Aftermarket Exhaust and New Rules

[wkid_one]

All this creates is excess work for everyone.  Harley riders are notorious for having one set of pipes for the warrant and another for the road....

What happens here if your bike was supplied with aftermarket parts ex the dealer - are they then liable to 'replace' your mufflers as they supplied a 'non-warrantable' exhaust.

I am essentially fucked with the VTR - they will fail me the minute I drive up - yay!  Time to sell the bike I think

[wkid_one]

Copy of my email to the LTSA....

 

Hello,   

    Just reading the website on the new 'exhaust' law and I have some questions I need answers for if possible for a wider forum of bike riders.

 

1.    It is not true the exhaust 'loudness' laws were already in place, just not readily enforced?

2.    Why include motorcycles where in many instances having a 'louder' exhaust is a statistically proven 'safety' feature from overseas studies.

3.    Why no phase in period?  Many riders and drivers alike have had years without this law and spent countless thousands on their vehicle - yet this is a             blatent disregard for the previous precedent set and allows owners no time to prepare.

4.     Has the LTSA worked with the manufacturers to ensure adequate suppliers of OEM mufflers are available to provide sufficient market when this law is enforced?  If not, you are effectively leaving the population with no means of transport should demand outstrip supply - is there are contingency plan to deal with this?

5.    What if the exhaust is supplied with the bike/car at time of 'original' purchase (ie from new)......is this acceptable?  For example, in my instance, the bike         was supplied with Aftermarket Pipes from the Factory!?

6.    Why didn't the LTSA just introduce Low Volume Certification for exhausts?  Surely if they are manufacturered to ISO and NZ standards, exhaust         quality is not comprised and the certifier can then ensure that the vehicle complies with maximum DBA readings?

7.    Why is the LTSA not just working on DB readings?

7.    In this instance, are 'free' inspections going to be offered to the owners of vehicles who are concerned about their exhaust?

8.    Can I please have any statistical data showing the correlation between loud exhaust and excess speed/dangerous driving?

 

[wkid_one]

Questions and answers (drivers of modified vehicles)

The area of dispute is the word modified.  I have spoken with a solicitor and the argument here is WHO modified it.  I can adequately demonstrate my bike was bought as new with the pipes and supplied to NZ dealers with the Two Bros pipes by the factory - therefore apparently exempting me from the law.

[Motu]

It's a win/win for the likes of Pit Stop who fitted these big bore systems in the first place - now they can charge to fit a replacement as well.OEM systems are only available for NZ assembled or NZ new - jap import systems have to be made.

Bikes are a prob - I think they see this as a way to hit the Harley open pipes with one rule.But a big thousand dollar can with a respectable brand name is a borderline case - I'm not looking forward to my first one.

[Motu]

I made my own mufflers,sound ok to me - on the fringe here.

[wkid_one]

It seems to me to be a case of attacking the minority by legislating the majority.....a typically NZ response to anything that goes wrong.  We have seen so much of it lately - prime example number one - Dogs off leashes! 

To me this could have been better dealt with in a variety of ways;

1. More 'controlled facilities' for so called boy racers to vent their desires

2. LVC rather than green stickers/warrants

to name a couple.

However, I am still at a loss as to how 'loud exhaust' = dangerous driving.  My explaination is it is just another way for the police to reach their 3 contacts per hour.

Fuck'm all - I am taking the slipons off the bike and riding around with no mufflers on at all - see how they like that!

[Coldkiwi]

I agree... its a load of arse that just means people are going to have to hold on to their standard pipes when they get an aftermarket one! (hey, maybe the prices will drop on those!? (silver lining?).

Its just going to be a pain to switch them over for the warrant. If the HD boys can do it so can I.

I'll be very interested to hear if LTSA have any response to the assertion that noise levels were already in place. They probably didn't even know....

 

 

[aff-man]

Would be interesting to know what i should do my vt's old exhaust was rusting,dented and generally crap looking so after numerous visits bikeshops all i could find that wasn't to expensive was a 400 exhaust of course the bike is heaps louder and stuff.But what about the guys with bigger,older bikes who have replaced exhaustes but now they arn't make anymore or will cost a small fortune for a modified one ???? Or if we have the old one but it looks crap do we have to use it.The cosmetic value of an exhaust on a motorcycle is also quite a bit more that a car and i doubt anyone thought of that.And what exactly is the law doing sure it lets the extaordinarilly light sleepers sleep but as to racing wouldn't a bike that goes 250kph with an after market exhaust now go 249kmph so i would be interested to know what exactly they are trying to prevent????????????

[Slim]

I don't know what it's like in Auckland, but on a still Friday or Saturday night in Hamilton, you can hear the boy racers cruising the main street for hours on end, from miles away. I'm not a light sleeper, and this doesn't bother me (hell, on a quiet night you can hear the trains at Frankton Junction, all the way from my place - what're they gonna do about that???)

But some fool decided to turn an old building on the main street into a bloody pricey hotel and not upgrade the windows for noise control, so they're probably one of the loudest voices, locally, FOR this new legislation.




I think we've missed our chance. Submissions were called for on this law some time ago, but because we all assumed they were only talking about cars, we didn't look into it and therefore never realised the serious implications for us as motorcycle owners.

It'll certainly be interesting when we next go for WOF, that's for sure.

[wkid_one]

Interesting Article from Australian Site (Motorcycle Council) - do our people do any legislative research??

http://www.roadsafety.mccofnsw.org.au/a/40.html

There comments - any proposed reduction in motorcycle exhaust noise needs to be looked at very carefully!!!!!

 

 

[Slim]

It would appear, from the NZ Police website, that the noisy exhaust problem is low on their priorities.

Check: http://www.police.govt.nz/service/ro...cerdetails.php where the last point (#21) states: "The existing legislation regarding noisy vehicles will continue to apply."

I've checked out the LTSA site, but I can't find the details which WOF inspectors will be adhering to. Anyone spoken to their local bike dealer who's a WOF issuer??

What is a Green Sticker? If one is issued one of these, can one ride/drive ones vehicle home and thence to the WOF station?

[Slim]

I think I've answered my own question after further searching on the Police site:

2. Vehicle that does not Comply with Regulations or Rules (Green Sticker)

Where you believe on reasonable grounds that a vehicle does not comply with the provisions of the regulations or the rules, issue a Green Sticker under Section 115 (1) of the Land Transport Act 1998. The vehicle may continue to be driven to reach a specified place for repair or may continue to be driven for a given time or under limitations as to speed or route or otherwise ( A breach of this order is enforceable)

3. Vehicle that does not Comply with Regulations or Rules (Verbal or Written Direction other than Green Sticker)

Where a minor defect is found that does not warrant the vehicle being inspected for a warrant of fitness or certificate of fitness, issue a verbal direction or a written direction on a TON to direct the vehicle to a place for repairs.

[Motu]

Originally posted by Slim


I've checked out the LTSA site, but I can't find the details which WOF inspectors will be adhering to. Anyone spoken to their local bike dealer who's a WOF issuer??

ALL wof inspectors - anyone who issues a wof to a vehicle with a noisy or non standard exhaust risks a visit from the LTSA Performance Review team...who will revoke their licence to issue wofs.If you find some stupid inspector who will give you a wof with an illegal system - give him all the custom you can...we don't want him on our team - they give us a bad name.

[Slim]

Originally posted by Motu
ALL wof inspectors - anyone who issues a wof to a vehicle with a noisy or non standard exhaust risks a visit from the LTSA Performance Review team...who will revoke their licence to issue wofs.If you find some stupid inspector who will give you a wof with an illegal system - give him all the custom you can...we don't want him on our team - they give us a bad name.

But what exactly constitutes an illegal exhaust?

It seems to me, that modified exhausts are legal, if they're no louder than the original, but how does one determine that?


Wkid_One - I've just been talking to Boyd Honda & they reckon the VTRs weren't imported (or approved by the LTSA) with the Two Brothers exhausts on them. The exhausts were either installed by the dealers themselves or possibly the importer. Your arguement may not hold up.

If a vehicle is failed because of the exhaust, it's apparently up to the owner to then prove their exception.

[wkid_one]

It is all yet open for discussion - as Honda imported the bikes and are the manufacturer and are SOLD with the pipes, apparently this gives me legal grounds for a position. 

Until the position is demonstrated we won't know.  I am taking the VTR in to the testing station tomorrow to get their opinion on the bike and its exhaust.  The bike shop who serviced the bike indicated the pipes were not a problem regarding warrant which is a good indicator.

Re your point Slim - yes it may be low on the priority of the POLICE, but those conducting warrants may have it on a completely different priority list.  The police won't bother with noisy exhausts as they know everyone needs to get a new warrant every 6 months and will ultimately catch everyone that way.