03-09-2014, 12:22 AM
I've found that most, not all mind you, proponents of the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" argument -- if you can call it that -- are generally people to whom a great ride is a 30 mile trip to the bar with 100 of their closest friends in tow.
IMO it's just a juvenile rationalization of a juvenile notion of what creates safety. What really saves lives is being alert (situational awareness), knowing how to ride your machine in an emergency situation, and wearing the proper gear, among other things. Myself, I hate the whole 'argument.' Now if you want to argue that you like how the bike sounds with louder pipes, I'll have that debate with you, because then you're not assigning some dubious safety rationale to louder pipes.
If you're depending on loud pipes to save your life in a sea of phone talking, texting, loud-music-listening drivers, good luck with all that I say.
IMO it's just a juvenile rationalization of a juvenile notion of what creates safety. What really saves lives is being alert (situational awareness), knowing how to ride your machine in an emergency situation, and wearing the proper gear, among other things. Myself, I hate the whole 'argument.' Now if you want to argue that you like how the bike sounds with louder pipes, I'll have that debate with you, because then you're not assigning some dubious safety rationale to louder pipes.
If you're depending on loud pipes to save your life in a sea of phone talking, texting, loud-music-listening drivers, good luck with all that I say.