The General Motorcycle Forum Talk about motorcycles that are not Harleys in here
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:
View Poll Results: Stock pipes or Louder pipes?
Stock pipes for the stealth factor
27
16.27%
Louder pipes for safety all the way
139
83.73%
Voters: 166. You may not vote on this poll

Noise or Safety? 11/09 AIM article with poll

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 6, 2009 | 09:53 PM
  #21  
jandlcars's Avatar
jandlcars
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 10,869
Likes: 0
From: NOMAD Milton FL Now Originaly From San Rafael CA
Default

Stock pipes bike was a dog
i have nad straight and did not care for them
my se 2's are a little louder than i want but i am herd
had several close calls with stock Pensacola they Do Not know howe to drive
we have had several GW's knocked over in last couple years i owne a wrecker and get them
 
Old Oct 7, 2009 | 02:14 PM
  #22  
H20DOG's Avatar
H20DOG
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,250
Likes: 0
From: St. Cloud Minnesota
Default

If I wanted a Gold Wing then I would have bought a Gold Wing.
The louder pipes do not save lives as everyone thinks. Then Gold Wing Drivers would be dropping like flys.
 
Old Oct 8, 2009 | 08:46 PM
  #23  
midnight2005's Avatar
midnight2005
Banned
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,647
Likes: 2
From: Fairmont, Wv
Default

"Then Gold Wing Drivers would be dropping like flys."

They do that anyway, as soon as their pacemaker stops working!
 
Old Oct 10, 2009 | 09:58 AM
  #24  
will2002's Avatar
will2002
Extreme HDF Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 10
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 10,788
Likes: 2,222
From: Texas
Default

Loud pipes are for the most part just, LOUD PIPES. It's more about the "look at me" factor, than anything to do with safety. Anyway, I think in the near future , new laws will be written and enforced that will be killing the loud pipe business, and i'm not really for that either............. JMHO
 
Old Oct 10, 2009 | 10:12 AM
  #25  
Faast Ed's Avatar
Faast Ed
Banned
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 7,580
Likes: 7
From: The Internet (& Dyer, Indiana)
Default

My use of loud pipes had nothing to do with safety.
My use of loud pipes had nothing to do with "look-at-me".

It's all about performance. Dam shame this narrowminded article left out such a big percentage of riders. Kind of insulting.





.
 
Old Oct 10, 2009 | 10:19 AM
  #26  
Faast Ed's Avatar
Faast Ed
Banned
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 7,580
Likes: 7
From: The Internet (& Dyer, Indiana)
Default

Originally Posted by xxxflhrci
Yeah, and I have hit a deer on my bike with "loud pipes". I also know several other HD riders running louder than stock pipes who have also hit deer....With deer, there is nothing that works to keep them from running out in front of you....Heck, they stand right beside the interstate eating with tractor trailers roaring by at 80 mph, a set of loud mufflers ain't gonna bother 'em much.
I've seen them scatter away from me before, more than once.
Coincidence? Maybe. But they looked like they were scared. I'm okay with scaring them. But as I said earlier, not the reason I run the pipes.
 
Old Oct 11, 2009 | 04:59 AM
  #27  
SVTNate's Avatar
SVTNate
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 243
Likes: 1
From: Orange County CA
Default

I have seen a lot of guys with "Loud pipes save lives" patches on their Sunday riding vests.

Not a single one of them was wearing an armored jacket, pants, gauntlets, boots, and full face helmet when they got back on the bike. Most of them are drinking at least a beer or two before riding as well. I have yet to see a dude on a Deluxe with fishtails wearing day-glo yellow either, and the guys with Short Shots don't have headlight modulators installed either. They don't really care at all about "safety".

In your car, with the stereo on, and the windows up, you're not going to hear the pipes until it's too late. I suppose they might help with people making left turns in front of you, but generally I don't buy it. I think it's an argument made up by the guys who blip their throttles for no good reason in parking lots, begging for attention, but don't want to admit that attention is what they seek.
 
Old Oct 11, 2009 | 05:33 AM
  #28  
nm156's Avatar
nm156
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 336
Likes: 0
From: Shit stinkin Newtown CT. USA!
Default

Originally Posted by doublenaughtspy
This is such a tired argument. No one puts loud pipes on for safety - they do it because of performance or because they like the sound. They just try to justify it to others who don't like the noise by saying it saves lives.....
Whatever dude! Get on interstate 95 in lower Fairfield county CT. rush hour traffic.

Then tell me that loud pipes aren't a safety feature.
 
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Oct 11, 2009 | 05:57 AM
  #29  
krashed's Avatar
krashed
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Central AR - Ozark Foohills
Default

Originally Posted by Faast Ed
My use of loud pipes had nothing to do with safety.
My use of loud pipes had nothing to do with "look-at-me".

It's all about performance. Dam shame this narrowminded article left out such a big percentage of riders. Kind of insulting.





.
Thats my reason more HP
 
Old Oct 11, 2009 | 06:44 AM
  #30  
Ratster's Avatar
Ratster
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,947
Likes: 1
From: Little Apple, Iowa, U.S.S.A.
Default

Let's see here... stock MoCo pipes are abysmal. They look like ****, sound like ****, and perform like ****. I have a denim black Bones with black V&H Shorties. It runs better, it definitely sounds better, and looks a lot better.

I still find myself dodging idiots everytime I ride. The way I see it, if a person does a lane change, they cut me off because they are ahead of me. If they pull out in front of me at an intersection, it's obvious they are in front of me. The sound of my pipes come straight out behind me. I don't see the merit in the loud pipes save lives argument. I'm sure there are several incidents everyday that are avoided due to the loud pipes, but let's call it what it is, or what it should be. Freedom of choice.

What gets me is that people bitch about loud pipes on bikes, yet we never hear about potential legislation about quieting things that are worse. Ever try to talk on your cell phone at a stop light behind a bus? A garbage truck? The dump truck that just picked up a load at the construction site down the street? These things have much higher DB levels than my bike, and no, I don't use a cell phone when I drive my pickup. It just seems to me that the people who seem to be most annoyed by my bike are the phuktards in their cars yakking on cell phones. Imagine that.
 



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:55 PM.

story-0
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-4
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-5
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE
story-9
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

Slideshow: Graeme Billington's left-hand-drive Shovelhead is as much about problem-solving as it is about classic Harley form.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2025-12-30 11:27:08


VIEW MORE