I think you’re on the money here, both in that “loud pipes save lives” is a poor excuse for unreasonably loud bikes – since it’s the use of the throttle as a kind of soft horn in traffic that achieves this effect, and that’s possible with virtually any ICE motorcycle – and that this isn’t possible with electric bikes, which adds a risk. In either case, it doesn’t serve as a defense for increasing the volume of regular motorcycles.
I think the argument is that it acts as a sort of “passive horn”. That merely by being near a car you’ll be noticed if you have a motorcycle with loud pipes.
It’s somewhat true of all ICE motorcycles. They’re not silent. But, are they loud enough to wake a driver up out of a daze and cause them to notice the bike?
An electric motorcycle won’t be noticed at all through the noise it makes. It might not be that different from a properly silenced ICE bike.
In any case, it’s sad that we’re in a situation where a driver whose brain isn’t engaged with what’s going on around him can kill a motorcyclist through inattention.
I think you’re on the money here, both in that “loud pipes save lives” is a poor excuse for unreasonably loud bikes – since it’s the use of the throttle as a kind of soft horn in traffic that achieves this effect, and that’s possible with virtually any ICE motorcycle – and that this isn’t possible with electric bikes, which adds a risk. In either case, it doesn’t serve as a defense for increasing the volume of regular motorcycles.
I think the argument is that it acts as a sort of “passive horn”. That merely by being near a car you’ll be noticed if you have a motorcycle with loud pipes.
It’s somewhat true of all ICE motorcycles. They’re not silent. But, are they loud enough to wake a driver up out of a daze and cause them to notice the bike?
An electric motorcycle won’t be noticed at all through the noise it makes. It might not be that different from a properly silenced ICE bike.
In any case, it’s sad that we’re in a situation where a driver whose brain isn’t engaged with what’s going on around him can kill a motorcyclist through inattention.