Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
Doesn't loud pipes also limit what you can hear around you? That aspect certainly can't make you safer.
Being able to hear on a motorcycle is not nearly as important as it is on a bicycle.
I have plenty enough mirrors on my Shovelhead to see all around me without having to move my neck.
Now before anyone starts chiming in, stop before you start unless you ride a motorcycle, and I'm not meaning "I ride my cousins R1 when I go and visit hime every year". If you are not familiar and comfortable with being on a motorcycle in traffic then you can not possibly offer anything but armchair speculation on the subject.... anyhow, back to AlmostTricks question.
Yes, having the loud pipes does limit what I can hear. But I have not had that become an issue in the 20 years I have been riding a bike, not even once.
In
TWO, (Two Wheels Only) a motorcycle magazine, they had statistics on motorcycle accidents with some pretty interesting numbers. I cannot recall them verbatim but here are some of the ones that stuck in my head, all numbers are approximate.
80% of motorcycle accidents resulted in injury or death
60% of them were intoxicated
75% of them were under the age of 30
75% were on sport bikes
10% were speeds less than 35mph
So from those numbers, which is the best of my memory, most accidents involving motorcycles are the young people on crotchrockets usually going faster than they should and drinking. If they are fortunate enough to live past their stupidity phase then they may one day upgrade to the real bikes for men, which have much less occurances of accidents assuming the riders stay sober.