Exhaust noise continues to...
Exhaust noise continues to haunt motorcycling.
We have learned that motorcycling is likely to get a bit of unwanted attention as ABC airs a short segment about loud pipes on its 20/20 "magazine" show slated for January 28. Exhaust noise, from accessory or modified exhaust systems, is a primary cause of any negative image that motorcycling has. The show will reportedly look at how aftermarket pipes, which are generally illegal either for a dealer to install or a rider to use, still manage to get on the street so readily.
Though some riders seem to feel that loud pipes are a right and there is widepread belief (contradicted by research) that they make a rider safer, noisy exhaust systems actually create a great deal of antagonism towards motorcyclists. Major motorcycle right groups, which find themselves expending resources to overcome the ill-will created by these loud exhaust systems, have taken a position against them. However, enforcement has been lax and the proplem continues to grow with sales.
Many motorcyclists who install loud systems also find themselves in a quagmire when they are required to re-install the stock exhaust system as the result of a ticket or a failed safety inspection because they don't retain the stock exhaust.