OFF THE WIRE
THE SKINNY ON EXHAUST
Dennis,
This came across in an e-mail a while ago and I tried to post it put it was over the 300 word limit but this guy had a pretty good response to one of these anti noise assholes. The guy is a motorhead and talked some good tech talk that in my opinion would be hard to refute.
Hellcat Customs, Jason Sarratt
I think its nice that "Springs" or whoever felt it was necessary to support this idea with misinformation and environmental scares. Let's for one moment actually look at the "nuts and bolts" of the situation and how this individual is more than misinformed.
1) It is correct that the EPA required stamp is to be put on all Factory Mass Production Motorcycles… It is illegal for a business to tamper with said devices and operate it on the Highways. However, what the owner of the vehicle does to his property is his business. And … a builder, such as myself, who only produces one-off bikes is emissions exempt. I can even sell you and install competition exhaust systems. The owner is the one who chooses to put them on the street. The same can be said for people changing their stock Mustang or SUV exhaust for a sound or performance gain. Yet, you attack the motorcyclist and say nothing of the Mustang or lifted pickup truck? Sounds like discrimination.
2) Apparently, you are in no way shape or form a mechanic. Let me clue you into a few things about guys who tamper with vehicles to get power. Efficiency is how power is made. Most of your modern gas motors are lucky to be 70% efficient out of the factory. To make more power, you have to take a mass production motor and make it more efficient, meaning that you have to maximize intake and exhaust of the motor… which, yes, raises noise levels some, but also, when done properly, makes exhaust emissions lower. Modern motorcycles (since we are singling them out in the vehicular world like the Natzis did the Jews) come from the factory with what mechanics refer to as a lean AFR… by removing the mufflers you loose back-pressure and allow the motor to breathe a bit easier. By removing the mufflers, you didn't change the fuel metering devices at all. There are quite a few motorcycles in my past that I removed the mufflers to pass Smog tests and then put them back on for the customers benefit. Manyl mufflers are fiberglass-packed cores which will store HC's and give a higher reading (kind of like breathing through a dirty sock.) So a motorcycle without mufflers, when tuned properly, will actually produce less emissions than a bike that has been storing unburnt fuel in the big pollution sponges you are fighting to keep that we all call mufflers. My personal motorcycles have no "mufflers" at all – and they are quiet enough to pass by cops without getting a ticket, due to noise reversion chambers built into my one-off drag headers. And get this – the bike we just took to emissions produced 87 HC and .56 CO… which is much much cleaner than your average Honda Accord. We get 50mpg, so we apparently aren't wasting gas like your uncalled-out SUV. And my bike actually will have water dripping out of the exhaust after a quarter mile pass…. So explain to me again how mufflers keep pollution down?
Basically, YOU hate loud bikes. Because you would appear to be discriminating against a group of people you are not like, and you are trying to use an environment argument to support your dislike for people on motorcycles. I burn cleaner than you, I take up less space, I get better fuel economy, I use less oil, paint and tires. Factories producing bikes pollute less than the ones producing SUVs. There are people driving down the road in their SUV or BMW, throwing their Starbucks paper cup out the window, getting 12miles to the gallon and you say the NOISE is destroying the environment? You need to back up your thoughts with fact. Fast, loud bikes do not pollute with chemicals like your misinformation pollutes this page. Try being honest, you HATE BIKERS and what they stand for. Don't try to use science and mechanical theory to try to back up your hate. Just say you hate noise, unless its in your vehicle's stereo, playing for all to hear, regardless of who wants to hear it.
Fact 1) Bikes get better milage and use less resources to produce and operate.
2) Packed mufflers store harmful pollution that will get into the environment.
3) Good performing bikes mean more efficient fuel and air usage.
4) YOU are using bunk statements and the EPA to fight your cause – Laws should be for the good of society, not to placate an individual who has a grudge.
5) All your Enviro-Propaganda does is hurt the large businesses who keep the economy going. So when Harley closes because of your law, remember you were a part of it.
6) The cop who stops someone for their pipes might have been able to save the life of your loved ones if they didn't have to spend 30min giving out noise ordinance tickets.
Don't hate-monger just because someone's bike is a bit noisy. Mine apparently isn't noisy enough, because a year ago, I was hit by truck who claimed she didn't hear or see me.
Seriously, let the police officers do more important things, like stopping REAL criminals and leave the bikers alone.
http://goldiron.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/anti-noise-group-raises-ruckus-over-harley-riders%E2%80%8F/
