Hello to all. Anyone care to share your knowledge or experience with receiving a summons for excessive exhaust noise. I believe this will become as hot of a topic as the ’07 tranny noise, cam chain tension shoe wear, which syn oil to use, etc.

What I’ve read, any exhaust pipe producing a reading higher than 80 dB will receive a summons. Damm, my tranny shift clunk is at 80 dB. I’ve heard of summonses being issued for loud pipes (not drag pipes) in several areas. I.E. Long Island, NY (Suffolk County) and New Hope, PA (Bucks County). This year in New Hope, PA. I witnessed two riders each receive a summons for exhaust readings of 86 dB and 90 dB.

If this testing continues with the EPA and the Local Authorities, we’re in for some harassment and summonses as we spend our day riding around. Aftermarket exhaust pipes will become outlawed and we’ll be paying large fines if our bikes are tested with anything other than stock factory pipes.

Ride safe…
Hawci

 

Here's a link to some interesting information regarding motorcycle exhaust.

http://www.noiseoff.org/pipes/

Here's the home page which discusses the Denver legislation as well as other noise news:

http://www.noiseoff.org/

I'm not saying I agree or disagree, philisophically speaking. This is simply a preview of what's going on about noise of all sorts and what we can expect in the future.

 

I think I saw in J&P Catalog... (or maybe somewhere else) Exhaust that you can make loud or quiet with the flip of a switch on the handlebars.. Anyone tried these?

 

I’m not familiar with the adjustable exhaust. Changing backpressure may upset your F/A ratio settings. I have the V&H 4” Classic Touring slip-ons for my Road King. But the point here is this. Both the EPA & Local Authorities now have two ways in order to issue you a summons. First, is the dB level test, ( above 80 dB fails ) which is losing ground to the other option. Second way to get a summons, is if your pipes do not have an EPA Embossed Stamp on the pipe, indicating your exhaust pipe is EPA Noise compliant.

Apparently, they don’t care too much if it’s quite, 80dB baseline from the factory. The road side testing is too much trouble for the Enforcement Teams. I’m not aware of any pipes made for Harley’s that have this ‘embossed EPA stamp’ into the pipe. Stock Factory or Aftermarket…
Do you know of any exhaust Mfg’s that have this stamp ? If they want our fine $$$, it’s getting easier for the Local PD. Thanks to the EPA Noise Ordinance enforcement division.

The EPA needs to concentrate more on environmental pollution issues, instead of having their Enforcement Agencies pass out summonses for ‘all pipes w/o this stamp’. Regardless if they have baffles in them or not. Motorcycles are more likely to get a summons because it’s easier to do a visual inspection as opposed to cars & trucks.

Ride Safe ( & ride quite… )
Hawci

 

Just to chime in and add food for thought...

Why did the brains of Denver decide to use the EPA stamp and enforce the noise issue with just 82- later models? Are the older model bikes "better" that they are beyond enforcement and in a sense "untouchable." I am sure they aren't really, but it sure makes a guy think where the logic in this oridnance came from doesn't it?

I would like to see an officer get down on his hands and knees on the 95*+ days we have been having and try to read the pipes... but then again maybe we should all just go and buy a 1981 model and say **** off to the ordinance all-together since its written in black/white they are enforcing 82-later....oh the fun we could have haha.

 

What about assembled bikes? They dont come with stock factory exhaust..

 

So I must stand corrected now folks...


BEWARE! Denver PD is now armed with fancy schmancy mirrors to read the stampings....lame...

 

All factory pipes have this "stamp". It's that engraved printing on the bottom of the muffler. SE pipes do not have this, that's why they are designated for of road use only.

Aftermarket pipes don't have this, AFAIK. It's an expensive prospect, and most aftermarket producers can't afford it. Companies like Edelbrock dosomething similarfor their car parts; it's called CARB Ceritification. But it's expensive, time consuming, and model specific.

If you have the tools and time, here's what you do. Cut out the area that has the stamp from your stock mufflers. Cut out a similar are on your aftermarket pipes. Weld the stamp into the aftermarket pipes. Dress it up nice, and have it rechromed. Unless the pipes are really loud, it will pass.

 

I wasn’t aware that my stock 2003 Road King mufflers had this stamping on them. I have never seen them, since they were removed before I took delivery of my bike. But at least I have them in the garage. If this noise ordinance gets out of control, with no place to hide, then I’ll research on how to modify the stock muffler/baffles, so that they can flow exhaust levels as close as the V&H slip-ons.

But not so much as to go too far above the 80 dB sound level. I really hope we won’t have to start playing theses games in order to out-smart the Noise Patrol. I just can’t accept having to detune our bikes this much, just so that we can ride and not be harassed and receive Fine$ up our tail pipes. (Pun intended) …

Hawci

 

Well they had a news story on the local channel here on Sunday night about the new ordinance and they interviewed some of the local bikers. One guy's responce was the usual "loud pipes save lives" then a well educated Denver Motorcycle officer replied with "If you ride smart and safe it wouldn't matter if the bike was loud or quiet"

*jaw dropped* He obviously is oblivious to the dangers and daily instances we all face riding on the highways and streets. Of course, the guy looked like a Goldwing rider posed on a Harely Police bike too lol.

The bikers the news stationed interviewed closed the story best with this comment "I spent a thousand dollars to get my bike to where it is now, why would I put it back to stock. It's as simple as this, we (bikers) walk with our wallets, and we will take our money out of Denver.