Noisy Motorbikes

Paulie Walnuts · 29-09-2009 7:46pm #1

Does anyone know if the guards can do anything about noisy motorbikes? There's some guy behind my house that revs the s**t out of his bike a couple of times a day before taking off like a bat out of hell. Also in the city centre bikers seem to revel in bombing down the street as fast and loud as possible. Even in the middle of traffic, they go like 100m to the next set of traffic lights before they stop and do it all over again. What the hell is their problem?

bladebrew · 29-09-2009 11:40pm

are they starting up the bike from cold and revving it?? that cant be good for the engine!

are you talking about "chopper" style bikes or sports bikes?

i have seen/heard plenty of chopper style bikes that should not be on the road, but there is also a few other bikes with aftermarket exhausts that are not road legal,
im not sure if the gardai have the equipment to measure the noise in db`s though

MunsterCycling · 30-09-2009 10:30am

Nope the Gardai don't have calibrated sound meters, 80 decibels is the limit for road legal IIRC

Blitzkrieger · 30-09-2009 10:39am

If that's the worst thing that happens to you today.....

The vast majority of bikes wouldn't have fuel injection so would be run off carbs. Measuring how much throttle/choke you need to start the bike and keep it running while cold isn't precise, so if someone has the fuel set too low, they'll often blip the throttle to keep it running while they put their gear on. I'd do the same if I've the fuel too high and the engine is flooded - give it a good blast to clear out the excess petrol. Bikes have a very wide rev range and odds are they're not even using half of it.

Bikers also have a mantra that 'loud pipes save lives'. The thinking is if they're not going to see me coming, they're damn sure going to hear me. In the city centre when the sound is bouncing off buildings, most exhausts probably seem louder than they really are. Most bikes also run much better with a sports exhaust than a standard one. Their engines tend to be finicky and highly tuned out of the factory so a better exhaust often smooths out a lot of problems with the power delivery.

In other words, you're going to have to learn to live with it.

MunsterCycling · 30-09-2009 11:21am

I agree that a bike runs better on aftermarket pipes but if the sound level is above road legal limit then you are (or should be) in for a ticket and must rectify it within say a month, happened to a friend in France, got pulled over on his cruiser for a random sound level check and they issued him with a fine and a seizure order if not retificied within 4 weeks, cost 500€ for a new exhaust system coz he couldn't find an unmodified one.

Bill-e · 30-09-2009 12:19pm

A neighbours kid has a scooter which I think he has drilled a hole in the exhaust, It's like an F1 car. Any time I see him I swerve violently at him.
Some day I'll get the little ****e!
I also had a guy living behind me and he would start up and rev his bike for 4 or 5 minss a couple of times a day. Twas vexing to say the least.

Blitzkrieger · 30-09-2009 1:31pm

MunsterCycling wrote: »

he couldn't find an unmodified one.

That's also part of the problem. When I was looking for my bike, out of the hundred odd 2nd hand bikes the dealer had, I don't think any had it's original exhaust.

bladebrew · 30-09-2009 3:06pm

Bill-e wrote: »

A neighbours kid has a scooter which I think he has drilled a hole in the exhaust, It's like an F1 car. Any time I see him I swerve violently at him.
Some day I'll get the little ****e!
I also had a guy living behind me and he would start up and rev his bike for 4 or 5 minss a couple of times a day. Twas vexing to say the least.

yeah they can make some noise if there is a hole in exhaust,it happened me before i had to drive through the city centre whilst making an incredible noise:o

might not be the best idea running him over though:D

Miaireland · 30-09-2009 6:20pm

Have you tried contacting the City Council. I think there are laws now about noise pollution.

01-10-2009 12:22am

Paulie Walnuts wrote: »

Does anyone know if the guards can do anything about noisy motorbikes? There's some guy behind my house that revs the s**t out of his bike a couple of times a day before taking off like a bat out of hell. Also in the city centre bikers seem to revel in bombing down the street as fast and loud as possible. Even in the middle of traffic, they go like 100m to the next set of traffic lights before they stop and do it all over again. What the hell is their problem?

Buy ear plugs, he's probably just warming up his bike. He's not doing it all day is he? And I've never seen lads on bikes bombing through the city centre.Boy racers are usually the ones carrying on like muppets in town.

Ludo · 01-10-2009 7:53am

Deleted User wrote: »

Buy ear plugs, he's probably just warming up his bike. He's not doing it all day is he?

Why should the OP buy ear plugs just because some ignorant f*ck is disturbing the whole neighbourhood? How about the owner of the motorbike having some common decency and obeying the law or is that not the done thing anymore?

Fabio · 01-10-2009 12:50pm

Nothing illegal about it really. Most people on bikes that I know are much more responsible than car drivers with road use and loud pipes can indeed save lives.

If that is the worst thing that happens you then life for you ain't too bad at all OP.

Ludo · 01-10-2009 2:08pm

If the noise from the bike is over the legal limit then it is illegal obviously.

If it is a case of being under the legal limit but constantly being revved at regular intervals throughout the day then the rider is just an inconsiderate git.

Paulie Walnuts · 01-10-2009 3:28pm

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

Bikers also have a mantra that 'loud pipes save lives'. The thinking is if they're not going to see me coming, they're damn sure going to hear me.

Well i'm a cyclist, and we don't make any noise at all but I don't find it nessesary to make ridiculously loud engine noises when i'm on my bike.

Fabio · 02-10-2009 2:07pm

Look Paulie, we're all on two wheels here so can't we just get along?!

Blitzkrieger · 02-10-2009 4:08pm

Paulie Walnuts wrote: »

I don't find it nessesary to make ridiculously loud engine noises when i'm on my bike.

Pull the other one - I heard that fart the other day

Owen · 06-10-2009 10:04am

I'm biking for the last 12 years. The OP thinks that bikers seem to race 100m to the next set of lights, nothing could be further than the truth. If a biker was racing, you'd know. Most modern sportsbikes can do 0-60 in about 3 seconds, so in 100m if they were racing, they'd be doing serious speed and be unable to stop for the next lights. You're just misjudging the bike's natural performance for racing. And your neighbour is probably revving the bike for 30 seconds at most to allow it to warm up (Something bikes actually need to do). He hardly sits there for 15 minutes playing the melody to the 12 days of christmas using the bike as an instrument - can't you just ignore it?

Loud pipes do actually save lives, and yesterday I had proof of it. I decided to take the moped out instead of the big bike, and had an Opel Vectra not only not see me, but not hear me, and come within about 4 inches of knocking me off the bike.

I agree, the pipes are annoying, but when you're a biker, with your headlights on, a high visibility jacket on, a light colour helmet, your protective clothing also has reflective patches, and you drive defensively and car drivers still can't see you, you need all the help you can get.

Mountain out of a molehill IMO. At least when a bike has a loud exhaust, it's usually gone from earshot in a few seconds, unlike the boy racer brigade who drive up and down Patricks Street at 10mph making the loudest drone they possibly can.

Noisy Motorbikes

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