I saw a guy the other day just sitting on Fayetteville St revving the motor on his Motorcycle just to show the people he was talking with how loud it was. It is disruptive to the restaurants with outdoor seating to have somebody just intentionally making ear shattering noise. I see no difference in loud motorcycles and people just doing burnouts in the street.

I am often so startled by the noise. It hurts my ears. Babies downtown will burst into tears. Why would motorcycles have sounds louder than sirens? There is no life or death situation just some crazy ego that needs attention.

I agree with and support the statement.

This issue has been sent to the Downtown District Station for review, an update will be posted when we hear back from them.

I agree that many motorcycles are unnecessarily loud, but the excessive noise doesn't stop there. Many people have modified their vehicles so that they make as much noise as possible. It's not happening just in downtown; it's happening on all our roads. I for one am tired of being awakened at 3 in the morning by a neighbor who has some modified muffler on his truck.

A positive solution to motorcycle noise pollution would be for North Carolina to adopt and enforce the federal noise standards. Most motorcycles made after 1982 must have an EPA noise compliant exhaust with a clearly visible label embossed into the muffler that certifies such. It's already illegal under federal law to replace the noise compliant exhaust with one that isn't compliant or to tamper with the legal muffler to make more noise. California has such a law that went into effect on Jan. 1 and will over time, improve the situation. Of course, residents of North Carolina could join North Carolina Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles (NCCALM) which has a Facebook page.

Adopting the Federal Noise Standards for highway motorcycles would result in allowing 100% of all owners the legal freedom to significantly raise volumes (across all engine speeds) by modifying the standard noise controls. When a state or local jurisdiction creates a noise control law that allows owners to raise volume, it will be impossible to enforce any general muffler regulation by field measuring sound "levels". The most important factor to control excessive noise, is to prohibit the ability to raise standard volumes by use of any reasonable enforcement method. The revised law must institutionally demand a defendant provide empirical evidence that modification of the manufacturers noise controls have not raised volumes, by the Comparison Measurement method offered in Appendix A.3 of the Society of Automotive Engineers Motorcycle Sound Enforcement Measurement Test included in one parameter of the J1287 procedure. Testing two exhaust on the same motorcycle to compare direct sound output will define if the standard highway motorcycle controls are retained for the purpose of an affirmative defense. Police are then free to use any reasonable cause to stop obvious violators and any reasonable doubt the physical equipment is in violation. Traffic Court judges would be free to use this empirical data to either reverse the charges or find the defendant guilty by not providing the required evidence.

Compliance with the federal law for motorcycles would not result in a glut of excessively loud motorcycles, it would, in fact, result in quite the opposite. If that were not true, the motorcycle lobby would not be so vehemently opposed to having the federal law enforced. The state must require highway motorcycles to be equipped as the state law states; " equipped with
a muffler, or other exhaust system of the type installed at the time of manufacture", and for motorcycles that is an EPA compliant exhaust system required by federal law. Some people are confused as to the laws and regulations that apply to motorcycles. Some people want to confuse the public and state officials as to the meaning and intent of the applicable laws. No need to be confused or allow yourselves to be confused by those who don't want to be compelled to comply with the laws. The law is the law and should be enforced and complied with. If it is, the motorcycle noise problem has a much better chance to be controlled than if it isn't.

Thank you Larry for posting a common sense and truthful statement about motorcycle noise pollution. There's no question that it's the very widespread violations of the federal noise law that has resulted in countless neighborhoods, communities, public parks and other places to become dominated by illegally loud motorcycles. It's nonsense of course, for anyone to say that compliance with the federal noise law would result in more motorcycle noise pollution when it's obvious that compliance would result in exactly the opposite.

Unfortunately, Andy, common sense doesn't always prevail with some law makers and law enforcers, and certaily, never prevails among the "bikers rights" segment of the motorcycling community or their advocates. I hope that citizens of North Carolina who are fed up with excessively loud motorcycles will join North Carolina Citizens Against Loud Motor-vehicles (NCCALM). They have a facebook page. Those interested should check in and join NCCALM in it's effort to lobby the state to put a stop to the illegal tampering that is the root cause of the problem.

Noise Control advocates promoting the adoption of the federal law are the ones confused. The maximum noise output a standard highway motorcycle makes is determined more by the purposeful design by its manufacturing design team, even if it just barely meets the federal standard, with the majority greatly exceeding the standard, then by complying with the maximum decibel standard stated in federal law. Therefore any local enforcement of the federal standard, must allow modifications or customizations that could significantly raise volumes, while still meeting the federal standard. Harley Davidson cooperate noise control attorneys admitted to this fact during Maine's working group meeting, by stating their replacement exhaust and air-intake systems, or engine management equipment is designed to significantly INCREASE volume and change timbre of their products that are designed to significantly exceed output of the standard model. If one compliant engine component is changed on a HD the Federally Legal exhaust is then non-compliant for local law, with no means of effective enforcement. The public is not interested in "levels" of legal sound increase allowances, or are police interested in determining "levels" in enforcement methods. The glut of loud motorcycles that would permeate the landscape by enforcement efforts of a federal law, would exist because 100% of all motorcycle models could have volumes legally raised, because the federal law allows in 205.162 the loophole to modify as long as the standard is not exceeded. The 52 dB(A) 2013 Honda model could be modified with Federal Exhaust to more then triple its sound pressure energy. This means sound measurement in enforcement must occur by numerical decibel thresholds. Sound measurement in enforcement is WHAT the motorcycle lobby wishes. Removing the ability to raise a volume (an ACT) is what the motorcycle lobby is against. Enacting the federal law would provide a legal means to raise volumes on 100% of all motorcycle models with no possible effective enforcement method. Advocating for local muffler regulations to adopt the Federal Law would result in more noise, not less. Try to prove me wrong on any model motorcycle that registers full noise output during the required pass-by test, that reports to Washington 10 to 20 decibels under 80 dB(A). No legitimate advocate against raising levels is for more noise, even if the max output meets the impossible standard to quantify or qualify. They are for keeping the standard quo. The only way to enforce the status quo is to prohibit the "ACT" of raising volumes. ACTS can be enforced. Levels can not be mitigated during enforcement. The level-failure-evidence is clearly represented by the 85% of modified motorcycles operating on public roads. I advocate to prohibit the act to raise volumes on 100% of new highway motorcycles, and you advocate they ability to significantly raise volumes on 100% of all motorcycles. Like minded people find my explanation sensible and yours confusing.

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I think this issue is right up there with the Roosters as far as noise. There are already some laws that address the motorcycles. Now if we could get some enforcement from RPD. I would be willing to call 911, but the motorcycles are gone by the time the officers arrive. It's clear from the posts that we are sick of these thoughtless loud motorcycle people. Mr Allen, could you help us out here? Thanks.

Jo-I doubt rooster noise compares. North Carolina's citizens are victims of billions of noise events each year from purposely ridden loud bikes. Here is how.
85% (MIC) of North Carolina's 95,000 (DOT)registered motorcycles have been modified to raise volumes = 8075 bikes, travel (US Dept Tran) 1,800 miles per year =145,350,000
past 189 people (US Census) living per square mile=274,471,150,000 nuisance noise events per year

I doubt rooster noise in North Carolina equals:
twenty-seven billion, four hundred seventy-one million, one hundred fifty thousand, excessive noise events in the soundscape from motorcycles modified to raise standard volumes.

Jo, I don't think Mr. Alden will be able to help you. As you can see, he is telling you that the federal law that regulates motorcycle noise emissions and their exhasut systems is useless. He is quite wrong about that.

Jo, Mr. Alden is not going to help you, and you will have a very tough time getting the RPD to enforce the city's noise ordinance against those loud motorcycles. As you have already found out, they have no clue whatsoever how to go about it. What is needed is to have the state law, the federal law, enforced at the annual inspection to at least weed out a lot of those loud motorcycles in the first place. To get that done, the state law has to be made more precise and the DMV has to properly inspect motorcycle exhasut systems. If you want do more than just complain to the RPD, who, as you know, is not likley to do anything, you should join NCCALM in it's effort to have the state get on the ball and mute those loud motorcycles. Let us know if you want to help. Check in to our facebook page, or contact us at nccalm@yahoo.com. Nothing's going to change unless we change it, and we need your help to do that. The more citizens that join us, the more influence we will have with the state legislature.

Jo: I agree with Larry. Mr. Alden isn't going to be helpful and if you can get family members, friends, neighbors etc. to join NCCALM and do some work on the legislative level, that should eventually produce some good results.

I imagine that this website will close the case as apparently the City can't do much about it. For the record though, if you live downtown and hear the multitudes riding down the street at all hours with the noise reverberating off the buildings you'll wish it was just roosters! I'm with Andy- the Legislature is the place to get this addressed. If you live near an air base you expect jet noise- but this deliberate noise pollution in downtown Raleigh is not acceptable. The bikers need to be considerate or go somewhere else.

Katie, and I address my comment to all city residents who are fed up with unnecessary motor vehicle noise, you're right about the need to have this problem addressed in the legislature and by the state (DMV,Highway Patrol). I assume you are a North Carolina citizen, and maybe even a resident of Raleigh or it's suburbs, if so, are you willing to join NCCALM and help do something tangible about those loud motorcycles plaguing your community? NCCALM needs supporters to help lobby the state for change. That means actually going to the State House and talking to legislators. It also means contacting them by phone, email, and by writing letters. NCCALM has already been doing some of that during this legislative session, but we need more people to share the work load. Lobbying the legislature is not difficult. The legislators do not bite, they are very open to hearing your concerns and are happy to talk with you, but you may have to make appointments with them, as they are busy with state business, you're business. NCCALM can show how to effectively lobby the state legislature, and even you're city officials. You just have to ask us and be willing to do some work.

Over the coming summer we need citizens to write letters to the editor and submit stories about the motorcycle noise problem to various media outlets. That is not hard to do at all, but it's too much for just one or two people to do. That will help us prepare for next legislative season which takes place in the winter, at time where people tend to forget about motorcycle noise. You can't afford to be only summertime patriots, you have to stay the course and lobby the state in dead of winter. That is the only way we are to make progress.

Get on facebook and check into NCCALM's facebook page. That is a good place to learn about the motor vehicle noise problem and how to deal with it. Don't be shy. Check in and ask us any questions you have, and be willing to do more than just complain, be willing to act.

Very well said Larry. People need to do some work although not really a lot of work. We obviously need easy to enforce laws that will be effective in changing the abusive behavior of loud riding. And the best law that we could have is to adopt and enforce the federal noise standards.

Jo- The federal law is not useless. I have never suggested that it is. The advocates noise control premise on how to use it is useless.

Raleigh police officers are sworn law enforcement professionals however the courts and statutes have long held that a police officer has to witness a violation. Contrary to some of the comments in this issue, RPD does enforce both laws and local ordinances with regard to this type of violation. RPD has informed patrol officers to make this a priority. This type of offense is hard to catch, just like a speeder. The officer has to be there to notice the violation. Calling RPD does not usually work since the offender will normally be long gone before they arrive, and officers need to be close to take enforcement action on this issue.

Again, it is a priority for the officers here so it they have a clear cut violation, they will take some sort of action. I am closing this issue in SeeClickFix as RPD has responded appropriately by prioritizing enforcement. Thanks for reporting and for all of the commentary.

I'm sure every citizen appreciates the service the RPD does for them. I think it's just that citizens who regularly notice the excessively loud exhaust noise emissions from improperly equipped vehicles (especially illegally altered motorcycles) and are assaulted by the obviously excessive noise they spew out, wonder if the police is giving the problem a high enough priority. Whenever they complain about the problem to the police, they often receive the response " it's hard to catch them in the act"," it's hard to enfocoe the law", "it's hard to prove in court", "it's a low priority". How low is the priority, exactly? Is it higher than zero?

Is there something wrong with the city ordinance? Does the court accept the officer's testimony that a vehicle he observed was indeed emitting "loud or unnecessary grating, grinding, rattling or other noise", or that the vehicle's exhaust was not passed "through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom"?

The citizens want to know if the RPD knows how to make those determinations, and if the DA's know how to get any violations of the law effectively adjudicated? If so, please tell them how many tickets were issued by the RPD for violations of elements (d) and (f) of the city's motor vehicle noise ordnance for the past two years? Also, how may of those tickets were successfully prospected in court? And in particular, how may of those tickets were issued to motorcycles?

We all hope the RPD is enforcing the motor vehicle noise ordinance, but we would like to know how well they are enforcing it. As the RPD says, calling them after the offender has roared by is not the going to produce any results. The police have to witness the violation for themselves. The citizens would like the police to pay more attention to the problem and notice those loud motor vehicles, and ticket them when they do. We agree with the RPD that a retro active approach won't work. It takes a pro-active approach.

Obviously the motorcycle noise problems become more pronounced during the biker weekends. Do the festival organizers and the City talk about the noise ordinance and are the bikers aware? How about signage or advertising that Raleigh has a noise ordinance (and certainly one after a certain hour). Maybe that would deter the bikes that roar through downtown at 2 am on these weekends. You cannot appreciate the sounds unless you live downtown and hear this all night long. Seems to me the City has the option of saying no if these events become too noisy or disruptive.

Katie, the city talks about it's noise ordinance in it's noise ordinance, but motorcyclists who violate noise ordinances do not read or pay attention to the ordinances, or even care about them, unless they find themselves served with a ticket for violating them. Then they care a lot and read the ordinance to look for weaknesses they can exploit in court in order to beat the ticket.

The motorcycle rally organizers are not focused on motorcycle noise issues. They focus on the purpose of the rallies and events they sponsor. If they address the motorcycle noise issue at all, they just ask the attendees to "Throttle Down When in Town", a slogan the motorcycle "rights" lobby uses to pretend that they care about the motorcycle noise problem and make it appear that they are doing something about it. That does not produce any results at all, and never will. The root cause of the problem is not how riders use their throttles, it is caused by how they modify their vehicles. Those "modifications" are done primarily to their exhaust systems to make them loud, and that is illegal. What the motorcycle lobby calls ""modifications" or "customization" is, in reality, called "tampering" by federal and state law, and that tampering is illegal. It doesn't do much good to ask motorcyclists to operate their illegally modified to be loud vehicles quietly. The only effective way to control the problem is to nip it in the bud and target the root cause and to actively enforce the law. That means revising the state law and the way the state inspects motorcycle exhasut systems. It also means revising the state law and city ordinances to make them easier to enforce by police in the field. That is what NCCALM is working on. You should consider joining us and help us help you.

Speaking of motorcycle rallies. There is one planned on April 20th that will enter the city from the west via hwy 64 and converge on the state house. The bikers will be rallying for support of their motorcycle saftey helmet repeal law, a ridiculous and dangerous bill that should not be passed by the state legislature. That rally will present you with a good opportunity to focus the city's attention on the motorcycle noise problem you are concerned about. There are bound to be more than just a few loud motorcycles participating in that rally. I'll also bet that not a single one will be ticketed by the RPD who say loud motorcycles are too hard to catch. Well, the loud motorcycles will be coming to them, and if they bother to pay attention to the obviously loud ones, and ticket them, it will be like shooting fish in a barrel. That's if, they go fishing.

The city has always had the option of enforcing it's noise ordinance and/or the state law. It needs to exercise that option and realize that is has a duty to it's citizens to keep the peace and uphold the rule of law.

To RPD with respect. It should be easy to witness the motorcycle offenders. First they can be heard coming for several blocks. They tend to slow down at stop signs and rev/pop their engines. Also they seem to travel the same routes 3 or 4 times a day. Recently i saw and heard the same motorcycle rider drive by at least 3 times during the hour I was having lunch at
Tir Na Nog. I would be interested to know what the REAL reason is that RPD is not enforcing the noise ordinances. Please consider citing some of these people.

Jo, you make some very good points. Indeed, the police can easily witness loud motorcycles. No doubt, they do every day as you do, but for some reason they hardly ever ticket them.

One reason they give for not ticketing them is that they are hard to catch. By that, the police are saying that they have have to witness the violations in order to "catch" them. What citizens like Jo and Katie find puzzling is, why are the police having so much difficulty witnessing those violations when the citizens of the city have no difficulty witnessing those obviously loud motorcycles? Like Jo says, you can hear them for blocks and they travel the same routes, and they deliberately rev their illicitly modified engines (illegal exhausts) while stopped at red lights. Many of those illegally tampered with motorcycles sound like jack hammers and acoustically stick out like sore thumbs compared to vastly quieter factory equipped motorcycles. And some of those jackhammers on two wheels are equipped with the most blatantly illegal exhaust systems of all, straight pipes. Those are exhasut pipes of constant diameter throughout their entire length (some are curved, but are straight pipes nevertheless) with no mufflers. And a straight pipe with baffles do not constitute a muffler. Those straight pipes can be visually identified even at a distance and are a classic example of a type of motorcycle exhasut systems that is never "installed at the time of manufacture", and is prohibited by NC state law GS 20-128a. A motorcycle equipped with straight pipes can be ticketed under state law by sight alone, even without the engine running or the owner present (easy as it gets).

So why does the RPD and other police departments find it so difficult to witness such obvious violations and ticket the offenders when the riders of obviously loud and illegally equipped motorcycles openly advertise that they are violating the laws that apply to them? That's a good question and one that has to be asked often, and the citizens who ask that question and receive nothing but excuses need to ask more questions and get to the bottom of why those loud motorcycles are not being ticked and legally muted.

Let me give one of those answers. The police have no clue whatsoever of what the state law means or how to go about enforcing it. The local noise ordinances are not adequate and try only to target the noise, not the root cause of the noise. The police cannot prove noise levels in court and have no interest in trying to measure noise levels, which cannot be done accurately in the field anyway, nor should they have to. The police only have to use the obviously excessive noise emissions as probable cause for a stop and ticket the offender, for not only excessively noise, but for an improper exhasut system under GS 20-128a. They would be wise to photograph the exhasut system if they have one of those dirt cheap digital cameras. The offender should be required to have the motorcycle inspected by a state authorized motor vehicle inspector to determine if the exhaust system is indeed "not of the type installed at the time of manufacture", or if it is, has not been tampered with. So there. I've just clued them in. I suggest you do the same with your police departments and support NCCALM's effort to clue the state in on how to effectively deal with this problem.

Right now; sitting in my house with windows and doors closed, i just heard a motorcycle coming for several blocks. Then come down my street. Then he headed toward Fayetteville Street - 6 blocks away. I can still here his faint buzzing as he circles around town. If I was part of RPD, I would be writing him a ticket right now.

Jo, once again you have observed an obviously excessively loud motorcycle violating, not only the city's noise ordinance, but NC state law (GS 20-128a) as well. You observed it, but unfortunately, no officer of the RPD or trooper of the High Way Patrol observed that particular event. However, you can bet many RPD police officers and troopers have observed excessively loud motorcycles, maybe even the very one you observed, but choose to ignore them and did nothing about it, like enforce the law. All they have to do is issue a ticket. A piece of paper for Peat's sake! What's so hard about that? You should ask them that question. I must also point out that loud and illegally modified motorcycles, like the one you observed, pass the state's motor vehicle inspection regularly when they shouldn't, even motorcycles with no mufflers at all (straight pipes).

Tomorrow, 4/20/2013, there will be a large number of motorcycles, maybe hundreds, entering Raleigh and converging on the State House at 1:00 PM to rally support for a ridiculous and very dangerous bill proposing to repeal the state's mandatory motorcycle safety helemt law. I'm sure there will be plenty of illegally modified and excessively loud motorcycles participating in that rally, and plenty of noise to go along with it. There will also be plenty of opportunity for the police to observe excessively loud motorcycles and observe motorcycles illegally equipped with exhasut systems as blatantly illegal as straight pipes. You should call the RPD and inform them of this and complain about any loud motorcycles that you observe tomorrow. If after the rally you find out that the RPD did not issue a single ticket for violation of section (f) of the city's noise ordinance, or the state exhasut system law GS 20-128a, then you will know for sure why so many loud motorcycles are getting away with blasting through your neighborhood on a regular basis. The reason: The police are simply not enforcing the law.

Straight pipes, even if they have baffles, are illegal in most states. Since motorcycle exhausts are out in plain view, it's very easy to see if they lack an expansion chamber. If so, it's an illegal exhaust and it should be very easy to write a ticket that will be upheld in court if a biker chooses to contest it. It would also be very easy for the officer to take a picture of the exhaust and note that on the ticket. While getting the straight pipes off our public roads wouldn't solve the motorcycle noise pollution problem, it would help lessen it.

Several City Council Members are on SCL and get automatic e-mails. Hopefully they will be able to have some influence. Maybe that's why Mr. Allen was fired. At one point, someone posted that he was a motorcyclist and that was why the motorcyclists were allowed to be in violation of the law. I like him. Before SCL, if I had a problem (scary threatening garbage supervisor), one e-mail to Mr. Allen would fix it. I'm going to miss him. I'm not sure why the loud motorcycles are allowed to flourish. They have kind of club or gang that hangs out in front of the Zydeco. Maybe the new NO-Helmet law will help alleviate the motorcycle noise in downtown Raleigh.

If I get a chance, I will ask the new chief why RPD doesn't monitor SCL.

Jo, I assure you that a no helemt law will not alleviate the motorcycle noise in downtown Raleigh. Although some bikers think loud exhaust noise emissions makes them safer, and that safety helmets do not, motorcycle noise emissions have nothing to do with safety helmets other than the fact that motorcycle 'rights' groups like CBA/ABATE of NC do not want the laws enforced or even on the books. Loud bikers get away with disturbing the peace in Raleigh because their unlawful act of tampering is not dealt with at the annual inspection and the state law and the city noise ordinance is not being enforced to any meaningful extent. Just ask the city how many tickets under section (f) of the noise ordinance, or the state law GS 20-128a, was issued to the operators of loud motorcycles for the past two years. Today's helmet law repeal rally will bring a lot of loud motorcycles to the city. When it is over, ask the city how many noise tickets were issued to loud motorcycles. I predict the answer will be zero, even though the number of obviously excessively loud motorcycles converging on the State House will not be anywhere near zero.

The entities that can enforce the current laws are the local police, the highway patrol, and the Division of Motor Vehicles. That problem is, they are not doing a very good job of it, or not doing it at all. The only way to prod them into action is to either lobby them directly, or lobby their superiors (City Council, Mayor, DMV Commissioner, State Legislature, Governor).

North Carolina Citizens Against Loud Motor-vehicles (NCCALM) is lobbying the state legislature for better laws (more comprehensive and clearly stated). They could use help from citizens like you because, as you say, there is strength in numbers. A lot of this problem could be taken care of if the DMV did a better job inspecting motor vehicle exhaust systems for tempering. Right now, we see (and hear) vehicles, especially motorcycles, getting by inspection with improper exhaust systems, even ones as improper as having no mufflers at all. Surely, they can do better than that.

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Disgusted Guest, you are not the only one disgusted by the lack luster enforcement of the state's motor vehicle code. There has even been media stories on that very topic over the years. It has become very clear that the state's annual motor vehicle process is in need of repair, just as the faulty, and in the case of exhaust noise suppression equipment, unlawful, equipment that too often gets the green light from motor vehicle inspectors and is let loose on public highways. This problem is further compound by the lack luster ( non-existent may be a better phrase to use) effort by police in the field to observe and snag obviously excessively loud and improperly equipped motor vehicles that slipped through the annual inspection when they shouldn't have.

There is an organization that is concerned about this as you are. It is called North Carolina Citizens Against Loud Motor-vehicles (NCCALM). They have a facebook page and are engaged in lobbing the state to beef up it's motor vehicle exhaust noise and equipment law and help the DMV get it's exhaust system inspection process in better shape so as to more effectively screen out those unnecessarily loud and improperly equipped motor vehicles. Consider joining NCCALM on facebook and help them address your concern

Again, Raleigh police officers are sworn law enforcement professionals however the courts and statutes have long held that a police officer has to witness a violation. Contrary to some of the comments in this issue, RPD does enforce both laws and local ordinances with regard to this type of violation. RPD has informed patrol officers to make this a priority. This type of offense is hard to catch, just like a speeder. The officer has to be there to notice the violation. Calling RPD does not usually work since the offender will normally be long gone before they arrive, and officers need to be close to take enforcement action on this issue.

Again, it is a priority for the officers here so it they have a clear cut violation, they will take some sort of action. I am closing this issue in SeeClickFix as RPD has responded appropriately by prioritizing enforcement. Thanks for reporting and for all of the commentary.

The Raleigh Police Department has responded and we are closing this issue.

Very good, but please tell us how may tickets have been issued to obviously excessively loud and improperly equipped motorcycles last year, and this year so far. The obviously excessively loud exhaust noise of improperly equipped motorcycles are as clear cut a violation of the city's noise ordinance and state law as it can get, as is the improper equipment that is the root cause of it, especially the easy to spot straight pipes seen and heard on many motorcycles. We are now in the prime riding season for motorcycles. And as the signs along some of our highways says " Watch for motorcycles", "Motorcycles are everywhere". Yes they are, and the loud ones are hard to miss and are crying (roaring) out for some action to be taken. So I repeat my question. How much action has the RPD taken with regard to those impossible to miss loud motorcycles last year and this year so far? We are waiting for an answer (a number sustainably greater than zero), and if we don't receive that answer, we can only take that answer to be zero. And if that proves to be the case, we would again ask why?

This issue has received a response. It is being closed AGAIN!

The Motorcycles are deafening around Moore Square tonight at this very minute. This is a problem that COR has chosen to ignore. Whether the issue is opened or closed, the motorcycles are in violation of the noise ordinance and enforcement is not a priority for RPD.

Jo, by the answer we received from the COR to my last question, I think it verifies your conclusion that it's enforcement priority for loud motorcycles in violation of the city's noise ordinance and state law is zero. That conclusion is based on yours and other citizens observations and the response of the person who is answering our inquires for the city. The RPD and City Council has to be asked the question directly and their response has to be documented on paper. That information can be of help in showing the state legislature that this problem (loud motorcycles) is not being taken care of by local law enforcement and that it is vital that the state do something about the problem itself and assign it a priority much greater than zero.

Jo, do you think the police would have a hard time "catching" those loud motorcycles hanging around Moore Square? I think not. But the police surely cannot hope to catch them if they are not there or even try. That problem, having to "catch" loud motorcycles by reluctant police who probably wouldn't know what to do if they caught them, does not exist at the annual motor vehicle inspection. The loud, and therefore, illegally equipped motorcycles come to the inspectors and NCCALM can help the state instruct the DMV what to look for. Then maybe the reluctant police in the field won't have to worry about having to "catch" so many loud motorcycles that they are not even trying to catch at all.

Get the city's response to the million dollar question: How many tickets were issued to loud motorcycles last year, and this year so far? We need the answer in writing directly from the city and RPD. I hope someone in Raleigh will take on that assignment and send the information to NCCALM.

It's obvious that this police department, and most police departments across the country, aren't interested in reining in illegally loud motorcycles. We have heard endless excuses from various police departments why they can't do anything about motorcycle noise pollution. The comments that many readers have posted here is telling us that the problem is continuing which means that the police chief doesn't want to take any enforcement action at this time. Until the chief decides to take effective action, Raleigh will continue to be plagued with loud bikes.

I still am hearing occasional motorcycles, but it doesn't seem quite as bad as before. It could be that there has been some enforcement or that there has been a lot of rain this year (discourages riders). By the number of votes received and the comments made, it is clear that the loud motorcycles have annoyed a lot of people. I hope RPD will make note and enforce the law. Thanks.

unless these motorcycles are stopped from having illegal exhaust systems during annual vehicle inspections you will probably not see the police enforce it unless they are stopped for another violation.

Jo and Patrick,

There is only one way to find out if the Raleigh PD has been ticketing loud motorcycles. Ask them to supply that information.

I think the lousy weather has more to do with the lull in the loud motorcycle blight than an enforcement initiative by the police, but I'm the first to want to be proven wrong about that.

Have any of you checked in to NCCALMs facebook page? NCCALM is working on having the state do a better job of weeding out those loud motorcycles at the annual inspection. Patrick is correct to say that the best way to address that problem is to have those loud motorcycle get rid of the illegal exhaust systems that make them loud. That is not currently being done. We even see motorcycles with straight pipes getting by inspection. We see and hear those illegally equipped motorcycles operating all over the state, and the police are doing nothing about them. Many police are not even aware of the state law or that loud motorcycles are illegal. They don't even know that straight pipes are illegal. That would be very easy for them to enforce, but when informed of those facts, they just make excuses for not bothering to enforce the law.

It's becoming to clear to us that we are going to have a hard time getting the police to do their duty, but to see the state not doing it's duty to properly inspect those motorcycles and screen out those clearly illegal exhaust systems that make them loud, is even more disturbing and must be changed. NCCALM could use help from citizens like you. Since you live close to Raleigh, you could be of great help lobbying the state legislature for that much needed change. Check in to NCCALM and ask how you can help.

Cochise,

You might want to ask why the state hasn't been enforcing it's law that already essentially prohibits the use of non-OEM equivalent on motor vehicles. It is clear that there plenty of vehicles noisily running around out there with exhaust systems that are clearly "not of the type installed at the time of manufacture" and obviously do not prevent "excessive and unusual noise", that quoted directly from NC state law 20-128 (a).

One reason why that occurs is that the state law is being improperly interpreted as meaning that anything goes exhaust system wise, and that the state is passing the buck solely to the local police to sort out the mess the state is allowing to occur. The local police are not sorting that mess out adequately, and in many cases, are not even trying. As I said before, the state is not properly carrying out the annual inspection process that could screen out a lot of those loud and illegally equipped vehicles.

One reason why it is not being done is due to the public not complaining to the state about this. They usually just complain to their local officials who just put them off with a load of excuses. To get the state to pay attention to this problem and do something about it, the legislature has to hear from the public. Citizens have to contact their state representatives and get their support for sponsoring legislation to address this problem. Our state law is pretty good in intent, but lacking in detail. It could use some revision to make it much clearer so as not to be interpreted as an anything-goes law. It also needs to be properly enforce, especially by the DMV.

There is really no excuse for allowing excessively loud and illegally equipped motor vehicles run amok in North Carolina. Nothing is going to change if people don't get involved and lobby the state to change it. It's not easy to get laws like this passed, as issues like this are not hot on politicians list of top priorities. We have to get it on their list. NCCALM is trying to do that, but it needs all the help it can get. They need your help. Are you willing to help them lobby the state for change? I think NCCALM ( NCCALM@yahoo.com) will be trying again next year. Let them know you want to help.

Chocise, not if you are on facebook and "like" NCCALM, but you can email them if you wish. If you are experiencing problems with loud motorcycles or any other loud motor vehicles, post a comment about it on NCCALM's facebook page. That might bring some of their members out of the woodwork. If no one else responds to you comment, I certaily will.

If citizens plagued by excessive motor vehicle noise remain silent about it, nothing will ever be done about it. If they only rely on their state and local officials to do something about it without a bit of prodding on their part, likewise, nothing will ever be done about it. It has become evident that our officials don't know how to tackle this problem, and many don't think it's a problem worthy of their attention. To change that, it will take a concerted effort by citizens who think it is a problem worth addressing. NCCALM exists to help bring that about, but it needs your help.

I live near a Harley dealership and there are rides, bikers & events all the time. This doesn't bother me.

Because I can't believe the whining about motorcycles. And because I have just as much right to express my views as you do.

No I'm not the one with the problem....& it not bothering me is different than enjoying it. This is here for anyone to comment on.

And yes, when music is played too loud after 11pm & prevents myself or child from sleeping....most certainly do report it.

Reading comprehension would do you well....saying it doesn't bother me does not translate into me liking it. And a motorcycle going by at night lasts a split second....a rude individual blasting music/bass is usually continual as they live nearby.

A majority of people registered & using this site haven't even commented. So you can squash that BS.

And I commented same reason you did....because I had an opinion & can.

Four Fat Guys on loud motorcycles just drove around Moore Square revving their poorly running machines and annoying the Sunday brunch crowd. Between the Moore Square 'Jewels in My Crown' Church and the Motorcycle Buffoons - there is constant entertainment down there.

How about you go & tell them to shut up. :) I have a life & it doesn't revolve around this site, your whiny complaint or anyone other than me & mine.

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No. This is not a 911 issue. 911 is only for emergencies.

This issue is a noise ordinance issue to be reported with the non-emergency number. It is also a state law issue. It is a violation of GS 20-128 (a) and the federal law for motorcycles if an improper exhaust system is the cause of the excessive noise.

When you call the Raleigh PD to request they pay more attention to loud motorcycles and enforce the noise ordince proactively, ask how many tickets have been issued so far this year to the operators of excessively loud motorcycles.

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Seems a so-called church called "Love Wins" Ministries is spamming the site with these bogus comments. Flagged. Moderators, please consider blocking by IP, this group is angry and taking it out on us and the city of Raleigh.

Still finding loud motorcycles disturbing the peace in Raleigh? Call your city council members and the police and keep complying about that on going problem.

And yes, the matter could be rendered much less pervasive if the state did a much better job inspecting motorcycles at the annual inspection and have them correct those illegal modifications to their exhaust systems that make them excessively loud. You might want to call your state legislative representatives about that and tell them to support any motor vehicle noise bill that may be proposed.

The city keeps telling us that it enforces it's noise ordince and that the police have to witness those loud motorcycles violating the noise ordinance in order to enforce that part of the ordince. Very good, but is that being done? If so, how many of those loud motorcycles have been ticketed so far this year? The city has been asked that question many times before, but has not supplied an answer. So I have asked the question again. I hope the city supplies the answer instead of repeating it's usual response and closing the issue. Judging from the comments on this issue, the loud motorcycle issue in Raleigh is not being addressed. If we are wrong about that the city should present a rebuttal to our assertion and answer the million dollar question.

I would also like to add that the noise dramatically increases on Sundays when Zydeco hosts its weekly "Bike Night". These bikes go up and down Blount and Person street into the late hours of the night. So much so, that my household barely sleeps due to the loud noise every couple of minutes until 3am.

I'm sorry about the baby's sleep. The bikers are clearly in violation of the noise ordinance with their badly running motorcycles and loud radios. Tonight one of them was riding behind me on Davie Street. Even with the windows up in my car, I could not hear my own radio; Only his motorcycle and his radio. These bike riders have to be deaf by now. I hope Raleigh Police will give us some help soon.

Loud pipes save lives. Motorcycles have a hard time being seen due to their smaller stature Vs other automobiles.

Ive never seen a motorcycle outside of a wedding party that had tin cans tied to their seats. The fact remains that most bikers run loud pipes to alert cars in their close proximity that there actually is a motorcycle present.

So are you saying that motorcyclists are allowed by law to make as much noise as they wish so they will have a better chance of survival while they engage in a risky behavior? Even though that sounds irrational to me, maybe it's true. It might explain why RPD has not responded to this complaint. Are there other classes of behavior that are exempt from laws because they are more special than others?

cochise, you said they had tin cans tied to their seats. Jo, if you consider commuting on a motorcycle in a linear motion "risky" then by all means Im all for whatever those people have to do to attract attention to themselves so they are not cut off by merging traffic or lane changers. The people in the above article keep exclaiming that these people are breaking various statures. These 'unlawful' vehicles are inspected by a state approved facility and these vehicle owners pay the necessary fees for an inspection placard. Same as with any car. Im defending these people and I dont even own a motorcycle. Im defending these people because obviously there is no one else here to do so, and as a former motorcycle rider, some of the comments are abrasive to that particular genre of people.

I believe some of the comments are inflammatory because folks are frustrated by this issue. If you live in a part of the city where there are a high volume of motorcycles, it's not just an occasional annoyance. Your sleep, TV, and even conversations are impacted by this nuisance. No "genre" of folks should be allowed to disturb the peace such that others cannot enjoy their own residences.

I agree. Living downtown the noises reverberate off tall buildings and concrete that does not absorb noise. The solution is to have the bike fests away from all the apartments that have drawn so many residents to downtown. The fire trucks, ambulances and police cars are bad enough but they are necessary downtown. Bike fests are not. Why don't we put the blame for the noise where it belongs- with the organizers. I'm not commenting on the type of people because I don't think that is the problem- it is their noisy vehicles. I'm sure the decibel levels are injurious to our hearing too. What do we do, wear ear plugs all weekend?

KatiEliza, I think you touched upon a very important factor: the organizers. They scheduled it, they should defend their actions. We have a perfectly great fairground facility for just such an event. Not downtown, where the noise and decibel levels can become excessive, I agree. I happen to live on one of the major roads coming into the downtown region, either Creedmoor, Six Forks, or Falls/Old Wake Forest, and its four lanes of traffic day and night, twenty five hours, eight days a week. I know about ambient noise.

I applaud efforts of those to keep this Open while the City wants it Closed. Big V-twin motors (like Harleys) with "drag pipes" are the absolute worst. They can be ear-splitting, even after rolling your car windows up. Two idiots parked in front of Moe's in Cameron Village gunned and blasted the parking lot, while three RPDs ate inside. "Do something!" I demanded. "We don't have a sound meter," was their response. "Are you deaf?" I asked, then said, "They no mufflers, just short pipes," to which the cops said nothing. I held Moe's doors wide open, while they cringed and ate, to make my point that their response was worse than useless.

The police are profoundly ignorant of the state muffler law and how to enforce it. Measuring exhaust noise by the use of decibel meters is not required or necessary to enforce GS 20-128. It is also obvious that they don't want to enforce it.

The state law requires all motor vehicles to be equipped with effective mufflers (not straight pipes or hollow core mufflers) of the type installed at the time of manufacture. When so equipped motor vehicle exhaust noise is negligible. When illegally equipped, motor vehicle exhaust noise is obvious.

All the police need do to enforce the muffler law is to make use of their own two ears and eyes, and the only piece of equipment they need to do it is their citation books which they all carry.

Get the RPD's unsatisfactory responses in writing and be prepared to present that to your state legislative representatives when North Carolina Citizens Against Loud Motor-vehicles (NCCALM) lobbies the general assembly for an improved state law, and most importantly, its enforcement. I hope those of you who want loud motorcycles legally muted will step up to the plate and join NCCALM when it comes time to lobby the state for change. That is the only way anything will be done.

I think this is something the city needs to examine. The number of loud motorcycles buzzing around after dark and until 3 or 4 AM is astonishing. With large numbers of people living, working and sleeping downtown that is not acceptable. Like living next to Daytona raceway. And the upcoming Capital City Biker weekend. Do the rest of us need to leave town?

John, are those motorcycles that are buzzing around until 3 or 4 AM doing it at a particular location, and is their activity fairly predictable as the the day of week it is most likely to occur? If so, rely that information as well as your complaint to the police and ask them to step up patrols in that area and deal with those disruptive motorcycle riders, and then keep checking with the police and ask them if they have been dealing with those bikers and if they have ticketing any of them. If the police are not able to answer those questions that means they have not been performing that task.

Harley Fest needs to be moved out to the Fairgrounds. It has no business being in downtown Raleigh. And yes, DTR residents have to leave town that weekend. Who can sleep? Or take a walk? Or enjoy a nice dinner? DTR is overrun with noisy motorcycles driven by people who have no care for others.

I was there (having car repaired at Murray's next door). Besides the obvious pealing out (black rubber streaks still on street near Ray Price's) there were RPD moonlighting as security, ignoring the many illegal bikes with no mufflers, just short drag pipes, which are absolutely ear-splitting - very painful for anyone walking or sitting in a car next to one.

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