Anyone who’s ever seen a poker run event knows that Harley-Davidson motorcycles are God, so loud. And since not everyone likes that loud noise, in recent, the company has made efforts to stifle them.
Today, straight off the line, Harley Davidson motorcycle exhaust system can make the noise as loud as 80 decibels (dbs), it differs from model to model. For reference, a car usually emits noise at 35 to 45 dB and has 50-60 dBs sound while on the freeway. Even a big truck like Ford F-450 truck only gets as loud as 51 dB when idling and around 68 dB while traveling.
And while some of you might think 68 dB isn’t that far off from 80 dB, but it’s important to understand that decibel system is logarithmic- in logarithmic case, an increase in 10dB means that the sound will be increased by ten times. For instance, this means 80dB would be ten times more powerful than 70dB. For better reference, when you’re talking with your normal voice, you’re talking at around 60 dB, and l lawnmower makes sound around 90 dB, and military jets emit noise at about 120 db.
There were some older models of Harley Davidson that could sometimes reach noise as high as 100 dB with a stock exhaust system and even today’s 80 dB are still really loud exhaust.
Why Harleys are so loud?
Well, it’s quite hard for motorcycles to attain the same level of quietness as in passenger cars due to little space for bulky mufflers on the motorcycle. That being said, loud, powerful sounding has become a signature of this motorcycle brand. This leads to the main issues- many people who buy Harleys are not satisfied with the engine’s legally regulated stock noise and instead, they swap out the existing exhaust with straight pipes that don’t mute the engine noise. Now, this results in a sound that goes beyond 100 decibels.
This is way too loud, and it could also be dangerous for our ears. If you hear something at 94 decibels for one hour, this could damage your hearing and with 100 dB, it only takes 15 minutes of exposure and it could damage your hearing. Additionally, Harley lovers who make these modifications don’t wear protection for their ears while riding these modified Harleys.
Well coming back to the question that why Harley Davidson motorcycles are so loud, first of all, loud noise has become the image of the brand. People buy Harley Davidson for the loud noise, but the company has taken some measures to reduce the noise. But the avid Harley lovers replace the exhaust of the bike to make it sound loud. Harley Davidson fans love the loud noise of the motorcycle.
