From a personal experience, I was crossing the Key Bridge in DC going to work. I was in the far left lane preparing to turn left at the light on M street. A panel truck decides he also wants to go left and starts merging into my lane. I have no where to go as I'm in the middle of his left side, the only choice is to go into oncoming traffic on a bridge in DC during rush hour. I lay on my horn, nothing. I rack my very modest Vance and Hines pipes with baffles and suddenly they know I'm there and swerve back into their lane and wait for me to clear them before they merge to the left lane.

I rest my case.

 

I think you'll find those who like loud pipes argue they save lives and those who don't, say paying attetion will be the best deterant from someone killing you on two wheels. I'm guessing if you're saying prove it then you don't like them loud or just starting some chit knowing those who like loud pipes will jump all over this thread.

I believe a little of both. If you have loud pipes and crack the throttle when you see someone coming into your lane they'll hear you and adjust accordingly. I also think watching what's going on, having knowledge of what to do and what not to do in different instances will increase your likelyhood of surviving on two wheels. All that being said, you CAN"T control the other people or factors on the road so if it's going to happen better to believe "Jesus saves souls"

 

I notice bikes in my jeep all the time...either by the headlight or the sound of the exhaust...including crotchrockets...But it might be b/c I'm tuned into bikes, being a biker myself. In any case, anything to get me noticed in 4 lane rush hour traffic, the better IMHO.

 

i don't ride in blind spots, prolly helps.

 

well i will tell you first hand ..i was hit by a lady about 12yrs ago and the bike i had at the time was very quiet, now i still believe today that if she would have heard me coming i might not have gotten hit ..i cant prove it, but i tell you this if you cant see me comingim going to make damn sure you hear me coming...anyway nothing wrong withthe sound of anicely tuned harley-davidson in my book.. ride safe guys

 

I don't have the numbers on this but I am sure that the number of accidents resulting from bikes NOT being noticed is greater than the number of accidents resulting from a bike BEING noticed. Just by logic, if loud pipes get you noticed better then it seems like they would help more than hurt. That's my reasoning. Oh yeah, HMMR is right...don't ride in blind spots!

 

Hmmmm, sounds to me like you're trollin', and wantin' to be a **** stirrer.

How close am I?[sm=WTFsgign.gif]

 

 

I love loud pipes.

If they were a safety feature wouldn't they point them forwards instead of back so that people in front of you could hear them more? They're normally the ones who have a go at you!

 

Not that I give a rat's A$$ if they do or not because, to me "Loud Pipes Sound Good!" and that's all i care about.

But, I've had several times when I was in a cage and heard a bike before I saw it and it possibly saved their lives.