Muffling loud motorcycles was harder than it seemed in Denver
LOS ANGELES TIMES
June 11, 2007 - 12:12AM
DENVER - City Councilman Rick Garcia thought cracking down on loud
motorcycles would be an easy ride compared with other issues the city
grapples with - homelessness, immigration and the upcoming Democratic
National Convention.
But regulating motorcycles has been anything but tranquil, as Garcia and the
rest of Denver discovered last week when the city required that all bikes be
outfitted with EPA-approved mufflers. Riders whose bikes lack the equipment
face up to $500 in fines.
Bikers packed the council chambers to object to the law. Some motorcycle
shop owners warned they could be put out of business, and Garcia's office
was deluged with calls from across the country.
"We've got to create some balance," Garcia said. "This is about egregious
motorcycle noise and neighborhoods."
But bikers say it's about discrimination. "They're just trying to eliminate
bikers," said John Olvera, 48. "They're trying to take away our pride and
joy."
Many riders don't have the mufflers, which can cost $400 to $1,400.
The American Motorcycle Association said that, other than Albuquerque, which
enacted a similar law several years ago but did away with it a few years
later, no other cities appear to have taken the same action as Denver.
The problem, city officials say, is that Denver police have been unable to
enforce an ordinance that caps motorcycle noise at 80 decibels. That's
because the department has only one sound meter that can verify whether a
noisy bike is breaking the law. And complaints have been escalating as
riding has become more popular and residents are moving into corners of town
that were once grittier, biker-friendly areas.
So the city has made it illegal to ride a motorcycle without a muffler that
carries a stamp from the Environmental Protection Agency. Because these
mufflers tend to be less noisy, the requirement will allow officers to pull
over riders of excessively noisy bikes and cite them if their vehicles lack
the equipment, said Capt. Eric Rubin, head of the Police Department's
traffic division.
Wayne "Lumpy" Ordakowski, who owns a motorcycle shop in southern Denver,
warned that the new law could put him and other small operators out of
business, because only dealers tend to install mufflers with the EPA stamp.
Most after-market shops don't stock them.
What's more, he said, the city should target bad bikers, rather than
everyone who rides.
Some residents cheered the new law, saying it was long overdue. "We have a
real problem with noise enforcement here," said David Webster, 69, a
neighborhood activist and retired engineer.
Straddling his Harley-Davidson, Jim Sena, 50, said that he has to rev to
live. Only a few minutes earlier, he said, he and a buddy were almost
sideswiped by a Chevy Cavalier whose driver didn't spot them until they
revved their engines. "You need the loud bikes to save your life," he said.
LOCAL MUFFLER LAW
Colorado Springs law requires that motorcycles be equipped with "an adequate
muffler in constant operation and properly maintained so as to meet the
requirements of the motor vehicle laws of the State of Colorado," and that
"no muffler exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass or
similar device."
--
-Phxbrd
On Sat, 1 Sep 2007 16:22:25 -0700, "Seth Hammond"
....
>The problem, city officials say, is that Denver police have been unable to
>enforce an ordinance that caps motorcycle noise at 80 decibels. That's
>because the department has only one sound meter that can verify whether a
>noisy bike is breaking the law. ....
Ah.... Rather than giving the police the equipment they need to
enforce existing law they simply pass another law.
> "We've got to create some balance," Garcia said. "This is about egregious
> motorcycle noise and neighborhoods."
Can anyone explain why they feel a need to single out motorcycles for
this? I think loud pipes are as stupid as it comes, but why not target
*all* excessive noise? My neighbor's lawn mower is far more annoying
than any passing motorcycle I've heard.
--
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On Sun, 02 Sep 2007 04:29:26 -0700, Bike Guy Joe
>"Straddling his Harley-Davidson, Jim Sena, 50, said that he has to rev
>to
>live. Only a few minutes earlier, he said, he and a buddy were almost
>sideswiped by a Chevy Cavalier whose driver didn't spot them until
>they
>revved their engines. "You need the loud bikes to save your life," he
>said."
I find that a horn does a better job, and allows me to hear as well.
XML Sitemap
>enforce an ordinance that caps motorcycle noise at 80 decibels. That's
>because the department has only one sound meter that can verify whether a
>noisy bike is breaking the law. ....