View Poll Results: Would you still ride a Harley,if it wasn't loud?
YES
81
63.78%
NO
25
19.69%
HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT
21
16.54%
Voters: 127. You may not vote on this poll
If it wasn't loud...would you still ride it?
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 5
From: Batesville Ga
Can I just return to the tinitus thing for minute? I only started wearing earplugs on the bikes about 10 years ago but of course the damage was already done by then. So, I urge anyone who is relatively new to riding bikes to start wearing ear plugs if you don't already do so, and start now before it's to late. They're a bit odd at first, especially if you've ridden for any length of time, but you soon get used to them.
Here endeth the first lesson
Derv
Here endeth the first lesson
Derv
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,346
Likes: 3
From: Dallas, Texas
I gotta admit, one of the things that sold me on getting a Harley over anything else I looked while shopping bikes was the sound. A salesman was showing me a beautiful very clean and well maintained '05 sporty custom w/ V & H slip-ons. He reached down, flipped the key on, hit that start button and it was music to my ears. But I bought a different bike with stock exhaust and I still love the sound it makes as is. The distinctive rumble is still there like no other make of motorcycle. Now after owning it for a while and putting miles on it there's so much more than just the sound element.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,489
Likes: 23
From: East of Tulsa
I'm another rider with tinnitus Protect your hearing! You do not want tinnitus.
As for loud pipes I posted this a couple of weeks ago in the General Chat.
--------------------------------------------
This is from the Jan issue of AMA: In 1972 Congress passed the Noise Control Act. This required the EPA to set sound standards for several products. In 1983 the dB limit was 83dB(A) for motorcycles. In 1986 that changed to 80 dB(A) using a drive by test.
---------------------------------------------------
So technically any muffler without an EPA stamp is illegal. No sound test is required to give you a ticket if your mufflers do not have EPA approval. Those pipes you have on your bike that says, "For Competition Use Only," are illegal on the highway. All states or municipalities have to do is enforce the law. They don't need a dB meter. They don't need to pass a law that singles out motorcycles. The law is already there. All they have to do is enforce it. It's a Federal law. Good in all 50 states and territories.
Louder does not mean better. It mkes me cringe every time I hear or read, " I got my new pipes on. They're loud and I love them. But my neighbors don't."
As for loud pipes I posted this a couple of weeks ago in the General Chat.
--------------------------------------------
This is from the Jan issue of AMA: In 1972 Congress passed the Noise Control Act. This required the EPA to set sound standards for several products. In 1983 the dB limit was 83dB(A) for motorcycles. In 1986 that changed to 80 dB(A) using a drive by test.
---------------------------------------------------
So technically any muffler without an EPA stamp is illegal. No sound test is required to give you a ticket if your mufflers do not have EPA approval. Those pipes you have on your bike that says, "For Competition Use Only," are illegal on the highway. All states or municipalities have to do is enforce the law. They don't need a dB meter. They don't need to pass a law that singles out motorcycles. The law is already there. All they have to do is enforce it. It's a Federal law. Good in all 50 states and territories.
Louder does not mean better. It mkes me cringe every time I hear or read, " I got my new pipes on. They're loud and I love them. But my neighbors don't."
Last edited by U-234; Mar 1, 2010 at 06:50 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 5
From: Batesville Ga
I gotta admit, one of the things that sold me on getting a Harley over anything else I looked while shopping bikes was the sound. A salesman was showing me a beautiful very clean and well maintained '05 sporty custom w/ V & H slip-ons. He reached down, flipped the key on, hit that start button and it was music to my ears. But I bought a different bike with stock exhaust and I still love the sound it makes as is. The distinctive rumble is still there like no other make of motorcycle. Now after owning it for a while and putting miles on it there's so much more than just the sound element.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,465
Likes: 62
From: Port St. Lucie, FL
U234 I agree with you 100%!
My Harley sounds like a Harley, why, because it has stock pipes!
If you want it to sound like a Vance & Hines, D&D, Cobra, RUSH etc, then it doesn't sound like a Harley but some aftermarket V-twin.
Ever wonder how Gold Wingers can rack up hundreds of thousands of miles silently?
My Harley sounds like a Harley, why, because it has stock pipes!
If you want it to sound like a Vance & Hines, D&D, Cobra, RUSH etc, then it doesn't sound like a Harley but some aftermarket V-twin.
Ever wonder how Gold Wingers can rack up hundreds of thousands of miles silently?
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