# Why do some men think LOUD motorbikes/cars/trucks are cool? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 23, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213 "2002-09-23T02:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/41 "2002-09-25T11:16:34Z")
To be honest, I’m not a mechanic, but I know it’s true. I’ve seen before and after dyno plots for a car that’s stock, and then been modded with a CAI and exhaust. Not a straight tailpipe, a straight pipe, from the exhaust manifold to the muffler, no catalytic converter. Illegal, as it violates California’s draconian smog laws. Technically, any modification to your exhaust system is illegal, but if you are CARB legal and don’t violate sound pollution laws (get a certification from a DMV pollution station) you can usually get it dismissed. You’ll still have to go to court though, as the cop will hit you with as much as you can… if you’re in a civic. If you’re in a mustag, he’s liable to compliment you on the “throaty roar” of your car. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kirk280980](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c77e96/32.png) [@kirk280980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk280980)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/42 "2002-09-26T11:28:31Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Newton meter \* > \*\* > Soft whirr? I guess I usually hear 600s wound up to about 12,000 RPM. It’s not a soft whirr._\* Forgive me for not being clear enough on this one - I’m referring to the times when a bike sails along my street and pulls off at the junction. A Harley always sounds bloody loud and poppy no matter what the speed, whereas the Yam is smoother and much more pleasant to the ear (IMHO, anyway). Of course, by the time you find a stretch of road open enough to let 'er rip and make 'er scream, you’re typically outside heavily populated neighbourhoods full of people trying to sleep. Fine with me, they can make as much noise as they like then. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/43 "2002-09-26T11:35:23Z")
Not only is the “loud pipes save lives” argument unsupported by any real studies that I can believe, when you try to argue against it, it usually makes the person with the loud pipes very hostile. ---
**Author:** ![Newton\_meter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/57b2e6/32.png) [@Newton\_meter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newton_meter)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/44 "2002-09-26T20:26:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kirk280980 \* > **Forgive me for not being clear enough on this one - I’m referring to the times when a bike sails along my street and pulls off at the junction. A Harley always sounds bloody loud and poppy no matter what the speed, whereas the Yam is smoother and much more pleasant to the ear (IMHO, anyway).** No, you were perfectly clear. I was just pointing out that nearly every motorcycle has the potential to be loud and annoying, and considerate riders are aware of where they choose to do it. Of course, the exception is the Honda Interceptor, which sounds beautiful everywhere and always. 🙂 > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > **Not only is the “loud pipes save lives” argument unsupported by any real studies that I can believe, when you try to argue against it, it usually makes the person with the loud pipes very hostile.** I think you might be able to defuse that situation if you said something like “the only way those stupid pipes will save your life is if they drag on the ground in a corner and warn you to slow down”. Note that I’ve never tried this. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/45 "2002-09-26T21:46:03Z")
Is the Harley-Davidson engine (V-twin) inherently unbalanced? I have never seen one that didn’t pop. spit, and vibrate like a washing machine full of rocks! The noise of these things is just unbelievable-and i for one wouldn’t like it if I had to hear it all the time. Woprse yet-most of the “hells Angles” types actually remove the mufflers! Those guys must be stone deaf after a few years of cruising on hogs! ---
**Author:** ![Newton\_meter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/57b2e6/32.png) [@Newton\_meter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newton_meter)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/46 "2002-09-26T22:16:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > **Is the Harley-Davidson engine (V-twin) inherently unbalanced?** Yup. I’ve heard (but I can’t verify) that the original Harley-Davidson motorcycle engines were simply two adjacent cylinders from a radial airplane engine. If this were a 9 cylinder engine, you would get a 40 degree V-twin engine–very close to Harley’s 45 degree V-twin. I often think that the internal combustion engine will someday become a rarity–probably even within my lifetime. That makes me a little sad, but I console myself that the H-D riders will probably still have electric noise makers and vibration inducers on their bikes. There was a fascinating series on Usenet back in 1990 (glad Googol keeps it around for us) about motorcycle engine vibration: [How Engines Shake, Part 1](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=9763%40portia.Stanford.EDU) [How Engines Shake, part 2](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=645%40med.Stanford.EDU) [How Engines Shake, Part 3](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=648%40med.Stanford.EDU) ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/47 "2002-09-27T01:49:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Newton meter \* > \*\*I think you might be able to defuse that situation if you said something like “the only way those stupid pipes will save your life is if they drag on the ground in a corner and warn you to slow down”. > > Note that I’ve never tried this. \*\* Chicken. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/48 "2002-09-28T04:49:36Z")
[hijack] > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by patoupia \* > \*\*I drive a Cabrio, stock obviously. What is illegal about a straight tailpipe? Tristan, how do the modifications to the exhaust and intake help? Do they make the car faster? Don’t know that much about cars, but isn’t that the principal with carburated engines and not the fuel-injected ones of today (if that’s what they are)? \*\* if done correctly,mods to an intake and exhaust will boost power (either slightly or tremendously depending on your wallet) on either a fuel injected or carburated engine. better “breathing”+more fuel =more power/faster car **tris** , no cop has ever complimented me on the “throaty roar” of my MUSTANG not even when I get pulled over for going 5 mph over the speed limit. yes I own a V-8 Mustang,yes its a fuel hog,no its not PC. yes I have been stoplight-challenged to race by every make/model known to mankind (even a mini van) no I _dont_ race, I casually idle away when challenged (a lotta modded imports would take my stock pony anyhow,do i care? not in the least.) no I dont care if people laugh at my exhaust tone (its not obscenely loud) phew…Man I need to start my own thread… ---
**Author:** ![Imadoubter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@Imadoubter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imadoubter)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/49 "2016-09-27T19:16:03Z")
Ignorance and/or insensitivity toward others describe about 40% of America. In the case of loud motorcycles, the riders are not ignorant of their choices, they just don’t care. Despite muffler laws, the cops don’t either, so nothing changes. The ideas often promulgated to explain this behavior are accurate but not inclusive. The rural, working class, and western subculture conditions men to behave in certain hyper masculine ways. Most really have no choice in the matter (they just think they are choosing to emulate what are their buddies are doing). In reality they are prisoners of their culture with very limited options. This applies to all cultures, but the irony is the people who proclaim their freedom the loudest are allowed the least amount of it. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/50 "2016-09-27T19:23:58Z")
Who wants to explain to the noob about zombie threads? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/51 "2016-09-27T19:26:30Z")
I don’t want to, but I have to since it’s part of my culture. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213/52 "2016-09-27T19:34:26Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I don’t want to, but I have to since it’s part of my culture. You’re Ghost Rider…? 😃 Zombies on motorcycles in search of brains… what’ll they think of next? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-men-think-loud-motorbikes-cars-trucks-are-cool/129213.md?page=2)