Sacramento, CA:

Sacramento, CA: California lawmakers continue to back EPA label requirement for riders of new motorcycles. On August 4th, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations voted 11-5 to approve an amended version of Senate Bill 435, introduced by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Oxnard-Los Angeles). This bill would make it illegal to ride a motorcycle on the road built on, or after, Jan. 1, 2013, that doesn't display a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) label certifying the exhaust system meets sound emissions standards.
The AMA has long maintained a position of strong opposition to excessive motorcycle sound. However, the Association has been, and remains, opposed to this legislation. The only objective way to determine whether a motorcycle complies with sound laws is for properly trained personnel to conduct sound level tests using calibrated meters and an agreed-upon testing procedure. To that end the AMA has developed model legislation for use by cities and states seeking a simple, consistent and economical way to deal with sound complaints related to on-highway motorcycles within the larger context of excessive sound from all sources. The model legislation offers an objective method to evaluate motorcycle sound based on the Society of Automotive Engineers' (SAE) J2825 standard.