I am sure that you have at least once in your life heard of very loud motorcycle noises from your house window which startled you or even woke you up from sleep. Be thankful for this because I suffer from it every day, mainly for the reason that I live where there is a lot of traffic noise and I personally don’t like the noise of motorcycles.
So, why do people ride on loud motorcycles? The short answer is simply because people want to be cool in front of people, especially teenagers, who like to do crap. Riding on high-powered motorcycles causes a lot of disadvantages and suffering not only to many other people but also to the rider himself who risks himself when riding at fast speed.
I know lots of people who suffer tremendously when it comes to a noisy motorcycle because it causes them trauma since any rider can make a loud sound with his bike as long as he rides fast. Not to mention Harley motorcycles that are the most outstanding here and deliver the loudest sound from all motorcycles.
If you don’t understand why riders ride very loudly and what are the dangers of it or if it is legal, or even if you want to know as a biker if you should ride a louder motorcycle, then keep reading because, in this article, I will show you in detail why people love to ride on noisy motorcycles and what are the disadvantages of it.
Why do people ride loudly on a motorcycle?
Although riding very loudly on your motorcycle at a fast speed is a fun thing to do, it should only be in certain moments and not every time. Unfortunately, a lot of riders take this too far and do this whenever they have the opportunity to ride fast and squeeze the throttle.
I will show you a few specific reasons why people love to ride loudly on motorcycles or why they love to ride on loud motorcycles. Without embellishing at 100 percent real, I apologize from now if I am a little blunt.
- They want to look cooler– The first reason why people like to ride on noisy motorcycles is that like I said they want to look cool, especially teenagers. Even there are older people who ride on loud motorcycles because they also want to look cool and even tough while riding.
- Desire to ride at high speeds – The more you press the throttle and ride at higher speeds, the greater the noise the engine produces, while if you ride on a fast and smooth road, there is no problem with riding at higher speeds because you won’t disturb other people. But when it comes to riding at high speeds at places prohibited and restricted even under the law, it is already exaggerated especially at night where the roads are less crowded. So, I think as motorcyclists, we need to respect people who try to sleep at night by not riding at crazy speeds.
- Inconsiderate part of riders – Unfortunately, another reason why people love to ride very loudly on a motorcycle is that they just aren’t considerate about other people, especially at night, where it really bothers people to fall asleep.
- People just love it – I don’t know how to explain this, but there are those people who just love the sound that motorcycles make. They enjoy it and just want to see how powerful their motorcycle noise can be.
So, what should I think about riding loudly on motorcycles? In my opinion, riding loudly on a motorcycle is not something that riders should never do, but you definitely have to consider other people, so ride at high speeds even though it is not recommended. In general, ride loudly on freeways at noon if it does not bother people. However, do not ride loudly near people’s homes because it can be unbearable and do not ride loudly in the city, especially at night, because it can greatly interfere with people sleeping.
What are the risks and harms of riding a motorcycle that has a loud sound?
A motorcycle that makes a loud noise has a lot of different disadvantages to the fact that you might even risk your safety while riding.
Well, here are all the risks of riding a motorcycle that produces a loud sound:
- Higher risk of an accident – You have a much higher chance of making an accident when you ride on a motorcycle that makes a loud sound simply because you ride at high speeds and the chances are that you will ride at faster speeds that you will even bypass the speed limit to reach the maximum sound which is very dangerous for you.
- A distraction – The noise of a motorcycle can distract you while riding which makes you less focused on riding itself. It is proven that you will not be able to hear people’s horns or people’s voices and you will be less alert to the environment, which is more dangerous.
- Hearing Impairment – If you are riding on a motorcycle and try to make the loudest and noisiest sound from the engine without wearing a good helmet that will reduce the noise, don’t be surprised to know that you have a very high chance of damaging your hearing and can even make you deaf especially when you reach a very high speed in the long run.
- Noise interferes with people – In my opinion, the worst thing that can happen as a result of riding a motorcycle that makes a loud and noisy sound is that you disturb people when you do it. If you think that interrupting people while sleeping or interfering with people’s concentration and those around you as said earlier are wrong (which can never be), you are also interfering with people who experience trauma from things such as loud noise, war, or even from people who are overly noisy. You can really hurt them emotionally because motorcycle noises can really be terrible for a lot of people and cause them harm.
The only reason I know why people say noisy motorcycles are important for safety is that they want other car riders to look at them. Even with that, know that in most cases, the loud noise coming from the engine is more harmful than helpful.
In addition, for some reason, the myth “loud pipes save lives” which many riders use as an excuse as to why they can ride noisily, is very wrong and has already been proven. If you don’t believe me, watch the video below to know why and thank me later.
Is it legal to ride on motorcycles with loud noise?
The truth is that in many countries, it is generally illegal to ride a motorcycle in a way that produces too much noise and there are also less stringent states that impose such restrictions. For example, some countries allow you to make noise with the engine only at noon and not at night because it bothers people, while at times, people increase the noise that their engine produces which is mostly illegal.
But with all that, every state has its laws and restrictions, but guess what? This law is not in any way enforced by the authorities, and honestly, I do not blame them because most police officers do not turn around with a voice meter to check the volume while some even forget. So, in most cases, this law is not enforced by the authorities, but I do not blame them because it is very difficult to enforce such a law.
So, in any case, as a biker, you should always check the laws and regulations of your country because there are countries that are very strict about their laws and there are some that do not. And because of that, it is important to obey the laws.
Is it possible to lower my motorcycle engine sound?
If you come to the conclusion that your motorcycle engine is making too much noise and you do not want to hurt other people and also for the safety of yourself, be rest assured that there are some ways by which you can reduce your engine noise which is very simple to do and not complicated at all.
But before proceeding, it is important to note that if your motorcycle is new, do not get too excited that it makes a loud noise. It is normal for new motorcycles to make loud noises at first, with time, the engine noise decreases.
So, here are ways to reduce your engine noise:
- Buy and fit a Baffle – For most riders who don’t know what a baffle is, a baffle is given by the manufacturer and comes with every motorcycle purchase, but if you have a motorcycle over a year ago, I’m sure you would have lost it. So, if you do not have it, I highly recommend you buy one because it is a simple and effective way to reduce engine noise.
- Buy Acousta-Fil – Another great way to reduce engine noise is through Acousta-Fil. It is a very popular method used by people to reduce engine noise.
Do I really have the chance of being deaf from motorcycle noise?
I know this sounded strange, but yes, you are very likely to impair your hearing if you ride too fast on a motorcycle and it makes a big noise. You have the chance of hurting your hearing only after going above 70 mph (112 km) and if you have no earplugs or helmet, you can significantly damage your eardrum.
If you want to see the real reason and the full research on why motorcycles noise can make you deaf, I highly recommend you read this study click here to view.
Summary
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Thanks for reading, until the next post.