Empulse needs some sound

[1lesscar]

One of the biggest complaints from my ice moto friends is that they want some big sound. I really hope somebody comes up with an accessory that will do this. At least this will get them to buy a brammo.

[Shinysideup]

Have they ever DRIVEN  an electric bike?

When I test rode one, I found it to be totally different than watching it being driven without sound.

While I'm not at all a fan of straight pipes on a hog, I do like a tamed rumble from a well-tuned exhaust. So I was surprised at my own reaction when I actually twisted the throttle and glided out onto the street and rode at 30 mph and could hear the tire rubber on the asphalt as I leaned into a turn. I liked it! It  really matched my childhood fantasy of flying on a magic carpet.

Yes, I still thrill to the sound of a V12 Ferrari, but for driving every day, I'll take magic.

The ONLY time I want loud pipes is when I'm splitting lanes on the freeway, for I've found no good way to let cagers know I'm there. Lights don't work and it's rude to honk or kick fenders. So maybe a good sound system, but it'd have to be a heck of an amp to get through the glass, metal, and then overcome the JBL/Kappa/Mark Levinson/Bose/THX-certified premium sound system inside the cage.

[2Slow4u]

I look forward to the silent riding but I also have some safety concerns over the lack of sound. I think it evens out though.

As a current rider of a loud but well tuned exhaust for a v-twin, the rumble is awesome and I dig it. But, it also attracts cops/harassment which I am not a fan of and always looking over my shoulder. It does make a HUGE difference splitting lanes, since lights and horns dont seem to work too well.

I guess its a trade off, but if all else fails, this never does:

[1lesscar]

I will settle for a little (not stupid loud) electronically created babble. It would be cool if we could even have the sound of one of our favorite exotic bikes.

[Shinysideup]

I look forward to the silent riding but I also have some safety concerns over the lack of sound.

I guess its a trade off, but if all else fails, this never does:

[smash]

Exhaust noise for safety has never impressed me, since an enormous share (90%?) of data comes to drivers through their eyes only. Most accidents happen in intersections where the exhaust sound is behind the bike about to get cut off by a left-turning cager.

As for the window smasher, reminds me of back in the day, an owner of a local bicycle shop used to be a gonzo rider in San Francisco before bikes got ANY respect from cars. Let's just say he had a bit of an anger management issue. He rode with a pyramid-shaped lead fishing weight, attached to about 3 feet of steel cable and a key ring coiled up under his saddle. If a cager cut him off, he would whip out that bad boy and  then WHAP... do some glass damage or hood paint damage, followed by streaking off down  sidewalks, one-way streets,  through red lights, whatever it took to get away.

And, yes, 40 years later, I STILL fantasize, just a little bit, about doing that kind of damage...

[Gavin]

There are only two ways to ride a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle.

1) drive as if you are invisible

2) drive as if every car is actively trying to kill you.

If you think pipe noise will make you safe, you will be hit.

Personally I think adding noise is wrong. Instead make every vehicle quieter.

My only concern with riding an electric bike is that when some idiot with the windows up, the stereo on, talking on their cell phone and eating fries out of a McDonald's bag runs into me, that he will tell the cops that it was due to the "bike being too quiet"...and I will then drag my broken, road rashed body over to him and place my knee firmly and quickly into his tenders and then spend some time in jail...

Gavin

[protomech]

Gavin,

I agree. For every 1 person that hears your exhaust and move away / is aware of your presence, there are 2 that aren't checking their blindspots AND are oblivious to exhaust. Or are oncoming and turning across your path, so can't hear your exhaust anyways.

If you rely on others to be aware you, you roll the dice. Ride long enough and eventually you will lose.

[mykb13]

I know 2 people who got hit at night in their cars and the other driver told the police that they didn't see them because their car was black!  Of course they're going to make up some excuse.  Nobody ever tells the police that they were texting their friend while programming their GPS because they were running late on their way to pick of dinner when they forgot to stop at the stop sign.  If you believe the "too quiet" stories that the cagers give the police, then we should put reflective tape on all black cars for night driving

How often do you see an emergency vehicle before you ever hear the siren???  Windows up, favorite song on, emergency vehicle coming up from behind or side...

[Brammofan]

I fall squarely on the "no sound is good" side, but I suspect that some day we may end up with a government mandated sound, at least at low speeds.  Because the National Federation of the Blind has a very strong lobbying group, and because someone decided that "quiet cars" apparently squish an inordinately large number of blind pedestrians in parking lots across the world (they don't.... and what are those blind people doing in parking lots, anyway?), there are laws that are in the works to add a low-speed sound to electric vehicles. 

There seems to be some strong opinions on this issue, and perhaps a little bit of suppressed aggression? 

[Richard230]

I vote for a sound like fingernails scraping along a blackboard.  That ought to work better at alerting the public than a Harley's open-pipe "exhaust".   

[Gavin]

ohhhh, if Brammo could somehow produce the sound heard in a persons head when they chew aluminum foil....that would be great...

Driver of car: "Gah, suddenly I have a horrible clenching of my stomach...an electric motorcycle must be nearby."

Gavin

[EmpulseRider]

There are only two ways to ride a motorcycle, scooter, bicycle.

1) drive as if you are invisible

2) drive as if every car is actively trying to kill you.

If you think pipe noise will make you safe, you will be hit.

Personally I think adding noise is wrong. Instead make every vehicle quieter.

My only concern with riding an electric bike is that when some idiot with the windows up, the stereo on, talking on their cell phone and eating fries out of a McDonald's bag runs into me, that he will tell the cops that it was due to the "bike being too quiet"...and I will then drag my broken, road rashed body over to him and place my knee firmly and quickly into his tenders and then spend some time in jail...

Gavin

Agree 100%, the exhaust noise argument amounts to nothing more than poor ass excuse for carelessness and lack for accountability... I want my electric motorcycle to sound like an electric motorcycle. Artificial noise is lame. Last thing I want is my Empulse to sound like a flying car on the Jetsons. If anything, make an option available for those who feel they need the false sense of safety provided by a noisy, obnoxious bike.

[Vibetrippin]

Find the "brown note"

[2Slow4u]

I Lol'd at the brown note

As an EV Enthusiast and automotive engineer (actually working on other EVs and HEVs) I've seen this discussion time and time again. I always find it amusing that people seem to forget what they currently do when someone cuts them off. They are already equipped with a noise making device designed to penetrate into most cabins, its called your horn. Use it if someone is cutting you off, backing into you, or generally driving like a POS.

Press the button on your lower left handle bar. Case closed...

[protomech]

Lower left handlebar? Were you driving this motorcycle? : )



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