Loud Pipes (When Lane Splitting In California)

[beemerdons]

Were not talking South Park Fags here.

You quiet guys make me want to take out the DB killers in my Akrapovic's and move next door so you can hear my sweet v twin growl.

While I'm at it I'll invite Odot to come by and set up a wall of Marshall amps.

I am with Dougie Bear and the Baby Seal Killer, I love the Remus exhausts on my BMW K1600GT. Sounds like a ME109 coming in for the kill on a Spitfire!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq21MLP8gYI

 

[LAF]

Would someone explain how a very load noise behind you, will allert someone ahead of you? I do not get it?

This topic has been misunderstood. The OP mentioned loud pipes when LANE SPLITTING in California.

Have you ever done that? I have. Yes, they are going slow enough that loud pipes can be heard ahead of them.

Must be a CA physics thing. If a sound is behind you how would someone in front of you hear it. If you are at someones rear bumper with your front wheel in the "third" lane, how the hell can he hear your bike? Oh well I am dense and no I do not lane split here in PA. And if I could do it here I am not sure I would because of the inherant risk of placing my life in the hands of those drivers on either side of me. I was taught to control my lane and bike, how do I know what hundreds of drivers are going to do as I move through the "third" lane?

Definitely don't want to beat this dead horse...

But because you may not realize, not having done this. Most (all?) of the splitting riders do in Cali is simply filtering up to the front of traffic at a light. So the cars are stopped and the bikes are getting to the front.

Because sound isn't directional, stopped cars can hear the bikers coming and (hopefully) get out of the way (make room for the bike).

Of course at speed, the sound emanating forward is lessened. That's where the "all the sound is behind you" comes from.

Again, the filtering and splitting I did, was okay with my stock pipes. But I can also understand someone wanting louder pipes in some of those situations.

Now back to your regularly scheduled dog pile

Well I can say this, Bass frequency is not directional, however Midrange and High frequencys are! This is why you can place the Bass or Woffer anywhere in your living room on your 7.1 system. But the Mid and High are very directional. So the statement that sound is not directional is not a accurate statement. I have no dog in the fight and run Two Brothers cans since day 1. I do it because I like the sound and they are NOT neigbor killers.

Loud Pipes only serve to piss people off and started the DB checks we see across the Country now. It is only eroding the rights of motorcycle drivers further and does nothing to introduce the non riding public to Motorcycles and the people who ride them.

I can only say when a kid talks to me or waves he sees ATGATT and hears a pretty mellow bike. To me this is what it is about and man it feels good when I get the chance to talk to them, show them my bike, my gear and I nag them to wear a helmet on their bikecycles. And when I pull away when they and thier parent wave it is priceless.

This is how I want to be seen and heard.

Everyone makes choices on who or what they want to be and present themselves. I prefer to show the person I am and beleive riders should be. Not "bikers" just normal people riding motorcycles.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

I got it! I got it! I got it!

We have enough smart, technical people on this FJR forum to come up with the logical solution to this problem. People who put loud pipes on their bikes do so because they like the sound, right? The "Loud Pipes Save Lives" slogan just has to be an excuse. If they put them on for their own safety, then they should also have a helmet and ride ATGATT, and not drink beer before or during riding, right? Stay with me here. Here's the revolutionary idea.

Make an exhaust system that is quiet. Have a wireless, blue-tooth type transmitter that comes with a set of earbuds or the like, for the rider. On the remote controller mounted on his handlebar, the rider can control the volume, ferocity, and/or obnoxiousness that ONLY HE hears through his headset.

VOILA!

You're welcome. When you get this done, and are selling tons of them, send all my royalties to the families of those poor people in Connecticut.

 

[brady]

I would love to get a shirt like that.

 

[Bounce]

I got it! I got it! I got it!

We have enough smart, technical people on this FJR forum to come up with the logical solution to this problem. People who put loud pipes on their bikes do so because they like the sound, right? The "Loud Pipes Save Lives" slogan just has to be an excuse. If they put them on for their own safety, then they should also have a helmet and ride ATGATT, and not drink beer before or during riding, right? Stay with me here. Here's the revolutionary idea.

Make an exhaust system that is quiet. Have a wireless, blue-tooth type transmitter that comes with a set of earbuds or the like, for the rider. On the remote controller mounted on his handlebar, the rider can control the volume, ferocity, and/or obnoxiousness that ONLY HE hears through his headset.

VOILA!

You're welcome. When you get this done, and are selling tons of them, send all my royalties to the families of those poor people in Connecticut.

That would seem to work except it fails to address the exhibitionist nature of loud pipes.

Perhaps if you addred pirate-costume "onesies" with a rear-end button flap attached to the blue tooth signal. When they rev their audio it then flipps open the flap. This addresses their perception of noise and the world's perception of them showing their ass.

 

[TripperMike]

I got it! I got it! I got it!

We have enough smart, technical people on this FJR forum to come up with the logical solution to this problem. People who put loud pipes on their bikes do so because they like the sound, right? The "Loud Pipes Save Lives" slogan just has to be an excuse. If they put them on for their own safety, then they should also have a helmet and ride ATGATT, and not drink beer before or during riding, right? Stay with me here. Here's the revolutionary idea.

Make an exhaust system that is quiet. Have a wireless, blue-tooth type transmitter that comes with a set of earbuds or the like, for the rider. On the remote controller mounted on his handlebar, the rider can control the volume, ferocity, and/or obnoxiousness that ONLY HE hears through his headset.

VOILA!

You're welcome. When you get this done, and are selling tons of them, send all my royalties to the families of those poor people in Connecticut.

That would seem to work except it fails to address the exhibitionist nature of loud pipes.

Perhaps if you addred pirate-costume "onesies" with a rear-end button flap attached to the blue tooth signal. When they rev their audio it then flipps open the flap. This addresses their perception of noise and the world's perception of them showing their ass-ness.

Fixed it for ya Bounce.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

See? I knew it! We just needed to get the ball rolling, and you people with the big brains perfected the original idea. Perfect.

 

[jmdaniel]

I was in Alpine, TX Friday night, running back to the hotel after dinner with my riding buddy, he on a Kawi Vulcan, with ridiculously loud pipes. We were traveling east, on a 2 lane one way street. Here is a pic of how well those pipes served him, when confronting a self absorbed jackhole:

The clown in the van decided he needed to turn into the gas station on the left side of that street, from the right lane. Of course, my friend was already occupying that space, so down he went, hitting the pavement pretty hard, and bouncing the Vulcan off that POS minivan. (nice to see how concerned the jackhole is; my buddy is being prepped for his ambulance ride, and the clown is taking pictures of the dent the motorcycle made...) As the population gets dumber and more self absorbed by the moment, I'm not sure loud pipes do anything at all.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Wow. What an a-wipe that van driver is. How was your night in jail, after mud-stomping his sorry ass?

Too bad that happened. Is your buddy going to be OK? Sure hope so. And tell your Vulcan-riding friend that we knew his loud pipes weren't going to save any lives. Geez, he didn't have to go out and try to prove it...........

 

[supertankerm60a3]

Same Here, on of my co-workers here bought a Harley soft Tail with pipes that would set off car alarms. He really drank the HD koolaid. Sunday, he was riding through Pismo and was stopped, waiting for a large pickup with a toy-hauler trailer to finish his right turn onto the cross street. (it was long and had to swing wide taking some time to finish the turn. Once clear he took off, hit second crossing the intersection, he was on the primary road and did not have a stop sign, and got creamed by an idiot who did not thing hea had to wait any longer at his stop sign. he is on light duty till the 14th at least. could have beem much worse. I am glad his exposed face did not hit the pavement, only the hard parts of the DOT rated half helmet.

Got lucky.

Getting a motorcycle layer.

 

[exskibum]

Same Here, on of my co-workers here bought a Harley soft Tail with pipes that would set off car alarms. He really drank the HD koolaid. Sunday, he was riding through Pismo and was stopped, waiting for a large pickup with a toy-hauler trailer to finish his right turn onto the cross street. (it was long and had to swing wide taking some time to finish the turn. Once clear he took off, hit second crossing the intersection, he was on the primary road and did not have a stop sign, and got creamed by an idiot who did not thing hea had to wait any longer at his stop sign. he is on light duty till the 14th at least. could have beem much worse. I am glad his exposed face did not hit the pavement, only the hard parts of the DOT rated half helmet.

Got lucky.

Getting a motorcycle layer.

Thank God he had a DOT rated helmet rather than the far cooler $25 FTW beanie that you buy counterfeited DOT stickers for to fool the man.

I was in Alpine, TX Friday night, running back to the hotel after dinner with my riding buddy, he on a Kawi Vulcan, with ridiculously loud pipes. We were traveling east, on a 2 lane one way street.

* * * *

The clown in the van decided he needed to turn into the gas station on the left side of that street, from the right lane. Of course, my friend was already occupying that space, so down he went, hitting the pavement pretty hard, and bouncing the Vulcan off that POS minivan. (nice to see how concerned the jackhole is; my buddy is being prepped for his ambulance ride, and the clown is taking pictures of the dent the motorcycle made...) As the population gets dumber and more self absorbed by the moment, I'm not sure loud pipes do anything at all.

I hope neither of these guys are badly hurt, but is there anything they can do to make their bikes even louder so they'll be heard before they get hit by clueless ass-clowns again?

 

[TripperMike]

Not sure I ought to admit this......but..........loud pipes did save one lucky tractor driver one evening after work. And unfortunately the brain dead cager he was saved from being hit by was me. It's been a couple yrs ago now, but as I recall I was heading home after work on a 4 lane and I was in the right lane. Like many of you, after riding a bike a while, you tend to check your mirrors a bit more, checking your surroundings, keeping tabs on who might be coming up. So as I see traffic slowing up in my lane, I start getting ready to change lanes. A couple quick checks of the mirrors and then begin to move over. Fortunately this HD dude was keeping an eye on me and abrubtly blipped his throttle. You can bet your ass I heard it. For the life of me though, I can't figure out where he came from. Maybe he had just entered the highway and was overtaking traffic like a gangbuster. Either way I have no excuse. I am still not a fan of loud pipes, I do believe they make the rest of us look bad. BUT his pipes saved his ass this time and saved me from a life of guilt and shame.

 

[Surly]

I believe that there is no comparison between a Vtwin and one of our FJRs with "Loud Pipes"

I ride with Staintunes with the restrictors out, this is the way I want it.

Where I live we can lane split provided other traffic is stationary when you pass any you do not cross any solid white lines (used to separate traffic approaching traffic lights). This allows motorcycle to filter to the front at lights.

Sense dictates that you should approach the lights with caution and at low speed which in turn dictates low exhaust volume on a FJR. Seems most A'hole caggers are never aware of your presence because even though they have sight (requirement to hold licence) they don't look and worse a small percentage that look delight in trying to prevent this filtering. The answer to this is simple, get a Bumper Sticker

Horn Broken Watch for Finger. Don't be scared to use your finger!

 

[mcatrophy]

...

Fortunately this HD dude was keeping an eye on me and abrubtly blipped his throttle. You can bet your ass I heard it.

...

Maybe a toot on his horn would have served as well? That's what it's there for, after all.

Ok, maybe not the squeaky devices usually fitted, but I'd much prefer a horn that I can use selectively rather than loud pipes that annoy me as much as everybody else on the road all the time.

And that, in your situation, apparently didn't help since you didn't notice him until he blipped his throttle.

 

[jmdaniel]

Wow. What an a-wipe that van driver is. How was your night in jail, after mud-stomping his sorry ass?

Too bad that happened. Is your buddy going to be OK? Sure hope so. And tell your Vulcan-riding friend that we knew his loud pipes weren't going to save any lives. Geez, he didn't have to go out and try to prove it...........

Well, as much as I was tempted to shake the little rat bastard that turned into him, that would have left me in jail, with two riderless bikes to manage. It was tough enough to throw a leg over the Vulcan and ride that pig back to the hotel. So far, my buddy is going to be okay, we'll see how the insurance company reacts. I just talked to the minivan driver's insurance rep, and told her that her client was performing an illegal turn, compounded by the fact that there was another vehicle in the direction of his turn. This is a better picture of the layout of the accident. Sorry for the picture quality, iPhone 4S, with a lot of emergency lights flashing.

On the left side of the pic, you can see the Vulcan's taillight, as it lay on it's side where it landed. Frank's on his back, you can see his shoe sticking up. He was wearing leather chaps and a pretty heavy leather jacket, which helped with potential abrasions. The minivan driver is on the right side of the picture, and if you look at the lower part of the driver's door on the van, you can see where Frank's highway peg creased as it slid down the side. The lane that the van is sitting in is the lane we were driving in; the van was in the lane to the right. Considering that Frank's motorcycle is sitting in the middle of the entrance to this gast station, it's hard to see how this clown thought he was going to make that sharp of a turn, whether there was a motorcycle there or not. Stuff happens in a split second.

 

[SkooterG]

What a bummer. At least he is relatively alright. Tell him now he has his reason to upgrade to an FJR!!!!

Hard to see that one coming. I know what always gets my attention and makes the hair on my neck stand up is when a car is pulled off on the right shoulder of the road. Just waiting for them to start their U-turn just as I get there.

 

[Longrider]

Starting on Jan 1, 2013 all 2013 model motorcycles sold in California must have EPA approved exhaust systems installed AT ALL TIMES. They must have the EPA label permanently attached to the exhaust system. I know of only one aftermarket exhaust system that meets these requirements. It is from BUB and only for a very few motorcycles.

Very probably in a short time motorcycles in California will be required to have smog testing to make sure only stock ignition and exhaust systems are on the motorcycle. Many of the groups I belong to have fought these requirements for years, but unfortunately our friends in the Legislature are becomming fewer and fewer.

Every loud exhaust system used on motorcycles just brings the Smog requirements on sooner. So if you have modified your bike and live in California, hang on to the stock parts. You are going to need them,

Longrider

 

[deanw]

The T-Shirt comes from PJsParts.com. Good people, former MSF instructors. I like wearing mine when I have to go to a Harley shop. https://www.pjsparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=60&products_id=485

I hung a pair of cheap LED driving lights under the mirrors on my '04, wired so I could use them for visibility with the lowbeams in daytime (They're right at mirror height for most passenger cars), or driving lights with the highbeams at night. Funny thing is just having them, a 'stich with hi-viz ballistics, and a white modular helmet, helped traffic get out of my way...

I don't have the lane splitting experience of a CA native, but when I've been down there and come up to a narrow spot, a quick wiggle of the bars makes all those lights flash in driver's eyes, and they mostly moved out of the way... or some moved into my way, which clarified their feelings on the topic so I knew what sort of f***wit I was dealing with.

I also wired in a pair of lower tone horns; the goal was a sound emulating that of a 1970s GM product. I was hoping to flip a button in the collective racial lizard brain that suggested someone was about to get an enema from a 1973 Buick deuce and a quarter (Electra 225- largest production car in history). A rusty one.. If I hit the button, I wanted people to flinch first, then worry about what almost took THEM out. The few times I used them as intended, they worked as intended. Horns, I'll note, should be installed pointed FORWARD.

A friend runs Termis and loud horns on his Ducati. He said the loud-ass antisocial pipes didn't seem to help at all, but the horns helped a lot- at least he got lots of witnesses looking his way when the asshole van driver hit him.

 

[deanw]

Starting on Jan 1, 2013 all 2013 model motorcycles sold in California must have EPA approved exhaust systems installed AT ALL TIMES. They must have the EPA label permanently attached to the exhaust system. I know of only one aftermarket exhaust system that meets these requirements. It is from BUB and only for a very few motorcycles.

Yet another reminder why I'm glad I don't live there- I just visit, have my fun, and get the hell out.

I wonder if the Yamaha-spec Akra system is CA-legal... noting it's not on Yamaha USA's website.

FWIW, my well run-in StainTunes (with restrictors) are as quiet- possibly quieter- than the stock cans on the 2013.

PS- Fairlaner bought his bike before Jan 1, 2013. Hmm....

 

[SkooterG]

PS- Fairlaner bought his bike before Jan 1, 2013. Hmm....

I don't think that matters. It still is a '13 model.

I wasn't aware of the new law. What a bummer. Should keep the po-po busy.

And has anybody heard how quiet a stock Harley is? It's pathetic.