Comment Received From Motorcycle Rider:
Loud pipes help keep riders safe by making their presence known, unfortunately there are plenty of poor drivers who do not have the surrounding awareness skills that (should) be required..
And others are distracted by multiple devices in their car whether it be a phone, radio, food, passengers just to name a few.
In fact, statistics show that motorcyclists are nearly 30 times more likely to die in a traffic accident as those in car accidents.
My problem with people like “Quieter Oahu” is they think the solution is to take away someones personal freedom (whatever that may be) but in this case to modify their own property, said motorcycle for intentions of better protecting myself while on the roadway.
How about we take the freedom away of the radio in the car so that you can have a better chance of hearing stock motorcycle exhaust?
You all keep taking peoples freedom away we might as well slap a communist flag on your door.
Quieter O'ahu Responded:
7/13/2020 07:04:55 pm
Thank you for your comment. “Loud pipes save lives.” A myth debunked by science and most reputable rider groups. Even the CEO of Harley Davidson has said “enough is enough.” Here’s an excerpt from RevZilla that debunks the myth fairly emphatically, and anyone wanting to know the science should just google “science myth loud pipes save lives” to get an earful. The only point of loud pipes is to annoy the public. There is no performance or safety purpose that stands scrutiny.
Source: From RevZilla.com
https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/stop-saying-loud-pipes-save-lives
Quote
Stop Saying "Loud Pipes Save Lives"
"Loud pipes save lives."
"Gotta make sure they hear you coming!"
"I can't tell you how many times a driver has noticed me because of my loud exhaust."
"They aren't just cool. It tells people you're there."
The "loud pipes save lives" argument is one I see or hear on almost a weekly basis. It's usually coming from some guy on a Harley or retro Triumph, though the sportbike guys are jumping on as of late. I honestly can’t tell if people really believe it, or it's just a nice justification when someone says their bike is too loud, but I think it's the second dumbest thing commonly heard from riders. (If you're wondering, the first is that 600cc supersports are beginner bikes.)
Let's start with some basic physics and a little rationality. Your exhaust is pointed backwards and by the nature of you traveling forward, you're actually leaving the sound behind you as you move forward. If that concept is confusing, think of the sound of a fire truck passing you with its siren blaring. The siren is pointed forward because the purpose is to warn driver’s the truck is approaching from behind. The next time you hear one coming, notice that it’s louder when it’s coming toward you than when it’s going away.
Now apply that to motorcycle crashes. The one comprehensive, reliable study of motorcycle crashes in this country is the well known "Hurt Report," which is now nearly 40 years old. Harry Hurt and his team found that 64.9 percent of multiple-vehicle motorcycle crashes were the fault of the car driver and “the typical accident in this category is portrayed by the automobile in traffic turning left into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.” A lot has changed in 40 years, but one thing that I think we can all agree hasn’t changed is that the car drivers are still pulling out in front of us. That means the bigger danger is still ahead, not behind, but most of the racket from loud pipes is just pissing off the people behind you, while doing very little to warn those in front of you.
Your headlights and horn, however, are pointed ahead. If you really were so concerned with an upgrade that could save your life, you’d add aftermarket auxiliary lights and upgrade your horn. But then you’d run the risk of looking like a dork instead of sounding like a badass.
Secondly, look at the cars around you. If loud pipes ever helped make you safer, that's less true today. My first car was a 1986 Volkswagen Fox. Basically, a go-cart with doors and a roof. Every scrap of road noise bled into the cabin. Today, even my semi-budget Mazda 3 manages to make road noise basically non-existent and it also comes with eight speakers, a six-CD changer, and an auxiliary port for my iPhone, so all I'm likely to hear is my music. In a current luxury car, you'll hear far less, and in the future, maybe nothing at all.
Now, I'm not saying a loud motorcycle has never alerted anyone to your presence. We've all had an experience where a driver has noticed us because of the sound of the bike. Obviously, anything that calls attention to your motorcycle helps today’s distracted drivers notice you’re there between their kids’ screams and bites from their burritos. However, claiming that “loud pipes save lives” while riding around on your brakeless bobber in your T-shirt and novelty helmet just makes you, me, and the rest of the motorcycle community look like morons.
Unquote
Quieter O’ahu Second Response:
7/13/2020 07:11:52 pm
Oh, and by the way, if you want to save the lives of people on motorcycles, wear a helmet, wear reflective vests, wear long pants, wear shoes! But no, that’s not cool, is it? Much better to ride in shorts and slippahs with no helmet, no reflective gear, why, heck, I think most would just ride nude if they could. But helmets. Oh, no, we can’t have that. Which is why the motorcycle lobby year after year after year makes sure any attempt at helmet legislation is defeated. And yet you make the case that it’s loudness that keeps you safe. Check the number of fatalities caused by preventable head injuries and call us back.
Loud pipes help keep riders safe by making their presence known, unfortunately there are plenty of poor drivers who do not have the surrounding awareness skills that (should) be required..
And others are distracted by multiple devices in their car whether it be a phone, radio, food, passengers just to name a few.
In fact, statistics show that motorcyclists are nearly 30 times more likely to die in a traffic accident as those in car accidents.
My problem with people like “Quieter Oahu” is they think the solution is to take away someones personal freedom (whatever that may be) but in this case to modify their own property, said motorcycle for intentions of better protecting myself while on the roadway.
How about we take the freedom away of the radio in the car so that you can have a better chance of hearing stock motorcycle exhaust?
You all keep taking peoples freedom away we might as well slap a communist flag on your door.
Quieter O'ahu Responded:
7/13/2020 07:04:55 pm
Thank you for your comment. “Loud pipes save lives.” A myth debunked by science and most reputable rider groups. Even the CEO of Harley Davidson has said “enough is enough.” Here’s an excerpt from RevZilla that debunks the myth fairly emphatically, and anyone wanting to know the science should just google “science myth loud pipes save lives” to get an earful. The only point of loud pipes is to annoy the public. There is no performance or safety purpose that stands scrutiny.
Source: From RevZilla.com
https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/stop-saying-loud-pipes-save-lives
Quote
Stop Saying "Loud Pipes Save Lives"
"Loud pipes save lives."
"Gotta make sure they hear you coming!"
"I can't tell you how many times a driver has noticed me because of my loud exhaust."
"They aren't just cool. It tells people you're there."
The "loud pipes save lives" argument is one I see or hear on almost a weekly basis. It's usually coming from some guy on a Harley or retro Triumph, though the sportbike guys are jumping on as of late. I honestly can’t tell if people really believe it, or it's just a nice justification when someone says their bike is too loud, but I think it's the second dumbest thing commonly heard from riders. (If you're wondering, the first is that 600cc supersports are beginner bikes.)
Let's start with some basic physics and a little rationality. Your exhaust is pointed backwards and by the nature of you traveling forward, you're actually leaving the sound behind you as you move forward. If that concept is confusing, think of the sound of a fire truck passing you with its siren blaring. The siren is pointed forward because the purpose is to warn driver’s the truck is approaching from behind. The next time you hear one coming, notice that it’s louder when it’s coming toward you than when it’s going away.
Now apply that to motorcycle crashes. The one comprehensive, reliable study of motorcycle crashes in this country is the well known "Hurt Report," which is now nearly 40 years old. Harry Hurt and his team found that 64.9 percent of multiple-vehicle motorcycle crashes were the fault of the car driver and “the typical accident in this category is portrayed by the automobile in traffic turning left into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.” A lot has changed in 40 years, but one thing that I think we can all agree hasn’t changed is that the car drivers are still pulling out in front of us. That means the bigger danger is still ahead, not behind, but most of the racket from loud pipes is just pissing off the people behind you, while doing very little to warn those in front of you.
Your headlights and horn, however, are pointed ahead. If you really were so concerned with an upgrade that could save your life, you’d add aftermarket auxiliary lights and upgrade your horn. But then you’d run the risk of looking like a dork instead of sounding like a badass.
Secondly, look at the cars around you. If loud pipes ever helped make you safer, that's less true today. My first car was a 1986 Volkswagen Fox. Basically, a go-cart with doors and a roof. Every scrap of road noise bled into the cabin. Today, even my semi-budget Mazda 3 manages to make road noise basically non-existent and it also comes with eight speakers, a six-CD changer, and an auxiliary port for my iPhone, so all I'm likely to hear is my music. In a current luxury car, you'll hear far less, and in the future, maybe nothing at all.
Now, I'm not saying a loud motorcycle has never alerted anyone to your presence. We've all had an experience where a driver has noticed us because of the sound of the bike. Obviously, anything that calls attention to your motorcycle helps today’s distracted drivers notice you’re there between their kids’ screams and bites from their burritos. However, claiming that “loud pipes save lives” while riding around on your brakeless bobber in your T-shirt and novelty helmet just makes you, me, and the rest of the motorcycle community look like morons.
Unquote
Quieter O’ahu Second Response:
7/13/2020 07:11:52 pm
Oh, and by the way, if you want to save the lives of people on motorcycles, wear a helmet, wear reflective vests, wear long pants, wear shoes! But no, that’s not cool, is it? Much better to ride in shorts and slippahs with no helmet, no reflective gear, why, heck, I think most would just ride nude if they could. But helmets. Oh, no, we can’t have that. Which is why the motorcycle lobby year after year after year makes sure any attempt at helmet legislation is defeated. And yet you make the case that it’s loudness that keeps you safe. Check the number of fatalities caused by preventable head injuries and call us back.