"Complimentary Pipe Check"
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Manchester NH
"Complimentary Pipe Check"
Last Saturday evening I was riding my bike with my wife on the back. We rode down the main street in town and came to a stop light. At that time, a police officer waved a couple of bikes that were not with us, along with me and her over to the side of the road and told us that they were performing a "Complimentary Pipe Check" to make sure that our pipes were not over the legal sound limit. They proceeded to check the first two bikes. One was clearly over the limit. He had straight pipes wrapped with heat tape and they snapped just by him starting from a stop to get to the side of the road. The second one passed. He had a road king with slip-ons. During this time I had asked one of the cops if they could pull over some of these kids that jam their music and shake my car at stoplights 4 cars away, he just shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. Then it was my turn. I pulled my front tire up to a point on the ground that they had marked. They took a device that read the RPM's from my wires and placed it near them and had me rev my rpm's up to 1400. (I have no tach on my 2007 FXDC) Once I hit 1400 he yelled over to another cop that had a decibel reading device held at a certain distance from my pipe with some type of template. I read 108 decibles, the limit is 106. I have big shot staggered pipes with the baffles that were already in them from the factory. They did this 3 times with the same results. He told me that I was not going to get a ticket but that I should get them taken care of, I said OK. As I was getting ready to pull away, the cop that was doing the test yelled over to another and said "Did you get his plate information?" And the other cop said yes. This Really Pissed me off! Now I have a label next to my name in their computer stating that I failed their "Complimentary Pipe Test" and at any time a cop can run my plate and pull me over!
What are your opinions on this?
What are your opinions on this?
Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,553
Likes: 17
My opinion is that there is a law. Whether you agree with the law or not, if you break it knowingly, you have no right to bitch about it. My slip ons are louder than the legal limit. If I get busted I won't post one complaint about it.
The rest of my opinion is that I think the law is gay, and you should do everything in your power to help get it changed.
The rest of my opinion is that I think the law is gay, and you should do everything in your power to help get it changed.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,687
Likes: 6
From: Kalaui Kona HI
Wow BSS didn't pass, I have the quiet baffles in mine. This is getting to point that all cities and towns will start doing this kind of thing. I was in Scottsdale last month and everywhere I went I saw signs warning to keep the noise level down. I know it was directed at bikers. We are our own worst enemies sometimes.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 682
Likes: 0
From: fallbrook, socal
WGB is right on the money - Its more important than ever to get active in your community
the problem is the revenuers need to support their habits and theyre clamping down on ALOT of stuff to do just that.
BTW - If I were you I would expect to be pulled over again soon so mind yer Ps and Qs and Id also suggest knowing your rights so you know the difference between an Officers request and an Officers demand. Just cuz it says to Serve and Protect, it doesnt mean they have to adhere.
the problem is the revenuers need to support their habits and theyre clamping down on ALOT of stuff to do just that.
BTW - If I were you I would expect to be pulled over again soon so mind yer Ps and Qs and Id also suggest knowing your rights so you know the difference between an Officers request and an Officers demand. Just cuz it says to Serve and Protect, it doesnt mean they have to adhere.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,483
Likes: 39
From: Passaic County, NJ
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 56,052
Likes: 88,134
From: Western South Dakota
It sounds like to me that you live in a town where your cops don't have too much to do but hassle motorcyclists. Just remember who you elect.. What's next, a fix it ticket, and come down to the station and have another complimentary check? Very well could be...
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,641
Likes: 5
From: West Branch, Michigan
It's JUST the beginning folks. The SOUND VIOLATION ENFORCERS ( a/k/a Police) will be gearing up in a rinky dink rural town near you sooner than you think. You cant beat them. Each City, Town, Township, Municipality, Village, Borough,..... can enact their own ordinance ......using different numbers. Maybe one town will let you get by with a reading of 106......where another says anything over 100 is a violation. Go through 10 rural communities on a specific road and who's to say one cop doesn't radio his buddy up ahead in the next town to be "on the look out for ya". These small towns are DYING... and need REVENUE to keep going. What better way than to tag someone from another state or 100 miles away. They know you wont come back to fight it. And they know you'd lose if you did. The ONLY ways to fight is:
1. Have your pipes certified for sound level...in the event they cheap shot you with false numbers.
2. Put baffels in them
3. Encourage V&H, Reinhart and the other aftermarket mfg's to lobby for the survival of their businesses
4. Show up at TOWN MEETINGS if this issue comes up for debate.
5. And if all else fails......find a black or hispanic rider with loud pipes to get ticketed.....and have him file suit claiming descrimination and racism. That seems to work Magic ....these days
Just look what the city fathers did in Myrtle Beach. Shut down that rally.....and the businesses suffered.
They BANNED TOYS IN HAPPY MEALS in one town in California trying for cripe sake saying it was causing kids to get fat. What's next!!!
1. Have your pipes certified for sound level...in the event they cheap shot you with false numbers.
2. Put baffels in them
3. Encourage V&H, Reinhart and the other aftermarket mfg's to lobby for the survival of their businesses
4. Show up at TOWN MEETINGS if this issue comes up for debate.
5. And if all else fails......find a black or hispanic rider with loud pipes to get ticketed.....and have him file suit claiming descrimination and racism. That seems to work Magic ....these days
Just look what the city fathers did in Myrtle Beach. Shut down that rally.....and the businesses suffered.
They BANNED TOYS IN HAPPY MEALS in one town in California trying for cripe sake saying it was causing kids to get fat. What's next!!!
Last edited by LWOS; May 4, 2010 at 03:40 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
I'll start by saying I'm a cop.....2ndly....I hate this law. Its ok for a hot rod to put headers and glass packs on, or magnaflow exhaust or flowmasters....which sound AWESOME in my opinion, why do they do this? Performance and sound of course. But us bikers are hosed. Our state law says basically if the stock exhaust is altered, its in violation. I believe most aftermarket exhaust also has the disclaimer that they are for off road use only and not legal in all 50 states etc etc etc. So any crotch rocket with a pipe, HD or metric with other than stock, as in from the factory...is in violation. What a bunch of BS IMO.
Speaking of loud, what about those rice grinding cars with coffee cans on the back of the pipe....those aren't loud and annoying at all are they?
I don't know how many cops we got that ride but its alot, they all got aftermarket exhaust, other than 2 ***** we got on our PD, no one cares about pipes....not here anyway.
Speaking of loud, what about those rice grinding cars with coffee cans on the back of the pipe....those aren't loud and annoying at all are they?
I don't know how many cops we got that ride but its alot, they all got aftermarket exhaust, other than 2 ***** we got on our PD, no one cares about pipes....not here anyway.