[Ducati] New Denver Noise Law Allows Tickets for Having AftermarketExhaust Systems

[Steve Abramson]

When I occasionally, (well, rarely) swap out my Staintunes for the stock 
pipes to take some for a ride, the SS sounds like a loud sewing machine. I 
couldn't bear to ride it all the time like that. Hope they get this 
ordinance turned around.

Steve







> Just got this from the AMA:
>
> New Denver Noise Law Allows Tickets for Having Aftermarket Exhaust Systems
>
> PICKERINGTON, Ohio - The American Motorcyclist Association has expressed
> serious concerns about a new law passed by the Denver City Council that
> essentially requires all riders in the city to use only stock exhaust
> systems on their motorcycles.
>
> 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.
>
> "We understand the motivation for cities to pass laws controlling sound
> levels from traffic," said Ed Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government
> Relations. "But the approach being taken in Denver creates a special class
> of enforcement that unfairly targets motorcyclists. Loud trucks and cars 
> are
> every bit as annoying as loud motorcycles, but only motorcyclists would be
> subject to this new provision of the labeling law."
>
> To understand the restrictions being imposed on motorcyclists, Moreland
> asked car drivers to consider the impact if Denver city officials had
> instead required stock mufflers on cars, making it illegal for Denver
> drivers to buy replacement exhaust systems from companies like Midas or
> Meineke.
>
> "That would force everyone who drives a Ford to return to the Ford dealer
> and get the exact replacement muffler every time their exhaust system wore
> out," he noted.
>
> The AMA's position on the new Denver ordinance got support June 7 in an
> editorial in the Rocky Mountain News which stated: "As more than one 
> critic
> of the ordinance ... noted, it just doesn't appear ready for prime time."
>
> Several years ago, the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed a similar
> certification ordinance affecting motorcyclists there. Motorcyclist 
> groups,
> included the AMA, worked with city officials for two years before that
> provision was rescinded and the city went back to a performance-based 
> sound
> standard.
>
> The AMA has a decades-long history of opposition to excessive motorcycle
> sound, and has hosted national summits on the subject that have brought
> together riders, manufacturers, aftermarket companies, law-enforcement
> officers and government officials. Those summits have resulted in the
> development of "
> <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xzdc8acab.0.rn5d8acab.vw9ldxbab.28131&ts=S0252&p=ht
> tp%3A%2F%2Fwww.amadirectlink.com%2Flegisltn%2FSound_Advice.asp> Sound
> Advice," a document that represents the motorcycle community's response to
> this contentious issue. Among the groups that have supported that effort 
> is
> ABATE of Colorado, which has issued a position paper warning riders that
> they could face this kind of discriminatory enforcement because of growing
> public complaints about traffic sound levels.
>
> The AMA is contacting Denver City Council members in hopes of opening up a
> dialogue on this topic before enforcement of the new law begins on July 1.
>
> "We look forward to working with the Denver City Council to come up with a
> more reasonable solution for dealing with excessive sound levels from
> traffic," Moreland said. "Our experience has shown that there are a range 
> of
> approaches cities can take to this issue without imposing restrictive laws
> on motorcyclists."
>
>
>
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