We listened, now kindly naff off...

[Drunken Monkey]

As a semi-active part of the motor vehicle industry 'lobby', I was involved with a number of written submissions to the LTSA in respect to their changes on exhaust noise rules. Although at the time I was specifically working with performance car enthusiasts, this rule also specifically effected me (and others here) as performance bike enthusiasts. Some of you may have heard the musical bark of the graves pipe on my gixxer...

Well, we have heard their final word - excerpt below:

"What was the result of consultation on exhaust noise?

The issue of vehicle exhaust noise drew the most interest during consultation. Many of the submissions were from vehicle enthusiasts who put forward a range of views. The Land Transport Safety Authority also consulted with the exhaust system industry."

Oh, that sounds interesting. Maybe someone at the LTSA may have come to their senses. Well it sounds like they actually care what we think...

It continues...

"The rule carries over and clarifies exisitng legislation. This requires that a modified exhaust system should not be noticeably and significantly louder than the original equipment."

i.e. F**k off, we don't actually care what your piddly little lobby group thinks anyway, we're going ahead with a rule that has nothing to do with SAFETY anyway (seeing as we are actually the Land Transport Misinformation Authority) to please a bunch of old codgers that don't like 'boy racers' merely because they vote for our bosses. And damn all the other people that get effected by the fallout...

The only positive note was:
"This is a subjective test, but an objective noise test for New Zealand will be developed as part of a revised Emissions Rule due to be developed in 2004/05"

Well, at least they admit that a subjective test is balls, and they intend to do something about it.

I don't know about you fellas, but I think seeing as we're hard enough for cage drivers to SEE, I would also like to give them an opportunity to possibly HEAR me coming before they cut me off.

pfffttt...

[duckman]

Nice writeup,

I got the same "blurb" in the mail yesterday and after reading it three times ... Gave up and had a drink.

So thank you for clearing that up.

[Two Smoker]

I can give you a situation where my loud exhuast actually saved me....

I was going up Hillsborough Road, and changed lanes into lane 1, i did nothing wrong and was ACTUALLY DOING THE SPEED LIMIT (shock horror)..... i was passing a 4x4 on the inside lane (as they were going slow as hell) when he decided to change lanes ontop of me because he didnt check his blind spot, i dropped it into second red lined it and popped the clutch, as soon as he heard my "beast" he instantly stopped the manuvoure and moved back into lane 2....

Ah the wonder of loud exhausts.......

[Coldkiwi]

yup.. got one too. I was going to post about it but when all I could say is ' hey fellas guess what, we're getting shafted still', I lost a bit of enthusiasm. Thanks for doing it anyway DM!

definitely a below par performance from the LTSA. Whats the next step to be taken??

[Motu]

Push any harder and the next step is that it will have to pass some international,like manufacterers noise test - let's go for that eh?

[F5 Dave]

In reality unless your pipe is facing forward they are not going to hear you so I think that is a mute argument (no pun intended).

What sucks is the number of vehicles that become uneconomic to continue to run as who the heck can afford genuine exhaust systems.

We are becoming ridiculously overrun with regulations that are almost as draconian as German TUVs. When it get to the stage where there are certain homologated tires you can run for your model then it is time to go postal.

Personally I think that noise will always be an issue & the quieter we can be the less they will pick on us. Esp. dirt bikes should repack their mufflers regularly if we want to keep the land. Aftermarket road mufflers can benefit from that Silent sport ‘stringy wool’ type muffler packing. You can blame the kids in their shopping-cart hatchbacks (odd how mum’s car has become cool 10 years down the track) with 4” pipes on the back driving around suburbia late at night pedal-to-the-floor keeping the lawmakers awake at night for all this.

Before you bleat that I’m siding with them, my YZF has a V&H SS2R full system so it does border on obnoxious if you open the throttle in urban areas (so I try to save that for rural), so I have a vested interest.

[Wenier]

i definitely agree that it is safer for us to have loud exhaust, cause as two smoker said it can save you. I for one think this makes me noticeable around here since the cagers really are that bad.

[F5 Dave]

You're fooling yourself. They sit in their airconditioned box with the stereo going, the only time they can hear you is when you pass or it is too late.

[Wenier]

Before you bleat that I’m siding with them, my YZF has a V&H SS2R full system so it does border on obnoxious if you open the throttle in urban areas (so I try to save that for rural), so I have a vested interest.

I hope u do realise that most people who live in a rural area also get pist off when they hear ppl bootin it down the road they happen to live on (sound travels well out here), but then quite a few of them have gotten use to it and dont actually care too much, unless the fool doing it crashes into their paddock (happens alot jus down the road from where i live).

[F5 Dave]

Of course, but generally speaking farmers aren't legislators. + we are only doing it during daylight hours & nothing pisses people as much as when they get woken up & it disturbs the kids etc.

[Wenier]

round here it tends to happen at night, bloody ricers round here, and they always go off into this one paddock quite funny really. good to go down and laugh at them because if they knew the road theyd never crash there

[speedpro]

round here it tends to happen at night, bloody ricers round here, and they always go off into this one paddock quite funny really. good to go down and laugh at them because if they knew the road theyd never crash there

Excellent! (Monty Burns)

[dangerous]

In reality unless your pipe is facing forward they are not going to hear you so I think that is a mute argument

Sorry Dave but that line of yours is crap (IMHO)
I watch people sudenly look around as they here me comming and I know they cant see me in there mirrors cos I cant see them in it, and yes of course if there stero if redlining they may not here anything.

Now as an example there is a VTR that splits past me on the way home most nights and up till one week ago he had the stock cans on and I would NOT here him comming....... however he now has Remus cans on and I DO here him comming from at least 3 cars back, and FWIW his cans point rearwards

[What?]

I got the same "blurb" in the mail yesterday and after reading it three times ... Gave up and had a drink.

Me too.

[FROSTY:Me]

Sorry guys I think you're all missing the point here.
They don't give a fuck about our safety Thats reality.
We either like it or lump it.
They care more about splitting a fingernail than they do about one of us ending up in hospital.
The noise laws are to "protect" the majority of the population from us reckless louts.