Loud Pipes Research Study
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Cruiser
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From: NC
It's OK, I understand your concern bu I don't think you understand the difference between having and being aware of assumptions, and designing experiments that remain unbiased. You pretty much have to start with some sort of guess of what will happen (call it a hypothesis), so it's perfectly fine to use other studies as jumping off points - that's what the lit review is all about. The point of the experiment is to test those assumptions. Calling that a slant in favor of noise without seeing the experimental design is a bit premature though.
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Cruiser
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From: NC
Glad I could help. I looked at similar issues for a presentation I did a couple years ago at a public administration conference. I'll have to find it, but NHTSA had something on pipe statistics that was useful. Unfortunately their dataset wasn't good enough to prove anything, but it will help at least with basic accident stats. I'll see if I can find it.
If you've got a local high school or vocational school that offers auto shop then you might have a double-set of "volunteers." That gives you a closed shop to set up your testing laboratory and potentially a set of test subjects. The alternative is to find a local garage that will let you setup there for a couple days and use volunteers from the campus.
Here's what I'd do ...
1) Put the subject in the car.
2) Put a motorcycle behind them.
3) With baffles in and car windows up, rev the bike to 2500 RPM.
4) with baffles out and car windows up, rev the bike to 2500 RPM.
5) Repeat 3 & 4 changing the variables (windows up, radio on; windows down, radio on).
Here's what I'd do ...
1) Put the subject in the car.
2) Put a motorcycle behind them.
3) With baffles in and car windows up, rev the bike to 2500 RPM.
4) with baffles out and car windows up, rev the bike to 2500 RPM.
5) Repeat 3 & 4 changing the variables (windows up, radio on; windows down, radio on).
Thanks for your input. What field are you in?
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Cruiser
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From: NC
...The car was real, but didn't move, the three screens surrounding the car simulate movement, auto sounds etc...
...You could tell the subjects this is "just a driving study" to reduce bias. Have them go through a course several times to get a baseline. Then add motorcycle exhaust noise...
...You could see if their baseline eye movement changed. Due to motorcycle exhaust noise. Further, in a simulator, you could change the location and volume of the exhaust noise...
...You could tell the subjects this is "just a driving study" to reduce bias. Have them go through a course several times to get a baseline. Then add motorcycle exhaust noise...
...You could see if their baseline eye movement changed. Due to motorcycle exhaust noise. Further, in a simulator, you could change the location and volume of the exhaust noise...
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Cruiser
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From: NC
Don't fret. I assure you the little scoot in my sig is indeed real, and that I do own it. But ride it? Now that's just crazy talk. 
Firstly, reading a thread isn't research. You know how every once in a while this forum produces a billion page thread where people argue over loud pipes? There's no discussion in those threads, it's always "loud pipes suck" or "loud pipes saves lives" or whatever. To me, that gets boring after a while. In fact, I think there's an icon for that - oh yea, here it is: 
So my goal is to actually add knowledge to a topic that is obviously so important to so many people - myself included.
That seems reasonable to me. The goal of the research is to test that. So yes, being heard is probably a good thing, but how loud do we need to be? How do the various conditions of a cager's environment affect their ability to hear a motorcycle? etc. Those are the kinds of questions that perceived common sense can't perfectly answer.
So my goal is to actually add knowledge to a topic that is obviously so important to so many people - myself included.That seems reasonable to me. The goal of the research is to test that. So yes, being heard is probably a good thing, but how loud do we need to be? How do the various conditions of a cager's environment affect their ability to hear a motorcycle? etc. Those are the kinds of questions that perceived common sense can't perfectly answer.
I hate to change this subject a little but I drive a Hybrid car and the fact that they are silent in towns does not make them a saftey hazzard. Stupid people who don't look before crossing the street are the saftey hazzards. I just thought I'd rant a little. On the prius forums people create quite a stir on that subject.
Ok back to the loud pipe research..... good luck on the study
Ok back to the loud pipe research..... good luck on the study
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Cruiser
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From: NC
. That's why I got a harley and put sideshots/heavy breather on it. That sound is sweet music to my ears - whatever I find, it won't influence my decision to keep the sideshots. There's something else that is always important to recognize, and that is the effect of emotional design. A guy in ouir field, Don Norman even wrote a book about emotinoal design and how even though something may not be as usable as it could be, it can be preffered over something that is more usable but less pleasing and attractive. In fact it can even be perceived to be more usable than something that actually is.
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From: DUNDALK,MARYLAND
A young person study on something they know little about. And having little to no riding time is try to study biker habbits. Going do loud pipe studies sounds like very poor input study. I could be wrong and Bones could be a 50 year biker with of riding time under he belt. I realy don't think so. More like less then couple real mileage on any kind of bike other than a mopad. That's not the same thing to study.
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From: NEPA
Sounds like a job for Myth Busters!!! just kidding
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From: DUNDALK,MARYLAND
I do engineer work do write study about things in other states that we have never been. But we have the understanding how it works. You can write a study it may or may not be made from facts. The whole thing could only be work with words only. And less study more like other people study. And no fact finding study.
