Sound Advice.....

[pudadin]

After weeks of planning and 3+ hours od drive time my brothers and I made our trek to Stoneyford to ride for the first time. We stopped at the ranger station to get maps.....you know whats comming! He did a check on our bikes and refused to let us ride. Here are the specifics and here is where I need help.

My bike is a 2005 wr450. Motor and exhaust are stock except for the stock baffle and jetting (STOCK MUFFLER). Yamaha and every publication I have read says the wr 450 w/ baffle in is 82dba, without baffle is still well below the required 96dba. Ranger Matt said he would not let me ride and that my bike is illegle on state land. I pollitly disagreed with him and asked him to test it. He said it would not pass......BUT, if it did not pass he would write me a $175 ticket and possibly impound my bike!!! Is a stock 2005 wr450 without the baffle below 96dba????

[tony1970]

Without the whole baffle in the stock pipe it is well above the 96db range. You may be confused with the removal of the inner baffle being at 82db. Buy a PMB insert and be done with it.

[Just_a_trail_rider]

I have an 05 wr450 also. If you removed the plug from the stock insert, then you'd be at around 92-93db, which is nice and quiet.

If you removed the entire insert, then you'd be pretty loud. (my pmb insert tested at 96.5)

It is easy to see whether or not you have the insert. All you'd have to do is to feel for it. You shouldn't remove that.

The rangers are riders themselves and are pretty smart. You may need to take a look at what you have. Maybe you misunderstood which part you should remove.

[pudadin]

I removed the just the plug.....not the entire inner baffle. It looks like a snorkel. There is no way it is over 96. But it does raise an interesting question. The ranger said his test were different and more stringent than the publications and the AMA use. If we are to get sound regulations in place AND to be enforcable, I beleive we should all be on the same page! I very much want to keep riding areas open and can not stand load bikes...I have a very quiet bike. Infact my riding budies all have mostly late model 4 stokes and the the WR is by far the quietest of them all!

[clark4131]

He said it would not pass......BUT, if it did not pass he would write me a $175 ticket and possibly impound my bike!!!

Bullshiznit! He cannot impound your bike simply because it does not pass. That is illegal seizure. If it didn't pass, you simply would not be allowed to ride. It would only result in a fine and being impounded if you tried to ride after it didn't pass. That stupid-ass, government-funded eco-nazi was just trying to intimidate you, and you fell for it. Next time, demand a supervisor...SC

[JSanfilippo]

After weeks of planning and 3+ hours od drive time my brothers and I made our trek to Stoneyford to ride for the first time. We stopped at the ranger station to get maps.....you know whats comming! He did a check on our bikes and refused to let us ride. Here are the specifics and here is where I need help.

My bike is a 2005 wr450. Motor and exhaust are stock except for the stock baffle and jetting (STOCK MUFFLER). Yamaha and every publication I have read says the wr 450 w/ baffle in is 82dba, without baffle is still well below the required 96dba. Ranger Matt said he would not let me ride and that my bike is illegle on state land. I pollitly disagreed with him and asked him to test it. He said it would not pass......BUT, if it did not pass he would write me a $175 ticket and possibly impound my bike!!! Is a stock 2005 wr450 without the baffle below 96dba????

Go to an OHV park (hollister, carnegie, "big dirt parking lot" prarie city) and request a a "courtesy sound check". If you're courteous to the ranger they'll usually be pretty cool with you. Basically this is a sound check w/o the threat of a fine. Im pretty sure you could test the bike in different configurations too if you ask.

[JSanfilippo]

If you removed the entire insert, then you'd be pretty loud. (my pmb insert tested at 96.5)

I cannot believe the stock can with the PMB insert tested at 96.5! How can that be I've seen the internals of the WR muffler and its choked up BIGTIME!!! Thats about as loud as the T-4 on my bike with the quiet tip !!!!

[billygoat]

There is a difference between the 82dba requirement and the 96dba requirement. The 96db test is at 20inches back and at a specified RPM while the 82 db test is a 50ft driveby test in 3rd gear wide open. EPA homologation requires the 82db test. The 96db test is a field test.

[MountainMax]

96 does sound loud witht he pmb insert only, I removed one baffle in mine and used the insert, and i still don't think it's 96DB.

[WGP]

Where was this at?

That guy was a moron....the stock exhaust with the straw removed is way less than 96db.

[Just_a_trail_rider]

I cannot believe the stock can with the PMB insert tested at 96.5! How can that be I've seen the internals of the WR muffler and its choked up BIGTIME!!! Thats about as loud as the T-4 on my bike with the quiet tip !!!!

Last month, I rode in an enduro where they had a sound check. According to the guys doing the sound check, I was at 96.5 db's. The bike sounded pretty quiet to me.

Who knows how exact those particular individuals were. But I want to believe that they knew what they were doing. I don't have a trained ear to detect or guess as the actual db's.

That ranger must have been a real jerk. I have not yet run into any hostile rangers. All of the ones that I have met have been very cool.

I hope something gets done about that guy.

[Dan_Lorenze]

Ranger Matt said he would not let me ride and that my bike is illegle on state land. I pollitly disagreed with him and asked him to test it. He said it would not pass......BUT, if it did not pass he would write me a $175 ticket and possibly impound my bike!!! Is a stock 2005 wr450 without the baffle below 96dba????

I've got to call BS on Ranger Matt... Are you telling me that he turned you down without testing you? Just by the "looks" of the stock exhaust system?

I believe that your bike even with the stock exhaust can with the insert pulled would pass CA regulations, even if it wouldn't he needs to test it himself....... How can a Ranger threaten you with a citation for testing your bike? Something doesn't sound right...

As tax payers we pay these Rangers to do their jobs, they should test you, regardless of what database or "list" of OEM, modified or aftermarket sound tests they have....They shouldn't threaten you with a ticket "if" it doesn't pass... Ranger Matt is probably an environmentalist that does his best to keep OHVs off our land....

[pudadin]

This happened at Stoneyford ranger station. The ranger's name is Matt. I agree he was being unreasonable and was looking to assert his power. His attitude and comments were totally uncalled for. During our "interigation" he flip flopped all over the place...first the wr450 will never pass...then he said it might but the crf250x stock minus pea-shooter tip as well would not pass. Although he did say my other brother's KTM MXC 360 (1998) would definatly pass the sound test....which is by far the loudest bike out of the three! Total clown....

The real frustrating thing is that I totally agree with his wanting to keep the loud bikes off goverment land...thus keeping it open for us all. But his overzelious approach just plain old sucked.....!

Question....Could he have given us a ticket ($175) if we said we were not going to ride, and just wanted a test? He said he would...

[Dan_Lorenze]

More on Matt..

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380241

Looks like Matt Piper has a reputation for the "Nope, that won't pass" way of testing bikes........... Sounds to me like he's the guy that makes the decision if your bike's quiet enough buy looking at it.... A rider himself, probably thinks he knows all about the bikes and doesn't feel the need to test... I have no idea what the law is in regards to testing, I can't imagine getting a citation for being tested... You'd think he would gladly test you and send you home if you were too loud.

[JSanfilippo]

I can't imagine getting a citation for being tested... You'd think he would gladly test you and send you home if you were too loud.

If you get pulled over and then tested its a citation!! I know because my buddy got popped for sound and it was either pay the fine or get it to or under 96db and pay a $10 fix it ticket.

If you go for a coutesy sound check and your exhaust tests too loud, you'll just get sent home.

[Dan_Lorenze]

If you go for a coutesy sound check and your exhaust tests too loud, you'll just get sent home.

Correct me if I'm wrong, he wanted to test the bike but the Ranger told him if he started the bike he would issue a citation...

[JSanfilippo]

Question....Could he have given us a ticket ($175) if we said we were not going to ride, and just wanted a test? He said he would...

To my knowledge, the only time they can ticket you is if they pulled you over while riding! If you went to an OHV area just to get tested they shouldn't ticket you because you weren't planning to ride with the potentially offending bike. Of course you'd have to track the ranger down and make it perfectly clear you're just there to test otherwise they're gonna assume that you're there to ride.

[JSanfilippo]

Correct me if I'm wrong, he wanted to test the bike but the Ranger told him if he started the bike he would issue a citation...

How would the ranger know if the bike was too loud without testing it? You can't issue a ticket for "suspicion of a loud bike"?

What I've stated in this thread has been my first hand experience at SVRA OHV parks. That may or may not apply on BLM or USDA Nat forest land.

[pudadin]

It was at Stoneyford ranger station near Davis Flats. Ranger Matt. Bad attitide, sarcastic and just an overall bad representative of the Forest Service of which I respect greatly. DO NOT STOP THERE FOR ANYTHING!!!

[pudadin]

Dan,

That is correct....he was going to issue a ticket if our bikes did not pass! Even though we CLEARLY said we are were not going to ride!!

I have called the supervisor and am taking it to the next step.