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Why SB5544?: Part One
 Loud
pipes are just the beginning. WE are the solution.
The introduction of SB5544 this year was yet another blatant
attempt to terminate motorsports activities on public lands. While
the defeat of the bill on March 9 was a victory for all
of us, you can be sure bills like this will appear again and
again until WE, the riders, do something constructive to stop
inciting such bills.
Street or dirt, loud pipes incite trouble
wherever they go. The aftermarket straight pipes on this
Yamaha V-Star crank well over 100 decibels.
That’s right, it’s WE who must work toward making these
legislative attempts go away and there are a number of reasonable
things we can do as individuals and groups to work toward the
termination of future attempts against our existing right to ride on pavement, gravel roads or trails.
You might ask yourself sometimes – "What inspires these zany
legislators to come up with these crazy bills?" The answer is simple
- annoying motorcyclists and annoying motorsports enthusiasts.
People who are blatantly intrusive on others lives. Are you
one or do you know one?
In reality most motorsports enthusiasts are reasonable people
abiding by the laws set forth. Jim Boltz, owner of Seattle
Harley-Davidson, Cycle Barn and a member of the Washington
Motorsports Dealers Association summed it up best in his speech at a
recent off-road rally in Olympia: "How many people did it take to
cause SB 5544 to be written? Approximately… six. Six out of 200,000.
Six people with dirt bikes who were not willing to listen to their
neighbors, not willing to consider any reasonable solution to a very
real problem they were causing, and not even willing to be polite."
He then went on to say "Bottom line - there are people who use
motorized recreational vehicles irresponsibly. In all cases, the
abusers are the issue, not their vehicle. Such people usually choose
to abuse other things as well."
Let’s have a look at a few obvious examples of the inspiration
for bills like this. Things like loud pipes, stunt riding, and
operating motorcycles without permission on private property all
lead to bills like SB5544. The first in this series will be…
LOUD PIPES
Whether you ride on dirt or pavement, loud pipes are one of the
most annoying and illegal uses of a motorcycle. Not just toward
those who don’t ride, but for those riders who find a motorcycle
outfitted with loud pipes not only an annoyance, but a flat out
distraction when they wind up behind such a bike. The federal DOT
standard is 96 decibels from 1 meter. If your bike exceeds that then
you are inspiring the type of legislation aimed at shutting down motorsports activities and more.
Case in point. If every bike that came off the Vashon ferry at
West Seattle sported a stock pipe, there would be no uproar from the
neighbors and extra patrols to cite loud pipe users in West Seattle.
Adding aftermarket pipes to a motorcycle that causes it to exceed 96
decibels is simply one of the most intrusive, ignorant and self-centered things a rider can do against a sport we all love.
So the solution that WE can provide? There are several.
No loud pipes allowed. There are a number of off-road
groups such as the Northwest Motorcycle Association that don’t
allow loud pipes to be used during their events. In fact in
competition, db levels are measured prior to insure a bike is
within the limit. If not then that rider is provided packing for
their pipe, otherwise they won’t be competing that day.
We can all learn from this example. If I’m putting on a ride
event and find a rider with a loud pipe, I’ve never been bashful
about sharing my feelings with them about how they are a menace
to our sport and probably don’t realize it. Some would
not be comfortable doing that, others would. If you are, then do
it.
During the annual Trollhaugen, dualsport riders with loud pipes
are not allowed to bring their bikes on the property where the
overnight accommodations are and would have to walk half a mile
up a dirt road to participate in the evening festivities.
They’re told this in advance and there’s no such occurrence in
reality.
Stop selling loud pipes. Dealers could opt not to
sell loud pipes and there are a number who already do. Every
time a dealer sells an excessively loud set of pipes like a set
of Cobra 118 db straight pipes or the latest 107 db wonder from
Two Brothers or FMF, it gets us one step closer to the next anti-motorcycle legislation. Every time that rider passes a senator
or representative it's a reminder to them – "Oh yeah, I need to
go author that anti-motorcycle legislation today."
If a dealer insists on selling loud aftermarket pipes they can
consider themselves part of the problem, not part of the
solution. There are better ways to make a profit. Making a profit
at the expense of the sport is a backwards way to run a
business. There’s more to it than just that. Chrome cannot be
recycled and thousands of pipes go to the landfill as a result
each year in the Northwest. That gets more than just the eagles screamin’.
Inform the users. How about a handout for dealers
authored by the Washington State Motorsports Dealers Association
about retaining your rights to riding? The document might
outline ethics that are good for motorcyclists and the
repercussions of riding beyond the law, such as using loud
pipes. The handout could be furnished to everyone who purchases
a bike and made available for free on the counters of the parts
and service departments of every dealer in the state. In
addition, the handout could be circulated during motorsports
major events around the Northwest. A similar document could be
developed for Idaho and Oregon dealers.
In the next part of this series we’ll look at another obvious use
of motorcycles that degrades the sport and it’s acceptance by
non-riders. Breaking Traction. See you next month.
To be continued… |
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