Ear-splitting motorcycle noise is more than a nuisance — it’s a public health hazard and a destroyer of property value. The nonprofit organization Noise Free America is fighting back on behalf of America’s peace and quiet with a new book, Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems: A Reference for Law Enforcement Officers and Motor Vehicle Inspectors (Quill Driver Books, paperback, 100 pages, $14.95).
Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems is a visual spotters’ guide that helps police officers and vehicle inspectors easily identify one of the worst noise offenders on the road — aftermarket modified motorcycle exhaust systems.
Motorcycle manufacturers equip new motorcycles with exhaust systems that meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for noise suppression. Excessive and illegal motorcycle noise is caused by modified, aftermarket exhaust systems that don’t meet EPA standards. These modified exhaust systems can be identified by sight alone.
Illustrated throughout with color photographs of illegal modified exhausts, “Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems” offers police officers and vehicle inspectors easy identification of illegal exhaust systems, providing unequivocal photographic evidence for a citation that will stand up in court.
Just 5 by 7 inches and 100 pages, this slim volume is the perfect size to be carried in police cars and police duty bags, providing easy on-the-street identification of illegal modified motorcycle exhausts. “Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems” is also available in e-book formats for easy use on police car computers.
Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems isn’t just for police officers — it’s a fantastic tool for ordinary citizens who want to advocate for quieter neighborhoods.
Boston Globe columnist Scott Lehigh has written that if citizen groups advocating for quiet are met with police objections that it’s difficult to distinguish illegal motorcycle exhausts, “You could recommend — or even give — to your local police the handy-dandy new Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems. It’s chockablock with pictures and advice on relatively easy ways to tell compliant from noncompliant exhaust systems.”
Excessive noise is a serious public heath issue. High noise levels are associated with hearing loss, heart disease, sleep deprivation, chronic fatigue and ringing in the ears. Loud noise also damages communities and reduces property values. Guide to Modified Exhaust Systems offers communities a practical tool to protect their health and property.
Submitted by Noise Free America:
Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet is the nation’s most prominent anti-noise organization, focusing on excessive noise from motorcycles, loud car stereos, and leaf blowers. Noise Free America has dozens of chapters in around 25 states. Noise Free America has been featured in more than 350 media stories, including on 20/20, CNN, and NPR, as well as in Time magazine, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. For more information, visit motorcyclenoise.org.
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor represent the writers’ opinions and not necessarily those of Daily North Shore. We encourage readers to post Letters to the Editor — please use this link to do so.