To loud pipes or not to loud pipes.. that is the question :) | GTAMotorcycle.com

To loud pipes or not to loud pipes.. that is the question :)

thegamb8

thegamb8

Well-known member
Hi friends, I hope everyone is as sad as I am that the cold weather has set in and riding is no longer a safe option. Counting the days till summer rolls along!

In the interim I wanted to take the opportunity to get some work done on my 2003 VStar 1100 Custom - specifically removing the stock pipes and replacing them with these (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GRZ8FE)

The reason i'm posting here is because a good friend of mine told me that there are some changes in road laws on the horizon which target loud pipes and subject them to heavy fines. He said he heard it via some other biker friends of his.

I tried researching online but all I found is old pre-2009 stuff.

Does anyone know anything about this at all?

Am I just being paranoid?

Happy Monday!
 
Go loud, but save your OEM setup. Just to be safe.
 
Thanks Dresden, I've come across the second link in my searches. However, that seems to be limited to Caledon only. I do ride up to the Forks a lot so this is very crucial information. Thanks.

Anyone else know of any law affecting pipes in the near future?





Dresden said:
I noticed more cracking down around the Forks of the Credit last summer. Seeing as you are in Brampton, it might be of interest to you.

2012 thread:
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...Forks-of-the-Credit-get-bike-tested-by-police!

Caledon Law:
http://www.wheels.ca/news/caledon-passes-revised-bylaw-against-loud-bikes/
Click to expand...
 
With the introduction of the SAE standard, it became really easy for municipalities to add a line to their by-laws implementing noise limits for motorcycles. I don't know of any imminent changes, but as municipalities update their bylaws, I expect more will follow caledons lead.

In general, loud pipes are for ******** and grossly increase your heat score.
 
GreyGhost, I agree that obnoxiously loud pipes are a nuisance. However, if you have heard a VStar 1100 stock, you'll quickly come to the realization that an increase in the exhaust sound would do the motorcycle some good.

2014 was my second year riding it.. almost daily from Brampton to Aurora and I've taken many, many different routes to and fro. I've learned one thing from that - motorists can't hear my motorcycle at all because it's dangerously quiet. When my wife drives the car next to me even she says she can't hear "a motorcycle".. just a faint rumble which can easily be overlooked.

Therefore, I just want to get a boost in the sound but not cross any legal barriers doing so.



GreyGhost said:
In general, loud pipes are for ******** and grossly increase your heat score.
Click to expand...
 
Neat little app. I will do that. The same friend who told me about this has a pair of Cobra lo-boy shotgun exhausts on his and they sound amazing. I'll also post on star forums to see if anyone has any idea.

Dresden said:
Before you purchase your pipes, you might want to see if another V-Star owner with those pipes wouldn't mind sound-measuring his setup. There are free apps available for Android and Apple to do so.. you might have more luck with a V-Star specific forum.

Imagine the feeling of pulling out of the driveway and being pulled over/ticketed..


https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/decibel-10th/id448155923?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.sound&hl=en
Click to expand...
 
Oakville is another area with a motorcycle-sound bylaw on the books, and there are others. If you want to do some touring, Quebec as a whole is reportedly pretty anal about motorcycle exhausts, and there are still some areas (reportedly, around Ottawa) who interpret HTA s 75 very stringently.

Decently quiet aftermarket exhausts can still pass SAE J2825, but unmuffled straight pipes will not. I have no idea how much actual muffling is inside the exhaust pipes that you linked to. Big singles and twins are difficult engines to keep quiet.

Another factor, if you happen to ride somewhat above the posted speed limit at times, is that if you are making all kinds of racket, the cop's radar gun will be guaranteed to be pointed in your direction when you come over the top of the hill. If you are being quiet, there's a much better chance that it won't be.
 
Will you need to rejet or auto tune them after installation?
The auto tune looks to be about the same cost as the pipes.

To me it just isn't worth the effort, to make a bike into a less saleable cop magnet.
 
A workmate had Cobra's on his Shadow. They are unbaffled and freakin' loud when you get on it. I think you'd be a heat score in some of the more sensitive areas.

If you're dead set on an aftermarket exhaust look for a brand that has optional quiet baffles that you can insert. I know Vance and Hines has them but not sure on availability for the V-Star. My buddy has a Suzuki C50 with V&H Straightshots that sound really nice with the quiet baffles in but are definitely not neighborhood friendly with them removed.
 
sh3r0y said:
GreyGhost, I agree that obnoxiously loud pipes are a nuisance. However, if you have heard a VStar 1100 stock, you'll quickly come to the realization that an increase in the exhaust sound would do the motorcycle some good.

2014 was my second year riding it.. almost daily from Brampton to Aurora and I've taken many, many different routes to and fro. I've learned one thing from that - motorists can't hear my motorcycle at all because it's dangerously quiet. When my wife drives the car next to me even she says she can't hear "a motorcycle".. just a faint rumble which can easily be overlooked.

Therefore, I just want to get a boost in the sound but not cross any legal barriers doing so.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you have the mistaken idea that if car drivers hear your louder exhaust they will give you more room on the road. It doesn't work that way. All it does is annoy car drivers and make them drive more aggressively when near motorcycles.
If your Vstar is black and you wear the usual black helmet and black jacket you are even more invisible to the car or truck driver.
As a motorcyclist, who cannot afford to be involved in an accident with larger vehicles, you simply have to ride in a manner that will compensate for all the dumb and stupid things that car and truck drivers (and other road users) constantly do on the roads. You have to always ride in a way that will keep you safe. Never rely on others on the road - car and truck drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, children, animals - whatever - from paying any heed to you on a motorcycle - whether it is quiet as the grave or you stick aftermarket crap on it that makes it sound like the Gates of Hell have just opened.
They don't care about you. And you are not going to change that.
Ride your own ride - and make it a safe one.

AFJ
 
If you truly believe,that loud pipes save lives :rolleyes:, think what advance riding course might do for you!
 
Koval_68, I've passed my M and have also successfully completed the advanced riding course. In regards to the saying, I think AFJ has some very good advice. I guess my interest in louder pipes has more of a personal interest than a road safety one.
 
Pressure from areas like Caledon and Oakville will eventually result in a rewriting of the HTA section regarding exhausts. This is a good thing as the current statutes are written so vaguely as to be either unenforceable, or alternately impossible to be in compliance with. A quantifiable standard, with readily repeatable tests for quantification, is of benefit to all.
 
The MTO has done quite a bit of research into sound testing motorcycles. Currently, the equipment required to test is expensive, and the courts don't require that level of precision. Until the law actually changes on a Provincial level, there will be no pressure to buy new gear to enforce the quantifiable limits that don't yet exist.

I would like to know how the Municipalities (Caledon/Oakville) are getting on with the enforcement of their bylaws. I just wonder how successful they are so far.
 
Although most sound level meters are expensive (~$5000+ for a meter with the common options), meters like the soft-db piccolo are available (~$300) which meets the requirements for a Class 2 meter (as opposed to most cheap meters that are not tested against any standard [expect potentially field calibration]).

I wouldn't expect every police car to carry one (nor every officer to be trained in their use), but having police officers issue an order to appear (or whatever it's called) similar to when the safety of a vehicle is in question which requires the rider/driver to report to a location within 7 days to test the exhaust (maybe any collision reporting center?). Obviously people could swap exhausts before the test, but damn, that's a lot of work, a few times doing that and most people would just leave the stock pipe on.
 
I've heard zero from Oakville, but the cops have been seen in Caledon doing noise checks. They don't do it as part of normal patrolling; they set up near bike hot-spots and pull in suspects as they pass. This way they only need the one instrument and a minimum of officers that need training. My understanding is that the dB meter isn't really an issue, but the means of documenting the engine RPM is, and they've only been enforcing the idle test and not the higher-RPM test, since the idle test isn't dependent on knowing the engine RPM. The really obnoxious pipes will fail at idle anyhow.

No idea on the status of any court cases.
 
Brian P said:
I've heard zero from Oakville, but the cops have been seen in Caledon doing noise checks. They don't do it as part of normal patrolling; they set up near bike hot-spots and pull in suspects as they pass. This way they only need the one instrument and a minimum of officers that need training. My understanding is that the dB meter isn't really an issue, but the means of documenting the engine RPM is, and they've only been enforcing the idle test and not the higher-RPM test, since the idle test isn't dependent on knowing the engine RPM. The really obnoxious pipes will fail at idle anyhow.

No idea on the status of any court cases.
Click to expand...

See Town of Caledon report at http:/www.caledon.ca/en/townhall/resources/PW-2013-014.pdf

for information on the 2012 Caledon activities.

No testing has been done in Guelph up to Sept. this year. No info from Oakville, either.

AFJ
 
AFJ, you're awesome! This is really good info! I'll hunt around to see if they have similar reports of 2013 and 2014. It would be nice to see if a pattern emerges. Maybe those areas / routes can be avoided.
 
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