Letter: No reason for cycle noise (Printed Feb. 19, 2010)
To the editor:
Thank you for a good story on motorcycle noise
pollution (“Renewed effort to quiet motorcycles,” Feb. 12, page 5).
Most problems with this noise pollution involves
machines made by Harley Davidson. In fact, a Harley Davidson official recently
told one of our activists the company was aware that most of the loud bikers
use its machines. And they wanted to become the leading motorcycle manufacturer
to advocate for quiet riding.
It’s clearly blithering nonsense that bikers have
to ride loud in order to be safe. Many thousands of bikers ride quiet Honda
Gold Wings, BMWs and other brands safely every day, and the American
Motorcyclists Association asks its members to ride quietly and respectfully.
It’s a violation of federal law to tamper with the
noise control equipment by removing or altering the EPA certified exhaust and
all motorcycles made after 1982 must include in the owner’s manual that
information under the boldfaced title, “Tampering with Noise Control System
Prohibited.”
According to Maine data, there were 50,000
motorcycles registered in 2008 and about 38 percent didn’t bother to get the
required annual inspection sticker which can’t be legally issued to a bike that
lacks the muffler.
Many loud motorcycles have no muffler, a violation
of Maine law. This also renders inoperable the air pollution equipment, which
means that one loud motorcycle may emit as much toxins into the air per mile of
travel as 200 or more of today’s cars. This is a violation of federal law and a
crime in Maine.
In 2007, Denver adopted the EPA label law and has
been very successful in greatly reducing the numbers of loud motorcycles
without inconveniencing those who ride lawfully.
It’s the goal of Maine Citizens Against Loud
Motorcycles to enact into law LD1675 to enable Maine to adopt and enforce the
EPA matching label law.
Andy Ford
Portland
Traffic law should not be administered by the Feds, especially an non-elected body that does not answer to the people.
Reply to this
I think it’s really sad that people can not be a little more realistic with this whole noise problem. The people who abuse the non noise law are the people who should be punished. I myself have a Harley with an aftermarket exhaust(legal within the guidelines of a muffler with a non removable baffle) that I ride everyday through residential areas, and if you asked I would be willing to bet no one even notices me when I go through their neighborhoods early in the morning or at dinner time. If I as a Harley rider can deal with your barking dog or the air brakes on a dump truck or the noise from your kids yelling and playing next door, you can deal with me and my bike driving by your house for the whole 10 seconds you can actually hear me. Maybe instead of grouping all the noise to Harley Davidson’s you should look at who as an individual is really making the noise. Noise is everywhere! If you want to put all your energy into something save the planet, write a book, or solve the energy crisis. But don't tell me what I can or can't do to my motorcycle because I'm guessing you've never heard me. There are a lot of things in this world that need fixing and my motorcycle or style of riding isn't one of them. Crack down on the people who make the noise not the people who just love their bikes. I don’t try to ruin your hobby or passions so please don’t try to ruin mine.
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