Why are motorcycles so loud (especially choppers)? Isn’t there anything can be done with their mufflers?
In: Engineering
There’s two answers to this question depending on which angle you’re coming from.
Why are some bikes so loud from the factory: because motorcycles are very small and consequently have very short exhaust system that have to be designed around weight and packaging concerns. And while manufacturers are doing everything they can to quiet down bikes these days there’s only so much you can do with three free of pipe and a reasonably sized muffler. Especially in the case of high power bikes which can have compression ratios as high as 13.5:1 while producing 200ish horsepower out of a little over 1000ccs.
And why are aftermarket exhausts so loud: in part for performance, a free flowing exhaust will help an engine make more power with the appropriate tuning. But mostly it’s because loud pipes sell and a lot of people who ride like them.
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