The OP's comment reminded me of an editorial I wrote on this subject some months back:
Personal freedom can conflict with civilized behavior
An overheard conversation:
Question: "Why do motorcycles have to be so loud?"
Answer: "They don't
have to be."
And another:
Question: "Why do you run straight pipes? It just pisses off the citizens."
Answer: "That's the whole point!"
In American we pride ourselves on being a civilized society governed by laws.
We Americans also pride ourselves on enjoying unprecedented and constitutionally protected personal freedom...to a limited extent.
"Your freedom to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose."
Even our right to free speech, protected under the First Amendment, is limited: It is not okay to shout "Fire!" in a theater.
We must exercise our personal freedoms with a degree of discretion with regard for the personal rights of others and for our laws. That's civilized.
All states have laws against excessive vehicle noise. Yet few states have the will or the commitment of manpower and money to enforce these laws, especially in light of more pressing law enforcement needs.
So we have some motorcyclists who cherish personal freedom adopting exhaust systems that violate the law. The corresponding social conflicts that result are to be expected.
Two percent of the population rides motorcycles. Almost half the population disapproves of motorcycle riding and, hence, probably motorcycle riders as well. Loud exhausts are the main factor in citizen disapproval of us, our machines, our sport and lifestyle.
In a democracy (or a democratic republic), when enough citizens are motivated to take action against a minority, they win, and they have been winning. Even motorcycle enthusiast Arnold Schwarzenegger, as governor of California, signed legislation prohibiting after-market exhausts that are louder than EPA-approved factory pipes.
Loud exhausts disturb people's sleep. They disrupt conversation and other socializing. They scare little children and drivers of all ages. We know of no one other than other riders who approve of loud exhausts. That makes it about 50 to 1 against us; probably 100 to 1.
Scare so many children and seniors, waken so many sleepers, disrupt so many diners on the restaurant patio, and they will take action. And once they start, there is no telling where they will stop. Social outcasts, "miscreants" in the words of some, will have little sympathy in city council chambers and state houses.
The issue of excessive noise is a serious one. Just troll the Internet and you'll see the "Citizens Against Excessive Noise" organizations flourishing across the national map. And these folks are mad as hell. They are also determined and when they get their action cranked up, they'll roll over us.
Here are a couple of samples of what is being said:
"
The only real purpose of loud pipes is to fulfill a guy's need to be a total jerk. They're a way of marking your territory, only with sound pollution instead of chemical pollution. The sound has no purpose except, 'Hey, look at me! Am I a jerk or what?'"
"Loud motorcycle pipes are the sound of selfishness... Excruciatingly loud exhaust systems from motorcycles now seem to trump everything. From the usually very quiet realm of my garden...it is the rumble and roar of singles and groups of these machines that interrupts the peace and quiet we all expect and deserve... For some reason, these attention-seeking bike riders are getting a free pass from the police... What I am against is the persistent and totally unnecessary intrusion into the daily relative quiet of my world. And the selective enforcement (non-enforcement) the police are practicing in allowing it to continue, despite laws to the contrary."
The American Motorcyclist Association’s
position on the issue is that “few other factors contribute more to misunderstanding and prejudice against the motorcycling community than excessively loud motorcycles."
Past Harley-Davidson COO Jim McCaslin said, “...every Hog lovin’ one of us must do everything we can to protect our sport and keep it as strong as it is today. No one expects everyone to change out their straight pipes overnight. But we all must consider changing out our thinking. We need to think about the consequences our actions have on others, before others take action against us.”
National motorcycle rally organizers, in the face of anti bike vehemence from locals, police checkpoints and ticketing campaigns, and actions by legislatures, are asking participants to "ride with respect" by keeping sound levels down.
Even motorcycle race organizations, in pursuit of more social acceptance, are requiring muffled bikes.
We do not want more laws and regulation, especially when it comes to motorcycles. We do not want law enforcement to have more reasons to stop and cite us. We would be better off to police ourselves.
We favor freedom when it comes to making decisions regarding how we accessorize or customize our rides. We want to be able to swing our fist, but need to avoid hitting someone else in the nose.
If you want more volume out of your exhausts, you are free (at least for now) to acquire pipes or mufflers that allow it, but use that freedom with discretion. Most after-market exhausts – even straight pipes – are tolerably quiet...until the throttle butterflies open and big charges of fuel and air go bang in the cylinders.
So it is reasonable, then, to resist the urge to twist the right grip after dark when people are trying to sleep, when we're in residential areas or shopping, dining and business office districts; when children or senior citizens are nearby, in hospital and school zones.
And, if we really want to get noticed, we should install headlight modulators, wear high-viz apparel and install aftermarket horns which
will get an errant driver's attention.
We've all seen the signs at city limits: "Use of engine brakes prohibited." That's because the citizenry has spoken out against unwarranted noise and has acted to preserve the community's peace and quiet.
If riders don't get their own noise act together, expect to see the sign that says: "Motorcycles prohibited."
We'll only have ourselves to blame.
