bill67 wrote on 07/09/11 at 19:40:23:

My dad was an electrician and instrument mechanic in a lancaster squadron during WWII. Part of his duties were to set the magnetos on the engines at 10,000 ft altitude. The two outer engines had the magnetos mounted in the fuselage, but he had to crawl down the wing root to set them on the inner engines. It was very loud in there and he suffered from hearing loss because of this. When he turned 70 or so veteran's affairs came to see him and explained that he could apply for a pension, which he did. They gave him $110 a month for the rest of his life.

WD wrote on 07/10/11 at 04:14:24:


Same here - Air Force kid and exposure to aircraft jets from age 1 for 17 years, going to airshows, watching artillery demos, standing near runways to watch the jets practice touch & goes, the works.
And strange how I was exposed to very HIGH frequency noise, but it affected my LOW range of hearing.

Then I started living history and...constant exposure to blackpowder weapons, cannon and mortars. And I mean CANNON...including Howitzers and the like.


I found it interesting to see how many people listed "lack of protection when using guns"...we know its bad for us, but we still didnt use any ear protection.  Thats a bunch of badarse peoples...who are now deaf as posts!  

Oh well....

I have slight hearing loss at high frequencies due to listening to and playing in loud rock and roll bands.

But, being a stubborn male, I still don't wear earplugs when I play, but at least I have my reasons. I need to hear the on-stage monitors to keep me singing in key!

But now at least when I'm at a concert, I wear earplugs (if I remember to bring 'em).

As an MSF RiderCoach, I tell any student who asks about loud pipes the following true statement: There are no conclusive studies showing that loud pipes have any impact on fatality rates.

I try to leave it at that, because the topic gets very complicated very quickly when one digs into it further.

For example, how COULD a researcher design a study in the real world that could adequately test this hypothesis? (Simply put, you can't.)

Well, what about looking at dead motorcyclists? Are there a higher percentage of super-quiet Gold Wing riders who die as compared to loud-piped HD riders? Maybe. Maybe not. But any such analysis would suffer from a host of confounding variables such as helmet use/non-use, other safety gear use/non-use, rider experience, rider recklessness, just to name a few.

Plus, the cops record a lot of things when they write up a fatal, but loudness of pipes ain't one of 'em.

So, the only evidence that anyone has on this matter is anecdotal evidence, which is no evidence at all.

It comes down to this, in my opinion. Sure, loud pipes may get car drivers to notice you sooner, but that loudness very rarely helps drivers in front of you to hear you, and those are the drivers who really need to notice you (i.e., the one who might turn left in front of you).

And plus, any drivers who DO hear your pipes are likely to be: 1) behind you or beside you, 2) startled by your pipes and may jerk the wheel in response (I know I have done this), and/or 3) pissed off by the loudness, which may bump up the chance for road rage retaliation.

Bottom line for me: Loud pipes may be effective in a few specific situations, but their downsides -- (1-3 above), plus I hate hearing loud pipes -- means that I have chosen to ride a bike with quieter-than-average stock pipes, which I have not modified.

Works for me.

Your mileage may vary.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 07/08/11 at 22:01:40:



. . . .   as a kid huh?  






jk JOG

I don't like pipes that leave my ears
ringing minutes after the bike has passed.
The kind that make the pavement move, you
know the kind I am talking about.
Now a nice rumble, yeah that is ok.
I have hearing loss as birth defect.
Yet seems those loud pipes even make that
ear ache..kim

Ya had I not had my hearing checked by an
Audiologist, I would not have known about
the birth defect. I thought it was due to a
bicycle accident when I was a kid.
Come to find out,  forgive me if I say it
wrong, the  Stapies bone was deformed.
So the
Dr. took it out and replaced with a Titanium
prosthesis about 7 years ago. It helped some
yet not 100%. Dr. said more surgery, I said no.
Only thing with the Titanium prosthesis,  it won't allow
any MRI's to performed due to the metal.
When we go to the races, we now take our ear phones.
those cars and motorcycles racing are very loud.. kim

Photojoe,  a true story ....

For the jollies of it I rented one of the .50 caliber namesakes (your pic by your name) when they first became available.   It was a big deal back then as it trumped a .44 magnum by a wide margin.

Brass alone was an ounce and a half ..... and one landed on the top of my head (rim down of course)  after flying straight up and bouncing off the ceiling of the shooting booth.

I had blood running down my face when I exited the range and I pointedly suggested to the attendant that they only rent the gun for outside range use since it throws its heavy as hell sharp edged brass straight up in the air.





(fingering the circular scar on the top of his noggin as he types)