By DAVE DOWNEY ddowney@californian.com
Among the familiar sights and sounds of Southern California summers are the throngs of sun seekers on our beaches and the roar of motorcycles rolling down Pacific Coast Highway.
But for some, including Steve Scarano of Oceanside, that roar, in many cases, is more than sound ---- it's unwanted noise.
"The noise is really bothersome," Scarano said in a telephone conversation recently. "At what point does it become a nuisance?"
He wanted to know if there is something that can be done about it.
There is.
State law sets sound limits for motorcycles in section 27202 of the California Vehicle Code.
Bikes can't legally blow out people's eardrums.
If a bike was built after 1985, its maximum allowable output is 80 decibels. Older bikes can go a little higher.
Eighty decibels is about as loud as a dishwasher.
Police officers can arm themselves with decibel-measuring devices and ticket motorcycle riders whose bikes exceed limits.
But officials from police departments in two busy beach communities, Oceanside and Huntington Beach, address the problem another way.
Huntington Beach police Lt. Mitchell O'Brien said his city's traffic officers pull over bikers if cycles are particularly loud and check to see if mufflers have been modified.
Ditto for Oceanside, said Police Sgt. Gabe Jimenez, who supervises the city's traffic division.
"Some of these pipes, when we pull them over, don't have any baffles," Jimenez said.
And state law is pretty clear: Modified pipes aren't allowed.
The two cities issue citations based on sections 27150 and 27151 of the California Vehicle Code.
The first section says this: "Every motor vehicle subject to registration shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device."
Section 27151 is similar: "No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted ..."
But what can you do?
The officers suggest calling your local police department and reporting a problem when you hear it.
If it is a neighbor splitting eardrums every time he or she pulls out of a garage, an officer can check that out.
If it is a biker passing through town, that's more problematic; a traffic officer isn't likely to catch the offender.
But you can file a complaint. O'Brien and Jimenez said their agencies step up enforcement in areas with lots of complaints.
"We're listening for them," Jimenez said.
COMMENT
1.
sleepingbutawake - Terrible and misleading article. The part about 50 db being the noise equivalent to a dishwasher, poppycock when related to the code.
The code calls for weighted sound levels based on measurements taken at a distance of 50 ft from center lane of travel. So the police can not just pull over a biker and ticket for a loud pipe without putting the bike through a conforming test with a calibrated meter. The officer would need to be certified in applying the test as well and current.
Do we really need open pipes, no. Is it OK to have a baffle that is louder than stock, you bet as long as the modified muffle complies with the law. Louder pipes are useful for the biker as many riders need the edge in being audibly visible to cars as most drivers are using cell phones and not paying attention.
Sorry my pipes offend you, not really buddy, now go fly a kite and go yell at the kids on your lawn or whatever else helps you get through your day. 2. TAKE A RIDE DOWN TO OPD, AND CHECK THE PIPES ON THE POPO PERSONAL MOTORCYCLES. THEY ALL HAVE AFTER MARKETEXHAUST, DONE RT HERE IN OSIDE. AT OUR LOCAL SHOPS. MCCOY RIDES A FAT BOY HARLEY WITH SHOTGUN EXHAUST.. OTHERS AFTER MARKET AS WELL...
But for some, including Steve Scarano of Oceanside, that roar, in many cases, is more than sound ---- it's unwanted noise.
"The noise is really bothersome," Scarano said in a telephone conversation recently. "At what point does it become a nuisance?"
He wanted to know if there is something that can be done about it.
There is.
State law sets sound limits for motorcycles in section 27202 of the California Vehicle Code.
Bikes can't legally blow out people's eardrums.
If a bike was built after 1985, its maximum allowable output is 80 decibels. Older bikes can go a little higher.
Eighty decibels is about as loud as a dishwasher.
Police officers can arm themselves with decibel-measuring devices and ticket motorcycle riders whose bikes exceed limits.
But officials from police departments in two busy beach communities, Oceanside and Huntington Beach, address the problem another way.
Huntington Beach police Lt. Mitchell O'Brien said his city's traffic officers pull over bikers if cycles are particularly loud and check to see if mufflers have been modified.
Ditto for Oceanside, said Police Sgt. Gabe Jimenez, who supervises the city's traffic division.
"Some of these pipes, when we pull them over, don't have any baffles," Jimenez said.
And state law is pretty clear: Modified pipes aren't allowed.
The two cities issue citations based on sections 27150 and 27151 of the California Vehicle Code.
The first section says this: "Every motor vehicle subject to registration shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device."
Section 27151 is similar: "No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted ..."
But what can you do?
The officers suggest calling your local police department and reporting a problem when you hear it.
If it is a neighbor splitting eardrums every time he or she pulls out of a garage, an officer can check that out.
If it is a biker passing through town, that's more problematic; a traffic officer isn't likely to catch the offender.
But you can file a complaint. O'Brien and Jimenez said their agencies step up enforcement in areas with lots of complaints.
"We're listening for them," Jimenez said.
COMMENT
1.
The code calls for weighted sound levels based on measurements taken at a distance of 50 ft from center lane of travel. So the police can not just pull over a biker and ticket for a loud pipe without putting the bike through a conforming test with a calibrated meter. The officer would need to be certified in applying the test as well and current.
Do we really need open pipes, no. Is it OK to have a baffle that is louder than stock, you bet as long as the modified muffle complies with the law. Louder pipes are useful for the biker as many riders need the edge in being audibly visible to cars as most drivers are using cell phones and not paying attention.
Sorry my pipes offend you, not really buddy, now go fly a kite and go yell at the kids on your lawn or whatever else helps you get through your day.
