Quiet riot versus ‘Easy Rider’ noise
There’s a dirty little secret among Harley-Davidson owners that they wear ear plugs.
It’s a fact not advertised, and they only will admit to it grudgingly, blaming it on “wind noise.”
But it’s also the pipes. The loud, rumbling, car alarm-causing pipes. The Saturday morning wake-up calls. The shock and awe of all things Harley.
The owners, however, spin it in a way that sounds altruistic: Loud pipes save lives, they say.
It’s a mantra repeated so often and with so much flag-waving enthusiasm up the legislative maypole that it’s caused bills to change and become watered-down, quieter versions.
In California, which is derided by Harley owners across the country as “Commiefornia,” the last big noise pollution battle was in 2010 with SB 435. That’s the year then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law the Motorcycle Anti-Tampering Act.
The law essentially tamped down the decibel limit somewhat on new bikes but left older models loud and proud.
What complicated the process was that Schwarzenegger was a Harley owner and rode a Fat Boy in “Terminator 2,” cementing his nickname “Benedict Arnold” among riders.
The law, which didn’t go into effect until 2013, requires new motorcycles to maintain their original exhaust systems or use only aftermarket equipment that has a visible EPA stamp. The penalties are minor, however. A first-time violation is a fix-it ticket and a $50 fine. After that, the fines start at $100.
Again, bikes made before 2013 are exempt and only have to adhere to regular noise laws. Roughly speaking, there is a sliding scale based on age. Vintage bikes before 1970 can be 92 decibels. Then it gets more restrictive to 80 decibels by 1985.
The thing about SB 435 that made it interesting was that it could have a been a lot worse for riders.
The original bill would have applied to all bikes, making virtually all loud motorcycles illegal overnight — or owners would have to spend hundreds of dollars on stock mufflers.
To this day, the Harley message boards are ringing like high-pitched tinnitus over that one.
The motorcycle advocacy group ABATE, which stands for A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments, claims responsibility for getting the original bill modified. Nationally, ABATE has a formal political action committee that has worked for years to get rid of the mandatory helmet laws and replace them with voluntary options.
The driving force remains the “Easy Rider” mystic that it’s un-American to restrict riders in any way.
It’s freedom and the open road.
It’s a God-given right.
It’s wind in your hair at 110 decibels.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the nation is divided when it comes to motorcycles, and it largely follows red and blue lines.
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and others have no statewide motorcycle noise limit restrictions. In addition, many of the states with wide-open expanses like New Mexico have little to no rules.
By contrast, more urban states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland and others all impose roughly similar rules: nothing much over 80 to 85 decibels.
The reason? Anything over that causes hearing loss.
Which gets us back to the ear plugs.
It’s OK for riders to discreetly wear ear protection but pity the poor pedestrian who has to stand next to a straight-pipe Harley revving to 110 decibels.
Pain begins at 125 decibels, which many people probably have felt from a reckless motorcycle.
At 140 decibels, even short-term exposure can cause permanent damage.
The bottom line is that no matter how loud motorcycles remain, they will continue assaulting the public because police departments are too busy chasing “real crime.”
There will always be other priorities.
But one thing will always be true: The only people who genuinely like loud Harley-Davidson motorcycles are their deaf owners.
DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.
