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Stock motorbikes are actually pretty quiet these days, because there are laws about how loud legal exhausts can be. Even legendarily noisy Harley Davidsons come

Stock motorbikes are actually pretty quiet these days, because there are laws about how loud legal exhausts can be. Even legendarily noisy Harley Davidsons come with quiet-ish exhausts by default. It's just that it's very common for people to swap them out, even if they're leaving the rest of the bike otherwise unmodified. And yeah. Can't speak for restaurants, but people really like loud exhausts. For one, there's a saying within biker circles, 'loud pipes save lives' - as in, if your exhaust is loud, people can hear you coming and you're less likely to get flattened by an oblivious driver. Whether or not that's true is very debatable (studies seem to say it makes no difference), but people believe it. And secondly, people do just like loud things in general - there's something about being kicked in the chest by pressure waves that seems very enjoyable.

samizdis 4y ago
> 'loud pipes save lives' - as in, if your exhaust is loud, people can hear you coming and you're less likely to get flattened by an oblivious driver. That's an interesting perspective, and not without merit. I've never been a biker, but I used to drive a customised classic vehicle (1958 Morris 1000 van) with atrocious rear visibility. Even in cold/wet weather, I'd keep my side widow rolled down just so that I could hear motorbikes, which the huge blindspots rendered invisible.
- nehal3m 4y ago
  I ride, and used to commute exclusively by motorcycle. Trouble with this sentiment is that exhausts are pointed backwards, so they do nothing to alert the traffic in front of you. My anecdata anyway.
  - mathieuh 4y ago
    I agree, I ride a bicycle so I'm more aware than someone sealed in a car would be, and unless I'm not moving, I only hear loud motorcycles right as they're passing me. The headwind from cycling at 32 km/h is enough to overpower loud exhausts in my experience.
andrepd 4y ago
> For one, there's a saying within biker circles, 'loud pipes save lives' It's a nice way to justify annoying everyone in a 1 km radius because you like things that go vroom
pestatije 4y ago
> For one, there's a saying within biker circles, 'loud pipes save lives' And believing that then they start overtaking on the right, or between two cars, or not wearing a helmet or protective clothes, etc.

samizdis 4y ago

> 'loud pipes save lives' - as in, if your exhaust is loud, people can hear you coming and you're less likely to get flattened by an oblivious driver. That's an interesting perspective, and not without merit. I've never been a biker, but I used to drive a customised classic vehicle (1958 Morris 1000 van) with atrocious rear visibility. Even in cold/wet weather, I'd keep my side widow rolled down just so that I could hear motorbikes, which the huge blindspots rendered invisible.

nehal3m 4y ago
I ride, and used to commute exclusively by motorcycle. Trouble with this sentiment is that exhausts are pointed backwards, so they do nothing to alert the traffic in front of you. My anecdata anyway.
- mathieuh 4y ago
  I agree, I ride a bicycle so I'm more aware than someone sealed in a car would be, and unless I'm not moving, I only hear loud motorcycles right as they're passing me. The headwind from cycling at 32 km/h is enough to overpower loud exhausts in my experience.

andrepd 4y ago

> For one, there's a saying within biker circles, 'loud pipes save lives' It's a nice way to justify annoying everyone in a 1 km radius because you like things that go vroom

pestatije 4y ago

> For one, there's a saying within biker circles, 'loud pipes save lives' And believing that then they start overtaking on the right, or between two cars, or not wearing a helmet or protective clothes, etc.