Since I ride a 125 I don't make a whole lot of noise, especially if I shift betwen 6-7k RPMs. I have the option of making a lot of noise if I let it get closer to 8k RPMs before I shift, though. Depending on the mood I'm in, I can have a very loud ride or a very quiet ride.
One thing I have been noticing though, is that by making an aggressive amount of noise you inform other vehicles about your location. When people hear the "bruuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm, bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmm" sound outside their vehicle they immediately start driving cautiously until they figure out where its coming from. I've been discovering that I can use aggressive amounts of noise to clue cagers in to my location and subsequently control them.
Additionally, it can be a lot of fun to make some noise! Its what men excel at (yes, I know how much this ties into the South Park episode I just posted about but I ride a sportbike, not a Harley ).
Does anyone else do this? Do you ENJOY doing this?
Oh and as to the original topic, no I don't make a lot of noise on purpose, but then my bike isn't that loud to start with. I was riding to work yesterday and a guy on a newer black 650 was beside me, I could barely hear his bike and he had a pipe on it. He got on it from time to time too. Guess its just not a loud bike...
I have a 650 VStar Classic....the running joke is when we go under this one bridge and the guys gun it...to echo....then they wait for me and all laugh...cause mine is so quiet....they said it sounds like marbles in a milk jug!!!
I've a Two Bros. slip-on that's quite a bit louder than the stock can but it's not obnoxious unless you give it full throttle. Doesn't make your ears bleed the way a straight-pipe does.
I usually never even think about how loud my bike is when im riding it.... I just ride the thing and whatever comes out of the pipes comes out... although my bike isnt anywhere as loud as an HD with straight pipes...
Sometimes when im in the wall mart parking lot or the lot at work where theres people or cars close to me i'll rev up my bike to make sure they know im there (dont want to collide with any of them) but thats it.... I never do it to show off.... (I do the same thing with my car.... I usually rev it a couple times before backing out of a parking spot so people look and see im backing up)
My brother and I sometimes play the revving game at lights, side by side. He revvs his Nomad 1500 with V&H aftermarket pipes, then I revv my CB350. No contest. It was funny at Biketoberfest. Roaring lion vs. sewing machine. lol
I honestly like the low rumble of a twin...It could help also to get noticed, If they can't see me they could hear me and get me out of trouble, now I'm not saying that I have a loud bike just because of that, Principally because I love the sound!
^^ Maybe on the highway, but at slower speeds and definatly in parking lots.... you car hear loud bike from the front coming towards you no problem... same as on most inner city roads..
not really. I'm told me exhaust is loud, but I don't think so. I've seen people run straight pipes on sporties and you can hear them the next town over.
I'm louder than stock, and the pipes really bring out the harley "put put" sound without putting it over the top. the stock sportster pipes are too quiet, it really DOES sound like a sewing machine.
I like to hear the VROOOOM once in a while, but a VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM wouldn't be me, unless I'm working on the bike and it has to be at certain RPM (I guess? haven't happened yet but saw my bro did it long ago)
I hear them around my neighborhood, and think "Nice, someone else on a bike." Mine got louder too... just finished working on it tonight and it's great.
I'm louder than stock but far from straight pipe loud. I don't rev at stoplights though and prefer to ride defensively than hope they hear me. That said, I do think that the sounds can assist in getting you noticed, and anything that does that isn't a bad thing. Those cagers are crazy.
"....I remember the Road Warrior; the man we called Max. To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time when the world was powered by the black fuel and the deserts sprouted great cities of pipe and steel. Gone now swept away...."
Make noise on purpose? At times but not in a neighborhood or where I'm going to disturb people. The running joke with the guys I ride with, about 20 of them, is that I have to let them start their bikes before mine so they can make sure they're running, and that's on a VLX 600. I just put pipes on my VTX 1300 yesterday. They seem a tad quieter which is good but it sounds good and allows me to hear where the engine is at RPM wise.
Some? I see it's been lowered by at least two inches, has some expensive aftermarket rims with (probably) equally expensive rubber bands wrapped around them, a ground effects kit, a racing wing, and graphics. Unless it's all show and no go, I would assume that you have upgraded the suspension, brakes, and powertrain as well. Probably has a pretty decient audio system tucked into the trunk as well, and maybe even video capabilities.
What did you do to it? By the looks of your bike, I'd say that you do not scrimp on how you mod your equipment.
there's an @$$ hole that lives about 5 houses down from me. he rides a CBR or something similar... he sees me working on my little rat rods all the time, so when he rides by my house, even at 4 in the morning, he makes it a point to rev the hell out of his motor.......
or.. fly down the street on his back wheel.
or one time donuts in front of my house.
oddly enough, there's a guy with a mustang saleen that does the same thing every time he passes my house because i have a camaro sitting in the garage.
i've never talked to either of these people...... both of them annoy me to no end.
With that said. my car is louder than either of my bikes. i have to admit, when i have the T-tops off and i happen to drive under a bridge, i have to give it a little punch, or, if there are some hot girls walking down the street, i downshift etc...
but i'm not an @ss about it 99% of the time.
However, there are times where being loud can actually save you. some lady almost ran me off the road when i was in my car a week or so ago on the highway. i saw her coming and shifted to third and floored it. it woke her up and she got back into her own lane.
It feels good to have a bunch of power under you at your disposal whether you use it or not. Sometimes you need that feeling of having a cool toy, and need the sound to remind you of exactly how cool it is. lol
with that said though, there are a lot of bikes that have sounds i can't really get into. i dont personally like the crotch rocket sound, or the sound of indy cars, ricers with fart pipes, lamborghinis etc.. too high pitched. sounds to me like a ****ed off yappy dog.
I prefer the sound of an american V8, or a motorcycle that sounds similar. with that said, i don't particularly care for the sound of harleys either.. But a lot of the newer V-twin bikes that have come out over the last few years DO sound really good. like the Honda Chopper that's out now. i almost wet myself when one of those flew by me the other day. those are bad bikes.
Added Rinehart 2 into 1 on my Harley - it has a nice low bubbling sound with a pop every now and then on the downshift. I try to respect others and only rev my motor if I am in fear of not being seen. Do not care too much for the showoffs that give us all a bad name.
I'm afraid Myth Busters already busted the "loud pipes save lives" theory. Just because a cager can hear you doesn't mean they can see you or know where you are.
I had loud(er) pipes and like others mentioned gives me a headache. And at night seemed to make me tired with the constant noise in my ears(even wearing earplugs).
I think in my eight years of road riding I've noticed that I got the attention of maybe five or so cagers from revving, the horn is much more effective because thats what they're use to lol :wink:
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