Sounds like one for Myth Busters.
This is what I believe. It's possible that loud exhaust may save a life now and then, but in most situations pipes aren't going to make any difference. Defensive driving will certainly save many more lives.

 

if common sence were so common, everybody would have it.

 

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Ummm..Not to be a smartass, but ya can't point the pipes forward. They're exhaust, not intake.

 

With his windows rolled up, talking on the cell phone, and you going 15 mph, odds are he won't hear you. If you rev the bike a bit because you see him coming, he might hear you, or he might not. You could as well make the same attempt at getting his attention by hitting your horn button.

 

well they would have more of a chance to hear me with loud pipes then not. It kinda goes without saying. I am not saying that loud pipes are the end all for saftey. What I am saying is ....wait for it... anything that adds to the chance of other motorist being aware of your presence adds saftey.

 

Of course, you need to ignore they are discussing the safety of pedestrians, not talking about other drivers hearing the hybrid cars. Meanwhile, a Chevy Impala, Toyota Camry, Ford F150 or any other vehicle with a stock exhaust are deemed NOT too quiet to be safe for pedestrians. Emergency vehicles also have stock exhausts - in spite of the fact that countless hours of research go into determining the best methods to ensure these vehicles are as easily seen and heard as possible.

 

I didn't say rev when he comes at you, My pipes are loud enough that they would hear me coming and not assume the space was empty and try to occupy it. Plus my pipes are louder then my horn. My point is that there are many situations that can made to prove BOTH sides of the argument. And anything that adds to the odds of you being seen or heard adds to saftey(proven by the fact that emergancy vehicles have sirens and lights and are red neon yellow etc).


"Sooner or later it will come down to toe to toe. Until that happens you want to stack the deck in your favor as much as possible to insure the outcome is in your favor" - B Wayne

 

a) Certainly not everything which might add to your safety is up for consideration. I don't recall seeing an Harleys with those bright orange bike flags on poles bolt to the back of the bike. It might help in some situations, yet, no one even talks about doing it, much less actually does it.

b) I don't disagree there is some chance, in some situations, where the planets are all aligned properly, where having louder than stock pipes might provide some benefit. The reality though is one should not view loud pipes as a safety feature. They should be added as a performance enhancement and because you like them. There is no need to attempt to justify them with the tenuous argument they can save your life.

 

I edit my post after reading yours. Yes, mythbusters!!


True story...

Since putting louder pipes on my bike I have noticed that cagers with their windows rolled down can now hear me and see me as I approach the vehicle in the left lane, unless they're deaf. I did not notice that once with stock pipes. In fact I was almost run into the concrete meridian a few years ago when I first bought my bike. I blasted the guy with my horn, then he noticed me.

Why not send this one off to the MythBusters to prove or disprove?

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