D o Loud Pipes Save Lives ? Sadly for some , according to a European study , the answer is a firm no . It is the battle cry of many Kiwi motorcyclists , but a European study says it has disproven the claim that “ loud pipes save lives .” Now , let ’ s start off by saying we ’ re not against loud pipes . In fact , we reckon they can add a lot of character to a bike and straight-up sound cool . We do take issue , however , with riders making the argument that they are a safety device in order to justify them . The study in question here was a collaboration between Romania ’ s motorcyclist organisation MotoADN and the Politehnica University of Bucharest , and measures not only the level of noise from a motorcycle in real-world conditions ( 60km / h ), but also whether the level of noise is enough to give the driver enough time to react . To some , the results will come as unsurprising as the study found loud pipes do not save lives . The study found that there is a 5db measurable difference between the front and rear of the bike and , even with pipes illegally loud , drivers ahead did not hear the bike in time to take meaningful action at 60km / h . Here are the conclusions of the Romanian study as posted by FEMA on their website : A motorcycle cannot be heard in the car ( in motion ) if it is at a distance of more than 15 metres , no matter how modified the exhaust is and no matter the background noise in the passenger compartment . At distances of 10 metres from the car , a motorcycle ( with a noise level produced above the legal limits ) can be heard , but the sound is in a low frequency area where the sound is difficult to identify by the human ear and is difficult to position in space . When the motorcycle is near the car or in front of the car , the noises produced will be heard in the car at a level that attracts the driver ’ s attention , even when the music is at a medium level . At this distance , however , no driver`s manoeuvre that would endanger the motorcyclist could be prevented . To be heard in a car 15 meters away , a motorcycle should produce a sound level at the exhaust pipe of more than 135dB ( A ), a condition that is impossible to accomplish in reality .