in our neighborhood we not only have loud bikes but we have car alarms that go off everytime one rides by. its a double whammy.

apparently the police in New Haven dont like to generate revenue by ticketing people.

Sorry,

That should read :

I forgot nobody gives a *content removed about that!

My motorcycle with it's modified exhaust has less of a carbon footprint than any of your cars including a Prius. I get 48 to 50+ MPG. Don't even go there with Motorcycles ruining the environment. Stick to the facts it's to dam loud.

I ride, but I've never understood why some bikers feel the need to announce their approach from miles away. Maybe they're compensating from some other deficiency?

The standard argument you get is "loud bikes save lives," which would hold a little more credibility if the person saying it were wearing a helmet.

A few times I've innocently suggested to bikers that maybe they need to get their mufflers looked at, on the theory that maybe they won't be so proud of themselves if they think that others interpret their noisy bikes as a sign of poor maintenance.

The bicycle cop that was assigned to State st. last year writhed in agony when a motorcycle went by, or stopped at an establishment. He scrambled for someone to harrass. He ran to the Mobil station started snooping around - nothing there. He quickly vamooshed up to Whitney ave. and was never seen or heard from again

To me it sounds like some people have nothing better to do then complain. There are a lot of bigger issues in the world and New Haven then loud motorcycles. I bet most of the people that are complaining are the same people motorcyclist have to watch out for while they talk on their cell phone while driving.

Doesn't anyone get it. Loud pipes save lives. Period. Saving a limb or a life is much more important than someone being irritatated over a loud exhaust. Keep on riding with your pipes and never mind those few that get irritated over every little thing your safety is more important.

You try living a half a block away from two biker bars with engines revving until 1 or 2 o'clock every single morning and tell me how much you like it. I'm sorry you were born with such a small d***, but there are other ways to make up for it.

Loud pipes save lives? Got any data to support that or is it just a nifty slogan? Are you really so concerned about safety? I'll lay odds you don't wear a helmet.

ridewithpride,

That's utter nonsense and you know it.

The majority of guys with straight pipes don't even wear helmets!!! WTF are you talking about!!! I can't speak for you but most of those guys could care less about saving lives.

And here's a great point:

Cyclists ride the same streets as you with no problem!! Are you saying you're more of a wussy than a cyclist!!! So much so that you need to modify you're exhaust system (which was designed by engineers who actually understand noise and pollution), to let everyone in a 1/2 mile radius know that your bike is approaching!

Why don't you just learn how to ride properly? Cyclists are much more out-matched by cars and trucks than you. I think if they have the balls to ride with traffic than you should also, no?

What's the best way to start getting these bikes confiscated for the tail pipes?

Aside from city noise ordinance I'm sure there are DMV laws that prohibit this kind of modification.

Video of the bikers with audio would be a good start here.

How about filming them drinking at a bar, filming the bikes w/tags, then filming them riding off w/audio. This seems to be a common occurrence, and an annoyance.

If they gave a crap about saving lives they wouldn't be drinking and driving right?

the pipes sound great *content removed for inappropriate language

(*content removed for violating terms of use) there are dozens of people saying that they don't sound great, and all you can do is say "they sound great thats it so go @#$% yourself"

i think you just asked for a world of bloggers to do something they don't so much like to do. 50 to 1 odds there's a huge push to ticket you now with a lot of documentation and posting of youtube videos with illegal biking... good luck with that buddy.

i'll be video blogging zoohaven this weekend - would anyone like to sign up for other street corners?

I'll do Humphrey and State on Saturday Night!

They're exactly like the ghetto kids who roll around with their stereos blasting. Not a bit of difference.

My guess is they're compensating for something. Or a lack of something.

"Aside from city noise ordinance I'm sure there are DMV laws that prohibit this kind of modification."

Unfortunately, noise ordinances are notoriously difficult to enforce. A couple of years ago the city of New Haven bought some decibel meters, but from what I understand they're tricky to use in the field.

If you want to see another big reason these laws go unenforced, I recommend watching a rally of the Blue Knights or some other police motorcycle group. Some of the loudest pipes you'll ever hear.

NoiseOFF, a Queens-based org dedicated to combating noise pollution, writes:

Modified motorcycles can reach noise levels in excess of 100db(a); a level that easily triggers an involuntary stress response commonly known as "flight or flight." This results in the secretion of adrenaline, with ensuing spikes in cardio-respiratory rates, muscle tension, and elevated blood pressure. For affected residents, the never-ending cycle of noise constitutes a serious health issue.

loud pipes are for safety? Is riding in between cars and in the breakdown lane for safety too?

Hey, Bikers are welcome to visit downtown New Haven. None of us have a problem with that. Come and have fun, and I mean it.

But there are a few @#$%-oles who think it's cool to ride around, AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE, at midnight, 1:00am, 2:00am, even 3:00 in the morning, bothering hundreds of downtown residents.

What bothers me is that most of the jerks aren't even New Haveners. Maybe we should band together and go wake up hundreds of people in North Haven, East Haven, or West Haven.

Whoops, that's right. We'd get arrested.

I'd worry about all the speeding, red light running, and drug use in this city first before you worry about your niegbers motorcycle. Or how about the people who allow their children out all hours of the night causing nothing but trouble. I had to move from Blake St for example because of the drugs and bad people who moved into the area with their uncivilized kids, after 10 years of peaceful living. If you live near a biker bar that is your choice. Most police have these harleys themselves or know someone who does. The towns acting on loud bikes are ones that already have a better quality of life based on citizens no behaving like getto trash.

Hey Stockpipe: Guess what -- if you are riding around with illegal pipes, you are no different from the red-light-runners, drug-users, trouble-causers and uncivilized kids.

You're exactly the same as the ghetto trash. You're no different from the punks who ride around all night with their stereos booming. You're a nuisance and a law-breaker and it is YOUR responsibility to change your behavior, not mine -- as a law-abiding citizen -- to choose another place to live.

For everyone who reads this : The reality is that Mayor John DeStafino and his cherry picked Police Chief simply Don't care about quality if life issues.
I complained for years about the noise generated at 4am by garbage trucks in the Wooster Sq. area where I live and they never did anything peroid
The same goes with motorcycles. The New Haven Police don't care and the fact that there a number of cops who own illegally modified bikes just goes to show all of us the sad truth.

To "ride with pride" I seriously doubt that your grandmother would approve of your attitude and such a blatent disregard for the law. The simple fact is that it is ILLEGAL to alter or modify the exaust system on your motorcycle or car. You and your ilk should be taken out back to the woodshed and given a good old fashoned @#$% whipping

i just heard the other day that they are reinforcing commercial and residential times for garbage pick-up. me saying that doesn't help much... but perhaps your efforts are starting to take hold.

if you care about quality of life issues affecting the downtown and wooster square area, you should attend the Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.

http://groups.google.com/group/dwscmt

It's a citizen-run and led organization whose primary focus is quality of life issues. I had not heard there was an issue yet within Wooster Square regarding the pick-up of garbage time. I think it's an important issue. We should get together and address it. Let me know if you'd like to meet up.

Our next meeting is 8/18 at 6pm in a City Hall meeting room. One of the creators of this site, Ben Berkowitz, will be in attendance to give members of the CMT (which is open to all Downtown-Wooster Square residents, business owners, employees, partners) a tour of SeeClickFix and show how it can be used effectively to help in Quality of Life enforcement.

Contact below:
Downtown-Wooster Square CMT Executive Board
dwscmt@gmail.com

BO HO its loud, Car drivers and truck drivers kill motorcyclists everyday, often its not the motorcyclists fault .People are disrespectful of motorcyclists,maybe they have a stereotype of the motorcyclist . ANYTHING A BIKER CAN DO TO BE SEEN AND HEARD IS A POSITIVE. This comes in the wake of a good friend of mine being nearly killed thursday morning, a truck thought he could make that tight left turn in time, would he have tried to squeeze through if the bike was an oncoming train?

Man, there are alot of folks here who hate bikers with a passion! Loud pipes do get you noticed and that helps save the bikers...no scientific data, just common sense. Unfortunately, there are always a few bad apples who have no respect for anyone and rev it loud in neighborhoods late at night. I am a biker with loud pipes and when I crack open the throttle it is a sweet sound. But I save those shennanigans for the highway or when I feel threatened by someone in a car not paying attention to my right of way. Wear helmets? Makes sense, but it would probably save your life in a car accident also. Can you imagine driving your car with a helmet on? Think about it... your senses are limited and so is your vision. And what is it with the small johnson talk? Most of the guys I check out at the biker bar urinals are OK.

Thanks to everyone who is reporting this, particularly in the Upper State area--which is RESIDENTIAL. It's not just a question of "boo hoo, loud noise"...I doubt bikers saying this would appreciate cars modified to be ear-splittingly loud roaring past their houses in the 'burbs at 8pm (when a single bike can actually drown out the TV, when windows are open), or again at 12, 1, or 2am.

As for "straight pipes save lives":
"Whatever the reason, the research shows that bikes with modified exhaust systems crash more frequently than those with stock pipes. If you really want to save lives, turn to a loud jacket or a bright helmet color, which have been proven to do the job. Or install a louder horn. Otherwise, just shut up."
[from http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/dangerous_motorcycle_safety_myths/index.html]

and see also:
"Seventy-seven percent of all motorcycle accident hazards come from the 11 to 1:00 direction, from in front of the motorcycle rider. And people that are 500 feet in front of you that may turn in front of you that will violate your right of way; they can't hear it because it's pointed the other way."
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/05/29/loud_pipes_save_lives_or_risk_rights/

...and it's not just studies (SCIENCE!) saying so, it's also the American Motorcyclists Association:
http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/positions/sound.asp

andrew peterson: Now I have heard it all.........It is people exactly like you that have distorted the "biker" life style. (1) I would be willing to wager that you ride less than 200 miles a year , which would hardly qualify you as a "biker" . (2) "when I crack open the throttle it is a sweet sound" sounds like it is something that gets you off. (3) *content removed for violation of terms of use
If you have straight pipes or you have modified the exaust system on your bike YOU ARE ONE OF THE BAD APPLES

If the loud pipes save me from clueless drivers 23 percent of the time I'll take it. Re: the comment above. I have owned ten bikes in 29 years and ride them year round-add a few 0's to the 200 and you are close. And if you don't understand the comment about a great sounding exhaust then you are some tofu eating, prius driving sycophant. I can smell your type from a mile away...you hate people who enjoy their lives.

The only place they sound"sweet" is on a drag strip or on an oval track. You knowing put illegal pipes on you bike. It said so right on the box "for off road use only". Andy, You are the reason why this site was created. I hope you are pulled over and ticketed and they yank it off the road (which the police have a right to do under current laws).
Your just a biker wanabe and a selfish brat.
I dont hate people who enjoy their lives just the A holes like you who make life unplesant for everyone else If your so concerned about your safty then I would suggest you buy an air horn for your bike I have one on my HD and it's very effective at 110 dcb's
P.S. I do eat tofu sometimes , not a sycophant but at least I don't *content removed for violation of terms of use. (not that there is anything wrong with being a @#$%)

Andy: I certainly don't hate motorcyclists. I ride myself (although you couldn't pay me to get on one of those overpriced, noisy rattletraps you drive around).

I don't buy the "loud-pipes-saves-lives" argument (less of an argument than a convenient slogan, really). I've never seen a scrap of data to support it, and know from my own experience that no matter how loud a bike's pipes are, I usually hear it only after it has passed me -- too late to avert the danger.

But even if it were true, it doesn't justify waking up sleeping babies, setting off car alarms and freaking out every dog in a 2-mile radius. You're riding a motorcycle by choice. Bikes are dangerous, and you're accepting that risk by your own choice. If you want to mitigate the danger you have to do so in LEGAL ways, like wearing protective gear and practicing defensive driving. If you do that and you're still too scared to hop on your bike without illegal modifications, maybe you ought to stick to cars and leave the two-wheelers to the big boys.

In my opinion, bikers with loud pipes are exactly the same as the ghetto kids who ride around with their car stereos booming.

andrew peterson:

you make no sense. you say you "can smell your type from a mile away...you hate people who enjoy their lives."

the people who are complaining that you and other bikers with straight pipes are breaking the law and DESTROYING MY QUALITY OF LIFE enjoy life quite a lot. that's why we (the complainers here) are upset. because our life is enjoyable, except when we have to stop our lives for a minute to wait for a d-bag on a bike to go by so we can get back to enjoying our lives. seriously. i'm having a tough time being positive here. it's not that complicated. straight pipes are illegal. they have been shown to not be helpful in safety. they are a nuisance that needs to be taken care of.

on the positive side. i was out and about saturday night and there was a large show of police presence, and not a straight pipe to be heard. bars kept their doors relatively shut, and there wasn't much more than a clamor of noise on the street, a very nice balance of economic development and downtown-residential neighborhood.

There is no evidence that loud pipes don't save lives. None. For one thing, most of the sound goes *behind* the motorcycle - which doesn't do much good to alert the vehicles in front of you. When you're on a bike with loud pipes, how well can you hear other vehicles? Can you hear a car coming up behind you? A siren? And sound is only one component of safety. Most drivers rely far more on visual cues - including lane placement, signals, and visibility - than on auditory ones.

First of all it's Andrew. Second, and this is to "one day ago" it seems like I had you pegged from the beginning..a tofu eating bad speller who enjoys the company of men-preferrably undressed. I responded to this topic because we are being threatened by overlegislation. Don't cook with lard, wear your seat belt and make your Sunday ride sound like a Camry. As I said from the beginning, I am somewhat torn due to having lived in Staven and hearing the last call guys opening it up early mornings. I guess as a biker I was more tolerant of the noise. Thats probably the issue in a nutshell; Downtown D wants to watch his Desperate Housewife saturday night reruns and not have his "balance" interrupted. When I lived on Hemingway in Staven I just shrugged it off. Eddie...I ride a Valkyrie, not some overpriced, underperforming HD. I'd like to hear what the self proclaimed "big boy" rides. Get over yourself.

Andy: Overlegislation? Son, nobody's proposing taking any rights away from you. The legislation is already written. I'll give you credit: Valkyrie is a good bike. But if you're afraid to ride it without illegal modifications I'd still recommend you stick with four-wheeled vehicles. You're apparently out of your league.

Ditto, eddie. What's deemed illegal is already on the books. If there's any new legislation it would only be written to make it easier to enforce the existing laws, which for some reason we're having a hard time enforcing.

Andy P,

The issue, in a nutshell, to use your own terms, is that we just want bikers to follow the existing laws and stop pretending that loud pipes save lives. You know what else saves lives? A bright white helmet!!

CBR1100xx, white helmet (with stickers), vegetarian (mostly, but no tofu - it's estrogenic), and I prefer my men undressed or in leather... (without lard). Oh yeah, stock pipes on all my bikes. A slightly modified Ducati sounds alright, while a modified Harley sounds like flatulence, is still slow and handles like crap (and way overpriced for ancient technology). Also, if you get ejected from your vehicle, because you weren't wearing a seat belt - how stupid is that? Loud pipes totally unnecessary.

Do any of you have jobs?????

*comment removed for violating terms of use

stop worrying about loud pipes and have the nhpd stop the selling of crack on every other
corner give me a break

thy are not selling crack on my corner The easiest solution for bikers is to install a set of air horns on their bikes 80 dbl's works really good to alert stupid motorists

There is a noise ordinance but it is not enforced.
cylclists have to stop disabling their mufflers. Soon they'll be deaf .

I will say I have a Bike and I recently put a loud exhaust on it. Not because i like the sound but for safety. I was almost run into by cars not seeing me twice before deciding to switch. The fact is most cars dont see motorcycles so I made it so if you dont see me you hear me and since I changed I've felt alot safer riding.

Noise for Safety,

Why don't you just get an air horn? That way when you

"almost run into by cars not seeing me twice before deciding to switch"

you can just give a little toot. They'll definitely be able to hear your air horn. That would be a more appropriate solution.

Creating "noise for safety" is kind of like creating a war for freedom. It's illogical and selfish.

Loud bikes are not safer, what a joke. Riding with your eyes open to ignorant drivers is the most important thing. I know, I've done it for 20+ years. I once had a loud exhaust (supertrapp)on my bike, when I put the factory pipes back on riding the bike was dreamy, all I heard was the wind and it was a beautiful thing.

So loud pipes means you now have to ride down residential streets revving your motor? How about revving at stoplights? Why is that?

I have loud pipes because I like the sound, and do not care what anyone else likes. Loud pipes are like music to my ears, and if a elderly person in a car can hear me comming so better.

Loud pipes do save lives. I was almost hit the first day on my bike by someone. I wanted to kill him until I pulled up alongside of him and he said "you need to get a pipe on that bike I didn't even see you". I do agree that some Harley riders can be a- holes about how loud their bikes are and they are intentionally disrespectful of other peoples right to quiet. Go to hulu .com and look up south park the f word its hysterical.

To have an air horn u need a air compresor the last time I check they don't come on motorcycle. Or cars. !!!!!! Loud pipes save lives

NC,

Compressors don't come on motorcycles, you say. Loud pipes don't come on motorcycles either. Your making an ILLEGAL MODIFICATION that is:

a.) dangerous / environmentally harmful
b.) annoying & disruptive

and

c.) indicative of your wife being completely unsatisfied with your sexual performance.

U seem like a sportster rider. what was it a pink 883 lol

you sound like you are projecting your own insecurities onto others , with respect to unsatisfied wives.

content removed for inappropriate language.

They're exactly like the ghetto kids blasting the rap music from their car stereos. The only real difference is the outfit and choice of vehicles.

C'mon guys, I'm not even married so how could I be projecting my own insecurities onto others. Let's stick to the subject. I apologize for the jab.

Why didn't you even acknowledge the other two points of my argument? That you are being a.)dangerous/harmful (hearing loss to sensitive children and adults, air pollution) and b.) annoying/disruptive (having an unnecessarily loud exhaust in residential communities).

I'm challenging you to give me a real argument. Prove that this is something more than a display of machismo. Every argument I've heard so far has been shot down.

What a bunch of babies. If you live by a bike bar, you moved there so move out! The bar was there before you fool.

Try pulling my loud bike over, good luck. Try enforcing some silly noise rule.

There are the exceptions out there that if you pull them over, you will find more than a loud pipe, especially in new haven. We do not represent those "squids" who are idiots on the bikes. I do support a loud pipe because more than once i blip the throttle and the reverb is louder than the sub standard horn supplied with bikes, and it has literally saved my life..

Here is a quiet bike riding just the way i like it! Notice how quiet and slow he is going, even quiet bikes can be trouble so get over the noise thing.

AND, we will end up like the UK in the future that supports more bikes on the road. I get 42mpg even hauling a**! If there were more bikes out there, we could reduce our carbon footprint(your prius engine is twice the size of a motorcycles!), and ease congestion on highways.

So how is that wheelie disturbing the peace? At least, he's entertaining us. The only thing loud motorcycles do is annoy us. Get a clue, you're a public nuisance!

Don't you wonder why everyone gives you a dirty look when you drive through their neighborhood? It's because you are an unwelcome disruption. Is that being unreasonable? I don't think so.

Every rider here including you has confirmed that a short, blast of sound is enough to alert drivers, so why do you think you need a continuous noise-maker instead? If all you need to do is alert driver's only when you are in imminent danger, then why constantly make noise?

Do you have any self-awareness? Think about how the rest of the world sees you.

Hi Guys,
Please keep the conversation civil and constructive.

Thanks,
Ben

Air emissions equipment didn't come on Harley Davidsons, in CT, untill 2007 i believe. Thus removing the stock system, on any bike 2006 and older, and replacing it does not violate the clean air act. Nice try tho........

Who said continued noisy blasting is in order?? A simple blip of the throttle is all that is needed. As said before, it is a few hooligans on a bunch of bikes making us ALL look bad.
I shake my head in disgust as I see that bike gang of hooligans in New Haven pull into the Getty station on Ella Grasso and start burning rubber, driving between cars, and revving the engine; and I am on a bike too!

Most of the guys who act like this in New Haven are on stolen bikes anyway(fact), and will give chase if confronted. BIG public safety issue. I would take pay to follow these hooligans to where they park and call in the poilce to confront them as they pull into their driveway. That is the only solution.

By the way who cares that people give bikers a dirty lookLOL LOL, are you still in grade school? LOL

There is a section in the Clean Air Act of 1979 concerning “tampering,” which makes it illegal to modify or remove any component designed to reduce or control exhaust emissions, including intake or exhaust noise. Removing the catalytic converter on a car, or a new motorcycle constitutes tampering. So does replacing an engine component with anything other than stock or direct replacement components. Violating this anti-tampering law opens you up to a fine of up to $10,000 per occurrence. An occurrence is logged each and every day the modified vehicle is operated on public streets. That means a possible fine of up to $10,000 per day for every modified motorcycle that comes out of your shop. (This is the maximum fine, not necessarily what the EPA will impose.)

What work can you do without violating the anti-tampering law? The EPA says that, by law, all you can change is accessories that do not affect how the bike performs emissions-wise, such as chassis improvements, color, and chrome changes. No engine, intake, exhaust, or driveline modifications allowed. Ditto for six-speeds, fat rear tires, and sprocket or pulley changes. Anything that can cause the engine to work harder, rev differently, etc. is not allowed.

For the first time, starting in 2004, the EPA has allowed some exemptions that allow you to build highway motorcycles and ride them without having them tested. Here are some excerpts from the EPA release: Kit Bikes: An individual is allowed to build one motorcycle (kit bike) for personal use without an EPA certificate. The individual is allowed only one exempt kit bike per lifetime. Any other kit bikes that an individual decides to make must meet the emission standards and be certified with the EPA. The exempt kit bike may not be sold until five years after assembly.

Many motorcycle owners personalize their motorcycles. Indeed, this is
one of the joys of owning a motorcycle, and owners take their freedom to customize motorcycles very seriously. We are not changing existing provisions of section 203(a) of the Clean Air Act, as established in 1977, which states that it is illegal “for any person to remove or render
inoperative any device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine in compliance with regulations under this title...after such sale and delivery to the ultimate purchaser...”. In
other words, owners of motor vehicles cannot legally make modifications that cause the emissions to exceed the applicable emissions standards, and they cannot remove or disable emission control devices installed by the manufacturer. We use the term “tampering” to refer specifically to actions that are illegal under section 203 of the Clean Air Act; the term, and the prohibition,
do not apply generally to the wide range of things that a motorcycle
enthusiast can do to legally personalize their vehicle, only to actions that cause the emissions to exceed the standards. The new emissions standards do not change this “tampering” prohibition. In fact, it is not within EPA’s ability or discretion to change this statutory prohibition, which Congress put in place more than 20 years ago. Owners are still free generally to customize their motorcycles in any way, as long as they do not disable emission controls or cause the motorcycle to exceed the emission standards.

I ride a motorcycle and have the stock pipe. I've also taken the MSF into and advanced classes. What they teach you is your best awareness is using your head.

People are in their cars with their radios on, talking on their cell phones, etc. Even a loud horn or straight pipes won't help you when they pull out in front of you or take a left turn. Instead, you need to predict the homicidal tendencies of other drivers and be ready to react with your brakes or handlebars, not your horn or throttle-with-open-pipes.

See also:

From: http://home1.gte.net/res0ak9f/bike.htm

"Loud Pipes Save Lives
Are you kidding? Do we need to cover this again?
- The vast majority of bike accidents are from the front. To have any chance of alerting those motorists to the presence of a motorcycle with exhaust noise would require that the tailpipe be pointed forward. LOL. The chances of rearward-facing straight pipes making a bike more obvious are very slim. The reality of the loud pipe is that all you'll succeed in doing is irritating all the people behind and beside you who don't pose much of a threat anyway.
- You are @#$% off everyone around you. So who cares if you gun the throttle past an open driver's-side window and scare the hell out of the occupants? At least they see you, right? Maybe, but take a look at what happened to personal watercraft in Minnesota. Take a look at what happened in Yellowstone. Put it another way: how much do you appreciate the "music" blaring from other people's cars: the throbbing car stereo that shakes the very ground with some indistinguishable bass crap? How interested in someone else's music are you? Perhaps nobody else wants to listen to it. Perhaps they don't like the sound. Maybe they're trying to concentrate, or talk, or watch TV, or sleep. Maybe their kids are trying to sleep.
- Loud exhaust pipes are illegal. Even HD has finally stopped installing them.

and .... loud exhaust pipes actually REDUCE the performance of the bike in most cases, due to the reduction of back-pressure needed by tuned engines.

If you are really concerned about saving lives, a $20.00 reflective safety vest will save your biscuit a thousand times before that loud pipe will."

p.s. I should add that it is ironic that most of the people I see/hear with straight pipes don't wear a helmet or other proper safety equipment.

p.p.s. I do think that New Haven Police should crack down on straight pipes. They are a public nuisance and give the rest of the motorcycle riding public a bad image.

EXCELLENT posts Karen!

#1- use your head.

I've been riding for 20 years and NEVER thought loud pipes would save me from anything. Loud pipes are all about machismo PERIOD.

This is an air horn for a motorcycle.

I've never had to use one, since in my opinion, fast brake/dodge reflexes are much better than honking.

But this is just for those people who think that you can't get an air horn for a motorcycle.

Hmm... the link to Amazon didn't work, in any case, the air horn is $36 and a two wire hookup. So if you think your current horn is wimpy, then get it.

Thanks for posting all of that helpful info, Karen.

Are there any plans to implement a noise enforcement squad this summer, similar to the "Quad Squad"?

"Help Restore Peace and Quiet- Take Back Our Public Space"

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/niceandquiet/

I just dropped in again to see if there's any way we could get similar noise monitoring/ticketing in the Upper State area (esp near closing time) that there is downtown right now....especially since I think this area is more residential.

Just took this video on Upper State Street. You'll notice that there are two officers right there as they take off. I asked the officer why they don't enforce and they said because all they can do is issue a ticket.

I told him that if that's all they can do then they should be doing it but he just smirked at me and told me he didn't have time.

Going on 4 years now with zero enforcements despite empty promises and purchased equipment from PD.

I'm really fed up.

Go to Blue Knights rally someday if you want to learn why cops don't enforce this law. Most of 'em have illegal pipes on their own bikes.

Chief Limon, please enforce the noise law. We're counting on you to help civilize New Haven.

I already feel like this year has been worse than previous ones. Is there any way to take complaints/video of non-enforcement/petitions/etc to the next level?

To MR: Yes there is, but it will require you to contact the media and file direct complaints with the police and DMV, and your local politician. The real problem is that the police can't be bothered unless there is a directive from the top to do something. It is going to take a lot of effort by a lot of people at one time to confront the chief to do something. If all else fails there is always a lawsuit ..and that will get the media's attention

Contact your state politicians and tell them to up the penalties for illegal exaust systems

Please post other videos of incidents here.

5:30 am Saturday morning I was awakened by a super loud vehicle racing down Lexington Ave setting off all the car alarms on the street. I was not too happy.

Loud Pipes save lives,it's people like you who don't like motorcycles and don't pay attention for people on motorcycles that's why we put loud exhaust so if you don't see me coming you sure will hear me!! Ride On!!!!!

Does anyone have the new police chief's new email address and cell phone number? Please post here so we can contact him regarding the problem.

What a load of bull, TommyJ. Find me a single scrap of reliable evidence backing that up. You and I both know you can't, because it's a convenient fiction invented by certain bikers to justify their obnoxious attention-whoring.

Here's some advice: If you're too scared to ride a legal bike, then buy a Volvo.

TommyJMMA,
Loud pipes destroy ear drums and quality of life. If you only are going to rev the bike on the highway that;s fine but Upper State Street or anywhere else that humans live its not.
As long as you accept that we're on the same page.

G, are there any specific proposals on the table for upping penalties?

The city hasn't responded here or on any number of other tickets with hundreds of citizen votes, which may be an indication they don't think it is that big of a deal.

Mark: As far as I know there has ben no talk of raising the penalties for anything

There hasn't even been talk of applying the existing penalties.

Could we start a phone call and letter writing campaign to city hall, police chief and aldermen to recommend accountability to the constituency on this and other issues?

Personally, I think motorcycles get a bad rap because of one dinosaur brand. The Harley. Harleys are deliberately designed to make loud noise even though technology has looong existed to quiet their engines. It is really their doing that forces people to put up with this infernal noise and obsolete sub culture. Motorcycles are cool, but there is no "intelligent" reason they have to be that loud. It has long been known that men who buy Harleys, similarly to the men who buy loud power boats, needlessly over sized and loud pick-up trucks do so because of masculinity shortcomings. But, there are also a lot of women who motivate this dumb headed behavior, by swooning over these offensive machines.

You can't legislate shallowness or sexual insecurities out of people. They will always do something the rest of us find repellant.

But, we can lobby city and state officials to create and enforce quality of life laws. The challenge in CT, let alone New Haven county, is that there is very little concern for quality of life issues.

New York may have it's other problems, to be sure, but they respond aggressively to public outcry for noise and pollution regulations and behavior of motorists.

The mere fact that CT does not require helmets for motorcycle owners is proof this state government is spineless and wrongheaded in not standing up to a minuscule lobby to resist it. That says it all to me.

"Personally, I think motorcycles get a bad rap because of one dinosaur brand. The Harley."

I like everything you said. Keep on talking.

New Haven resident That's like saying all blacks are N@##%^s... The problem that this particular forum is dealing with is illegal exaust systems and it isn't just harley Davidsons it is also the Japanese ones that also contribute to the problem

"The problem that this particular forum is dealing with is illegal exaust systems and it isn't just harley Davidsons it is also the Japanese ones that also contribute to the problem."
Thanks, G. I'm no expert on motorcycles. I only know about the crazy noise that some of them create. I'm happy to add the Japanese motorcycles to the Harley's in term of illegal exhaust systems that contribute to the problem. Any others?

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excellent points and the details are more precise than somewhere else, thanks.

- Norman

Harleys are made to be noisy, but Harleys with stock pipes are within the tolerable range. The problem is that many Harley owners, practically the moment they acquire their bikes, buy after-market pipes -- some of which are not street-legal -- that amplify the volume (generally in inverse proportion to the owner's male endowment). These are available for Japanese bikes, too.

The Harley brand promotes the image of the rider as Thunder God, but the real offenders are the insecure little men (and gals) who think of them as mechanical Viagara.

The motorcycles are out again today, splitting people's eardrums in the downtown area.

Are there any plans for enforcement this year?

Related issues on motorcycle noise in New Haven, now archived:

http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/672-loud-motorcycles

http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/42185-motorcycle-noise

Another related issue: http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/95348

Harley oweners change the exhaust mostly so the chick driving her prius while texting, or the mom in her van putting on lipstick can hear them and not run them over while changing lanes.

That's fine but it is not an excuse to increase the decibles to volumes that are unsafe and uncomfortable for everyone else. If you ride a Harley the risk is on you and it is not your right to disrupt neighborhoods for your own risks.

Lookout: That's a nice little theory, but it doesn't hold water -- and I'll bet you can't produce a scrap of data supporting it.

Here's why: When that "chick" driving her Prius suddenly changes lanes, it endangers any motorcyclist that's BEHIND her. I don't care how loud the pipes are, you can almost never hear them until the biker passes you. I've been startled many times by the sudden blaring of illegal pipes while getting passed by bikes that I had no idea were behind me. The sound of the pipes does not project forward very well at all, especially at highway speeds. So any sense of comfort the loud pipes give you is certainly false.

You'd do far better to drive defensively and wear a helmet -- a crucial safety measure that bikers with loud pipes almost universally seem to overlook here in Connecticut.

some citizens are joining together in a facebook group called CTCALM (CT Citizens Against Loud Motorvehicles)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Connecticut-Citizens-Against-Loud-Motor-vehicles-CT-CALM/144458485620658

Join the group and help with the conversation about how best to address this quality of life issue. in Maine they have passed EPA label laws to help prevent after market tailpipe tampering

I drive a motorcycle(with a helmet), and although louder exhaust will not make all drivers aware of you it does help. I think cars blasting loud rap music, are a much bigger nusience than the sound of a motorcycle driving by.

I disagree with you Music too loud. The motorcyles balsting the music over the tail pipes is the worst and music could never compete with ear piercing hard condition causing exhaust ever. No matter how much you dislike rap music.

Thanks Doug. Will join.

First of all, LPSL, I ride a motorcycle myself. I take pride in the fact that it runs relatively quietly. Secondly, the reason I don't hear motorcycles until they pass me is not because of the kind of car I drive. It has to do with physics and acoustics: Sound from loud motorcycles at driving speeds does not travel forward. You can't hear them until they have passed. So in addition to the fact that there isn't a freaking scrap of data showing that loud bikes are safer than quiet ones, you also have to consider the fact that the entire premise is BS. You guys made up the "loud pipes" argument out of thin air to justify socially obnoxious and illegal behavior.

First of all, LPSL, I ride a motorcycle myself. I take pride in the fact that it runs relatively quietly. Secondly, the reason I don't hear motorcycles until they pass me is not because of the kind of car I drive. It has to do with physics and acoustics: Sound from loud motorcycles at driving speeds does not travel forward. You can't hear them until they have passed. So in addition to the fact that there isn't a freaking scrap of data showing that loud bikes are safer than quiet ones, you also have to consider the fact that the entire premise is BS. You guys made up the "loud pipes" argument out of thin air to justify socially obnoxious and illegal behavior.

EC,

Not exactly. Sound is an energy wave travelling through air and in the case of motorcycle exhaust, most (but not all) of the energy is directed away from the rear of the motorcycle. A much smaller amount of that energy is released in all other directions, just not neccesarily as strong or audible.

One more point. If you live in East Rock you may have noticed that sometimes the concerts on the New Haven Green sound like they're coming from the opposite direction because the sound waves are reflecting off of East Rock. The same kind of reflections can occur quite dynamically in a non-highway setting like a residential street. This can make loud pipes quite evident as motorcycles approach. Nevertheless, whether a cyclist thinks this is safer or not, its surely a nuisance for residents.

Down on Front street the biker noise is a serious quality of life issue. I suspect that most bikers are from other " havens". (East, west, north), who come to new haven to make lots of noise. No way their own neighborhoods and policemen would tolerate the crazy levels of noise.

To all those who are complaining about motorcycles guess what? This issue will never change. Thats like trying to tell the Harley company to stop makig motorcycles. Do any of you have lives or a family to give attention too rather than complain on this website 24/7. Im preety sure your children are sitting home bored because your too busy complaining about pipes. If it bothers you that much tell every mutli million dollar motorcycle company to stop selling bikes and see how they will laugh in your face. Motorcycles are a part of life. If you don't like them thas too bad thats sooo sad. Get on with life

Big red your logic is warped. To suggest that Harley Davidson and other motorcycle manufactureres should stop making motorcycles because of individuals like yourself take it upon themselves to ILLEGALY modify Federally mandated EPA exaust systems is nothing short of @#$% logic. The FACT is this: when YOU remove the stock exaust from your motorcycle and replace it with straight pipes YOU have violated the LAW and that makes you a criminal, plain and simple.

Nothing wrong with Bikes, but some riders like to be loud which should be ticketed but then again the Police say call if there is an issue henw ehn you call they don't want to know anything it's a joke & this is a reason why people do not corporate with authorities , but I do have more of an isue with LOUD CAR STEREO'S especially in Westville Manor and all around the city.

The same issue is for illegal dirt bike riding in the city.It will never stop with them being sold at ALL Pawn shops and Pep Boys. The experiened rider is not the problem it's the PUNKS.

And too everyone that disagrees with me. THe problem hasnt been solved by law enforcement because even they think this is a joke and have more SERIOUS crimes to take care of rather than taking care of your personal opinions and fears of hurting your ears

Boston has come up with several effective noise ordinances that, together with diligent enforcement, has made it a " biker unfriendly" city. I have absolutely no problem with a guy out cruising on his big bike on a Sunday afternoon. But when I can hear a bike coming off the Ferry St bridge from my house near the front street marina, then we have a problem.

This issue was recategorized from Uncategorized to Policing Issue.

Ferry St from the bridge to Middletown Ave curve is a straight stretch. By the time cops arrive, obviously they're long gone. Wish the city was "bike unfriendly" to these critters!

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