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A timely article reproduced from Power Adventures latest Newsletter and worthy of cognitive reflection.
Pic - The author, Greg Power doing a (quiet) wheelie.
It won’t be long before many people will have forgotten that Speedway was held there every Saturday night over the summer – I used to go back in the early 70’s and that was late in the piece. Recently some selfish "citizens" decided that they didn’t like the noise speedway produced and through the courts and media got the speedway closed down.
So what, you say! Well we were heading down that track ourselves recently over the Motorcycle Park and local residents. Whether their concerns were founded or not is not even an issue. With enough fuss, public and official support and bluster, it is surprising how things can be achieved by a few individuals who do not have the concerns of the majority at heart. Forget about democracy – it doesn’t play a part here at all. All that matters is who has the best case and all the legal resources of the moment. And this is just the tip of the iceberg! It’s time to be proactive.
KILL THAT NOISE! Well you only have to take your helmet off at a motorcycle event nowadays to hear the noise coming from some loud and offensive motorcycles and nearly every one of them has been modified in the uninformed self-destructing pursuit of noise. Noise is the major problem for motorcycles and in fact all motorised sport. Noise is the first thing to offend and can be directly attributed to motorcycles and can be measured. Attitudes and actions are very subjective and can be twisted or revoked at a whim. Not so Noise. It is there for all to hear and believe me, not everyone becomes excited by the throaty growl of a 450 four stroke in full flight. In fact, more and more of US are becoming offended by the sound.
So what can we do? Fitting accessory exhaust systems may make your bike perform better (and I only say may) and it definitely gives your bike that individuality you are looking for, whether it be the look or the sound. However, when the sound becomes noise, it is time to take stock of what you may be causing. Losing land is a reality as the population grows and user demand increases. The urban sprawl into lifestyle blocks has a lot to answer, for but equally so is the fitting of excessively loud exhaust systems.
The Federation of International Motorcyclists which governs world championship events places a restriction on the noise output of all motorcycles in international competition. It is tough and it is quiet. It hasn’t deterred from exciting racing and in fact it has opened doors for land access and for retaining existing venues. Stefan Merriman, Ben Townley, Paul Whibley, Chris Birch, Josh Coppins and all who race at the world championship level have to conform to these noise levels and each one of them can whip our butts any time they wish on surprisingly quiet bikes.
We get offended by noisy bikes at our events. Take for example the KTM50 and Husky Boy 50. Both are horribly loud and obnoxious. We have many parents commenting on just how offensive they are. A quiet muffler would solve that and still give the kids a great time. Adults on the big four strokes with virtually straight through pipes annoy us too. There is no need for that level of sound. In fact, that sound level means there is not the correct back pressure in the system and that alone can reduce the efficiency of the motor and the bike. It often means slower, even though it may "sound" fast. Is it a case of trying to make up for a lack of ability? Christopher recently fitted a Pro Circuit pipe that he claims gives the bike more mid range punch and makes his CRF450 run crisper and cleaner. The pipe has a USFS approved spark arrestor and is in fact quite quiet. With that pipe he scored 2nd in the GNCC and cleaned up the Saturday Summer Scrambles. It’s not sound that makes you win.
You can still have the cool pipes and mufflers. All the manufacturers make models that conform with the FIM regulations and most have inserts that make the bike "legal" in international competition. If they didn’t their pipes would not be used at all. So when you are choosing a pipe, choose a quiet model. The bike performs the same, is environmentally friendly and in fact you suffer less stress from a quiet bike which means you can ride faster for longer.
What are we going to do? We are looking into getting hold of a decibel meter to gauge the extent of the noise and its effects on riders and neighbours. From there we can establish just what damage we are inflicting and what we can do about it. Kiwi Rider Magazine is right behind noise limits. Several long standing motorcyclists have been quietly working away at this issue for more than 20 years and still we are fighting an up-hill battle.
However the Western Springs, Bay Park and other closings of popular motorcycling venues has highlighted that the problem cannot be swept under the carpet.
Get behind pro-active distributors and buy their products thereby reducing the noise and making it possible to keep our riding areas intact.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
Option 1: Do what ever you like, make what ever mess you care to, have your bike as loud as you want, risk forest and bush whenever you please and lose access to the excellent areas we now enjoy!
Option 2: Take care of the environment using it in a sustainable fashion, reduce noise, don’t make a nuisance of yourself and continue with the best riding in the world.
Ultimately, the choice will be yours. There will be small areas where those who play the game get the chance to ride. Others will be locked out – make the right choice and we will have a foreseeable riding future.
