FYI - in Dec.12/12 Guelph Mercury newspaper.
Guelph bikers should ask Santa for quieter exhaust pipes
GUELPH – Local motorcyclists should be asking for quieter exhaust pipes for Christmas.
A city committee this week approved an amendment to the noise bylaw which will allow the city to regulate the decibel output of two-wheelers and charge owners whose machines exceed the acceptable level.
Staff is proposing a $300 fine.
The bylaw amendment, if approved by city councillors next Monday, will come into effect in the spring.
Staff is recommending the use of a roadside test – known as SAE J2825 – developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The test requires all motorcycles to emit no more than 92 decibels while idling, and not more than 100 decibels while running at a set RPM level.
One hundred decibels represents the same noise level as standing beside a jackhammer, said Luc Fournier, director of government relations with the Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council.
The city consulted with the council in setting the standard.
“As an industry . . . we want to be part of the solution,” Fournier told the committee.
He said every motorcycle sold new in Canada already meets noise guidelines similar to SAE J2825.
“Problems only happen when people make their own alterations,” Fournier said.
A staff report noted while some motorcyclists believe excessively-loud exhaust systems offer protection to riders, there is no evidence to support this.
“In staff’s opinion, visibility through proper attire along with proper and safe driving practices affords the best protection for motorcyclists,” the report reads.
Susan Ratcliffe, one of two residents who prompted the changes when she complained to the committee about loud motorcycles in late 2011, joked this week she is looking forward to “flocks of Hells Angels wearing bright pink vests driving through Guelph making not a sound.”
Barry Bowman, who lives near the intersection of Victoria and Woodlawn roads, said in the summer it is “almost impossible” to use his backyard because of the “constant drone” of traffic on those arterial roads.
Doug Godfrey, the city’s manager of bylaw compliance and security, said officers will have to have reasonable grounds for laying an offence, which will likely require the bike to be running.
He does not know if the bylaw will allow officers to force an owner to start a motorcycle for the purpose of testing.
“We need to be able to effectively act on complaints,” Coun. Bob Bell said.
stracey@guelphmercury.com
