Speaking of Road Noise

Brian G. NY · Aug 16, 2011

How come, if I go down the road with glasspacks on my truck, I"m fair game for "excessive noise", "inadequate muffler" or some such "offense" and yet all the Harley guys can run their staight pipes without (as far as I know) ever getting hasseled by the cops?
Annoys the s-it out of me!!

redtom · Aug 16, 2011

I'm a tractor/truck/car guy and like all things with engines but I am soooo tired of loud Harleys. Yea, yea, so you got a cool bike, and so does about a million other guys. If you go to any outdoor event thats near a road (which is everywhere) the bike noise is usually deafening. When I think back to the countless times I sat on the side of the road in front of a cop car because my headers and glasspacks were too loud, I have to wonder what happened to noise laws.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 16, 2011

You know that used to bother me! I have talked to judges, police, etc. never got a straight answer. The kids around here run 6" stratght pipes all the time. I found something else to let bother me, I am bothered by the weather now!

John730D · Aug 16, 2011

B-cth Forum? What about tractors?

Dave Sherburne NY · Aug 16, 2011

Sounds like selective enforcement to me . I spoke with a deputy sheriff last week on this subject. He told me law enforcement needs a decibel meter to enforce the law and the county doesn't have one. He also said that if they stopped a motorcycle and checked the muffler and the baffles were knocked out then they could write a ticket. He said he would be working my part of the county that night and I told him he could park in my driveway and wait for them to go bye as they do every nite. Funny, he never showed up. We have one that goes by and sounds like it doesn't have a muffler or exhaust pipe.

2cylpartsinfo · Aug 16, 2011

Trucks with Jake Brakes are a problem too. The Jake Brakes should only be used to help slow the vehicle when going down steep hills (as intended). However, many drivers use Jake Brakes as a toy in residential areas. They seem to forget some people work 3rd shift and TRY to sleep during the day. It is not necessary to use Jake Brakes on flat two lane highways. All they will do in the end is get a good safety device outlawed,

showcrop · Aug 16, 2011

I look at Harley riders with loud pipes as being anti-motorcycle. They are doing their best to make people dislike bikes.

Goose · Aug 16, 2011

When my wife and I were dating, almost 50 years ago, I had a '57 Mercury with a nice pair of glass packs.

We both lived in the country about 12 miles apart, and my wife said when I dropped her off after a date on a still evening, if she went up to her bedroom and opened the window she could hear me till I was about half way home.

That being said, I, too have wondered about the disparity in enforcement. The bikers try to justify it by saying if you hear them, you know they're there. Kind of a lame argument, to my way of thinking.

BushogPapa · Aug 16, 2011

Well, if the Truck's Mufflers are good (and NOT Gutted), the Jake won't make a noticeable amount of noise..

I wonder what the noise (Decibels) is from my Older 2-Cylinder JD's (with mufflers)...might be fairly high...??

I am more purturbed about NON-Enforcement of the laws concerning Fog and Driving lights.....!

Ron..

bill mart · Aug 16, 2011

dont even get me started on tractors with straight pipes! lol Bill

Oldmax · Aug 16, 2011

My grip isn't with load pipes i is with music or should I say noise so loud it shakes the windows in yout car 0r truck when they pull in behind you at a red light. They will stop someone for loud pipes and let the other go.

oldironman · Aug 16, 2011

They are just people that want attention.

John M · Aug 16, 2011

what bothers me even more is, at least here, you dont have to wear a helmet on a bike, but you have to wear a seatbelt in your car!!! Ive become use to the Harleys, in fact I feel sorry for some of those guys. I dont need some big loud bike to prove I have a set!!!

G. Fields · Aug 16, 2011

If it makes you feel any better, I have received noise tickets on my Harley, and in my warm stick this year. The cops in KY are equal opportunity!

Ultradog MN · Aug 16, 2011

From the 17th century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza:

"A man's intelligence is inversely proportional to his tolerance to noise."

I think that pretty much says it all about loud pipes, Jake Brakes, and around here, booming car stereos.

Old Roy · Aug 16, 2011

Used to be a Local cop set in an area beside my house (Big open unused area )enforcing speed limit.

I went over to ask why they didn't enforce the noise (Boom Boom Boxes) as I was getting tired replacing the putty in my house windows as they would set at a stop sign beside my bedroom window at 3 AM
I ask if they would start stopping them or open season on them. He said it was easier to open season on them because the decibels they put out was under noise level guide lines.

jeremy in NE · Aug 16, 2011

Was told buy a Harley owner one time that as long as you had curved tips on the end you were safe, because the cop could not get his night stick in to see if the baffles were removed.

MarkB_MI · Aug 16, 2011

The cops enforce what they choose to enforce, which may or may not be influenced by pressure from local citizens and/or politicians. And very few police are equipped with sound level meters, so what is "too loud" is usually subjective. So even though hot rods, motorcycles and jake brakes all make noise, they might not all get ticketed equally. I'll bet a young kid on a crotch rocket with a loud pipe stands a far better chance of being ticketed than an old fat guy on a Harley. Life ain't fair.

NCWayne · Aug 17, 2011

Loud pipes and booming stereos are two items that have no actual 'use' and therefore are unecessary. On the other hand an engine brake is something that, although it might not always be necessary, has a definate use.
Think about it this way before you talk bad about an engine brake......Your headed down a hill with a loaded truck and someone pulls out in front of you, or it's a LONG hill (ie mountains)and riding the brakes to keep your speed down isn't an option...what are you gonna do???? In my case I hit the switch that turns my Jake brake on high and pray. In the first case, I pray that between the Jake and the service brakes I can stop before I plaster the idiot in the other vehicle all over the front of my truck, and in the second case I just thank heavens that I can keep my speed down enough that I don't get plastered all over the side of the mountain myself...........

In either case how much noise it makes is irrelevent as long as it does the job it's designed to do. That said I also know they often get used in cases where they aren't really 'necessary' and I personally try not to use it when I'm in a residential neighborhood, etc. Still given the cost of putting brake shoes, drums, etc on a truck nowdays (nearly $700 the last time I did all four corners, a couple of years back, on my Freightliner service truck with a single rear axel. This is typically a once a year expense when times are better and I'm rolling every day). So, even though I try to be respectful of others, ultimately I really don't care wether anyone else likes the noise or not because it's saving me a ton of money by extending the life of my brakes every time I turn it on.

JDseller · Aug 17, 2011

Like I posted below: Make the fine a $1000 first offense. Second offense forfeit the vehicle. Let the jurisdiction keep 90% of the fine/forfeiture. The rest court cost. I bet that they all would have the meters then just like they have breathe analyzers since the drunk driving laws.

For you guys that like loud exhaust. Put an extra bend in the pipe. Point it right at your window/head then you can enjoy it all you like.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 17, 2011

What SHOULD be bothering you is the number of hotrodders/bikers running them loud pipes that are veterans claiming a disability %% and possibly getting payment for tenitus......... That's something that really bites my a$$..............

60 acre hillside · Aug 17, 2011

How can a cop catch a Harley rider?

johnwayne360 · Aug 17, 2011

ever think the cop is looking for another infraction? Drunk driving tops the list. I really believe why they started cracking down on load pipes around here. Even the harleys are getting stopped. Coveniently, the law started this spring. With no subjective measurement standards, its just an excuse to stop people to find other things. BTW the county is almost out of money..funny how that works sometimes..

JML755 · Aug 17, 2011

There's a Harley dealer a few miles away from me. They occasionally sponsor mass "rides" for charity or whatever on a Saturday and I'll find myself amongst them on a major 8 lane divided highway. The noise is deafening even with the windows rolled up, especially when 30 or more of them all accelerate at once. The worst part is that they'll sometimes have a police escort!

I've got a couple of 50+ yr old neighbors who dress up in their black boots with silver buckles, wallets hanging from chains, leather vests with skulls on the back, etc. to ride their Harleys, trying to look as bada** as they can on weekends. If only they knew how ridiculous they look. Couple years back I asked one if it was Halloween. He was not amused. :lol:

Anonymous-0 · Aug 17, 2011

(quoted from post at 06:04:18 08/17/11) Couple years back I asked one if it was Halloween. He was not amused. :lol:

Absolutely NO people skills......You should oughta work on that a little mister.....

JML755 · Aug 17, 2011

People skills? :lol: I don't know, dave. He's still a friend and told me a while back that he was getting ready to go Trick or Treating while laughing. I knew what he meant. He's made comments to me about stuff that others might think insulting but I've got a pretty thick skin. Plus, none of us are perfect and I DO try and work on improving my people skills all the time.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 17, 2011

Got a friend that I keep in touch with over facebook mostly..he's got a bunch of snooty folks that suck up to him and they get all bent out of shape and try to take up for him when I comment on some of the stuff he posts...They just don't get it and think I'm just an abrasive soul..........

Anonymous-0 · Aug 17, 2011

I used to ticket bikers with straight pipes all the time.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 17, 2011

Good for you! Really tired of driving down the road at the legal speed with the windows open and having some Harley ridder blast by with no mufflers.

buickanddeere · Aug 17, 2011

Loud pipes save lives.Many car drivers never notice a bike until they hear it.
Most cops only arrest or ticket women, children and meek looking men. They leave the rough types alone.

kyplowboy · Aug 17, 2011

Is there a town on the map named Sturgis close to you? If not be glad. There ain't as much noise around here on open'n day of dove season as there is when the big t-shirt sell'n party happens.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 18, 2011

Just follow him till it breaks down.

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