The AMA has an article up about the Denver city council putting restrictions on motorcycle exhaust systems that are far tougher than what they require for cars and trucks. Basically, they are requiring a bike to have the OEM exhaust system on it with the EPA noise certification stamped in it. This is crazy since it is retroactive to 1982- the first year the EPA certified bike exhaust systems. It is doubtful you could even get an OEM exhaust for a bike that old, and if you could, it would cost more than the bike is worth.
On June 4, Denver officials approved changes to the city’s vehicle noise ordinance that allow police to issue tickets to riders if their bikes don’t have a federal Environmental Protection Agency sound-certification label on the exhaust systems. The new ordinance, which takes effect July 1, would apply to all motorcycles made since 1982, which was the first year that federal law required motorcycles sold in the U.S. to comply with EPA sound regulations.
In practical terms, that means the bike would have to have the original exhaust system installed by the manufacturer. Violators would have two weeks to prove to a judge that they have fixed the problem or would be forced to pay a $500 fine.
Previously, the Denver ordinance required all motor vehicles to pass a sound test that set a limit of 80 decibels at 25 feet. That type of performance standard remains in effect for cars and trucks, except that the allowable limits have been raised. Under the new ordinance, vehicles with a gross weight rating under 10,000 pounds couldn’t exceed 82 db(A) at 25 feet, and trucks over 10,000 pounds couldn’t exceed 90 db(A) at 50 feet. Only motorcycles would be subject to the EPA sound certification labeling requirement.
This is typical government knee-jerk policy because some judge or politician complained about loud motorcycles. Obviously no real thought went into it. The AMA is trying to get them to revert to the old system of measuring sound level at a certain distance. Hopefully, sanity will prevail- then again, we are dealing with the government.
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