There's a saying in the motorcycle community: "loud pipes save lives". In other words, cars only notice motorcycles when they can hear them.

Personally, I think that was often used as an excuse for having an obnoxiously loud motorcycle. But, I've also seen first-hand how oblivious drivers are. I think Harleys are stupid. They're a way to get middle-aged dentists to part with their money and to make them feel bad-ass. But, I think that annoying sound does mean that they get noticed, which probably helps keep them alive. I'm convinced that there are riders who have died on electric motorcycles because a car turned into them because the driver never looked to see if there was anything there.