OT motorcyle noise

bumblebee

Well-known Member
How is the noise from motorcycles in your area? I live near Sturgis SD and this is their 75th year celebration. They are expecting over a
million cyclist. The Population of South Dakota is less than 900,000.

As most of you know the Harleys are the ones making most of the noise. Its a case where its probably too large of a problem to correct.
The argument that the cyclist use is "I want people to hear me."

A couple days ago a fire truck came to an intersection with his siren going and lights on. Everyone stopped except a Harley rider and his
girl friend. If the fire truck wouldn't have stopped, the Harley guy would have T boned him. Spose he couldn't hear the siren.

I own a cycle and enjoy riding but I don't have the noise makers on it.

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share one of my pet peeves with you!
 

You see a bumper sticker that says "loud pipes save lives". I haven't been able to figure that out. Danger of collision is usually in front of you, noise coming out of pipes is behind you. If the threat of collision is an overtaking vehicle the throttle would be most likely closed so there would be very little noise. Can anyone explain that to me?
 
I know what you mean. I live in Sturgis also and I am about a block from the Interstate. I think this Rally we will sleep in the basement! I too ride (BMW) and cannot understand the need to make as much noise as possible. I wonder if there is a like between the more noise and the lower IQ?
 

I haven't understood that one either... seems counter-intuitive.

With that logic, we should take all our mufflers off and rev our engines like maniacs.

I wonder how many people have been distracted by "loud pipes" to point that they had an accident... or have been denied a good nights sleep only to have an accident the next day.
 
UNBEARABLE! We must have the highest per capita concentration of bikers in the country. I think it has something to do with the "medical" dope. Most of them are on disability and grow and smoke the stuff.
I live a mile from a biker bar,on top of a hill just beyond a curve. They're ALWAY either backing off going down the hill then getting back on it in the curves,or gunning it coming up the hill. It's nothing for there to be 50 or more in a group.
I like to sit on the porch on Saturday nights in the summer and listen to the radio,but at times it's pointless. All I can hear is the constant,deafening roar!
 
Here's another angle. Most Harley riders don't like helmets. One day I was riding my cycle and wearing a helmet. I came to a busy intersection, had a green light and was proceeding. Then I saw all other traffic wasn't moving and at the same time heard a siren and skidded to a stop! For a second I had no idea which way the siren was coming from (turned out it was from behind). The helmet blocked sound making it more dangerous in that situation.
 
The rider figures that you'd hear the loud exhaust in all directions, even in a car with a way to loud sound system, making other drivers more attentive to what around them. That's the only reasoning I can thing of. I ride a motorcycle when ever I feel comfortable enough with the weather(forcast) to ride safely(no ice/snow or heavy rain more or less). I am always looking for people who don't seem to see me, just being sure I can stop sooner then them.
 
Not to bad around here, every June they have the Harley rendezvous, spelling, I don't mind the loud bikes as much as the punks on the crouch rockets. I had a arctic cat wild cat 650 snowmobile with psi pipes on it, that thing sounded awesome, it was so distinct people a day later that saw me in the store next to the lake would say, we're you out on the lake yesterday! Lol, I couldent believe how many people knew the sound of that 650. But I guess if you have a million loud bikes that can be a problem.
 
I wonder how many of us growing up had old cars, and it was cool to make the cars loud as possible without getting caught. I think the problem with Sturgis is there too many motorcycles in one spot. On the road in front of my place, the crotch rockets make more noise than Harleys any day. They don't even sound good. I don't like loud motorcycles either. A small group of well tuned Harleys, or Indians isn't that bad by it's self. I guess if you get hundreds, I can see that may be a problem. I like to ride also. Stan
 
Google "American Angst" sometime. It is NOT family friendly, but the host of the site does as good a job discussing all things Harley-Davidson as anyone ever has. I laughed for hours.

I put 18,000 miles on a 26 year old Kawasaki last year, and I did it without annoying everyone around me. I didn't stop at a single bar either, much less every single one. Of course, not a single person under the age of 65 told me I had a nice "bike". Fortunately, that's not why I ride a motorcycle.
 
I agree with that, almost the same in my 2000 f250 with 7.3 diesel, it's so loud in it I can't hear sirens, I can't even talk on the phone in that truck, mines an xl, my brother has xlt and it's much less noises in the cab than mine?
 
Same here on the weekend. Most stay off the highway on the paved roads. Unfortunately, the road I live on is the only one that crosses the river and is paved for a few miles either way. As a guy that has motorcycles, I can't stand the noise of straight pipes on them. What really burns me is when one passes on the highway and your vehicle is vibrating from the noise, and you can't hear your radio or your wife telling some boring story. And they are wearing ear plugs on their own bike!

Ross
 
The folks that ride " Donor Cycles" have a very different out look on life than I do. I have known too many that have had horrific crashes. Some left crippled,some dead. The dead ones don't ride anymore, and most of the cripples don't either.tough learning curve.
 
Good thing there are no loud trucks using the jake brake or cars with boom box sound systems. Those pesky bikers, must be a bunch of ferriners.
Sturgis this summer, figures to make in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. Reports have shown the city of Sturgis calculates that figure to be more than $800 million annually combined on Sturgis, the Black Hills and the state of South Dakota. 10 Million in sales tax alone. I would think that you could excuse a few loud bikes.
 
I too am annoyed with the loud pipes, I also own and drive a Harley . There was a time when Harley had a exhaust sound all its own ,for the past thirty years or so most every motorcycle manufacturer has tried to duplicate the sound and has done a poor job of it . Bike owners of other brands want their 8000.00 bike to sound like a 25000.00 Harley so they install load pipes in the hopes that it will sound like a Harley . Harley Davidson changed their engine design in 1985 and in my opinion they haven't sounded like a Harley since . I ride a bone stock 1947 Harley and it really sounds nice with open pipes.
 
Doesn't bother me of course I can't hear very well anyway.When I had my GMC 3/4 ton with the 454,RV headers and glass packs I could drown out the Harleys.I couldn't even hear my own radio(LOL).But it would really pull a trailer.
 
I live right on the edge of town at the bottom of the hill going out of town. I don't believe that crap about loud pipes save lives. They do it just to be noticed and I do. I always say look at that A hole. Why do bikers always have to be first in a line of vehicles? and doing reckless things to get there. They always want to pass everything in sight.
 
I love loud pipes, but the problem is, Harley Davidsons have the awfulest sounding engine under load. They sound cool, and I like the sound, at IDLE. But in my opinion, they sound terrible revved up under load. They sound like a twin cylinder Briggs with big pipes.
 
I hear you I think. Many of the guys that are the want to be bikers make them as loud as they can be. Don't get me wrong, I like the sound of a nice exhaust system. I don't expect everything to sound like a vacuum cleaner going down the road, but many guys with the big V twins and the little crotch rocket sport bikes take it to the extreme. I see the "loud pipes save lives" bumper stickers all over too. Problem is if you are in front of them you still can't hear them any more than a car. It's all out the back. When I get annoyed by them is when they want to ride right next to me. I can't stand the high pitched crack of the open pipes. To each their own I guess. Funny part is the open pipe really doesn't add anything other than noise. A nice supertrap or baffled pipe will run just as good without irritating everyone in the general area.
Try running an open header on your car or truck and see what happens. For some reason the bikes can get away with it.

Greg
 
I used to work with a fellow that said all Harleys do is convert gasoline to noise! I have always driven Triumphs and the older ones were noisy but the one I have now is quiet. What I don't understand is where is law enforcement, in the 60's they would ticket you for loud pipes.
 
No no no.... My Husqvarna has a twin V Briggs and I had to fix a little baffle in the muffler. I just had to TRY IT!! Sounded pretty cool with out the muffler and had a nice smooth Brrrrrrruuuuuummmmmmmmmm! to it. Much better than a Hog.
 
Maybe that is what bothers me. They sound really cool at idle and low load, but load them up and pour the coals to them and they just don't sound good any more.
 
I have a miserable little pizzpot lives up the road from me. Graduated from HS and, near as I can tell, no college or serious work or service. Races up and down the road in front of the house in an assortment of dirt bikes and ATV's. I figure he gets a week to settle down and then the sheriff gets a call. He and his friends do a fair amount of vandalism too. Hard to catch them.
 
Yep,loud pipes are fun.But a set of burned out glass packs gets pretty old on a 700 mile(one way) trip.Especially pulling a loaded trailer.
 
Another pet peeve of mine. Black smoke is wasted fuel and is show only. Those guys don't seem to understand what fuel limit means on a diesel. When tuned properly, a diesel should have just a little visible smoke. This is the smoke limit. Adding fuel beyond this point just heats up the cylinders, turbo, and exhaust. It does nothing for power. Down off the box now.
 
High visibility vests would save more lives - but could you imagine a biker wannabe on a straight-out-the-showroom hog wearing one of those? According to some scientific study I read years ago, running with no mufflers adds virtually nothing to the overall hp of a motor compared to a good silencer system. It's all ego, plain and simple. But then I guess you have to pity people who are so insecure in their personal lives that they only feel worthwhile when people are paying attention to them when they are making a lot of noise. And isn't that a Christian trait - having sympathy for those less fortunate?
 
I have mufflers on all of my tractors, but have neighbors that have straight pipes. They know when I'm out in the fields, and I know when they're out in the fields. I have Harleys too. One has mufflers, baffles still in. The others have open drags. Here's one that some may not appreciate. I keep a fifth of Old Grandad and a fifth of Jack Black on a shelf in a barn, bottles of water in a fridge. Sometimes I take a swig of one or the other when I'm working in the barn, followed by a nice, ice cold bottle of water.

Mark
 
A lot of biker what them loud so that stupid people in cars can hear them since most never see them I know that for a fact I lived when I totaled a 1965 Chev Bel-air with a motorcycle. Son almost did a wreck the other day because 2 stupid people where stopped on the road talking and both where not even in there cars. He came up over a hill and there they where side by side on a road which sorry if not legal to do
 
it's amazing what local governments will put up with for the sake of a dollar,same thing here some local geniuses posted a beach route on the sign at the 4 lane diverts traffic down a 2 lane road thru a 1 horse town that doesn't get enough revenue from the beach combers to pay for the beat up pavement NOT TO MENTION ALL THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION EVERY WEEKEND DURING BEACH SEASON,it's a hazard to your health to get on that road with a tractor you would think they way they drive the water was going to dry up before the get there,i've seen it so bad it was backed up from the town 2 miles to the 4 lane then blocking one lane of the 4 lane 3 miles back up the 4 lane and not the first law official redirecting traffic to the next town 5 miles away that can better handle the traffic
 
If "loud pipes save lives", why dont they point them forward?
"Look, mom, look at me, i need so much attention. LOOK LOOK LOOK"

Back when they made us put mufflers on racing buggies, we discovered that not only could they be tuned to have the same power, but you could hear things about to fail. The stock mufflers on my BSA are a bit loud, but my other bikes are very quiet. I still wear ear plugs due to the wind noise and tinitis.
 
The version of the same joke I heard about converting gas to noise included the part that they do it without the added benefit of horsepower.
 
know what ya mean, most bikes don't even have a muffler just straight pipes,..when I was growing up they would run ya in quicker then if ya had shot someone if you were loud
 
(quoted from post at 18:42:57 04/08/15) Google "American Angst" sometime. It is NOT family friendly, but the host of the site does as good a job discussing all things Harley-Davidson as anyone ever has. I laughed for hours.

I put 18,000 miles on a 26 year old Kawasaki last year, and I did it without annoying everyone around me. I didn't stop at a single bar either, much less every single one. Of course, not a single person under the age of 65 told me I had a nice "bike". Fortunately, that's not why I ride a motorcycle.

Now if you had been on a 45 year old Kawi "Blue Streak 500 Widow Maker" everyone over 60 would have been telling you "cool bike".
 
(quoted from post at 19:46:44 04/08/15) Another pet peeve of mine. Black smoke is wasted fuel and is show only. Those guys don't seem to understand what fuel limit means on a diesel. When tuned properly, a diesel should have just a little visible smoke. This is the smoke limit. Adding fuel beyond this point just heats up the cylinders, turbo, and exhaust. It does nothing for power. Down off the box now.

I have never heard of this. could you give a reference please?
 
(quoted from post at 20:19:24 04/08/15) I have mufflers on all of my tractors, but have neighbors that have straight pipes. They know when I'm out in the fields, and I know when they're out in the fields. I have Harleys too. One has mufflers, baffles still in. The others have open drags. Here's one that some may not appreciate. I keep a fifth of Old Grandad and a fifth of Jack Black on a shelf in a barn, bottles of water in a fridge. Sometimes I take a swig of one or the other when I'm working in the barn, followed by a nice, ice cold bottle of water.

Mark

Now we can see where some of your posts are coming from, LOL. You must have your 'putter next to the fridge.
 
(quoted from post at 20:44:11 04/08/15) A lot of biker what them loud so that stupid people in cars can hear them since most never see them I know that for a fact I lived when I totaled a 1965 Chev Bel-air with a motorcycle. Son almost did a wreck the other day because 2 stupid people where stopped on the road talking and both where not even in there cars. He came up over a hill and there they where side by side on a road which sorry if not legal to do

Yup, Old, I have to agree with you there. You did live when you totaled that '65 Chevy.
 
I have owned 39 motorcycles in my lifetime and I'm in total agreement with you. I've been around some of these bikes and can't even hear my bike or the music being piped into my ears on the speakers in my helmet. I like the sound of a Harley but its ridicules with straight pipes on it. I can't even imagine riding a bike like that 500 miles a day on a trip.
 
It is already illegal . { it is an easy ticket to beat if no measurments were taken] . The bike goes faster with the slight back pressure from mufflers.
 
boss has 8 or 10 of the dam things, usually has part of them in the shop that is hooked to my office. My job is calling people, dealing with insurance companys, ect. He likes to start them inside the building any time he is here. Makes my job impossiable for a while, oh well it was time for coffee or a bathroom break anyway.
 
One friend of mine that rides a Harley started to tell me that his loud pipes make him safer. I told him that loud pipes are no substitute for a loud HORN.

Now for the joke....

What are three ways that a Harley is like a hound dog?


1) Both have the same initials - H D

2) Both leave a mess on your garage floor.

3) Both like to ride in the back of your pickup truck.
 
I live on Highway 83 so I hear lots of bikes going to and from Sturgis. I like the sound of the Harleys. The ones that sound like bumblebees, not so much. What was your question?
 
Right"O heyseed, I hear those cars go by with the big boom boxes that shake the windows in the house. I'd hate to ride with them but to each his own I guess. Nobody ever complains about all the quiet cars that go by. What's up with that?
 
I was in the Black Hills a couple of years ago traveling south out of Rapid City on that four lane, I forget the name of the highway. Four Harleys with straight pipes and tall handlebars went around us and disappeared over the next hill. A couple of them had a guy driving and a girl riding. A few miles later we came up on an accident scene where two bikes, these bikes who passed us, were on their sides way out in the median, a lady was walking out of the ditch with her hands over her mouth and a man was laying on his back with his knees up, rocking back and forth. Next morning on the news they said a car changed lanes and pushed these bikes off the road. The bikes were in the left lane with their loud straight pipes and the driver of the car still didn't know they were there. One of the bikers died. Was the car driver on the cell phone? Don't know!
 
They can be extremely annoying in some situations, more so if loud noises are hard on your ears like it is with me. Today there is just so many of them out there, I remember when I was a kid, you would rarely hear one go by on the state road, and it was cool to listen to it fade away when it went through the old rock cut near us, a 40' shear wall on each side.

I don't particularly care for being on the receiving end of the noise, having lived in one place where the street was at the same level and a sidewalk away from my bedroom. One of those would go by or stop at the stop sign, always has to rev it up, made me move to the back bedroom, and there the darned NJ transit train was less than 100 feet away, could not win in that place, I moved because of it. Some may be fine with a situation like that.

In the summer across the road, never fails, every Sunday in the early morning, a group with their H-D's will have breakfast at the dairy bar, when they leave they just have to be inconsiderate with the throttle and how many times they do it before they are moving. At least I have some distance but if you live in any nearby houses, it is rude to those who have one day to sleep in or work nights. You never heard these like that, way back when.

Lot of fun to ride for sure, would be nice of they were polite in the neighborhood, my friend currently has a late model H-D, I've driven it, and you don't have to lay into it every time, making it loud as it can be, he's a bit easy on it himself actually, but you know he's here from any corner of the entire place or if home, as he will rev it up to announce he'e here LOL ! I'm glad I don't live close to the road anymore, as the trucks with the engine brakes in use that don't need to be, the road is flat, that and the motorcycles, including the crotch rockets, all make quite a bit of noise.

I think the most annoying thing I've had to deal with was some real inconsiderate person with a sled that had an exhaust modification, whom liked to run through wide open across our field at 3am. A stop was put to that, as some have to get up and go to work in the morning, they need their sleep, being woke up by this was entirely aggravating.
 
(quoted from post at 19:34:48 04/08/15) Here's another angle. Most Harley riders don't like helmets. One day I was riding my cycle and wearing a helmet. I came to a busy intersection, had a green light and was proceeding. Then I saw all other traffic wasn't moving and at the same time heard a siren and skidded to a stop! For a second I had no idea which way the siren was coming from (turned out it was from behind). The helmet blocked sound making it more dangerous in that situation.

Yeah - keep telling yourself that :roll: The next time your're out riding without a brain bucket try this: Get down on your hands and knees with your forehead directly over the edge of the curb - now tap the edge of the curb with your head 8)
 
By the time the biker has hit his horn he is very likely to be hurt or dead. When I totaled a 1965 Chev Bel-air with a bike I had no time to hit the horn. Shoot I didn't have any time to do more then try to turn with the car which is likely to be what saved me
 
(quoted from post at 04:10:28 04/09/15)
(quoted from post at 19:46:44 04/08/15) Another pet peeve of mine. Black smoke is wasted fuel and is show only. Those guys don't seem to understand what fuel limit means on a diesel. When tuned properly, a diesel should have just a little visible smoke. This is the smoke limit. Adding fuel beyond this point just heats up the cylinders, turbo, and exhaust. It does nothing for power. Down off the box now.

I have never heard of this. could you give a reference please?

The internet diesel pickup forums are rife with tards who adjust their injection pumps to "roll coal". Smoke is wasted fuel and dirty oil.
 
Loud pipes help balance a few towns budgets. City council OKs buying a state approved decibel meter and sets it up on main drag and tickets the loud cars and motorcycles, gives inspection order for the towns inspection station. Alternative for the ticket driver is State Police inspection station that can get nasty about scheduling. Go to court without repair and get extra $100.00 plus court costs and a impound vehicle notice. Fix it and get only a $15 to $25.00 ticket + court costs. Take off the repair and get tagged again is automatic impound at $5.00 to $10.00 a day and $100.00 tow charge. Points against license, disorderly conduct charge by complaining resident added to ticket and the lawyer needed says $200.00/hour with 3 hour in advance. 2 months of enforcement and decibel meter is paid for, police overtime budget is covered and city street dept shortage from last year repairs is down to zero. And town streets get quieter. About only loophole is old bike made before the muffler and decibel limits laws get a pass. A few inspected vehicle- hot rods and motorcycles- get impounded for 'found some contraband' and that means forfeiture of vehicle under federal laws with police dept getting 1/2 the proceeds of Marshal's auction later. Unlawful search and seizure motion dismissed as the evidence was found during a regular inspection for cause, officers normal procedure is not targeted harrasement since the officer does it for almost all his stops for noise, equipment inspections--and hasn't had a criminal case dismissed in past 5 years for failure to issue ticket timed at least 1 minute before the criminal charge. Couple places in Illinois did things like that some years back- lots of chopper riders went back to the stock pipes and club garage after a couple runs was busy with putting what ever muffler could be found on ticketed cycles- did You know a Ford N tractor muffler can fit a 74 Harley engine? Or a sporty? Walker glass pack for Austin and MG cars can be fitted to BSA and Triumphs? And the BMW riders are laughing at the noisy Harley riders trying to get inspected before the 10 days fix or impound order goes out. Club President has to borrow a R69/2 (mine) to ride to a council meeting to keep up rider image since police are watching the meeting site and chuckling about number of cars at a biker officers meeting for the labor day run. Decibel meters, red light cameras, municipal speed limits of 25 mph at town limits on what was a 55 to 70 mph highway outside of limits, boulevards that are no trucks allowed are money makers for cities in many places not just Illinois. RN.
 
Heres my favorite noisemaker, a 76 Goldwing with a Nathan P3 railroad horn. That was a lot of fun.

Multiple photos,,,
http://s221.photobucket.com/user/arborigine/library/Railroad Horn

ec91.jpg
 
el6147

A stock 61 ci should sound good with open pipes, at least the ones I have been around did. I always liked those knuckles, ended up with an after market pan in a low rider chassis. Couldn't leave it alone, 88 ci, cam, moderately open pipes, try not to deafen myself or others. A long way from the stock pan that I couldn't afford. Here in TN the pick up trucks make more noise going by my house than the bikes.
 
Bumblebee,

Tell all those that rode their bikes there that they need to be compliant to noise emissions...Heck, have a mandatory roadstop for noise, issue tickets, and then tell the town folk that they will have their taxes/fees are going up since tourism is down. Have the shop get all the miscreants to affix new exhausts. Towing wins, local PD wins, folks sensitive to noise nearby win, shop wins.

Get ever braver and tell the local PD to arrest all that can't or won't pay tickets on-site; and expect/demand the local courts to follow up on the scofflaws.

Grief, two weeks, maybe? How much $ do these loud bikes bring in? I would guess greater than a few bucks.

Seeing as sometimes the local folks put up with more than they should, but sometimes there are benefits in ways they did not consider.

I do not condone unlawfulness, but Sturgis had many years to "amend" law enforcement. The local populace may elect otherwise.

D.
 
(quoted from post at 14:51:59 04/09/15) Loud pipes help balance a few towns budgets. City council OKs buying a state approved decibel meter and sets it up on main drag and tickets the loud cars and motorcycles, gives inspection order for the towns inspection station. Alternative for the ticket driver is State Police inspection station that can get nasty about scheduling. Go to court without repair and get extra $100.00 plus court costs and a impound vehicle notice. Fix it and get only a $15 to $25.00 ticket + court costs. Take off the repair and get tagged again is automatic impound at $5.00 to $10.00 a day and $100.00 tow charge. Points against license, disorderly conduct charge by complaining resident added to ticket and the lawyer needed says $200.00/hour with 3 hour in advance. 2 months of enforcement and decibel meter is paid for, police overtime budget is covered and city street dept shortage from last year repairs is down to zero. And town streets get quieter. About only loophole is old bike made before the muffler and decibel limits laws get a pass. A few inspected vehicle- hot rods and motorcycles- get impounded for 'found some contraband' and that means forfeiture of vehicle under federal laws with police dept getting 1/2 the proceeds of Marshal's auction later. Unlawful search and seizure motion dismissed as the evidence was found during a regular inspection for cause, officers normal procedure is not targeted harrasement since the officer does it for almost all his stops for noise, equipment inspections--and hasn't had a criminal case dismissed in past 5 years for failure to issue ticket timed at least 1 minute before the criminal charge. Couple places in Illinois did things like that some years back- lots of chopper riders went back to the stock pipes and club garage after a couple runs was busy with putting what ever muffler could be found on ticketed cycles- did You know a Ford N tractor muffler can fit a 74 Harley engine? Or a sporty? Walker glass pack for Austin and MG cars can be fitted to BSA and Triumphs? And the BMW riders are laughing at the noisy Harley riders trying to get inspected before the 10 days fix or impound order goes out. Club President has to borrow a R69/2 (mine) to ride to a council meeting to keep up rider image since police are watching the meeting site and chuckling about number of cars at a biker officers meeting for the labor day run. Decibel meters, red light cameras, municipal speed limits of 25 mph at town limits on what was a 55 to 70 mph highway outside of limits, boulevards that are no trucks allowed are money makers for cities in many places not just Illinois. RN.

I wrote a lot of loud pipe tickets to Harley riders over the years. Not a single one ever paid a fine because they all went tot he Harley dealer/MC inspection station and had them sign the form stating the pipes were fine. Instant dismissal. I gave up after a few years of beating my head against the wall.
 

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