Modern Buddy

Wow. I just saw this ad on TV. I'll post no description so you can get the full effect. I hope they show it every five minutes.

ideal point of how loud pipes can save lifes... thanks...

the driver of the bike should have made eye contact with the driver of the car,,, untill eye contact is made you brake speed untill he does make eye contact... if he has not made eye contact by the time your at that point you should only be going below 15mph,,, and enough time to avoid what mr motobike drive did... "STARE DOWN AND SLOW DOWN"

at looking at the scene of the cam on the bike its showing it shows hes going less than 15mph but the crash itself is well over 15mph... i know its just an add,,, but my point is he's not looking maybe he might hear you,,, and eye contact with cage drives...

I'm not entirely convinced that the loud pipes argument is valid in a case like this.

The loud pipe argument only really helps in blind spot parallel travel. In cases like that, a horn, or better yet: not traveling in a car's blind spot, would be a much safer way of avoiding a situation like that.

The Doppler effect works against the motorcyclist in a situation like the commercial in regards to the loud pipes arguement.

I do agree that the commercial should get a lot more air time. I've never seen it before, I imagine there's lots of other people who haven't either.

It would be cool if people paid attention to this PSA, but I don't think they will. Never rely on anyone else but yourself to keep yourself safe when riding your MC (or scooter).

I don't believe the "loud pipes save lives" BS. They just annoy the hell out of people and are causing legislative measures to be taken against them. Soon you won't be able to buy an aftermarket pipe because of those obnoxious, noise polluting MC's. Way to go!

forgive me for being pro loud pipes,,, and ill stop after this post for im not trying to argue just make a point...

hearing has a 360 degree input to the brain... visual at best 180 degree... if a human is not looking in the direction of the noise it can still hear and have input to what,,, where and when...

i would defind a blind spot as an area that the drive is unable to see,,, being in the case of not looking would make it a blind spot...

i bought the rattler to have a scooter that would basicly hold 45mph with two people without the loud pipe that a 50cc would have to have in order to try and hold that speed... well performace got the better of me,,, "it was hurt'in my motor to go so slow"

with riding the rattler for about 12 months without a performance pipe i had notice that on many times drivers were unaware of my spot on the road and would have known my spot if i had that LOUDASS pipe... even sitting at a long light ill rev up let the pipe tell everyone HEY IM RIGHT HERE DONT FORGET...

Now do i really like to hear loud pipes??? "NO"!!! i think there obnoxious,,, and are noise polluting... and for many many years i use to think its just a big showoff with extra money to burn... that was until i started riding again in 07...

regardless if its visual or hearing,,, if a driver knows of my presents regarless of the means,,, thats an important part of motocycling and living to tell about it...

by all means i hope to see this ad on our local tv stations... Arrive Alive!!!

Major Redneck wrote:forgive me for being pro loud pipes,,, and ill stop after this post for im not trying to argue just make a point...

hearing has a 360 degree input to the brain... visual at best 180 degree... if a human is not looking in the direction of the noise it can still hear and have input to what,,, where and when...

i would defind a blind spot as an area that the drive is unable to see,,, being in the case of not looking would make it a blind spot...

Although hearing may have a 360-deg input to the brain, the sounds generated by a pipe may not reach the ear of a driver.

As Lostmycage noted, the Doppler effect will greatly reduce the sound projected ahead of a rider. Additionally, the aft-facing exhaust pipe will also hinder projecting sounds ahead of the rider. This will not provide much of a warning to drivers in vehicles ahead of the rider, either traveling in the same direction as the scooter, or cutting across traffic (as was shown in the video). Add in that a driver may be listening to the radio, having a conversation, and have the windows closed and A/C on, their ability to hear outside sounds is further impaired.

This is just one thing to think about as subdivisions are barring motorcycles because of excessively loud pipes.

Though loud pipes may get a driver's attention, the negatives may ultimately cause more accidents than prevent them.

The primary concerns:
1. They've been shown to contribute to rider fatigue.
2. May actually distract drivers, particularly because they often can't determine the location of the loud rumble.
3. Contribute to negative views of bikes & bikers.
4. Perceived by drivers as a nuisance, they then "tune out" the noise and ignore the bikes they're supposed to be watching out for.

IMHO, though there are those who sincerely believe that loud pipes have safety benefits, the "Loud pipes save lives" campaign is basically a front for "We're independent-minded biker types who don't like being told what to do."

and for the record. Eye contact with a cager doesn't mean anything. If someone in your MSF class told you that meant you were safe, get your money back. They lied to you.

JSharpPhoto wrote:and for the record. Eye contact with a cager doesn't mean anything. If someone in your MSF class told you that meant you were safe, get your money back. They lied to you.

Hah, I completely glazed over that part! I absolutely agree, eye contact means nothing. Most cagers are dead behind the eyes anyway.

If you want an indication, look at their wheels. That's the easiest and clearest indication that the car is moving, creeping or staying put.

Lostmycage wrote:

JSharpPhoto wrote:and for the record. Eye contact with a cager doesn't mean anything. If someone in your MSF class told you that meant you were safe, get your money back. They lied to you.

Hah, I completely glazed over that part! I absolutely agree, eye contact means nothing. Most cagers are dead behind the eyes anyway.

If you want an indication, look at their wheels. That's the easiest and clearest indication that the car is moving, creeping or staying put.

I take a quick look at the driver to see where their attention is focused but then turn my attention to the wheels. Besides, my face shield is smoke colored; a driver can't tell if I'm looking them in the eye.

ericalm wrote:Though loud pipes may get a driver's attention, the negatives may ultimately cause more accidents than prevent them.

The primary concerns:
1. They've been shown to contribute to rider fatigue.
2. May actually distract drivers, particularly because they often can't determine the location of the loud rumble.
3. Contribute to negative views of bikes & bikers.
4. Perceived by drivers as a nuisance, they then "tune out" the noise and ignore the bikes they're supposed to be watching out for.

IMHO, though there are those who sincerely believe that loud pipes have safety benefits, the "Loud pipes save lives" campaign is basically a front for "We're independent-minded biker types who don't like being told what to do."

5. Loud pipes lose land / rights.

Millions of acres no longer available for off-road riding and laws requiring riders to be 16+ all because 5% of riders want to be obnoxious.