CHAINSAW
Rider
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 16
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 Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 10:30 am Post subject: SOUND AND FURY - BIKERS' MUFFLERS LEAVE SOME IRATE |
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SOUND AND FURY - BIKERS' MUFFLERS LEAVE SOME IRATE
AS NOISE BOOMS FROM BIKES, STEREOS, TOWNS PASS LAWS FOR PEACE AND QUIET
By ERIC RUTH, The News Journal
324-2428 or eruth@delawareonline.com
Posted Saturday, August 25, 2007
http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070825/NEWS/708250352
Laws that target loud motorcycles are racing across the country these days, seeking some peace and quiet in cities from New York to Denver.
But as Delaware has found, noise laws don't always speak so forcefully. And some bikers believe they may even put people at risk.
"Loud pipes save lives," said Graham Harrison, a Virginia rider who on Friday was rumbling his way through Delaware on the way to Atlantic City. "That's the truth."
While Delaware has laws at the state and municipal level that limit the amount of noise a motorcycle can make -- and even what kinds of exhaust systems are legal -- riders here routinely ignore them, outfitting their bikes with high-volume pipes that aren't legal for street use. Many swap the pipes with a muffled set when it's time for vehicle inspection, then simply put the loud exhaust back on, riders said.
The resulting rumble is the stuff of mechanical machismo for a motorcycle buff, but goes beyond petty annoyance for some people who must endure the racket from inside their cars or homes. Similar annoyance over loud car stereos has prompted Dover to crack down on noise, and an effort is under way in Wilmington to make drivers think before they blast their tunes.
"Sounds at a certain level are intolerable," said Hanifa Shabazz, a Wilmington councilwoman who successfully pushed to have signs placed through the city warning drivers to be considerate or face fines. "We have sounds coming from cars that are rattling people's windows."
For many motorcyclists, such volume is viewed as a potential savior. A quiet motorcycle is less likely to be noticed by other drivers, and thus is more likely to become a victim of carelessness, cyclists contend.
"I think loud motorcycles do save lives," said Carol "Hoop" Hooper of Newark, a veteran rider and member of ABATE of Delaware, a motorcycle advocacy club. "Why do you think motorcycles get loud pipes? Because they're afraid to get hit."
"They hear the rumble, and they look for you. They do," said Jon Kane, who was accompanying Harrison on their ride through Delaware.
"People can't see you, but they can hear you" with loud pipes, said Mario Rucci of New Jersey. "I like it loud. But my pipes have baffles in them. It makes them a little bit quieter."
Riders acknowledge that a few fellow motorcyclists abuse the power of their pipes. Most say they are careful to keep the volume down through neighborhoods, recognizing that it doesn't take many loud encounters to sway sentiment against them.
Mike Schwartz, owner of the Mike's Famous Harley-Davidson dealerships and entertainment complexes, said it would be unfair for the law to put too much scrutiny on loud motorcycles when there are so many other pressing priorities. "Do you single out motorcycles because of one or two riders who take it past the limit?"
There's also no clear consensus among society as to what constitutes noise pollution. "What's too loud to you may be just right for me," said Brad Hopkins, general manager at Mike's Famous. "It's not a lack of laws, it's how they're enforced."
A nation of noise laws
All motorcycles sold for road use in the U.S. are subject to federal noise laws keeping them within a certain range of decibels, below 80 decibels from 50 feet away. In individual towns and states, ordinances against motorcycle noise come in many forms. Some are against certain types of products -- like loud exhausts -- while others are aimed more on the intent of the driver, who may want to turn some heads or rile up the neighbors.
•As of July 1, riders in New York City face a minimum $440 fine for having a muffler or exhaust system that can be heard within 200 feet.
•In Lancaster, Pa., starting this month, motorcycle 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.
•As of July 1, motorcyclists in Denver could be ticketed $500 for putting mufflers on their bikes made by someone other than the original manufacturer, if the bike is 25 years old or less. These after-market products can be louder than their manufacturer-made counterparts. Denver's plan is unique because it targets the after-market equipment.
In Delaware, the existing laws against motorcycle noise mainly target the equipment. Federal law requires all motorcycles to be sold with effective mufflers, and the Delaware Code forbids modifying them in a way that would produce "excessive or unusual noise" on streets. The sale of "straight exhaust" systems or mufflers without interior baffle plates is forbidden for road use by motorcycles.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is responsible for enforcing the state's Noise Control Act, a duty it delegates to the Delaware State Police and other local law agencies. The Department of Motor Vehicles is charged with the task of inspecting muffler systems.
Troopers are not equipped with decibel-measuring equipment, said Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh, state police spokesman. "I think that the officer's judgment on noise level has been a key factor in prosecuting that type of case," he said. Violations don't always end in a citation; sometimes, officers issue a notice requiring the exhaust system to be reinspected.
Seeking peace and quiet
Riders rights groups fear that the inconsistent ordinances across the country will create a confusing patchwork of laws that motorcyclists won't 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 also face the challenge of enforcement. "The police officers are focusing on so many other social ills," Shabazz said.
The American Motorcyclist Association would rather see an ordinance that targets all vehicles or uses a decibel test to measure actual noise output.
The Motorcycle Industry Council, the industry's trade group, is working with the American Society of Engineers to establish a sound test that would help equalize enforcement. The group hopes to have the test ready next year.
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. Denver's ordinance is music to his ears.
"I think more and more people are putting pressure on communities," said Rueter, director of Noise Free America, based in Madison, Wis. "That fact that Denver has done so is going to give a lot of encouragement to people who love peace and quiet."
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