Science over perception is the choice of Maine lawmakers when it comes to deciding how loud is too loud with motorcycle exhausts.A new law that went into effect on May 26 allows motorcyclists ticketed for excessive sound emitting from their motorcycle exhausts to go to a certified inspection station for sound testing.
There, the exhaust system would be tested using the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J2825 stationary sound testing procedure, "Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles" which the SAE developed and adopted with support from the Motorcycle Industry Council in May 2009.
And a leading motorcycle advocacy group, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), are very happy about it.
Under the SAE J2825 standard, which the AMA has endorsed, decibel limits range from 92 dBA at idle for all motorcycles, to 100 dBA at certain RPMs for various motorcycles, depending on the type of engine. If a motorcycle meets these limits during the certified testing, then it is evidence that the motorcycle doesn't violate the state's sound law.
The AMA states that it has ‘long maintained a position of strong opposition to excessive motorcycle sound’.
‘The SAE J2825 standard is at the heart of model legislation developed by the AMA for use by jurisdictions 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,’ it notes.
Across the country riders face a variety of local and state laws aimed at the loudness of motorcycle noise. While the validity of targeting one specific type of road-user is contested, some laws are mired in court-battles or unenforced because of other legal question. Others are enforced enthusiastically.
"This new law is good news for responsible motorcyclists who ride in Maine because it provides an objective way to prove that a motorcycle doesn't violate the state's sound law, rather than relying on subjective judgments," said Imre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager. "We applaud the state of Maine -- the first in the nation -- for adopting the SAE J2825 standard."