Why are Harleys so loud? [video]
Posted by staff / May 27, 2016
There’s no mistaking the sound of an approaching Harley-Davidson, yet what makes these bikes so loud?
That’s the question Today I Found Out addresses in this episode. No earplugs required.
Full story at YouTube via Laughing Squid.
Because the owners remove the stock exhaust systems,and replace them with straight pipes (no baffles) and after market performance pipes that are louder than oem exhaust. Oem exhaust are very quiet !!!
The research didn’t say that the motorcycle accidents usually are racing bikes (crouch rockets) not cursing or touring bikes like Harleys. I own a 99 Road King and I will gladly put it back to stock when you stop illegally texting/talking on your cell phone and turn down your loud music. Lets not forget the illegal action of these people with ear buds in both of their ears driving down the road with no one else in the car.
so after watching the video I have to wonder… Why are Harley Davidson Motorcycles so loud?
whats a crouch rocket???????
We like them loud. I have 1 that will make your ears bleed, the other one is just loud. My wife’s is loud and my kids ninja is loud. And yes, drivers do notice use better.
Yeah those couch rocket and cursing bikes are the worst. Dumb article at best. All of my bikes are either loud or have the potential to be. Loudest is the CB750 running straight pipes. The author probably doesn’t even realize there ARE other US brands out there, namely Victory and Indian, and both are arguably better.
I needed a bike to drive by and wake me from this video.
Wearing black on a motorcycle is asking for a 4 wheeler to hit you. Driving a “crotch rocket” at double the posted speed limit will end up bad for the 2 wheeler. And there are many more. Driving with 1 hand on the steering wheel is another problem that needs to be solved (with 4-wheelers). BUT (and I’ve ridden motorcycles since the 70’s) loud pipes are not necessary and will never fix the above real problems.
Because most of them are owned by dirtbags
why are we having this conversation? it’s a HARLEY_DAVIDSON and nothing else can compare! the end!
I love my dynawideglide the louder the better, I want you to hear me coming.
I thought it was so that all the douchebag’s that ride around on them on the weekends could get a hard-on
why are we having this conversation? it’s a HARLEY-DAVIDSON! nothing else can compare, if it’s too loud turn down your hearing aid! the end.
LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES.
Do you know the difference between a Harley and a Hoover?
— The position of the dirt bag 🙂
I love my dynawideglide, the louder the better.
HD better shape up or Indian will knock them down a few pegs. Victory too is making a decent product. I understand the HD cult and culture but don’t these people ever get tired of their bikes being in the shop all the time?
I’ve been an avid rider for more than 40 years. The best I can figure is, it’s the “LOOK AT ME”! mentality. I don’t really like noise or vibration, I just want to enjoy the ride. I don’t own a Harley because I cannot afford the clothing. So many of the “LOOK AT ME,I”M A REAL BIKER types”, hang up their 90 dollar leather dew rag on Sunday afternoon and on Monday go back to being a payroll clerk at a box factory.
That’s CROTCH ROCKET….something between your legs that goes fast!!!!!!
Every time I hear a bike rider has died I celebrate. Even better though is hearing the rider is stuck in wheel chair unable to to even wipe his own a**. Its inexcusable bikers are allowed to create such racket while a car is typically very limited on allowable decibel limitations. Quite frankly a bike should not exceed the noise limit of a car. I suffer from a medical condition that includes noise sensitivity and I’m forced to suffer because others disrespect peace and quiet.
These machines have to be the worst engineered bikes on the road. They are under powered, handle like a stone and the breaking is the pits. . The reason that they are loud is so you don’t hear the guys on real bikes ,like crotch rockets laughing at you. Give me a metric any day.
You hear before you see… sound will save your life….think about it..
When driving your car, you hear a sound first, your reaction is to look for that sound…
Most automobile drivers do not look around when taking a lane, one can take notes when driving, we go to pull
over suddenly you realize (oops) sorry, did not see that car, we have all done this….you may not like a loud
motorcycle, but you hear it before you see it, please save someones life…
Some do take advantage and make bikes unusually loud, this I agree is not right
Yet to single out Harley to make a point is wrong…..MHO
Cars make certain sounds so that the blind can hear them…..sound is part of our driving experience, and saftey..
We can argue also cars are made now that mask our senses…
They are loud because self-centered dikks who care nothing about others ride those loud bikes. I have a Harley and two Jap bikes. They are not loud. Loud bikes are ridden by little men who are screaming, “I am somebody! Look at me! Look at me! I am a tough guy on a motorcycle!” They give other riders a bad name with there annoying loud nonsense. It is like f a r ting loudly in public. They just want to be noticed. They are dirt bags, those loud riders, that is what they are. How about if you want people to look at you, you just get a face book page or something and leave your exhausts alone? Wouldn’t that work? You could still have people look at you that way without disturbing others.
aren’t there laws against too much noise in every state? why is this not being enforced?
Ditto. couldn’t of said it better EXCEPT for the loud pipes saves lives B.S. Thought that form of mental-masturbation was reserved for the great too-cool-for-school washed-unwashed Harley drones. Don’t get me wrong a bike shouldn’t sound like a sewing machine. My two rides have after-market performance pipes that hit a happy median. But if you can hear them coming from a mile away!!!!!!!!. Fonda&Hopper weren’t shot for being long-haired coke-dealing hippies,NO!!!!. POS Harlys TOO LOUD!!. Don’t give the cage-drivers any more reason to hate us than they already do!.
Who is this British fool and why is he even talking about it, He obviously is as dumb as he looks. Loud or not so loud nothing sounds better than a Harley Davidson under full acceleration or even idling. Besides, loud pipes save lives.
Most bikers with the loud pipes are simply little boys looking to be noticed. And loud pipes do not make a bike more noticeable–think of the Doppler effect.
The only thing more obnoxious that an @$$hole on a loud Harley is the narrator of this article.
Another article that amazes me at the stupidity of some writers.
Why do liberals look like spastic colons when they talk…!
Notice how the dolt in the video dances completely around why Harley’s are loud with 6 minutes of drivel about …deci”bells”… !
After the mental patient looking shaved head slaps you in the face…the gay accent…and the liberal sweater uniform… you just know that you clicked yourself onto a dead end street…
If you think “Loud pipes save lives,” I have another catch phrase for you “Ride like you’re invisible.” This has worked for me for 46 years of street riding whether I’m on my pure sport bike, super moto, or naked cruiser. If you are relying on motorists being aware of you because you have loud pipes, eventually you are going to be very disappointed.
In most cases loud pipes don’t add to safety due to the doppler effect but when lane splitting which is legal and advocated by the California Highway Patrol the loud pipes are a safety factor. People in slow traffic do move to make room when they hear you coming. People do look up from their texting and steering with their knees when they hear
a bike.
Hear me will get you to stop texting, otherwise feel me in a way you don’t want to
Because # 1 a lot of folks like the sound. #2 the Hp. and performance is so low the loud noise makes the rider feel likes he’s operating at a higher level than the bike is capable of.
The idiot that says “Loud Pipes Saves Lifes” is truly an idiot. DEFENSIVE DRIVING/RIDING SAVES LIVES!
I have noticed that most Harley riders are middle aged or older —they don’t own anything but their Harleys –they talk too loud when they are talking [ which is usually most of the time ] and they still live with their mommys !
Yes, they can be loud. Thanks for the data, but you did not answer Why They are Loud. Harleys design of two large cylinders with large exhaust valves is the reason they are loud. The early ones were single fire and that added to the noise. Please answer the question if you are asking it in your posting.
This guy is much more annoying than any Harley
When we were kids, we would attach playing cards to our bikes with clothespins so they’d make noise hitting the spokes. It’s the same thing only on a bigger, adult scale…
my i ask the maker of your bike ?? is it a huffy a schwinn ,possibly a tri-cycle ???…I was riding on the freeway and nearly got creamed ,,,the lady screamed out the cage window ” sorry i didn’t see you !!!! “
I grew up riding motorcycles. Loud motorcycles, loud music and loud cars were what I loved. Guess what, I now have severe hearing loss. Nothing will ever fix it. The last motorcycle I had caused the damage to my hearing. That was 30 years ago. I have not ridden since. You think it won’t happen to you or you don’t think about it at all. I didn’t. If you ride a loud bike, you will have hearing loss sooner or later. Take my advice and turn down the noise before it’s too late. I wish I had never been on a bike.
Have ridden H.D.’s for over 40 years. The first thing I do is remove the baffles or put on drag pipes (straight pipes). I do not do this for the attention because I am secure enough in my manhood. And some of you freakin idiots that call H.D. owners “drones or douche bags” are truly stupid. Just look at your spelling and how you phrase things. I have 2 master degrees and a Doctorate. I may be an older man now but I can still throw down with best of them. As for “couch rockets”,(more stupidity), I do not recognize them as motorcycles, just toys for “wanna be bikers”. ENOUGH SAID!!!
Loud bike pipes are used by ignorant, dicourteous riders with an IQ of stupid.
Did you notice that only woosie, liberal and Progressive cities and State are mentioned here? Speaking of woosie this guy must be one of the chief woosies I’ve ever had to listen to.
Loud pipes do not save lives. Someone in a car with all the windows closed can hear the bike, but can’t tell where it is in relation to the car. Bikers don’t realize this and it can cause an accident, The loud noise coming on quick can also put a a car driver in a panic not knowing where it’s coming from.
I have always had LOUD PIPES on my Harleys because people in cars and trucks just do not pay attention!!! There putting on makeup,talking on the phone,reading the paper…ect. At least if they hear me they start looking around. Harley riders are different than these young kids riding these RICE ROCKET,they do not ride safe.They are the reason for a lot of the new laws for motorcycles…….
why pick on harley’s???!!! I have riding buddies on metric bikes that are easily twice as loud as my dyna. In fact I refuse to ride behind one of them because his bike is too loud. So it’s not just the “harley guys”
try ear plugs
Who cares? Why does everything have to have an explanation when everyone is different? Ask 10 people which brand or bike they like and you’ll get 10 different answers. Live free and ride free, brothers! But I do like couch rockets and cursing bikes.
Harleys have a issue with cooling with the back cylinder… so an un-restricted exhaust system combined with cooler plugs and rich cooling jetting was necessary up till a few years ago. Now, not so much as oil has gotten so much better at handling high temperatures. But, traditions live on long after the fact. Also, its a fact that loud motorcycles “wake up” un-observent drivers in autos.. so at least a motorcycle with loud exhaust is noticed (good and bad).
apparently GEORGE VEE DOES NOT LIVE IN PARADISE CA.
I could not bare to keep listening and watching this bloke-spare yourself the pain of it as I did and forget it and move on!
They are loud because when you purchase a new stock bike from Harley they sound like sewing machines or low RPM rice burners. You have to go to after market, get a Screaming Eagle package, new cam and pipes to get the “sound” so familiar with Harleys. You can’t get it from the showroom floor.
By the way, this after market upgrade costs upwards of $3,000!
Get a life! Its a motorcycle. How many idiots do I see on their cell phone driving every day!!!!
its so you aholes in autos can hear we are around you
sound is DIRECTIONAL you idiots, all the sound your, (and my old panhead) produce /d is going BEHIND you/us . Look up in the sky next time you hear a plane then look to see where it actually is…. if you are the plane, counting on sound to save you, you’re already dead. Been riding since the late 60’s, I prefer stealth, not ever did I want the attention of a bored LEO at 2 am. food for thought , thinking ones. Otherwise , the graybar awaits the disenchanted and overboisterious..be well, and safe.
i won a harley, work for a dealership and to much amay thiere is no evidence that luoud pipes save lives, mine is rich mellow tone so wake up people, as for crotch rockets its young kids that do stupid thning give us all mad rap
I like how bad A$$ some of you guys are at the keyboard. I like to see you say some of your comments to a riders face. you’ll be drinking your dinner through a straw for a year!
I have nothing against motorcycles. But even motorcyclist have their faults using cell phones and very loud music that even dead people hear. Not all accidents are caused by cars or trucks. A lot of accidents are cause by cyclist who think just because their vehicle is smaller and accelerates quickly tend to takes more chances weaving in and out of traffic and driving very carelessly. Then after the accident blame those driving cars or trucks. Just like pedestrians who wear dark clothing at dawn, dusk, and at night put themselves at great risk when walking in or next those the right of ways. Cyclist tend to have dimly lite cycles and wear dark clothing making it very difficult to see. Also a big problem with 90 percent of people including cyclist is everyone is always in to much of a hurry. Waiting to the last second to leave for their destination instead of allowing a little extra time for any delays. So shut up and be apart of the solution not the problem. Until the law enforcement starts cracking down on all noise relate issues cyclist will always get a bad rape. Regardless what you drive or where you live. Accidents is everyones problem. Especially since most teens are driving sports cars and do not have any driving skills or proper driving instructions now days. Again shut up and be apart of the solution not the problem.
Just wish they could them tuned up so they could sit at traffic lights without the constant revving. I never have to do with my bike or car.
some of these comments I can agree with but others are just BS. IT IS EVERYONE’S responsibility to drive or ride responsibly , I agree that most car/truck drivers are just as illegal texting/talking on cell phone, turning radios up louder than needed or simply kids trying to “show off”. I have ridden off and on for a few years and presently do not ride but want to. I have never liked excessive noise off some bikes
So now the liberal scum are complaining about lour pipes?
Liberal scum dont like loud pipes now?
Id rather listen to loud pipes than the idiot on the video with that annoying voice and accent
I think a headlight modulators for motorcycles are better for saving lives then loud pipes.
Loud, pipes,and no helmets, Its just real simple. The loud pipes are so you will look at me and no helmet is so you can see who I am ! those people are the wanna bes but never will. I don’t put put a leather jacket on and a bandana with HD I refuse to advertise any company for free. I guess I just will never be cool…
Samson Exhaust makes some loud exhaust. They also Mae some moderate sounding exhaust. Anything other than stock is an emended improvement.
I have to laugh at these riders who dress in cutoffs and a tank top. That pavement is gonna feel real good when you slide across it. Oh and loud pipes are for people who aren’t going to want their hearing later on in life. But I suppose ignorance is bliss these days 25000 and a Harley make you a biker.
What a douche. And to everyone worried about “loud pipes,” get a life and mind your own business. If you don’t like them, then don’t get a bike with them. Put your phones down and stop texting, facebooking etc, and pay attention to the road and others using the road.
Why are prius cars all so stupid looking and why does everyone that drives one, look like a complete buffoon?
If there’s even a small chance that loud pipes save lives, why not put up with the sound? I’ve been riding for more than 30 years, quiet and loud bikes. I would prefer a quiet bike, but there’s no question about it, the louder aftermarket pipes on my Harley has saved me in parking lots and on the road more times than I care to count simply because drivers are not paying attention to the road. Most Harley riders are not in a hurry, that’s why the ride cruisers. It’s the ridiculously fast Japanese bikes that get into accidents, I’d like to see more law enforcement keeping them in line rather than see laws banning loud bikes because they get your attention.