Loud pipes cause gripes
 Recently we celebrated a friend's birthday on the patio of Harry's Bars & Tables in Westport. It was a beautiful night. Everyone was enjoying the cool evening. Lots of people-watching and enjoyable conversations.Then the motorcycles came. Roaring up Pennsylvania they cruised by at a snail's pace, revving their engines in a "Notice me! Notice me!" manner. The noise was so deafening that everything stopped on the patio. People on the sidewalks stopped moving. Some even held their hands over their ears. Even after the motorcycles rounded the corner at Westport Road we were left with multiple car alarms wailing away because their motion sensors had been set off by the rumbling bikes. Nobody in my immediate vicinity thought there was anything cool about what had just occurred. In fact, all the comments I heard were extremely negative. "Is that even legal?" someone asked. No. It isn't. I ride. I have a 600 Suzuki that I dearly love and my wife deathly fears. She doesn't like motorcycles but she tolerates my affair. She knows how much joy a nice buzz around the city brings me. And that's my point. It's a buzz, not a deafening roar. My bike is not loud. It has the original exhaust system. No Vance-Hines race modifications for me. My "tags match" which means my bike conforms to a little known Federal law that mandates a motorcycle must test under a maximum sound emission level (80dB). If so, one tag is engraved somewhere on the frame, the other on the exhaust. A bike should not pass safety inspection if the exhaust has been altered. This is a Federal law that is rarely, if ever enforced here in Missouri. I've heard the arguments. "Loud pipes save lives!" Sorry, that doesn't hold with me. If the louder you are the safer you are, then give me an F-16 jet engine. I'm sure my neighbors would love that. The other argument is straight pipes increase horsepower and fuel efficiency. So what? How much horsepower do you need? My bike will "flat git gone" as my dad used to say. I don't need any more power. Fuel efficiency? I can go forever on a tank of gas. I'm not going to frighten small children into their mother's arms just to squeeze out a couple more MPG's. It's really up to our state legislators to make sure Federal laws are enforced, but if we have to pass something at the local level, so be it. I have yet to hear the argument that will persuade me it's your right to be the loudest thing on the road. -- Update -- Local blogger Gone Mild has something to add to the discussion. Thanks to him for the referrals. |
Comments on "Loud pipes cause gripes"
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Jeff said ... (1:37 PM) :
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DaveKCMO said ... (4:23 PM) :
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Jenny said ... (7:29 AM) :
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The Wife said ... (12:47 PM) :
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Mark said ... (12:56 PM) :
post a commentYou're right on with this one. I've nearly been blown off my (pedal) bike by pompous riders who know exactly what they're doing when the take off from a stoplight.
It's illegal, but happens All The Time. So, is this a problem with:
A) Riders
B) Shops, dealers
C) Police
?
maybe we should all start screaming at the top of our lungs whenever a bike like that rides by. i think i'll give that shot.
Mr. Forsythe,
If you can somehow bring peace back to my neighborhood, I will thank you, my children will thank you. The motorcycle riders can be a very intimidating group. Please don't back down. You have my vote!
I say a little prayer every time you hop on your rice rocket for a spin around town.
My ears are particularly sensitive to loud noise (too many years sitting in front of the brass in orchestra). Sound levels above 80dB do temporary damage to your hearing, and prolonged exposure can lead to permanent damage.
The law student in me questions whether knowingly subjecting people to unreasonable dB levels could be tortious.
I probably sound like the most UNCOOL person in the world right now!
(sorry honey)
Jeff,
To answer your question, the problem is with all three. The riders should know better. Modifying your bike to make it louder is juvenile in my opinion.
The shops should know better. They should be aware of the law and not perform any modifications which violate EPA standards.
The police choose not to enforce the law. In the case of the Westport incident, two KC police officers walked up the sidewalk not 30 seconds after the bikes had passed. They did nothing.
Even the American Motorcyclist Association agrees that the straight headers are ridiculous. www.ama-cycle.org