MAG joins BMF against loud pipes

MAG chief executive Henry Marks says he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the BMF’s recently announced anti-loud-pipes position.

MAG’s support comes as a surprise given that this is the group that coined the phrase ” loud pipes save lives ” .

Yesterday we told how the BMF was now saying that loud pipes were anti-social, did us no favours with the neighbours and drew attention from the police. The BMF’s Jeff Stone said we should stop using them on the road.

That has been firing up quite a debate on our Talk Bikes bulletin board. The fact that MAG is siding with the BMF, is likely to spark even more.

They may be illegal, but pipes which don’t quite meet noise regulations are used by large numbers of motorcyclists. Many argue they act as a safety device, alerting otherwise unwary car drivers to the presence of you and your bike.

But BMF spokesman Jeff Stone is now saying: ” Freedom is what biking’s all about, but on a small island like ours, have we really got the freedom to make as much noise as we want?

” I run a Ducati so I know what I think is a nice sound, but my neighbours probably think differently! This is not the BMF siding with authority, this is the BMF being realistic. ”

HERE’S WHAT SOME OF YOU ARE SAYING: the doctor: I have a pair of race cans on my twin, and ride to work everyday which involves a lot of filtering and busy junctions. Since fitting them back in the summer I have found most car drivers move their cars over as you blip the throttle before you reach them, and I think for filtering safely they are very good. I don’t think my cans are particularly loud, not like some brands… and I am happy to carry on using mine.

Hedgehog5: From a safety point of view…I think that loud pipes are not too smart. They’re great if you think from a very selfish point of view – ” look at me, I’m making lots of noise ” – but what about everybody else? While they’re looking for the noise they’ve missed the scooter rider / cyclist / pedestrian / other bikes. What if everybody says they’re going to make as much noise as possible on the grounds of safety. Imagine the din. & we’d be back at square 1 but even less likely to be noticed. From an aesthetic point of view though – they sound luverley. Yeksolccm: I’m a member of BMF but after discovering their view on loud pipes I’ll be canceling my membership! I have a race can on my current bike (and every bike I’ve ever owned) – I feel that race cans are a must, they release the true sound of the bike and make it feel sportier and faster. Basically, modern high performance race reps are anti-social, dangerous things – if you plan not to be antisocial or break the law then why the hell would you want to buy a hi-po bike?What do you think about loud pipes? Do they give us a bad name, or have they saved your life? Follow the link, right, to have your say in TALK NEWS.

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