Ca Exhaust law...

[chief]

Yeah, if they manufacture a certain number of bikes per year they have to comply with all kinds of regulations.

[kokopelli]

   Was watching a re-run of American Chopper, the Veiga bike, andd mechanic Christian mentioned that the exhaust on it sucked, because now they have to meet all EPA requirements if the bike is made street legal.
So there you go, 'the man' does it again!!

[Troll]

  As near as I can tell (google is your friend) ALL 50 states and Puerto Rico require a muffler that meets standards for at least the vehicle's year of manufacture. I stole this off the AMA web site (another friend) Muffler    Muffler required; no straight pipes; no removal of baffles; no modification of exhaust system that increases noise beyond exhaust system originally installed. Ref: NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law, Article 9, Section 381
Maximum Sound Level    Maximum Allowable A-Weighted Sound Levels at Speed: 35 mph or less, 82 dB(A); over 35 mph, 86 dB(A), measured at, or adjusted to, a distance of fifty feet from the center of the lane in which the motorcycle is traveling. Ref: NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law, Article 10, Section 386. I have been marveling at the "product" that these drama queens have been putting out for years, wondering just what it was that they are selling. One of the more interesting facts about New York is that they require periodic motor vehicle inspection and also, unless they changes something since I lived there, all NEW vehicles must pass inspection, too. They first introduced inspections in 1960, as I remembered, and gave all vehicles less than a year old a pass, but that changed in, I think it was 1965, and even a showroom new vehicle had to be inspected and carry a sticker in the lower left corner of the windshield. Bikes have the sticker on the left fork leg, so they can be seen from the left side.

[chief]

Yep, most probably.

[kokopelli]

Seems like there's a lot of noise lately about, well, noise! I keep hearing about noise limit laws, etc. Not having open pipes on a bike, I never gave it much thought. I noticed something though, on American Chopper of all places- I haven't watched the show in years, I got tired of all the drama- but Discovery Channel has been running all the old episodes and I've been watching them, and it seems that all the bikes they have built in the last year or two have had mufflers installed on them. Did the state of NY mandate that new manufactured bikes had to have mufflers on them? I figured maybe since they are a 'manufacturer' they must have had the bureaucratic screws put to them.

[chief]

Cheers and Merry Christmas...

P.S.

To Santa:

No matter what California says, Drifter Riders still welcome you and your Reindeer. If Rudy ever needs to take a break I'm sure there is a Drifter Rider out there willing to take on the task.

Word of caution... the egg nog is made with 151 Bacardi this year.

Oh, and I hope you can overlook that little episode involving the Southern Comfort, Women's Beach Vollyball team, and fainting goats. Other than that, I've been very good this year.

Merry Christmas

[Varooom]

Chief,
I hope you don't mind: I've sent your humor in to the magazine.  I thought they'd get a hoot out of it.
Best I've heard in a while,
Varooom

[Varooom]

Chief,
My wife and I are howling!  Thanks for the Christmas levity!
Varooom

[Troll]

The new Santa Claus will be.....Whoops, almost made a political comment.....

[chief]

NEW CA laws pertaining to Santa and Reindeer:

1) California requires Santa to provide padded boots for each reindeer. Boots must meet State and Federal DOT requirements and noise levels associated with Santa and the reindeer must not exceed 70dB A-scale.

2) Sleighs will no longer be permitted on roof tops after 2014.

3) Reindeer must be licensed and undergo a 6 month quarantine.

4) Each RD must be equipped with EPA approved waste retention devices.

5) Use of magic is strictly prohibited.

6) Santa represents a negative role model for children due to his weight and use of fur. Effective in 2012, depictions of traditional Santa will be prohibited. The new Santa will be...  what troll said...

[Varooom]

Good update and what about all these noisy reindeer prancing around on our roofs next week!!!!!!!!!!
Varooom

[chief]

Some clarity: (I don't disagree with what has been said.)

1) ANY law like this needs to be fought. It means we will be paying considerably more for aftermarket pipes, those pipes will be harder to find and all will have to be "certified" by the government. I, for one, don't like being told what I can do with my property.

2) It only impacts bikes built after the 2013/2014 date. That should make older bikes more valuable!

3) There are a lot of dumb laws passed in CA which do not impact and are not adopted by other States... that's why there is a CA version of bikes. But we have to ensure we act to put pressure on our State governments and the AMA to fight this crap.

4) Noise abatement laws are fine, as long as they apply to EVERYONE and don't single out bikers - and lump us all in one group.

I'm splitting off these posts to keep the original on track.

Merry Christmas.

[Varooom]

Exactly what it states.  The problem is that the article states that most states and the Feds have historically just fallen in lock step with California regulations.  Up here in NH, the tailpipe of the country, we have enjoyed the cleaner air that the smog regulations have provided; there are some very positive aspects to some of the regulations.
In this case, the excessive racket created by a minority of bikers is what they, including their man of the year, Arnold, are trying to get rid of.  Opinions abound but every time I'm woken up by a biker expressing his individuality, I (IMHO) agree fully.
Varooom

[chief]

The law impacts newly manufactured bikes... ie bikes manufactured for sale in CA on or after 2013.

We definitely want to ensure this law goes no further than crazy CA.

[Varooom]

I just thought I'd mention that the latest American Motorcyclist magazine cites Arnold Schwartzeneger as their person of the year.  He just signed a new California law that mandates an EPA label on all exhausts after 2013.  First fine: $100.  Subsequent: $250 each time they find you with non compliant pipes.  The article worries that this law will go nationwide soon.
Think before you discard or sell your stock exhaust systems; you might need them someday if this spreads to earlier bikes in your state.
Varooom