Originally Posted by Hippie49

Grown men whining about how other men wear their hair.
Unbelievable.

Originally Posted by Sticks24

So you get your Harley, put on really loud pipes. Now you have to wear earplugs, so that you don't go deaf. Problem now is you can't hear them anymore.

Originally Posted by Sticks24

So you get your Harley, put on really loud pipes. Now you have to wear earplugs, so that you don't go deaf. Problem now is you can't hear them anymore.

Originally Posted by Hippie49

Who has to wear earplugs?

Have you ever owned a motorcycle are or is it just conjecture on your part?

You really sound like someone that hasn't a clue.

Originally Posted by GARY DYER

I'll start by saying I don't like obnoxiously loud pipes. What no one is addressing is the level of loud. Harleys right off the showroom floor are loud. Then there are extra loud pipes like Rhineharts, Rush etc. Then come the obnoxiously loud pipes called straight pipes.

Then there is the application of said exhausts. Most riders are considerate with when and how they open the pipes up. Then there are the morons that peg the throttle under every bridge and blip the throttle at every stop sign and light. Those are what non riders complain about and THEY have the ear of the politicians.
I personally don't think loud pipes save lives. If loud exhaust did, no one would ever get into an accident with a cop car, ambulance or fire truck. Drivers inside their cage with the AC/heater on high and the stereo blasting away while yapping on a cell phone will NOT hear any loud motorcycle.
I've said before on another thread that I think lights and bright colored clothes save more lives then sound. If you do hear something, you really don't know where the sound is coming from, it could be 2 or 3 lanes away or next to you or in back of you, but you CAN SEE where light is coming from.
I love the argument about loud music being just as bad as loud pipes.....NOPE. Not even close. I have yet to see/hear someone playing loud music with their windows OPEN. They are usually closed so they don't dilute their music with outside noise.
Of course there are exceptions to everything. I'm just giving my experiences and thoughts. I'm sure there are many that will disagree with me and many that will agree with me. It's all about the level of irritating sound that we have to put up with. And everyone has different levels. The ones that are considerate I and others have no problems with. The morons that think they are the only one that has a right to infringe upon and annoy others are the ones that will eventually screw it up for all the rest of us.
In my own experience, in over 55 years of riding, I have never once had to rely on a loud exhaust to save my life. Lucky? = Maybe. Skill and knowing how to ride = probably.

I would like to read some examples of how your loud exhaust saved your life. Anyone care to share?

Originally Posted by Angelfire36

Many times while riding, I have witnessed the turn of the head and I see in the rear view mirror just when the driver(s) hears and then sees me coming up beside them. No, I don't rely on it. It's just another form of making others aware that I am there. I know there are many here who have had the experience of a car starting to change lanes in front of them and you let the pipes talk for you. They see you and veer back into their own lane. Or when you see a car starting to pull out from a parking space and you rev the engine a bit to get their attention, they brake and let you by.... I can go on and on but you get the picture. It surprises me that some riders don't understand this. Most every biker I have talked to knows what that's about.

Also, from another perspective; while driving my car I have been alerted to bikes splitting lanes coming up behind me or riding beside me in the next lane. I see them there much sooner because I can hear them coming. (Oh yeah, and I listen to my music with the windows open a lot). Lots of people around here do that. But even with my windows closed, I can hear the rumble of Harley. I don't know why you can't.

Even the Oakland PD had to dump the BMWs because they were too unsafe (quiet) and traffic couldn't hear them...

"The Oakland Police Department installed high-volume pipes on its patrol motorcycles, at a total cost of about $15,000, after an officer riding a toned-down bike was struck by a motorist who said he hadn't heard the officer approaching."
http://www.jsonline.com/business/roa...273218661.html

And Gary, PLEASE don't tell me you are one of those mandatory high viz vest people.....