Noise Ordinance in Denver Passed

[jermag24]

This is so frustrating to hear, why does it have to be one group of people? If they're going to enforce it to reduce noise, include ALL types of vehicles. In Colorado Springs, they tried to nab ONLY sportbikes with aftermarket pipes, and were looking for Yoshi badges, etc... Everyone I knew just took off the badges, and seemed to get away with it. I just ordered a stock pipe off of Ebay, than I will cut a few inches off to make it look decent.

I see WAY more sportbikes with stock pipes than Harleys. Is that why there wasn't any sportbikes on the news video? I guess the cruiser guys (and immature sportbike guys) have ruined it for us.

Does anyone hear have a Decimeter to measure our pipes noise level?

[swademaster]

relax boys - it's a $500 fine that gets dropped if the problem is corrected in a certain amount of time. Translation = if you get a ticket run home, but your stock pipe back on and have it inspected. Then there's no fine. For the Suzuki boys with bolt ons, this will be cake!

Too bad you just pu the new pipe on the SV.

This wouldn't bother me, but I have to go through Denver to get to work. At least I still have the stock cans. If I have to, I will gut them and put them back on. I'll just wait until I get pulled over first.

[phire1]

hmm, how does that work when you buy a bike that has upgraded/aftermarket pipes...

A) already from the factory? (ie, 1098s, etc)
B) already from a used bike?


theres gotta be some way out in these cases...if not, anyone good at photoshop?

[BlueDog]

Sounds like it has affected any vehicle for a while now, not just bikes. Buddy has an old VW Beetle with the megaphone exhaust on it that puts the loudest harleys to shame and has yet to have a problem. Hopefully most cops will see it as a waste of their time. But I am screwed if they do enforce it, my superhawk idling with the Jardines is probably louder than they allow...

[R1chie]

I think that it will be similar to here in CS. If you are not hammering the throttle or reving the engine or jackrabbit starts, you will not be producing obnoxious noise thus not drawing attention to yourself.

If you drive past a cop and are loud and or going fast and noisy, it will give them the a reason to pull you over to inspect. It is another way to control noise for those who are obnoxiously loud. IMHO. I don't like it but it is obvious that there is a problem with noisie vehicals and this will allow police to hit the worse offenders. I hope it actually affects the Harley riders, when they have straight through pipes, it is difficult for them at any throttle possition to control noise. I think sportbike with upgraded pipes are usually not straight through so don't produce as much noise or at least is controlable so they may not be at as great of risk. We will see I guess

[pilot]

Guess I'll be taking it easy with the Stage Two exhaust on my car. Danged if it doesn't sound good going through the canyons of downtown Denver.

On another note, several areas of the front range are controlled by Denver (parks, etc.) Just be careful if your passing by one.

I wonder if the "sound" of the exhaust constitutes the invasion of Denver's boundary? Obviously, if the vehicle is on Denver property that would be an offense. But, what if you sit just outside of the boundary and rev it up? Do they have the right to cite?

[Spiderman]

Just FYI. People come from all over to hit the canyons and it might be nice to avoid a $500 ticket getting there. Maybe go around instead of through Denver.

Good point. I've moved the thread to the General Discussion forum, but have left a permanent redirect in the Canyon Carving forum for just that reason.

[chesthing]

cracking down on GDF-ing harleys and shitheads who like to drive above 10K rpms on rice rockets sounds like a great idea to me.

And that's exactly what this is about, the GD straight pipe fartin' Harleys. I've never heard a sportbike at redline that was half as loud as one of these POS's at 2,000rpms. We don't have anything to worry about. Actually I think it's about F'n time.

[LightningRider]

Found on Craigslist, Thursday morning.

http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/346942181.html

Loud pipes save lives


The city and county of Denver has decided to pass a law that says they can now pull you over for loud exhaust, I hope no one truly believes this is about exhaust. This is an excuse for them to pull you over, that’s that… they want us to start losing revenue like ks nv because people don’t want to be hassled ,lets show them what a stupid and unjust law this is no gas bought by riders, no clothes bought by riders, no nothing bought by riders , we can make a stand we can make a difference . simper –fi….. the right to ride free.



I'd wager it's from the Hardley contingent.

[Archangel]

So where is this stamp? Is it on the can, mid pipe, or headers? Either way, with all the under-tail exhausts, and fairings on most sport bikes, do I need to carry allen wrenches around with my bike to dismantle it at request? Just out of curiosity, I'll have to try and find it on my 600RR w/ stock exhaust.

[Snowman]

I kind of would like to read some of those threads in other riding groups…
Can you tell I board.
Anybody got any links?

[dm_gsxr]

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/...ic,9788.0.html

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1884744

http://www.hdforums.com/m_1727966/tm.htm

http://www.sturgis.com/messageboard/...11944be4296d48

Just the ones I found or know of.

Carl

[devon]

Just so you guys know, it has been illegal to have an aftermarket pipe on your bike (or car) in the entire state for quite a while.
Denver just made it more costly.
From the Colorado Revised Statutes 42-4-225:
"No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and such original muffler shall comply with all of the requirements of this section." ... "Any person who violates subsection (1) of this section commits a class B traffic infraction."

It used to be illegal to alter your suspension too... but was deemed unconstitutional in 1995.
From CRS 42-4-233:
"No person shall operate a motor vehicle of a type required to be registered under the laws of this state upon a public highway with either the rear or front suspension system altered or changed from the manufacturer's original design except in accordance with specifications permitting such alteration established by the department."

Muffler alteration,,... still illegal. Harleys.. sold with pipes that are too loud for city laws, but legal to have because they came from the manufacturer.

[All-Labout-me]

Found on Craigslist, Thursday morning.

we can make a stand we can make a difference . simper –fi….. the right to ride free.

I'd wager it's from the Hardley contingent.

Who ever it was they aren't a Marine. No Jar Head would ever misspell "Semper Fi".

[MrTucker]

Too bad you just pu the new pipe on the SV.

This wouldn't bother me, but I have to go through Denver to get to work. At least I still have the stock cans. If I have to, I will gut them and put them back on. I'll just wait until I get pulled over first.

It's cool, I live in lakewood and hardly ever ride in Denver County. Besides, the LV is fairly quiet when you're easy on the throttle. Simple fix: when you see a cop, go to 5th or 6th, run at 2k rpm's, then get back on it - no need to cry. I think it's more aimed at the HD guys that run straight pipes that pop ear drums...I hate those damn things

[salsashark]

Who ever it was they aren't a Marine. No Jar Head would ever misspell "Semper Fi".

that's what I was thinking...

[Andiamó]

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....&ts=S0252&p=ht
tp%3A%2F%2Fwww.amadirectlink.com%2Flegisltn%2FSoun d_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."

[salsashark]

sweet... the chewbacca defense in action!



That does not make sense!

[counterfit zx10r]

If the AMA is already on it and fighting it then I don't think riders like myself have to worry about it quite as much. By "people like myself" i mean ones who got a brand new bike with an aftermarket exhaust on it already direct from the dealer and that have to drive across denver to get to and from work everyday. If they do try to make this shit stand, I say we go to every club we can find and pick 1 night to just go tear ass all over down town with the mufflers completely removed from our bikes to show them how bad it could really be.

[FortitudoX]

What ever happend to Land of the Free? Seriously, this is rediculous. I have an aftermarket pipe, its nothing too crazy but now any cop can pull me over at a dime and ruin my night?

There has to be worse crimes then loud pipes, and why is my tax money going to be used against me. Why don't we worry about more important things, like gun control, drugs, ect ect.

[Priller_Nate]

Why don't we worry about more important things, like gun control, ect ect.

Got more than enough of that! How about making people pay for true crimes. A criminal isn't going to worry about a stinkin background check on a weapon he intends to use in a crime.

[bluedogok]

Muffler alteration,,... still illegal. Harleys.. sold with pipes that are too loud for city laws, but legal to have because they came from the manufacturer.

Harley's with the pipes from the factory comply with EPA/DOT regulations and sound levels, the dealers changing the pipes is no different than you or I changing the pipes. Officially the bike was delivered from the factory with compliant pipes and any alteration made by anyone takes the bike out of compliance.

[FZRguy]

This was being discussed on Steve Douglas’ KOA show tonight. I called in to explain that I hate loud motorcycles, however, this ordinance discriminates against all motorcyclists, loud or not that don’t have stock exhaust. The host is a cop and he believes that if it stands as is, there will be a flurry of enforcement followed by little enforcement, unless you have an obnoxiously loud bike (Harley with straight pipes). Hopefully, a more sensible law will be passed with the help of the AMA

[FortitudoX]

Got more than enough of that! How about making people pay for true crimes. A criminal isn't going to worry about a stinkin background check on a weapon he intends to use in a crime.

Priller Nate,

How are you going to quote me, call my quote B.S. and then delete part of what I said?

I'm not debating how a criminal is going to use his weapon, I'm stating that their are more important things out there, that are life threatening. This seems like they're giving a reason for cops to pull bikers over. And I hope that having loud pipes isn't considerd a true crime!