United States	Press Office (A-184)
Environmental Protection	Washington DC 20460
Agency
&EPA Environmental
News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1980
557-7666
EPA SETS
STANDARDS FOR
NEW MOTORCYCLES
AND MOTORCYCLE
REPLACEMENT
EXHAUST SYSTEMS
R-284
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced
today the issuance of standards which limit the noise from
newly manufactured motorcycles and motorcycle replacement
exhaust systems.
The standards will be phased-in over a two to five year
period beginning in 1983. Mopeds are considered
"motorcycles" by EPA and will be covered, but will have
only one standard to meet — also imposed in 1983. No
existing motorcycles, or any built before 1983, will be
affected.
Some 93 million people are daily affected by traffic noise.
Motorcycles are an integral and important part of the
traffic stream.
The motorcycle manufacturing industry has been greatly
concerned about potential restrictions on commerce as a
result of being required to produce new motorcycles that
will comply with a multiplicity of differing state and
local noise standards. This regulation will preempt state
and local noise standards for newly manufactured
motorcycles, thereby providing national uniformity of
treatment.
Motorcycles are the source of more annoyance and adverse
community response than any other single traffic noise
source. EPA realizes that much of this negative response
comes about because of excessively loud, exhaust-modified
motorcycles. Because of this, the Agency believes that
both the noise from newly manufactured motorcycles and from
modified motorcycles must be controlled if the public
health and welfare benefits Congress expected when it
passed the Noise Control Act are to be realized. To
control the noise from exhaust modified motorcycles, the
combined efforts of the Federal government and state and
local governments are essential. In addition to providing
the labeling and anti-tampering provisions of the regulation,
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EPA will assist State and local governments in establishing complementary noise
control programs including ordinances that will prohibit the use of noisy
exhaust systems.
EPA has set 80 dB as the most stringent noise standard for street motorcycles
and small off-road motorcycles. Although the standards are less stringent than
those that were proposed, EPA anticipates that these standards will, on the
average, reduce the noise from new street motorcycles by 5 decibels (dB) and by
2 to 7 dB on new off-road motorcycles by 1986. The exhaust system regulation
and the "anti tampering" and labeling provisions of the motorcycle regulation
in combination with strong complementary state and local programs, should help
reduce exhaust modified motorcycles to between one-half and one-fourth their
current numbers.
These reductions are expected to result in a 55 to 75 percent decrease in
interferences with human activities (such as sleeping, conversation), depend-
ing on the extent to which State and local governments are able to contribute
to reducing the numbers of exhaust-modified motorcycles. Likewise, these
reductions are expected to result in a 7 to 11 percent decrease in the severity
and extent of overall traffic noise impact, again depending on in-use enforce-
ment.
The standards issued today, applicable to new motorcycles and to new motor-
cycle replacement exhaust systems, are as follows:
Motorcycle Type
Not-to-Exceed
A-wei ghted
Noide Level	Efecti ve Date
Street Motorcycles
83
80
dB
dB
January
January
1, 1983
1, 1986
Moped Type Street Motorcycles
70
dB
January
1, 1983
Off-Road Motorcycles




a. Displacement 170 cc and
Below
83
80
dB
dB
January
January
1, 1983
1, 1986
b. Displacement More
Than 170 cc
86
82
dB
dB
January 1, 1983
January 1, 1986
EPA expects the costs of compliance to be reflected in increased purchase
prices for motorcycles and exhaust systems. For street motorcycles, in-
creases will average approximately 2% (or $36.00). The estimated purchase
price increase for off-road motorcycles will average 2% (or $21.00). For
replacement exhaust systems, the estimated purchase price increase will
average 25% (or $30.00).
R-284
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Although higher retail prices could result in some initial lost sales, total
industry sales (in terms of both units and dollars) are projected to signifi-
cantly expand in the next decade. Furthermore, because all mopeds that the
Agency has tested, which are being sold in the United States, already comply
with the 70 dB level set for these vehicles, EPA foresees no impact on moped
prices and consequently on moped sales.
This is the fourth noise control regulation EPA has issued to limit traffic
noise. Regulations have been issued for interstate motor carriers (October
19, 1974), newly manufactured medium arid heavy trucks (April 13, 1976), and
newly manufactured garbage trucks (October 1 , 1979).
R-284
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