Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Legislation Noise

I was at a local town meeting this week which had been called to address noise and speeding in our area caused by some motorcycles. The police said there hands were tighed because their is no decibel limitations to lay charges. All they could do way insure that bikes had a muffler and that it was in good working order. In your areas how is muffler noise controlled?

Ya know... around here anyway, the cops just sort of let us noisy riders go!

this is what gripes me about that, motorcycle = moveing away from or towards something or place. so when a motorcycle go's by, its just that, he is gone. But, my next door neighbor mows his lawn every wed. morning at 8:00 am on the dot and it takes him about one and a half hrs, on thursday morning the condos across the street start mowing at 8:00 am and it takes them all day to get it done(blowing, edgeing, trimming,the works) all day!!! then my other neighbor does his lawn when the mood strikes, it might be dinner time, it might be favorite show time, or morning or night just anytime the mood strikes. that is very loud noise for very long periods of time. but nobody sez a word, its no problem everybody has to do it. but let a motorcycle drive by with a loud pipe for what might be a full minute of noise is just to much for them to handle. its like some people aint happy unless they got something to complain about or they are makeing noise themselves. for the most part i think most are slightly jealous and dont want anybody doing anything they cant.they need to.. JUST SHUT UP AND GO HOME!!!!!!!!!!

The only way to get a loud ticket around Fort Lauderdale (Hospital Zone on the beach excepted)
is to smart off to the cop.

In this state they have got around having to measure noise by having a law "excessive noise by manner of operation " Meaning if the cops think it is to loud then they book you and that's the end of it
Very easy for them

Sorry newt, but I think we've differed on this issue before.

My stance: There are some riders out there who have absolutely no idea how to ride safely, and think their excessive(operative word here, folks..."EXCESSIVELY") loud exhausts will "save their lives".

My next stance: Their "theory" is all wet!!!

My next stance: A "Moderation In All Things" philosophy not only will usually make your life more livable, BUT it ALSO usually makes for some of the best soundin' motorcycles you'll ever hear.

Yeah, but what does a greenhorn know?

That is so cool, did he let you take a spin?

Nope, but then I didn't ask.

BTW, this guy also has a perfect 1964 Norton Atlas, though he's currently got the head off it and is havin' the valve seats redone. And, he has a neat little 1966 Honda S65 Super Cub, kind'a like my very first bike, a Honda S50, but with an OHC engine.

I'll get some pics posted of 'em soon if I can.

(and kind'a gettin' back on topic here...nope folks, I didn't have the guy start any of 'em up, so no, I don't what kind'a "noise" they make, but I'll bet it's sweet alright!)

Thanks guys. Sounds like there is no real controls for sound. The people here are complaining not about some loud bikes but several hundred a day going past there house.
Its sort of a minature Dragons tail. Forks of the Credit. Just north of Toronto.

Quote:

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Yep, a BEAUTIFUL totally restored 1938 Speed Twin!!!

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omg

ADMITEDLY Dwight there are some that seem to take everything to extreme but i dont think my sceptres are to loud but you might?? either way all i did was pass by your house and was gone in a moment, meanwhile the guy next door has been running his lawnmower and equipment all day?? i hope you see my point because i do understand yours. my thinking is that most people need to shut up and go home and not worry so much about what the other guy is doing if he is not doing anything harmfull to you and yours, he is passing by and will be gone in a moment.

Actually newt, I think I do understand your position here, however, I'm sorry, I can not fully agree with you, and mainly because the situation you describe has an element to it I think you might have overlooked.

You see, I think this issue is also incumbent upon how busy a street a person's house sits. If for instance a person lives on a street that, say, has a vehicle pass their home every 15 seconds. That would mean in an hour's time 240 vehicles would have passed that home. And then let's say just 10% of those vehicles are motorcycles, which as you know are probably on average louder than almost all passenger cars and trucks anyway. And so, in that hour's time 24 motorcycles have passed that person's house.

And then lets say that EVERYBODY riding a motorcycle down that road had really loud exhausts on their motorcycle(and in my view, thank heavens they don't) that would mean that every two and a half minutes, that poor guy or gal living in that house would have his or her "peace"(for want of a better word) disturbed, or at least MORE disturbed. And I think THAT wouldn't be "right" or "fair" to that person.(but then again, that's just my opinion)

Now this scenario wouldn't of course apply to people who live in less densely populated areas or who live on street with little traffic.

Now, I suppose you could say that that's what that person "gets" for living in a more densely populated area, or on a busy street.

But, sorry, I don't buy that argument, because not everybody can live in a bucolic environment free of stress and loud noises,and with just the occasional annoyance in which to put up with. And maybe you might also know this, but many recent scientific findings have concluded that indeed loud noises contribute to a stressful environment, and of course, the more stress, the less healthful the environment.

And so...I still just think that those few riders who I feel for whatever reason just seems to possess an overwhelming need to be noticed by running VERY loud exhausts are in effect violating the right to a reasonable measure of "peace" to others. Of course, those who run extremely loud exhausts will tell you that that's because it'll "save their life" somehow, which I still believe is an argument which holds VERY little water. Almost half of all fatal or seriously injurious motorcycle/car collision accidents(seriously injurious to the motorcyclist, that is) are due to an auto driver making a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcyclist, and another high cause is when a motorcyclist stays much too long a time in a driver's blind spot, loud exhausts or not. And..well..there are numerous causes for these sorts of accidents that I believe running a VERY loud exhaust would do absolutely nothing to prevent.

However, to get back to your stance of just "turning the other cheek", or "this too shall pass", so to speak, is to me a...well... a cop out, and an affront, though maybe a minor one, to the idea that it's "not all about me" and that the concept of common courtesy is not all that important, which I believe is quickly going the way of the Do-Do bird anyway in our society.(anybody now wanna start a thread about cell phone etiquette here, maybe?!)

And in those more densely populated areas in our country of which I mentioned above, maybe one of the reasons it often seems the concept of "common courtesy" seems to be more lacking in comparison to the smaller towns in this country, well, MAYBE just a little of that could be contributed to there being more motorcycles, and thus more motorcyclists in those big cities running those obnoxiously loud exhausts, and thus causing more stress into that environment.

(that last part is just a "sociological theory" there you understand, ol' buddy)

And so, in closing, I still stand by my above stated "credo" of: A "Moderation In All Things" philosophy not only will usually make your life more livable, BUT it ALSO usually makes for some of the best soundin' motorcycles you'll ever hear.

I appreciate a 'nice sound.' The tumble of a creek, the wind in my ear, the chirp of a chickadee. The hypnotic churn of a diesel running, the overtone of a propeller slicing, the guttural throb of a twin engine passing. But cha know... that creek can get mighty overpowering, the wind deafening, and sometimes I just want those friggin' chickadees to 'f' off. I like things in moderation... even moderators in moderation!! And yet alternatively, an excessive amount of riding can be quite and rather liberating!!

There has been a few nights that I've been woken up by a LOUD bike, then spent the next hour trying to fall back to sleep. Yep, he only took a second to go by! There is a place and time for every thing.

If my pipes were too loud I'd never be able to listen to music on my headphones.

Newt,
I was thinking about you last night between 7:45 and 8:45 as I was tending to my lawn.

Dwight2, whew, been a while since a decent length essay from you and it seems I almost forgot how well structured they are.

Both you guys words have merit. Me? I'll buy some inexpensive land under a landing strip next to a twisty road. Then petition the local govmts to lower the ambient noise level. It is my right and I am unanimous.

maybe not. But it works out that (barring mrs waco) Ya live where ya can. With all the requisite noise. To grip about it is in essence whining about how life just isn't fair! Exercising a fleeting freedom to ride with performance pipes affords others to do the same, i.e., shut windows, turn up TV and, maybe, wave me down to offer a cold one or several.

Edmonton AB is passing legislation of 92db at idle 96db on throttle. Only applies to motorcycles....no other motorvehicles. Its stupid how it singles us out, as there are many vehicles on the road much higher than that.

Prior to legislation it was up to the issuing officer to decide if you were "Disturbing the Peace".

Funny story, a local news reporter went to a busy biker hangout and tested bikes themselves, and all tested over the legal limit. Most of which still had the stock factory installed pipes.

Cheers!
Ceuls

That's one of the reasons I moved to NM, there are no unreasonable restrictions on motorcycles.

WOW! Wonder what it would sound like after it sat in the rain for a while...

Like a fart in the bath

Many years ago I rode a HD. It had the stock pipes and mufflers and it worked for me. I did not feel the need to make them louder. I bought a new Speedmaster 2 years ago and after riding around for two weeks and hearing the busy sounds of the motor and not the exhaust I went back to the dealer and got some long TORS.

They sounded a lot better but still needed some work. I drilled a couple of dozen holes in the last baffle and now they are perfect. Not abuse nor rude like most straight thru HD pipes. Just loud enuf to overcome the motor noise and not really objectionable. The suit me to a T.

When I really get on the throttle they get louder but under all other situations are very civilized.

However I do object to the straight pipes that most of HD's are running these days. Those are really rude and abusive to my ears.

One other factor not mentioned here is that a great number of those running very loud pipes (Mostly HD riders around here) feel obligated to rev the engine whenever the bike is running but not moving, on start up, stoplights, crosswalks, in the driveway, the drive through at the bank/fast food joint etc. etc.

Now my BUBs are pretty loud when I jump on it, but I make a point to keep as quiet as possible when in residential areas.

Totally reminds me of that South Park episode(season 13, episode 12) with all the Harley guys going, "Rum, brum, brum, rum, brum, brum" everywhere they went. I'm not a fan of the show for a while now but that one was hillarious.

Yeah Chris, I enjoyed that aswell

Here's the post that got me to it
http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/forums/...part=1&vc=1

WARNING, LONG RANT AHEAD!!


I had only recently heard about the restrictions in Edmonton. (Only about 2 hours north of me in Red Deer) and worried it would happen here too. A buddy at work today told me that he heard on the local radio that Red Deer is looking at doing the same thing[GASP!]. I am currently running "straight pipes" but do make a point of running quiet in my neighbourhood and I don't feel the need to sit at a red light and rev my engine for no reason. I am very worried that my bike would not pass the noise restriction with my short TOR's installed either. I nearly got run off the road when I still had my stockers on and that was the primary reason to "go loud".

I do make a point of dropping a gear and letting her wind out when I'm beside some cager on the cell phone instead of paying attention...I may be crossing a line there but at least they know where I'm at...

I think it's very unfair to single out bikes on the loudness of exhaust since my bike does get overpowered by some rice burners and diesels taking off from lights not to mention the hassel of riding through the smoke cloud also (most of the ricers cars spew a little eye burning blue smoke too!)

I'm all for anything that lets me know where hard to spot vehicles are while I'm driving my cage. I think there should be a bylaw to make those darn smart cars a little noisier too!

Yeah Chris... I had a lot of fun with that particular SP episode too!! As for noise coming from a bike... I remember when it was sweet music coming from the tailpipe(s) of a Norton, or Trumpet or BSA. A group of straight piped 103's just ain't the same and does not sooth the savage beast!!

That was funny. Especially the piles with the flags.

Guys, I just back from Calgary, and in on the radio I hear that you may be subject to tests of 96DB on the roadside.
Thats quite loud you know, Thankfully we dont have roadside tests over here yet, its only a mater of time.

I like to crack my throttle and set off car alarms and there is a body shop here that the alarm is so sensitive that my pipes set that off too. I don't do that one on purpose though because I know the cops get pi$$ed and start charging for response to too many false alarms. They can also get some sort of ticket for it, my mom had a problem with hers once that it kept going off and the cops told her all that.

I found the following for Michigan:

Maximum Sound Level Maximum allowable A-weighed sound levels as measured from 50 feet (Sec. 257.707c): 86dBA at speed over 35mph; 82dBA at speed less than 35mph; 95dBA under stationary run-up test at 75 inches.

AFAIK, based on listening to bikes in certain towns on "bike night", cops don't do anything with that.