Posted on 08/24/2007 8:27:53 AM PDT by devane617
MILWAUKEE - Cities from New York to Denver are giving motorcyclists the silent treatment.
That worries riders rights groups, which fear that a wave of ordinances aimed at muffling Harley-Davidsons, hushing Hondas and stifling Suzukis will create a confusing patchwork of laws that motorcyclists won't be able to navigate. The motorcycle industry is concerned it could turn these frustrated riders away.
'From our perspective, this creates enormous problems for us because people notice the one motorcycle that makes a lot of noise,' said Bill Wood, spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association. 'They don't notice the 50 that pass that don't. So there's a perception that motorcycles are noisy.'
Ordinances come in many forms. Some are against certain types of products, like mufflers that would rattle the apples off of trees, but others are aimed more on the intent of the driver, who may want to turn some heads or rile up the neighbors on a Sunday afternoon.
•As of July 1, riders in New York City are subject to a minimum $440 fine for having a muffler or exhaust system audible more than 200 feet.
•In Lancaster, Pa., starting this month riders and all motor vehicle drivers could be ticketed for drawing attention to themselves, whether by creating too much noise by revving their engines or doing hard accelerations. Tickets start at $150.
•As of July 1, motorcyclists in Denver could be ticketed $500 for putting mufflers on their bikes made by someone other than the original manufacturer, if the bike is 25 years old or less. These so-called after-market products can be louder than their manufacturer-made counterparts.
Denver's plan is unique because it targets the after-market equipment. Wood said it limits riders' freedom to choose what products to use. Many motorcyclists who need to replace parts use these products, rather than go to a dealer, which can be more expensive, Wood said.
Ordinances restricting motorcycle noise have been around for years. The American Motorcyclist Association does not track the number of ordinances and often hears about them only as they're being passed, Wood said.
The association would rather see an ordinance that targets all vehicles or uses a decibel test to measure actual noise output.
The changes leave riders confused, said Pamela Amette, vice president of the Motorcycle Industry Council, the industry's trade group. Enforcement can be subjective, too.
The Council is working with the American Society of Engineers to establish a sound test that would help equalize enforcement. A similar test has been set for off-road bikes, and several states have adopted it, Amette said.
The group hopes to have the test ready next year. The new tests could even heighten demand for quieter systems, she said, because riders will know what they need.
'Unless it's very precise and adopted uniformly, then it's just really not fair to the riders and to the industry,' Amette said.
The stakes for the industry are big. There were 1.1 million new motorcycles sold for $9.8 billion in 2005, the most recent year available, the Council said. Parts, including those after-market mufflers, accessories and riding apparel, were an additional $2.8 billion.
Noise complaints of all types are on the rise, as more Americans feel they are losing control of their neighborhoods, said Ted Rueter, who leads a national antinoise group. Denver's ordinance is music to his ears.
'I think more and more people are putting pressure on communities,' said Rueter, director of Noise Free America, based in Madison, Wis. 'That fact that Denver has done so is going to give a lot of encouragement to people who love peace and quiet.'
Harley-Davidson, which tried in the 1990s to trademark its products' distinctive rumble, is monitoring the growth of antinoise ordinances that target motorcyclists, said Rebecca Bortner, a Harley spokeswoman.
The Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker feels the issue is less about the equipment and more about what riders do with it. The company asked its dealers a few years ago to stop carrying the loudest of after-market mufflers, straight unmuffled pipes, Bortner said.
All motorcycles sold for road use in the United States are subject to federal noise laws keeping them within a certain range of decibels, below 80 decibels from 50 feet away, said the industry council's Amette. A good rule of thumb is that your average motorcycle, as approved by government standards, should hum like a sewing machine, she said.
The good thing about Harleys is that they don’t run half the time so in actuality you get 50% noise attenuation.
WHY did you resurrect a thread that was a year old?
They should have added to this list of morons the ones that drive their cars around with the bass audio turned up to brain emulsifying levels so you can feel the vibrations a half mile away.
Because it is more relevant now than a year ago. Thanks for the ping!
You know, in written form, that's just not as clear, LOL
Monday, September 18, 2006
So. Many. Loud. Pipes. They really suck!
My friend and co-worker Paulie and I rode down to Ocean City, MD for the DelMarVa bike week this past weekend. The hours spent at the event and listening to all the loud pipes sucked. The rest of the weekend; that was fun.
This blog is called the Motorcycle Manifesto. According to Dictionary.Com, the definition of a manifesto is as follows:
a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization.
Rather than prattle on about what we did, where we went, what we saw, I'll point you to this link for that. What I will do here, however, is be the manifesto guy, and lay out some intentions and rules and guide lines for motorcyclists to follow - if they want to shed their stupid image and stop being garage and trailer queens.
The Motorcycle Manifesto's Guide to being a Motorcyclist (or... Being a Motorcyclist for Dummies)
1. Do not trailer your bike to a motorcycling event. Doing so makes you look like a complete idiot. The exceptions are physical handicaps (which begs the question, if you can't ride the bike, why have it?), excessively pricey show-only bikes, and stupid alcoholics who can't control themselves for a weekend. Maybe the occasional "bring the kids along". That's really it. There is a reason people who actually ride jokingly say things like, "I rode my bike to trailer week." Yes, it is a direct assault on your manhood.
2. Your loud pipes don't save any lives - especially when you're just another biker in the mix (they all sound the same, stupid!), and when you're riding through the middle of a family vacation city at the beach. You're not saving lives, you're pissing people off while being starved for attention and validation. You suck. And frankly, you're causing more risk than not, because everyone driving a car is suddenly assaulted from all sides with so much noise it'll harm their driving far more than you sucking as a rider and staying in their blindspots anyway.
3. As a loud pipe addendum, do you REALLY need to be running up and down the town's main drag at 4:30am keeping people awake? Really? No. You don't. So don't do it. You probably got your fill of attention during the day time hours when you were doing the same thing for hours on end. You just couldn't hear all the admiration and adoration because of... yep, your loud pipes.
4. When you have the same exact model of bike that about 15,000 other show attendees have, please don't explain to everyone who wanders by why yours is so special. It isn't. It may be nice and may be the perfect bike for you, but trust me... there is nothing special or unique about any Harley Davidson Softtail or Dyna that you drove off the showroom floor and into your trailer to bring home. They're all the same. Be happy with your bike (especially since it's so clean after riding in the covered trailer!) and get on with your life. Buying a factory Harley is like buying a Toyota Camry. It's the new ubiquitous machine on the road. Deal with it.
5. Don't get drunk then get on your bike. Do I really, actually need to explain why that's such a bad idea?
6. Get some rider training. Dragging your feet for a block or two is bad riding, it's dangerous and again, makes you look like an incompetent idiot. Don't do it. Power walking around a turn rather than riding the bike - yeah, bad. Simple rule: If your bike is in motion, get your feet off the ground. Unless you're a dirt or flat-track racer, that's a golden rule. Hey, it's your ankle that'll get destroyed - I'm just trying to save you some pain and humiliation, and the ability to walk ever again.
7. If you MUST trailer your bike in to town, don't take up valuable public parking spots outside of your motel/hotel's parking lot. Some of us like to go out to eat, visit some stores and travel about the city. Riders will make fun of you and make you cry. They'll probably tell you your puppy is ugly, too, just to further humiliate you.
8. Don't. Do. Not. Don't ever ask someone why they don't ride a "real bike". Not only is it rude, but honestly, anyone buying a $25k "me too" bike has no room to talk. Harley Davidson makes some fantastic machines, but a lot of people buying them are doing it solely for the "look what I bought" cool factor and don't really know anything about bikes, nor how to decide which is really the right bike for them. And frankly, Harley Davidsons are assembled, and many of their parts made here in the USA, but there are a LOT of parts on those bikes with "Made in Taiwan", "Made in Maylasia" and "Made in China" stickers on them. Plenty of the Japanese cruiser style bikes are likewise assembled here, with many of the parts being designed, machined and built here. For less. And most of the Japanese cruiser style bikes out perform Harley in power, braking and handling. So the notion of a "real bike" is a slipper, subjective one at best.
9. Your ridiculous, barely legal skull-cap of a helmet won't protect anything in a collision. You're wearing it as a "buck the system" statement because the state has a mandatory helmet law and you're just wearing it to keep from getting pulled over. Wow. You rebel, you! If you really want to be that rebel, then take the stupid lid off your head because it's pointless anyway - it doesn't protect. Period. If you really want to make your statement, just flaunt the law and go helmetless. I'm sure your widow (or widower) and kids will have great respect for "the rebel who was". Helmets really are good things, but if you choose to do without, then do it right and make your statement. Otherwise, you're just like the rest of us; conforming. But you're not doing it for safety's sake. No, sir. You're just selling out and "giving in to the man". So really...
10. The rest of the safety gear is a much-debated topic. Do what you want. There are those who believe that road rash is sexy and manly and proves your worth as a productive member of society. Really. Enjoy.
Here is a classic! He actually admits he likes loud pipes so he can push cars around!
“Based upon my own first hand experiences riding motorcycles, I can say without a doubt that Loud Pipes do save lives! I have been in many situations, particularly when I am splitting lanes, where revving my engine and making noise got cagers to notice me and make way.”
http://www.bikerlawblog.com/index.php/biker_laws/2006/11/29/do_loud_pipes_on_motorcycles_save_lives_
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