We should all support this move. Anything to reinforce the correlation between Harley Davidson = Motorcycle to the general public is a good thing! Why? Because as long as the vast majority of Harley owners keep the exhausts loud loud loud then the normal civillian will go on believing that motorcycles are loud. So then if we have nice sounding pipes that are louder than stock but not irritating like many Harleys, well then the general public will think our bikes are quiet and we wont be bothered.
As soon as people find out that there are VERY QUIET motorcycles, and that Harleys can be VERY QUIET as well.....we will all have to sound like sewing machines
Chris - I used to think like you - that the HD guys setting the bar so high - or low if you prefer - was a good thing for us.
Then Denver enacted a law saying ANY aftermarket exhaust is illegal, regardless of sound. Any cop can look at your pipes - if it doesn't say e.g. "Honda" on them with the EPA dB blurb, you get a $500 ticket.
I haven't heard of anyone testing this law yet - it's fairly recent. I'm hoping it will be shot down under the 14th Amendment when it's tested.
Then there's the Parking Garages who outlaw ALL motorcycles thanks to the guys with pipes who like to cruise through and set off the alarms. Even my Gold Wing.
Then there's the HOA's who won't let you have ANY bike if you live there, and any visitors have to park outside and walk or taxi in.
I make and sell modified exhausts. One of my best sales features is the ability to set the sound the way you want it. I invented the "silencers" you may have heard about on this board - the rear baffle section modified to fit back into a set of stacks. And my Trombones are patented - plug - in loudness, but you can make em quiet just as fast.
Let the lawmakers run amuck - if you're in the minority, and you don't squawk, blink and they will legislate all your rights away. Join the AMA. And participate in the process - write your congressmen.
