Exhaust Sound Laws

[muddler]

I received my AMA, January 2010, American Motorcyclist mag. in the mail a couple of days ago. Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the cover as "2010 AMA Motorcyclist of the Year". The reason is, he signed into existence a piece of bad legislature putting restrictions on after market pipes beginning with bikes built in 2013. The measure is supposed to restrict noise pollution.

Being an old geezer, there's a good chance this law won't effect me too much (it usually takes California's hair brained laws a couple of years to reach us here in the Midwest), but I was interested to know what you folks thought.

[ringadingh]

Hopefully it will be enforced as efficiently as the cell phone while driving laws. Then we will have nothing to worry about.

[Top Cat]

It may not be the right piece of legislation but at least he is trying to do something about the noise problem with motorcycles.
Yes there is a noise problem. We are seeing the effects of not policing ourselves. Hang on, it will get worse.

[scott2007nomad]

Why limit it to motorcycles? Some cars and trucks are loud too.

Will the police have decibel meters to measure the sound level from a prescribed distance?

[blowndodge]

I think TC talks too LOUD!!! can we get some legislation for that?!!

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

I think TC talks too LOUD!!! can we get some legislation for that?!!

Me, LOUD, no way.

[ken]

TC is right, loud pipes will, in the end, result in harsher control for motorcycles. If we don't fix the problem ourselves and in a way that makes sense, state/city governments will do it for us and not necessarily with laws that we will be pleased with.

[flavor]

It's all about respect. You can be running straight pipes and can go by people and not bother them because you're not nailing the throttle. Take a bunch of guys and go by residents of any area and they might not like it or even get aggravated because they just don't like motorcycles. Go by a bunch of times in numbers with straight pipes, especially getting on the throttle, you should be pulled over and with the laws in many states, ticketed.

[cactusjack]

The CA law passed by the Governator doesn't require the use of decibel meters. It simply states that all exhaust systems must have an EPA certification label stamped on them. There are only a couple of aftermarket exhaust systems that carry this label. So after the law takes effect, if your exhaust doesn't have the EPA label on them, you are in violation. So all the guys who bought aftermarket pipes and disposed of their factory pipes are screwed. A factory exhaust is several times more expensive than an aftermarket system.

[vulcans2]

I think TC is correct. We have successfully screwed ourselves with respect to loud pipes. While, personally, I like a rich-sounding exhaust, but I prefer it mellow to loud. The "Look at me" group has grated on too many sensitve ears over the years and now someone is doing something about it. I suspect that in the future, aftermarket exhaust systems will be re-engineered and designed to sound good, but not be loud, in order to conform to EPA specs. I also think that the EPA has gotten out of hand with its powers. The unfortunate thing is that this will only serve to penalize everyone, not just those who like ear splitting exhaust systems. Individualism is a great thing, but it does need to be reasonable. I can't wait to see if someone has the cajones to challenge this as unconstitutional.

[Loafer]

I have noticed this past summer, while travelling through Maine, that several towns have passed ordinances. The signs say for trucks not to engine break through town. Others I noticed were for MC's to keep it quiet through the residential sections of town. The straight pipe crew has offended a lot of people. All of us that continue to ride will pay the price for it.
I've noticed over the last few years, that many riders had not ever owned a MC before, or hadn't had one in a long while, returned to it. And have already decided to give it up. Thus there are lots of used bikes for sale out there. I'm wondering if the majority of the bikes for sale have after market pipes on them. It seems the ones I read about do. Just saying....

[Chili]

They began to crack down here this summer and are using decibel meters and testing. As part of the education before a full assault on the issue next summer the local PD did many courtesy sound checks at local dealers with no risk of getting tagged if you failed. Next summer they plan to go for full enforcement.

I personally love a pipe with a good rumble but my Nomad is still stock as I leave for work at 5:30 AM and have no interest in being "that guy" in my neighborhood.

[mrimpala]

Do you know, would this be retroactive?

So, you could modify the EPA certified pipes and be ok, if I may read between the lines.

[billmac]

My debaffled Nomad is quieter on the freeway than the car tires traveling in the lane next to me. It is just a different noise.

I like the sound of the debaffle, but I want drivers to hear/know that I am beside or coming up on their blind side. I am trying to decide which pipes I am going to buy this time. I will keep my old pipes in case some laws get passed.

I think there is a Dodge Dually in my neighborhood that is trying to ensure no one sleeps. :) It is hard to pass a law to cover all of the nuisances in life.

[voyager]

Don't care!!! I'll keep my UB modified Vance and Hines and run the risk of any ticket anywhere. After attending the funeral of a life long friend and his wife who were Tboned by a farm truck who was reported to tell the police " I didn't see them or even hear them.............." He was running stock HD exhaust on his Road King and they were very quite. He had plans to upgrade but never got around to it........ :'(

Please..........no one echo the saying " you don't hear the pipes when they're behind you " I know for a fact that's not true. Sorry for the rant but their deaths are still too fresh.