Loud Pipes

[Flying Duck]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt-ytACe ... r_embedded

[SugarHillCTD]

Bike week is just starting here in NH. Now I'll think of that Youtube piece every time I hear a loud hardly (which will be about every 2-3 minutes- my office is on Main Street, Franconia- about 1 hour from the "action") HDs will be everywhere.........

[Ted]

Since my Wife recently became aware of my K75RT our friends are slowly becoming aware as well. Last night a bunch of us were out on the back patio and a typical short pipe Harley idiot roared by smacking his throttle I guess hoping to wake up sleeping babies and rattle windows -- they all turned and looked at me with "WTF" looks on their faces.

I was half tempted to go start the BMW to show them "see, it sounds like a whiny sewing machine".

[drikko]

I live on the main road to the mountain ride here in Brisbane (Samford for the locals). My pet hate is all the illegal mufflered Hardly Drivables going past on the weekends, especially when the Hells Angels are having a meet up at Mt Mee. The noise is unbeleivable. Personally I think they should all be shot. The police are too gutless to take them all off the road. No other group of road users are allowed to be so blatantly illegal.......which they all are. I hate them with a passion.

[mnb]

Guilt by association, Ted. You ride a bike, therefore you are to be held accountable for all the indiscretions of all riders.

[rydor]

I would bitch about the harleys, but I would be a hypocrite having woken up the whole Hungry Mother neighborhood when I rolled in that Friday morning... kinda loudly.

[Freedom45]

In high density population areas, noise pollution is a contributing factor to stress. Police helicopters, sirens, barking dogs and loud motorcycle and modified vehicle exhaust (coffee can mufflers) are the noticeable contributors along with simply the tire noise from freeways.

Freeways in our area are using a rubber compound from old tires that is mixed with the asphalt and that has helped, along with sound barrier walls along sections of freeway adjacent to residential areas.

We have mandatory exhaust emission testing for registration of vehicles. It would be an easy thing to measure the decibel levels of vehicle exhaust and pass those that stayed within reasonably proscribed levels. The problem is that it invites government to regulate still another aspect of our already over-regulated lives.

Loud exhausts, to me, equate to rude vehicle operators that need their ego stroked by making noise and drawing attention of others. In populated areas, loud exhausts are out of place.

[SugarHillCTD]

Many states do have limits on MC noise- although Va and Az do not!

But let's face it there is little if any enforcement of these:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/laws.asp

If New Hampshire did enforce its law - Maximum Sound Level 96dba @ 20 inches would there even be a Bike Week?

Interesting that I obtained that chart from the AMA website because a few years ago when I rejoined (not for long) I had written them about their stand on loud bikes/pipes. Their reply was convoluted double-talk that danced around while avoiding any conclusion.

My personal feeling is that REALLY loud (straight pipes) exhausts just p!ss off the majority of the public (MC riders are a very small # compared to non-riders) and if we don't self-regulate noise, at some point they will- and it may not be to our liking at all. Just IMHO

[drikko]

Looking at the table, I am horrified by how many states still don't require helmets! But we have duscussed that before so don't need to again.....

[John Clauss]

My father worked at a BMW shop and was a state inspection guy. He would love the look on the guys faces after he would peel off their old sticker (This is the way its done in PA) then tell them to go home and put on the original exhaust so he could finish the inspection. Of course the Harley shops just slap the stickers right on.

[Flying Duck]

Looking at the table, I am horrified by how many states still don't require helmets! But we have duscussed that before so don't need to again.....

I'm horrified at the number of states WITH helmet laws.

Interestingly, if you compare it to political maps of the US, it's strikingly similar to states that vote Republican vs. Democrat. It has something to do with the nanny state mentality of the libtards.

[SugarHillCTD]

Republican vs. Democrat. It has something to do with the nanny state mentality of the libtards.

Should take those comments to the Dungeon where they belong.

[Flying Duck]

Relax, it's just one little joke.

[SugarHillCTD]

Riiiight. Yeah, just a joke. Sure.

[Freedom45]

IMO, this is exactly the forum to discuss the ramifications of loud exhaust and most of the posts are aimed at the issue.

Continue on, I say.

[Flying Duck]

Riiiight. Yeah, just a joke. Sure.

Sheesh, it's the Internet. Have a beer.