Your bike is too loud

[ltljohn]

Rant on: If I can hear your bike go by 50 feet away while I am running my log splitter at full throttle 2 feet from my head with a chain saw running 10 feet away while wearing double hearing protection your bike is too #%÷@$€£ loud. Rant off.

[Hosstage]

Even I, who ride a loud bike, would have to say that is too loud!

[David13]

One of my appreciations for BMW motorcycles since the 1960s has been that they were quieter.

 

Of course I have had Hondas that were quieter still.  I remember one that sounded to me like a sewing machine.  Efficiently quiet, purring like a kitten, etc.

 

I like the idea that a bike will put it's energy into horsepower, or good mileage, rather than noise.

dc

[szurszewski]

You need a louder chainsaw!

[Veefore]

Cmon........the "biker" can still hear his Infotainment system over his street sweeper head splitter exhaust, lol

[Hosstage]

1 minute ago, Veefore said:

Cmon........the "biker" can still hear his Infotainment system over his street sweeper head splitter exhaust, lol

 

Well sure, because he's running 2000 watts of music for everyone to hear along with his pipe. I do group rides once in a while, and I just do not understand why 5 or 6 bikes around me have their radios blasting while low speed or stopped and bunched up, all with different music, mostly horrible. It's honestly more obnoxious than loud pipes.

[TEWKS]

I still have the stock pipes on my 92 ultra for résumé purposes.  Now, a few years back I got to ride a friends obnoxiously loud street glide.  Sorry guys, there's just something about twisting the loud handle that makes you become that a-hole. 

[Hosstage]

59 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

Sorry guys, there's just something about twisting the loud handle that makes you become that a-hole. 

 

I'm afraid that is true! I've learned to try and check myself, but occasionally I just have to let it rip.

If I had a Mustang, Porsche, or Audi RS, it would be the same.

[Rougarou]

I dunno, that HP4 with the Akrapovic was pretty loud when getting close to 14k rpm in 1st.........I think, not too sure though.  Maybe it just seemed that way at 0545 in the still of the morning.

[Hosstage]

Those sport bikes on the pipe over 10,000 rpms do sing, that sound carries further even than the loud Harleys. I mostly approve!

Now, you want to talk about obnoxious, my neighbor started cutting his grass last night, Sunday, at 8:30 pm. It was a beautiful night, so all the windows were open, and his mower is a disaster, old, blown muffler, terrible state of tune so it revs and drops, and something on it rattles like a paint can with a ball bearing in a shaker. Yeah, that was relaxing to listen to for an hour right before bedtime. He's retired, so I should give him a call when I get up at 4:45am.

[TEWKS]

Richard, 5:45...you need to move the deer away from the roadway. It's all about safety. 

[Hosstage]

1 minute ago, TEWKS said:

5:45...you need to move the deer away from the roadway. It's all about safety. 

 

If they took my advice it wouldn't be necessary, I feel the only place you should be able to see a deer is at the zoo. Then you'd just have to watch for raccoons, who haven't quite figured out how to cross a road after all these years. They really should consult with the chicken.

[Rougarou]

18 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

Richard, 5:45...you need to move the deer away from the roadway. It's all about safety. 

 

Go fast, ride right through them like a knife.

 

 

Alas, my neighbors no longer get to hear that Akro singing since I got the GSA.

 

 

[TEWKS]

1 minute ago, Rougarou said:

 

 

Alas, my neighbors no longer get to hear that Akro singing since I got the GSA.

 

 

 

They bring over cookies? 

[Rougarou]

20 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

Those sport bikes on the pipe over 10,000 rpms do sing, that sound carries further even than the loud Harleys. I mostly approve!

Now, you want to talk about obnoxious, my neighbor started cutting his grass last night, Sunday, at 8:30 pm. It was a beautiful night, so all the windows were open, and his mower is a disaster, old, blown muffler, terrible state of tune so it revs and drops, and something on it rattles like a paint can with a ball bearing in a shaker. Yeah, that was relaxing to listen to for an hour right before bedtime. He's retired, so I should give him a call when I get up at 4:45am.

 

Where I live there's a main road about 2 miles away that leads to some twistys.  On the weekends, I can hear the sportbikes singing as I'm doing yardwork,.......it's kinda like hearing helicopters beating the air and thinking, "I should be there".

 

The Harley rumbles I don't hear from the main road, only upon approaching my house, I'll here the thunder, but sport bikes, ya, those RPMs make waves across the area.

 

You're neighbor needs a new JD!

[MikeB60]

3 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

Alas, my neighbors no longer get to hear that Akro singing since I got the GSA.

Hell, that's my kind of music! Their loss.

[Hosstage]

My neighbor, a new JD? He has never, ever bought anything new. His boats, cars, yard machines, all old by the time he gets them. Really old. If it's not a loud machine, it's an air tool being used to fix one of them. Good thing he's actually very likeable, I can deal with quirks.

[TEWKS]

I probably can't do it now but I remember walking home from school as a teen, I'd hear an inline 4 cylinder with a pipe screaming down the main road from my side street. (before I could see it) I would guess it'd be a Suzuki, Kawasaki or Honda. (Yamahas weren't popular) Anyway, eight out of ten times I'd guess it right. Superpowers of the youth! 

[Rougarou]

2 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

I probably can't do it now but I remember walking home from school as a teen, I'd hear an inline 4 cylinder with a pipe screaming down the main road from my side street. (before I could see it) I would guess it'd be a Suzuki, Kawasaki or Honda. (Yamahas weren't popular) Anyway, eight out of ten times I'd guess it right. Superpowers of the youth! 

 

That's like guessing which helicopter is coming; Huey, Cobra, CH53, CH46,......not familiar enough with the Osprey's to know their sound, nor the Army toys.

[TEWKS]

Don't know but, bet you got real good at that depending on your situation and what you needed at the time! 

[9Mary7]

Ahh yes, Hardly-Ableson.... Turning gasoline into noise since 1903. No, I (happily) don't get it.

[MikeB60]

I get it but am guilty of loud machines as well.  The K1600 has a Remus, keep the db killers in and its not too bad. The Mustang has an AWE sport system and is a db or two from obnoxious especially on a cold start. 

[dba]

I came across this on another motor forum and thought it was funny.  I personally love the sound of an amplified in-line four or six.  I rode a friend's Ninja 1000 one day for a couple of hours and I consciously neglected to put in my earplugs.  I was just so enamored by the sound of the bike spinning up through the gears and the throttle blips on the down shifts.  

 

Now . . . modify a Harley or Indian or one of the faux Harleys and it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Hosstage]

Man, I miss my drag pipes! They sounded great, looked even better. Loved throwing flames at full roar down the road. The ThunderHeader is pretty good too, works much better, but not nearly as good looking. (Yeah, sometimes I'm that guy.)

 I only rev it at stop lights when the idiot next to me is fiddling with their phone (a hands-free state). I try to be nice when passing next to cars, especially with open windows.

As far as my neighbors in the early morning (not very often), they can suck it.

[Rinkydink]

Hmmm, I thought that looked familiar...

[dba]

2 hours ago, Rinkydink said:

Hmmm, I thought that looked familiar...

Senior moment, I thought it was from another forum I visit.  Still . . . it's perfect!

[Paul De]

Haha. My neighbor has a Duc 916 with an open clutch cover and aftermarket exhaust.  When fires it up you know it even with all my windows closed, but when he pulls his clutch lever in to drop it into 1st gear my first thought is that loud clutches save lives.

 

I have always stuck with keeping it quiet, particularly if you are into riding frisky... I have collected fewer tickets on the quiet bikes while doing stuff that might get you pulled over.   And many folks just slap on loud exhaust and screw up their bikes performance other than a minor weight reduction. Most bikes today are so well tuned that it takes cubic dollars to get a real world performance boost from aftermarket exhaust...with the exception maybe being Harley Davidson air cooled motors.  I would feel like I squandered money on a loud pipe and would put those dollars into upgrading the suspension.

[Rougarou]

58 minutes ago, Paul De said:

Haha. My neighbor has a Duc 916 with an open clutch cover and aftermarket exhaust.  When fires it up you know it even with all my windows closed, but when he pulls his clutch lever in to drop it into 1st gear my first thought is that loud clutches save lives.

 

I don't care how the cruiser people tune their exhaust, Ducati, is hands down, the best sounding bike out there. 

[TEWKS]

Ha, my thoughts exactly. I meant to post this but a butterfly went by. 

 

 

A piped Ducati is music, piped Harleys (most anyway) are obnoxious. 

[Paul De]

And a riot to ride...for 20 minutes on the street.  Gotta be above 70 to get your weight off your wrists and with the under seat mufflers and a thinly padded seat your butt gets hot.  But geez for that 20 minutes it like it is straight wired to your brain and, goes where you think.  After 20 all I can think of is my high bars and Sargent saddle on my RT

[Bill_Walker]

On 6/16/2020 at 4:55 AM, Rougarou said:

I don't care how the cruiser people tune their exhaust, Ducati, is hands down, the best sounding bike out there. 

I think the Honda VFR is a close second, but the ones I've gotten a good listen to may have had aftermarket pipes.  One of 'em had Freddie Spencer at the controls!

[Bill_Walker]

My brother-in-law has a Harley Heritage Softail.  He put aftermarket mufflers on it.  When I'm riding with him, I can't hear my bike at all.

[Rinkydink]

21 minutes ago, Bill_Walker said:

My brother-in-law has a Harley Heritage Softail.  He put aftermarket mufflers on it.  When I'm riding with him, I can't hear my bike at all.

Yes, riding with my HD buddies taught me the skill of leaving a stop sign watching the tach only. It was tricky at first but I learned quickly. 

[RandyShields]

9 hours ago, Bill_Walker said:

I think the Honda VFR is a close second, but the ones I've gotten a good listen to may have had aftermarket pipes.

Not a big fan of the Duc sound.  Much prefer the Honda V4 in the VFR or ST series.  Another bike with a fantastic sound is the BMW K1600 -- nice growl that improves with acceleration!

[TEWKS]

No doubt the K16 motor has an intoxicatingly cool sound and is the most missed part of past ownership. And I’m sure the VFRs’ sound pretty good but just wanted to point out that you can meet some pretty nice people on old school Ducatis’ too. 

 

 

[Selden]

On 6/15/2020 at 7:56 AM, TEWKS said:

I probably can't do it now but I remember walking home from school as a teen, I'd hear an inline 4 cylinder with a pipe screaming down the main road from my side street. (before I could see it) I would guess it'd be a Suzuki, Kawasaki or Honda. (Yamahas weren't popular) Anyway, eight out of ten times I'd guess it right. Superpowers of the youth! 

 

Nah, you just hadn't lost your hearing yet.