Exhaust and Number Plates - Police view

I have been ridding with the police and i totally respect them and understand small plates are a no no.

but my personal point of view on noisey exhausts is have them and F*** everyone else. i live in my dads loft and theres no insulation so i hear every exhaust loud and clear and everyones conversation as they walk past the house.

I will agree loud exhausts are annoying as there is a bike shop at bottom of road and i hear countless numbers of loud exhausts down my road all day every day even at stupid hours of the morning. i learnt to deal with it so should everyone else. i currently DONT have one on my bike but i plan to as it is SAFER for ridders to have them.

I know i am not the only biker who has had people say "I didnt see you" or something along them lines. So its a way of reassuring myself if i am not seen i can be heard. i know probs get in trouble for loud one but for GODsake we dont drink petrol, we dont cause traffic, and we dont kill others (generally). other people in cars on phone not paying attendion, smoking, drinking while driving is nothing compared to a loud pipe in my opinion.

pulling a bike over for a loud pipe is an annoyance rather then DANGEROUS but yet we get picked on for it and i think it is such ******** and laws should either be harsher to pick on people doing wrong in cars rather than waste efforts on a biker with a loud pipe dont you think?

Originally Posted by kiggles

I have been ridding with the police and i totally respect them and understand small plates are a no no.

but my personal point of view on noisey exhausts is have them and F*** everyone else. i live in my dads loft and theres no insulation so i hear every exhaust loud and clear and everyones conversation as they walk past the house.

I will agree loud exhausts are annoying as there is a bike shop at bottom of road and i hear countless numbers of loud exhausts down my road all day every day even at stupid hours of the morning. i learnt to deal with it so should everyone else. i currently DONT have one on my bike but i plan to as it is SAFER for ridders to have them.

I know i am not the only biker who has had people say "I didnt see you" or something along them lines. So its a way of reassuring myself if i am not seen i can be heard. i know probs get in trouble for loud one but for GODsake we dont drink petrol, we dont cause traffic, and we dont kill others (generally). other people in cars on phone not paying attendion, smoking, drinking while driving is nothing compared to a loud pipe in my opinion.

pulling a bike over for a loud pipe is an annoyance rather then DANGEROUS but yet we get picked on for it and i think it is such ******** and laws should either be harsher to pick on people doing wrong in cars rather than waste efforts on a biker with a loud pipe dont you think?

Laws shouldn't be made to pick on people.

Laws on noise from exhausts etc. apply to cars and lorries as well. The limits may well be different but the rules are there for the same reason - to reduce the impact traffic noise makes. Imagine living by an industrial estate with poorly silenced lorries coming and going at 6 in the morning.

Bike exhausts can also scare people as well, especially during overtaking, and this unintentionally intimidates other road users. I once had the silencer off my old bike, whilst bodging the link-pipe and started it up. My son burst into tears, and was found shaking, attached to his nan.

What gives you the right to ride around sounding like the approach of the apocalypse, and stuff everyone else?

i not saying its the right thing to do. i agree they are bad and shouldn't be on the road. but its just the fact other drives are at their own fault for other reasons make me not want to keep to these rules. i know loads of people who use phones, smoke, drink coffee, and drive at the same time. when i am in the car with them i stop them doing it as it annoys me but i know its not gona stop. they know its wrong but they still do it. Careless car drivers still are oblivious to bikes no matter how many adverts they put up on TV etc and still pull out carelessly. but its a world we live in i guess. nothing can stop these things and i take the side of the phase "kill or be killed" but in this case be selfish or been taken advantage of (in this case not be acknowledged or seen).

just for the record i have just put new exhaust on my bike and it is within the law of loudness so its not like i am going out my way to be an ass. I am still within the law and i very much doubt other car drivers with take these idea's on board.

But i do respect people who do follow the laws of no phone etc with hands free kits and people who stop for a cigarette and just didn't see a bike it happens. But they need to be aware of us as when i start driving the first thing i think of is a bike and its rubbed off onto my GF driving as well which i am very happy about

[Mej]

not a fan of small plates dont see the facination myself.

i like loud exhausts and personally dont find them annoying, i live near a duel carrageway and i have pretty much grown up on hearing bikes racing up and down it at all hours of the day, the same applies for cars i just prefer the sound of bikes.

saying that though, peds exahausts always make me laugh and they are pretty annoying, but i used to have one so cant complain.

I would imagine that the Loud pipes save lives thing is fairly true, as long as you dont blast past some unsuspecting car driver causing them to crash.

I have to agree, i dont understand having small plates, just draws more attention to you from the Police ect. However i do think loud pipes have a purpose. If your not seen you need to be heard.
I mean its not as if you need to ride around all day with wide open throttle making alot of noise. If the hours are late ect then ride it quietly using little throttle. The bike can be quiet (ish) with a loud can so i dont really see a problem with it.

[Mej]

Originally Posted by metalhead19

The bike can be quiet (ish) with a loud can so i dont really see a problem with it.

this is very true.

its nice to have a loud can for blipping the throttle when filtering

Originally Posted by kiggles

i not saying its the right thing to do. i agree they are bad and shouldn't be on the road. but its just the fact other drives are at their own fault for other reasons make me not want to keep to these rules. i know loads of people who use phones, smoke, drink coffee, and drive at the same time. when i am in the car with them i stop them doing it as it annoys me but i know its not gona stop. they know its wrong but they still do it. Careless car drivers still are oblivious to bikes no matter how many adverts they put up on TV etc and still pull out carelessly. but its a world we live in i guess. nothing can stop these things and i take the side of the phase "kill or be killed" but in this case be selfish or been taken advantage of (in this case not be acknowledged or seen).

just for the record i have just put new exhaust on my bike and it is within the law of loudness so its not like i am going out my way to be an ass. I am still within the law and i very much doubt other car drivers with take these idea's on board.

But i do respect people who do follow the laws of no phone etc with hands free kits and people who stop for a cigarette and just didn't see a bike it happens. But they need to be aware of us as when i start driving the first thing i think of is a bike and its rubbed off onto my GF driving as well which i am very happy about

First off, apologies, just re-read my post and I was way too harsh in tone! I personally like the sound of bike exhausts, though when I had the silencer off my old bike my ears hurt and it was too much, but we have to respect other peoples lives, and I suspect most people don't like noisy engines. I'm sure the police "pick" on chavs with cherry-bomb or similar exhausts. (I don't think they pick on people, rather enforce the law. Doesn't mean the law's right!") I don't know your local police though, they might be pigs. In west Dorset they leave us, for the most part, alone.

I have my doubts as to whether loud cans do much for safety. A help for the pedestrian who is looking and listening already, but in a car, through the soundproofing, Jeremy Vine and daydreaming; or past a pedestrians iPod or phone, I think it will just not register.

since i have now got a louder exhaust i hate driving down local roads at night as i know it is an annoyance and like someone said they can be quite at certain rev counts.

It just annoys me how people can take a noisy exhaust on a bike seriously as if we are causing trouble, when every other car i see has someone on the phone or with a cigarette whilst driving. Yet no one says anything about someone on the phone.

if i knocked on someone's window to tell them to get off the phone they probs give me the the finger and tell me to F*** off.

And a yes who ever said noisy pipe helps when filtering i have noticed this change and its very useful although still doesnt stop people walking out on you even when you are clearly in view

[Nicky S]

Originally Posted by kiggles

And a yes who ever said noisy pipe helps when filtering i have noticed this change and its very useful although still doesnt stop people walking out on you even when you are clearly in view

+1 best mod i ever did to my bike to been seen. allways have my lights on but loud can helps so much

Well thats an interesting thread just read it all the way through, thanks for the information, good original post, I did not know about having to have a mark on the exhaust to prove it to be satisfactory.

For me personally small plates are a no no too, have never interested me and never will, I do however have a fairly loud exhaust and agree with the previous posts, that it does give u an extra bit of noticeability when people arent looking, a high vis jacket from hg and having lights on also works especially for long motorway journeys. I live in a very quiet ul de sac, and am also very aware not to come in revving the nuts out of the bike as it will just **** people off.

There has been times however when backfire from big exhausts both bikes and cars have nearly had me on the floor taking cover, so i can see why people do find them aggresive or scary. For me personally I will always ride quietly and efficiently in urban areas, well try to at least.

My personal view is that I think they do more good than harm, as long as they are not too defening, I think its very much up to the discression of the police or mot garage for recomendations.

I still think that anything that helps to get a biker noticed on the road more can only be a good thing.