California - BENICIA -- Most bikers cherish the freedom to replace factory-installed mufflers with louder pipes.
Louder motorcycles, after all, draw more attention on the road, and that makes motorcycles less prone to collisions -- or so the argument goes.
Others, however, disagree. Including Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson.
Patterson is asking the City Council to go on record in support of proposed state legislation to require smog checks for motorcycles.
A major aspect of the controversial legislation is that it would require bikers to have their exhaust systems checked every two years for illegal, "after-market" parts.
But the bill -- which narrowly passed the state Senate on June 1 -- must go through the Assembly, where it is expected to be heavily amended and changed.
The smog-check requirement may never see the light of day, said an aide for the bill's author.
Nevertheless, Patterson sees the fight as something worth backing -- at the risk of raising the ire of a powerful motorcycle industry.
Patterson said the bill addresses two public health issues for Benicia and other cities: Air pollution and noise.
She said she's talked with about 20 bikers in town about the noise issue, "and some said, 'Get used to it.' "
"Noise is a public health issue and it gets really short shrift," Patterson added. "The (bill's) angle on air-pollution is going to solve two problems."
At the factory, motorcycles are equipped with factory-installed exhaust systems that mute noise.
Louder motorcycles, however, many times have had their exhaust systems modified or replaced with after-market parts.
The Environmental Protection Agency certifies acceptable noise emission at 80 decibels for motorcycle tailpipes. The agency has found that modified systems often exceed 100 decibels.
Dustin Miller, sales manager at Harley-Davidson of Vallejo, which serves a number of Benicia customers, said "louder pipes save lives."
"Most people don't see motorcycles or watch for them" on the road, Miller said, adding that he has installed a louder muffler on his Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
The Harley-Davidson shop only installs certified parts, Miller said. But he said a number of "chop shops" install "after-market" parts.
"I understand where (the bill's supporters) are coming from," he said. But like many other bikers, he remains opposed to it.
"I don't see it as a problem," Miller said of noisy bikes. "I hear import cars and they are just as loud as the bikers are."
The legislation by Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, passed the Senate on June 1 by a vote of 22-17.
It has moved to the Assembly, where it may not see action for months.
Meantime, the City Council will consider the resolution backing the measure on Tuesday.
Disclaimer: The opinions in this article are solely those of the writer, and may not reflect the beliefs of anyone at Outlaw Biker World.
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