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Are there any regulations in regards to motorcycle noise? Its an issue I wondered about for years particularly when I hear a pack of Harley's (or another unbearably loud bike with a modified exhaust) ride by that push my eardrums to the verge of bleeding. With a noise pollution quotient at about a 10 I'm surprised there isnt some regulation similar to those with automobiles.
Yes it's more a city ordinance really. I don't think exclusive to motorcycles could be a bike could be just a kid with subwoofers in his trunk but typically its if you can hear it at 20 or 50 feet your in violation. Generally not that heavily enforced though some towns are extra strict about it.
I never really understood the whole loud pipes thing when they hurt your ears. Its one thing to ssay some noise keeps you in the mind of motorcists near you, I will say I think that's a safe thing, however when my ears are being pieced from 6 blocks away I think that's totally unnecessary and I find hard to believe could be enjoyable for the guy riding the bike.
to me this is people screaming for attention look at me I ride a motorcycle im cool and risky and dangerous. Same type of guys who rev their bikes at lights and in the gas station for no reason.
Funny how the complaints are only about motorcycles when I continually hear cars exhausts that rattle the windows, usually with a kid driving them.
My advice, ignore them as they are not next to you for that long of a time.
BTW, I ride but have not altered my exhaust system which in several cases has caused tunnel vision cage operators to almost hit me with the explanation that they "didn't see" me.
Only Fed reg I know of was set by the unelected genius bureaucrats at EPA of 83 decibels for street scoots manufactured after 1983.
States have their own laws, though many have none. Some Counties, Cities/Townships have instituted their own.
The measurement methodology is quite variable, as noted in the almost monthly article in AMA, American Motorcycle Association magazine.
In my experience, nearly every 'legit' aftermkt manufacturer produces aftermarket systems that hover around that 83 db level, but most can be easily modified to be louder.
One man's ceiling is another man's floor, and 'art/noise' is what it is to the viewer/listening.
GL, mD
BTW, I ride but have not altered my exhaust system which in several cases has caused tunnel vision cage operators to almost hit me with the explanation that they "didn't see" me.
If you could kindly not perpetuate a link between noise and visual, it would be very much appreciated. Modern cars are sound-proofed so well that really the only time you Can hear a loud exhaust is when it's pointed in your direction. Reflective sound of even the Loudest exhaust just doesn't penetrate to the inside a cager who's traveling Towards you.
If you want to be seen, use a headlight modulator, high viz riding gear and expect that you still aren't going to be seen. To prove a point, watch this video, follow the instructions, realize that there is Nothing you can do, as a rider, other than take care of your own actions. http://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo
As I put it to a student in a BRC who insisted that "loud pipes save lives," having a loud exhaust like having your horn button pressed in all the time. Although it does get attention, it also angers other road users, and eventually they'll just tune it out.
If you could kindly not perpetuate a link between noise and visual, it would be very much appreciated. Modern cars are sound-proofed so well that really the only time you Can hear a loud exhaust is when it's pointed in your direction. Reflective sound of even the Loudest exhaust just doesn't penetrate to the inside a cager who's traveling Towards you.
If you want to be seen, use a headlight modulator, high viz riding gear and expect that you still aren't going to be seen. To prove a point, watch this video, follow the instructions, realize that there is Nothing you can do, as a rider, other than take care of your own actions. http://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo
What really needs to happen is for cage drivers to not be so sound proofed that they tune out the rest of the world. The fact that the majority of street legal bikes meet the legal standards of traveling over the road refutes your rant. Cage drivers need to pay attention, just as those who ride bikes do. Anything other than doing as the law provides is biased, usually against the biker.
What really needs to happen is for cage drivers to not be so sound proofed that they tune out the rest of the world. The fact that the majority of street legal bikes meet the legal standards of traveling over the road refutes your rant. Cage drivers need to pay attention, just as those who ride bikes do. Anything other than doing as the law provides is biased, usually against the biker.
It's not about sound-proofing. How much sound penetrates a vehicle has ZERO to do with paying attention. The term BDC/Braindead Cager has been around for the 20+ years I've been riding and online for a reason.
I have a simple saying for when this comes up (with people who I've been through similar discussions with), You're right, Dead right. Meaning that it doesn't Matter if you're in the right, doing everything legally, you're still the one who's going to suffer physically, financially, emotionally and be treated with a "you deserved/asked for it" attitude on all fronts.
Really? Are they THAT sensitive? Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of super-loud bikes, either, but it's a noise heard for mere seconds while it passes by. It's a nuisance at best.
Quick version: In CA, it is illegal to operate a motorcycle built on/after 1/1/13 that uses an exhaust that does not meet federal EPA sound emission regulations. OEM exhausts have complied with this for years, but that's not necessarily the case with aftermarket exhausts. So, while this is a fairly new law that isn't retroactive to older bikes, over the years you will eventually see the effects.
Mike
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