Do loud pipes save lives?
Although it hasn't actually been proven to be true, many bikers believe this is a fact.
The motorcycle officers with the Oakland police department obviously believe it too! They have dumped the toned down stock 
Harley exhaust pipes and equipped all 45 of their Harley Davidson’s with pipes that put out a roar at 93 decimals, well above the federal standard of 80 decimals. In a statement explaining the department’s decision, Chief Dave Kozicki said, "There's an old motorcycle adage that you are heard before you are seen." I’ll bet those cops are happy campers!
Chief Kozicki also mentioned an incident where a motorcycle officer was struck, while riding a bike with the stock exhausts by a motorist who later claimed he hadn’t heard the officer coming.
I guess Oakland’s motorcycle cops are known to ride their Harleys with loud pipes, so much so they were labeled with the nickname “Rolling Thunder” until one officer reported having hearing loss problems. That along with citizen complaints caused the department to switch to stock Harley Davidson exhausts.
Many of the motorcycle officers then complained that they didn’t feel safe riding with the stock pipes. So the department and the cities risk management department did a study. The findings were unreliable. So they decided it would be in the officer’s best interest to switch back to the louder exhausts.
And there you have it…
I remember speaking with a couple of Los Angeles motorcycle cops while I was at a local Harley dealer, they mentioned how they would feel much safer if they had some Vance & Hines or Pythons on their police Harleys. Yeah, they had their police bikes parked right out in front. They stopped by often checking out the bikes and Harley Davidson accessories. Most motorcycle cops ride in their free time also. What a great job!
For more info: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/harley-davidson-sportster/f32e784513e5a86cbc74ff281f6b25a1
Comments
Until the motoring public becomes superbly aware drivers (which is never), I'll keep my loud pipes on my bike.
My safety vs. a "law" that doesn't protect me? No contest.
I really hate hearing the saying that 'Loud pipes save lives.' Responsible riding, pink helmets, yellow jackets with more padding than simple leather, and hunter orange Harleys would save MORE lives - but ya'll like feeling like you're a badass. I drive my scooter year-round, drive within the speed limit, always wear a helmet, and wear bright clothing. Who's the real badass?
2 things: 1. The guy who struck the cop using standard pipes "didn't hear him coming?" Obviously he did not LOOK in mirrors or over his shoulder as he should have either, and would have struck any oncoming bike/vehicle. He would not have heard a car either. 2. How much did this switch over to loud pipes cost OPD and what will the ongoing additional expense regarding fuel consumption, maintenance and exhaust output? I'd like to know comparison to cost of possibly putting back one of our OPD choppers into active status which will make a HUGE difference for crime control. Any answers?
I would rather be heard and alive than not heard and dead.
In reply to 2007FXDSE: My opinion also!
Reply to CK: From what I heard the initial cost was $500 per bike. I also heard that the department has ordered 15 new Harleys that will be fitted with the louder exhausts at no extra cost...
Reply to Rob E: I feel safer with my pipes, I've noticed that motorists seem look around more when they hear me coming. For instance, passing in the drivers blind spot.
BS. stop your excuses please.
It's rooted in physics. Unlike an earthquake, which emits waves in a sphere away from its epicenter, sound waves can be directed. (A good example of this a megaphone: if sound waves were not directionally sensitive, megaphone users would all be deaf.) The pressure wave emitted from an exhaust pipe is pointed away from and behind the motorcycle. To hear it from anywhere other than directly behind the bike, you rely on the resonance of the pipes and reflection of the sound waves off of other objects, like cars, signs, buildings, etc.
In other words, the only time the loud pipes draw attention to a motorcycle in traffic is when the bike is facing away from the motorist. In most cases, facing away from the motorist means riding away from the motorist: increasing the separation of bike and potential hazard. The only possible situation in which a car can to pose an external threat to a motorcyclist when the bike is facing away from the car is if the motoris
Conversely, Hurt found that 77% of all accident hazards approach the motorcycle from in front of the rider (specifically, the eleven to one o'clock range). To have any chance of alerting those motorists to the presence of a motorcycle with exhaust noise would require that the tailpipe be pointed forward. The chances of rearward-facing straight pipes making a bike more obvious are very slim. The reality of the loud pipe is that all you'll succeed in doing is irritating all the people behind and beside you who don't pose much of a threat anyway.
So you guys, stop using the 'save lives' excuses.
Can anyone fight my arguments with some logical rational?
Hi Naomi, I can personally testify that loud pipes have saved me from certain death or serious injury more than once. What I believe, the "Loud pipes save lives" theory is based on the same theory we use for installing loud horns and sirens on our emergency vehicles. Loud noises will get your attention. The facts you have may be true but if so, what of the other 23% of motorcycle accidents? I myself, while driving a car, have on more than one occasion started to switch lanes, seeing that the lane was clear, but heard the rumblings of a motorcycle. This caused me to look around more carefully before making the lane change. The results? Maybe the loud pipes saved that bikers life.
So it's a concern for safety issue huh? Until such time as I see the HD crowd in ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) when riding their claim of it being a safety issue. Not long ago I walked out of the DMV with my gear on (including HI-VIZ vest) and full face helmet in my hand. I was question by two HD riders on if I was a MC Safety instructor. I asked why and they said becasue of the vest. When I told them I wore it because it increases my safety they told me "Thats what we have loud pipes for. I laughed and proceeded to ask them if they were so concerned about safety why were they not wearinf full face helmets, proper riding jackets and decent riding footwear. AS I rode away they were still sitting there with dumbfounded looks upon their faces.
You want loud pipes, cool, just do not hand me the "they save lives" BS.
Loud Harleys are rediculous. They make all this loud acceleration noise, then barely move faster than regular traffic, what's up with that? Gonna make all that racket? Then at least get some acceleration behind it! I ride HD but it's equipped with factory mufflers. I can accelerate quite briskly without looking like a slow baffoon.
I drive about 4 hours a day in my work vechile. I also drive a pickup truck as well as a bike. Okay loud pipes can help a motorcyclist to be seen. Yes you have the jackass that will sit in traffic and rev his engine. But you also have a dumbass kid with 2 12inch woofers in his trunk bumpin down the street shakin houses and being annoying. So why put a restiction on it? Let's tell truck driviers that they can only
drive there tractor-trailer truck or dump truck at certain and tell them to keep the quiet cause some people think it is to loud. I would rather sit
in my truck and listen to a HD or a ric rocket engine. Put your windows up if you do like it. And turn your radio up.
Being a Police Officer myself. I find it kind of arrogant for a Police department to flagrantly thumb their nose at both state and federal law.. ARROGANCE abounds obviously in Oakland?
The bikers arrogantly assume the rest of us are willing to endure their noise just to keep them believing in the illusion of safety. Not surprising. They also believe they are a 'select' bunch of people, even though most of us don't ride because we simply have better things to do with our time than ride around in circles. They also believe they are special, even though any moron can plunk down a few thousand and join the 'exclusive' club. And getting a license isn't exactly quantum physics either, again, any moron can get a license and join the club. They also fool themselves into believing they are individualists, even though they follow fashion more slavishly than a 12 yr old girl at the mall and show their loyalty to one label, HD, like Kalvin Klein or Silly Bands. The bikers need, more than anything, to get over themselves. The rest of us don't buy into your fantasy, and if that is what you need to live your fantasy, you're running out of luck. Enough is enough...GROW UP!
The bikers arrogantly assume the rest of us are willing to endure their noise just to keep them believing in the illusion of safety. Not surprising. They also believe they are a 'select' bunch of people, even though most of us don't ride because we simply have better things to do with our time than ride around in circles. They also believe they are special, even though any moron can plunk down a few thousand and join the 'exclusive' club. And getting a license isn't exactly quantum physics either, again, any moron can get a license and join the club. They also fool themselves into believing they are individualists, even though they follow fashion more slavishly than a 12 yr old girl at the mall and show their loyalty to one label, HD, like Kalvin Klein or Silly Bands. The bikers need, more than anything, to get over themselves. The rest of us don't buy into your fantasy, and if that is what you need to live your fantasy, you're running out of luck. Enough is enough...GROW UP!
The Loud Pipes Saves Lives argument is just an attempt to justify violating federal and State law by installing illegal and excessively loud exhaust systems. The Oakland Police Department and motorcyclists who believe in the LPSL myth are wrong, and are breaking the law. The public is fed up with the excessive noise from these illegally modified vehicles. North Carolina has a state law, NC 20-128, that prohibits loud pipes but is not being enforce as well as it should. Those of you in North Carolina who want to do something about this environmental noise pollution problem need to organize. You do not have to take the noise. You can do something about it. Join Citizens for a Quiet North Carolina (QUIETNC). Our email address is quietnc@ymail.com.
wow,there are some great arguements here,for and against loud pipes,i also have loud pipes on my bike,and i do thing they make a difference,but i will say that there isnt any reason to sit at a stop light and rev you bike just to hear it,the time i have noticed the greatest safety bonus is in two lane traffic,lets face it,not every auto driver is paying as much attention as they should,i also believe that if your pipes are loud,try to have a modem of respect for the rest of the population at night.riders relish the idea that we are a bit different,it doesnt mean we shouldnt have some respect also.
decibels***
I can't believe that anyone believes this. How may of the riders with "Loud pipes save lives" patches/stickers are wearing helmets? It is a well proven fact that helmets save lives (while the loud pipe claim is dubious at best) yet they are not wearing helmets. Perhaps this claim is just a justificaiton.
Even if loud pipes did save lives (and I'm skeptical of that), how do bikers justify rattling all the bystanders that live along the roads upon which they ride? I live along such a road, and must deal with the excessive exhaust noise aimed almost right at my house once the bikers pass. And, at a few hundred loud bikes passing on any given weekend sunny day, I feel like I'm being forced out of my home. It's distressing that loud bikers don't seem to care about that and are so willing to break the noise laws to boot.
My brother is 59 yrs old, has been riding since he was 13 and has never had an accident. I am 55 yrs old, have been riding since I was 16 and have never had an accident. My son who is 30, has been riding since he was 16, and has never had an accident. The thing to know is that none of us have ever had a motorcycle with loud pipes. My brother taught me how to ride safely and I, in turn, taught my son motorcycle safety. Loud pipes have nothing to do with motorcycle safety, learning to ride safely, save lives.
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