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.
“Loud pipes save lives” when the pipe is loud enough to make others look your way, but not loud enough to piss them off. The biggest threat to a rider is the guy in the next lane who is blissfully unaware of your presence even though you’re just 3 feet from the driver’s door. That’s also why you often see us jack-rabbit ahead of cars in the next lane; we just don’t want to ride beside someone.
About two months ago I was taking a Sunday drive through the country with my daughters. We came upon a pretty grizzly motorcycle accident where one rider was on the ground, his body and his bike both pretty mangled. His buddies (these were all Harley riders, natch)were all by the side of the road watching the cops and paramedics doing their thing. One of my daughters asked me what happened. I told her it looked like somebody on a Harley had done something stupid and pondered what the odds of a Harley rider doing something stupid were. I feel pretty confident in guessing that in the seconds before the crash, there was a LOT of noise and motorcylce preening going on.
I personally like the loud sound of the Harleys! I also like the sweet sound of American V8’s with aftermarket exhaust. The gov’t needs to stay out of our business.
Seriously, I’m not going to take you seriously. No offense.
At least motorcycles quickly pass by but the loud record player in the next apartment never stops. We fled the noise by buying a house on a large lot.
There are laws about this for automobiles. I don't find them all that confusing.
I have been riding motorcycles since the 50s. Bikers also get into accidents because they outdrive their abilities, headlights, eyesight, tires and/or brains.
So other than being stoned out of their minds (bad enough, granted), there’s no other reason? Like, maybe the sort of person who would alter their engine to the point where it can be annoying from several city blocks away might also be the sort of person given to reckless and moronic behavior on the open road?
My neighbour just bought a 2007 Sportster 1200. It has, AFAIK, the stock exhaust system on it. I think it makes a pleasingly throaty sounds as it is.
Anyway, as as far as the straight-pipe morons and race-can rice boys go, I’ve got no freaking sympathy for them at all. Hope they get pulled over and ticketed repeatedly until they learn their lesson. Making all that noise is mostly about “Hey! Look at me! I’m a freaking moron”, anyway.
It’s too bad that this will end up limiting the ability of everyone to put moderately louder, lighter and/or performance enhancing exhausts on their bikes, though.
I’m also pretty sure that laws that require bikes to be quieter than according to DOT and FMVSS regulaations will be overturned.
Finally, we also need to do something about idiots with fart cans on their rice-boy cars, and also idiots in (mostly) pick-up trucks with ridiculously load Flo-masters and whatnot on them.
Judging from the other replies on this thread, it looks like you and the rest of the other Easy Rider/Rolling Thunder sorts are very much in the minority. I look forward to the day when you have to pay through the teeth for the priviledge of annoying the bejesus out of people.
Not possible, no houses withing 500 yards of mine.
You need to learn his sleep habits and return the favor. How about you mow the side yard at 7:00 am. ;^)
Maybe not moronic behavior on the road but it is somewhat moronic nonetheless. I have noticed in my 50 plus years of riding that a good many of the (extremely) loud muffler harley boys tend to act pubescent, regardless of their age.
Btw, I put my money where my mouth is. When I bought my current bike I had the previous owner remove the very nice, but extremely loud slip-ons that he had put on it and replace the original mufflers. Maybe it does sound a lot like a v-twin ATV now, but I don’t ride to impress other people with the racket I’m making, anyway.
Also, being stealthy draws less attention from the cops when I’m breaking other traffic laws. :)
and let’s not forget the fart-can mufflers on the import carts...I mean cars
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