I know the EPA as well as a number of municipalities is getting pretty stiff on the rules about loud pipes on bikes but it seems to me at least in my area there has been an increase in the number of cars with loud cat-back exhaust systems. Not trying to bust out the car dudes but I really haven't seen anything that addresses (or "targets" if you want to use that term) cars with loud exhausts.

I also note almost daily a number of older hoop-dee vehicles in my area that have loud exhausts, louder than my bike.

Since the EPA isn't about to back off of the loud bike pipe thing, should they at least get stiffer with the loud car pipes? Wouldn't this only be fair? Maybe if the cars get involved there will be a larger group to pressure EPA to relax a bit.

And on a side not: I still have my stock pipes handy just in case things go from bad to back to stock!

 

They should be included but this whole EPA crap started out as a political push by the Seirra Club to stick it to off-roaders in the western states so they wouldn't be disturbed by exhaust noise while they were out huggin bunnies. We just got thrown "under the bus" in the process.

 

Hey I like bunnies, grilled especially![sm=violent053.gif]

 

Do you think I will have to take the cherry bombs off my truck?[:@]

 

Yeah I was sitting next to an old Nova one day and it was definately louder then my bike....

For some reason he's cool and I'm annoying.

 

Eh, I never liked that kind of thinking. "I cant do this so they shouldnt do that"
Facts are, while some cars have overly loud exhausts, they dont run straight pipes and run in packs of 2 or more. Bikes do. Which multiplies the amount of noise.
Also, there hasnt been a recent upswing in the popularity of Hot Rods, which are the cars that generaly will have a loud exhaust.
Also, most of those cars are driven less than your avarage RUB rides, beleive it or not.

 

The whole EPA thing is new bikes, its municipalities that are setting up the loud pipes laws. If you live in a state or county that requires emissions testing to get your car registered then those folks with the loud and broken exhausts on cars are getting dinged as well. The EPA controls what emissions have to be on cars as well.

 

In CA only 1976 and newer cars are required to pass emmissions tests....also excluded are hybrids.

 

When I lived in Ohio the county I was in didn't require EPA emissions testing and the neighboring county did. It was on a county by county basis there.

 

The emmisions procedures are changing in IL. Now only 96 and new passgenger vehicles/trucks are getting tested since it is they plug into the OBD system. When I had a 95 S10 tested I spent an hour since the idiots at the testing station couldn't drive a manual and couldn't keep the RPM's in the required range to get a valid test. I think these standards drop the overall air quality. If they are unable to evaluate an older veicle then it is cheeper to just keep these "beater's running than get a new 'economy' vehicle and maintain an emisisons system. my GM catalytic was replaced at no cost at 78K by the dealer. the cosst would have been over 750 for them to do it.