Why are motorcycles so loud (especially choppers)? Isn’t there anything can be done with their mufflers?
In: Engineering
I fired up my car today and it was super loud. There is a problem with the exhaust. I’m super embarrassed to drive it around making so much noise.
“LoUd pipEs sAvE LiVeS” – said by guys wearing the most minimalist helmets they legally can, t-shirt, jeans, and no high-vis vest.
Every single time you hear an extremely loud motorcycle, its owner has deliberately modified it to be that loud. There are very, very few exceptions.
Even superbikes with 210 horsepower come from the factory with fairly quiet exhaust.
There are federal and state regulations as to how loud a motorcycle can be.
Some riders buy mufflers that are intentionally designed to be louder than that limit.
Riders with loud mufflers can be ticketed, or their motorcycles impounded. But they’re not.
Growing up in Milwaukee, we could not keep the windows open because of the hogs going by with their 130dB open exhausts at bar time. Bit Milwaukee would never enforce noise ordinances against Harleys. Never.
Enforce the existing laws, and there would not be a problem.
They are not that loud when they are purchased new. The jackass owners change them to sound like that intentionally. I’ve got a number of bikes, none of them are loud.
I legitimately would be embarrassed to ride on a bike that loud. Don’t these people feel uncomfortable knowing the entire neighborhood despises them?
Because the people that ride them are generally some combination of the following:
* Assholes – they just want to make noise and disturb the neighborhood
* Dumb morons – loud noise gud
* Insecure – they think riding something that can make loud noises makes them more manly
Latest Answers