this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just want to point out, whilst I don't think I've ever heard actual big bikes with shit exhausts, and only occasionally hear it with 16/17/18 year olds with little 50ccs, or brutalised 125's. I know some riders, probably quite a few, do use high RPM, which will make it louder, but it is beneficial to the motorbike to use higher revs.

I know, for my bike, which is a sports bike (can't speak for other types), prefers being ran around just under gear up revs, around the 5k-6.4k mark. This is the range where it gets its power from. You can tell because if you're in 3rd going about 20mph, it feels sluggish, and I think that puts it around 4k. But as you get faster and the revs pickup, it solves that sluggish feeling. But, in 2nd at 30mph, at about 5.7k, it doesn't have that issue. I've also heard that the temperature difference can also sort of clean the piston head. However, I can't personally confirm this, as I have no way of doing it.

It's also why you'll see people using high revs when overtaking. Because you want that power to safely overtake and get it done quickly.

In short. Yes, shit sounding exhausts on bikes that have absolutely no purpose sounding like that is a dickhead thing to do, but when it comes to big bikes, it can be understandable why you'd need it. Unless I'm fully misreading this and some people in other places have extremely loud exhausts. I'm just speaking from experience.

And, no, I don't use high revs at night, where it might disturb others, if I'm going past horses, in which case, I'll pull my clutch and know off the revs, and slowly slide past them (killing the engine could also work, I just haven't had chance to test it) or if I'm going past children/babies.

Another thing I think happens, but I could be wrong, is on cars, you've got the full length of the car to make it quieter. On a bike I'm assuming because there's like no space, it doesn't get the chance to get quieter. I think this is just for stick exhausts/actual aftermarket exhausts like an akropovic. Again, this could be complete bullshit, I just wondered if it made any difference.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I personally don't understand why the loudness and dust pollution (which often also seems to be a bigger issue with bikes compared to cars as well) is much more regulated with bikes and cars, since a lot more people are suffering because of it compared to the "fun" for a few (assholes...).

One way or the other, the future is likely electronic, and I hope that this will happen sooner than later... As when using electronic bikes these issues compared to cars turn around:

  • It's more efficient than cars, because you don't have these issues with high RPM etc. you have mentioned which is just inefficient combustion
  • Even more silent than electronic cars (and I really don't like the argument, that these vehicles need to be loud for the safety of pedestrians, design goddamn infrastructure that is safe for them regardless of the noise the vehicles make, you may have some kind of automatic warning in the future if this is really relevant).

Also issues like short battery life (or sluggish bike when using a big battery) will likely be solved incrementally in the future. In the meantime please (targeted to politicians) just regulate them slowly towards electronic bikes (e.g. allow only very silent new bikes, which is basically a death sentence to combustion, when very silent).