Proliferation Of Incredibly Noisy Motorbikes In Phuket

[snoother]

I have noticed this very annoying trend since my arrival here 3 years ago. The level of noise those motorbikes produce is astonishing. I have seen a few harley davidson bikes which were just as noisy as normal vehicules, but most of them are not. It means their riders modified their bikes on purpose, so that they sound like a tractor combined with a 747! I'm just baffled by this behaviour and fail to find an explanation. I doubt those riders are litterate enough to be able to browse internet, but if somebody knows any of those weird human beings, maybe I could have some enlightment about this peculiar behaviour.

Do they think they look cool when everybody is looking at them? Everybody is actually thinking "get the hell out of here ASAP".

Do they think they are going to get a lot of chicks? My thai female friends were unanimous about them "I hate them so much".

Do they really enjoy waking up half of Phuket's population when they come back from Laguna bar at 4am?

I remember when I was a kid, I used a piece of cardboard on my bicycle to make it noisier. Haven't those guys evolved? How can a mentally 10 years old person afford such expensive bikes?

[manarak]

Immature attention-whores.

I hate noisy bikes as well.

The police can get good fines out of them... I think 1000 baht?

They should do something.

[falkan]

stop hanging out at sexpats places so you can avoid them?

have not heard or seen many motorcycles that sound too much, but young Thai guys who trim moped i seen alot! but they have always been here! who cares...

Edited June 4, 2011 by falkan

[bunta71]

stop hanging out at sexpats places so you can avoid them?

have not heard or seen many motorcycles that sound too much, but young Thai guys who trim moped i seen alot! but they have always been here! who cares...

It is called testosterone. Used to have quite a lot of it myself. I grew up in America during the 50's and 60's so these little hondas with their baffles missing I can accept. Compared to the stuff we used to do it ain't much to worry about.

[stevenl]

Agree with the OP, there seem to be more of them coming. And this is something completely different from the Thai boys with their adjusted Honda's or Fino's.

Nothing much in Rawai yet, but in Kata there are also a few.

[Chainsaw]

Big noisy bike = penis extension

Additional accessories:

bandana, dubious tattoos, various piercings, leather waistcoat (optional), terrified bargirl passenger, obligatory tough guy scowl.

Impression the rider thinks people have: " WOW!, look at that big tough biker on his big, noisy, shiny bike. I really envy him".

Actual impression people have: "What a plonker"

[katasyd]

I don't get this forum.

It is becoming a place to come and rant and whine about annoyances in Phuket.

Let people be, if they are having a midlife crisis and a noisy bike makes them feel better, so be it.

Many more noisy annoyances come to mind before a odd Harley Davidson riding by.

Noisy election pick ups spewing out noise pollution along with the train of them that advertise a furniture sale nearby.

Modified scooters and modified pick ups blowing out black smoke along with the noise.

I could go on but it's a beautiful Sunday and i'm going out to enjoy it, noisy bikes and all.

[grumpyoldman]

I don't get this forum.

It is becoming a place to come and rant and whine about annoyances in Phuket.

Becoming? Are you a newbie?

Good post Chainsaw !

[katabeachbum]

Big noisy bike = penis extension

Additional accessories:

bandana, dubious tattoos, various piercings, leather waistcoat (optional), terrified bargirl passenger, obligatory tough guy scowl.

Impression the rider thinks people have: " WOW!, look at that big tough biker on his big, noisy, shiny bike. I really envy him".

Actual impression people have: "What a plonker"

Got a new bigbike August 2009, my 4th in Thailand, the other ones where noisy. Superquiet stock exhaust. Very dangerous, had bikes and cars totally ignore me. Stubborn and kept it quiet for 3/4 year. Then replaced to exhaust providing more power and noise. Much safer ride, heard by other motorists, and some cars even yield.

All the rest above does not fit me

In noisy Thailand, noisy exhaust is safety on a big bike

If noisy bikes annoys you, simply move to a more quiet area. I live in the middle of Kata, but still totally quiet at night, except for a few neighbours on occasion

[grumpyoldman]

Big noisy bike = penis extension

Additional accessories:

bandana, dubious tattoos, various piercings, leather waistcoat (optional), terrified bargirl passenger, obligatory tough guy scowl.

Impression the rider thinks people have: " WOW!, look at that big tough biker on his big, noisy, shiny bike. I really envy him".

Actual impression people have: "What a plonker"

If noisy bikes annoys you, simply move to a more quiet area. I live in the middle of Kata, but still totally quiet at night, except for a few neighbours on occasion

KBB, I lived on the hill above the Kata post office in 2002.

I swear, late at night, the kids were racing bikes on the road below, throw that on top of the howling dogs (maybe the sound carried up the hillside, I dunno), then the high season knucklehead Euros that would come back from Patong on their big bikes at 6:00AM and throw on the techno, and it was a noise nightmare.

Not sure I would want to ever live in Kata again, I did have a great view though............

[katabeachbum]

KBB, I lived on the hill above the Kata post office in 2002.

I swear, late at night, the kids were racing bikes on the road below, throw that on top of the howling dogs (maybe the sound carried up the hillside, I dunno), then the high season knucklehead Euros that would come back from Patong on their big bikes at 6:00AM and throw on the techno, and it was a noise nightmare.

Not sure I would want to ever live in Kata again, I did have a great view though............

I lived the same place 2003-2004, and I am sure I do not want to live there again. Bought brand new, sold. The noise from Patak road was unbearable. What bothered me most after midnight was the 18 wheelers and busses tho.

[ScubaBuddha]

[katabeachbum]

hard to say it shorter and more accurate

[seriouseats]

trust me watch those videos

[Gregory Morozov]

The biggest line of crap in the motorcycle world.

I own the same bike as a ScubaBuddha, and have no problems with a stock exhaust. And I value my sleep a LOT more than some motorbiker's safety

I actually saw a couple of times the situations when very noisy bikers coming from behind startled the other drivers to the point when they did dangerous maneuvers and almost created an accident.

[stevenl]

Big noisy bike = penis extension

Additional accessories:

bandana, dubious tattoos, various piercings, leather waistcoat (optional), terrified bargirl passenger, obligatory tough guy scowl.

Impression the rider thinks people have: " WOW!, look at that big tough biker on his big, noisy, shiny bike. I really envy him".

Actual impression people have: "What a plonker"

Got a new bigbike August 2009, my 4th in Thailand, the other ones where noisy. Superquiet stock exhaust. Very dangerous, had bikes and cars totally ignore me. Stubborn and kept it quiet for 3/4 year. Then replaced to exhaust providing more power and noise. Much safer ride, heard by other motorists, and some cars even yield.

All the rest above does not fit me

In noisy Thailand, noisy exhaust is safety on a big bike

If noisy bikes annoys you, simply move to a more quiet area. I live in the middle of Kata, but still totally quiet at night, except for a few neighbours on occasion

The speed is what makes big bikes dangerous, not the lack of noise. That is why i sold mine, simply too dangerous imo.

[katabeachbum]

The speed is what makes big bikes dangerous, not the lack of noise. That is why i sold mine, simply too dangerous imo.

the extremely efficient ABS brakes, the high tech tyres and the advanced suspension on a modern sportsbike make them safer at 120kmh than any stepthrough at 80 kmh.

I ride both. Not often 80kmh at a 125-135cc stepthrough tho as it is usually not safe.

both at 80kmh, sportsbike brakes at half the distance

[stevenl]

Good, so ride it like a smaller bike, no need for the noise. Or do all bikes need more noise because that would make them safer?

Edited June 5, 2011 by stevenl

[Chainsaw]

Got a new bigbike August 2009, my 4th in Thailand, the other ones where noisy. Superquiet stock exhaust. Very dangerous, had bikes and cars totally ignore me. Stubborn and kept it quiet for 3/4 year. Then replaced to exhaust providing more power and noise. Much safer ride, heard by other motorists, and some cars even yield.

What a load of utter tosh! So by your reckoning all the guys with nicely tuned, sweet sounding Harleys etc. should make them as noisy as possible for their own safety?

You can't ride safe without a roaring exhaust? Lots of other folks do!

All the rest above does not fit me - You sure?

In noisy Thailand, noisy exhaust is safety on a big bike.

If noisy bikes annoys you, simply move to a more quiet area. I live in the middle of Kata, but still totally quiet at night, except for a few neighbours on occasion

I live in a very quiet area, down a cul-de-sac soi. I am regularly woken up in the early hours by plonkers starting their bikes (and revving for a while) when they leave bars which are over a kilometer from my house!

In my local bar, all conversation has to stop when one of these plonkers goes past,

I love this bit "and some cars even yield" Says it all really :jerk:

[snoother]

Really? Do you realize how selfish this statement is? Just try to imagine how the roads would be like if every 2 wheels riders were doing the same.

Full face helmets and protective equipment also save lives but curiously, those riders never wear them. Probably because it doesn't make the rider "cool" or "badass"... Simply ridiculous.

[ScubaBuddha]

This topic has been done here before more than once. Always interesting and enjoyable read. That episode of Southpark was one of my favs. I'd like to see OP post this in the motorcycle forum. lol

Honestly though, I am with you guys about the unnecessarily noisy choppers. There is a slight benifit to safety of the rider, but other than that, no benefit I am aware. Maybe a chopper/Harley guys can correct me, but pipes on a cruiser/chopper IS for the noise or maybe looks of the chrome, not to improve performance or decrease weight, perhaps it achieves the exact opposite.

With sport bikes it's very different. Built for a totally different purpose. An exhaust modification adds horsepower and decreases weight, which is irrelevant to the cruiser/choppers. The decrease in weight is in part a result of no or less baffles and chambers, hence it's going to be louder. I don't think will will find any sport riders that purchase a pipe just because it is louder.

I intentionally bought a middle of the road pipe in terms of decibels after listening to several. When I leave the house I keep it as quite as possible, and when I come home I kill the engine and coast 50m to the house so to not disturb the neighbors.

As for safety, there is a very noticeable benefit. Like most big bike riders, I generally ride at a reasonable car speed, not your average 40kph Honda Dream speed. When I went from my CBR400RR to the stock Ninja 650R, I felt like a ghost in terms of other road users and soi dogs. Once I got the pipe, I noticed a BIG difference. They simply hear you coming. A phenomenon you may need to experience to believe. I know for certain this has saved me AND the other rider/soi dog more than once.

[seriouseats]

As scubba said. Good sportsbike are supose to be noisy it comes with the performance.. The guys reving around the houses are douchebags but hey so are the <deleted> with dogs not trained to stop barking more than 1 hour a day.

And as he said, the noisy choppers are just fags, let them be.. nothing worse than being them anyways. small dicked losers, same with the angry tuktuk drivers and nakon sri tammarat gene pool of murderers. Their lifes are shit, no need to complain even if it bothers you. You cant make their life worse or yours better in any way.

In fact i think the noisy sportsbike are an interesting show most of the time, kind of turns the annoying noise around after seeing a bunch of choppers and fino's making horrible noise, the sportsbike sounds like sexy speed as on a fast car

[KarenBravo]

not your average 40kph Honda Dream speed.

Cheeky sod!

I cruise at 50 kph.........at least!

Oh yes, my Honda 70 is loud compared to Honda Dreams.

Edited June 5, 2011 by KarenBravo

[manarak]

Big noisy bike = penis extension

Additional accessories:

bandana, dubious tattoos, various piercings, leather waistcoat (optional), terrified bargirl passenger, obligatory tough guy scowl.

Impression the rider thinks people have: " WOW!, look at that big tough biker on his big, noisy, shiny bike. I really envy him".

Actual impression people have: "What a plonker"

Got a new bigbike August 2009, my 4th in Thailand, the other ones where noisy. Superquiet stock exhaust. Very dangerous, had bikes and cars totally ignore me. Stubborn and kept it quiet for 3/4 year. Then replaced to exhaust providing more power and noise. Much safer ride, heard by other motorists, and some cars even yield.

All the rest above does not fit me

In noisy Thailand, noisy exhaust is safety on a big bike

If noisy bikes annoys you, simply move to a more quiet area. I live in the middle of Kata, but still totally quiet at night, except for a few neighbours on occasion

Hmmm... I think your new exhaust is a bullet magnet

[manarak]

Got a new bigbike August 2009, my 4th in Thailand, the other ones where noisy. Superquiet stock exhaust. Very dangerous, had bikes and cars totally ignore me. Stubborn and kept it quiet for 3/4 year. Then replaced to exhaust providing more power and noise. Much safer ride, heard by other motorists, and some cars even yield.

What a load of utter tosh! So by your reckoning all the guys with nicely tuned, sweet sounding Harleys etc. should make them as noisy as possible for their own safety?

You can't ride safe without a roaring exhaust? Lots of other folks do!

All the rest above does not fit me - You sure?

In noisy Thailand, noisy exhaust is safety on a big bike.

If noisy bikes annoys you, simply move to a more quiet area. I live in the middle of Kata, but still totally quiet at night, except for a few neighbours on occasion

I live in a very quiet area, down a cul-de-sac soi. I am regularly woken up in the early hours by plonkers starting their bikes (and revving for a while) when they leave bars which are over a kilometer from my house!

In my local bar, all conversation has to stop when one of these plonkers goes past,

I love this bit "and some cars even yield" Says it all really :jerk:

good post again

[HDRIDER]

SO,, how many of you guys had your Sunday destroyed by these thousands and thousands of Harleys there must be in Phuket with loud pipes, i mean there must be thousands and thousands if they can make you complain about then, maybe you didn’t hear the noisy pickup trucks or any other noise but just went for the big bad bike noise??

Now go get a life or maybe move to Prasat Hin Khao, not to many big bad noisy bikes i have heard

[katabeachbum]

As I recall, there are 74 provinces in Thailand. Phuket is the one with highest density of bikes, highest density of big bikes, highest density of loud big bikes and highest number of big bike dealers and thus sale.

Annual Phuket Bike Week for a decade or two attracts loud bikes from all over Asia, people ride their loud bikes from Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong you name it. To ride in Phuket.

On a recent bike event I was attending, the Governor and a representative from BKK Government was riding a very loud Harley, to promote wearing helmets. Several police head ponchos joined the ride, on noisy bikes.

Still people choose to live in this noisy bike environment, and then complain about it.

In my GF home village I get disturbed by the noise from chicken, arguing neighbors, tractors and agriculture machines, tempel boadcasting wake up song 0530 in the morning. Never complained about it tho. Never will.

[stevenl]

This topic has been done here before more than once. Always interesting and enjoyable read. That episode of Southpark was one of my favs. I'd like to see OP post this in the motorcycle forum. lol

Honestly though, I am with you guys about the unnecessarily noisy choppers. There is a slight benifit to safety of the rider, but other than that, no benefit I am aware. Maybe a chopper/Harley guys can correct me, but pipes on a cruiser/chopper IS for the noise or maybe looks of the chrome, not to improve performance or decrease weight, perhaps it achieves the exact opposite.

With sport bikes it's very different. Built for a totally different purpose. An exhaust modification adds horsepower and decreases weight, which is irrelevant to the cruiser/choppers. The decrease in weight is in part a result of no or less baffles and chambers, hence it's going to be louder. I don't think will will find any sport riders that purchase a pipe just because it is louder.

I intentionally bought a middle of the road pipe in terms of decibels after listening to several. When I leave the house I keep it as quite as possible, and when I come home I kill the engine and coast 50m to the house so to not disturb the neighbors.

As for safety, there is a very noticeable benefit. Like most big bike riders, I generally ride at a reasonable car speed, not your average 40kph Honda Dream speed. When I went from my CBR400RR to the stock Ninja 650R, I felt like a ghost in terms of other road users and soi dogs. Once I got the pipe, I noticed a BIG difference. They simply hear you coming. A phenomenon you may need to experience to believe. I know for certain this has saved me AND the other rider/soi dog more than once.

So you have a problem, you (or your bike) are too fast for the local roads. In stead of thinking logically you come with the solution: ok, let's make the bike faster and louder. Sure, makes sense to me.

[stevenl]

As I recall, there are 74 provinces in Thailand. Phuket is the one with highest density of bikes, highest density of big bikes, highest density of loud big bikes and highest number of big bike dealers and thus sale.

Annual Phuket Bike Week for a decade or two attracts loud bikes from all over Asia, people ride their loud bikes from Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong you name it. To ride in Phuket.

On a recent bike event I was attending, the Governor and a representative from BKK Government was riding a very loud Harley, to promote wearing helmets. Several police head ponchos joined the ride, on noisy bikes.

Still people choose to live in this noisy bike environment, and then complain about it.

In my GF home village I get disturbed by the noise from chicken, arguing neighbors, tractors and agriculture machines, tempel boadcasting wake up song 0530 in the morning. Never complained about it tho. Never will.

To even think you can compare the sounds of a rural Thai village to the irritating, selfish, annoying sounds of loud, mostly chopper style, motorbikes tells me you live in your own world without any understanding or feelings for others.

[KarenBravo]

As I recall, there are 74 provinces in Thailand.

You recall wrong.

Thailand has 76 provinces.