Triumphrat

Gavs · 02-08-2006

In Australia, the powers that be whinge and whine about aftermartket exhausts being too loud. Bikers argue it keeps us alive as dumb a** pedestrians/cyclists/car users etc can hear us. Nonsense they cry!
A new report out of the States is the new Hybris cars are too quiet! See http://www.motortrend.com/features/n...06/112_news27/

Thus pedestrians etc are at risk of being run over by too quiet cars as they are not aware of their surroundings. Sound familiar? There is even talk of purposley making the cars louder so other road users know they are coming!
The Irony is so thick! :hammer:

DragonDan · 02-08-2006

I say it is a good way to weed out the weak and dumb...... :-D

triumphite · 02-08-2006

I have this totally CRAZY thing I do when I'm crossing streets....

I look BOTH WAYS!!!

Really!! I do!

Isn't that just nuts??!!

Gavs · 02-08-2006

Good call triumphite. I reckon Ipods/MP3 players are causing carnage, noone can hear anything anymore! :-D

skrap1r0n · 02-09-2006

Well thats kind of a different argument though. I mean on one hand, you have bikers stating (very erroniously IMO) that loud pipes alert other vehicles of your presence, thereby keeping the cyclist safe. On the other hand, you have pedestrians unable to hear cars. It may be semantics, but for it to be an equivicable argument, the pedestrians would have to have "Loud Pipes" (insert joke here) so that the cars would be aware of them.

That said, heres my take on it. How do these incidents compare to say, Pedestrians getting hit by Bicycles? I mean seriously how hard is it to look both ways before crossing the street? Thats self preservation. Thats like walking off a cliff because you weren't looking for a cliff. Or walking into a pride of lions because you weren't aware they were there.

I mean really...If people are too dumb to partake in basic self preservation activities, then honestly, they deserve what they get. With 6 billion people on this rock, thinning the herd of stupidity isn't necessarrily a bad thing. While we're at it, lets remove warning labels.

DMc · 02-09-2006

I have to say that the Preus (sp) is very quiet. Too quiet. Stealth might be good for some things but not a mass moving at speed in the road. It's worst when it's moving at slow speeds like backing up.

M/C riders that claim they need loud pipes to ride safely should be forced to mount their pipes in front of the machine. and not wear ear plugs :-D

[ This message was edited by: DMc on 2006-02-14 00:11 ]

Dogma · 02-09-2006

WHAT??? SPEAK UP, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! Hold on let me take out my earphones and pull my cell phone away from my head!!!!!

Tankman · 02-10-2006

Guys, there is nothing in the world like the sound of that beautiful triple engine at full noise. The sports exhaust on my ST sounds great as apposed to the very quiet standard exhaust, and allows it to run a***** load better. I noticed that the sticker on the sports exhaust said it was for off road use only, ho, ho, the ST would make an awesome dirt bike, NOT! On the freeway I find it very useful for sitting beside some idiot using a cell phone while trying to drive, just down a couple of gears and drown out the phone, saves kicking their door. Motorcycles are meant to be loud so people in tin tops look at us with envy and longing, wishing they could trade places in only for a minute of their very boring lives. Take care, and safe riding to all.

The Tankman
:-D :-D :-D

Longshot92 · 02-10-2006

i think there's a major problem with the "idiots deserve what they get" argument- yes, anyone with marginal use of his brain looks both ways before crossing the street, but nobody's perfect. i've crossed the street millions of times, and i'm sure i've absentmindedly stepped forward without looking once or twice. nobody's 100% at anything, the best you can hope for is 99.9999%, and sooner or later even the best of us make a mistake. we're human. should we pay with our lives every time we mess up? of course not. the pedestrian who gets hit by a quiet hybrid is not an idiot who deserves what he gets, he's probably a regular guy who just made a mistake. think of all the dumb things you've done and gotten away with by pure luck.

that being said, i don't think "loud pipes save lives". but i do think that silent hybrids are a terrible idea. "thinning the herd" is funny when it happens to someone else, but it's a tragedy when it happens to someone you know. i have many dear friends who are idiots and i hope they live long lives despite the fact that sometimes they forget to watch where they're going.

Gavs · 02-13-2006

Good points made by all. I personally do not believe loud pipes are a efficient way to stay alive on the roads, but they sound great and I like them.
Always reminds me of a what a very experienced bike training instructor said once when a nooby said "ALL bikers should wear yellow and have loud pipes so cars can hear them coming!"
His reply was pretty funny; "Oh yeah?, watch this!"
He then put his helmet on and said "See I'm invisible now!"
His lesson? Its up to the individual to stay alive, don't rely on anyone else.
Stats in OZ show most pedestrians get hit by cars at pedestrian crossings. Who is not watching?