All I know is that the day I put my stock pipe on my bike, my love with my bike became new again...and had made up for almost 3 years of fooling myself (
being sold into the myth) into thinking that LP are a good thing yet alone that LPSL! ...I am happy to say, I now have escaped the cult and am enjoying the "
de-brainwashing".
I had the Holeshot comp 1 for about 3 years, loved it for about 6 months, liked it for about 1.5 years, and absolutely hated it the remainder of the time. The only reason the stock pipe didn't end up on my bike sooner, was because I was stupid enough to sell it, so I had to find a replacement and did from my friend Wizzo...Thanks Wizzo!
. I never really "liked" the noise so much as simply the 3-5% extra boost it gave me, and that was a questionably, and almost subjective benefit at best!
The noise got extremely irritating, especially on long jaunts, and I absolutely hated having to need ear plugs for almost every single ride. I have since gone back to the stock muffler my bike came with. I am now absolutely loving my
stock piped bandit, it sounds all "stealthy" like, yet I still hear it
and I really don't notice a significant performance drop. I wonder why I ever went for the "loudness" in the first place. I guess, similar to that particular segment of die-hard Harley owners who buy every conceivable Harley crested or embroidered doo-hickey or what-cha-ma-call-it including the HD Ford F-Series truck...
nice. I too got "sold" to some degree.
I feel ashamed of that!..oh well..live and learn!
Further to this, LP's, in my opinion, and after some research... do
not not save lives, anymore than quiet pipes Kill!. Plus I love the fact that I am now able to actually hear things around me, like other peoples horns, emergency vehicles or people doing stupid things in their cages AND stupid squids on their bikes which gives me the advantage in avoiding them.
After some web searching for stats, Did you know, an apparent 77% of motorcycle accident hazards come from in front of the rider, hmmm!... and only 3% approach from the rear. In fact, Loud pipes draw the most attention to a motorcycle in traffic when the bike is facing away from the motorist. That 77% statistic of accidents from the front, as most all of us will agree, happens not only by cages just along side and several feet in
front of us (
where LP's are not really recognized), but, arguably, I would hazard a guess, leans heavily on the side of the infamous "left turn" situation, something loud pipes will understandably do absolutely squat for!
Most Motorcyclists opinions (
on the web anyways) admittedly do the LP thing as a mostly a "macho thing" anyway, and love the attention it affords them from bystanders on the street, all the while "acting cool", c'mon, we've all seen em' (
if not heard em - excuse the pun) They love the attention from other vehicles at a stop light for example, when "blipping" their throttles!, you know the ones, "look at me!..look at me!" screaming...(
I'm 35, yet behave like a 8 year old!). I too, somewhat subscribed to this rationale at first, relatively newish to the bike scene and all! (
although felt really dumb doing so).. but no longer fellow Banditeers!...I have become an adult, and I have seen the light,
.. and it is quiet, heavenly one!
LP's can be and mostly are a side effect of a vanity matter, not that I'm all against vanity, after all, how much do we all like "tweaking" or dressing up our steeds, polishing?...wax on, wax off, trendy bike gear, bit of chrome etc. etc. If we are honest, we like, and sometimes even
love the attention it gives us, after all, it does set us apart from the rest of the masses somewhat, something to be passionate about. Sure, the TLC we give our bikes by "Bling" or "Buff Bonnet" gives us a sense of pride, and so it should!, after all, we are taking care of our machines!..But that's only
part of the reason...right guys?
Loud pipes are a fact of street bike motorcycling life, they will stay with us, until they are all made illegal and enforcement of which is fully supported and adhered to....which will happen. Some think they sound nice, and on some bikes, a low, throaty exhaust note does sound good, like the bandit for example. However, even a louder Bandit , used irresponsibly can sound very irritating and remarkably unpleasant for people who hear the exhaust note as "unwanted noise pollution" when trying to relax and/or sleep in the privacy of their own homes, straight piped, baffle free Harleys are not the only culprit! (
although they can be the worst). Lets not deceive ourselves into thinking or
selling ourselves or others the pitch that we do this for any other reason than to maybe...
- To get noticed by the bystanders/pedestrians around us, or wherever possible, whether or not its the good kind of "attention", we don't care, just as long as it either "impresses" or "pisses them off!".
- Because we personally like the sound, and think it sounds good.
- Boost performance a wee little bit ( not that our beasts really needed the extra power to begin with )
Pipes that are unnecessarily loud or especially very, very noisy pipes in my own opinion are just a way to rationalize extreme self-indulgence. More often than not, those who propose that LPSL are not fooling anybody but themselves, Just like I too was fooled, but I advocated the additional noise justification mostly due to being sold as a necessary component to increased performance!....at least, that what I had told myself.
LP's have their place, perhaps, like the track or race day etc. But definitely not your local suburbia where riders
hope like hell they get noticed when riding at close to red-line like a-holes weaving in and out of traffic, giving us all a bad rap, not just because of the noise either!.
Really, when you think about it, it is'nt so much the sound of a low, subtle healthy aftermarket exhaust note attached to a bike riding along that is the problem of noise pollution, My wife in fact has a Jardine carbon fibre on her B6 and it sounds quite good, low and throaty, but not loud or annoying. Its the ridiculous people with low-self esteem or
penile issues, blipping, revving to stupid levels at corners, during downshifting, at red lights, or when stunting mostly by squids and that certain segment of HD rebels that cause the stereotype, but then again, she
is a girl and drives sensibly!
Q: I often wonder why it was exactly Dale Walker manufactured a "Decibel Killer" for his pipes?
You do the math.(
BTW...I did order this device, but by the time I got it installed, I was still unimpressed, the thing actually vibrated in my pipe, and made a kind of" whistle" between 2-500rpm and did very little for decreased noise )
I did install a louder Horn though, as I was embarrassed by the "toot" the stocker gave!. After installing the stock pipe, I went on a 2000K trip through the Kootenays in B.C recently, and absolutely loved it..I had no issues with anyone trying to run me over or cagers pushing me off the road. The ride was enjoyable and COMFORTABLE!. I was reminded of how civilized biking can be and absolutely PMSL when a Harley in front of me with straight, unbaffled twin pipes, which had a open diameter of about 6 inches, kept scratching his pipes on the twisties up to Kootenay Bay Ferry!...LOL. Go figure... I was still able to pass him with ease, even without the alleged 3-5% boost in HP!. (
Oh, but he made up for his shortfall because he looked so cool in his denim, leather tassels and official HD Bandana when he caught up to us at the ferry) Strange thing, he was noisy as hell , and almost deafening when I was behind him, but once passing him, and once in front, I hardly heard him..go figure!
This is just my opinion, and personal experience remember, everyone is completely welcome and encouraged to their own, Many will disagree, I'm sure...and passionately so!, and that's good. I guess you could say, I'm sort of the "ex-smoker" of loud pipes, and those are the worst kind!
BTW, I now have had a quiet pipe for over 2 months, and lo and behold I'm still around and alive to say it!..go figure!...Lets see how long this "being alive" thing lasts, I'll let you know if it actually kills me!
LPSL?..no they dont..but then the opposite is also just as ridiculous a blanket statement. Quiet Pipes do not kill or save lives either!.. I think it all comes down to rider attitude, consideration of others - not just yourself, moderation and a willingness to share the road, not just practically, or visually but audibly also. Just because cagers can be inconsiderate, does not give riders the permission to be inconsiderate..2 wrongs never make a right. What we all can do is be prepared, skilled, and aware!
Shiny side up guys!