M/C noise laws - What is your opinion?

derstuka:

Read the article and my quick thoughts are this:

1. There is no evidence that Loud Pipes Save lives. However, there is plenty of evidence that Loud Pipes piss people off and laws are introduced and passed to address the issue (i.e. Denver, etc.)

2. We have no constitutional right to own a motorcycle.

End of discussion.

We are or own worst enemy on this one folks and we know it. I know many, if not all of us have aftermarket pipes on our bikes, but most aftermarket pipes are not LOUD. Just yesterday my wife and I passed a Harley and it had these really nice aftermarket pipes that were "rumbly" in sound, but my wife and I could still talk in the car and hear each other, and I said, Damn! I wish more Harley people would put those pipes on their bikes.

A friend of mine had a fully Muzzy race system on his ZX7 and they were OK at mellow rpm's but if you opened it up...LOUDNESS. We discussed it and the bike is gone. He found out that loud pipes cause problems.

If you look up articles on the early days of motorcycling, the same complaints were lodged against riders at rallies. And this was in the 1920's!
Rallies were cancelled, police harrassed bikers, you name it. Sounds just like today.

I remember when loud pipes were a novelty, now it seems everyone has them and uses them to look 'cool'.

These ordinances are just the non-riders way of dealing with the problem. I don't know the best way to address it because I have tried to have a conversation with some loud pipe people and its like talking to a wind-up doll. "it's my right!" "Loud Pipes Save Lives" "Damn Gov'mt can't tell me what to do" Blah, blah, blah. They have the IQ of a soda can. If you won't regulate yourself, then the goverment will do it for you LOL!.

BZ

 

I think that automobiles have had effective noise laws for a long time without resorting to "original only". I've not heard that many glass packs on cars latelye

The folks with loud pipes that run at 10K rpm through neighborhoods are the problem, not the pipes.

Damn, just read BZ's post and he nailed it....
So I wonder if the "loud pipes" folks would like it if I rev'ed their bikes at 5am in front of their house after Labor Day?

 

I'm of mixed opinions on this topic, much as I am on the topic of helmet laws. I think people have the right to do what they want up to the point that it starts to infringe on someone else's rights. By that I mean that people should have the right to run loud mufflers if they want, but when they cause restrictions that affect the rest of us then I feel that they forfeit that right.

Personally I don't care for loud bikes. Something with a deep rumble that doesn't shake buildings a block away is one thing. Harleys and other bikes with straight pipes that DO shake buildings a block away are completely different. Even being near them gives me a headache.

The problem I see is that it won't stop with just the noise. As with Denver, they will regulate it to the point that the only thing a bike can use is the OEM cans. Additionally, they won't regulate the cars with aftermarket cans that make just as much noise, they will wind up singling out bikes.

As I said, I'm not really sure where I stand. I think it's going to be a no-win situation for us though.

 

Bubba said it very well, " if you don't regulate yourself, then goverment will do it for you!" Just too many low IQ people out there that think they can do whatever they please, and are impossible to talk sense into.[/QUOTE]


Exactly derstuka.

I know many of these laws or ordinances are illogical to us thinking people, but if you think about it, thay are aimed at illogical people. So the laws are right on target!

BZ

 

Was reading what everyone was saying. I must say that, when I put an aftermarket (louder) exhaust on my bike. People knew I was there on the road. The number of people that cut me off every week dropped by half. I do enjoy a nice deep exhaust. But I agree that, if you have exhaust, you don't need to go speeding around trying to make as much noise as possible. Or flying around neiborhoods at high rpm's. My last bike that I did this with was an '06 Honda 599. Which has an inline 4. The sound is quite different. Where as with the VFR's with the v-4 engine, has a complete different sound. Makes quite a bit more noise on the low rpms mellows out in the mid range, and is loud when reved up.

 

In the UK it's 87db or thereabouts which is the legal noise threshold. Over that and you get fined. Not sure what it is in the US but seems logical there would be some sort of noise test for exhausts. It's the same for cars as well, if its too loud, you don't get your yearly ticket to ride.

 

John O'leary...
There are laws about noise level, but they aren't enforced well enough to keep people from making more laws. The auto noise laws are well enforced, the bikes riding with lots-o-lights are enforced well (in MD you can't run with neon kits etc), helmet laws are enforced well. For some reason few police pull over bikes to enforce noise ordinances. I don't know if they don't have meters, or a calibrated ear is not good enough in the court.

 

Personally I find loud bikes a pain. I don't subscribe to the loud makes people notice me theory. Noise is very directional and loud bikes tend to be loudest from behind. Not much use in being noticed by someone in front of you.

I have no objection to aftermarket pipes so long as they aren't excessive. Excessive being annoying to non-bikers. If we as a group behave in an obnoxious manner, that is we seem too loud, we will get legislated against. We are a small group and we have very little clout. Nothing to do with freedom or what is right and wrong just a fact of life. If we try to get noticed in a negative way we can't complain if people react in a negative way.

I am concerned that people "Standing Up for Their Rights" will result in all of us loosing more. In my opinion it is better to pick the important battles rather than "I want my pipes a bit louder".

 

Mello dude, just in response. Not sure about the exact noise db limit or test, but for dirt bikes, they test at a 45 degree angle from the back of the pipe, and 3 feet away. They can't exceed 96 db. I would assume it's quite simular for motorcycles. I one time, I was told 120db was the legal limit for cars. But that was many years ago. Not sure what it is now.

 

It may be age or just the fact that my bedroom window is 25' from the main drag through town( & the fact that we have the "High Ground Vetrans Memorial" & a annual ABATE rally that attracts a ton of bike traffic). But straight pipe Harley's are really getting on my nerves, loud sportbikes a close second & semi's running w/ their "jake brakes" on through town @ 3 am is right up there as well. My VFR is definetly not quite as I currently run a gutted kerker on my 86' on long rides it irrates me too. One statement as far as "loud pipes, save lives" I don't know if it helps much getting positive attention from other motorists. But...I do know it sure gets the attention from from the deer on my way home @ night through the 20 miles worth of county forest(aka - Venison Alley) I ride through. They give me a pretty wide berth when I run in 5th @ 7000 rpm. On my last full tour bike I hit two deer, the exhaust note on that was just slightly louder than that of a commuter craft on the Jetson's. There is some validity to the statement, but straight pipes & gutted cans(even mine) need to go away or....possibly fines like they give for doing burn outs,wheelies etc(excessive display of power or whatever they call it) in residential areas. Even w/ the gutted can, I can travel through the neighborhood undetected so it is controlled by the loose nut holding on to the bars.

If Db's levels are going to be enforced there needs to be a national standard of testing, after looking through state laws on the AMA site. There is more methods of testing Db's levels than you can shake a stick at & from varying distances. It borders on the ridiculous; this is something that one law should rule them all w/ the possibilty of there being different tolerances for resdential & non residential areas.

 

So I have to put my two cents in here...or possible my two inquiries, There seems to be a huge difference between harley rider and street bikers. I have been many places around the country were rows of harley riders line up and rev up to compensate for their shortcumming (know what I mean) and to sweat out the booze they have consumed during the night. I dont mean to generalize but most of these people seem to be frat boys or trust fund kids.
I have a two brothers exhaust and It seems to just bring out the best of my v-4 tone, of course at 8000 rpms it starts to scream, but in nyc you hardly have a chance to get to that point without coming across the next pothole.
strait pipes like on harleys seem to ring at a higher decible. A frequency that buzzes the brain. As far as saving lives, I dont really know, but when Im crusing up the the center line getting to the front line so I dont have to suck up bus exhaust its nice to know the cars in front off and behind me can hear me. Is two brothers a loud exhaust?

 

Examples:

CA - 1985 & newer 80 dba max. measured @ 50' in center of lane of travel

OR - 1975 & newer 99 dba max measured @ 20"

WA - Pre 1986' Stationary measured @ 20" max. 99 dba
45 mph & under measured @ 50' max. 78 dba
45 mph & over meausred @ 50' max. 82 dba


For more info go to http://www.amadirectlink.com/
Select the state laws tabs from the directory on the LH side of the page & select a state on the map & it will give you this info per state.

 

And that's what pisses me off most derstuka, is the how these people will ruin it for everyone...especially those of us who love the ride.

In a county full of Neanderthals, its what we should expect.

BZ

 

I'm sure I'm in the vast minority on this one, but I think it's in the right direction.
If I could get my VFR to perform better and be near dead silent, I would.
I like to hear something when exercising my right wrist, but the cam gears would be enough for me.:biggrin: