EPA regs...comments??
Harley Emission & EPA LawsDiscuss EPA regs...comments?? in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; Seems to me this page should be drawing way more attention and comments than it's getting.
This, after all, is an area that if we become complacent; could eventually affect ...
Seems to me this page should be drawing way more attention and comments than it's getting.
This, after all, is an area that if we become complacent; could eventually affect almost all of us.
Any new info???
I hate to say it guys, but I'm actually looking forward to a little more peace and quiet when I ride. I do about 15,000 miles per year and honestly, the guys with the obnoxious pipes are made to ride at the back of the pack where the rest of us don't have to listen to them. That aspect of the coming regulations, I'm actually looking forward to.
Actually, I'm more concerned about anything being enforced that will limit or eliminate modifications that enable us to get the beasts to run "right"...i.e. jetting, intake, and yes...exhaust.
While I do not run open pipes; mine are considerably louder than stock; but no one's complained yet.
Or customizing up to and including tire size changes, and the like that would also be limited by enforcement of new regs.
Also, in my particular case; I ride alone 99% of the time so someone else's bike won't usually bother me unless they ride up and down my street late at night, just loud pipeing.
Main point is there seems to be a complacency building up and a lot of thought that "they'll never enforce anything" That's what worries me the most.
I was riding the other day and this old lady pulls up on the side of me at a traffic light talking on her cell phone, I see her staring at me and hangs up her phone. I immediatly think she is going to yell at me for having a louder bike than some others. She rolls down the window and says something i cant understand. I shut off the bike real quick just to see if she is going to yell at me. Well to my suprise this old lady says that bike looks and sounds GREAT!!!! I smiled and said that I thought she was going to yell and she said NOOOOOOOOO if someone doesnt like the sound @#%!EM!!! I lauged and the light turned green and off she went. I guess some people (OLD) do not mind at all. Sorry but I had to tell you this.
I run Cycle Shack slash cuts and even though they're not obnoxious they are loud enough to get a drivers attention when i rap the throttle and they have saved my tail more than once! I have to agree with jmk 100%. I mean if all these regs are implemented and enforced i might as well stop riding. Fat chance of that happening. If i have to break the law so be it. Jmk, i don't think people are being complacent i think it's because we're not hearing anything more about it! The only reason i ever heard anything about it is because i read about it in bike rags and then started surfing the net for info! I never read anything about it in the newspaper, never received anything from the DMV warning me of the impending doom nothing, nada, zilch, zero! It seems to me that right now it's between the government and the motorcycle industry and we're being kept in the dark!
MTY
Complacent might have been a wrong word choice; but what I was getting at was how few entries there were appearing on this page.
Plus literally no discussion at any of my local shops...including the dealer. I know the personal ride he has runs a highly modified motor; so apparently he isn't too concerned. Of course he has the option of riding literally any bike he wants; so it's not that much of a problem for him.
You're right about us being kept in the dark too...that worries me also since tometimes s--- gets passed into enforceable law without anyone knowing about it until after the fact.
O notice more and more aftermarket manufacturers advertising EPA compliant motors, accessories and the like; but where does that leave those of us that have done minor; but illegal, mods to improve our personal rides?
I don't want a large fine for jetting, intake or exhaust mods; but am not about to replace the whole motor to get a legal bike that runs right. Like you...if that happens I'll have to be an outlaw of sorts. Fortunately I am in a primarily rural area, so major enforcement isn't much of an issue...yet.
Down side is even here. if you're pulled over for light being out etc., they then are in a position to notice "other things" that could result in a ticket.
The fact is, comply or face the penalty. It's really quite simple. I'm not speaking in favor of all the new regs, but they've been explained, they're coming, and the sooner everyone gets going, the easier this transition will be. It doesn't seem that the feds have left much open for discussion.
When you see major manufacturers of aftermarket parts beginning to comply with the upcoming laws, that should act as a big banner to the riding public that change is in the wind.
Money making gig plain and simple! It's been proven time and time again that if built properly {without all the emissions crap}we can make them run as clean if not more so than when it came out of the factory! Hell, i've already seen piles of exhaust pipes with the oxygen bungs in them in scrap piles at the swap meets! I constantly hear about the increasing numbers of bikers on the road but once the wannabes realize that the dealers will no longer modify their bikes that will change dramatically! Major manufacturers? F...im, we'll start doing it the way we used to do it, in our own garages.
Oh, by the way, nobody ever gave a response to a question i posted awhile back. Since the law has been in effect since 1976 are riders going to be able to sue the snot out of all the dealers who modified our bikes over the last 30 years? Or is the government going to grandfather all the bikes that have been modified up until the early part of the 21st century? Interesting question isn't it?
MYT
You're question is the MAIN one I think most riders are or should be concerned with. Those of us that have bikes from '76 to '06 and have done anything much to them are the ones in the crosshairs if there is no grandfathering. I also wonder what options will be open to us if there is across the board enforcement without any dealer/private shop liability.
Quite a few of the bikes in this category probably couldn't be returned to "stock" without great expense. Even those that were lightly modified; may not be able to be returned to stock without considerable expense if the owner(s) didn't keep all the stock equipment.
I don't recall ever seeing this question addressed. All the concern...what little there is...seems to have been directed towards preserving manufacturers, dealers, and private shops...which is a big part of it; but the rest of us need to be considered as well.
Not everyone would want to give up his or her current ride and spend a lot of $$$ just to get a new compliant bike...and one that still most likely wouldn't run right.
EPA regs...comments?? 
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