From the D37 AMA Dual Sport Newsletter.....
The newest (yet recurring) subject of interest this month is noise. This is highly controversial and recently has made a profound impression on me. I'm a self-proclaimed die-hard dirt bike and street bike enthusiast of over 30 years. My first encounter was my own experience while on the Colorado 1000, with the second from a fellow I met in Silverton, Colorado who is associated with Wally Dallenbach's Colorado 500. The third, an article in the Big Bear newspaper about the recent Big Bear Trail Riders two day event, and finally, the October article, Off Idle, in Cruiser Magazine by Jaimie Elvidge.
Having started racing desert in 1968 on two strokes without silencers, I'm sure that the months of riding and racing with un-muffled exhaust is contributing to progressive hearing loss. What's that? Silencers/spark arrestors became standard equipment on racing motorcycles soon afterward, being prompted by noise complaints, Forest Service and noise restriction regulations. It was not a very popular move at that time but performance losses were soon offset by the ability of pipe manufacturers and OEM's to design better equipment while meeting the new restrictions. Things DID get quieter. However, we have had a continuing problem since that time and the situation seems to be getting worse.
My entire adult life has been devoted to enjoying and supporting this 2-wheeled hobby with a passion. It has been under a continual barrage of attacks from environmentalists, the DOT, NIHST and the insurance industry. With the growing awareness and use of remote areas by people from all walks of life, NOISE is becoming a "real and present danger" to many outdoor activities. In the suburbs of the country, as well as parks and selected housing there are areas that are becoming "off limits" to street bikes.
WHY? A lot of the reason is excessive exhaust noise. Just this past August, I had the opportunity to ride 1200 miles in nine consecutive days of Dual Sporting in the Colorado Rockies. My impression? Positively the most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding riding opportunity I've ever enjoyed with one glaring exception. The mightily excessive exhaust tones of some street licensed vehicles on the same ride! Owners of new YZF or WR Yamahas (or any other new make or model) that simply remove the exhaust baffle may indeed experience some degree of improved performance but at what cost? That simple move makes a reasonably performing and noise-friendly bike into one of the most penetrating and painful noises on earth. You can hear it coming for a mile or more and if your following, you have to back off yourself just to get away from the noise. Hikers, four wheelers, equestrians, and fishermen have the same impression only they are the ones who are actively trying to get us restricted from trails and roads. Does your loud pipe get you anywhere any sooner when trail riding? I think not. The focus is not just unbaffled stockers, but on the aftermarket pipes as well. If you buy a race pipe, use it on a racecourse - not in your local forest.
On the last day of the 1000 we stopped in Silverton, CO, and ran into a fellow from Idaho who had participated in the Colorado 500. He ran a motorcycle shop in Idaho and we proceeded on a 20-minute discussion of trail riding, politics, and noise. Let us note here that Idaho has the largest number of trail miles in National Forest land per capita than any other state in the nation. What was his perception of the biggest problem facing the trail-riding enthusiast in Idaho? Noise! Not habitat destruction; not the lack of trail maintenance; not lack of money for trail system development; not even PEER, CBD, or the Sierra Club. It is NOISE. By his own survey and admission, two strokes are now quieter, perform better and are less offensive even with their exhaust smoke that the average four stroke. His opinion seemed to be that the owner of a four stroke has to "make it loud" to show the other guy he's just a good as his two stroke brethren. Fact is: it's just not cool! That kind of attitude is helping to restrict the sport to death. If you want to have a better performing motorcycle, pressure the pipe manufacturers for better stuff, or use something that is acceptably quiet.
A recent article in the Big Bear newspaper once again directly objected to the noise emitted from passing dirt bikes on the Big Bear Trail Riders two day Dual Sport tour. Homeowners are getting upset. We know that the roads were there BEFORE the houses, but the people in those houses have political clout and the unnecessarily loud motorcycle is just more ammunition for homeowner groups and another sword for the anti-bike politico's to wield for more and more restrictive off-road opportunities. Honestly, I've seriously considered punching holes in potatoes and using them to make temporary baffles for the idiots that make me and the general population cringe when they ride by.
We all know how ridiculous straight pipes sound on a cruiser. Evidently the editorial staff of Cruiser Magazine is getting the message also. Excessive noise is not cool, and the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" is just a bunch of crap. Research has proven that the noise from a motorcycle has nothing to do with the attentiveness of the driver in front of you. It only pisses off the drivers in back of you and any others you may pass on or along the sides of the road (or trail) you may be on at the time. The AMA is in the process of getting involved with the initiatives proposed by the United Nations (can you believe it?) that will standardize motorcycle safety and equipment requirements making the after-market industry a thing of the past. This means NO performance products!
In order to prevent these excessive regulatory acts, we have to act more responsibly right now! If you absolutely have to replace the stock plumbing, look into what QUIET and reasonably performing models the manufacturers may have to offer. DON'T just pull baffles or put a race core only model on your street legal Dualsporter. It is helping to kill our sport, especially in the National Forests where sound carries more and is more likely to cause VERY nasty and vile reactions from other people exercising their own rights of multiple land use. If you choose to ignore the problem and let Mr. Macho take over, be ready for what may be lost from this problem in the future. If your buddies bike is one of the noise monsters tell him to get a life on the track and be more responsible on the trail.
Let us hear from you, but quietly, please!
Dave Tonkiss
The newest (yet recurring) subject of interest this month is noise. This is highly controversial and recently has made a profound impression on me. I'm a self-proclaimed die-hard dirt bike and street bike enthusiast of over 30 years. My first encounter was my own experience while on the Colorado 1000, with the second from a fellow I met in Silverton, Colorado who is associated with Wally Dallenbach's Colorado 500. The third, an article in the Big Bear newspaper about the recent Big Bear Trail Riders two day event, and finally, the October article, Off Idle, in Cruiser Magazine by Jaimie Elvidge.
Having started racing desert in 1968 on two strokes without silencers, I'm sure that the months of riding and racing with un-muffled exhaust is contributing to progressive hearing loss. What's that? Silencers/spark arrestors became standard equipment on racing motorcycles soon afterward, being prompted by noise complaints, Forest Service and noise restriction regulations. It was not a very popular move at that time but performance losses were soon offset by the ability of pipe manufacturers and OEM's to design better equipment while meeting the new restrictions. Things DID get quieter. However, we have had a continuing problem since that time and the situation seems to be getting worse.
My entire adult life has been devoted to enjoying and supporting this 2-wheeled hobby with a passion. It has been under a continual barrage of attacks from environmentalists, the DOT, NIHST and the insurance industry. With the growing awareness and use of remote areas by people from all walks of life, NOISE is becoming a "real and present danger" to many outdoor activities. In the suburbs of the country, as well as parks and selected housing there are areas that are becoming "off limits" to street bikes.
WHY? A lot of the reason is excessive exhaust noise. Just this past August, I had the opportunity to ride 1200 miles in nine consecutive days of Dual Sporting in the Colorado Rockies. My impression? Positively the most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding riding opportunity I've ever enjoyed with one glaring exception. The mightily excessive exhaust tones of some street licensed vehicles on the same ride! Owners of new YZF or WR Yamahas (or any other new make or model) that simply remove the exhaust baffle may indeed experience some degree of improved performance but at what cost? That simple move makes a reasonably performing and noise-friendly bike into one of the most penetrating and painful noises on earth. You can hear it coming for a mile or more and if your following, you have to back off yourself just to get away from the noise. Hikers, four wheelers, equestrians, and fishermen have the same impression only they are the ones who are actively trying to get us restricted from trails and roads. Does your loud pipe get you anywhere any sooner when trail riding? I think not. The focus is not just unbaffled stockers, but on the aftermarket pipes as well. If you buy a race pipe, use it on a racecourse - not in your local forest.
On the last day of the 1000 we stopped in Silverton, CO, and ran into a fellow from Idaho who had participated in the Colorado 500. He ran a motorcycle shop in Idaho and we proceeded on a 20-minute discussion of trail riding, politics, and noise. Let us note here that Idaho has the largest number of trail miles in National Forest land per capita than any other state in the nation. What was his perception of the biggest problem facing the trail-riding enthusiast in Idaho? Noise! Not habitat destruction; not the lack of trail maintenance; not lack of money for trail system development; not even PEER, CBD, or the Sierra Club. It is NOISE. By his own survey and admission, two strokes are now quieter, perform better and are less offensive even with their exhaust smoke that the average four stroke. His opinion seemed to be that the owner of a four stroke has to "make it loud" to show the other guy he's just a good as his two stroke brethren. Fact is: it's just not cool! That kind of attitude is helping to restrict the sport to death. If you want to have a better performing motorcycle, pressure the pipe manufacturers for better stuff, or use something that is acceptably quiet.
A recent article in the Big Bear newspaper once again directly objected to the noise emitted from passing dirt bikes on the Big Bear Trail Riders two day Dual Sport tour. Homeowners are getting upset. We know that the roads were there BEFORE the houses, but the people in those houses have political clout and the unnecessarily loud motorcycle is just more ammunition for homeowner groups and another sword for the anti-bike politico's to wield for more and more restrictive off-road opportunities. Honestly, I've seriously considered punching holes in potatoes and using them to make temporary baffles for the idiots that make me and the general population cringe when they ride by.
We all know how ridiculous straight pipes sound on a cruiser. Evidently the editorial staff of Cruiser Magazine is getting the message also. Excessive noise is not cool, and the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" is just a bunch of crap. Research has proven that the noise from a motorcycle has nothing to do with the attentiveness of the driver in front of you. It only pisses off the drivers in back of you and any others you may pass on or along the sides of the road (or trail) you may be on at the time. The AMA is in the process of getting involved with the initiatives proposed by the United Nations (can you believe it?) that will standardize motorcycle safety and equipment requirements making the after-market industry a thing of the past. This means NO performance products!
In order to prevent these excessive regulatory acts, we have to act more responsibly right now! If you absolutely have to replace the stock plumbing, look into what QUIET and reasonably performing models the manufacturers may have to offer. DON'T just pull baffles or put a race core only model on your street legal Dualsporter. It is helping to kill our sport, especially in the National Forests where sound carries more and is more likely to cause VERY nasty and vile reactions from other people exercising their own rights of multiple land use. If you choose to ignore the problem and let Mr. Macho take over, be ready for what may be lost from this problem in the future. If your buddies bike is one of the noise monsters tell him to get a life on the track and be more responsible on the trail.
Let us hear from you, but quietly, please!
Dave Tonkiss
