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Comment by rabuse | Hacker News Reader

To be fair, riding a quiet motorcycle is likely to get you sideswiped more if the people can't hear you at all. I've noticed the difference of head movements when changing the exhaust on my new motorcycle, from stock to a louder aftermarket. Prior, people would just veer into my lane without even checking. Anecdotal, but very noticeable difference for myself.

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If "loud pipes save(d) lives", your insurance company would give you a discount for your man-child exhaust. And if you want anecdata, I've ridden hundreds of thousands of miles in every U. S. state, most of Canada, and elsewhere. Most of those miles have been with the exhaust that came with the bike when it rolled out of the factory. I've never been sideswiped, nor even once considered that a loud exhaust would do anything to improve my safety.

I sure am glad for the riding classes I've taken, however, which probably do a lot more good than obnoxious exhaust systems.

> your man-child exhaust

Less of this, please

I haven’t even heard of my insurance giving me a discount for wearing a full face helmet instead of a bucket helmet.

Actually, is there a single thing that insurance gives you a discount for?

Like, I’m with GEICO and as far as I can tell, it’s only age of license without accident or ticket that counts.

Either every factor is a wash or insurance companies are keeping the spread as profit on their side or they have no means of enforcing.

Like, do you install a Termignoni and then call your insurance agent? “Hi, I got louder exhaust pipes installed. Also, I’ve decided to wear a nicer helmet. Also, I now keep my bike inside a garage. Just wanted to call about the discount”

They don't give you a discount for a better helmet because it's cheaper for them if you're dead vs paying the hospital bills for your injuries.

Actually, is there a single thing that insurance gives you a discount for?

ABS, having taken a Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding course (in the U. S.), and yes, for storing it in a garage. All of those are items for which Progressive gives a discount.

Huh. Guess I was wrong. I have the latter two (no ABS on my old Ducati Monster). Better go get my discount. Thank you!

I'd say I'm surprised that Geico didn't just come out and ask these things, as Progressive did when we signed on, but Geico has never done a lot to impress me. Probably depends a lot on the agent, I don't know. Anyway, doesn't cost anything to ask, and if that doesn't work, we've been on Progressive for the bikes for decades. Never filed a claim, but rates are reasonable and they give discounts for the stuff we were going to do anyway.

Please don’t use offensive demeaning language like “man-child” it makes you sound immature and pedantic.

What definition are you using for pedantic here? I’m a bit confused and might learn something today.

Anecdotally, over 25 years of riding in most every condition you can think, including several years of one-way 30 mile commute in to downtown LA, I have not noticed this.

As a corollary anecdote, I've seen (and heard), on several occasions, the rev bombing riders revving louder and longer since the person that's "in their way" is not moving out of it.

I've also, personally, jerked and swerved (a little) when startled by a loud exhaust "suddenly" appearing next to me. These events are typically followed by a crude exclamation that isn't worth sharing here.

At one point I did have a bike with a louder exhaust (I didn't keep the citation I got because of it). But the majority of my bikes are stock exhausts and quiet.

Cars swerve in to anything and everything. Especially today, the modern car cockpit is overwhelmed with distractions. But even pre-cell phones I've had to contend with kids, coffee, balloons, and animals apparently designed to convert the car drivers in to motorcycle seeking missiles.

Keep it on two, stay safe, they're not out to get you but they make a good show of it anyway.

I stopped riding two years ago after 30+ years. This was mostly based on my recent experience as a pedestrian- I just watched way too many people running stop signs while staring at their phone. Figured I'd have a good run of it and better to get out while the going was good.

Yeah, if I rode around with speakers blasting at 130dB and flashing fog lights, people might look at me too.

But I don't do it because people would think I'm a selfish asshole.

Maybe you just shouldn't ride a motorcycle if, in order to feel safe, you feel the need to unreasonably increase your level of noise pollution.

I generally do not hear loud vehicles directly next to me while driving down the road. Not cars or motorcycles. My own radio, tire noise, and engine noise is enough to drown out all but the absolute loudest, except maybe when I'm going very slow.

How about the pedestrians and people eating outside at restaurants? Or people in old houses with poor insulation and single paned windows?

However, I don’t like the idea of automatically ticketing people with technology devices alone despite the obnoxiously loud noise pollution from these vehicles. Police can easily hear these vehicles and pull them over for a violation.

My point (I may not have explained it well) was that a motorcycle's loud exhaust isn't saving the rider's life from me, since I can't hear it. (I'm not going to run over motorcyclists in general, though). It really sucks for those on the outside who have to deal with it. If there was automatic ticketing, I would hope there's a high burden of proof. I'm not exactly sure what that would look like.

> ”Police can easily hear these vehicles and pull them over for a violation.”

In practice this doesn’t happen, however, at least here in the UK.

Police are not issued with equipment to measure noise levels, and on a busy road it can be difficult to identify (provably and conclusively) which vehicles are making the noise.

Which is exactly why technology like these “noise cameras” are needed!

> In practice this doesn’t happen, however, at least here in the UK

Especially in the nice areas of London you could probably drive for years without numberplates and nobody would ever stop you.

It very much _does_ happen in the UK, though rarer than it ought.

I've even seen the police crack out light meters to fine boy racers with overly tinted windows.

Wow that’s a loud car. What’s the decibel level inside at highway speed? My Forester is loud to sit in on the freeway but what you’re describing is crazy loud. Can’t even imagine it.

It's not overly loud. I just don't hear other loud vehicles without the radio off and the windows open, and I don't typically have the radio off and the windows open. This has always been the case for me in any vehicle at highway speeds.

I suppose it could be the opposite. A very quiet car. What make, model, and year? I’ve been looking for a quiet car. BMWs seem really quiet on the inside. My friend bought one because he wanted to shield his child from freeway homier when they were driving.

I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue and a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. They are not quiet on the inside. Lots of air leaks and stuff. I just don't understand how people hear other loud vehicles going 70MPH or so. I have good hearing (according to my latest hearing test) and unless the loud vehicle is extremely loud (like big truck with a jake brake) then I've never hear the neighboring vehicles in any vehicle, not just the two I currently have.

Edit: If I'm able to hear them, it's immediately after they have passed me.

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