-------- This is NOT cop bashing so try not to turn it into the wrong idea...just an interesting story I've been keeping up with. Has to do with loud pipes and the beliefs which come with them ----------
.Oakland Motorcycle Cops Stir Controversy with Loud Pipes
Monday June 16, 2008
Civilians are usually the ones getting attention for loud motorcycle exhausts, but this time the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Oakland Police Department-- AKA "Rolling Thunder"-- has re-installed noisy aftermarket pipes onto their fleet of Harley-Davidsons. According to the article, safety concerns spread among the department three months ago when an officer riding with stock pipes was struck by a motorist who claims he didn't hear him coming. The new pipes produce an average of 93 decibels.
MIC spokesman Mike Mount is quoted as saying, "We encourage all motorcycle riders to keep the original low sound levels that meet the ... federal sound limit of 80 decibels." He adds that "It would seem counterintuitive that a law enforcement agency would go against federal standards." Especially considering that recent laws have been clamping down on loud bike exhausts, the Oakland PD's attitude seems to suggest that they are above law, or perhaps that they know something that non law-enforcement types don't.
Are the Oakland PD's loud aftermarket pipes justified, or is this a case of law officers taking advantage of their positions of power? Do you think loud pipes will save officer's lives?
Oh my...too many issues to count, not enough time to address in one post, somebody STOP ME!...
1) It is not "cop bashing" to point out when a department has arbitrarily decided to a) defy the Fed Gov't and b) not live up to the laws which they enforce upon the public and c) actually IMPLEMENT a "safety" measure that has no proven significant effect.
2) Guess the Oakland bikes would be out of compliance in Denver, NYC and all the other communities that have enacted/will enact motorcycle ONLY noise standards or "must be stock pipe" laws.
3) There is no evidence that loud pipes save lives. If I'm mistaken on this point, please advise, but to my knowledge there is no science that indicates that louder is safer when it comes to exhaust. All "evidence" supporting such claims are purely anecdotal.
4) Wanna be safer through noise? Well, if you argue that louder is safer, why not a horn that you can use ONLY when called for that's 120+ db's? It's tough to argue for loud pipes is your horn just goes "beep beep" when real horns are readily available.
5) The number one cause of accidents is....wait for it...drivers! The number one reason drivers cause accidents...you won't believe it...they're unskilled or not paying attention IN SPITE of the fact that driving is the singlemost dangerouse thing that most of us do on a daily basis. Make things as loud as you want, they'll just turn up their stereo so that they won't be disturbed while drinking their coffee and texting 137 of the best friends on their drive to work.
6) Want things safer out there? Here's a few suggestions that have nothing to do with noise and would have WAAAYYY more effect:
a) Make license testing an actual test (it ain't much of test as it stands).
b) Make retesting mandatory every so often (last time I tested was 1987!).
c) Make distracted driving a real crime!
d) Make killing someone else by driving poorly a real crime!
e) Crack down, as in don't tolerate it, on drinking (don't have to be drunk) and driving!
f) Have the cops be accountable for the way THEY drive! Nobody "polices" them and far too many of them abuse that luxury by driving way outside of the law even though they'll ticket us for the most minor or infractions.
g) Make EVERY driver ride a motorcycle for one year before they can get a license for anything with more than two wheels. If everybody experienced two wheels then a) I'll bet there'd be a lot who chose to stay with us and b) those who moved on to cars would be much more atuned to the fact that we're out there and better able to see us when they should be seeing us.
That ain't the end of the list, but it's a good start...feel free to add your own ideas.
Ride well and ride safe but for goodness sake, don't ride loud or you'll align the public against us and they'll take us off the street.
Peace.
