Police Everywhere!

Every now and then, when I guess there aren't more pressing issues on people's minds, the loud motorcycle debate starts getting press. It usually dies off again when it's pointed out that the reason the cops don't enforce noise level ordinances, is that they would have to be arresting themselves, as a number of them drive mufflerless Harleys.

I live just down the street from a police training school and have ridden up there, and showed my bike to the offficers. They think it's Cool. No pressure. Ride with your brain, not your backside and you have it all.

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No matter where you go, or what you do, there Ya' are!

A few years ago I used to listen to Robert D. Radford on the John Boy & Billy's Big Show in the morning drive to work. Radford was an avad biker and used to talk about loud pipes in his commentaries.

He spoke of the two schools of thinking where one was represented by a sticker on the rear fender thas said: "Loud Pipes Save Lives".

The other camp was by those who abided by the caution imprinted on the exhaust of their Harley's that removing the pipes would violate some federal laws. So they ran the OEM exhaust and rode with caution.

The problem with the loud pipes is the temptation to grab a handfull and make some unnecessary noise or downshift to "Jake Brake" the bike and again make unnecessary noise.

But on these small 50cc two strokes there won't be that much noise coming thru a muffler. If an expansion chamber without a baffle on the end of it...then it could sound like a chainsaw.

On our DIY bikes I wonder how the noise limits for lawn equipment will match up to the noise limits of road vehicles.

I am in favor of Safety! Pipes are are a way to let the people in other means of transport know you are there. The "Mosqito" theory is also there.
Make them angry and you become a target! " Officer, I didn't SEE the Bike"
yea, right.

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No matter where you go, or what you do, there Ya' are!