Boy Racers vs Bikers

Drax

Just reading Seanie M's post there and didnt want to hijack it so just wondering what people's opinions are regarding boyracers with loud exhausts versus noisy bikes.

I guess that non-bikers will throw them all into the 'noise pollution' category whereas bikers will argue that we doont go driving up and down the same street for half the night and that they are a safety feature in that people are more likely to become aware of a noisy bike.

As a biker myself, I can honestly say that my twin unbaffled cans have saved my bacon on several occasions!

layke

Seeing as I am and have been at one time both of the above it doesn't bother me one bit.

Just bikers don't get scrutanized for having a loud exhaust. Also cops don't follow you as much on a bike.

TempestSabre

I think they are equally as bad.

Vegeta

don't mind either to be honest.

it doesn't annoy me in any way

Idleater

As a biker too, I can see (hear ) the safety aspect of a loud exhaust.
In fairness, you do hear them before you see them so there is less chance of walking out in front of them. And in traffic or in town it makes a huge difference between people walking out in front of you or not.

At the risk of sounding hypocritical however, I think that the safety aspect is more prevalent to bikes than cars. Also, "tuning" if you would call it that, a 1L car with a big exhaust is not quite the same as tuning a 1L bike with an exhaust.

I am not overly disturbed by the cars and I like the sound of bikes and it is only a matter of time before I fit a set of "Lancaster bombers flying through a tunnel" to the bike.

L.

TempestSabre

I can't see how the sound helps, its not directional and in traffic the sound could be comming from anywhere, as it bounces all over the place. All you do is piss people off.

Owen

The sound definitely helps. When people hear my bike coming, they look for it. And I make certain to make eye contact with people about to pull out from junctions by blipping the throttle and turning my lid their way.

Drax

TempestSabre wrote:

I can't see how the sound helps, its not directional and in traffic the sound could be comming from anywhere, as it bounces all over the place. All you do is piss people off.

Obviously you are not a biker.

May I also point out that there is a distinct difference in the sound of most bikes and cars with noisy exhausts. I assume you can tell the difference.
Are you telling me that if are on the M50 for example and you hear a loud exhaust you dont know where its coming from?

TempestSabre

If was a biker, would that make an exhaust directional? Or a bike exhaust more directional than a car? That makes no sense. Thats why theres so much research into sirens, because people can't tell what direction they are coming from. Travelling at 70mph I'm not going to take action due to sound, especially one I'm unlikely to hear if its behind me. My visual scan is a different story.

http://www.mcsquared.com/sirens.htm

Seanie M

Drax wrote:

Just reading Seanie M's post there and didnt want to hijack it so just wondering what people's opinions are regarding boyracers with loud exhausts versus noisy bikes.

Nice one Drax!

Bikes don't bother me. You hear them, they pass by, then they're gone. I find scooters more annoying really! Take so long to pass by in comparison, and the noise just grates on the auditory nerves sometimes!

Yeah, a loud bike would probably wake me up at night, but it is not as often as hearing a loud car, so thats why the bike doesn't bother me as much. I live on the edge of the town where I live, so boy racer cars coming in from the countryside direction (rear of my house) decelerate because of a slight bridge+bend, then when they pass it, they accelerate again, farting loudly as they do! Bikes just pass by with less noise.

Seanie.

TempestSabre

So basically if you like a specific loud sound everyone else should. So if (I said if) I liked the sound of 80's Euro Disco music played at mega volume then everyone should like it.

sutty

TempestSabre, I think your missing the point. The "safty" aspect is not that someone knows where you are, but more that you are "there" for a lack of a better term. Same goes for sirens. As for not looking because a sound is behind you. Would you then not look in your mirrors when changing lanes or taking a turn? Because this is what a biker has to contend with on a daily bases. So if someone hears a noise and desides to look about to see where it is. That may just have saved someones life.

The same can be said for peds crossing the street when they are not meant to be. They never look for traffic (goes for both cars and bikes this one) But a nice little blip of the throttle as you see them about to step out, will normaly make them look and stop. This of corse saving their life.


Wise man once say.. "Loud pipes save lifes"

As for "racer boy" exausts. It depends on the car and the size of the exaust. Some look like they are just ripped off a bus and sound really bad. While some are done very well and can give a nice purr to the car. So its really a matter of personal taste on that one. Well unless its a Micra, then its just crap

Hotblack Desiato

I've owned 6 bikes over the years and my current one is the first fitted with a non-standard exhaust (by the previous owner but I also got the standard silencer with it.)

It's louder but not offensively so. It definitely makes a big difference in relation to pedestrians stepping thoughtlessly off the path. Cars are less likely to pull into my right of way (the cause of most bike accidents.)

I did run the standard silencer for a while as this is required to fit the right-hand pannier, but it's just so quiet that I'd be concerned about my safety running with it, certainly in Dublin city. The bike has also been modified to have both dip headlamps lit during the day not just one.

TempestSabre

Blipping the throttle to someone 4 feet away is very different from being on the M50. You don't need noisy exhaust for someone 4ft away to notice you.

Sorry relying on someone hearing you to save your ass is screwy. Doesn't even work for emergency vehicles and they are huge with flashing light and painted bright colors! People still don't see or hear them.

sutty

TempestSabre wrote:

Blipping the throttle to someone 4 feet away is very different from being on the M50. You don't need noisy exhaust for someone 4ft away to notice you.

Well acutuly, this happens all the time. peds will just walk out in front of a bike as they are looking for cars and not bikes. Same goes for people in cars. Oh and on the M50, it still works. I travil the twice M50 every day and at least once a day I will have someone try come into the same lane as me... within the same space. So bliping the trottle normaly makes them look. (Standurd horns on bikes are no good and very little db. Meaning someone in a car will normaly not be able to hear them at all)

TempestSabre

Oh please enough of the bleeding heart of bikers. Peds walk out in front of everyone. Its the the same way bikers, cyclists, and motorist cut each other up all the time, and people don't have 360 degree visibility 100% of the time, or have 100% attention on one task. Such is life. People can hear feck all in a motor car at speed on a motorway, with tye noise, AC or a fan on, and perhaps a radio on and cranked perhaps passengers rattling on. Whats most likely is they suddenly see you, not hear you. I'll agree to disagree. I'm going home to rip the silencer off my yoke. I expect a Moses like parting of traffic in future.

Wonder why emergency vehicles don't just use louder exhausts?

Owen

Ah Tempest, thou art so innocent! My bike? Ducati 916, Termigoni 50mm Exhausts. My girlfriend knows when to reheat the dinner because quite literally she can hear me 2 streets away. As you're not a biker, don't try to discuss a subject you know very little about.

Loud exhausts do save lives, and as a biker, it's a bit more of a worry when a Pedestrian steps out in front of us instead of a car. With a car, there's a prang, that's it. With a biker, the Pedestrian hits us, we loose our balance, our bikes go down, us with it, and it's entirely possible the Pedestrian can be trapped underneath too. And it's a lot more expensive to fix a bike that's been dropped, even slightly, than it is to replace a wing on a car.

TempestSabre

Can your girl friend tell which direction you are approaching from by the sound, or just that you are approaching?

Love the way you could care less about your neighbours and the pedestrian in an accident. Its all me me me isn't it. :rolleyes: Thankfully not all bikers are as selfish.

Chonker

ned78 wrote:

Loud exhausts do save lives, and as a biker, it's a bit more of a worry when a Pedestrian steps out in front of us instead of a car. With a car, there's a prang, that's it. With a biker, the Pedestrian hits us, we loose our balance, our bikes go down, us with it, and it's entirely possible the Pedestrian can be trapped underneath too. And it's a lot more expensive to fix a bike that's been dropped, even slightly, than it is to replace a wing on a car.

Not to mention the hurt Pedestrian....

If it really saves lives. Who could argue.

Stark

Chonker wrote:

Not to mention the hurt Pedestrian....

If it really saves lives. Who could argue.

Darwin could argue

Owen

TempestSabre wrote:

Can your girl friend tell which direction you are approaching from by the sound, or just that you are approaching?

Love the way you could care less about your neighbours and the pedestrian in an accident. Its all me me me isn't it. :rolleyes: Thankfully not all bikers are as selfish.

What kind of a lunatic are you to pull that conclusion from my post? My neighbours happen to love my bike, and a lot of them are considering returning to biking after a 20 year or so absence. And where did I say I wouldn't care about a hurt pedestrian? I clearly stated that one of the downsides of a Pedestrian stepping out in front of a bike is that they too could be trapped under it.

Oh, and by the way, my bike is my commuter. Late at night it's a car I use. I do have consideration for others. I think you'll find no biker is selfish. We all look out for other Motorists and each other to a level a car driver would never aspire to. I can't count the number of times I've helped out a broken down bike, or an L driver who can't change a tire - likewise, I've seen many a biker become a Good Samaritan in similar circumstances.

Issues my boy, you have issues.

sneakyST

ned78 wrote:

. I think you'll find no biker is selfish.

In fairness Ned what about the ones who bang the car mirrors goin through traffic and just keep going or the ones who zoom down the middle of traffic when its dark and wet which makes changing lanes dangerous because its hard to see the bike coming (example would be the N3). Not having a go but its a wild statement

Owen

sneakyST wrote:

In fairness Ned what about the ones who bang the car mirrors goin through traffic and just keep going or the ones who zoom down the middle of traffic when its dark and wet which makes changing lanes dangerous because its hard to see the bike coming (example would be the N3). Not having a go but its a wild statement

Fair statment! And you're dead right. My bad, there is of course examples of scumbaggery in the Motorcycle Fraternity.

TempestSabre

ned78 wrote:

What kind of a lunatic are you to pull that conclusion from my post? My neighbours happen to love my bike, and a lot of them are considering returning to biking after a 20 year or so absence....

ned78 wrote:

...My girlfriend knows when to reheat the dinner because quite literally she can hear me 2 streets away. As you're not a biker, don't try to discuss a subject you know very little about....

So you'd need to be a biker to know that a bike you can hear a few streets away is loud, what kinda logic is that? A 2 year old would know its loud. A blind person would know it was loud. (might not know the direction though) I stand corrected that all the people who can hear you like even love the sound and that noise has persuaded them, young and old to get back out in the leathers. I assumed their might be a a few that didn't like it. But all of them love it. Where do you live Sturgis?

ned78 wrote:

...as a biker, it's a bit more of a worry when a Pedestrian steps out in front of us instead of a car. With a car, there's a prang, that's it. With a biker, the Pedestrian hits us, we loose our balance, our bikes go down, us with it, and it's entirely possible the Pedestrian can be trapped underneath too. And it's a lot more expensive to fix a bike that's been dropped, even slightly, than it is to replace a wing on a car.....

Your concern here is clearly all for yourself. Thats it. The cost, oh dear, how horrific. The pedestrian hits you. I guess their shocking turn of speed surprised you. Its that bleeding heart again isn't. The bike might fall on them. Oh dear, might scratch the tank.

ned78 wrote:

Oh, and by the way, my bike is my commuter. Late at night it's a car I use. I do have consideration for others. I think you'll find no biker is selfish. We all look out for other Motorists and each other...

Yes all those couriers, love the way they let you out, signal clearly, stay in lane, obey all the road signs and signals. Nearly every junction you get to theres a biker waving you out, or leaving a gap for you to filter into. Theres just perfect. Really they should run the driving schools. All that experience gained on a provisional bike licence.

ned78 wrote:

... to a level a car driver would never aspire to. ...

You're also a car driver. So does that apply to you too. Or does your DNA change once you've touched a bike, or spilt your first drop of two stroke?

ned78 wrote:

Issues my boy, you have issues....

What I don't have is a rose tinted visor.

Supercell

I dunno Tempest, being both a Biker and car driver I'd have to say on average bikers do respect each other more than car drivers respect eachother on average on the road.

How often at lights does someone wind down their window and chat to you just because you were parked there beside them?

Bikers don't cut eachother up causing other bikers to brake dangeriously usually in my experience unlike car drivers (some car drivers).

I once had a flat on the bike and a biker stopped, drove up the road for tire sealant and then came back. While I was waiting at least 4 other bikers stopped to ask if I needed help..try seeing if that happens stuck on the side of the road as a male driver with a flat tyre and clearly no spair.

I think amonst bikers ther is a mutual apprection that its dangerious to do, but if the person beside you is out there in the rain or whatever he's probaly doing it because it brings him a lot of pleasure despite the dangers.

Maybe motors is the wrong place to try and rationalise this, just my tuppence worth as a biker and car driver.
Personally think bikers are better off zooming ahead of the traffic, its the safest place to be on two wheels

TempestSabre

Depends what you are in. Sitting in a Porsche you would get other sports car drivers talking to you and stopping to help. They'd also let you out. Ditto a Smart Car, or bus drivers or lorry drivers.

Hotblack Desiato

sneakyST wrote:

In fairness Ned what about the ones who bang the car mirrors goin through traffic and just keep going or the ones who zoom down the middle of traffic when its dark and wet which makes changing lanes dangerous because its hard to see the bike coming (example would be the N3). Not having a go but its a wild statement

if you want to go down the whataboutery road, how about the car drivers who will squeeze a bike into the gutter to make a pass, tailgate to the point when they're almost touching the back wheel because they want to make you speed, reverse into a parked bike causing €000s of damage then do a runner, pull out without looking, pull out and see a bike and keep going because 'size wins', etc. etc. etc.
There's idiots and scumbags in every category of road user so getting into whataboutery is pointless.

kikel

always had a standard car and i hate motorbikes. but the sound wouldn't bother me at all.

Hotblack Desiato

TempestSabre wrote:

Love the way you could care less about your neighbours and the pedestrian in an accident. Its all me me me isn't it. :rolleyes: Thankfully not all bikers are as selfish.

I think this says a lot more about you than about the post you're commenting on tbh.

Owen

TempestSabre wrote:

I assumed their might be a a few that didn't like it. But all of them love it. Where do you live Sturgis?

Did you not see in my previous posts on a similar thread that we both posted in, that it's important not to piss off the people in a neighbourhood with your noisy exhaust no matter how sexy and alluring it is? FFS use your cop on. I'm clearly not a 'boy racer' or a wheelie pulling maniac, and I do respect my neighbours, the fact that they choose to speak to me about their love for bikes plainly shows I'm not out to piss anyone off.

I've no doubt one or two roll their eyes, but the point is that it's not overly loud (Due to being in a high gear, and low revs), and at inappropriate times - conditions that would drive someone to file a complaint with the Gardaí. And before you say it, yes my girlfriend can hear me coming (I can't believe I just typed that), as on the main road near my house I will be in a lower gear at higher revs. Horses for courses.

TempestSabre wrote:

Your concern here is clearly all for yourself. Thats it. The cost, oh dear, how horrific. The pedestrian hits you. I guess their shocking turn of speed surprised you. Its that bleeding heart again isn't. The bike might fall on them. Oh dear, might scratch the tank.

Your anus must be the gateway to an enormous vast cavern of bullsh*t. Firstly, a Pedestrian can dart out in 2 seconds flat in front of any moving vehicle. The stats are there, Pedestrians are killed in single vehicle incidents across the world - daily. Didn't all journalists state when reviewing the Prius that now Pedestrians would walk out onto the roads in front of these new Hybrids because they couldn't hear them coming? QED.

And under no circumstances will I allow you to assume that in an incident with another Human being that my concern would be for my bike alone. Of course you care about your pride any joy, but the more important picture is of the poor sod who could well be injured and need your help.

TempestSabre wrote:

What I don't have is a rose tinted visor.

And that's a pity. If you saw the world with an optimistic outlook instead of your cynical, petty, un-educated and ill-founded views, the world might just be a happier place for you to be in. Buy a bike mate, you're clearly a frustrated car driver

Mods, if I'm a bit OTT, pm me and let me know. Apologies, but the thread was looking like a personal assault there for a post or two!

Owen

ninja900 wrote:

I think this says a lot more about you than about the post you're commenting on tbh.

The most insightful comment on this thread all day!