USA tar tag i bullerkraven på hojarna...
Bill Banning Loud Pipes May Be Coming Down the Pipe
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Loud Pipes May Soon Cost Large Fines
by Jason Giacchino
When it comes to motorcycle modifications, we are often as guilty as the next of recommending the exhaust system as a good starting point. After all, because of the simple fact that aftermarket units are immune to the rigorous federal noise standard approval, they often flow exhaust more efficiently (hence increasing engine performance), and save weight. However, they can be much louder than stock, which is a noise some legislators have apparently heard enough of.
As anyone who has ever been to a racetrack or air-show can attest, loud exhaust notes can be downright thrilling, with their suggestion of performance within. However, it's looking like those riders who opt to run straight pipes or racing exhausts on the street are going to make it so the rest of us will no longer have the option to purchase such systems period.
At present, the decision on proper muffling is left on a state-by-state basis, but if word coming out of states like New Hampshire is an indication of things to come, it is very likely authorities will be coming down hard on motorcycle sound output nation-wide in the near future.
Republican Rep. Michele Peckham of Hampton plans to introduce a bill to reduce the permissible level of noise that motorcycles can produce - a bill that has a very strong chance of being passed into law.
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The state of New Hampshire's current law permits bike exhausts to emit 106 decibels. Peckham's bill would reduce that to the EPA-approved standard of 84 decibels, roughly one-third as loud as the current standard.
So just what is 106 decibels you wonder? The answer may surprise you. 106 decibels is equal to the sound emitted by a Boeing 707 or DC-8 aircraft at one nautical mile (6,080 feet) before landing. It is also louder than a jet fly-over at 1,000 feet above ground (103 decibels); a jet take-off (at a distance of 305 meters); and even a Bell J-2A helicopter hovering at 100 feet (100 decibels).
In comparison, the average OEM system typically comes in around 75 to 80 decibels, or about as loud as a dishwasher.
This is nothing we haven't witnessed before, as lawmakers attempt to cut down on the few individuals who feel rattling pictures off the walls of homes is their birthright. The big difference here is that the new legislation wouldn't depend only upon random police stops to be enforced, but would now work similar to an automotive inspection, whereby the bike will not be issued a sticker if the exhaust does not comply.
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Of course police with portable decibel-detecting equipment could still issue some heavy fines so as to crack down on those individuals who run the stock exhaust to the inspection station then decide to swap back to their louder equipment once the sticker has been issued. In fact this particular bill is looking for $350 fines for such an offense.
Those taking comfort in the fact that they live or ride outside of the state of New Hampshire have little to celebrate as momentum for these bills is spreading. Already Boston and Denver have ordinances requiring all motorcycles made after 1982 to have emissions systems labels, or the operator gets slapped with a $500 fine on the spot. Maine has already passed a bill remarkably similar to what is happening in New Hampshire whereby all motorcycles must pass a legal decibel level of 95 to pass inspection.
The American Motorcyclists Association opposes laws regulating exhaust systems, which it views as difficult to enforce and results in the singling out of motorcycles. It does however support legislation like the above law that recently passed in Maine that allows police officers to cite bikers for excessive noise, but lets motorcyclists evade the ticket by going to a certified testing facility and proving that their bike falls under the noise limit.
What do you think? Are lawmakers saving our ears or messing with our freedom? Voice your opinion here!
