Only a short ride into town today to run some errands and buy oil for the next oil change in the Vespa. It was windy and 33° F according to the display at the bank. New mittens were nice and warm and I had another uneventful ride. Since there isn’t much to report I thought I would get something out of my head that has been floating around for awhile related to noise.
For a long time, shortly after 2AM a loud and obnoxious motorcycle would roar up the hill to our house, turn onto another street, and roar up the street. Each night it would wake us up so that we could follow the path until it finally disappeared into the silence of the night. I describe this particular motorcycle as obnoxious because the noise level was loud enough to make a loose pane of glass in the front door vibrate and if I was outside when it happened to make an appearance in daylight hours I felt like holding my ears. (actually I felt like doing something else)
On a warm Saturday morning at 9AM when I am relaxing with a cup of tea in the garden I can anticipate doing this with the sound of several lawnmowers somewhere nearby, a leaf blower cleaning a driveway, a circular saw cutting a board for a deck, a shop-vac cleaning the inside of an SUV and any number of other typical sounds. The neighborhood is a noisy place. This background noise blends together as a symphonic representation of non-urban America.
Enter the motorcycle – or scooter. Many ride through town and the neighborhood barely noticeable. My Vespa is so quiet that often the dog lying at the door awaiting my return doesn’t hear me pull up. My friend Paul’s Harley Fatboy is quiet too since he has left the factory exhaust untouched. And I should add that not all scooters are quiet. The vintage two-stroke scooters can be loud and spewing clouds of smoke and often exaggerated because they congregate in a flock. But they are less than occasional occurrences at best and tolerated more easily like a passing fire truck or helicopter. It’s the large number or loud sport bikes and cruisers that comprise the problem population and where real change and improvement are possible.
There is a growing movement from the grass root level to the legislature to curb or ban loud exhausts or even motorcycles. I know the freedom and independence arguments but as noise levels increase there will be a growing outcry from the non-riding, property owning, and motorcycle averse voting population to have something done. Riding a scooter is about as innocuous as you can be without resorting to a bicycle or walking but a scooter isn’t for everyone. For all other motorcycles from dirt bikes to big V-twin cruisers it is technically easy to make those machines acceptably quiet. The more difficult challenge always resides between our ears.
I stumbled across a site today that had a lot of links to noise related issues and it’s worth some time to get up to speed on what’s going on in various places and consider where you are in the equation. Maybe we can do something individually before Uncle Sam steps in and does it for us. Maybe it’s just a matter of understanding, respect, and consideration for others. The kind of consideration we would all like to have on the road from other drivers. Maybe there’s a chance to set a fine example.
Steve,
I have given a lot of thought to this noise issue. In my opinion, the EPA has issued overly zealous regulations regarding noise and carbon emissions.
As the situation exists right now, most riders immediately take steps to rejet and add an aftermarket exhaust, so their motorbikes can perform as well as they were originally designed to.
If the standards were relaxed a little bit, both in noise and carbon emission, and then enforced as they should be, then we would all be better off.
But with current technology, what we have is a situation where the manufacturers give us neutered motors, compliant with the current government regulations, but readily tuneable to whatever levels of performance the aftermarket can devise.
These modifications are obviously illegal, but not enforced.
The answer is to figure out what an efficient exhaust system is for each type of engine, and how to muffle it sufficiently so that it is not absolutely obnoxious to the public at large, and then go with that for the enforceable standard.
But that would put much of the aftermarket out of business, and the lobbyists will never let that happen.
Sorry to have rambled so long…
Ride well,
=gc=
Steve,
It was fairly cold here today so I walked in the mall this morning. Usually it’s still relatively quiet even at 9 a.m. but with the holiday madness getting in full swing the noise volume was just about insane.
It all centered in the area of the food court. Recently there were large TV’s installed which hang down from the ceiling. Twig thin women with stylized walking and wearing stylish clothing. All to loud music to catch your attention.
Then a group of children with their music teacher playing violins and cellos. Wonderful and talent-in-the-making rendition of some classical Christmas melodies. Sadly being overwhelmed by the mindless marketing of impossible images of fashion and presentation.
THEN there was all the 4,5, and 6 year olds eating sweets and juice and filling in coloring books and riding the carousel and dancing to blaring disco music accompanied to the raucous DJ on the amplification system. He had the kids twirling in place for the better part of two minutes.
I could have sworn that the DJ and the TV were in competition and both increasing volume to not be overwhelmed by what the other considered “distracting and ambient” noise.
It was insane! I was waiting for the kids to fall and hit their heads and/or start barfing right on the floor. For this the parents paid $30 to also have a few pictures taken.
I went to the service desk and asked to have the TV volume turned down so the musicians could at least hear themselves. The reply: we don’t control that and we don’t know how to turn it down.
I know what you mean about the biggest battle being between the ears…it took at least 15 minutes for my head (and therefore my body) to be quiet again.
Those kids were being trained in ADHD’ism.
I can’t wait until all vehicles are rolling electric motors. I am so sick of the oil filed guy one block away leaving his work truck (f350 diesel)
idling for an hour or so. It shakes my windows. All vehicles could and should be more quiet.
I don’t go to malls any more. They think that loud televisions dampen noise and they don’t send any money on sound deadening. There are many restaurants that do the same thing. They have open rafters and metal roofs and just crank up the music or sports television until you cannot hear.
I really think they want you around just long enough to spend your money then you should leave.
My complaint has to do with lawncare equipment. Not only is it loud, but spews all kind of noxious fumes into the atmosphere. And nothing is done about that, because it isn’t used on the street. Everyone will complain about the dirtbike down the street, but won’t say a word about the lawncare company because they have to have their lawn looking perfect to impress everyone. How stupid.
John
We have a group of motorcycle lovers that live right behind us. When they have a get-to-gether, we know when the party is over by the excessive rumbling for ten minutes or longer.
Right down our street, a man just sold his loud motorcycle. Halleluhua! I will never forget his lack of respect for the neighborhood.
If you want to hear your machine vibrate your grey matter, don’t do it in a neighborhood! At least have some respect for your neighbors and take it to the highway!
gary: In Pennsylvania we have laws restricting changes in the exhaust but they just aren’t enforced. I remember as a kid we were all putting Cherry Bomb mufflers on our parents cars and generally trying to make everything as loud and manly as possible. There were always inspection stations who would look the other way on vehicles that had no business being on the road.
The aftermarket business will fight this but eventually ma and pa public may get fed up with the noise and win out over the motorcyclists and aftermarket lobby.
On a related note I have a good friend who thinks that the person who invented the two-stroke engine should have been hung. He (and I) just can’t fathom why so many people have picked up the racket of a leaf blower to replace the quiet contemplation of a rake or broom. I guess it’s not really related afterall. Well, it’s my blog so I’ll write what I want.
Tim: Your post about the mall was frightening. I can’t go to the mall—they drive me nuts. I also can’t go to TJ Maxx. Something in the lights or noise there that assaults my mind. More and more I find myself shopping at weird hours, at small local places, or online.
dariaspop: Malls are the epitome of commercial America. A modern colosseum where shoppers are the gladiators hoping to conquer all comers with their credit cards…
combatscoot: lawn care stuff. What the heck ever happened to the neighborhood kid that mowed the lawn? This past summer we offered a variety of kids 8 bucks an hour cash to do some work in the garden on a routine basis. One tried and said it was too hard. He was 14. No other takers. Back when I was a kid and walking miles to school in the snow….
anonymous: Neighborly respect is fast disappearing I fear amidst a sea of me first people. I remember when I threw a rock through a neighbor’s window and they came over to my dad to complain he beat my ass and made me mow their lawn, pay for the window and generally atone for my sins. Now it seems like it’s not cool to complain about bad things going on. Different world I guess.
Far as I’m concerned, loud pipes should be banned, just on principle. Loud is just loud, not safe… if anything, loud pipes are dangerous! I’ve had Harley riders cruising next to me on the freeway. If my window’s rolled down, I risk being deafened… even with my window rolled up, the noise is so loud, how do I hear the sound of approaching emergency vehicles? How noise became associated with performance… or being “manly”… I’ll never know.
Sure wish people weren’t so rude… sure wish I still had all my hearing, but what can I do? Legally, it appears I have to tolerate the abuse, since I’ve never heard of anyone suing a biker with loud pipes for assault. Sure wish I could have sued all the people responsible for damaging my ears in this way. Ahhh… but at least I can rant about it, without being thrown in jail for assault and battery….
Haha! Just remembered that scene in “The Mask”… you know, the one with the two mechanics, exhaust pipes shoved up their… ummm… yea………
Ahem! I’m all for improving performance, but not at the cost of another person’s health (Ehhh? What’s that you say? Speak up…) *grin*
dariaspop… ever thought of walking that one block and telling your “neighbor” to shut it down?
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shut up you old prick either go and kill the bike or suggest he gets a new one if your so worried buy him one …
Anonymous: Thanks for the suggestion. The jolly fellow only seems to manage to ride when the temperature is above 70 degrees F so there is not much to listen to.
I suppose in Western Australia the open space allows for a bit more exhaust character without adversely affecting the residents. Here in the ever more crowded Eastern United States it’s a different story. Unbridled indifference to the community at large will reap its just rewards I suppose.
I just received a motorcycle catalog from a big midwest supplier and I was surprised at how many big aftermarket exhaust systems there are. What was more curious were the names—-Street Thunder, Pavement Wrecker, Street Thumper and such. I was hoping to find one called church mouse or ninja whisper but no such luck.
What are you riding down under?
Yup!!! The electric scooters are eco friendly adding advantage of no fuel and no pollution.This scooters are even go crazy from now and so the scooter manufacturers are working more on the stytlish looks.
http;//electricrazorscooters.com/
Kickboard’s compact scooter is the best adult scooter. It is so easy to get around on and it stores away so easily!