Boston outlaws exhausts without EPA certification

[Popeye the Sailor]

if you think about it unfortunately this is a law to do away with really teh harley guys.  that is what people usually think about when they hear "loud motorcycle"  with straight pipes and such.

i have termi without baffles on my bike and though it is louder than normal, even when next to a stock harley 1200 sportster, you no longer can hear my bike at all.. and that is stock harley off the showroom floor.  wtf?

but obviously the laws are being passed to satisfy the 'rich' folks that hate to hear the motorcycles and think that those are the only loud things in the neighborhood.  any diesel box truck or garbage truck is way louder than a my bike without baffles on it and that is a "stock" truck.. wtf?

Look, it's not just the Harleys, it's all of us with aftermarket louder exhausts. Sure, at idle, the Harley might be far louder than the duc, but the Harleys that drive past my place are no more obnoxious than the sportbike crew. This may be because the Harley is cruising at 4000 RPM and the ducs are screaming by at twice that.

Hell, there have been exhaust contests for noisiest exhaust organized on this very board and then to imply that we're not part of the problem is just plain hypocrisy.


I don't mind the regular parade of bikes that go roaring past my house-I was aware of it before I bought the place, and I find it entertaining. But truth be told, the only bikes that I would claim stand out as quiet would be the BMW guys. Every last other make out there is just as noisy when they go pissing past the house, regardless of what style of bike it is. You might not realize it because you're on it at those speeds, earplugs in, but the rest of us sure do.

Could we please knock off the "Well, my open dry clutch and baffle-less termis couldn't possibly be part of the problem" nonsense?

[Kopfjäger]

 

[DrDesmo]

Could we please knock off the "Well, my open dry clutch and baffle-less termis couldn't possibly be part of the problem" nonsense?

+1.  I love the sound of my (well, for now anyways) S4R + full arrows, but never take it into town because it's just embarrassing ... Yet awesome 

Cheers,
Adam

[LA]

Could we please knock off the "Well, my open dry clutch and baffle-less termis couldn't possibly be part of the problem" nonsense?

A straight piped Harley is SSSOOOO much louder than a Termi kitted Ducati of any stripe there is just NOOoo comparison.  Not even in the same dimension. 

Maybe your town isn't slam full of open pipe Harleys.  It's like the god damn space shutter blasting off for Christ sakes.  And were I live the cops absolutely ignore the Harley crowd - they can make as much noise as they want and always ride off with the throttle pinned for the first 30 mph or so.  So much noise and motors so big you'd think they'd be some power being made.

In the grand scheme of things for me it's not that big a deal as law enforcement doesn't enforce the noise ordinances.  And my Termi kitted Ducati is so quite by comparison, the LEO don't even look my way.

LA

[Popeye the Sailor]

Even if it's not loud by comparison does not mean it's not loud. I live in the SF bay area, which is a terribly popular area for motorcyclists. There are a TON of bikes here, of all kinds. You name it, it drives past my house-even the open pipe Harleys.

Better than the other guy does not mean it's any good, nor is it any excuse. From inside the hosue, and to the average layman, they are all obnoxiously loud.

[Howie]

The point here is the Boston legislation is based on an EPA certification stamp on a bike, not actual sound level.  Some of those super quiet BMWs would be ticketed under the present legislation because the certification stamp is under a heat shield and can not be seen.  Even Police Harleys would be subject since the stamping his hidden by the luggage.  Meanwhile, the person with the cored EPA cans  gets off scott free.  There is only one fair and proper way to enforce noise limits, and that is measuring actual noise by a standardized test procedure for all vehicles, not just motorcycles.  Side note:  The Oakland CA PD spent taxpayer money on loud pipes for their police bikes   http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.com/forum/hdrcgb-beer-tent/62346-amazing-do-loud-pipes-saves-lives-oakland-police-dept-ca.html

[DrDesmo]

The point here is the Boston legislation is based on an EPA certification stamp on a bike, not actual sound level.  Some of those super quiet BMWs would be ticketed under the present legislation because the certification stamp is under a heat shield and can not be seen.  Even Police Harleys would be subject since the stamping his hidden by the luggage.  Meanwhile, the person with the cored EPA cans  gets off scott free.  There is only one fair and proper way to enforce noise limits, and that is measuring actual noise by a standardized test procedure for all vehicles, not just motorcycles.  Side note:  The Oakland CA PD spent taxpayer money on loud pipes for their police bikes   http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.com/forum/hdrcgb-beer-tent/62346-amazing-do-loud-pipes-saves-lives-oakland-police-dept-ca.html

Say you like loud pipes because the sound, say you like it because you like the attention, but save the "loud pipes save lives" argument, it's total BS and has been refuted many many times:

http://www.virginiawind.com/byways/loud_pipes_save_lives.asp

Adam

[ducpainter]

weed whackers are loud...

chain saws are loud...

motorcycles are an easier target

[red baron]

weed whackers are loud...

chain saws are loud...

motorcycles are an easier target

Would it be proper to insert a California joke here?

[ducpainter]

Would it be proper to insert a California joke here?

your call

[DrDesmo]

weed whackers are loud...

chain saws are loud...

motorcycles are an easier target

So are you saying we should march an army of chain saws and weed whackers down newbury st to try and set off car alarms and look cool?

... I like where this is going 

[ducpainter]

So are you saying we should march an army of chain saws and weed whackers down newbury st to try and set off car alarms and look cool?

... I like where this is going 

No...

but knock yourself out.

I can't explain it here.

[DoubleEagle]

My Termis caused two Deer that were standing in the middle of the road to take off running 100 yards before i got to them .

I was doing 80 mph and my guess is they heard me before they actually could tell by seeing what the bright light was that was bearing down on them.

I also caused a Rooster to take flight . The Rooster was right beside the road although I came upon it so fast I don't think the dumb Bird knew what was going on since I went past it doing at least 80 mph in a very rural setting.

I thought it was going to fly right into me but at the last possible instant veered off to my right thank goodness. It would have been ugly.

I like to hear loud pipes .

At one of the State Parks I like to ride through  , you can pull in a parking / picnic area which is down in a valley . On a nice Sunday afternoon , you can sit at a picnic table and in 15 minutes count 50 bikes go by .

A lot of the time there will be a dozen Harleys go by in a group and they sure make a lot of loud exhaust sounds which reverberate back and forth through the valley.

What about Barking Dogs that are kept outside and like to bark all night ?

Dolph

[somegirl]

What about Barking Dogs that are kept outside and like to bark all night ?

You can call up the police and complain about them.

[DrDesmo]

My Termis caused two Deer that were standing in the middle of the road to take off running 100 yards before i got to them .

I was doing 80 mph and my guess is they heard me before they actually could tell by seeing what the bright light was that was bearing down on them.

I also caused a Rooster to take flight . The Rooster was right beside the road although I came upon it so fast I don't think the dumb Bird knew what was going on since I went past it doing at least 80 mph in a very rural setting.

I thought it was going to fly right into me but at the last possible instant veered off to my right thank goodness. It would have been ugly.

I like to hear loud pipes .

At one of the State Parks I like to ride through  , you can pull in a parking / picnic area which is down in a valley . On a nice Sunday afternoon , you can sit at a picnic table and in 15 minutes count 50 bikes go by .

A lot of the time there will be a dozen Harleys go by in a group and they sure make a lot of loud exhaust sounds which reverberate back and forth through the valley.

What about Barking Dogs that are kept outside and like to bark all night ?

Dolph

Dolph -

he big thing is that absolutely none of the picturesque scenarios you described apply to the city of Boston.  It's primarily a pedestrian city and when a H-D or (whatever) comes through revving the snot out of their engine and it's echoing around the buildings it's LOUD and just plain obnoxious for everyone.  And this is coming from a guy who loves loud bikes, especially a Duc    

No one cares if you've got a loud bike outside of the city.

I lived over by Fenway for a while, and I have no idea for the life of me why you'd even want to bring a motorcycle through town - most of the people I see in Boston on bikes are posing on Newbury St or over by lansdowne.  Get a scooter and be a scooter trash ... and you can park on the sidewalk that way 

Cheers,
Adam