[size=4]Shhhh! U.S. cities ask bikers to muffle their motorcycles


By EMILY FREDRIX,[/align]AP[/align]Posted: 2007-08-22 14:35:18[/align]
[font="courier new"][color=#000000]MILWAUKEE (AP) - Cities from New York to Denver are giving motorcyclists the silent treatment.

And that worries riders rights groups, which fear that a wave of ordinances aimed at muffling Harley-Davidsons, hushing Hondas and stifling Suzukis will create a confusing patchwork of laws that motorcyclists will not be able to navigate. The motorcycle industry is concerned it could turn these frustrated riders away.

"From our perspective, this creates enormous problems for us because people notice the one motorcycle that makes a lot of noise," said Bill Wood, spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association. "They don't notice the 50 that pass that don't. So there's a perception that motorcycles are noisy."

Ordinances come in many forms. Some are against certain types of products - like mufflers that would rattle the apples off of trees - while others are aimed more on the intent of the driver, who may want to turn some heads or rile up the neighbors on a Sunday afternoon.

As of July 1, riders in New York City are subject to a minimum $440 (euro326) fine for having a muffler or exhaust system that can be heard within 200 feet (61 meters).

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, starting this month riders - and all motor vehicle drivers - could be ticketed for drawing attention to themselves, whether by creating too much noise by revving their engines or doing hard accelerations. Tickets start at $150 (euro111).

As of July 1, motorcyclists in Denver could be ticketed $500 (euro370) for putting mufflers on their bikes made by someone other than the original manufacturer, if the bike is 25 years old or less. These so-called after-market products can be louder than their manufacturer-made counterparts.

Denver's plan is unique because it targets the after-market equipment. Wood said it limits riders' freedom to choose what products to use. Many motorcyclists who need to replace parts use these products, rather than go to a dealer, which can be more expensive, Wood said.

Ordinances restricting motorcycle noise have been around for years. The American Motorcyclist Association does not track the numbers of such ordinances and often only hears about them just as they're being passed, Wood said.

The association would rather see an ordinance that targets all vehicles or uses a decibel test to measure actual noise output.

The changes leave riders confused, said Pamela Amette, vice president of the Motorcycle Industry Council, the industry's trade group. Enforcement can be subjective, too.

The Council is working with the American Society of Engineers to establish a sound test that would help equalize enforcement.

A similar test has been set for off-road bikes, and several states have adopted it, Amette said.

The group hopes to have the test ready next year. The new tests could even heighten demand for quieter systems, she said, because riders will know what they need.

"Unless it's very precise and adopted uniformly, then it's just really not fair to the riders and to the industry," Amette said.

The stakes for the industry are big. There were 1.1 million new motorcycles sold for $9.8 billion in 2005, the most recent year available, the Council said. Parts, including those after-market mufflers, accessories and riding apparel, were an additional $2.8 billion.

Noise complaints of all types are on the rise, as more Americans feel they are losing control of their neighborhoods, said Ted Rueter, who leads a national anti-noise group.

 

Must be in newspapers all across the country.[sm=icon_blah.gif]

 

to cite an example of how this will not be a city by city type of law...

here in IL, the anti-smoking lobby had gotten many communities to pass no smoking laws in restaurants and bars... well, from having a brother in an industry where smoking is part of he has seen the financial reports and every time a location they have has a community that bans smoking they see a 30% drop in revenue at that location... very real numbers... but the towns next door will pick up that revenue... so in order to be "fair" our Gov passed a law to make it state wide... i can see it starting as a community here and there doing it, but eventually it will either be defeated in court or adopted state wide... i hope its defeated in court...

 

Quote:

your average motorcycle - should hum like a sewing machine, she said.

[:'(]BeLOW ME! or should I say HUM ON THIS!

 

We had a restaurant chain here in Pittsburgh go to no-smoking prior to an anticipated ban, and their business increased, so all the chains started copying. So far, none have banned loud pipes, though. Too many are used as ride meetup locations.

 

Anybody who doesn't think that (reasonably) loud pipes save lives has never had loud pipes. People don't pay attention to horns honking - But when they hear something that sounds like a machine-gun popping off a few rounds, they take notice.

Along with critterdom -- The first set of reasonably loud** pipes I ever put on a bike was to "get the attention" of deer, wolves and other larger fauna. And it worked like a charm (to the point that it was *insisted upon* that I stayed in front of the quieter bikes).



** Reasonably loud = Not screaming "HEY - LOOK HOW LOUD I CAN GET MY BIKE!!!!" but enough to make the raccoons run when you crack the throttle a bit.

 

Only problem with the "Loud pipes save lives idea" is the vast majority of cars these days are very quite inside, add a/c and a radio at a moderate level and anything short of a fire siren and they are not going to hear it, so most times having loud pipes do little or nothing to prevent a mishap.

 

Unless your riding BACKWARDS most of your exhaust noise goes out the back! If you don't believe me stand next to a highway and check it out yourself. Loud pipes are loud to the people following you, not to the people in front of you.

 

They've tried it before & They're try it again..

 

What timing this is. There is a letter to the editor in the Harley Enthusiast mag I just got yesterday on page 11 where a 30 year rider and ABATE member mentions being in a car with the windows up, air conditioner on and radio at a comfortable volume and they noticed that they couldn't hear any of the over 50 Harleys that they encountered because the vehicle's sound deadoning features.