Caledon Motorcycle sound level testing - July 6

[AFJ]

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I just got back from having my stock SV650S exhaust tested. At idle it was around 72 dB; at 2000 rpm it was around 76 dB. I knew I would pass, but I was still curious. I was hoping to hear some loud sportbike exhausts but when I was there, there were only cruisers and a Gold Wing. Still, one guy on a Harley with straight pipes passed at idle but not at 2000 rpm. The OPP mentioned that they only test at idle but did the 2000 rpm test just for the fun of it - if the bike had a tach.

I was also told that there were two guys on sportbikes earlier. They both had Two Bros. exhausts. The one with the baffle installed passed, the one without the baffle failed. Aren't those some of the loudest exhausts available?

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[grond1234]

"Re: Caledon Motorcycle sound level testing - July 6
I believe the HTA is improper exhaust nothing really about the noise"

The improper exhaust section is correct but conatins within it the ability to prosecute for excessive noise and is used all the time by police on cars and bikes.

 

[skip]

Your right it actually says:

75. (1) Every motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle shall be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and excessive smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, straight exhaust, gutted muffler, hollywood muffler, by-pass or similar device upon a motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 75 (1).

Personally I like having a number that can be tested to say what it "excessive or unusual noise" is. Takes the arbitrary "thats too noisy" from a cop in a bad mood with a bad hangover.

 

[grond1234]

Your right it actually says:

75. (1) Every motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle shall be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and excessive smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, straight exhaust, gutted muffler, hollywood muffler, by-pass or similar device upon a motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 75 (1).

Personally I like having a number that can be tested to say what it "excessive or unusual noise" is. Takes the arbitrary "thats too noisy" from a cop in a bad mood with a bad hangover.

Don't disagree but am just saying there already exists an offence for this so why go and create a bylaw - either a political sop or to feed Caledon coffers?
The HTA section is easier to enforce and easier to convict on - no issue of were you trained properly, was the equipment in proper working order etc... Plus expense of Caledon having to buy the machine, maintain them and train the OPP.

 

[Brian P]

The HTA section is NOT easier to enforce and the vagueness leads to abuse - both by the public and by the police.

What constitutes "good working order"
What constitutes "excessive or unusual"
What is a "straight exhaust"
What is a "Hollywood muffler"

It is by far better to have something that can be measured to put numbers to it.

Louder than X when following a prescribed procedure ... Not legal. Quieter than X ... Legal. That's the way SAE J2825 works.

Don't agree?

One alternative is to prohibit all aftermarket equipment. Grossly unfair - particularly to anyone who owns an older vehicle. Can result in unjust situations - for example, one of my bikes that has an aftermarket muffler is quieter in this test than one of my other bikes that has a stock muffler.

Or require EPA marked mufflers - some places in the USA are doing this. There are some vehicles sold in Canada that are not sold in the USA which do not have EPA markings on the mufflers as original equipment! (I own one such example!) Also, one can take a stock muffler, carefully cut it open, remove all the sound muffling from the inside, put it back together in a way that will match the appearance of stock including the stock labelling, being very careful with the welding so that it it not visible, arrange for it to pass any external visual inspection you would care to administer, and make it anywhere between stock levels of muffling and wide open. And what about a plain ordinary original-equipment muffler that simply rusts apart inside? Still bears the original EPA markings ... but at what degree of rustiness does it become "too loud"?

Making a measurement, following a prescribed procedure, and going by the numbers, is the most fair way to address ALL of these issues.

 

[TwistedKestrel]

A few values noted were a late Gold Wing idled at 69.5 dBA (no 2000 rpm level tested), an 1800cc Honda v-twin was 81 dBA at idle and 89 at 2000 rpm. a "rat bike" 4 with about 20 cm of exhaust pipe after the headers was 94.7 dBA at idle. a Suzuki M90 Boulevard 1500 was 89 at idle but 109 dBA at 2000 rpm - it had a pretty set of aftermarket pipes - no apparent silencer.

That seems kinda loud. I guess he was proud of that?

 

[turbodish]

Don't disagree but am just saying there already exists an offence for this so why go and create a bylaw - either a political sop or to feed Caledon coffers?
The HTA section is easier to enforce and easier to convict on - no issue of were you trained properly, was the equipment in proper working order etc... Plus expense of Caledon having to buy the machine, maintain them and train the OPP.

Patience. When passing the bylaw, the Town of Caledon also stated that the provincial government would be asked to consider incorporating the Caledon bylaw provisions into the HTA so as to make it a province-wide regulation.

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