Total Motorcycle Community Forums

CA is very strict... but the biennial emissions inspections are just for gasoline cars and light trucks... diesel cars (almost impossible to buy in CA now) and motorcycles don't need to be inspected. Most people who drive diesels aren't too into mods but motorcyclists really take advantage of the lack of inspections.

CARB doesn't do the inspections simply because it isn't cost effective. However, if the number of motorcycles increases or the benefit calculation changes or there isn't enough left to squeeze out of cars then bikes will need to be smogged just like cars. That does not mean different emissions standards, just increased enforcement of current standards.

When it comes to stricter standards, I'm all for them.... carbs are nasty things and anything that forces manufacturers to go to fuel injection is good. You can't even say that performance will suffer. And too many bikes are silly loud... there is nothing wrong with mufflers. They are good for cars, good for bikes... even airplanes... I fully intend my airplane (when finished) to have mufflers even though it is legal in the US to run straight pipes on airplane engines. Go to parts of Europe and all light airplanes have mufflers... and the skies are noticeably quieter.

When it comes to inspections... they are a ripoff and I hate them. That's one of the reasons I like diesel cars... and a strong reason for motorcycles... no inspections in CA.

What is funny is that engine noise is also regulated in this emissions update now all we will hear when riding new rides is "zzzsssss."

Sounds good to me. I like quiet. Why do you think I wanted to steal Christmas? So I wouldn't have to hear all the Whos making noise.

Seriously, I think a completely silent bike would be cool. Just the sound of the tires on the road and the wind. Just like my bicycle. Engine noise just sounds too post-industrial to me.

there is a big difference between the legal decibel limit and silence... many bikes are WAY under the limit, and all you hear are their god-awful sewing-machine cams. Most of the japanese cruisers I hear that are stock sound almost sickly...

dieziege wrote: CARB doesn't do the inspections simply because it isn't cost effective. However, if the number of motorcycles increases or the benefit calculation changes or there isn't enough left to squeeze out of cars then bikes will need to be smogged just like cars. That does not mean different emissions standards, just increased enforcement of current standards.

I don't know about cost effectiveness, but motorcycles have had to pass an annual emissions inspection here in AZ since the 80s. The standards are not the same as for a modern car, they're much lower. They used to run the full test on the rollers at speed, but too many goofballs ended up loosing control of the bikes, so now they just do a useless idle test. I believe the main reason for the motorcycle test requirement is to generated revenue. $19.50 for a 1 min. idle test is making money for somebody.

DivideOverflow wrote: how bad do you think motorcycle emissions are? Unless you are sporting a 2-stroke, they really aren't anything to complain about.

I think you'd be surprised. If you consider that the average car has reduced it's emissions output by 90% in the last 25 yrs, but motorcycles have remained mostly unchanged, there's a lot of room for improvement.

As I posted above, I've had to get both my cage and my bike emissions tested for the last few decades. According to the reports generated, the bike is several times dirtier than the cage. The fuel and ingnition control systems on my bike are in the stone age when compared to a modern cage. If everybody ditched their cages and started riding bikes, smog in large cities would go back to where it was 20 yrs. ago.

did yunzs guys see in the issue of Cycle World they are making a FI 2 stroke engine that has even lower emissions than a regular 4 stroke? Next there will be diesel bikes, or flex fuel bikes running on E85, or how about electric bikes running on a direct drive brushless 3 phaze AC motor? Bikes with giant flywheels, automatic shift bikes that shift to the best fuel economy? WOW I can't wait to see the future of bikes. I wanta be the first that owns one.

The noise control is actually targeting engine noise so even the rider will not hear much of anything from the bike. I definitely like quiet bikes but not quiet enough where I won't even hear a hum. I need some noise to know the bike is on but not to wake my neighbors.

As for emissions from bikes, many of the bikes past 2002 are pretty clean. The V-strom and BMWs come to mind. I would gladly trade my carbs for FI though.

hey Verm. Not only is your Gixxer fuel injected, it has a catalytic converter in the muffler too.

catalysts are no biggie, would be nice if bike manufactuers would put them upstream of the muffler instead of in the muffler. Then you could install an aftermarket exhaust and still have squeaky clean emissions (catback exhausts have been pretty standard in the car performance world for years)

IIRC all after market exhausts are illegal so it doesn't matter if it puts out 0 emissions or the amount of 100 18 wheelers.

Personally, I think the new emissions standards are a good thing. Fuel Injection is something that has been long awaited. When you have bikes that are 1000cc and up, they are not that far off on the size of a basic Honda Civic engine. Some are even larger in capacity than a Honda Civic 1.5L. And if you think performance will be hindered by emissions equipment, just think; you're bike will now be fuel injected so it will be easier to turbocharge.