Noise Ordinance In Effect For Bikes, Blues & BBQ

Kyle Cabodi / Reporter / kcabodi@hearst.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Bikers are already rolling into Fayetteville for this weekend’s Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally, and between the bikes and the music, it’s set to be a loud event

Bikers need to keep the noise from their rides under control. Fayetteville law prohibits excessive engine revving.

Tom and Sharon Righot rode in from Kansas City on a bike with pipes that could push the limits of the city noise ordinance.

“As far as enforcing a rule like that, I just kind of wonder, it’s kind of arbitrary,” Tom Righot said. “What are they going to do, walk around with a sound meter and say that’s three decibels to loud?”

When measured with a device, the noise from Righot’s bike came in at over 100 decibels while being revved.

Some bikers say that kind of noise is necessary

“There’s a reason why these bikes are loud, it’s a safety issue for us,” biker Christopher Nazario said. “We’re on the road and people don’t always recognize the fact that bikes are on the road so they bikes are loud so people can hear us.”

There were some people that didn’t think the noise ordinance was a bad idea.

Biker Charles Barron said, “There’s a lot of kids that get scared real bad, a lot of older people that have hearing problems.”

Barron said you can still have fun with the noises from your bike, but in moderation.

“You can come down and ramp the motor up a little bit but there ain’t no need to go overboard with it,” Barron said.

Some bikers said they like to lay off the throttle so they don’t burn their engine out.

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