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I have a question: What is it with this obsession with making bikes louder? There's a big bike event taking place this weekend about a mile from my house. After sitting around all morning listening to thousands of Harleys go by, I had an irrepressible urge to get on my John Deere and mow my lawn.

One reason I selected a BMW when bike shopping is because it's NOT loud. I own two lawnmowers, a chipper-shredder, and a chain saw in case I ever get the urge for mechanical noise.

RB- My Bonneville sounded like a sewing machine when I first bought it. This is how bad it was: I was warming it up on a RAT pack ride, talking to the guy on the next bike, it stalled, and I never noticed. Now this was a RAT pack, all Triumphs, nothing too loud. That was just too quiet.

The bike now has TOR's - Triumph Off Road pipes - on it. It has a nice snorty, blatty sound - kinda like an old British sports car. Nothing like a Harley with straight pipes, though. It was enough of an exhaust flow change so the carbs needed to be re-jetted. I picked up a couple of extra horsepower in the bargain, and now it definitely sounds like a motorcycle, not a sewing machine!

RockBottom wrote:I have a question: What is it with this obsession with making bikes louder? There's a big bike event taking place this weekend about a mile from my house. After sitting around all morning listening to thousands of Harleys go by, I had an irrepressible urge to get on my John Deere and mow my lawn.

One reason I selected a BMW when bike shopping is because it's NOT loud. I own two lawnmowers, a chipper-shredder, and a chain saw in case I ever get the urge for mechanical noise.

Its easy to understand, follow me and I shall enlighten you;


I bought a 1000+ sports, it had to be vtwin, it had to be black on black, it had to have extremely loud pipes, and it had to be able to exceed 250kph.

Why you ask?

Cause when im on it my pencil easily grows a further 3 inches on top of the 8 it already is, and my total perceived pencil length to others whilst riding is probably a further 2 times the previously mentioned.


I excite my self just thin king about riding home from work just now.



lesbians, a lot of honey, me dipped in = the way its supposed to be.

Here's the one benefit I experienced this weekend from loud pipes. A group of us were meeting up at a nearby restaurant which gets pretty packed. As we were coming into the parking lot this lady who doesn't seem to know what those mirrors on the side of her car are for, decides to pull out in front of us.

I honk my horn, nothing. My friend who's riding a Victory bike with loud pipes next to me revs on his throttle making a loud roar which causes the lady to jump right out of her seat and slam on her brakes.

I know a lot of people don't like loud pipes, but in this case his pipes were loud enough that it got her attention even with her windows up and the radio blaring.

i agree, my bike is so silent that nobody hears me when i'm riding by.

guscave wrote:I honk my horn, nothing.

That's why Rivco makes air horns...

Stebels are also supposed to be LOUD!!!

RockBottom wrote:
One reason I selected a BMW when bike shopping is because it's NOT loud.

All bikes are quiet from the factory. Even Harleys.