Modern Vespa

For me a sister thread to riding gear.

Monday had two experiences:

First outskirts of Málaga on the circular, parallel traffic moving about 60 km/h. I wanted to change lane to be in the correct one for the road split some 5 km ahead. Being motorcyciist look properly not just in mirrors and over shoulder. Stíll was surprised by a large scooter coming through at 90 km/h. The LÓÚD pipe alerted me that he was somewhere. I could not have seen him nor he my indicators. As such I waited with the lane chage. Would porbably have collected him.

Second one was dusk in the mountain village. Terraces lining the ´main street´. No sounds but the murmer of people talking and the odd motor vehicle.
A woman crossing the zebra was totally surprised and nearly colled by a motorcyclist coming up the hill in total sllence on his electric motorcycle.

I used to have a JL4 Race (JL4) expansion chamber on my lambretta. It was over the top loud...like turned to 11 loud. Wearing brand new ear plugs couldn't even take the edge of of the decibels. No matter how fast i rode, i couldn't outrun the loudness of it. I've never heard any vespa or lammy pipe nearly as loud as the one i had. No doubt is was obnoxious to other people driving in cages.

I here you on that one. Definitely a fine line on noise. I don't really like loud stuff. The Malaguti sounds like a chainsaw being violated. My chopper is loud but bearable. My Dyna is all low tones and really pisses dogs off. It's got one dog kill on it, mostly the owners fault for having his dog loose. I really felt bad for the dog. The owner is a moron. A certain level of noise is definitely useful on the road. It's saved me a few times.

They don't. Tons of studies to back it up. It's just annoying.

+1
When I'm driving my car on the freeway I never hear a "loud pipe driver" until they are right next to me.
And then it's too late.

Annoying for tinned drivers but when you are not noticed till right next to him/her that prooves the point no?!
Same thing animals. Out here night driving the risk by car drivers is replaced by wild life. Some exhaust note helps.
And then cyclists. When out cycling I do appreciate a bit louder exhaust whether car or motorbike. I positively HÁTE EVs/hybrids sneaking up behind.

There is no discussion really about loud pipes being loud. There is however loud and too loud which is a sliding scale depending on personal preference.
A for mé paramount aspect is that the vast mayority of (mortal) accidents with motorcyclists/scooterists is caused by tinned drivers not ´seeing´read noticing them. Noise does attract attention.

Social awareness versus personal survival

"Annoying for tinned drivers but when you are not noticed till right next to him/her that prooves the point no?!"

That they don't work till it is too late, yes.

I meant that motorists don´t séé ya

Regardsless of the sound wave ahead, it is paramount to drive defensively; to assume nóne will see you.

There is another appoach but that is even more frowned upon....

I went to a neon yellow ARAI helmet years ago. might look dumb, but not according to studies above-

I was involved in an extensive study to visibily and safety for motobikes in the ninetees, sponsored buy the Royal Dutch motorcycle club.
Being better visible with hi-viz stuff does increase the chance of being seen. However...:
- not by very much as the crux is béing seen and that predominantly depends on the motorist expécting to see a motorbike. Spending money on awareness offered WAY more scope for improvement than promoting hi-viz dear for the motorcyclists.
- a moving, as in ´zig-zag´ in out of traffic line, motorcycle drew far more attention than hi-viz gear.
- high beam during daytime was positive, less light not much
- as always the Peltzman effect prooved negative

Points 3 and 4 are like the irritating strobe lights drawing attention.

True. What tops that is not riding on 2-wheels all together- that is 100% guarantee you will not be hit on 2 wheels. 😂

Quite.
Very true and worth pondering about. It is a risk decision.
The ´getting hit´ has a angle too.
Car driving is also a risk decision but one which is more of a decision for óthers and that aspect is very rarely given any thought.
Again that awareness program.
Over here in Spain the awareness program about cyclist aimed at motorists has made a HUGE difference.

Weirdly enough, now motoryclists deaths are under the attention that lesson seems not learned and all programs are aimed at the motorcyclists. That may be deliberate though; discouraging motorbike/scooter use also reduces accidents as you observed.