Are loud cans a good warning?

i like the car infront to know i'm there.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by jimmy4237

Yet boy racers are allowed to use any exhaust system they want on their cars no matter how loud it is. Not very fair....

Nah, not at all- they have the same sort of MOT standards as wee do (enforced as erratically as ours ) and if you spend any time with car modders, I guarantee one will complain that the police never harrass bikers for their loud cans, it's always the poor harmless car drivers who get it. Always greener on the other side

Originally Posted by Peter Henry

I hope that news of this incident does not travel far, I completely agree with Razor on this particular point.

I knew it was only a matter of time

i like to think of my noisy can as an added safety feature, that along with lights on. i usually give a flash of my lights when im approaching the rear of a car as people seem to notice a flashing light more than a constant head light.

i have been in the car a few times and heard sirens but am unable to tell where its coming from, looking around frantically until i notice the lights.

Originally Posted by northwind

Nah, not at all- they have the same sort of MOT standards as wee do (enforced as erratically as ours ) and if you spend any time with car modders, I guarantee one will complain that the police never harrass bikers for their loud cans, it's always the poor harmless car drivers who get it. Always greener on the other side

that's what i thought he meant! but as you say it's not true, in fact it always seemed to me (and still seems!) that bikes get away with noisier exhausts, haha. i think the exhausts are noisier as standard, that's why (my sv std exhaust is louder than a std car exhaust, especially when it revs higher).

Originally Posted by lynw

I have ridden with someone on a bandit with standard can and even he noticed the difference in drivers noticing the bikes between when he lead and I lead.

It was so noticeable I cant put it entirely down to simply getting 150 drivers who were more observant than the 100 odd drivers we past with him leading. Nor can I entirely attribute it to the lights. But thats my experience not yours so I wont expect you to change your opinion.

I guess you just have to ride in London with a standard can and non-standard can [as I have done, same journey pretty much same time daily] and notice the difference to actually consider that it does have some impact. Not as much as some would have you believe but it DOES make a difference - but as said before, not something to rely on.

Ps your thing about not hearing from behind well thats why its NOT to be relied on, but people DO hear approaching sounds from behind - quite frequently in London with the ambulance/police sirens. You say peds can hear it - but thats exactly the same approaching sound as a driver gets. A lot of drivers have their windows open [well on the A2 they do] so can hear the same thing a ped does. In fact its more likely as a driver isnt likely to be plugged into their i-pod.

Totally agree Lyn - I had a Bandit with stock can and nearly got wiped out on several occasions filtering - totally different with my baffleless Scorpion Can on the SV - definately made a difference. When Im in a car I always hear a loud can but have been taken by surprise many a time by quiet bikes as theyve glided silently passed.

All I can to say is to those who say they dont hear a loud can is maybe they should start wearing earplugs more often?

[northwind]

Originally Posted by muffles

that's what i thought he meant! but as you say it's not true, in fact it always seemed to me (and still seems!) that bikes get away with noisier exhausts, haha. i think the exhausts are noisier as standard, that's why (my sv std exhaust is louder than a std car exhaust, especially when it revs higher).

I think (though this, more than usual, might just be rubbish) that the homologation standard is the same for both- so much volume at such and such revs. But since bike engines tend to rev higher than cars, the results are different. Could be rubbish, that

I always use the example of rail workers who are not sat inside a sound insulated cage with the radio on but fail to hear a seriously loud express train until it hits them.

I don't hear bikes approaching in my car even with illegal cans. I spot them in the mirrors because I use them unlike most drivers but don't hear the machines until they are already alongside me.

Originally Posted by Toypop

I don't hear bikes approaching in my car even with illegal cans. I spot them in the mirrors because I use them unlike most drivers but don't hear the machines until they are already alongside me.

I must have extra senstive hearing then because I always hear loud cans approaching from quite some way behind

I think you have a point about drivers not using their mirrors - Im sure there are many who dont (probably the ones who drive badly in general ) IMO all you can do is be on your guard for these drivers whether you have loud cans or not.

I personally prefer to have them because I know I can hear them when Im in a car.

I find that loud exaust can help deter tailgaters

if I see someone following me closer than I like, I usually drop a couple gear and let them listen to my pipe, @ 7k+ rpm, it's loud, obnoxiouly loud if your right behind it

other than that, it may scare an occasional deer out of the road