Many of them are now ashamed of their loud past.
You’re presenting in a Zoom meeting and suddenly hear a motorcycle roar from a distance. You immediately apologize to your coworkers, but the noise grows louder as the vehicle whizzes down your block.
Or maybe you’re driving leisurely along a nearly empty road when someone revving up their motorcycle drives by you. You curse and honk as loud as you can—the only way to show your annoyance—but the rider just speeds up as if they own the place
People who drive excessively loud vehicles are universally seen as obnoxious and downright annoying around the world.
Noisy motorcycles are the bane of many people’s existence. It could get violent, like what happened to a motorcyclist in East Java who was beaten up for disturbing the peace in a neighborhood.
Which begs the question, why do so many people want such loud vehicles anyway?
Adi Wira, rode a Bajaj Pulsar 180 motorcycle for four years. He said he modified the exhaust system to improve his motorcycle’s performance. According to him, the standard exhaust system has a filter that affects the vehicle’s speed.
“At the time, I never thought of how loud and noisy it would be,” he said.
Adi replaced the original exhaust pipe with a free flow muffler, which he said makes a more bassy but less deafening sound, at least to him.
Abdi Rabbani upgraded the exhaust system of his cars for the same reason. He explained that every car has a catalytic converter, which may reduce performance. Some people believe removing it can make cars run faster.
“To maximize [the performance], we usually replace it with a bigger muffler that has no bend. Unfortunately, this type makes the exhaust louder,” Abdi said.
Andreas Krishnamurti, meanwhile, opted for a tailpipe design that fit his Honda GL100 motorcycle. He loved the thrill of revving up the engine when passing irresponsible drivers.
“Honking isn’t enough, while shouting at them is exhausting.”
“Louder exhaust pipes are not always noisy. The roar of a Harley-Davidson or other 500cc bikes, for example, sounds appealing,” he said, but added that such bikes may produce disturbing noises when driven by people who want to show off.
Adi said that no one ever complained about his noisy tailpipe. He made sure to always keep the volume down and rode slowly every time he passed through residential areas.
Abdi has no interest in downgrading his car’s exhaust system because he believes it could degrade the vehicle’s performance.
“I own a Toyota which had the entire engine and rear body modified. It does sound noisier than the standard version, but the performance has improved considerably,” he said. “It would be a waste of money if I go back to the standard exhaust system.”
Although they are, or used to be, proud of their loud vehicles, the men said that they’re also annoyed by riders who rev their engines loudly.
In December 2019, Muhammad developed hearing problems because of a motorcycle with a super loud exhaust. He was enjoying a meal outside when someone drove by at full speed, making a deafening sound.
It hurt his right ear, leaving a ringing sound. Although he had long since stopped riding a loud motorcycle, this experience made him realize how bad these pipes could be.
“I was diagnosed at risk of hearing loss because of that brief moment,” Muhammad said. Now he has to cover his ears every time a motorcycle with a blaring exhaust passes by.
Meanwhile, Rizky often thinks that never being able to escape loud vehicles is his karma for disturbing the peace with his noisy motorbike in the past. “Almost every night I curse at people who drive really loud in front of my house,” he said.
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