Renewed effort to quiet motorcycles

Off the Wire
By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

Motorcycle mufflers can be a warning or an obnoxious noise, depending on who hears them.
Motorcycle riders say they upgrade their mufflers to warn traffic they’re coming, but citizens of Kennebunk are complaining the noise interferes with their quality of life.
A bill that would force motorcyclists to keep their original mufflers attached was introduced Tuesday by Sen. Nancy Sullivan (D-Biddeford, Kennebunk).
Nicknamed the “Label Law,” it would require a label on the motorcycle chassis to match a label on the muffler that gives the acceptable decibel level of the motorcycle’s original muffler.
Many who support the law think it will keep muffler noise on motorcycles down, but others disagree.
“That’s not good. We should have the choice, we’re in America here,” said Jay Atripaldi, a mechanic at Power Wheelz in Scarborough
“You can have a loud pipe and still idle through an area and not make a lot of noise,” Atripaldi said. “People are stupid and get caught up in the moment showboating and what-not.”
Atripaldi works on foreign motorcycles, Yamaha, Honda and BMW, and says there’s a big difference in the way people ride foreign bikes and the American-made Harley-Davidsons.
Atripaldi believes that for Harley motorcycles, riding loud is a way of life. Many motorcycle riders believe in the mantra, “loud pipes save lives,” he said.
It’s that loud noise that piqued Sullivan’s interest, by way of Kennebunk resident Claire Unsinn.
Unsinn is part of a group called Maine Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles or MECALM.
Last August Unsinn invited Sullivan to her home near Route 1 on a Sunday afternoon, and even in the rain motorcycles kept roaring by.
“She said this is not O.K.,” Unsinn said.
Unsinn said the loud noise from the altered mufflers has negatively affected her life. A few years ago Unsinn and her husband built a patio behind their house and haven’t been able to use it.
“The noise is so bad we can’t hear each other talk,” she said.
She called the Kennebunk police, approached selectmen and the town manager but was told there was nothing they could do.
“The selectmen are concerned about the noise issue. They took a step back and said it needed to be addressed at the state level,” Kennebunk Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said.
Tibbetts said some people have complained to him about the noise, while others say the noise doesn’t bother them, he said.
Police departments in Arundel and Kennebunk said they have not received any complaints since the summer months, but have addressed the motorcycle noise in the past.
Last year, Unsinn began a petition that stated noise was not welcome in Kennebunk and received 275 signatures from residents.
Saco resident Michael Lambert rides an altered Harley, but says he did not change the pipes to create noise, but as a safety precaution for him and others on the road.
Lambert said a motorcycle is a small object compared to a car and the one headlight can be hard to see at night.
“You can hear me when I’m going around the car,” Lambert said. “It’s not obnoxiously loud, but it’s louder than when it came off the factory line.”
There are many reasons to change the muffler system on a motorcycle. Non-stock mufflers are significantly cheaper, they can make the motorcycle perform better, they weigh less and can alter the look of a bike said Atripaldi
Atripaldi estimates nine of 10 motorcycles have altered muffler systems.
The bill has been referred to the Transportation Committee and will be reviewed during the legislative process over the next few weeks.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.