Deadly Dozen, the motorcycle safety myths and urban legends.

[S2Design]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

1. A handful of anecdotes does not a statistical sample make.

Good point Yoda.

[919Hooligan]

I see what you're saying, and I agree.
I should clarify: earsplittingly loud, basically unbaffled pipes are bad. If your pipes are so loud that when you get next to someone they cringe and it freaks them out, causing them to brake or swerve out of panic, then you are out of line.
But make my bike loud enough that you can hear me coming. I want you to know that I am here, and not because it makes me feel cool. That's just an added bonus.

[Clint]

That's too bad. Mine makes me feel cool.

[bajaraider]

i did drill my pipes (6 quarter inch holes in the rear baffle) I just wanted a bit more sound for my own gratification. To me it sounds a little deeper, but not much louder.

I'd much rather be an unnoticed good defensive driver than sloppy and noticable.

[919Hooligan]

Originally Posted by bajaraider

I'd much rather be an unnoticed good defensive driver than sloppy and noticable.

Good, defensive and noticeable is what I'm going for.

[Indyscotch]

Having owned both loud bikes and quiet bikes I honestly have not noticed one way or the other if the decible level has made a difference in my safety or not. What I believe has made a difference are visual cues; highbeams, staying out of blind spots, etc.

[Uncle B]

Myth 5: A Helmet Won't Help in Most Crashes

People look at the seemingly low impact speeds used in motorcycle-helmet testing and assume that if you are going faster than that, the helmet will no longer be up to the job. That ignores a few critical facts:

 Most accidents happen at relatively low speeds.
 Most of the impact energy is usually vertical—the distance your head falls until it hits.
 Helmets (or at least helmets that meet DOT standards) perform spectacular life-saving feats at impact speeds far above those used in testing.
 When a helmeted rider suffers a fatal head injury, it frequently doesn't matter, because, to hit hard enough to sustain that fatal injury, he sustained multiple additional fatal injuries to other parts of his body. In other words, the fact that the helmet didn't prevent the head injury was of no consequence.
 The numbers clearly say that riders using DOT helmets simply survive crashes more successfully than those without them.

[919Hooligan]

I agree with the previous statement about the doo-rag crowd; I think they are the only ones who would argue these myths against helmet use. I've seen reports that show a SHARP rise in fatalaties in motorcycle wrecks in states that had helmet laws and then repealed them. No offense to anyone, but I think the only people who say no helmet use is just as safe as using a helmet must have fallen on there head one to many times (with no helmet).

[drgibson]

Thread Side Swipped by the great Helmet and Loud Pipes debates.

[banditguy81]

Yo,

Please continue the thread. I won't to hear the myths vs. the truths.

However, back to the loud pipes momentarily. And this isn't directed toward Hooligan since he said he wasn't interested in earsplittingly loud pipes. But for those that are, please reconsider the loud pipes. When I'm standing near the road, sitting in my car with the window down, riding my bicycle, or even on my motorcycle and someone goes by me or revs a bike with straight pipes I get extremely angry. So do people that aren't riders. Your right to be heard doesn't override my right to not have my hearing destroyed! Drive safe. Don't destroy other people's hearing in the process.

[919Hooligan]

I wonder what the next myth is? I'm so excited!!!!

[banditguy81]

Oh good. I was afraid that was a banana in your pocket.

[Uncle B]

Myth 6: A Helmet Will Leave You Brain Damaged in an Crash When You Would Have Simply Died



Of course that's possible—your helmet attenuates the impact energy enough to keep the injury from being fatal but not enough to keep all of your eggs from getting scrambled. However, that's rare, and if you hit that hard, you are likely to get killed by some other injury. It's actually the un-helmeted rider who is likely to cross from animal to vegetable kingdom, and often from a relatively minor impact that would have damaged nothing but his ego if he'd been wearing a DOT helmet.

[Clint]

LOL. Reminds me of my grandmother. For years she refused to wear her seatbelt because a person might be trapped in a burning car by it.

Now she's just too lazy. She even removed her head restraints so she could see better. I feel like I'm riding around in a guillotine when I'm with her. Maybe I should drive from now on.

I hope she doesn't read this.

[JRoc]

A disrespectful person is a disrespectful person no matter what pipes they have, or whatever bike they ride, period. I have "loud" pipes on both my bikes and under load, meaning while in gear propelling my bike at normal speed, neither one is what I would consider offensively loud. I will admit to reving the engine to: avoid being hit by idiot cagers about to change lanes without looking (maybe even on the cell phone), brainless pedestrians crossing against the light (again, maybe a cell phone is in the equation), other things stupid people do everyday!

I am mindful of the fact that both my bikes CAN be increadibly offensive. I don't rev the engine for no apparent reason, or to warm it up. This is what stupid, inconsiderate people do. One of my bikes, a 4 stroke KTM 625 SMC w/full akropovic titanium exhaust, is QUITE loud. It needs to be warmed up before riden and has a manual choke to do so. I don't warm this bike up by allowing it to idle with the choke out because it is WAY TOO LOUD to do so. Instead I roll the bike out from my backyard, start it in front of the house, ride slowly for a few miles while the engine warms up. This, and many other things I do, makes for a lovely relationship with my neighbors, they all love me! Is it more work, absolutely, is there another option for me, ABSOLUTELY NOT!

My wife, along with my neighbors, has no idea when I return from a ride and I usually ride right into the backyard, although I do admit sometimes I kill the engine before getting into the driveway and roll. I guess my point is simply loud pipes don't create noise pollution, inconsiderate idiots with loud pipes do! And while I'm not looking to make any friends when I'm out riding, I'm not looking to make any enemies either! For myself or my fellow riders!!!

So in response to:
Loud pipes don't save lives

FALSE they ABSOLUTELY do save lives every single day! I've had my loud pipes save MY life MANY times.
Do I rely on them to save my life everytime, nobody that's been riding for long does, but they do ADD to my safety arsenal. I will also add that I've had people totally ignore my loud pipes knowing damn well they heard them, this should not surprise anyone.

As far as the argument that loud pipes don't work because they face rearward and aren't heard, that's NOT TRUE!

If I rev either one of my bikes with the intent of having you hear them, I'll bet you whatever dollar amount you want that you, along everyone else within a 1-3 mile radius, will hear them LOUD AND CLEAR!!!

Again, my goal is to be alive at the end of the day not piss everyone off. If, however, you become pissed because I either reved my engine or hit my stebel horn in order to keep you from killing me, that's T F B! And instead of getting pissed you could always do something really radical like PAY F**KING ATTENTION!!!

[919Hooligan]

[S83]

I've heard the same reasoning from "fellow" truck drivers who believe there straight pipes and unecessary use of there jake brakes saves lives. Interestingly enough there usually some of the rudest drivers out there on the road. It's a symptom to a larger personality problem.

I had a Honda VTX 1800 with straight pipes (absolutely no baffles) pass me once. I was in my work truck, window down, travelling at highway speed on a nice sunny day. Didn't hear him until he was pass me. The obnoxious noise was enough to shake the fillings right out of your teeth. It didn't even sound healthy. He could have rode in my blind spot all day long and I wouldn't have known he was there from the "sound" of his bike.

Defensive driving/riding will save your life. Plus or minus all anecdotal evidence.

[Clint]

That aligns with my experience, too. I've been so startled by straight pipes on occasion that I got an adrenaline shot. That not only sets me up for a panic reaction, but also makes me quite angry. If that's what you want from your fellow motorists, have at it.

[Papke]

I think a lot of people that argue against loud pipes are oblivious to the bigger picture. Now...before you guys get your torches and chase me to the lighthouse, understand that I'm not talking about any of you in particular, and I'm not for or against loud pipes either way.

Some people are so sure their argument is the right one that they refuse to listen. I think they fail to understand that the majority of people who upgrade pipes do not do so for safety. All of my friends who ride have put new pipes on their bikes...but not because they think more people will notice them, but because they want better sound and performance. I don't know one person who said "I'm gonna buy a new exhuast system solely because more people will notice me."

Personally, I think we've reached a happy medium on the board. Obnoxiously loud pipes anger or even scare lots of drivers. Acts of intense emotion are dangerous on the road....and in the bedroom.
Powerful and deep sounding pipes are great. And that's why...because they increase performance and sound better. If more people notice you then hell yeah, more power to you. If not, not big deal, that wasn't your intention.

My .02

[919Hooligan]

Originally Posted by Papke

I think a lot of people that argue against loud pipes are oblivious to the bigger picture. Now...before you guys get your torches and chase me to the lighthouse, understand that I'm not talking about any of you in particular, and I'm not for or against loud pipes either way.

Some people are so sure their argument is the right one that they refuse to listen. I think they fail to understand that the majority of people who upgrade pipes do not do so for safety. All of my friends who ride have put new pipes on their bikes...but not because they think more people will notice them, but because they want better sound and performance. I don't know one person who said "I'm gonna buy a new exhuast system solely because more people will notice me."

Personally, I think we've reached a happy medium on the board. Obnoxiously loud pipes anger or even scare lots of drivers. Acts of intense emotion are dangerous on the road....and in the bedroom.
Powerful and deep sounding pipes are great. And that's why...because they increase performance and sound better. If more people notice you then hell yeah, more power to you. If not, not big deal, that wasn't your intention.

My .02

I think you just captured everyones view and made complete sense out of what everyone here is thinking. I believe you are absolutely correct about the happy medium. Good show!!

Let's change the saying.

"Defensive driving and education saves lives! Healthily loud pipes are cool and may help you get noticed! Unbaffled blatty canons piss people off!"

Think it'll catch on?