More Sound-Test Info

Screwdriver, Bill, The difference in the "50 feet away at 35 ft" test, and the new J2825 standard ( 20 inches at a 45 degree angle" in final decibels is this:

If the law called for a decibel level of 96 dB, and they did a test at 20 inches @45 degree angle test, they would get a result of 96 decibles, every single time. While using the 50 feet at 35 mph test, they would get a reading of 82 decibels .........they would then add 14 or 15 decibles to account for the distance, to get what they considered the final decibel count. The SAE J2825 is more consistant. SCROLL DOWN

NEW SOUND METER STANDARD J2825
John Del Santo

The Society of Automotive Engineers has released a new standard for testing the decibel level of motorcycles. My first response on hearing this was “oh well, here we go again” but it actually seems that this may work in our favor in many cases. Few factors contribute more to misunderstanding and prejudice against street riders than excessively noisy motorcycles. This new standard is easy, relatively cheap and does not leave anything open to anyone’s ‘opinion’, as in years gone by, when rules such as passing a sound meter at 50 feet, in third gear, at xyz RPM’s going 35 MPH, and then taking the judgment of whatever law enforcement officer was doing the test and how he felt that day, or laws such as in Kennewich, Washington that state that sound tests on street bikes can “Go by an Officers ear” to decide if the bike is too loud.


"Many cities and other jurisdictions already have excessive sound laws on the books, but when they get citizen complaints about loud motorcycles, they sometimes decide to single out the riding public with unfair or overly restrictive ordinances and laws," said Imre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager. "We believe that motorcycles shouldn't Be singled out, but should be regulated as part of a comprehensive sound Management policy that also addresses cars, trucks, leaf blowers, Generators and other sources of excessive sound."

The SAE J2825 test requires that a calibrated Sound Meter be held at a 45-degree angle, 20 inches from the exhaust pipe of a running motorcycle. One reading is taken at an idle, and then the bike is accelerated to a higher RPM and a second reading is noted. (similar to the way off-road racing bikes have been checked for years) There is a hand-held rpm meter to check the RPM’s of a bike if it is not equipped with a Tach.
Motorcycles that have straight pipes fall into a whole different category. The advantage of this new standard for us, is that if a ticket is issued using any old, or other, standard, we have a valid reason to take the ticket to court, and request a dismissal.

In the interest of being prepared for how this might affect ABATE, My wife Fran and I attended a Certification class and purchased a sound meter. The classes are presented by Chris Real from DPS Inc. (909) 981-5228. Chris is a long-time motorcyclist, helped to develop the new standards, and often trains law enforcement officers. The cost of the one-day course is $195.

Theoretically, this standard cannot be adopted in California until such time as it is passed into law, and becomes part of the California Vehicle Code