I thought that I would clear up some mis information that is being posted on the sound testing procedures for vehicles. First of all a new sound test procedure was developed by the Motorcycle Technical Committee of SAE. This is a procedure known as SAE J2825. (BTW, the members of the SAE standards development are the OEM,s and engineers and members of the technical community, most members of the TC have more than 30 years of riding experience.) The standard was not developed or funded by "Big Brother" the AMA or governmental or regulatory agencies. Some of the agencies will utilize and recommend the procedures, however it is not a private agency that is developing standards, laws or in this case required sound levels or enforcement for vehicle noise control. The new sound test procedure involved the taking thousands of sound measurements over 5 years of work and data being taken on all types of vehicles and engine designs, and even many of the aftermarket "Street / competition use only" exhaust systems.

In the case of vehicle sound measurement many procedures are used. Some are drive by methods, some are stationary methods. The goal is to be able to take a measurement by a method that is done specifically to a protocol.

The reason why motorcycles are getting attention is because communities are tired of having too much noise from modified exhaust systems, and from people who think that it is just TFB that someone else does not want to hear them 3/4 mile away. If that noise problem is you, then you are doing your part in helping all of us riders not being welcome, on the trail, at the track, or on the highway.

The Car guys are regulated and tested by a similar stationary sound test method, (SAE J1169) The snowmobile guys have a method, the dirt bike guys have a method (SAE J1287), and so on. The uniform Standard test procedures place a number on the sound level, and take the subjective ness out of having sound called "Loud or Unusual". The new vehicles have control levels set but this is a total vehicle sound level and it is a drive by test procedure that measures all of the sound or total vehicle sound, including tire noise, intake sound and exhaust.

I know that a little rumble is a good thing. It feels good. It is pleasing to many. Ask the hot rod and guys, seldom do they get wacked because their 350 shakes the ground a bit, however if they want to run straight pipes on the street then they expect to get a ticket.

Let your 2 wheeled hot rod rumble some, however if you are setting off car alarms, making babies cry or getting looks a block away, or when you are on the trail, you are over the line, and communities will rumble back. This results in bike bans and land closures.

BTW, The US has the loudest vehicle standards in the world. Try running a modified street exhaust in Europe and you will go to jail. In the US all we need to do is to just tone it down a bit. America is still sort of free, so lets just work to all play well together. If we don't blend in, we will get more attention than we want.

Hey DPS....you must be Chris Real. I recognized the company name from when I visited www.soundoffmc.com yesterday.

Thanks for posting here and for your contributions to Sound Off MC. The sport needs more people like you.....keep up the great work!

jjm525 said:

All the AMA is trying to establish are standard testing procedures, I still don't understand what's wrong with doing that.

Without reading back through all the posts (sorry) has anyone even considered what test method they propose? I can test you at 105 using the 20" method, and get a reading of 96 using the 50' method, same bike.

huffster said:

The problem is that by using a 2k rpm test at a stupid dB # the bikes can still "shake the Earth" at 7k rpm. The standards they are proposing are BS, as they are for MX, SX and off road racing. They don't change the noise of the vehicles that are causing the problem for the public, therefore, the complaints will still be made and the road, trail & track bans will still be introduced.

It is a "make no difference" standard.

Personally, I am sick of the loud bikes at Rampart-which feels like everyone has a super loud pipe. The obnoxious pipes need to come to an end.

Meterpig said:

I have more exposure to off road than street and from my vantage point I think there are more and more off roaders that "get it."

I don't have factual information to base the following on but my gut feel is in the pavement world the "loud pipes save lives" mentality still prevails. They haven't had to care for the most part but are now beginning to have reality catch up with them.

More and more cities are tiring of these bozos and the bikers should not be surprised when they are forces to take truck routes (or soon to arive designated bike routes) to keep them away from homes, hospitals, and other areas of cities that don't want to listen to this unnecessary noise.

I also think there is a connection between loud street bikes and the public's lack of tolerance for noise from riding areas and race tracks.

I had it explained to me that subconsciously people make the connection of being frightened from these idiots lane splitting when they hear dirt bikes....makes sense to me.

Around here bikes are getting quieter, quads are getting louder. The rare loud piped bike is usually gone in a few seconds (hopefully). But the quads just hang around and ride in circles, like dogs chasing their tails. Don't mean to bash quads, but when they are loud the impact seem greater. You have my permission to throw rocks at them.

More might be "getting it" but everyday a new riders enters the sport, street & dirt, ATV too, and asks not what is the best helmet, what goggles, boots or tires, but what is the loudest exhaust.

If even ONE loud bike enters an area the neighbors don't care about the 100 they didn't hear, its "those damn dirt bikes!".

What standard do I propose, how about 92 dB MAX, at MAXIMUM RPM?

Works for me.

What some guys don't seem to understand is that having a standard test isn't the problem, it is the BS levels that they, tha AMA, propose we should have to meet.

If we do not change the sound levels many bikes operate at, we lose the sport. What they propose isn't going to change the sound of the bikes. Seems good till you see that complaints from loud bikes will continue, bringing typical results, land closed or a street ban proposal. Super.

I dont understand why its ok for harleys to be so loud they shake your house when they drive by, but if your on a japanese bike you get shit for it . Im sick of hearing harleys flying around setting off car alarms . They are 3 times louder than any little bike but no one seams to care. Just venting loud harleys suck.

Noise issues and regs have pressured the manufactures to cork exhausts and intakes up to the point they hardly run. So the buyers are almost forced into buying aftermarket, usually louder. Maybe if the stock exhaust were a little better, it would help.

This is worth taking four minutes to address RE: lead law BS

http://capwiz.com/am...lertid=14005481

I read that article last week and glad to see it. Lots of squids and HD cruiser possers that think loud pipes are "cool" and/or "save lives" and it's a bunch of BS. I don't care if you ride off road, street or both, but stealth is best. Loud pipes do nothing but annoy people, even people who ride.

im not quite to the age yet where i would talk like that lol maybe another twenty years. I dont like super loud like big bikes that shake things off the walls, but i do like bikes with some grunt. Really i think it comes down to the quieter it is the less performance there is.quieter = restriction.

adirondack_vfr said:

What makes you think it's ok for harleys to be loud? The new standard that is the subject of this thread is specifically targeting loud harleys, and the problems with communities restricting motorcycles are almost exclusively due to loud harleys.

I see what your saying now. There are alot of loud harleys in the town i live in they actually have a big party here every year they call the harley party. I know it's very cleverly named isn't it lol. The people who ride harleys around here get no problems from police at all mostly because they all ride them too. If you ride an enduro with a loud pipe you will most likely get a ticket. Actually they ticket you here for having anything other than a stock exhaust even if it is street legal if they feel like being ********. Apparently the law states anything not stock is illegal. They'll ticket you for your not very loud single cylinder bike then ride by your house with their harley that shakes your dishes out of your cupboard.

They've been cracking down in the national parks. Yellowstone was turning them around this year, and it's a looooong way around if your traveling through.

adirondack_vfr said:

I think that's somewhat of a myth. The difference is alot less than most people think

2K at part throttle is far from 2K at full throttle, sound wise.

I don't see this standard as pandering to Cruiser riders. This is a difficult problem, and the standard tries to strike common ground.

I still think its too loud, though.

ive sat here and read this thread. and i can see a point in everyone comments, on both the v=twin and sport bikes also with off road. But what i have seen is they are only testing the sound level, not the pitch that goes with the sound. i live about a mile from the freeway and every so often you will hear for about 2 minutes a sport bike bookin it down the highway. and i wont hear a v-twin till its rollin down the street a block or two. but the dirt toys can hear them all over the neighborhood. Well what im getting at sport bikes have a higher pitch, v-twins run at a lower pitch, and dirtbikes will range given 2stroke or four and cc size. Now with a higher pitch, sound will travel farther threw the air cause the sound wave is smaller and where the lower sound has a larger wave wont travel as far. take two sounds a high pitch and a low pitch at the same dB and the higher pitch will travel farther making it sound louder even tho both sounds are the exact dB.Just food for thought.