# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/41 "2014-08-16T15:55:30Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > 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.” I didn’t know that HDs were engineered to be racing bikes. I always thought of them more as cruisers. There’s a difference between power and speed. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/42 "2014-08-16T16:17:58Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s a difference between power and speed Who gives a damn if its HD we are talking about, since they have neither. In the UK loud pipes means you attract attention, and get nicked for speeding, generally speaking if you don’t act like a knobhead you can go well above the limits - you just do it in appropriate places and times, and ride sensibly. So I don’t go to the show off biker haunts, because its obvious the Police will be about, I don’t speed on the motorways(freeways) because they are well patrolled, I don’t speed in areas where there lots of 30 mph limits - they are there for a reason. Its much better to pick out the quieter roads, you might even be stuck in the low 50’s - but that’s fine because they are so twisty that its a challenge to even get to that speed. I’m on a little RVF 400, its quick enough but it wont do starship speeds, it will do corners though - and that’s where all the fun is. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/43 "2014-08-16T16:23:18Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I didn’t know that HDs were engineered to be racing bikes. I always thought of them more as cruisers. There’s a difference between power and speed. Do you suppose Harleys are slower because they have _more_ power? Be honest now, you own one, don’t you! ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/44 "2014-08-16T16:32:26Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > 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. Yes, yes, yes. I’m not going to get up at midnight, in my jammies, and chase down the a\*\*hole who lives up the street after he goes up our hill with the throttle wide open to tell him his damned bike is too loud. (And don’t expect me to believe that he does that because his obnoxiously loud bike is so puny that it can’t get up the hill without opening up the throttle. No, I’ve ridden motorcycles too. That shit is dick-waving, pure and simple. I hope he wraps himself around a tree.) ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/45 "2014-08-16T17:59:48Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Motorcycle enthusiasts believe that loud bikes make them safer; they’re easier to be noticed. A colleague of mine bought a new Harley Davidson last year and the first thing he did was swap the factory mufflers for the rumbling loud ones. He said he couldn’t stand the quiet sound of the factory mufflers. > > I’m not sure what the dirt bike situation is, but you’re right they can sound like a chain saw at full throttle. > > ETA: Personally, for road bikes, I think there’s a lot of dick waving going on when it comes to loud bikes. > [@jayrey](#): > > This is what I thought but wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it. Nicely done, Leaffan! > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I wouldn’t use the phrase “dick waving”. But I’m kind and soft spoken. I’d call it “posturing”. > [@rsat3acr](#): > > No, it’s a dick substitute. > [@sweepkick](#): > > To divert everyone’s attention away from the rider’s small penis. Exactly. There’s a standard saying that, the smaller the penis, the bigger the car. (Which explains soccer moms with vans too, maybe?). In the case of motorcycles, 1600cc _ **and** _ ear-splitting noise are necessary to compensate. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/46 "2014-08-16T18:05:45Z")
> [@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. What pisses people off is taking a perfectly normal sounding vehicle and \*intentionally \*making it louder because… well, because you like to make a lot of noise I guess. Personally, I live in a place where it’s never an issue. When I’m out where I might hear one, it doesn’t actually cause me any distress. Yet, it’s a huge “I’m an asshole” banner, that it would seem rude not to acknowledge. Hence this thread. ---
**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, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/47 "2014-08-16T19:01:03Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I didn’t know that HDs were engineered to be racing bikes. I always thought of them more as cruisers. There’s a difference between power and speed. There’s also a difference between noise and power and speed. Cruiser Harleys with open pipes have neither power nor speed, just noise. Where I live I have a Ducati dealership a mile east and what I have been told is the largest HD in Chicagoland a mile north of that. Ducati owners and buyers like to see what their bikes will do, and they make a fair amount of noise doing it, but nothing like the Road Kings with straight pipes ridden sedately by accountants in black leather. And that’s two more things: when touring that constant roaring should deafen or exhaust a rider, and Harleys are mostly bought by older white guys, average age 47. Not the hip crowd but more the hip replacement crowd. They simply aren’t cool anymore, and when civilians see a guy on a loud-assed Harley they are less likely to be reminded of Marlon Brando in The Wild One (FTR, he rode a Triumph) and are more likely to see Don Corleone. ---
**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, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/48 "2014-08-16T20:04:48Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Riding around the neighborhood at 3 in the morning is an asshole move. Riding around on a Sunday afternoon is not. Loud bikes are rude and inconsiderate regardless of time of day. Sunday afternoon is still an asshole move. What’s the value of loud bikes? They aren’t safer, and the power increase is trivial. And, hate to tell you this, but your dick hasn’t gotten any bigger either. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/49 "2014-08-16T20:41:00Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > Exactly. There’s a standard saying that, the smaller the penis, the bigger the car. (Which explains soccer moms with vans too, maybe?). In the case of motorcycles, 1600cc _ **and** _ ear-splitting noise are necessary to compensate. The bigger the van, the tighter the pussy? I will never see soccer Mom vans the same again 🙂 ---
**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, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/50 "2014-08-16T20:45:01Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > :::: snip :::: > > So let’s not pretend that there’s some sort of silent majority that is OK with it. There isn’t. And let’s not pretend that I said something I did not. I asked where they were. I’m not pretending they don’t exist. I never see them or hear them except on anonymous message boards. So I am exposed to very few. I do know a lot of people who complain very loudly in all kinds of media because of the noise from them moving under the flight path of airports, net to train tracks, near freeways, next to truck routes, etc… The only claim I have made is that I can make a loud bike quite by riding style, a quiet bike loud with just riding style & that no person has ever brought up any noise I have made to my face. For this you & others make all kinds of wild guesses about who I am, what I do, and that I have all these beliefs because you say so. Bawahahaha :p:p:p ---
**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, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/51 "2014-08-16T20:49:09Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > Do you suppose Harleys are slower because they have _more_ power? Be honest now, you own one, don’t you! About Ranger??? Oh Ye of so little clue & knowledge. Bawahahaha :smack: ---
**Author:** ![parkona\_driveway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d26b3c/32.png) [@parkona\_driveway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parkona_driveway)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/52 "2014-08-16T22:07:11Z")
Seems like a lot of vehicle mods are intended to scream, “Hey everybody, I don’t care about money.” But honestly, wasting a couple thousand dollars to screw up a bike or car doesn’t impress me. I need to see bad decisions that are financially ruinous. For example, a lot of the cars here are customized to achieve near-invisibility: everything black, with maximum tint. Completely unoriginal and unremarkable, IMO. But do the same to your house, and then maybe we’ll talk. Paint every inch of the exterior black. Blackout the windows, and replace the lawn with asphalt. Then when my wife and I drive through the subdivision, I can elbow her and ask, “Hey Mabel, didn’t there used to be a house on that lot?” ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/53 "2014-08-17T03:26:50Z")
> [@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. It gets worse than that sometimes. I rode once (and just once) with a couple who had pipes that would rattle your fillings out if they were in front of you - which is why I took lead. They wore helmets AND EARPLUGS UNDER THEIR HELMETS which means they had no idea that ambulance was approaching from behind us. I did last second or lets just say it wouldn’t have been good. > [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > Do you suppose Harleys are slower because they have _more_ power? Be honest now, you own one, don’t you! I own several and was a shop mechanic at a dealership. And basically **Ranger Jeff** is right - there is a difference between power and speed. If I swap out a front sprocket of something like an 883 for an aftermarket a pair of teeth larger or smaller, the power produced by the motor remains the same but the top speed increases by about 20 or more MPH or decreases the same. The 0-60 time also changes up or down. Power is, so to speak, a constant - speed is a result mostly of the gearing and other variables applying that constant to the pavement. Harley – becomes an odd case. Once upon a time, stock Harleys were about the only really fast bikes you could buy “off the shelf” for American streets. And I’m talking 60s and 70s. They also had the largest and most powerful motors. The one Kaw 900 could beat a Sportster often enough to get consideration but nothing else could as a rule. In racing, some Harleys still are tops - my 73 750XR is still competitive today on the mile and half mile. But under Willie G a decision was made to make stock bikes — average. Not terribly fast, not terribly loud, more reliable than they had been under AMF (easy job) but a little bland. Every other maker started selling off the floor what were basically racing bikes barely made street legal but Harley didn’t. For that you went “aftermarket”. Until the Screamin Eagle editions and a couple of the V-rods but those are fairly new. If you really wanted speed, you needed a smart message board and a good mechanic or mechanical ability. And some free bucks. Was this the right or wise marketing choice? That is a subject more for the Pit or GD. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/54 "2014-08-17T03:54:43Z")
I always wear ear plugs under my helmet because just the wind noise alone makes my ears ring. If power was all it took to go fast, semi trucks would be the fastest things on the road. There’s a lot of people on this forum that see penises everywhere. Freud would have a field day with some of you. ---
**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 17, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/55 "2014-08-17T06:46:04Z")
I also ride with earplugs in. The wind noise of the air rushing past your helmet at freeway speeds is enough to cause permanent hearing damage over time. And I can still hear sirens. On long distance rides (hundreds, or thousand+ mile days), the wind noise contributes to rider fatigue. Regarding power, torque and horsepower are not the same things. HDs generally have more torque than most bikes. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/56 "2014-08-17T08:36:01Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > By that logic, I should be permitted to attach a siren to my car and drive around with it turned on, blowing my horn as I go. While I will agree that riders (mostly Harley riders) with obnoxiously loud pipes are full of shit when they say it’s for safety, surely you could see why it’s a bit more important to concern yourself with safety if you’re on a motorcycle rather than in a car. I wear a helmet and leather jacket on the two-wheeler, not when I’m in the cage. > [@Morgenstern](#): > > Not only that, but the emission regulations are violated when stock mufflers are removed (catalytic converters are removed). Not only do these douche nozzles think noise regulations don’t apply to them, but screw the environment too. > > Someone really needs to ask the EPA why they turn their head to this problem. Motorcycles that come with catalytic convertors aren’t common. ---
**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 17, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/57 "2014-08-17T14:15:44Z")
> [@snailboy](#): > > While I will agree that riders (mostly Harley riders) with obnoxiously loud pipes are full of shit when they say it’s for safety, surely you could see why it’s a bit more important to concern yourself with safety if you’re on a motorcycle rather than in a car. I wear a helmet and leather jacket on the two-wheeler, not when I’m in the cage. Do you wear very bright vibrant colors that would make you easier to spot? I see a few bikers who do this but they are in the minority. ---
**Author:** ![funkycoldmedina1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@funkycoldmedina1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funkycoldmedina1)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/58 "2014-08-17T14:26:15Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > 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. > > 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. anal ---
**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 17, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/59 "2014-08-17T15:31:33Z")
> [@snailboy](#): > > While I will agree that riders (mostly Harley riders) with obnoxiously loud pipes are full of shit when they say it’s for safety, surely you could see why it’s a bit more important to concern yourself with safety if you’re on a motorcycle rather than in a car. I wear a helmet and leather jacket on the two-wheeler, not when I’m in the cage. Of course I can see why motorcyclists are concerned with safety. I’ve got hundreds of thousands of miles on a wide variety of bikes, on every kind of road (well, I haven’t done much dirt riding) in a pretty large number of countries. And as you _know_, as a motorcyclist, good protective gear, visibility enhancements (lights, reflective tape and clothing) and training do infinitely more for your safety than loud pipes. > [@snailboy](#): > > Motorcycles that come with catalytic convertors aren’t common. I know. I was responding to **FordTaurusSHO94** , who said he’d removed the catalytic converter on is bike. My BMW has a cat, though. Still in place. ---
**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 17, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628/60 "2014-08-17T15:37:16Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Do you wear very bright vibrant colors that would make you easier to spot? I see a few bikers who do this but they are in the minority. I have a Shoei “safety orange” helmet. I’ve had people come up to me at gas stops and tell me how much it stands out in traffic. Which is exactly what it’s supposed to do. It gets their attention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-motorcycles-so-loud/695628.md?page=4)