Any noise tickets for loud pipes happening out there?

[billo]

SV-650's do sound awesome beautiful with a little thunder in the pipe.  I've contemplate piping my V-strom 650 every time I hear an uncorked SV.  Many years back I would have (and did) but now I am considerate of my neighbors and my ears.  
In the 70's CA had roadside noise checkpoints like todays sobriety checkpoints.  
I hope they bring them back.  
Annual smog inspection would suck.

Bill

[SoCalFJR]

Best answer so far.......ta da............. "I run 6 unbaffled straight pipes on the Valkyrie to make baby's cry"  
(out of 35 bikes the one I miss the most after selling is my beautiful Valk)

Am I compensating for something?   Yep, a bike that on a good day sounds like a sewing machine.......

I'm just hoping the gendarmes will overlook an old guy with a bagger if I play it cool.......

[stromgal]

Ah, a Deaf & Deafer pipe...  

There's a guy that rides down the street just west of me every morning after bar close. I can hear him for at least 8 blocks of his journey; it's the loudest thing I've heard outside of a drag strip. I find myself wanting to wait for him and knock him off the bike, it's so fecking annoying. AND he winds it up, no doubt enjoying the racket as he reaches/leaves each stop sign.  

I do enjoy a good, throaty sound from a bike.  My Buell's Vance & Hines pipe is a bit too loud for my tastes, but the bike came with it and is tuned for it, and I don't have $ to throw at an alternative that would be quieter. I also don't drag-race it around at 2 a.m.  

(edited to add: if riding a red sportbike wasn't enough, the TOR pipe on my TT600 made me feel like there was a target on my back.)

[Kraz]

Living off a highway, I've grown to hate loud pipes on any vehicle.  Drives me nutz...  


I would make an exception if I had a nice Italian twin, but I'm not putting loud pipes on my bikes anymore... I never really did like loud pipes on my I4's.  In fact, if I do buy another I4, I'll make sure it has, or goes back to stock pipes.  The weight savings thing is nice, but let's face it, (insert FJR pig joke here).

The problem with saying you can always go back to stock pipes if you don't like it that 1) the pipes will never piss you off as much as they piss others off, so you probably won't hate them, and 2) you lost a bit of money, even if you resell them.


Anyway, to get back on topic, they only things I've heard about a crackdown are that California is supposed to start checking for this stuff on '12 and newer models, and also people were complaining about lots of tickets being written at motorcycle-only checkpoints on the way to Daytona.

I'd say skip the pipes - none of your pirate friends will be impressed with your Yammerhammer... ever.

[Rattlehead]

UFB...

Do open pipes suck? Yes....

Is there somewhere between stock and open pipes that lets you hear a nice motor without being obnoxious? Yes...

I'm enough of a gear head to enjoy the sound of a performance engine - subdued when putting around town and more pronounced when opened up.

To the folks with their panties in a wad over anyone not riding a Prius sounding motorcycle and who feel your are "not much of a rider" if you dont I say FYYFF!  

Moderation is a wonderful thing.

rep to you for telling it like it is.  

Personally I LOVE the sound of an internal combustion engine singing it's song.   I purposely look for bikes that already have aftermarket exhausts as I HATE HATE HATE the sound of 90% of the factory exhausts out there (that and I'm too cheap to pay $400-600 for a slip on that shouldn't cost more than $100   ). That being said, there is definately a "too far". My old GSXR had a shortened D&D on it and while it sounded angrier than a whole horde of demons at WOT (gave me goosebumps   ) it was WAY too loud for daily commuting. When I sold the bike I heard the guy take off nice and easy down the highway just like he was right in front of my house. He was about 2mi away.   I knew it was loud and I did my best to ride it VERY easy in residential neighborhoods but I didn't realize just HOW loud that thing was until I heard it ride away.   I offer my sincere appologies if any of you happen to live within 5 mi of anywhere I've ridden.  

Man I'm glad I don't live in a "communist community", I mean HOA neighborhood.  

[atadaskew]

Look, I'm not saying do not get louder pipes.

What I am saying is get something good.  Yoshi etc.
Those are louder but sound good and racy.  Not obnoxious.

Every D&D pipe I've heard just sounds like crap.  Just noise, no tone, no sweetness to it.  Plus from what I've seen, they are really poorly made.

So, if you're going to drop coin, get something sweet for your bike.  Not crappy.

[spd2918]

I see loud pipe tickets all the time.  

[bomber]

I see loud pipe tickets all the time.  

You are hearby cordially invited to the Entropy Lab for as long as you'd like to stay ;-}

[coho]

I see loud pipe tickets all the time.  

The blank ones in your pocket don't count.

[Rogue]

Yeah, I'd count myself in the steath crowd. My moto-gear is grey or black, and I'd not even consider louder pipes, unless I'd get a significant hp increase..

For me, I already consider I'm invisible and ride that way. Adding extra noise only attracts cops, in my view...

Though, if you're riding at a hardly pace, you can probably get away with open pipes. Other hand, if you're gonna wack the throttle climbing the mountains through the twisties, not really good to advertise your arrival for what ever moto-cops near the top....

+1  We must be brothers from another mother because i feel exactly the same way.  I can tell you it has saved me on getting tickets on more than a few occassions.

[1000lbs]

Look, I'm not saying do not get louder pipes.

What I am saying is get something good.  Yoshi etc.
Those are louder but sound good and racy.  Not obnoxious.

Every D&D pipe I've heard just sounds like crap.  Just noise, no tone, no sweetness to it.  Plus from what I've seen, they are really poorly made.

So, if you're going to drop coin, get something sweet for your bike.  Not crappy.

+1

I try to find a bike with the pipe I'm interested in installed, or at least find a video clip to get an idea of the tone and volume.  Many mfgs will tell you the dbs readings if you send them an email aswell.  More of the mfgs are making euro compliant systems that come with removable street inserts. then you can choose between slightly louder and LOUD.

In the past I've had some obnoxiously loud bikes (mainly big twin cruisers) and it got to the point I was feeling a bit embarrassed starting them up or pulling into park.  Not to mention touring or any kind of long ride was an exercise in hearing protection for me, while subjecting the surrounding public to the full tune.

[cbsnbiker]

My opinion: why take off perfectly-functional equipment, and spend $$$s on something that will do its intended job less efficiently?

I'd rather spend the money on actually riding the bike: gasoline, etc.

Now, if you're replacing damaged pipes, that's another story. But even then, I'd rather get inexpensive take-off stock pipes from someone else who spent the $$$s to replace perfectly good factory pipes.

[turbo.mp]

My opinion: why take off perfectly-functional equipment, and spend $$$s on something that will do its intended job less efficiently?

I hope you realize how ridiculous that statement is referring to motorcycles...  But I am curious what you mean by "less efficiently."  I've never gone out to the AMA races to see a stock exhaust on a single race bike.  Why is that?

By less efficient intended job, you must be referring to the job of muffling the exhaust noise.  

To some, motorcycles are transportation.  To others, they are an outlet of ones personality and need to reach a level of customization to make them feel like they are an extension of their owner.  I fall in the latter, and I'm not afraid to express that I'm passionate about motorcycles.  

[Rogue]

There is a fine line between fashion statement and individuality versus loud and obnoxious.  Many people can't distinguish between the two.  

[steve.ski]

Gots to have the race cans on the street.

More powah at 10K to redline is so dope...

[turbo.mp]

There is a fine line between fashion statement and individuality versus loud and obnoxious.  Many people can't distinguish between the two.  

Couldn't agree more!

[Baz]

The only non stock exhaust system I ever put on a bike was on my old Bandit, and after a couple of years of touring with it, I probably hated that pipe more than my neighbours did. I put the bike back to stock and afterwards asked myself, WTF was I thinking.  

I can tell you there is now a big push on here for aftermarket noise infractions. Oh, and they don't write you a ticket, they tow your bike and you will require a certified inspection to insure it is made legal again.

Oh the other note, my neighbour has a turbocharged HD, in which myself and my other neighbour (who also rides an HD) nominated the worst sounding bike in history. It appears he is the only one in love with that sound, so the "beauty in the eye of the beholder" comments do stick.

County already thinks you are a duchebag for riding an FJR.......  

[Rogue]

Today's aftermarket pipes allow you to choose between loud and obnoxious for a bit more power, or street legal.  So you get the look, the weight loss, and a nice sound, with a bit of a power gain.  Even D&D offers the "Db Killer" plugs now.

[OmegaSix]

I'm going to put a set of D&D pipes on my FJR next week and just wondering what the gendarmes are doing to us for noise, if anything.  I've never had a ticket for noise anywhere so I might be heading for a new first for me......lol........also wonder where the places are with NO sense of humor RE pipes...............

Question:   Will these "D&D" pipes yield more horsepower?

That's a simple YES or NO answer, please.

[turbo.mp]

Question:   Will these "D&D" pipes yield more horsepower?

That's a simple YES or NO answer, please.

Question:  Are they required to yield more horsepower in order to put them on a bike?

That's a simple YES or NO answer, please.