The biker community here in Southern California, for over a year now, has built a perception that the city of Temecula does not want them around.

Now, the city's Chief of Police is trying to change that.

Since that time, motorcyclists have posted messages on various Internet forums that the powers at be in Temecula are trying shoo all riders away from the city, particularly in its historic section known as "Old Town". Some motorcyclists even have gone on to call for a general boycott of Temecula, after being ticketed by local police for ticky-tacky violations ranging from non-DOT helmets, aftermarket exhaust, and not coming to a full and complete stop at intersections.

Jerry Williams, Temecula's Chief of Police explained to me in an interview today, that the ticketing is true, but the allegations that Temecula doesn't want bikers around is not.

"We want all motorcycle riders to know that they are welcome in Temecula", Williams said. "We WANT their business".

Williams went on to tell me that he specifically gave instructions to his police officers to "use more discretion", before pulling over and ticketing motorcycle riders. The word "discretion" is what he specifically used. He told me that he doesn't want bikers being pulled over for non-DOT helmets or aftermarket exhaust. He just wants to keep the peace, and go after the riders going out of their way to be excessively loud.

But he did admit that over the past several months, and perhaps even longer, that his police officers went overboard.

The History

The story goes back a over a year ago when long time business owners within Old Town began complaining about loud noises coming from a variety of sources, including people playing their music too loud, barking dogs, and of course motorcycles. This was documented in a newspaper article dated July 25, 2007...

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/25/news/californian/8_27_337_24_07.txt

Up until then, the Old Town of Temecula was a quiet little weekend getaway where folks traveled to peruse the abundance of antiques, wines and cheeses. But during the housing boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the City of Temecula grew quickly, and Old Town found itself crowded with people. The local restaurants in Old Town became popular hang-outs for motorcyclists from as far away as San Diego, Orange County, and San Bernardino. Those owners of antique shops now complained over the excessive noise, and seemingly blamed the motorcycles.

The complaints started from one particular antique shop owner who I'm leaving nameless. He'd park his car along the main drag of Old Town, "Front Street". Everytime a loud motorcycle rode by, his car alarm would go off, and he'd have to reset it. Fed up, he started complaining to the city council about it, and managed to get a couple of other business owners to back him up.

The city council relayed the message to Jerry Williams, the Chief of Police. Williams then added some motor officers to patrol Old Town and cite bikers who appeared to be making excessive noise. Williams said that he instructed his officers to cite only those bikers who were going out of their way to make noise, show off, or deliberately pump their throttle to set off car alarms.

Originally, that's what the officers did. But over time, it got out of hand. The problem was that there was no oversight on these officers, and it turned into a feeding frenzy, like sharks smelling blood. Officers expanded things to where they pulled over bikers for wearing non-DOT helmets, even though they were riding quietly. Even if they were riding quietly, they got pulled over just for having aftermarket exhaust.

Many bikers don't necessarily put both feet on the ground when coming to a stop sign, but they still wait their turn, and still make sure they can enter the intersection safely. But yet, they were cited for not coming to a full and complete stop.

Eventually the biker-busting got worse. Local business owners described witnessing local police setting up something akin to a fishing net, where they would trap every motorcyclist within the main drag of Old Town, pull them over as a group, and cite them en masse for anything they could find.

I asked Williams if this actually happened and he said, "that doesn't surprise me at all". He went on to say that one day he was looking at the tickets that had been written and found that 60 motorcycles were ticketed for non-DOT helmets and aftermarket exhaust over three consecutive weekends.

Ken Rauton, the owner of Swing Inn Cafe, was one of the business owners who witnessed the "fishing net" activity and was concerned that it would eventually cause his business to suffer. His cafe is one of the popular destinations among motorcyclists. "It takes years to build up a trust among my clientele", Rauton told me in an interview. "But it takes only a weekend to destroy it all."

Bikers Are Not Welcome

After witnessing that "fishing net" style bust, one of the ticketed motorcyclist ended up walking into Rauton's cafe. Rauton noticed him and asked him what had happened. The biker showed him the ticket and explained it was for wearing a non-DOT helmet. The biker also told Rauton that the officer who wrote the ticket said, "Your kind aren't welcome in this town".

It was that blatant warning, issued from a city policeman, that sent Rauton on a mission to figure out how such a sentiment took root in Temecula.

He started talking to every business owner in Old Town, who eventually clued him in on that one antique shop owner who started the complaints. That owner has since regretted making that complaint, arguing that he only wanted police to get tough on the few bikers that were going overboard on making excessive noise. He never expected police to go on a feeding frenzy and conduct these "fishing net" style biker busts and ruin business for the restaurant owners. He has since talked to city council members, the Chief of Police, and the City Manager, to "ease up".

I asked Rauton if his Swing Inn Cafe has suffered a drop in business. He shook it off saying that it hasn't yet. However, he said he's worried that it eventually will if cops continue going crazy with their ticketing madness.

Rauton also found an ally in Ron Muir, the owner of Slap'N Leather, a biker accessories store also in Old Town. Muir opened his business only a year ago, seeing the area as a popular destination for motorcyclists. Muir claims the city's crack down on motorcyclists has made it tough for his business to grow. Since talking with Rauton, and that repentent antique shop owner, he too has addressed the city council with pleas to ease up on ticketing bikers.

But Muir wants to go even further, suggesting to the city council that Temecula organize an antique motorcycle show inside Old Town, to send a signal that the city wants bikers back. "I think an antique motorcycle show in Old Town will fix everything in one shot", says Muir. "We can erase the boycott just like that".

That boycott Muir eluded to is the one that several disgruntled bikers have called for on various Internet forums. Being that he's in the motorcycle business and rides frequently, Muir has heard other bikers express concerns about riding into Old Town to visit his store.

Here's an actual forum post on HDForums where a ticketed biker called for a boycott. Read all the responses to his boycott...

http://www.hdforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134657

The person who wrote that post, "ElSexton" said that when Temecula police wrote him a ticket for aftermarket exhaust, they said they didn't want to do this to him, but that they were ordered to do so. Obviously, this came from the top.

And so that's what both Rauton and Muir did in response. They started by calling Jerry Williams, the Chief of Police. Then they called city council members, and they called the City Manager. Williams subsequently visited them both, and assured them that things would change, and that bikers would no longer be harrassed. But, Williams did say that his officers will still go after the few bad apples ruining it for everyone.

Bringing the Bikers Back

So it seems that the matter of Temecula police getting tough on motorcyclists may have come to a climax, and is now at a point of healing. After talking to Williams, I do feel convinced, at least he sounds very genuine about this. The question is if that genuineness passes down to the patrol officers.

Williams even went on to say that he's a Harley rider himself, and that his bike has aftermarket exhaust, and he even said to me that he believes in "Loud Pipes Save Lives". He said that his original instructions to go after the bikers who are going overboard wasn't interpreted correctly, and that he has now given new instructions to his officers to "use more discretion".

Now, both Rauton and Muir want to get the message out to motorcyclists everywhere that all the businesses in Old Town really do want the bikers there.

Williams actually told me that he's planning to find all the motorcycle forums and post messages there that the out-of-control ticketing will cease. Rauton himself has already started doing this..

Both Ken Rauton, and Ron Muir would love to hear from bikers on this matter...

Ken Rauton, Swing Inn Cafe
(951) 676-2321
http://www.swinginncafe.com

Ron Muir, Slap'N Leather
(951) 506-0808
http://www.slapnleather.com

Even Williams says he'd like to talk to folks about putting this matter to rest...

Jerry Williams, Temecula Chief of Police
(951) 696-3000
jwwillia@riversidesheriff.org

Labels: Loud Pipes

Perhaps the tide could be turning in the age old debate of "loud pipes save lives".

Earlier this month, with little media attention, legislators in the House of Representatives introduce a bill, HR5734, know as the "Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008", which will require hybrid and electric cars to be more louder.

The bill, sponsored by Edolphus Towns (D-NY), and co-sponsored by 12 other representatives, says that such vehicles are so quiet, that they pose a risk to the blind, perhaps suggesting that the green energy cars heralded by environmentalists and big-oil protestors, may actually be silent killers.

According to the bill's text, it will require the Secretary of Transportation, to conduct a study to determine the most practical means of alerting blind persons of the presence of a hybrid or electric car, by providing similar audible information that one might receive from a combustion engine car.

And then once the study is complete, actually implement a regulation that will require all such vehicles to have this noise-making device installed.

The impetus for this bill appears to have come from a study conducted by the University of California, Riverside, under the direction of Lawrence Rosenblum, a professor of psychology. He made audio recordings of hybrid and electric cars, as well as combustion engine cars, and played them back to people and had them determine from which direction these cars were coming from. He found that folks could make these judgments sooner when listening to the combustion engine cars.

Rosemblum went on to say...

"There is a real difference between the audibility of hybrid vehicles and those with traditional internal combustion engines that could have effects on the safety of pedestrians which need to be studied. Our preliminary findings could mean that there is an added danger with hybrid cars, particularly at intersections and in parking lots."

Labels: Loud Pipes

Now they're kicking around the "Loud Pipes Save Lives" topic on HDForums. This topic never seems to die, and it's only because local governments are on the attack.

In this case, someone wrote a letter to the editor of Rider Magazine, and asked if there is any evidence that loud pipes actually saves lives. The editor responds that it doesn't...

The "Loud Pipes Save Lives" argument is a red herring, created to excuse what is simply inconsiderate and generally illegal behavior meant to attract attention. The damage loud pipes on any kind of motorcycle do to our image and riding freedom (not to mention hearing) is irreparable, while motorcycling can be made safer by voluntarily increasing conspicuity (e.g.- reflective, brightly colored apparel), rider training and licensing, and wearing adequately protective apparel.

Labels: Loud Pipes

National Public Radio published an audio sound-bite this morning explaining that Harley Davidson is aware of local police departments cracking down on loud motorcycles, and is now trying to get bikers to quiet down...

Dozens of communities are passing noise laws aimed at reducing the rumble of motorcycles. The largest U.S. manufacturer of motorcycles, Harley-Davidson, says it's paying attention to the trend and trying to get riders to go easier on the ears.

Labels: Harley Davidson, Loud Pipes

The latest topic of discussion within our riding club and some of the other riding clubs in our area, are cops taking greater focus on busting loud motorcycles.

Our club visits Old Town in Temecula, CA, because it's close to where most of us live, and we like to hang out at the bars and restaurants there. None of us have really loud pipes in our club, though we all have aftermarket exhaust systems. We're louder than stock pipes, but not LOUD loud.

The culprits are those bar hoppers, who like to show off their spotless clean Harleys (the ones that hardly ever get ridden), but are obnoxiously loud. The more attention they can muster, the more people who see what t-shirts and tattoos they're wearing. They stop at the stop sign, and then gun their engine really loud as they blast down the street for a whole 50 feet, until they come up to the car in front of them.

Last week, Temecula cops reportedly wrote 40 tickets for aftermarket exhaust. They're not citing bikers for loud motorcycles, they're just targeting them. But they bust them on something else. That something else is usually an old federal law (dating back to 1972), that requires the exhaust to carry a stamped identification number matching the same number stamped to the frame. This supposedly prevents someone from putting aftermarket pipes on their bikes. It's tougher to fight a citation on this law than being cited for loud pipes.

Our club had been holding its monthly meeting in Old Town Temecula, at The Bank of Mexican Food. We'd bring in about 20 people, and probably generate about $500 in receipts for that place each time. But we're not going to risk it anymore. We're taking our business elsewhere.

Labels: Loud Pipes, Police

Homeowners living in a senior citizen community called Sun City West, located near Phoenix, AZ, wants their local government to do something to quiet the noise coming from Highway 303 nearby.

Of particular concern are motorcycles and trucks...

Yet for some residents of the Northwest Valley, the 303's noise already is intolerable. Residents have complained of waking up at night because of increased traffic and watching their property values decline due to the noise, said Sun City West resident Chuck Ullman.

Labels: Arizona Motorcycle Noise, Loud Pipes

The Stillwater Gazette, out of Stillwater, MN, reports that loud motorcycles are such a big problem in its town, that it caused a bride-to-be and her mother to cry during their courthouse ceremony...

During a wedding last summer at the Washington County Historic Courthouse, motorcyclists with unmuffled exhaust pipes roared along Third Street, interrupting a soloist's performance. The loud motorcade caused the singer to well up with tears.

"Then the bride started to cry and then the mother of the bride started to cry," said Judge Howard Albertson, who was performing the ceremony.

Labels: Loud Pipes, Minnesota

Charles M. Denny, who describes himself as a retired corporate executive, wrote a letter to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, asking lawmakers in Minneapolis to ban motorcycles from "parkways"...

Because of the difficulty and cost of monitoring motorcycle noise, I urge that we adopt a policy to limit the use of parkways by motorcyclists -- as we have for trucks -- and thereby distribute their noise over a larger area. Further, as is done is some cities today, an ordinance should be established prohibiting the modification of original-equipment mufflers through modification or replacement if the result is to increase the level of emitted noise.

Labels: Loud Pipes, Minnesota

There was a question submitted to the Muscatine Journal, the newspaper for Muscatine, Iowa, by a reader about loud motorcycle pipes...

Why are motorcycles in Muscatine allowed to break the law (city noise ordinance and state code) with their illegal mufflers or straight pipes when cars are not? Legally, they are disturbing the peace, according to the police department.

Labels: Iowa, Loud Pipes

Here's an interesting new twist on the old saying that "Loud Pipes Save Lives"...

The National Federation of the Blind, an advocacy group, says all hybrid vehicles should emit a sound while turned on and is calling on the auto industry to make changes. The group says the sound should be loud enough to be heard over the din of other ambient noise.

Labels: Legislation, Loud Pipes

Two towns in Arizona are fighting it out over loud pipes along the Carefree Highway, just north of Phoenix, AZ.

An article published today in the Arizona Republic says that the town of Carefree wants its neighboring town of Cave Creek to cooperate by adopting noise abatement laws designed to put an end to loud pipes.

But Cave Creek does't want to cooperate.

The issue is that thousands of bikers during weekends travel the Carefree Highway, going through the town of Carefree, on their way to biker bars in Cave Creek. Residents in Carefree, who built homes right along the highway are complaining about motorcycle noise, and are worried about their real estate values.

Residents of the Cave Creek, however, decided not to adopt noise abatement laws because, you guessed it, bikers bring a lot of money into their town.

Click here to read the full article.

Labels: Arizona Motorcycle Noise, Loud Pipes

I received the following e-mail today from a reader...

HARLEY DAVIDSON INSTALLED SCREAMING EAGLE SLIP ON. THE TONE IS TOO MILD. TOO QUITE. I CAN'T EVEN WAKE MY NEIGHBORS...

MY QUESTION. CAN I REMOVE THE BAFFLES THEN USE THE SCREAMING EAGLE "EFI
RACE TUNER KIT" TO RECONFIGURE MY COMPUTER INJECTION SYSTEM... WILL I RISK HURTING THE BIKE?

Labels: Harley Davidson Parts, Loud Pipes

Bob over at Metric Thunder discusses this question on his blog. He gets questions like this all the time. Interestingly, he gets metric riders wanting to know how to make their bike sound like a Harley.

I guess you have to buy a Harley, to make it sound like a Harley.

If you're obsessed with finding right set up to make your metric bike sound like a Harley, then you'll probably save a lot of money just buying a Harley. This is because you could end up spending several thousand dollars trying to find the right set of pipes, slip on's, baffles, H/C pistons, ignition system, etc.

My first set of aftermarket pipes were a set of 3 inch Hard Kromes, the Staggered Equalizers. They were like $500.00. I also got an aftermarket air box at the same time, and had the whole thing tuned on a Dynometer. I paid something like $800.00 for the whole thing.

It turned out the pipes were really loud. For awhile I liked it because it was better than the nearly silent stock pipes. But after several months, it became really obnoxious, and I ended up hating the pipes.

They also spewed out a lot of "blatty" sound on deceleration. They had baffles in them, but with the pipes being 3 inches wide, the baffles really didn't do much to mute the sound.

I ended up buying the Vance & Hines Powershots. They're not quite as loud as the HKs, but sound much nicer. A little more rumble to them, and no "blatty" on decel. However, the chrome job on the V&H pipes sucks. With about a year of having these pipes, the chrome is peeling off.

If you don't ride often, and ride only to hit the bar, then you might appreciate loud pipes. If you do a lot of riding, you're going to find a mellower pipe much more enjoyable.

Labels: Loud Pipes

An editorial published in the Laconia Citizen notes that an agreement was reached between legislators, police chiefs and concerned riders regarding New Hampshire House Bill 326, a bill that would get tough on bikers with loud pipes.

The original bill was written in such a way to make it much more easier for police officers to bust bikers with loud pipes. The bill was the result of policemen and residents frustrated about not being able to control the noise during Laconia Bike Week.

The law in question, Title XXI, Chapter 266:59-a, as it is written right now, states:

No person shall operate a motorcycle which has a measured noise level of more than 106 decibels on the decibel meter when measured 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45 degree angle while the engine is operating at 2,800 revolutions per minute for one and 2 cylinder motorcycles and 3,500 revolutions per minute for any motorcycle with 3 or more cylinders.

Labels: Laconia Bike Week, Loud Pipes, New Hampshire

As the Daytona Beach Bike Week is about to get underway, the city is placing signs around town asking bikers to respect the folks who live there and try to keep things quiet. According to a report published in the Sun Sentinel:

As thousands of Fat Boys, choppers and other growling motorcycles rumble into Daytona Beach for Bike Week, city workers are posting subtle pleas for quiet disguised as greetings for the 500,000 riders expected here.

The blue signs, shaped like houses, feature the slogan: NO "WAKE" ZONE.

The "O" in "ZONE" is a caricature of a face slumbering happily, which, some residents say, can't be done during the 10-day event if you live in a beachside neighborhood.

Labels: Daytona Beach Bike Week, Loud Pipes

Published today in Citizen Online, a news service in Laconia, New Hampshire, is a report that the New Hampshire State Legislature will hear testimony on a bill to muffle noise coming from motorcycles.

I blogged about this earlier this month.

Today, the House Transportation Committee is scheduled to hear testimony on House Bill 326, which seeks to simplify enforcement of motorcycle noise.

"This isn't really a law enforcement issue; it's the result of a number of complaints in our area," said Portsmouth Deputy Police Chief David Young. "The way the law is written now, it's almost impossible to enforce. We're looking to simplify the process to end the frustration we have in not being able to enforce the law, and at the same time address the concerns of the public."

The bill, sponsored by Rep. MaryAnn Blanchard, D-Portsmouth, would make it illegal for motorcycles to produce a noise level of more than 110 decibels.

The existing law requires that a decibel meter be held 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45 degree angle, while the engine is operating at 2,800 revolutions per minute for motorcycles with one or two cylinders and 3,500 rpms for motorcycles with three or more cylinders.

In order to properly conduct the test, a police officer would need a decibel meter, which Young said many departments do not have. In addition, at least two officers are needed to conduct the test, one to operate the meter and the other to check the rpms.

Labels: Laconia Bike Week, Loud Pipes, New Hampshire

The Associated Press reports that the Legislature in New Hampshire is considering a bill that will outlaw motorcycles with exhaust pipes or engines that produce more than 110 decibels of sound.

Police said the measure would make it easier to enforce noise limits at events like Laconia's annual Bike Week. But enthusiasts said louder engines make a bike flashier and safer because others can hear the machine coming.

Labels: Laconia Bike Week, Loud Pipes, New Hampshire