A guy I know just took the MSC (motorcycle safety course)

[JulesMaximus]

Anyone heard this from any official sources? Personally, I wouldn't mind some enforcement of noise pollution laws but I haven't read anything about this and a google search didn't really turn up anything either.

It would suck for my neighbor who just spent $2k on a Screamin' Eagle exhaust for his Harley...but then again, I liked his bike when it was stock. Now it's just annoyingly fucking loud. I asked him if he noticed an increase in power and his reply was, "Not really." :roll: Well, why the fuck did you do it then? I didn't ask him that of course...because I like the guy and it's not as though he's out there reving that thing up at 6AM to go to work everyday...thankfully.

Sport bike guys are just as bad though...just a different pitch to the noise.

BTW-I'm pretty sure CHP does hassle car owners for illegal exhausts so it wouldn't surprise me to see them start hassling motorcyclists.

Where do you stand on this issue?

 

[The Stigenator]

well i dont have an illegal exhaust.. but if i open her up.. you can hear a throaty intake..

 

[Leros]

Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: Leros
Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

As if anyone in an air-conditioned car with the windows up and the stereo cranked could hear the exhaust of an approaching bike!

 

[TBone48]

I'm not against some kind of anti-noise laws. I have a few guys in my neighborhood with open exhausts on their Harleys and it is just impossible to even think when they ride by. My kids used to cry when they were younger, now they just roll their eyes at these attention whores. There's got to be a way to have a good sounding bike (or car) without setting off alarms and scaring little kids. A guy on one of the motorcycle forums I belong to has a signature line that says " If loud pipes save lives, imagine what learning to ride properly could do." All that noise is just that, noise, if you can't even ride competently.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Originally posted by: TBone48
I'm not against some kind of anti-noise laws. I have a few guys in my neighborhood with open exhausts on their Harleys and it is just impossible to even think when they ride by. My kids used to cry when they were younger, now they just roll their eyes at these attention whores. There's got to be a way to have a good sounding bike (or car) without setting off alarms and scaring little kids. A guy on one of the motorcycle forums I belong to has a signature line that says " If loud pipes save lives, imagine what learning to ride properly could do." All that noise is just that, noise, if you can't even ride competently.

What I was going to try to say (though perhaps not as well), but was too lazy to add to my post above.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: CallMeJoe

Originally posted by: Leros
Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

As if anyone in an air-conditioned car with the windows up and the stereo cranked could hear the exhaust of an approaching bike!

Yea I'm pretty sure the noise safety aspect is mostly myth.

I wear gear and stay aware to keep safe.

I still want to see pics of Jules bike and have him sell it to me for low $ so I can ride it across the country. Stock pipes I hope.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Leros
Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

Um, sound comes out the back. How does noise behind you help alert people in front of you of their presence? Don't bother to answer, it doesn't. The only thing it does is alarm them after you've ridden by...at which point there is no longer any danger to the rider.

Unless you can point me to the study that shows that riders with loud pipes are less likely to be involved in an accident I remain unconvinced. Unsubstantiated claims on some forum don't count.

Oh, and FTR, I have my motorcycle endorsement and I ride regularly.

 

[Howard]

Exhaust noise doesn't go forward?

 

[Dirigible]

I bought a used sport bike with an extremely loud Muzzy pipe some years back. It was way too freaking loud. Even as the rider, and taking into account that drivers definitely knew I was there, I hated it. I avoided riding at night or morning when people might be sleeping, which was a pain. Was glad to get rid of that pipe.

I support at least some limit on noise. I've been woken up too often by some jerk riding down the street, setting off multiple car alarms.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Leros
Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

Um, sound comes out the back. How does noise behind you help alert people in front of you of their presence? Don't bother to answer, it doesn't. The only thing it does is alarm them after you've ridden by...at which point there is no longer any danger to the rider.

Unless you can point me to the study that shows that riders with loud pipes are less likely to be involved in an accident I remain unconvinced. Unsubstantiated claims on some forum don't count.

Oh, and FTR, I have my motorcycle endorsement and I ride regularly.

Actually for the Harley guys its' not the noise persay but the bass rumble which you can *feel* in a radius around the bike. I ride street bikes, and I agree their noise isnt helpful for folks in front of ya

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: CallMeJoe

Originally posted by: Leros
Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

As if anyone in an air-conditioned car with the windows up and the stereo cranked could hear the exhaust of an approaching bike!

Yea I'm pretty sure the noise safety aspect is mostly myth.

I wear gear and stay aware to keep safe.

I still want to see pics of Jules bike and have him sell it to me for low $ so I can ride it across the country. Stock pipes I hope.

Not stock pipes. It had a crap 4 into 1 aftermarket exhaust on it when I bought it and it had a hole in it that someone had riveted a plate over and the bike was never jetted for that exhaust so I put some closer to stock pipes on it. An OEM exhaust system for my bike, a CB750, are extremely hard to come by since it is so old and Honda hasn't made them in years. NOS exhausts sell for well over a thousand dollars...if you can find a complete one; it just isn't worth it unless you want to completely restore the bike. MAC makes a nice 4 into 2 for less than $400 so I put one of those on it. It is a bit louder than stock but it is nowhere near as loud as most aftermarket pipes for a Harley. Probably similar to a stock Harley for loudness...completely different sound though.

I'm looking at buying a BMW F800ST, a Ducati GT1000 or possibly a Suzuki SV650 (depending on funds). I need to ride the BMW and Suzuki, I've ridden the Ducati and love it but I wouldn't mind having ABS on my next bike either.

I'm in no hurry to ride or buy. Maybe I'll wait until summer is over for a good deal.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Howard
Exhaust noise doesn't go forward?

It goes forward but it comes out the back of the bike, and the bike is moving forward. Tell me, does a motorcycle sound louder as it is approaching you or after it has passed?

 

[Kadarin]

I would definitely support noise limits on those damned things. My car has headers and an aftermarket exhaust, but it's still nowhere near the sound level of some of those Harleys.

 

[Kalvin00]

Meh, they say that all the time.

Never know when the real crackdown might come though.

My zx-6r has an aftermarket pipe that cranks out about 101 dB, according to the company...

And some CHP/other officers already do give fix-it tickets to illegal exhausts...just not many of them.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Howard
Exhaust noise doesn't go forward?

It goes forward but it comes out the back of the bike, and the bike is moving forward. Tell me, does a motorcycle sound louder as it is approaching you or after it has passed?

I'll admit that the rear is louder... but increase the volume and the overall output will increase.

 

[Greenman]

God I hope they do that. I'd love to see a couple thousand dollar fine for the first offense. There is nothing more rude than having some asshat with a Harley drive by at midnight making more noise than a 747.

 

[BoomerD]

Fuck I hope so...I get tired of my neighbor cracking the throttle just to see how many car alarms he can set off...

Of course, I wish the cops would enforce the law that says that if your car stereo can be heard from more than 30 feet away, you're gonna get a ticket for disturbing the peace...I can hear some of the kids with thumper stereos go by several blocks away.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Fuck I hope so...I get tired of my neighbor cracking the throttle just to see how many car alarms he can set off...

Of course, I wish the cops would enforce the law that says that if your car stereo can be heard from more than 30 feet away, you're gonna get a ticket for disturbing the peace...I can hear some of the kids with thumper stereos go by several blocks away.

Trouble is they see cops and can turn down the volume. You can't really turn down an obnoxiously loud bike, especially when the light turns green. :laugh:

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Kadarin
I would definitely support noise limits on those damned things. My car has headers and an aftermarket exhaust, but it's still nowhere near the sound level of some of those Harleys.

And they would stop you before they ever stopped a harley for the exhaust. I hate that they don't care about bikes because I get stopped by cops since my STOCK exhaust is loud and find it very difficult to believe that a stock exhaust would have no muffler. Even when I show them the owners manual that states so.

/rant

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: CallMeJoe

Originally posted by: Leros
Bikes need to make some noise to draw attention to themselves for safety reasons, but I don't think there is any need to make them louder than they already are.

As if anyone in an air-conditioned car with the windows up and the stereo cranked could hear the exhaust of an approaching bike!

Yea I'm pretty sure the noise safety aspect is mostly myth.

I wear gear and stay aware to keep safe.

I still want to see pics of Jules bike and have him sell it to me for low $ so I can ride it across the country. Stock pipes I hope.

Not stock pipes. It had a crap 4 into 1 aftermarket exhaust on it when I bought it and it had a hole in it that someone had riveted a plate over and the bike was never jetted for that exhaust so I put some closer to stock pipes on it. An OEM exhaust system for my bike, a CB750, are extremely hard to come by since it is so old and Honda hasn't made them in years. NOS exhausts sell for well over a thousand dollars...if you can find a complete one; it just isn't worth it unless you want to completely restore the bike. MAC makes a nice 4 into 2 for less than $400 so I put one of those on it. It is a bit louder than stock but it is nowhere near as loud as most aftermarket pipes for a Harley. Probably similar to a stock Harley for loudness...completely different sound though.

I'm looking at buying a BMW F800ST, a Ducati GT1000 or possibly a Suzuki SV650 (depending on funds). I need to ride the BMW and Suzuki, I've ridden the Ducati and love it but I wouldn't mind having ABS on my next bike either.

I'm in no hurry to ride or buy. Maybe I'll wait until summer is over for a good deal.

I know the feeling. I have a 75 cb550 with an as yet unidentified aftermarket exhaust. Just found a few holes in it that im going ot have to patch until I find a good deal on a nice stock exhaust.

 

[Flash1969]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Fuck I hope so...I get tired of my neighbor cracking the throttle just to see how many car alarms he can set off...

Of course, I wish the cops would enforce the law that says that if your car stereo can be heard from more than 30 feet away, you're gonna get a ticket for disturbing the peace...I can hear some of the kids with thumper stereos go by several blocks away.

Both of these annoyances need to be dealt with. I can't believe both have been tolerated as long as they have.