Loud Exhausts on Motorcycles

In My Humble Opinion
1

This is an increasingly discussed topic on various motorcyle forums - the apparent recent rise of local laws designed to limit the types of exhausts that can be used to replace the stock exhaust on a motorcycle.

Denver has had a law for two years limiting 'cycles to 82dB of noise (at 25 feet). There is already a law limiting all motor vehicles under 10,000 lbs to 82dB but the motorcycle law goes farther and says that the 'cycles exhaust must be EPA certified for noise & pollution. Car & truck exhaust systems have no such requirement.

This makes enforcing the law easier. Before a cop had to have a calibrated sound meter at a cost of thousands of dollars and there were still training, environment, and other issues which made the citation easy to defeat in court. Now a cop can pull you over for a suspicion of a loud exhaust then drop the whole “noise” part and just visually verify your on-exhaust EPA stamp (it’s an embossed label). No label, it’s $500 fine if not fixed in 30 days.

New York is contemplating a law that allows fines for non-EPA exhausts and initially suggest confiscating the entire motorcycle on a second violation. The bill is back to be reworked right now and that may become a third violation.

New Hampshire’s state representative just introduced a noise bill for motorcycles that would forbid any exhaust modifications or muffler replacements whatsoever.

Getting EPA certified is too expensive for most aftermarket exhaust manufacturers. It’s pretty much the realm of OEM suppliers. This is true whether it’s for 'cycles or cars. Midas, Sears, & Mieneke are not selling EPA certified mufflers either. Since many aftermarket exhaust systems for 'cycles are designed for increase flow (and therefore performance) and, yes, designed to create a certain exhaust note, they wouldn’t meet the requirements anyway. Many other motorcyclists take an exhaust and just gut out the baffles in it, creating “straight pipes”. These are the guys that stand out in most people’s minds as “loud motorcycles”.

While I think it’s cool to change the exhaust on your motorcycle, I do think that it can be overdone. Having straight, empty pipes, pipes that can be heard from three blocks away is too much. It’s in your face obnoxious.

The stock EPA limit, though, is very low. This chart says 80dB is the volume of a dishwasher and even 100dB is the sound level of a car at highway speeds.

So - perhaps this topic will get into GD territory, but do you think that laws aimed at limiting motorcycle laws are fair? If so, is the method or refusing to allow aftermarket exhausts a good method or perhaps limiting to EPA certified exhausts?

What’s the balance point between modifying your vehicle to suit your wishes verses another’s right to not to be assaulted by loud noises?

2

California has similar laws for their cars, and it has been used to harass import tuners.

While I understand the desire for a certain sound (and performance!) it is possible to find a middle ground. I know several companies (AEM is the first one that jumps to mind) that have run the red-tape obstacle course to ge CARB certified, thus making their exhausts and intakes legal for smogging purposes.

It’s a sticky question, no doubt about it.

pulls up a chair and waits for someone to trot out the "loud pipes save lives garbage, popcorn in hand

3

I intentionally avoided the “loud pipes save lives” argument.

Certainly it’s used a lot and I’d suggest it’s true but only in a very small minority of cases.

Can we agree that “Loud pipes are fun” is probably more true than “loud pipes save lives”?

Loud pipes, without a doubt, have saved somebody’s life. Let’s agree that it’s possible & it has had to have happened. Somebody had their head turned by the noise when they might’ve pulled out in front of Skippy the Rider.

If loud pipes prevent 1% of motorcycle accidents annually, does that change the argument?

4

There’s a reliable way to decide whether a motorcyclist truly endorses the “loud pipes save lives” idea, or whether he views it simply as a rationalization for an obnoxious fad he enjoys: look at whether his exhaust discharge is aimed forward (the only direction in which noise can contribute to safety), or to the rear.

Hard to say with precision. What’s easy to say is that there are far too many bikes out there making noise well beyond what’s reasonable. I (a motorcycle owner) don’t like to see draconian laws, but I certainly understand the motivation for these ones.

5

I would like to see a cite that the EPA certifies exhaust systems for noise.

6

Long time rider here. Years ago I read an interesting article in Circle Track magazine about a track in Pennsylvania that was facing noise issues with a nearby town. Eventually they had to require competitors to install mufflers.

Sorry, couldn’t find original cite but here’s a good explanation.

After some R&D, the tuners found that they could make as much power with mufflers as with straight pipes. The basic secret appeared to be generously sized mufflers with straight flow paths, and some tuning changes. Since then I have seen this confirmed in tests from Hot Rod and MMFF magazines, among others.

Basically it is not necessary to make a lot of noise to make a lot of power. IMHO the real reason some riders want loud exhausts is because they are dick swinging look-at-me punks who enjoy annoying people. One poor schnook I work with lives beside a main county road. Last year the state installed a stop sign right next to his house. Now whenever we’re over there we get serenaded every few minutes by Harleys and sport bikes blasting off with a huge roar all day and half the night. Even diesel trucks are quiet by comparison. The cops won’t even stop by because they would be required to stake the place out with a calibrated sound meter, and then fight each case in court one at a time. Basically his only options are to put up with it or move and that isn’t right.

So I agree that some type of regulation was needed. Unfortunately this law appears to be crafted more for easy enforcement than fairness. Too bad a minority of self absorbed jerks forced the issue. Hopefully a better compromise can be found in the future.

7

Quote is just to help me with my point, I have nothing to say to or about Belrix’s post.

No balance point that will please even 10% of which ever group you want to identify.

So buy your senator or congress critter (they are all for sale) and get the law the way you want it. That is what you want in the long run.

It is not about the noise, most crotch rockets are much worse when wound up than most HD’s, it is a dislike of the people who ride the bikes. The sound systems that make the windows rattle are worse for me.
Most who complain would support an outright ban on all motorcycles. They are just too chicken to say so.

It is not about the noise, it is about the fear. And the money. They all want monetary compensation.
YMMV

8

Dude. That’s hilarious. It’s about the noise.

9

I often sit outside in nicer weather at the local coffee shops on a day off for a few hours at a time. Being in a small town we only have one real “main” street of businesses where people walk to get around. In the middle of summer people will go through ripping their motorcycles at full blast noise. It sucks. For at least 10 seconds you can’t talk to the person sitting right next to you. And you know what? The cops don’t care. The people get bored and drive back again for a second trip to piss everyone off because not enough people might’ve seen their trike.

I bought a motorcycle at the end of this past summer and you know what? I drove around to get from place to place. Not to piss people off, not to rip my motor out screaming down the street… I’m not an asshole. I bought it to get from my house to work in 5 minutes or less rather than walking and taking half an hour. I can also get out of town here and there and go do stuff. That’s it. I don’t make it so that people can’t talk to other people for ten seconds in a circle 500 feet wide that follows me wherever I go.

10

No, it’s definitely about the noise. I’d like to shove an M80 in a dimly lit place of every HD/ricer jockey who races his machine down my street. There is nothing to be gained by straight pipes unless you’re in the top level of drag racing.

11

Another way is to look at what he’s wearing while riding. If “saving his life” were truly the primary goal, and he is only guilty of trying to squeeze that extra 0.5% or 1% of probability in avoiding an accident or injury while riding on the street – the what constitutes his riding gear?

Full-face helmet, leather jacket with armor inserts, riding pants, over-the-ankle boots, full-fingered gloves, and a reflective vest? Has he upgraded his horn to something louder? Does he have a full motorcycle endorsement, and gone through a rider safety/education program like the MSF runs?

Or is he riding on a learner’s permit or just a driver’s license, having picked up riding “from a friend”, while wearing a beanie-cap helmet (or no helmet at all), sleeveless vest (or a T-shirt), fingerless gloves or no gloves at all, and jeans or even shorts? All black of course?

12

As a rider I can’t stand loud pipes. At least the ones that are way too loud. A bit of noise, as in not much louder, isn’t bad, but the ones that make everything shake suck and give other riders, me, a bad name.

13

On a personal level, I hate the loud sound systems too, but I truly cannot put into words how much I despise loud bikes. Maybe because it’s just “noise,” as opposed to “music.” (Your definition of “music” may vary.) Look at me! My bike is so loud, you HAVE to look at me! I win!

I have tattoos and look like a biker, but don’t ride. I look a lot like El Duce.

Joe

14

The most vociferous proponent of loud pipes for life-saving I ever encountered simultaneously argued that helmet laws endangered riders, in that full helmets (by covering riders’ ears) made it more difficult to hear vehicles approaching from the rear.

Genius!

15

Wow - this was hard to find in the original.

Full Text Here

[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 16, Parts 190 to 259]
[Revised as of July 1, 1998]
[CITE: 40CFR205.150]

<…big snip…>

[Page 119]

               TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

   CHAPTER I--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)

PART 205–TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT NOISE EMISSION CONTROLS–Table of Contents

                     Subpart D--Motorcycles

Sec. 205.152 Noise emission standards.

(a) Noise emission standards. (1) Street motorcycles of the

following and subsequent model years must not produce noise emissions in
excess of the levels indicated:
(i) Street motorcycles other than those that meet the definition of
Sec. 205.151(a)(2)(ii):

                                                          A-weighted
                     Model year                              noise
                                                          level (dB)

(A) 1983… 83
(B) 1986… 80

16

This is why, for the most part, I was trying to avoid the “loud pipes save lives” justification. Nearly any honest, IMO, rider will say that the true reason they want to have loud pipes is that “loud pipes are fun”.

I know a guy that has a F150 pickup with an aftermarket exhaust. It’s not glass packs or cherry bombs but it is non-stock and it is louder. Should he be forbidden to change the exhaust? If him, then why not my motorcycle?

If he should be forbidden to change the exhaust, how does that affect Midas & Meineke? They’re not installing EPA certified exhausts. Does that mean that if your muffler rusts out, you have to go to the dealer and install an OEM muffler?

17

Ah - but how, as a society, do we define “the ones that are way too loud”.

Personally, I’d like a simple noise standard such as: “Idle limit 90dB, 3000 RPM limit 100dB”… or something.

How could that be enforced, though?

The police admit the EPA thing is not really about emissions, it’s about ease of enforcement Article. They say that it’s rarely enforced (only 18-20 citations in 3 years). However, selective enforcement isn’t an answer, IMO. It should be able reasonable, enforceable, standards.

18

I like the NY law idea. I’d impound the bike and they don’t get it back until it’s compliant.

OTOH, I’d do that same to cars with super-loud modified stereos also.

19

Is your car entirely stock?

What would you do if your muffler rusted out?

Are the bulbs in your taillights DOT certified?

I guess I don’t like the idea of the government being able to sieze personal property just because it offended somebody.

20

There’s a difference between aftermarket and non-compliant.