several reasons: the basic speed law, failure to keep your vehicle centered in the lane, weaving, illegal lane changes, maybe others. IANALEO, but I am a certified MSF instructor. Or was until my cert recently expired. Also, loud pipes really do not help when lane splitting, if done correctly. Loud pipes while lane splitting tend to irritate drivers more than they help riders lane split. But this isn’t a thread about lane splitting. I’ll end this like I started it: loud pipes suck. Loud bikes suck. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/33 "2014-08-16T05:57:03Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You expect us to walk up to a biker and say “Hey! Your bike is too damned loud you idiot!” > > In the immortal words of Shrek: “Yeah. Like that’s gonnae happen!” Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/34 "2014-08-16T14:32:28Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Where are all the aggrieved people? How are they supposed to demonstrate that they are aggrieved? Should they try to stop you? Maybe lecture you in a parking lot? The loud noise from bikes pisses almost everybody off except for the guy making the noise. But there’s no remedy for it except more enforcement of noise ordinances, and even then it’s a guy on a bike who’s not exactly going to wait around after noise-blasting a neighborhood at midnight. So let’s not pretend that there’s some sort of silent majority that is OK with it. There isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/35 "2014-08-16T15:14:48Z")
Mufflers restrict power output, it’s a sorry-assed excuse … but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/36 "2014-08-16T15:29:20Z")
I always find it hilarious that those inconsiderate morons that claim loud pipes saves lives are the same ones who refuse to wear helmets. That, in my opinion, invalidates their claim and makes the true reason for both actions clear. They think that loud obnoxious pipes and no helmet makes them cool. The fact that they choose not to wear a helmet demonstrates that safety isn’t their primary concern. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/37 "2014-08-16T15:37:29Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > So rules and regulations designed to protect the environment and people’s hearing and peace are for other people, not for you, right? > > **And you wouldn’t mind if I drove past your house in my siren-equipped car, with the cat deleted and the muffler baffles drilled out, maybe at 3:00 AM, right?** Don’t pretend this is what most people are whining about. They’re getting all pissy because “Oh noes”, for a whole 4 seconds, they had to hear a loud noise at 2 in the afternoon while they’re sitting on their couch reading the paper. Riding around the neighborhood at 3 in the morning is an asshole move. Riding around on a Sunday afternoon is not. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/38 "2014-08-16T15:44:23Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Don’t pretend this is what most people are whining about. They’re getting all pissy because “Oh noes”, for a whole 4 seconds, they had to hear a loud noise at 2 in the afternoon while they’re sitting on their couch reading the paper. > Riding around the neighborhood at 3 in the morning is an asshole move. Riding around on a Sunday afternoon is not. I live near a busy (controlled) intersection and two gas stations. I get a lot more than “a whole 4 seconds” of noise if someone has loud pipes. Plus, if you have a rocket, I can hear it for about 100 yards on either side of my house. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/39 "2014-08-16T15:47:15Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > I always find it hilarious that those inconsiderate morons that claim loud pipes saves lives are the same ones who refuse to wear helmets. That, in my opinion, invalidates their claim and makes the true reason for both actions clear. They think that loud obnoxious pipes and no helmet makes them cool. > > \*\* The fact that they choose not to wear a helmet demonstrates that safety isn’t their primary concern.\*\* Or, since they’re not wearing a helmet, they _really_ don’t want to get hit. ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/40 "2014-08-16T15:54:30Z")
There’s a loud one at the end of my street. Belongs to a middle aged family guy who takes it out during the day. Sounds like metal in a blender being jack hammered. He was apparently out of town and his high school age son drove it back and forth all night. Neighboors complained and now there’s no riding this bike in our sub division. At all. A guy I work with has a loud one. He knows it’s loud but his attitude is “fuck 'em”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628.md?page=3)