Did you know that a big chunk of a motorcycle’s manufacturing budget goes to the development of its exhaust system?

Manufacturers spend so much on it, not just to adhere to emission standards, but also to minimize operating noise. Yet, some of us riders would immediately slap on aftermarket pipes as soon as a newly bought motorcycle leaves the showroom.

Is it to improve performance? Does it really?

Maybe it's to make their bike sound better? The louder, the better because loud pipes save lives, right?

Apparently not.

Louder isn't better

It was found that car drivers could hardly hear a motorcycle that is more than 33 feet away, even if its exhaust pipe is emitting noise between 80 to 110 decibels.

This was the key finding in a study made by the Association for the Development of Motorcycling in Romania, in conjunction with the Department of Road Vehicles at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, together with the Netherlands-based, noise-emissions specialist Enviro Consult.

This is under the condition that all the car windows are up, the engine is running at 2,500 to 3,000 rpm and the radio volume is at 20 decibels (still at a noise level where carrying a normal conversation is still possible).

The study concluded that car drivers, under the said conditions, can only hear loud motorcycle pipes if they are less than 33 feet away. But this was deemed already too close for the car driver to make the necessary safety maneuvers.

I don’t know about those Romanians, but unless I have Taylor Swift on full blast, I could hear a kamote rider (with his or her open pipe) approaching from 300 feet away.

Maybe my car has crappy sound insulation.

Use your lights 

In any case, let’s not rely on sound alone to make our presence known to other motorists.

As mandated by law, all motorcycle models in the Philippine market are equipped with headlights that are always turned on to make riders more visible on the road.

And here's a pro tip: Switching your headlight to the high beam during daytime won’t blind drivers in the opposite lane, but it will surely be more effective in getting their attention. 

Anyway, could you believe that them cagers really couldn’t hear a motorcycle from just 33 feet away?

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SADDLETALE is the weekly column of AutoFun Philippines Motorcycle Editor Gilbert Chao. Read about his thoughts on two-wheelers every Wednesday!