Ultra loud motorbike commuting across Hillsborough at 5.45 in the morning.

[euclid 10]

1 hour ago, Justin Smith said:

Government testing devices to clamp down on noisy vehicles

 

Thank God, and about time too...….

Ells Bells Justin....i hope that noisy bike is not still bothering you after 9 years.........but i do agree with clamping down on noisy vehicles.....I've heard the argument from bikers ..."Loud pipes save lives"..they also give you a headache.....i have two motorcycle's and neither are loud,..when you hear cars/bikes popping and banging thats probably because the baffles have been removed and they are running rich..it's not a good thing for the engine...but..each to their own...

[Justin Smith 10]

3 hours ago, euclid said:

Ells Bells Justin....i hope that noisy bike is not still bothering you after 9 years.........but i do agree with clamping down on noisy vehicles.....I've heard the argument from bikers ..."Loud pipes save lives"..they also give you a headache.....i have two motorcycle's and neither are loud,..when you hear cars/bikes popping and banging thats probably because the baffles have been removed and they are running rich..it's not a good thing for the engine...but..each to their own...

Edited June 8, 2019 by Justin Smith

[Justin Smith 10]

3 hours ago, euclid said:

Ells Bells Justin....i hope that noisy bike is not still bothering you after 9 years.........but i do agree with clamping down on noisy vehicles.....I've heard the argument from bikers ..."Loud pipes save lives"..they also give you a headache.....i have two motorcycle's and neither are loud,..when you hear cars/bikes popping and banging thats probably because the baffles have been removed and they are running rich..it's not a good thing for the engine...but..each to their own...

Sadly that particular bike rider wasn`t / isn`t the only ignorant on the roads....

 

On the subject of loud pipes save lives, it simply isnt true :

 

I was having a chat about loud exhausts on bikes with a mate of mine the other day, incidentally, but of relevance, just like me he`s had motorbikes in the past. He was just as unconvinced about this "loud pipes save lives" thing as I am but he also pointed out that if it ever had had a grain of truth in it then is less likely to now because most cars have got air conditioning. So they`ve got their windows wound up when it`s cold (because the heater is on) and now they`ve also got their windows wound up when it`s warm because they`ve got their air con on !

Another thing I noticed earlier this week (as I was walking in the blissfully peaceful quiet countryside which got ruined when an ignorant shattered the peace on his loud bike.....) that a bike is far louder going away from you than it is when it`s coming towards you. I`m not sure why, possibly the exhaust noise is all being ejected out of the back, but, if you think about it, that makes "loud pipes save lives" even less likely to be true, because any danger to a motorcyclist is going to come from in front of him......

Finally, in my experience, the bikers with the loudest exhausts ride the most aggressively. Thus, it could be argued, loud pipes seem to encourage unsafe riding, so therefore must actually increase the risk of an accident.

 

Some more proof that bikes are much louder going away than approaching.

[euclid 10]

54 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

he also pointed out that if it ever had had a grain of truth in it then is less likely to now because most cars have got air conditioning. So they`ve got their windows wound up when it`s cold (because the heater is on) and now they`ve also got their windows wound up when it`s warm because they`ve got their air con on !

And add to this noisy diesel engines with the radio turned up so they can hear it over the noisy engine......my brother came up last week on his Harley with straight thro' pipes..the noisy pipes.etc...was the first thing he said to me,the second was "they can hear me coming before i get anywhere near them".......but... after saying that, i have a 700 Lbs+ bike,..have my lights on,..wear Hivis clothing,..a white helmet..and still have cars pull out in front of me as tho' i am invisible,happened twice coupla days ago returning from Mablethorpe.....and NO i am not going too fast......maybe the loud pipes thing works after all?????...

[Justin Smith 10]

16 hours ago, euclid said:

And add to this noisy diesel engines with the radio turned up so they can hear it over the noisy engine......my brother came up last week on his Harley with straight thro' pipes..the noisy pipes.etc...was the first thing he said to me,the second was "they can hear me coming before i get anywhere near them".......but... after saying that, i have a 700 Lbs+ bike,..have my lights on,..wear Hivis clothing,..a white helmet..and still have cars pull out in front of me as tho' i am invisible,happened twice coupla days ago returning from Mablethorpe.....and NO i am not going too fast......maybe the loud pipes thing works after all?????...

Not really E, the fact is most of the noise those anti socially loud pipes are producing goes backwards, next comes sideways, with relatively little going forwards. You only have to stand by the side of the road when  a loud bike goes past to see (or should that be hear) this is true. 

 

The fact is the most significant, by far, action any biker can take to reduce their chances of an accident is to ride slower and more defensively. Relative to that having louder exhaust pipes is almost irrelevant and that`s if they can be heard, which, as I`ve explained, they usually can`t anyway.

[Justin Smith 10]

This quote from a representative of the motorcycle industry is what we want to be hearing :

 

Motorcycle Industry Association CEO Tony Campbell said the motorcycle industry will "play its part" in adapting to new measures.

He said: "With growing pressure on the environment, including noise pollution, illegal exhausts fitted by some riders attract unwanted attention to the motorcycle community and do nothing to promote the many benefits motorcycles can offer.

"All manufacturers produce new motorcycles that follow strict regulations regarding noise and emissions and we welcome these trials as a potential way of detecting excessive noise in our community."

 

Couldn`t agree more.

[euclid 10]

1 hour ago, Justin Smith said:

, by far, action any biker can take to reduce their chances of an accident is to ride slower and more defensively. Relative to that having louder exhaust pipes is almost irrelevant and that`s if they can be heard, which, as I`ve explained, they usually can`t anyway.

I ride/stick to the speed limit,..(not all bikers think they are on the Isle of Man although many do!!)....if i went any slower i would be in danger of some idiot trying make me go faster or becoming aggressive, i own/ drive a Hybrid. and i occassionally experience it in that by someone thinking i'm an old fart because i drive one (i am ) and i should be going faster than the speed limit ..(there is /was already one thread on here about that very thing and they were getting upset just by talking about it!).....as for riding  defensively..believe me i do...any advice i would give to new m/cyclists is......ride/think as tho' everyone in a car is out to kill you...only bikers will know what i mean.....as for loud pipes ..YES... you can hear them from miles away..not just from the back.....the same with cars playing loud music..you can hear them in advance too....as i already said...probably because they have the music turned up full to drown the noise of the (farm tractor)  diesel engine out....all my own opinion of course...take care,drive safe..have a nice day ..

[geared 302]

You have to wonder though, are these super loud bikes even road legal?

 

You see em screaming around from time to time, usually in the summer.  They just look like off-road only, rarely see an actual number plate on them.

[euclid 10]

4 hours ago, geared said:

You have to wonder though, are these super loud bikes even road legal?

 

You see em screaming around from time to time, usually in the summer.  They just look like off-road only, rarely see an actual number plate on them.

Probably not when MOT'd....believe it or not but loud pipes for bikes bought new are around £4-500 ...and sometimes they swap these for the standard ones when MOT comes around, some lads i knew would buy a very long drill and drill a hole ....straight thro' the baffles...the "dirt bikes" do look like off roaders......i got stuck behind one last year going to the east coast....what a racket....