Noisy motor bikes

[robert551069]

Why is it that Motor cyclists are allowed to make a deafening noise with their machines, whereas, if my car exhaust fails and I am on the way to get it repaired at a garage, I get stopped by the police.
The water cooled bikes which were once used by the police, were, IMHO, ideal.

[joggerjayne]

It's a safety feature.

If you're on a motorbike, car drivers never seem to see you ... they're just as likely to hit you and kill you ...

... so a loud exhaust lets them HEAR you coming.

Also ... a loud motorbike is cool.

Brrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmm !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Answerprancer]

Harleys make a pretty distinctive noise - I think they claim it's a 'safety feature' ie. that you can hear them a mile off so you're less likely to miss one and get hit by it. I quite like the sound of beefy bikes (but not the "Brrrrrraaaap" of those nasty little hair dryers that hoodies use) Ducatis have a pretty good sound.

[Answerprancer]

Ah, there ya go ! I was so busy typing I didn't anticipate someone else saying this !

[joggerjayne]

AP is right ...

Bikes should make a growl, or a roar ... not a loud farting noise.

[albaqwerty]

A magnificent beast needs a powerful roar.

Well put JJ.

[ronnietoon]

just a link allsp.ch i think its season 13 episode 12

watch it and laugh

[Booldawg]

motorbikes have to be loud because it sounds cool - to them. To everyone else its just an annoyance.

These are the type of people that havent really got past putting a peg in their back wheel on their bicycle as a young kid.

[dotty.]

it's not the Motor Cyclists making the bike make such a loud noise, it's the engine on the bike, my OH knows exactly how good a bike is by the noise it makes, as do most bikers, it's about the power and the quality, something other bikers appreciate and respect apparenty.

[sunny-dave]

Wrong Booldawg - what JJ says is true - if I was convinced that every car driver was actually concentrating 100% on driving their car rather than phoning/applying make up/eating their breakfast/changing channels on the radio/lighting a cigarette/etc etc, then I'd have a silent motorbike.

Until then I will have a (completely legal and to manufacturer's spec) noisy one which the apparently deaf/blind/stupid car drivers might hear.

[Pearlbell]

The Police has some of the best Bikes out there! But they also have silencers on their exhausts.
@Dotty, yes the engine does change the sound but the exhaust plays a main part in the loud noise that comes out in this debate.
I agree 100% with being noticed but unfortunatly some car drivers are in such a world of their own that they do not hear the loud noise, the bright lights and the flouresents ... I only wish push bikers would put this much effort into their own saftey, I often see them in dark clothes no lights and late at night, I dont but luckily I have always managed to see the shadow of their outline just about to avoid them so far.

And for the origianl question, if your car exhaust FAILS its MoT it is illegal, that is not to do with the sound it makes but to do with the fact it either has holes in it, rusted away, or the brackets have broken and it is falling off .. that is not to do with a loud but in good condition exhaust you cannot compare the two, one is broken and loud, the other is fixed and loud.

[chas2008]

as a bit of a petrol head (cars) i can live with a nice loud exhaust , but ! theres a guy who lives 2 doors away from me whos into classic bikes which have a more distinctive sound..in my mind a much better sound which is great until he has 2-3 of them ticking over or revving them for hours at a time on a sunday afternoon...really b***dy annoying.

[joggerjayne]

We get big groups of them down on the front (like most seaside towns, I expect), and when lots of them drive by at the same time, the noise is soooo sexy.