'06 EPA Regs Harley Emission & EPA Laws Discuss '06 EPA Regs in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; my understanding of the 1/1/06 regs is that if your bike is built and titled BEFORE 1/1/06,(even if it is an '06) you are exempt from emissions TESTING (if and ...

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my understanding of the 1/1/06 regs is that if your bike is built and titled BEFORE 1/1/06,(even if it is an '06) you are exempt from emissions TESTING (if and when it begins in your state). Anybody want to add to this? I've tried to read the EPA regs and rules, but jeez, what a bunch of lawyer-eze! I read the '04 issue of AIM and it seems to me that as far as testing is concerned bikes built and titled before 1/1/06 would automatically be excluded. Anybody? I agree that if we the motorcycling community would band together, we could bring about change; that includes manufacturers, builders, owners, dealers, ALL of us. there's strength in numbers; individually, we all lose. The Factory should take a stand ands stop "knuckling under" by doing the "politically correct"thing.

Posted by: justarider on Jan 10, 06 5:12:47 pm

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Harley is putting the screws to the people who made them what they are, just look at their accessories catalog! 99% of those parts were in the aftermarket catalogs 2,3 even 4 years earlier. The only difference is the bar and shield is embossed in the part! It's my understanding that H-D has been playing the EPA.

Posted by: mtyevo on Jan 10, 06 8:24:05 pm

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Tell it like you see it baby...

Posted by: frisco-rigid on Jan 11, 06 12:44:58 am

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Gentleman: I think some research is in order here for you to fully understand HD's participation in getting this legislation rolling. I think if you go back and do some reading of the PDF's in the EPA section on this site, the MRF site and ABATE - you'll realize that HD has an interesting stake in this legislation.........draw your own conclusions about who stands where and who is supporting who

bottom line: GET EDUCATED and rememeber - there is only one truth.

Posted by: steveb on Jan 11, 06 11:20:33 am

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Go to www.BikersRights.com and click on epa bike emissions standards.

Posted by: mtyevo on Jan 14, 06 8:53:31 am

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My take on these "new" EPA regs is that any bike built after 1979, regardless of who built it, is subject to at least some of the regulations that have been on the books from 1979 to date.
If, for example, you have a 2001 bike...you are subject to any and all regs up to and including those in force from 1979 to 2001, and so on. The newer your ride, the more regs will apply as they were added. If you , in fact have a 2001... any regs added after that year would not affect you.
The thing I don't understand is after all the years that the regs were not enforced; how could anyone possibly bring a 10 or 15 year old bike that has had multiple owners; be brought back to spec withour costing a small fortune.
I don't see enforcement becoming commonplace any time soon, since the EPA probably doesn't have the manpower or resources to accomplish it. The exception may be the larger cities.
Also...if you, for example, are riding a non-compliane bike, and are stopped for speeding or ??? THEN they may insist on your bike being tested so they could up the fine.
All the small shops and dealers in my area are still doing business "as usual" and some were even unaware of anything on the horizon that might jeopardize their business.
I hope someone , somewhere will explain all the new regs in plain English and enable us as riders to do whatever might need to be done.

Posted by: jmk713 on Jan 20, 06 2:56:39 pm

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I am baffled about this epa thing. I cannot find another message board or a company website saying anything at all about this new e.p.a. enforcement intention. Is American Iron Magazine crying wolf on this?

Last week I saw a friend at the local Harley-Davidson store. He just bought an Electraglide Ultra and was telling me that we was getting the stage One modifications, yada, yada. When I heard this "stage one" codeword, I spoke up and said, "this isn't legal anymore." Both my friend and the salesman were wondering what I was talking about. They said they have been modifying bikes without incident since 1979. The part that really struck me was a representative of the dealer was not even aware of the new enforcement plans mentioned in American Iron magazine.

If this thing is really serious, wouldn't the e.p.a. be sending out warning notices to all motorcycle dealers and mechanics AND require shops to post warning notices against modifying any emissions systems. One more thing. Why doesn't Harley-Davidson have a similar warning on their parent website? This all just leads me to believe that somebody is just crying wolf?

Posted by: Dawveed on Jan 24, 06 1:41:49 am

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Believe me, Dawveed, we WISH this was an early April Fool’s joke, but it’s not. Check out this letter from AIM’s November ’05 issue:


“I bought an American V-twin, not an H-D, at a local [Harley-Davidson] dealership. I took my bike in for a recall item, and, when I got there, they told me … that they had some bad news for me. They said that since I installed an aftermarket exhaust, which the bike’s manufacturer promotes, they wouldn’t be able to work on my bike due to EPA guidelines and fear of a $10,000 fine …
Could you please tell me if this is the wave of the future? Are dealerships going to refuse to work on bikes that have been modified from the original factory stuff? …
L.B.
Vacaville, California”


The reason American Iron Magazine is talking about this EPA crackdown is twofold: 1) because we keep getting letters and emails like this one from L.B., and 2) because, you’re right, very few in the motorcycle press seems to be addressing it. This is an issue that concerns our readers, and by extension our magazine, and in the end may have serious implications for all of us, regardless of whether motorcycles are our hobby or our passion.

Rest assured, we are not making this up, and we’re not the only ones concerned with it. In fact, feel free to check out the Motorcycle Rider’s Foundation web page directly at www.mrf.org/infopage.php.

Please, read the articles, do some online research, investigate the facts for yourselves. Dawveed, that H-D dealership where you ran into your friend -- was that in California? Probably not, because most dealerships in other states aren’t that concerned with this yet. Historically, environmental laws tend to take root in California and go from there. And that’s where a national magazine like ours can help.

The big issue, as it’s stated in the AIM articles that you can download from www.AIMag.com/epa/index.htm, is that these laws are already on the books; we and the MRF are just trying to ensure that the government takes us into consideration before the emissions crackdown that has been taking place in California for the last couple of years starts spreading cross-country.

And if you don't believe us, ask Gard Bollinger of LA County Choprods, who was fined four times @ $10,000 a pop, if he thinks we’re “crying wolf.” Or, better yet, peep this:

www.arb.ca.gov/enf/enf.htm

That is the address for the California Air Resources Board (CARB) website – the “Enforcement Program” page. Scroll down to “General Enforcement” and click on “Case Settlements,” where you’ll find a list of cash settlements made with the EPA in the state of CA over the last several years by companies such as Shell Oil, Exxon, Wal-Mart, Saturn Corp., Mack Trucks, LUCKY 7 CHOPPERS, INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY, SOUTH BAY TRIUMPH, BAY AREA CUSTOM CYCLES, etc.

Again, we couldn’t – and wouldn’t make this stuff up; it’s our livelihood, too. Stay tuned, stay informed.

Jonny Langston
Assistant Editor

Posted by: JonnyChampagne on Jan 27, 06 10:30:26 am

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OK question, now I have been reading alot about the epa reg's and this is my question. I bought a 2005 Softtail Delux FLSTNI from a Harley Dealer and the bike was new. I purchased this bike in may of 2005, I had the pipes changed and had Vance and Hines Long Shots on it, had the air cleaner changed. Stage 1 upgrade. Is my bike Illegal ??? Will I have a problem when I bring my bike to the Harley dealer I bought it from when its time for my next service ??

Posted by: 2005softtail on Jan 27, 06 8:49:16 pm

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I will only speak of CA because I only know their regs. Any changing or tampering with exhaust and emissions is illegal. HD dealers do it everyday though. We have no inspection stations or smog for motorcycles but it's coming. All the work CA HD dealers are doing is illegal and has been for a long time according to the letter of the law. There is simply no inspection of motorcyles - nor emission control checks. As an example, I tried to put a V8 in a 94 Jeep Wrangler and eventhough it passed emission standards the Jeep couldn't be registered because Jeep never made a V8 in 1994. A CJ can be outfitted with a substandard V8 and still pass because of the age! The same will soon be true with bikes as the bike trend explodes and continues. Ten years ago you'd be talking to yourself on message boards about Harleys - we've caught the attention of the powers that be!

Posted by: CHUDFXD on Jan 27, 06 9:09:13 pm