You need to complain to the Police. Get your friends and neighbors to do it, too. Eventually, they will do something about it.
Be aware, though, that disturbing the peace is more about noise after some late hour, like 11PM and before something like 6AM. Excessive noise in itself can be illegal. The police can tell you what is and is not illegal in your area.
Typical of the whining attitude of todayâs society.
Everyone is offended by everything so go sniveling to the Federal government to hold your helpless hands.
I propose that everyone petition the government to ban all internet whining and force people to grow up.
I have to agree with you, but itâs not just harleys, some sport bikes are just as loud (but an octave or so higher). Other than the occasional âriced outâ civic, very few cars or stock bikes are even close to that noise level. I have been riding bikes for 30-something years (never had a harley) and am disturbed by the damage that a few wing-nuts can do to everyones reputation. At this point, many harley riders are 60-something year olds (those things have gotten expensive) that are very considerate, but it only takes a few.
I agree itâs not a âFederal governmentâ issue, but I wouldnât mind seeing the local traffic cops pass out a few tickets to the most blatant offenders.
There are already federal regulations on noise emission. The OEM pipes are marked to indicate they comply with these regulations. When owners change their mufflers, it becomes an issue of compliance and enforcement. Many local laws address this aspect. Some states require annual inspections and compliance with the laws. Some do not. Some municipalities have laws regarding noise emission and enforce them. They are typically the areas where motorcycles congregate and people have grown tired of their incessant noise.
Bikers (I am one) have for many years said that âloud pipes save livesâ and that is somewhat true. If youâve ever ridden a bike for any period of time you will quickly realize just how dangerous it is. However, as with anything, a minority of the population can ruin it for everyone when they do not respect the rights of others. The saying has now morphed into âloud pipes lose rightsâ and rightly so.
We donât need more regulation, we need more enforcement and for the biking community to police their own or risk losing freedoms we curently enjoy.
I have no problem at all with a rider being ticketed by the local police if they are excessively noisy, but I do have a problem when anyone, no matter the issue, is bellyaching for Big Government to step in and ban something they personally donât like.
Iâve been ticketed, both bike and car, in the past for mufflers; sometimes deserved and sometimes not. Often the police have no clue about equipment or even the law.
I had a Plymouth Roadrunner and was ticketed for loud mufflers. Replace them with factory original mufflers and 2 weeks later I get ticketed again; for what the car came from the factory with.
I also have 2 old Harleys and these bikes have a pretty healthy rumble to them, even WITH the factory mufflers.
One of those old HDs (a very early production panhead, 1950) is an ex-police bike; with siren, lights, and speedometer hand lock.
Years ago, I bought a new BMW Boxer twin and the mufflers burnt out prematurely (6 months) and I replaced them with aftermarkets which were not loud but had a growl to them. You got it; ticketed twice, on a BM of all things.
Thereâs a lot of things in life that irritate the xxxx out of me (dogs barking non-stop are one of my pet peeves) but I donât think a government ban is the answer.
Anyone who thinks this way is nothing more than a whiner who is just looking for an issue to snivel about.
If a next door neighbor is really bothering you with a noisy Harley then hound the local police to nail the guy, or gal, a few times.
Also, a lot of those âolder respectable Harley ownersâ have their new 18k dollar HDs modified with all manner of things including the exhaust before they even take delivery of them. Go to a swap meet or check eBay for mountain of ânew bike takeoffsâ.
While at it, mention those multi-cylinder Kawasakis with 4 into 1 headers hitting 9 grand on the tach and pulling wheelies in traffic or those riced out, obnoxious tuner cars. A beserk chainsaw (thereâs a difference??? is pretty irritating also. 
Also, a lot of those âolder respectable Harley ownersâ have their new 18k dollar HDs modified with all manner of things including the exhaust before they even take delivery of them. Go to a swap meet or check eBay for mountain of ânew bike takeoffsâ.
True enough, some folks never grow up. IMHO, the âload pipes are safer argumentâ is BS. My bike (a BMW) is quieter than many cars, and I donât feel itâs a safety issue. If I every get that worried, Iâll quit riding.
I also agree that many modified sport bikes and ricer cars are too loud for street use. These exhausts offer very little performance advantage over stock pipes (especially on those little POS âtunerâ cars), itâs just more bling. Most of these idiots will not be willing/able to pay too many tickets, so the solution is to keep fining them until they disappear.
Gotta catch them firstâŠI remember doing traffic as a copâŠcycles were difficult vehicles to deal with. Gone in a heartbeatâŠto tell the truth, many of us were jealous. As a former rider myself , I know they stop only if they what to, not because they have to. An experienced rider that knows the area and is determined is near impossible to stop let alone find. Notice how they behave themselves on the interstates.
Wave and get on the radio was the only way to deal with a low flyerâŠ
This is a hot button topic in many areas, especially those that attract a lot of tourism. The cops there do enforce the laws and sit at specific spots with their decibel meters. I live in a state that mandates yearly safety inspections. If your bike has aftermarket pipes, and they are not stamped with the appropriate DOT certifications, you donât pass. In addition, when they start the bike and notice the noise level is not normal (youâve punched out the baffles for example), you donât pass inspection. I see a lot of interest on bike boards where people are looking for OEM pipes to put back on their scoots.
Now, if theyâd only regulate ATVs. Road bikes pass by and keep going. ATVs ride in circles for many hoursâŠ
The American Motorcycle Association has been working on this issue. The issue isnât just Harley-Davidson motorcycles. You can get custom exhaust pipes for any motorcycle. I have seen cruisers of all brands with loud pipes. I have also seen very loud cars with custom exhaust systems that are excessively noisy. So the issue isnât Harleys, or even motorcycles. It is that these custom exhaust systems should be illegal and sound ordinances should be standardized and enforced. There are laws that govern the stock exhaust systems and how much noise they are allowed to expel. Chances are if a motorcycle is loud, the stock pipes have been replaced. Part of the problem is that we have so many bad under-trained drivers on the road that some motorcycle riders believe that loud pipes save lives. Of course, this has never been proven. The jets fighters from the nearby Navy base are louder than most motorcycles, but I donât mind.
Come up to Loudon NH Fathersday weekend for the Loudon Classic. Somewhere between 50 and 100 THOUSAND bikers show up every year. And it IS LOUD.
Iâve yet to see the community that enforces this. I personally donât like them being so loud. Every harley owner I know removed the stock mufflers. Itâs considered the STANDARD mod that every Harley owner MUST do.
In some areas it is illegal and they are cited, but legality and enforcement are both spotty and weak. To cite them the cop typically needs to have and be trained with a device to measure the decibel levelâŠusually from a specic distance at a specific angle under specific conditions (such as a given RPM). Not an esy task for the cops. And even if they get cited, the biker simply pays the fine and keeps going, knowing that itâs unlikely heâll be bothered again.
Even if they do get the same gas mileage, the fact that the Prius can carry 4 (or possibly 5 people) but the Harley carries one (or possibly two) people, makes that a very weak argument. That factor, coupled with the incredible pollutants spewing from the tailpipe of many Harleys, makes them a nuisance in more ways than just in terms of noise.
Have you thought about switching to decaf?
Additionally tightened emission controls for bikes are coming in 09 that will include catalytic converters, oxygen sensors and the like. What could follow in CA, for example, is a yearly or bi-yearly smog check which could include a noise check if enough people complain. Cat converters alone do some noise reduction so the noose is tightening. Here in WI, noise standards for smowmobiles and boats have recently been put in place. When the DNR gets up to speed with enforcement, it will be an easy transfer of the technology to the road cops for bikes, trucks or whatever.
I agree, many Harleys are too noisy especially those with straightpipes. I think that a quiet Harley has a bunch more class. I have the stock mufflers on mine.
You have the right to get a license plate number of a loud bike that has offended your sensibilities and complain to the police. There are laws in place that the police can use such as disturbing the peace and more, I am sure.
Yes, I have contributed money to www.nonoise.org.
Harley seems to be mute on this topic or insignificantly leaning toward stock mufflers as I have not seen anything regarding their official policy but that is understandable. They will not actively fight noisy motorcycles as that would be equivalent to fighting their customers.
In Colorado, people finally got sick of it and the police mounted a well advertised campaign to crack down on vehicles with illegal exhaust systems. Overnight, the straight pipes came off and the factory, or at least legal, mufflers were put back on. Within a week, peace and quiet returnedâŠ
The few âoutlawsâ stood out like a sore thumb and were easy prey for the police.
Yup, and the Harley gets that mileage even with a baffle. Intentionally making a racket is immature, irresponsible, and wrong. Youâll fool nobody by trying to justify it by citing higher mileage. Additionally, that racket is what causes others to hate bikers. So youâre not doing your fellow bikers any favors either.
I like bikes. I hate that racket.
Apparently they never got around to busting one of my neighbors and his harley, and no I am not going to call the cops on one of my kids friends parents. Actually, his bike bothers me a lot less that some of the really whiny sport bikes. My biggest gripe (as a biker) is the obnoxious reputation that we all have to live with.
I AM equally offended by loud stereos. AircraftâŠwellâŠIâm ex Air Force. I lived with B52 bombers. And air craft donât intentionally make a racket for no reason. As a matter of fact, the noise in civilian aircraft is severely restricted and the restrictions are enforced. Military aircraft would be dead silent if the technology existed.
Trucks arenât loud intentionally. Cahinsaws are just people working. Barking dogs are subject to complaints and in most residential areas citations for the owners. Leaf blowersâŠI hate leaf blowers.
The big difference here is that the guys that run open pipes make a racket intentionally in order to irritate and challenge the poor folks that they subject to it. And, yeah, Iâve heard the âsafetyâ excuse. I donât buy it. Open pipes are not necessary to be noticed.
I like bikes. I hate rackets.
The only problem I have with the loud pipes crowd is that some towns decide the solution is to ban motorcycles altogether. Doesnât matter if my BMW is quiet as a whisper, too many loud piped jerks cause an over-reaction and Iâm banned.