A few days ago I posted the question: Why are motorcycles exempt from normal vehicular noise regulations; i.e., why aren’t they required to have mufflers as effective as those on cars?
Most of the replies seemed to think that they are allowed to be noisy so that motorists can be aware of their presence. Amazing! Does anyone have any other explanations.
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it. (Karl Marx, 1845)
Cuz it’s way cool. At least, that’s why MY Harley is loud…
Mainly because of the differences in size, weight, and design between motorcycles and cars. A muffler for motorcycles as effective as a car muffler would be ridiculously bulky and heavy, and have a much bigger effect on milage and/or power.
Same thing for lawn mowers, for that matter.
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams
Is it unregulated or simply not enforced? It’s probably not a priority for cops, so until someone complains, they’re not going to go header hunting. Kinda like loud house parties, right?
I’ll have to disagree, JWK.
Manufacturers of loud motorcycles go out of their way to make their machines loud. It’s not a matter of the inability to make an adequate muffler system.
Take for example one of my favorite cycles: a brand new Honda VFR 750. The thing purrs like a kitten at idle, barely raises its voice when accelerating, and is only moderately loud during a balls-to-the-walls acceleration that would make a Porsche owner envious.
The same thing goes for any white-collar type cycle, like a Gold Wing or a cruiser from BMW. The things are damn near silent!
The bastardly Harleys are loud cuz they’re supposed to be. Of course, many owners take steps to make them even louder, but that’s beside the point.
Also beside the point is my contention that any machine (muscle cars and massive speaker systems included) that produce more than about 100 decibels should be banned from my city! Noise pollution is one of the absolute worst things about city life!
~ Complacency is far more dangerous than outrage ~
Why don’t those big spaceships we use have mufflers?
I take issue with STARK’s response.
All new Harleys comply with applicable state and federal regs. His point that they could be made quieter should be taken with a grain of salt. Of course they could, quite possibly they could be made to make no more noise than an electric fan. His insinuation that this would not cause any reduction in proformance is patantly false.
He also compares a 750cc in line four cylinder motor to a 1350cc 45 degree v twin as if there should be no difference in engine noise. Like comparing a 22 cal to a 12 guage. The Wing mentioned has a large displacement but is a 6 cylinder, much easier to dampen the sound. BMW’s are typically in the 450-850cc range.
The Honda shadow 1100 is a v twin that is marginally more quiet than a stock Harley but uses a flywheel damper rather than an offset crank pin to balance the motor. It is the closest thing in engine type to the Harley.
Yes, the ear-shattering loud bikes you hear have modified exaust systems, some for proformance, some because the owner likes to make a lot of noise. They are illegal in most areas.
His second “beside the point” is what really prompted my response. The noise levels he states for his ban would probably include lawn mowers, toy cars, delivery trucks and garbage men.
Stark, before you begin casting stones, realize there are plenty of people out there who would love to ban your beloved crotch rocket. For different reasons than noise but issues that piss them off as much as noise does you. Unless you are prepared to surrender it without a fight, it might do you to be a little more tolerant. After all it is a city, it’s supposed to be noisy.
Ghandi…
Bravo, well said ! It’s not the guy on the loud Harley that I’m afraid of, it’s the 17 year old punk on the Kawasaki Ninja wearing flipflops that scares me. I call them “organ donors”.
I live near a freeway and when I hear a bunch of Harleys rumbling by, I pause and enjoy the glorious noise.
“Hope is not a method”
All told, trained ears can supposely tell what machine it is just from the sound.
I lived in an apartment once on a street that held many apartment buildings. One of my neighbors had a Harley that he was working on and he took great pleasure out of roaring up and down the street at 3 in the morning, rattling the windows and waking everyone up, then hiding before the cops could arrive. He had taken the ‘mufflers’ off. I figure several of us would have cheerfully shot him if we could have gotten away with it.
In most cities there are sound laws, but the officer has to be present with a meter and register the sound level before he can give the creep a ticket. I used to live near a highway that big rigs traveled and mostly, they just grumbled along, but now and then some driver would downshift at too high a speed and the roar would almost shatter the windows in my room. No one ever gave them a fine, which surprised me.
Then the dirt bike craze hit and across the street was a patch of woods and suddenly the shrill, teeth grinding noise of dirt bikes shredding what used to be pleasent greenery hit hard on the week ends. Those things had no mufflers!
I also recall finding assorted sized cycles cruising down the road just purring along pleasently, annoying no one. Like those portable generators which just hum when cranked up instead of ‘blaaating’ and popping like some others do.
The owners make the decisions to be noisy shits, imposing their ‘enjoyment’ on others.
What? Me worry?’
Rainbowcsr, those downshifts are probably engaging the “Jake Brake”. Noisy but it does serve a purpose. I believe Cecil even discoursed on those fine staccato sounding creations.
As a sailor (of boats that actually use sails) my opinion on noisy and annoying engines of course extends to jetskis. I saw a beautiful T-shirt that said “I love PWC’s” on the front, with a Top Gun-style gunsight on the back “…at 12 O’Clock with tone”.
Give the Harley guys a pass; it’s a beautiful sound. In Seattle, you don’t need a sound meter, just a cop who knows what loud is.
There’s a difference between the constant drone of a loud two stroke dirt bike for hours and the few seconds of a freely breathing V twin as it passes. But then again, dirt bikes don’t usually pass by at 3 AM. But then again, Harleys don’t rip up the woods.
“Hope is not a method”
EvilG says
“BMW’s are typically in the 450-850cc range.”
Nothing like knowing your scoots…
BMWs are typically in the 1000 to 1200cc range. The ‘modern’ BMWs in the less-than-1000cc range are the 650 Funduro (a chain driven abomination), and the R850. More common are the R and K model 900, 1000, 1100, and 1200 cc bikes as Roadsters ®, sportsters (S) or tourers (T). I find the BMW owners I know to be proud of the design, engineering, and quality manufatured into their machines, and have no need/desire to change things like exhaust systems to enhance the sound.
Here in Missouri, all motor vehicles are held to the same noise-output standards. Whether or not the police chose to enforce the rules on motorcycles is a matter of their choice.
Chuck Lanczkowski
Gateway Riders BMW Club
President, Internet BMW Riders
“The intellectuals’ chief cause of anguish are one another’s works.”
Jacques Barzun
Cheers! CAL
Chuckski may very well be right. The only Beemers I am remotely familiar with are vintage 60’s models that I am pretty sure fall within that displacement. I could be mistaken.
BMW owners are every bit a rabidly loyal group of enthusiasts as Harley owners, if a bit snootier. Some of them do actually put a wrench on their machines.
Exhibit A, a catalog of high proformance exhaust systems for BMW
cycles.http://www.staintune.com/
So it would appear that at least some owners feel a need/desire to modify their exhaust systems.
Try that link again.
http://www.staintune.com/
handy wrote:
Because sound doesn’t travel in space. I mean, duuuuh.
(Now, launch vehicles, on the other hand…)
Being a rider myself for about the last 13 years or so, I’m no great fan of loud motorcycles. I think that a motorcycle should be reasonably quiet out of consideration for others. Besides, sometimes those loud twin-cylinder cycles sound a little, uh, flatulent.
The argument that loud cycles are more conspicuous to automobile drivers is true, though–until you encounter those damned “boom cars”. I swear, the guys driving those must be totally oblivious to exterior noises. At least loud cycles are travelling at an appropriate clip. The jerkoffs in the boom cars tend to go a bit slower so that others can appreciate their vibe just a little bit more.
Not bitter, just getting older…