No Warm Welcome For Motorcycles In National Parks

[tshelfer]

And I'll concede that noise IS relative to some extent. What's tolerated on a freeway at noon could be a lynching offense in your neighborhood at 7am Saturday morning. This thread, after all, is about National Parks (or as somebody suggested, ALL parks, not about anyplace else.

People who go to National Parks don't go there to listen to noise. Yeah I know - the parks are crowded and it seems a bit oxymoronic (is that a word?) that hoards of people are complaining about crowds and noise. But why are the people there? Because the park is beautiful. Because they crave nature, beauty, a sense of outdoor freedom, and being away from it all. And now all these people are crammed into this park looking for the same thing, and it takes a bit of consideration and common sense for that to work. For the most part, it DOES work, even in the mid-summer crowds.

Unfortunately, it only takes one camper with a 40 year old Onan generator rumbling for 8 hours to turn a campground from a paradise into a nightmare. It only takes one group of idiots who listen to their truck's 500-watt stereo system while drinking beer in their campsite ruin the day for 300 other people. And it only takes one bike with an unrestricted muffler to make everybody else miserable because that hedonistic jerk thinks his rights trump common decency and courtesy.

Have a generator on your camper. But learn to use it for 15 minutes a day for a quick battery topping instead of running it for hours; better yet, come to a National Park prepared to do some rustic camping.

Have a little music in your campground. But use a small radio on your picnic table and use this simple rule: stand across the street from your campground and listen. Can you hear the radio? Then so can others. Turn it down. Better yet, join the 21st century and try these amazing inventions called earbuds. You wear them when you ride, surf, skateboard, mow the lawn; you can't wear them in a campground?

Have a bike with loud pipes. Enjoy it on a noisy street or freeway where people like me won't be crazy about it, but we'll make allowance for it in the context of where you're driving. But for heaven's sake, don't bring it to a national park where you'll scare the animals, annoy the rangers, and make the other guests miserable.

[tmanv2krider]

It is possible to be courteous with louder pipes. I have seen a few guys on harleys actually be respectful and not rev their motors so hard their vance and hines take off to the moon, and their push rods and pistons go for mars...

Sadly not all guys with loud bikes can be this respectful because usually it has nothing to do with liking the sound, but wanting to be obnoxious and annoying. Sounds like a teenage girl doesn't it?

[hardybaker]

And while we are talking about loud noise in parks, some of us don't think that all those "little darlings," kids that is, that can be heard six campsites over, are cute. Boy scouts included. Put a muffler on them too.

[Gravel Guy]

Originally Posted by hardybaker

And while we are talking about loud noise in parks, some of us don't think that all those "little darlings," kids that is, that can be heard six campsites over, are cute. Boy scouts included. Put a muffler on them too.

Not MY little punkins...they're angels!!

[Desert Skies]

Originally Posted by hardybaker

And while we are talking about loud noise in parks, some of us don't think that all those "little darlings," kids that is, that can be heard six campsites over, are cute. Boy scouts included. Put a muffler on them too.

Not to mention those holed up in their toy-haulers, sawing away, so loud the roof vents rattle.

[tshelfer]

Sawing????

[Desert Skies]

Originally Posted by tshelfer

Sawing????

[Gravel Guy]

Originally Posted by tshelfer

Sawing????

Sawing logs!!! Beemer Bob's a member of THAT group!!
Me....I've never heard MYSELF snore?????

[wanabeguru]

Originally Posted by weekend_warrior

State parks do have noise limits for off-road and have a for a while now. Less than 96 decimals. Not really that bad and still actually fairly loud. If you can trim that down by just 5 dBM than the noise you will hear will actually be 50% less. Noise is definalty not an issue where I ride now, but I do race in the SHNF every now and then as well as other areas where noise can be sensative.

I actually put a flow master on my last truck to get rid of the duals and glass packs. While it sounded great it was way loud. The exhaust on my current truck may get modified, but likely not until the stock system needs replacing or unless I can find something that sounds good and is not that loud. The flow master I had was a little deeper and not very loud at all unless it was crazy high in the RPMs.

The only reason I would switch on my V-strom or KTM is to shave weight up high. Likely something that looks better than the stock can on V-strom, but is lighter and has a quiet insert. A little more noise would be OK, but I don't want to rattle the neighbors as I ride by for a nice cruise or commute to work early in the morning. It's all about finding the right balance to make it sound good while riding, look decent, and be quiet enough not to annoy those around you.

I've been ride a sewing machine sounding bike since 07 and I've not felt the need for a loud pipe to save my life at all.

Thats either a really small number..........or a really large one! Sorry, couldn't resist.
did you mean this?
1dBm = 0.001258925W

So the power conversion of dBm to watts is given by the formula:

P(W) = 10(P(dBm) / 10) / 1000 = 10((P(dBm) - 30) / 10)
I think the rule of thumb is: for every 3dB change[up or down] there is a corresponding 50% change in POWER.
YMMV or in this case YSLMV[sound level]

[wanabeguru]

Kidding aside, I have been quoted in a cycle mag as saying this: if we don't police ourselves we are going to be forced to via new laws. do we really want that? I don't. I agree with Tim-how about some consideration for the folks around you.

[The Bruce]

My recent experience in park camping; the worst thing was a barking dog. Leave your little yapper at home or put a muffler on it.

[DaveC]

I want my own park in the mountains.

[swoody126]

wonder how many of those noise makers are US FOREST SERVICE APPROVED, as in SPARK ARRESTORS?

JUST A PONDERMENT

[Gravel Guy]

Originally Posted by DaveC

I want my own park in the mountains.

....where it's 49 at night......

[tshelfer]

Actually, I find it pretty easy to find places to camp & hike in Colorado where we're pretty much alone. But you won't find it inside a national park.

[Scorch]

Originally Posted by Red Brown

We don't like loud pipes...that seems to be the consensus on TWTEX.

RB

Loud pipes are ok with me, as long as I don't have to hear them

it's a FEW disrespectful bikes with uncaring owners making the rest of us (sound) bad

That pretty much is my point.

[Xdriver]

Originally Posted by The Bruce

My recent experience in park camping; the worst thing was a barking dog. Leave your little yapper at home or put a muffler on it.

Can i get a witness from the congregation.

[philipbarrett]

Originally Posted by weekend_warrior

just 5 dBM than the noise you will hear will actually be 50% less

6dB actually.

[rickmillertx]

This will become a mute point (pardon the pun) in a few years. We will all be riding electric motorcycles.

[Maverick]

How about we just enact laws that we just restrict attendance to national parks to 4+ wheels (figuring RV's trailers and such), no kids under X age, no generators, no pets, no bikes, no nothing that might offend the sensibilities of anyone that may OR may not be having a picnic or walk in the park. We could also rule out all radios, whether installed or not in a vehicle as well as sorting through the music collection to ensure that there isn't ANY music that someone might find offensive. But wait, we banned the radios.

Let's burn a few books while we are at it.

If I come off a little harsh, then good, I pretty much intended to. Let me relate a little story.

I live in the middle of 125 acres and have an Ice House about 1/4 mile away and the Houston Soaring Club (gliders) have a field less than a mile away. My Brother, on one of his 4 or 5 trips a year heard the pull up plane and griped that they should be shut down because of the noise. I answered that I live here and I don't have an issue with it.

When the Ice House is too loud and I can make out the lyrics from the song, I call the owner and he turns it down/closes doors. We have that agreement. When the pull planes for the gliders are so loud overhead that you can't be heard, I simply stop talking for the Life Long length of 2 minutes, then resume. They are enjoying their sport just as I do, or you do, when we ride.

If they are passing through, let them enjoy their sport just as you do, if they are burning out and being a general nuisance, then call the rangers or law enforcement. Or maybe I've just detuned myself from society that 2 or even 5 minutes isn't that bad in my life to take a break. There are some people that I actually wish a plane would fly over when they talk.

Pick your battles carefully. It may come down to ALL 2 wheeled motorized or quads may be banned.

And for the record, my TL was as loud as most of the Harley's I ride with, far louder than my Shadow and had the added benefit of shooting out a 3 foot flame when I rapped it hard enough.

Aren't there better things to talk about?