| Author | Message | ||
     Wolgy |
Ok, I love the sound of my stock exhaust on my '09 Uly, but I'm afraid I'm gonna get killed. Any suggestions for a louder exhaust? I don't want anything too expensive or difficult to install. Thanks! | ||
| Rwven |
I suggest you ride faster. Once you are by them they can't pull over in to you. | ||
| Froggy |
A loud exhaust won't make a difference other than piss off your neighbors and everyone on the road, but anyway go for a Drummer. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Loud exhausts don't do it. Put one of these on your bike: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-horns/stebe l-nautilus-compact/ 139 dB which is probably louder than straight pipes at WOT. There are at least a couple of threads here about installing them. | ||
| Andymnelson |
Yeah, loud pipes don't help that. Gotta learn to drive defensively and not put yourself into situations where someone can run you off the road. | ||
| 7873jake |
+1 on the Stebel Nautilus. I've had very good luck with sending several of the Q-tips that drive around here looking for clean shorts after driving by mirrors or braile in traffic only to find a Stebel with their name on it. | ||
| Motorbike |
Wolgy, next time you are driving in your car with the window down, I suggest you try this little experiment. Let a motorcycle pass you at highway speed and try to notice at which point you actually hear any noise from the bike. Quiet pipes or loud, you really won't hear much until the bike is almost right beside you. I really don't believe the loud pipes will help in this situation. Please be careful out there, we need all the Buellers we can get! Thanks. | ||
| Wolgy |
I got driven off the road twice on my Blast before I installed a loud pipe. Never happened again after that. Maybe a coincidence, I don't know. The loud horn is reactive, after they have entered your lane. Sure, it would be nice to give them a nice 139db "F YOU!", but I don't even want to get to that point.. | ||
| Smac |
I know your pain, Wolgy. An air horn makes a good impression but you have to be quick to act. I always find myself more worried about avoiding the accident than hitting my horn. Also, anything you can do to make yourself more visible. I.E. a bright, color reflective vest over your riding jacket would help. I know that those vests are mandatory at the marine/naval bases near me for anyone that rides on base. I know that they don't look "cool" but neither does a downed biker. | ||
| Babired |
+1 on what Froggy said. What happened? did you get hurt or just got ran off the road and recover? | ||
| Froggy |
Indeed. 13k miles on a bone stock Blast with zero incidents. I can't even recall the last time I've had a close call on any of my 4 Buell's, two of which run stock pipes. Edit: Actually now that I think about it, my last close call was a few months ago in NYC on my XB with Micron pipe, driver changed lanes into my lane, and I was in the MIDDLE of a group of about 6 bikes. Apparently the bikes ahead of me weren't enough to get that guys attention either. (Message edited by froggy on August 16, 2010) | ||
| Xdigitalx |
How can you say a loud pipe can't/won't save u from accident??? that BS. It has saved my ass many times. No... not in a driveby like Motorbike says... Do all accidents happen like that?? Bikes flying by cars? NO. There are many situations that would benefit a loud pipe. Dense traffic, double lane roads/highways, during rush hour, under 60mph. They will know you are there and most will add extra caution before changing lanes because they CAN still hear you. If there is no traffic...you don't need the pipe. I have a SpecOps and I got it mostly for defensive purposes. (does sound good) If there are many road hogs, self-centered drivers, mommycabs, drivers that only look forward, or forward and down at their phone, rarely use turn signals and speed thru heavy traffic like a F1 racer. Not to mention... loads of elderly people driving around who not only can't hear but also have bad eyesight in your area... just get it. That said...being unemployed I only really need the loud pipe maybe like 20% of the time. But the feeling of need for a loud pipe while riding (w/stockpipe) easily surpasses the feeling inconveniencing others with my loud pipe. | ||
| Dynasport |
Yeah, loud pipes don't help that. Gotta learn to drive defensively and not put yourself into situations where someone can run you off the road. I guess you can't ever pass anyone again or ride in town where you are sometimes in a lane beside someone. | ||
| Wolgy |
I was passing this guy on the freeway about 2mph faster than he was going. He started coming over, I hit the horn and went on the shoulder @ 75mph. He jerked back in his lane when I hit the horn but he was already half in my lane. A louder horn wouldn't have helped here, LOL! I always try to be in the fast lane, going faster than vehicles in the right lane. But in traffic it can be difficult. The last time I got run off, I was day-dreaming, languishing in my lane, when all of a sudden I realized, "whoa, I'm in that guys blind spot", not a split-second later he came right over. Oh the thrill of motorcycling! | ||
| Babired |
well commuting on a freeway sucks sometimes. I'm always on alert for drivers coming over in my lane since we are all going the same way. I had that happen to me last month coming home on my ULY, I just finished teaching MC safety class, the faster yellow color, with the stock muffler, at night. I was in the breakdown lane. A lane I hardly ever ride in, and a car was in the middle lane and without warning he was already half way in my lane. I had to throttle out quick, and no time to hit the horn. I was pissed at him. But I shouldn't have been in the breakdown lane and I should have rolled by him quicker than I did. I've had many close calls like that. You got to start paying attention to the driver in the car you are closest to see if he is doing anything, what is his seated position look at what shape the car is in, how small are the windows. You're just wasting your money if you are buying a louder pipe for road defense management, and hurting your hearing at the same time. | ||
| Spiderman |
I was passing this guy on the freeway about 2mph faster than he was going. He started coming over, I hit the horn and went on the shoulder @ 75mph. He jerked back in his lane when I hit the horn but he was already half in my lane. A louder horn wouldn't have helped here, LOL! SO your saying ride with my horn on, not a louder pipe  | ||
| Babired |
here is a funny kind of related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGBcY2IoFSg&feature =related | ||
| Andymnelson |
Not at all, but I NEVER ride in anyone's blind spot, and when I pass I give er a little gas and get by them....never only 2mph faster. | ||
| Union_man |
I like these...  | ||
| Crusty |
Look; there are idiots driving cars who pull out in front of Semis and Freight Trains with loud engines and flashing lights. Do you really think having a louder pipe will make you any safer? It doesn't matter how much you do. Run straight pipes, use a headlight modulator with 100W bulbs, wire up multiple air horns, launch fireworks every 100 yards; there's a jackass on your way home that will try to run into you. Just ride as if you're invisible; because , for all intents and purposes, you are. | ||
| Babired |
oh Crusty you had to remind me of this one. Its a repost from another thread here on BWB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcQ5Xm1MZXw | ||
| Spud |
Stebel air horn. Scares the shit out of the sleepers, cell phone talkers, and grey hairs. Best $34 ever spent on a bike. (I actually made a bike inspector drop his clip board at state insp, now that's a horn) | ||
| Reepicheep |
The Fiam Freeway Blaster (I think it is called) is cheap and available at most auto parts stores in stocck... nice an loud and easy to package under the flyscreen. | ||
| Redbuell_really_gives_you_wings |
Look; there are idiots driving cars who pull out in front of Semis and Freight Trains with loud engines and flashing lights. Do you really think having a louder pipe will make you any safer? Well yes. When i first got my uly i went for a run out the bush. I had a jardine fitted and it was noisey as f%$k. Along said road with 60 mile limit, over a rise in the road i could see the top of a ute about to reverse onto this road about 200-300 yards in front. I could only see the racks on the roof, so he would not have seen me or the bike. The fact that he waited 20-30 seconds at the gate until i passed before backing out gave me confidence that loud pipes help make others aware of your presence...anything helps imo. | ||
| Slyuly |
My v-star had pretty loud pipes when I got it and I was going to swap them out for something more quite, but noticed when running down the highway people looking around to see where the noise was coming from. They can help some but will not solve all. You are still going to have people with ear buds in, talking on the cell. Any little bit helps though...... | ||
| Blk_uly |
+1 on the Fiam freeway blaster! It's plenty loud and fits under the uly's fly screen.[cheap too] | ||
| Motorfish |
+1 Blk uly, one of the first things I did on my `06 is replace the stock horn with a Fiam. Loud, cheap, fits easy. As far as loud pipes, mine is still stock. Defensive riding is a better way to go than loud exhaust, IMO. I love the sound of a good motor, but as we all know, pissing people off does us all no good. Anyone with straight open drag pipes is asking for trouble these days. | ||
| Xdigitalx |
Do you really think having a louder pipe will make you any safer? It already has a few times. But most of the time you will never know if it has saved you or not because you will just be on your merry way home or wherever your riding to. The person that would have pulled over into your lane didn't... because he heard you. The combination of defensive driving, a loud horn and some brite clothes is good! No.., Great!! Adding a loud pipe?? It can only decrease the chances even more of something happening that we do not want. How can it be wrong if it feels so right? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Spend the money on an advanced rider course instead. Betcha you find out you don't "need" that exhaust after all. And...it's easier to install, too! | ||
| Bculy |
I totally agree with Froggy and Ratbuell. Loud exhaust is absolutely ridiculous (I mean it's not the answer). Learning to ride, loud horns and clothing will help. Loud exhaust hurts the entire riding community. |
