Massachusetts Bill to Ban the Sale/Installation of Aftermarket Exhaust Systems...

[Scott Winebarger]

Now the thing that hurts my ears worst is women talking!:L

 

[Scott Winebarger]

I live at a stop light , two houses down from an intersection.. At night is the only time i get annoyed and its almost always the ricers ,ocassionally some guy with a bike thats seen fit to chop the pipes off six inches behind the heads trys to break the sound barrier but in all its the ricers that are the worst...First you hear the bass coming for about a mile , then the hornets nest that follows... Its enough to make you say "there should be a law against that" , but that law will affect us all not just the ones that need to be silenced .. The town i grew up in banned cruising.. I asked one of the city leaders why, "because I think its silly" is the reply I got. I am not a politition nor do I have the knowledge to make changes where they need to be made and it seems the ones that do do not understand our hobbys/car/obsessions. ok thats my .02 Thank you for tolerating my babble and spelin.

 

[Edmond]

What's next, regulation of how many children you can have? Fixed food rations for each member of the family? I've heard of California being called Commiefornia but it may turn into Commiechusetts pretty soon. :cry

 

[bluecoupe]

How about "facisichusetts".

SEMA will win this one. No one wants to lose more jobs in this economy. We have more to worry about than noisey cars.

 

[aerofan]

... The average 3HP push lawnmower emits a loud enough exhaust that OSHA recommends wearing hearing protection. How many people cut their lawn while wearing hearing protection???

Speaking of OSHA... We had a (planned) visit from OSHA a few weeks ago and everyone who was potentially in harms way when it comes to their hearing had a hearing test to be used as a baseline. Then they came trough and said that people working on computers cannot use headphones to listen to music because they could be turned up to produce over 100 decibles. My question was who would be that stupid. Now I either have to go out any buy my own speakers to use or I have to not listen. When is the stupidity going to end?? ad :cry

 

[bluecoupe]

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein

 

[Theodore]

disgusting

It's unbelievable that a bill like this would be introduced when practically every Harley in the state of Massachusetts has been modded with straight pipes. These things will actually damage your hearing when they go by you with the trottle open.

I only skimmed the article, but couldn't tell if it mentioned who introduced this?

 

[grapeknutz]

Hmmm. Good point. And to think I may actually be moving there... :eyerole

Run....Run as fast as you can away from there!

 

[GS Diva]

I only skimmed the article, but couldn't tell if it mentioned who introduced this?

I believe it was Rep. Elizabeth Malia of Boston...the Beacon Hill section of Boston. This has repeatedly been proposed. Obviously, Rep. Malia has a problem with loud exhaust systems??

Elaine

 

[Chrisr]

It is a sad state of affairs reading the above article.

Being a Harley owner, I had "Screaming Eagle" exhaust pipes installed. My priority was that they DID NOT sound like straight pipes. I hate those things!!! My neighbor has them on his, and he smiles when he starts his bike, and people from the next town complain. I'd love to put sugar in his tank!!! There's a saying among bikers in general: "Loud pipes save lives". I can attest to that fact a couple of times.

 

[bluecoupe]

If the police were allowed to enforce the existing laws and the courts would take these violations seriously then there would be no need for new or more laws for loud exhaust. The whole thing is silly. Performance enthusiast need to be good neighbors and stop showing off. Harleys get better performance from a good tuned exhaust than from drag pipes. Same goes for Cars and sport bikes louder is not better. Loud pipe don't save lives. They just confuse people. If they did save lives the insurance institute would lobby for the government to have us install loud bells on our cars. Paying attention and driving sober does save lives.

 

[TODD L GRIFFITH]

I'm from Taxassachusettes. Figures they would come up with something stupid like this. Nothing surprises me in this state. I wonder what an Oldsmobile exhaust sounds like underwater? :eyerole I'm keeping mine, and will go to open headers if it passes.

Vote Republican!

 

[drags1998]

Maine already has this law, They dont really enforce it, UNLESS the driver is being an A$$, If you are STUPID enough to give the COP a hard time,THEY just have it towed!!!!!!

 

[hotmtrsports]

Maine goes even further than that! I run 18" wheels/tires all around. The Chev dealer I go to refused to give me a state inspection because I went 1 size larger than stock on the front! I had to go somewhere else. And get this....THEY SOLD ME THE 18" WHEELS!!! We can't even go a different size tire on the same wheel!!! Nobody has been paying attention to this until the exhaust thing started coming out. The state is also warning inspection stations to start doing it by the book or no more inspection license (it seems they are very serious about it this time). Guess I can't blame the dealer, that's a big part of their business.

I'm trying to figure out what the state gained by this law!! Maybe someone told them it effects the OEM engineered handling. I don't know. :eyerole


Chuck

 

[bluecoupe]

Call the tire manufacturers and wheel manufacturers. Contact SEMA http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=25225

Start a petition and have every aftermarket business in your state and every car and bike enthusiast sign it. Don't wait for someone else to fix it.

The best thing to do is to vote these state (mis-) representatives out of office.

Many years ago in my state a law was passed intending to outlaw those kungfu nunchuck weapons. (They are two handles attached buy a rope or chain.) The law accidentally made jump ropes illegal.

 

[lov-n-life]

Many years ago in my state a law was passed intending to outlaw those kungfu nunchuck weapons. (They are two handles attached buy a rope or chain.) The law accidentally made jump ropes illegal.

Actually... I'm surprise more states haven't done this on purpose! With all the reterect of security now being a huge issue and airlines taking away fingernail clippers. Come on, get real! ANYTHING, and I do mean ANYTHING can be used as a weapon if it is in well trained hands. Jump ropes, or anything else flexible for that matter, in a well trained and practiced hand is extremely lethal, and from a significant range (in "close" combat anyways). Wait, maybe I shouldn't post this, some politician might catch on and then the next thing you know, we'll all be required to be naked with our hands tied behind our backs to board an airplane. These are cases of zero tolerance, safety first, society concerns, and every other "good intentioned" bill gone bad. Common sense has been outlawed.ad Ok, don't know how I got into a rant on that one... I do apologize!

 

[bluecoupe]

lov-n-life,

Have you see the recent "Death by fingernail clipper" statistics? Have they dropped since these rules are in place? I didn't relize these items were lethal. Who thinks up this stuff? :L

Your naked air travel idea may catch on.
May I have some nuts please?...Ewwww not those!..The ones in the package.
Frank

 

[lov-n-life]

lov-n-life,

Have you see the recent "Death by fingernail clipper" statistics? Have they dropped since these rules are in place? I didn't relize these items were lethal. Who thinks up this stuff? :L

Your naked air travel idea may catch on.
May I have some nuts please?...Ewwww not those!..The ones in the package.
Frank

I haven't seen any new statistics, but I'm sure the number of unruly passengers filing their fingernails and clipping their toenails while on long flights have pratically dropped to 0! I feel so much safer when I fly now that THAT problem is gone. :eyerole

 

[Jack]

Ah-nold

Can anyone explain to me why motorcycles like some Harley Davidsons are able to drive along side of me causing me to turn up the radio in my car, and yet, automotive aftermarket exhaust systems are close to getting squashed? --Rob

I've taken keen notice of this disparity too ... here's my take. First, I've continuously owned and ridden Harleys beginning at high school in 1970 (my first was a ragged-out 1949 74" FL ... my present Harley is a right nice 1954 86" FL). Believe me, motorcycles with open/loud exhausts (e.g. drag pipes) have not always been acceptable to lawmen or general public ... I got many tickets for them until about mid-80's ... some were written out of pure-T meanness resulting from lawmen's misperception & stereotyping of the riders' true character. During this same era ... kids is Jeeps with V8's and wide-open side pipes were very common ... rarely were they stopped for loud exhaust (much less ticketed). Again ... perception. During same era there were relatively few Harleys on the road and the vast majority of those buying new ones were either Shriners or police departments.

So what's changed to reverse things???? ... again ... PERCEPTION. This is only anecdotal but there's a simple, cause for it too ... AH-Nold. That's right ... Arnold the Governor of California. When Arnold and other "trusted" high profile public figures began appearing in movies, on mainstream magazine covers and on hot air balloon-V Twin junkets ... they popularized the big, loud Harley ... and America's perception changed ... it became cool to dress up like a MC gang member and ride a Harley. Nowadays, most of the tough looking guys you see on a Harley are likely to be just another joe sixpack masquerading as an Outlaw or HA; the Feds' applied the Rico Act to the real gangs (MC clubs) and have all but driven them out of sight or into legitimate businesses. So, I credit Hollywood and Forbes for present-era Harley riders getting away with straight pipes. Seems anyone on a Harley nowadays is viewed as some sort of hero ... boy has that changed!

BTW ... I don't think it's too much of a stretch to credit many of our present-day Harley buyers with financing installations of 1000 watt stereos and fart cans on their kids' offensive civics. Probably same could be said for many parent/owners of expensive cars such as our beloved vettes.
JACK:gap

 

[bluecoupe]

Nothing sounds nicer than the rumble of a harley with drag pipes or a muscle car with glasspacks echoing off in the distance. That's America. That's freedom...