Why are motorcycles so loud (especially choppers)? Isn’t there anything can be done with their mufflers?
In: Engineering
This is done on purpose, many bikers want you to LOOK AT ME AND HOW COOL AND LOUD I AM! LOOK LOOK
They say loud pipes save lives but the problem is that the exhaust is pointed backwards so you still barely hear them anyways. It’s just another excuse for being and driving like an asshat.
There’s a tasteful level of volume that many people don’t seem to understand.
Because they like the noise. The loud pipes save lives is a crock when the only time you hear them is when they’re in front of you while driving or passing you. I’ve seen too many people with loud pipes get hit by cars. They think it will save them when they’re being idiots.
I learned how to ride bikes before I learned to drive a car, well over 50 years ago now. Just my experience. Learned from an old boyfriend who was also a motorcycle mechanic.
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.
A regular motorcycle will be pretty loud just because of the size and exposed nature of the engine. But there are people who want it louder because it makes them feel cool or special or whatever. Just like some people will do with their cars, they’ll make it loud and obnoxious because they have the mind of a toddler. Loud=cool to those people
Back when I rode, I wanted a quieter muffler so I wouldn’t wake up the neighborhood when I left in the morning. Every place I called about it acted like I was speaking an alien language when I asked about options for a quiet muffler. One woman even said “they don’t do that”.
There are various reasons, the loudest bikes typically fall under 1 or 2, but the reasons can be any and all of the following.
1. Obnoxious attention getters (typically revving at red lights)
2. Better performance
3. You can hear it better and less likely to be hit by a car
4. It actually sounds better, the harmonics are actually more pleasing to the ear. (This is subjective, but there is actual science to it.
5. My personal reason and favorite, it feels better to ride- the vibration of the exhaust provides more feedback to the rider through their ears, the seat, the handlebars, the whole riding experience.
Dudes that rev the shit out of their harleys at red lights in the middle of towns see annoying as shit, but the feeling you get at 8500 rpm with a good sports exhaust on a good road is hard to match.
There are multiple reasons, different strokes for different folks.
Because the rider modified the exhaust pipes to make them louder. That’s it.
Is there anything that can be done? Yeah. Ticket the riders and impound the bikes.
Studies show that loud pipes HAVE NO EFFECT on saving lives. Car drivers generally are not going to hear loud pipes unless the open ends of the pipes are pointing at the driver, i.e., the bike is in front of the driver. The “loud pipes save lives” crowd is usually the anti-helmet crowd too, so…
I drive a motorcycle and I think it’s because most motorcycle drivers believe that being loud means that you’re going to have higher chances of people hearing you before they can see you. Honestly I think it’s a bunch of BS. I see loud bikes as a huge distraction for the rider. I want and need to hear other things around me like horns, sirens, ECT and don’t want my own bike to drown out those warning sounds that could save or end my life. I need to be aware of everything and everyone around me. If I can’t hear sirens behind me or a persons horn possibly warning me of a road hazard they’d be screwed because their bikes were so loud.
They try to say “loud pipes saves lives”, but I don’t hear that lane splitter doing 30 more than everyone else until it’s at my fender.
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