Noise "cameras".....

So, a bit of playing devil's advocate here, hypothetically say one was to purchase a " road legal can or full exhaust " AND the purchaser, soon defendant, in question was loaded or at least willing to financially challenge the system.

Plod sends out a noise ticket threatening fines, prison, whatever even though it may have been someone else i.e. group riding or bounce back from buildings etc.
Surely the next step could be a court summons sent by ones legal counsel and directed at the manufacturer/supplier of said system......
What happens next and who would do the time, fines, compensation etc?

For the above let's assume the baffle is in (Euro X has the baffle tack welded in to prevent tampering).

I suppose what I'm suggesting is, will the manufacturers absolutely guarantee under conditions outside their control that the system or can will comply?

 

Surely that would be the same as window tint - bear with me - it's legal to manufacture but it's down to the purchaser to ensure its installed legally.

 

@stollydriver so how many shops supplying and fitting exhausts have sound meters?

 

Their sound meters are their tills - kerching!!

 

And how many shops, assuming they purchase the appropriate equipment, employ Technicians who have a good (sound ) enough knowledge on decibel scales A, B,C and D?

Could we see this slipped in and become an integral part of the annual MOT test?

 

Maybe there will no longer be advisory on exhaust - just fail.

 

Na I had enough writing Court reports for 3 decades

 

Hi Sandi, you are absolutely spot on re the red light running, Switzerland recognised this over 20 years ago, if a car approaches at anything above the speed limit at lights they automatically change to red, whilst this does not prevent "red light running" the cameras do catch an image, and they are harsh re sentencing, here in the UK a lot of traffic lights have automated camera activation for red light runners, although penalties are not that harsh. I sometimes wonder at the logic behind the "noisy exhaust clampdown", as an example near me there is a clay shooting ground, the noise emitted from almost continued shots from early morning to mid afternoon at weekends, personally I take no issue as people are enjoying a sport they enjoy. I could draw all sorts of comparisons re the noise from multiple sources. I don't buy into the logic of "a small minority spoil it for others", as you know my passion was Mountaineering and White Water Kayaking, here in the UK if anyone thought about bolting a route you would be "demonised", yet those same people would happily climb in the Alps on bolted and Via Ferrata routes, is that Hypocrisy, I have a personal view, it was the same with White Water Kayaking, there where people saying "don't put any new rivers you paddle in a guide book, you will spoil it for the rest of us", what about informing of the danger sections, grades etc etc. Back to the red light running one of my last Court reports before recently retiring was on a man who ran a red light and killed an elderly cyclist, the victim was a husband, father and grandfather with an extended family. I have never in 3 decades of working in the CJS come across a case of a loud exhaust killing anyone, I understand a small minority have excessive loud exhausts, however when you look into the complaints of loud exhausts, then thing's become more complicated, it is demographics, and as we both know it is based on factors such as age, race, and sex. The data refers to socioeconomic information expressed statistically, including employment, education, income, and much more, small rural villages appear to generate more complaints, ironically these properties rarely come on the market, when they do they are out of reach for all but the high earners. Sandy I have not forgotten the PM re the other story. Ride safe all from an ageing Rocker.

 

@Iceman, you perfectly put punishments for loud pipes into perspective with your comment about never coming across a case of a loud exhaust killing anyone.

 

Unfortunately it's got nothing to do with safety. It's about getting the majority on your side and then enforcing what everyone seemingly wants (a nice quiet life) and issuing fines. Go for the low hanging fruit.

I never thought I'd be saying this again but even with that bloody big argument I had with MAG's Pres. Ian Mutch in the pub about helmet laws. It had nothing to do with safety, unlike seat belts in cars, it was all about money.
And, and, I'll have you know, I got done £30 for not wearing a helmet on one of his stupid anti helmet law runs. I bloody told him it wouldn't help.

 

Here in Austria, in the province of Tyrol, a volume limit of 95 decibels has been established. This means that bikes that are louder and are conspicuous in the course of a mobile control are taken out of traffic. Fine for the driver and up to the removal of the license plate and a driving ban is everything possible. The technical equipment of the mobile control teams is so high quality that they can "strike" anywhere.

 

Another way to criminalise the motorist and empty his wallet.

 

Couldn't disagree more, the test for me is years of personal experience, do loud pipes save lives..jury is out on this one but, loud pipes do get peoples attention, maybe that's a negative but in my experience if people hear you coming/overtaking it reduces the likelihood of a car crossing into your lane on motorway and dual carriageways or pulling out on you from junctions . Loud pipes don't necessarily mean that you rev the shit out of your bike when stopped or waiting at lights etc-i certainly don't, I know some people do but there's idiots in all walks of life. This nanny state attitude where laws are introduced to control the public because of a few idiots is the thin end of the wedge, lorries are loud, aeroplanes are loud, plenty of moaners take flights and expect deliveries.
I have dunstall peashooters on my T100, the noisiest they are is on start up and my neighbours have never complained. In all honesty if a bit of exhaust upsets someone for a second or two as I pass by, hard luck, there's plenty of things that upset me but I don't expect laws to be brought in just for my sensibilities, there's too much law and bureaucracy already.

 

Have to agree with this general thought: is this about noise or controlling personal freedom?
Nice easy earner and makes the Police's statistics look better. Real criminals are a lot harder to catch so results per effort are far inferior.

 

Ho hum. Here we go again....
Whilst I've never thought that noise is a safety issue (after all, it just makes everyone noisier so you can't hear the other noise! - same if the increasing brightness of lights!), I just have a problem with how they want to deal with it by using a machine that cannot determine anti-social, or dangerous, behaviour (and that includes more than just noise limits).
The problem with a machine just to sample noise is that if 2 vehicles are travelling close together they will double the amount of noise (an additional 3db), so it's easy to increase the noise level, and the overall road traffic from every vehicle isn't causing the complaints, so it must be certain types of noise, such as over revving (cars as well as bikes in this respect). Surely that's what we need to consider is what is happening and if it's causing a nuisance or the easier overall level.

One of my bikes is 95 years old. It can't go faster than 50mph (and with it's brakes I don't want it to ) It has the original silencer which never was quiet - and in fact caused noise complaints in the 1920's which led to better silencers for the following models (though not a lot better, as people just didn't know how to do it and it took several generations of change to make any real difference). So what's my options? Put it in a museum to rot?, or use it as it's supposed to be?

On a final point, I'm more concerned about tyre noise these days than exhaust noise. Travelling on motorways without earplugs, the noise from some of the extra wide tyres can be extremely deafening, and will only get worse as we go to electric cars which will be double the weight and hence even noisier tyres.

 

Well said that man

 

And then we get into nano pollution or whatever its called where the microscopic bits of rubber from tyre wear pollute the planet; I kid you not, look it up it's now a known and noted issue ?

The world is going/gone mad!​

 

Amazing how entitled and selfish some are . . open pipes are ridiculous, irritating and obnoxious. Isn't there some equation where the louder the exhaust the smaller your dick? And "this is an assault on our freedom to choose" just about sums the idiots up. Being a responsible adult means thinking about others not whining about not being able to do exactly what you feel like regardless - maybe I'll punch the next old fart with stupid open pipes because it's my right to do what I want.

 

Maybe he'll lay you flat out.. boo hoo

 

But but but I MUST DO WHAT I WANT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE!