California AB 1824 (Loud Exhaust Law)

[fourteenfour]

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1824 the relevant part is section 4

 

(4) Existing law provides that whenever any person is arrested for certain offenses, including, among other things, an infraction involving vehicle equipment, the arresting officer is required to permit the arrested person to execute a notice, prepared by the officer in triplicate, containing a promise to correct the violation and to deliver proof of correction to the issuing agency, unless the arresting officer finds that a disqualifying condition exists.

Existing law requires every motor vehicle subject to registration to be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise and prohibits a muffler or exhaust system from being equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device. Existing law further prohibits the modification of an exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner that will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of the vehicle so that the vehicle exceeds existing noise limits.

This bill would include, among those conditions that are disqualifying, a violation of the above-described requirements related to mufflers and exhaust systems.

 

 

Basically what it means is that a fine is always the response to a loud exhaust infraction. Apparently this was implemented because repeat offenders merely would produce the paper work showing it fixed when it was not.

[Skywagon]

When I was in high school I had a car with twin glass packs ( for you young guys that means loud pipes) I was going through a tunnel and of course like a typical teenager I would sound them off. I got pulled over, got a ticket. I went to ticket court and showed them a picture of the new mufflers and the receipt for them. Ticket dismissed. I was working at an auto supply at the time so the receipt was fake news and I was holding a muffler from inventory. I never replaced them but was more careful where I racked them.

[Paul De]

I think a similar law exists here in Wisconsin, or at least Milwaukee, but because the Motor Company has such a special relationship with the city, it almost never gets applied. At least the LEOs look the other way regardless of what you ride as I don't see anybody getting clipped for loud pipes. Sadly, when HD has one of their celebrations the city has a constant rumble sound punctuated by loud blasts from whoever is ragging the throttle within a 1/4 mile of where you are at. It really does put off non-riders though. Ones personal expression of their need to make loud noise puts a blemish on anyone who rides because non-riders don't discern any difference of brand and life style choice of riders. We're all scofflaws to them

 

Now if they would pass a law to silence the dry clutch on my neighbors 916 Duc I could watch my grass grow in peace!

[dirtrider]

I think a similar law exists here in Wisconsin, or at least Milwaukee, but because the Motor Company has such a special relationship with the city, it almost never gets applied. At least the LEOs look the other way regardless of what you ride as I don't see anybody getting clipped for loud pipes. Sadly, when HD has one of their celebrations the city has a constant rumble sound punctuated by loud blasts from whoever is ragging the throttle within a 1/4 mile of where you are at. It really does put off non-riders though. Ones personal expression of their need to make loud noise puts a blemish on anyone who rides because non-riders don't discern any difference of brand and life style choice of riders. We're all scofflaws to them

 

Now if they would pass a law to silence the dry clutch on my neighbors 916 Duc I could watch my grass grow in peace!

 

Afternoon Paul De

 

The big problem with loud exhaust enforcement is how the heck does the LEO measure it evenly across all vehicles such as distance, angle, height, engine RPM, engine load, trans gear, local ambient noise elimination, reflected noise off of surrounding objects, & even what measurement scale to use.

 

When we do noise pass-by testing in the auto industry there are very strict constraints on speed, road surface, angle, pick-up placement, weather, tire designs, location, etc (just can't duplicate that in on road real world measurements).

 

Most current excessive noise laws or ordinances rely on LEO's judgement but that is difficult to prosecute without some sort of data backing it up. Usually about all they accomplish is forcing the loud noise emitter to take some time & show up in court with either a repair order or promise to fix it.

 

With most newer motorcycles having the catalytic converter in the muffler it would seem that there is way more teeth (& much larger fines) in going after the emission law violation part of the exhaust modifications not the excessive noise part.

 

As for your neighbors Ducati clutch rattle-- That is a different matter. I spent over 4 hours modifying my dry clutch Ducati to remove the clutch rattle. I rode it a week & couldn't stand the quiet clutch & slightly higher disk drag so removed all my modification & want back to the extremely noisy but toggle-switch like releasing stock clutch.

 

My riding friend has a newer Duc with the oil bathed quiet clutch & he hates it.

 

Remember, loud clutches save lives!

 

[Pappy35]

I went to ticket court and showed them a picture of the new mufflers and the receipt for them. Ticket dismissed. I was working at an auto supply at the time so the receipt was fake news and I was holding a muffler from inventory. I never replaced them but was more careful where I racked them.

 

This sir is an admission that you perjured yourself in a court of law. Please send you name, address, date of offence(s), and a copy of this thread to your local prosecutor's office for adjudication. Thank you.

 

[Bill_Walker]

I'd be quite happy with that new law if I thought it would actually be enforced. The din of loud pipes (mostly H-Ds, of course) on the Coast Highway around here on the weekends is incredibly annoying. Conversation has to stop until they go by. It's rude.

 

I love the sound of an engine, but keep it at a reasonable level, please. There's no need to share it with everyone in a two- or three-block radius.

[Thumpin]

I ride in the TN/NC/GA area several times a year, and on ride to the Suches, GA area my wife went with me and "required" me to go hiking with her. So......we would ride to a hiking trail, dismount, and go hiking. The peace and quiet of the hike was often ruined by the sound of an un-muffled Harley on the highway, and the hills and valleys created a situation where we could sometimes hear the same bike for what seemed like 10-15 minutes as it navigated along the roadway on "our side" of the mountain.. It didn't matter that we might have been an hour of walking away from the road, as the V-Twin sound would travel across large areas when there are no obstructions/barriers .

 

The majority of the bikes were not horribly loud - but some of them are just deafening. Both Harley and Sport Bike riders seem to be opposed to baffles in their mufflers.

 

I do believe there should be enforcement against motorcycles, cars and trucks that don't have proper mufflers. I live 2 miles away from a 4 lane highway.....and most of the vehicles pass by quietly - but it is very obvious that some motorcycles, cars and trucks are just too loud and can be heard several miles away!

 

 

 

 

[Green RT]

HDs aren't the only loud bikes. A few weeks ago I saw and heard a BMW boxer (maybe 2006-10 vintage, I'm not sure, didn't get a good look at it.) with straight pipes. The pipes were cut off at about the pegs.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Green RT