Motorcycle "safety" checkpoint in Sterling

[Rambunctous]

http://telegram.com/article/20090814...908140395/1116
As of this morning there are 50 comments. Wow! Big front page stuff.

[noxin]

My favourite comment from today:

I love these stories about how someone didn't see me and I revved my engine and the minivan driver saw me and my life was spared. My motorcycle has a button that does something similar. If someone doesn't see me...I push the button and it makes a loud noise, kind of like a honking horn. It's amazing. Too bad they don't come on all motorcycles.

Loud pipes have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with one's image.

[KawiSmurf]

My favourite comment from today:

I love these stories about how someone didn't see me and I revved my engine and the minivan driver saw me and my life was spared. My motorcycle has a button that does something similar. If someone doesn't see me...I push the button and it makes a loud noise, kind of like a honking horn. It's amazing. Too bad they don't come on all motorcycles.

Loud pipes have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with one's image.

I've never tried to play the "safety" card in terms of how loud my exhaust is. But I can tell you that even though my bike does in fact have a horn, its so weak (as are many I've heard) that at highway speeds, it sounds like nothing more than a mosquito fart to anyone in a car/truck/suv, if they can even hear it at all over their wind noise, tire noise, sound insulation, radio volume, a/c noise, and cell phone conversation. At least they can hear my exhaust resonating (over 100dB at 75 mph) as I come up on them...it exits underneath and out to the right side, so if I'm in the fast lane passing cars on the right, they'll be able to hear me when I'm about 15-20 ft off their left rear bumper. Plenty of room to see me at the same time.

I'm not playing devil's advocate, as my case is most likely unique, or rare at best. Most pipes exit directly rearward, and the original quote may have been referring to slower "in-town" speeds. But most of my commute is highway, so I'm just trying to illustrate an example counter to the logic that "they can't hear you when they're in front of you." Not true, at least not in all cases.

[Wanderer]

I've never tried to play the "safety" card in terms of how loud my exhaust is. But I can tell you that even though my bike does in fact have a horn, its so weak (as are many I've heard) that at highway speeds, it sounds like nothing more than a mosquito fart to anyone in a car/truck/suv, if they can even hear it at all over their wind noise, tire noise, sound insulation, radio volume, a/c noise, and cell phone conversation. At least they can hear my exhaust resonating (over 100dB at 75 mph) as I come up on them...it exits underneath and out to the right side, so if I'm in the fast lane passing cars on the right, they'll be able to hear me when I'm about 15-20 ft off their left rear bumper. Plenty of room to see me at the same time.

I'm not playing devil's advocate, as my case is most likely unique, or rare at best. Most pipes exit directly rearward, and the original quote may have been referring to slower "in-town" speeds. But most of my commute is highway, so I'm just trying to illustrate an example counter to the logic that "they can't hear you when they're in front of you." Not true, at least not in all cases.

Stebel Nautilus.

About 50$ with the wiring/mount bits.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2137/

LOUD

[Rambunctous]

Loud pipes saves lives. Same group that is always saying "I had to lay it down".

[kb1]

Loud pipes saves lives. Same group that is always saying "I had to lay it down".

[noxin]

I've never tried to play the "safety" card in terms of how loud my exhaust is. But I can tell you that even though my bike does in fact have a horn, its so weak (as are many I've heard) that at highway speeds, it sounds like nothing more than a mosquito fart to anyone in a car/truck/suv, if they can even hear it at all over their wind noise, tire noise, sound insulation, radio volume, a/c noise, and cell phone conversation. At least they can hear my exhaust resonating (over 100dB at 75 mph) as I come up on them...it exits underneath and out to the right side, so if I'm in the fast lane passing cars on the right, they'll be able to hear me when I'm about 15-20 ft off their left rear bumper. Plenty of room to see me at the same time.

I'm not playing devil's advocate, as my case is most likely unique, or rare at best. Most pipes exit directly rearward, and the original quote may have been referring to slower "in-town" speeds. But most of my commute is highway, so I'm just trying to illustrate an example counter to the logic that "they can't hear you when they're in front of you." Not true, at least not in all cases.

I understand your argument, but like someone else said, sound waves aren't omnidirectional (for the most part, i am excluding bounced sound waves and whatnot.).

By the time someone hears you coming up on them, processes what that sound is (or isn't) you're already by them.

[KawiSmurf]

the sound is behind you, simple physics.
the people are getting angry.. and they are getting organized.

Its not physics, its acoustics. Soundwaves, vibration, frequency, resonance...you know, that "stuff?" So you're telling me that if a jet engine was running behind you, you wouldn't hear it, simply because you were facing the other direction? How about a radio or tv? Wow, that's incredible. You'll have to tell me how you pull that one off.

Let "them" get angry. Let "them" get orgazined. Nothing "we" say is going to change their minds. I don't have time for people like that.

Stebel Nautilus.

About 50$ with the wiring/mount bits.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2137/

LOUD

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely look into that. 139 dB? Yikes. It can only help, I guess.

Loud pipes saves lives. Same group that is always saying "I had to lay it down".

Yeah, I've never once said "Loud pipes save lives." I do believe, however, that loud pipes draw attention. Sometimes its attention that prevents a car from sideswiping you...somtimes it gets you evil glares. Whatever.

[noxin]

Stebel Nautilus.

About 50$ with the wiring/mount bits.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2137/

LOUD

Can I one up you?

My Horn

[snwbrdr435]

So all of you with loud pipes-since you're so concerned with your safety, you're also wearing full-faced helmets, reflective vests etc., as well as having loud pipes?
Well why not? I thought it was all about safety?

Hmmm I think he is on to something

[snwbrdr435]

Question for you bikers.
Do you feel that sitting still at red lights is a particularly dangerous place to be? Because you keep revving your engine. Is that to make sure everyone sees you? SAFETY FIRST! (Are you particularly afraid of girls? Because you do it even more when girls are around.)

-Evel Knievel

Im pretty sure he has never been out on a bike at night.

[KawiSmurf]

numpty.....
the sound is mostly directed behind you, how does that help you?

If you think I have the space here (or time) to explain to you the elementary conditions of acoustic soundwave travel, your nuts. Frankly, I just don't care, either; this is just an internet forum, afterall. Its like this, independent of primary travel direction, a chamber device emitting sound will resonate in directions other than the focused one. The localized pressure carries these resonating waves through any surrounding matter in all directions...including air particles. The more pressurized the inital sound is, the farther and faster those waves travel. Like I said in the first place, due to the shape of my particular exhuast, the sound travels differently. Again, I admitted that is not the case for all bikes. Saying you can't hear something because it is behind you doesn't mean the laws of acoustics stopped working. It means you're hearing's gone bad.

acoustics is part of physics.. sheesh why do I bother.

You have that backwards. "Acoustic physics" is a subfield of acoustics...as in aeroacoustics, linear acoustics, structural acoustics, etc. I don't know...why do you bother? How's the view from that high horse?

jet engines.... when you hear the sound and look you invariably look where the plane was, the sound is behind it. TV's and radios are pointed at you (usually)

I never said "look"...I clearly said "facing the other direction." So again, you admit that you have to look at an engine, a tv, or a radio (WTF?) to hear it? You're a unique case, my friend. I can hear an air conditioner running, yet its across the room, behind me. I'm not looking at it though, so it must not really exist, right? You are starting to make yourself sound like a real hazard on the roads if you can't identify the noises surrounding you.

[Pittenger5]

99.9% of the loud pipes save lives is BS. But if theres a single person here who wasnt grabbed clutch and throttle to keep someone from coming in their lane, please stand up. And trust me, its not as effective with a stock can. But thats really the only argument I have in that regard.
And why not use the horn? I have to move my hand to get to the horn, its a whole lot quicker to grab clutch and throttle.

[Sheppo]

I yell... and with out a full face helmet it gets attention too

[Doc]

I didn't read the whole thread nor did i read all 80 comments to the article.

What gets me is the non bikers not understanding stuff. Like sitting at a red light IS dangerous. Motorcycles pass in non passing zones because cars are driving 5 under the limit and it is easier and safer for me to get my lil bike by than if I was a car (all the traffic signs are put there for cars/trucks, they didn't have bikes in mind when they made that corner 35mph...)
Ignorant people making ignorant comments.

[Doc]

Oh... If loud pipes save lives, imagine what learning to ride that thing would do.