Spring is upon us, so I’d thought I’d get the jump on some of those letter-to-the-editor writers by ripping the Band-Aid off that perennial spring sore spot — the noisy motorcycle.
I rode a bike for many years, so I can relate to those who enjoy that open-road sensation enhanced by the throaty rumble from chrome pipes bolted to a well-tuned machine.
So I’m not down on motorcycle culture like some. One national journalist recently described the loud-bike cadre as: “Peacocking, narcissist, insecure, emotionally stunted, look-at-me motorcycling … (bleep).” I’ll forgo the rest of his description.
But there are limits to any indulgence, especially in neighbourhoods and on our shared roadways, and my affection for motorcycling ends at 91 decibels. That is the amount of noise a motorcycle is legally allowed to emit in sa国际传媒
Motor Vehicle Act regulations have this issue pretty well covered.
If your vehicle is propelled by an internal combustion engine, your exhaust pipes must have mufflers in them that both cool and expel emissions without excessive noise.
You can’t cut out the mufflers in your exhaust pipes or run with the pipes detached from the engine. (We actually needed a regulation to cover that?)
Your muffler must contain all the internal baffle plates it came with and the muffler itself cannot be opened up or widened.
Lastly, you can’t attach anything to your muffler or exhaust system that increases noise from the expulsion of gases or allows a flame to be emitted. (Batman excluded).
There were several backyard mechanical geniuses who probably worked day and night to figure out work-arounds to all these rules so they could remain “loud and proud” on the street.
For them, there is one last two-pronged, overarching rule requiring that motorcycle noise not exceed 91 decibels, and that engine noise not be louder than a vehicle in good condition with a comparable-sized engine and horsepower.
Any bike maintained to its manufacturer’s specifications runs well below the 91-decibel threshold. The problem lies with aftermarket products and bike-shop or backyard modifications.
How loud is too loud?
Too loud is setting off car alarms as you ride by. Too loud is blocking others from hearing their car radio even with their windows closed. Too loud is being able to hear your bike on a quiet night heading up the Trans-sa国际传媒 in Langford from a home, in town, 10 kilometers away.
Loud-pipe advocates have argued for years that roaring bikes create greater awareness of their riders. To date, there has been no definitive study to prove that claim.
One European study last year showed the opposite, in fact. With a car radio turned up to a modest 20 decibels, vehicle drivers could not hear motorcycles revving their engines and creating noise up to 110 decibels, even at a distance of 15 metres. At city driving speeds, a 15-metre buffer offers insufficient time to react to most driving dangers.
Far from offering a warning, motorcycle noise has its greatest impact as a bike goes past and moves away from you.
Based on the “loud-pipe theory,” every ambulance and fire truck, with sirens blaring, must create nothing but wide-open spaces on the road for themselves as they pass by. I’ll guarantee that the drivers of those rigs will tell you a very different story about how ineffective being loud is with many drivers out there.
If louder is better, then we’d never see reports of a vehicle being pulverized by a passing train at an unmarked level crossing — except, of course, for the terminally reckless who actually do hear what’s coming at them yet still try to zip in front of a 20,000-ton behemoth barrelling along at 100-plus km/h.
The key to drivers being aware of motorcycles is visibility, not audibility. With their narrower profile and propensity to “blend into” the surrounding road environment, motorcyclists have to be as visible as possible to stay safe.
Trust me, that black leather jacket loses its “cool” appeal after it’s been cut apart by an emergency responder.
I also repeat my mantra that it should be an offence to sell or re-engineer any equipment that is not street legal.
Visibility, riding within your capability and constant attention to the road will keep riders far safer than any jazzy, loud aftermarket set of chrome pipes, which only serve to annoy the rest of us.
Glove Box: Does anyone have a car they’re still driving daily with over 400,000 kilometres or more on the clock? Drop me a line please. I’d love to have a chat with you.
