For those of you living and riding in the state of California, you should be aware of a proposed senate bill that will require smog checks for motorcycles. Senate Bill 435, introduced by California State Senator Pavley on February 26, proposes smog checks on motorcycles, beginning January 1st, 2012, for all motorcycles model year 2000 or newer. All motorcycles had previously been excluded.
SB 435, as introduced, Pavley. Smog check program: motorcycles. Existing law establishes a motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program (smog check), administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs, that provides for the inspection of motor vehicles upon registration, biennially upon renewal of registration, upon transfer of ownership, and in certain other circumstances. Existing law exempts from biennial inspection all motorcycles until the department implements test procedures applicable to motorcycles. Violations of smog check requirements are a crime. This bill would require the department to include model-year 2000 and newer motorcycles in the smog check program beginning January 1, 2012.
If you would like to comment on this bill, the time to contact your state legislators is now. Thanks for the tip, Frederick.
Link: SB435
Jim says
Better put the mufflers back on.
Pete P. says
Heh heh. Who saw this coming?
chaz says
This doesn’t apply, like the auto smog law, to those of us who live in rural areas. It also doesn’t apply to me because all my bikes are pre-2000. It will be a factor for me, along with the new sales tax increase (ouch!) in deciding whether to buy a newer bike.
Richard Gozinya says
I don’t think this is all that terrible, smog is no fun, and it’s not impossible for the manufacturers to make sure their vehicles can pass a smog test. Despite what some may think, smog laws are good things. If you’ve seen L.A. at its worst, you’ll understand why.
And yeah, the sales tax hike is total crap, especially considering people who buy yachts and private jets are exempt from any sales tax. Have been for years.
Dorzok says
continuing to increase restrictions on emissions SUCK. L.A. air is cleaner than it was back in the fifties with umpteen more vehicles on the road. they just keep squeezing and sqeezing and it will eventually pop.
JoeKing says
Tighter emissions at this point are nonsense. A 2009 auto is 98% emission-free as compared to 1967 pre-emission car. The number of motorcycles (& miles ridden) are totally insignificant to air quality. If the gov’t was interested in reducing pollution, they would ENCOURAGE motorcyle usage to reduce congestion..morons.
Whatever smog LA has it is due to the geography..ie. it is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains & has on-shore winds.
When 300 Indians lived in the LA basin 1000 years ago, you know what they called it?
The valley of smoke
Larry says
It’s all about revenue!
Prestons says
I agree with Jim, the first poster. I suspect they will do decibel measurement while checking exhaust emissions. Bikes can also pollute the aural environment. There are way too many open piped bike out there. I won’t miss them. I don’t want to be associated with that anti social group when I ride.
hoyt says
The overall sound quality of motorcycles should improve. I used to like the sound of an HD until the louder-is-better crowd got too big and unreasonable.
The retroactive portion of the bill going back nearly a decade seems unreasonable as well as picking fights with the portion of the population that has not been determined to be big polluters relatively-speaking in the big picture. Heavy trucks? Buses? Airlines?
We’re talking about the drop in the bucket in terms of environmental policy, so there are other factors at play with this political move. Sound? That would make sense why she is trying to go back nearly a decade.
jp says
Yet another thing for NY to parrot. As for the trucks, I’m a truck driver by trade at the moment, and its already on the books in CA. Don’t know about their bus or train regs.
I would venture a guess that for all this regulation, the LA basin isn’t going to show much of a change.
todd says
They won’t bother with a decibel check; if the pipe does not have an OEM muffler on it it will automatically fail the test because they won’t test it. You have to have all STOCK emissions related components on your bike. No “Power Commander” type components are legal either.
Though motorcycles account for less than 1 percent of total vehicle miles traveled motorcycle emissions make up 10 percent of the pollution problem. It’s not at all insignificant. Typically laws that take effect retroactively have been deemed illegal. Likely it will be modified to apply to all 2010 motorcycles and newer. Imagine all those people trying to find original equipment components for their 2000 year motorcycle. Ebay values will sky rocket.
-todd
FREEMAN says
I wonder when they’ll go after lawnmowers and chainsaws and devices with such engines. They polute far worse than a new motorcycle engine and are running, but sporadically, 8+ hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week.
JSH says
They already are going after small engine pollution. New CARB regulations went into effect back in 2007 that essentially require a catalytic convertor.
I thing emission testing of car and motorcycles is a good idea. They already have to meet emission requirement when they come from the factory but many people modify their vehicles and remove both noise and emission equipment.
I also suspect that this will changed to start for the 2010 model year. It won’t be the end of tuning though. Plenty of tuners modify cars to increase performance while still complying with EPA and CARB regulations; Saleen, Roush, etc. Harley makes a full line of EPA and CARB compliant parts under the Screaming Eagle brand. What it means is that aftermarket companies will have to test their product and certify that they meet EPA and CARB regulations and stamp the parts as required. Race pipes will be for race tracks not city streets.
Gary says
glad I left in the 80s
Jeff in Ohio says
errr, powercommanders not allowed???….errr….they ARE C.A.R.B. approved….
http://www.powercommander.com/powercommander_ex/default.aspx
todd says
Powercommanders CARB legal? That’s news to me. I guess it’s because I’ve never owned anything with fuel injection…
-todd
todd says
actually it looks like it was an expensive lesson for them:
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=31021
-todd
pauldb says
Good luck finding them, Jim.
Saw it coming since the recent surge in motorcycle riding, Pete P.
Like Larry said, “It’s all about revenue!”
JoeKing has a good grip. It IS nonsense!
hoyt has a good point. But c’mon… back to the stock pipes?! Maybe something just a little sweeter than stock, but not straight, either.
…and todd, where are your data? 10 percent?? I think not or, show me otherwise.
This is primarily about the same thing as smog checks for most vehicles…
tax revenue. Like so many other taxes, the tax collector hides it from your consciousness by referring to as a “fee”. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck… call it whatever else might make you feel better, but it’s still a duck. And so I conclude with my vote reagarding SB435, “Shut the duck up”.
B*A*M*F says
If someone can get a vehicle to pass a smog test when modified, then shouldn’t that vehicle be road legal from an emissions standpoint? If what we really care about is reducing pollution, then what does it matter if a car or bike has this gadget or gizmo installed?
The same goes for exhaust pipes. If noise is a big issue, then a standardized decibel test should do the job. If you’re below X dB, you pass. If you’re above, you fail. Simple enough.
Some people like to make life a little tougher than it is.
Mike says
Hey, I don’t get many of the replies. Can you people actually be pro-smog??
I’m pro-motorcycle, but I also don’t get it when someone thinks that motorcycles are a greener alternative to an econobox of similar displacement. My FZ-1 is normally pushing only my fat-ass around when you could put that same motor in a Ford Festiva or something, and push me, my closest 3 fat-ass friends, and our trash around. Our carbon footprint would be at least quartered.
It’s everybody’s air and whatever makes it cleaner I’m for. Besides, there are a whole lot of nice bikes pre-2K, should you be pro-smog. 🙂
kneeslider says
Mike,
You’re taking a bit of a leap when you say being against this law implies someone is pro-smog. This law, has several problems, the major problem, is the retroactive application, which will mean, if enacted, motorcycles 12 years old will have to meet emission standards. Someone who may have modified their motorcycle over the years will now have to find and retrofit the equipment necessary to meet those standards, especially difficult if you’re not the original owner who performed the modifications. This will require no small amount of work and monetary outlay, another not so hidden tax, for the owner.
As hoyt mentions above, if you’re trying to reduce pollution, looking at the larger contributors might make more sense rather than targeting older motorcycles. This bill is, as others have suggested, just another way to collect fees and taxes and may even be a backhanded method of getting some older bikes off the road entirely.
You can name a new regulation anything you want, you can call it is the “Mom, apple pie and smiling babies bill” and legislators often play that game, so opponents can be labeled as against Mom, apple pie and babies. If it’s a bad bill, the name, or even the intentions, should not confuse anyone.
The easiest and most straightforward way to accomplish the goal of reducing motorcycle emissions is to state all new motorcycles will be subject to periodic smog checks and to define the standard they have to meet. Simple and clear, unless, of course, the law’s real intentions are not simple and clear.
JSH says
It has been illegal to modify the emissions system of your bike since the 70’s. So don’t complain that his is retroactive, it is not. The bill simply enforces what has been law for decades. Did owners really think that exhaust stamped “For competition use only” was road legal? No, these people just thought they would never get caught.
Having worked for a manufacturer, the EPA and CARB view the emissions system as everything from the air filter to the exhaust tip. Manufacturers have to certify a vehicle again if we change something as little as a tube that connect the air filter to the carb. Vehicle meet noise and emission standards as delivered from the factory. If they don’t, the factory is fined $10,000 per vehicle.
CS says
For years now, I’ve been advising my customers to save those carbon canisters and all the plumbing. I hope they did.
Azzy says
Where does the EPA get off in the first place? Were they ever voted into office? Yet whatever some yahoo in california wants will force others in other states to be taxed. Someone has to pay for the testing and equipment.
Years ago, when they were deciding if Pennsylvania should have emmisions testing, they placed smog seonsors in different cities. Here in Pitsburgh, they chose to put that sensor above the terminal at the greyhound bus station, where the busses idled to pick up passengers. this was a representive sample for the entire city.
The fix is in, its politics, pure and simple.
Mikeo3o5 says
Make absolutely no mistake about it being revenue generated. Of course it’s about revenue! Unless you live in a shoe everyone is aware of the shortfall in the California budget.
Motorcycles sold in California have had to meet strictor emission laws than the rest of the country since the early 90s. Carburators, cam profiles, exhaust systems and ignition curves are different in Califonia sold bikes. They can indeed retro this bill to include bikes sold in 2000 and even earlier if they choose. The government has no pity for anybody who has altered a stock vehicle, the problems belongs to the owner of the motorcycle not the government. Currently in California you must have your vehicle emission tested every two years or when it is sold, re-registered, etc. You are notified when your registration comes due if your car or truck needs to be checked at an approved emmission station. It’s pass or fail and it is done electronically and the results go to DMV. Without a passing emission test you cannot get current tags for your vehicle. California has already targeted lawnmowers, chainsaws, leafblowers and other small engine equipment. 2 stroke motors are all but extinct in Califonia, they are even targeting ships.
Without citing the vehicle regulations manual for California, they can and will start testing motorcycles. If you read your owners manual will also find in there a section stating that it is againts the law to alter or modify any component on your motorcycle that is related to the emmision system ie, exhaust pipes, cam, fuel system, ignition system, etc.
And to the person who said that motorcycles make up 10% of the emissions, you should be ashamed of yourself, I’m not sure that all of the automobiles make up 10% of the total emissions in California! Bottom line is the government in Califonia needs to generate more dollars to try and balance the budget and testing motorcycles is just one more way to do this.
As with the helmet law that most California riders never thought would happen, there will be lots of crumbling and moaning but in order to ride you will have to comply.
hoyt says
I highly doubt that anyone is pro-smog, but that is not to say I am naive to the fact there are plenty of people that resist environmental concerns. Part of the problem with this legislation, is that it is fighting this segment of the population – essentially turning them away from future, smarter legislation. Ultimately, bad legislation stops progress for all of our sake while having both sides spend precious budgets fighting.
“Against the law to modify said vehicle…” more rubbish. It may be written into law, but that law seems to ignore the millions of dollars the aftermarket industry produces and jobs it employs. This is not an anti-environment stance [just ask JoeKing 🙂 ]
Make the aftermarket abide by emissions, fuel economy, noise, etc…..then watch how they drive innovation.
There are ways the govt. can assist in driving innovation (at the factory and at the aftermarket shops) while at the same time winning over more people to the cause for a cleaner home. Cleaner & smarter bills could be passed with a more enlightened govt and more enlightened constituency.
The argument about cars having their emissions quartered with respect to motorcycles only stands if you remove 3/4 of the single occupant drivers. Much harder said than done until we start building convenient mass transit such as electric trains between cities and within individual cities. (This could happen while the grid is supplemented with renewable energy sources)
Airlines? a sore subject for anyone who has to fly coach, not to mention the carbon footprint that could be reduced. Talk about an area ripe for a revolt! They mistreat all of us horribly as individual consumers and, in terms of this context, the carbon footprint is huge.
Anytime I fly 4-5 hours or less, I can’t help but think of having regional high-speed rail throughout North America. There are plenty of cities within a proximity of a 2-3 hour flight time. Add about 2 hour prep time (leaving from home to boarding) and this math quickly approaches the time needed for a high-speed train to cover the same distance, but carrying x times the amount of people a plane can transport! That is real carbon emission reduction.
Mag-lev trains made the cover of Popular Mechanics. The technology is also in this country. Think of the jobs it would create (Federal initiative similar to the Interstate initiative, but do it with a combination of the private sector).
Think of how competitive (read: better) the airlines would have to get in order to win the longer distance travel after the regional business dries up due to effective trains. Think of more open roads for motorcycles and less single occupant cages.
ARod says
Doing a smog check on my car or bike is a hassle and I come from a state where this is not required. Implementing a smog check will seriously hurt the aftermarket companies and discourage customization. Doing it once when you buy the bike is understandable, after that the state should leave you alone. Californias Green thumb hurts those of us that have a nack for creativity and arent trying to be some “louder is better gang” like the gang we call Harley Davidson Motorcycles and the Sunday riders that brings.
Len says
Just like everything else in this state, its coming your way next.
Helmet laws
Smog laws
Politically correct laws
Hate crime laws
No smoking
No hunting
No guns
Next is NO freedom= SOCIALISIM.
JoeKing says
“Though motorcycles account for less than 1 percent of total vehicle miles traveled motorcycle emissions make up 10 percent of the pollution problem”
-todd
Until documented I’m calling BS…
And what “problem” exactly is there? Air quality has been improving consistently for the last 50+ years. I am amazed how people assume that air pollution is a “problem”..yet they never experience the putative effects..ie. the grass is always..browner..somewhere else.
Environ-mental-ism has become a religion & no longer has practical value ie. economic ROI. California’s latest vehicle emissions standards proposals will just increase the cost of vehicles, & have the opposite effect of forcing people to keep their older (more polluting) cars longer… dumb
The EPA is the perfect gov’t agency…the smaller a problem becomes the bigger the agency gets.
todd says
Sorry for not citing my sources:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-throttle11-2008jun11,0,3268856.story?track=rss
Then there was a graphic on Mission One’s website comparing (their electric bike to) a prius, a Forester, Ford Expedition, then jumping up tremendously to a Duc GT1000 and a BMW R1200C.
http://www.ridemission.com/the_mission/the_mission_planet.shtml
Sure, I guess each one of these organizations has something to sell and just might provide false information to achieve funding, but for me – I think it’s fairly obvious: There’s even got to be 10 times the number of emissions related equipment on the average car versus the average motorcycle. And, obviously, we are talking about road vehicle emissions. I’m sure the 10% wasn’t factoring in volcanic eruptions and things.
-todd, no BS here
ep says
i dunno. it’s not a black and white issue. no one likes to be told what to do, particularly us motorcyclists. we’re loners. rebels. but i’ve seen more 1982 nighthawks and GS550’s that burn more oil than they do gas, puking out blue smoke everywhere they go. 19 year old squid with a full yosh, no cat blasting off down Geary, setting off car alarms, being an ass basically. harley fatboys with straight pipes farting past the same bar over and over.
i get sick of it. i’m all for personal responsibility, but the fact of the matter is that we reward irresponsible behavior way too much. if it takes some extra laws to get the job done, then do it.
palegreenhorse says
i’m all for a bill that keeps motorcycles burning more cleanly so that people don’t pull off everything that keeps me breathing oxygen and hearing myself think. on the other hand i don’t want to have to pay $50 every other year to have someone who knows nothing about motorcycles or smog (or possibly anything) to cram something up my tailpipe and over throttle my engine. plus having it go back to 2000 would irk me. start with the new and build from there. but what i’d really like to see is a better way to make use of the computers on cars and motorcycles and stop making up pay people to tell us we aren’t polluting. there’s got to be a better, cheap way to monitor this and have the data transmitted wirelessly.
GoVale46 says
I wonder how they would verify that all the breathers and other emission reducing equipment is actually hooked up, I know on my bike you can’t see any of this stuff without removing the tank and its a half faired bike. I don’t know how they would do it on a fully faired bike. On a car you can just pop the hood and see most of the systems. Are the standards the same for all bikes of the same year? Does any state currently have a program like Ca is talking about? I wonder if it will be a tailpipe test only or if they will have specific programs for specific bikes? Lots of questions and I imagine a while before they sort it out and we get a definitive answer. All I know is once they get a money making idea like this in their heads its a done deal. I’m sure Arnie will get a waiver for his bikes.
Paulinator says
I used to drive past a huge lot full of EV1 electric cars (near Van Nuys)…then suddenly the lot was empty. Who killed them? California takes the pole-position with environmental issues in North America. They’ve done a lot of good things and they’ve done a few politically motivated things. They should take note of Palegreenhorse’s comment. That would be another very good thing. In reality, once the dealerships and garages buy the equipment and budget around the extra revenues from emissions testing, no politician will ever utter a peep about suspending the program.
JoeKing says
Nice source Todd…..only problem Ms. Carpenter used a 150cc 2-stoke scooter ridden 10,000 mi./yr. for her data.
http://www.bajajusa.com/emissions.htm
Mike says
Maybe no one here is pro-smog but some of you have some bizarre ideas on “society.” Last I checked, we don’t have any legal right to ride or to drive, it’s a privilege. That said, if the majority doesn’t want you mucking with your emissions, so be it. If they’re something really wrong with the law, you can bet yer ass it’ll be challenged in court. Sure, it’s about revenue as well but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It really depends on how that program is run. I’m not a lawyer, but retroactively requiring smog checks probably won’t pan out, and will attract the attention of the AMA and other motorcycle lobbies. In fact, I think in similar cases grandfathering is more the rule than the exception.
This being good old America, I think there will always be exceptions to the general rule, if you know how to go about it. I’m sure many of you here know about CA SB100 that allows specially constructed vehicles to become street-legal. Here’s a snippet: “An emission inspection will be based upon the engine model-year or model-year used in the vehicle. The owner will also have the option of choosing whether the inspection is based on the engine or vehicle model-year.”
I have a Lotus Seven replica that I built and registered in 2003 (chassis and engine from 2001) as a 1964. It doesn’t need to get smogged. Ever. It wasn’t easy but it was possible.
Just sayin’…
david says
I vacation all over the US by bike, I skip denver because of their stock exhaust law.
guess i may miss ALL OF CALIFORNIA. maybe I can bike through China without
any hassle.
JoeKing says
Here I go again….
“Last I checked, driving is a privilege”
-Mike
Mike, you obviously didn’t “check” anything, & were asleep in social studies class, because driving is most definitely a RIGHT! You, like most uninformed people, are confusing activites requiring competence licensing, and common rights of citizens. Is it a privilege to be a barber or a ferret breeder…they require licenses. Or my favorite, is it a privilege to get married..there SHOULD be competence testing for that.
We live in a democracy Mike and the government doesn’t GIVE us rights..ever hear of inalienable rights….it really MEANS something..including our RIGHT to travel.
Before parroting ignorances do yourself a favor & read somthing about what it means to be an American. Alot of people died so we can have these RIGHTS..honor their sacrifices by learning about them.
Start here….http://educate-yourself.org/cn/drivingisrightnotprivledge07apr05.shtml
JSH says
Joe, Interesting site with lots of opinions. When you can show me a court case where a judge has ruled that citizens don’t need to follow societies rules and regulations for driving and motor vehicles I’ll believe you that driving is an inalienable right. Until then your site has as much legitimacy as the ones that claim we don’t have to pay our income taxes.
Yes public roads are public and citizens have the right to use them. However since they are in the public domain and funded by the public the use of these roads is subject to the rules and regulations implemented by those that represent the public. If you don’t like smog checks for motorcycles get your representative to vote against it. If he doesn’t vote him out of office. If you can’t do these things because your opinion is in the minority then grow up and realize that in a representative republic you won’t always get your way.
todd says
Let’s see; two strokes haven’t been imported into California since 1984. The last 150cc two stroke scooter imported into California was the Vespa P150x in ’82. I highly doubt the California Air Resource Board chose one of those to represent the “average” motorcycle in their recent study. Besides, looking at some of CARBs actual documents (ugh…) suggests that they have access to the test results of many thousands of motorcyles.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msei/onroad/downloads/tsd/Motorcycle_Emissions_99Rev2.pdf
But then, there’s no end to the number of sources required to convince some people.
-todd
JoeKing says
JSH…
The point of my post was to correct the general misconception that the freedoms we enjoy are “granted” to us by gov’t. while the truth, or at least what is SUPPOSED to be the truth as written in the US Constitution…is the opposite. I never suggested that anyone can just get in a car & drive anymore than I’d suggest anyone has a “right” to practice brain surgery…without proving competence.
Todd…
You quoted your “proof” from an article written by an idiot…who used a 2-stroke scooter to make a false claim. Now you’re talking about what CARB has access to. The truth is motorcycles DO NOT CONTRIBUTE 10% of the air pollution like you wrote…
YOU ARE WRONG..& you were to lazy to verify the veracity of that claim & I called you on it..so lets move on.
Nobody says
If they pollute that much (even with all the emissions stuff in place) then why doesn’t California just ban motorcycles entirely? And if motorcycles were outlawed by ballot initiative in California, I’d laugh. After all, it isn’t up to the individual to argue with the law, right?
todd says
So far JoeKing has failed to prove me and my sources (and many, many others if you just look it up) wrong. Now he just resorts to saying I’m wrong as if we are supposed to be convinced that he is right!
What makes you think CARB used a 150cc two stroke scooter? Those don’t even exist in California except for really rare, old ones! No where in the article or the report do they reference a 150cc two-stroke. You seriously need to stop and think before you add your two cents.
-todd
steve says
so when I keep seeing reference to “mufflers need to be origional and so stamped” I think of unfair laws that need to be challenged in court. I don’t see where you have to have the same muffler a Ford came with on the car. Oh no, you could go to auto zone and buy a muffler and install it and pass any test. Motorcycles are being targeted by law makers because of weak manufacture organization. You may have to meet decibels but origional equipment will make me hire a good lawyer.
Ricky Bobby says
Where to look to reduce collective Carbon Emissions?
NASCAR
something as simple as a race schedule and that organization can’t even get it right…..
That circus is sent the whole way across the country 5 times during their race season with no races scheduled in between within a week after the previous race….
Daytona to Fontana (2/15 – 2/22)
Phoenix to Talladega (4/18 – 4/26)
Infineon to Loudon (6/21 – 6/28)
Fontana to Charlotte (10/11 – 10/17)
Phoenix to Miami (11/15 – 11/22)
That is a stupid, huge carbon footprint just to go left and in a circle in cars that are required to run on carberators, not EFI. Add the endless practice sessions and qualifying laps., Add the vehicle emissions of the fans attending these races in SUVs and you find a big area ripe for improvement.
ep says
@NOBODY
if the people voted for a ballott initiative to make aftermarket exhausts illegal, that wouldn’t necessarily make it illegal. it’s just the will of the people. and people are stupid. especially californians. consititution schmonstitution, they just want to someone to pass the gravy and turn up Junior.
testing our bikes emissions every two years is a good idea. it’s good for the government ($$$) and it’s good for the environment and it forces us to keep our bikes tuned properly. taxes are fine. lets just make sure they’re not being used in a way that violates inalieable freedoms.
takehikes says
My guess is we eventually will get hit like every other kind of IC engine. However, there is no way they can or will make it retroactive.
We all share the air so we should all do our part, it’s not some freedom issue like helmets.
I don’t like it but that’s the way it is. I remember the smog in LA in the 50-60’s and I damn sure don’t want to go there again.
Dawie says
When will people see that smog laws were never about the environment? From the start they were about maintaining entry thresholds to the vehicle manufacturing industry. In order to ensure enough demand to keep production volume above a critical level, it was necessary to manipulate laws to make it impractical to have vehicles that don’t come out of that system, or to ensure that those that do aren’t kept for too long.
A real solution to vehicle emissions would involve collapsing that corporate privilege by eliminating the city planning and other measures that prevent people from settling in ways that make sense for them. Getting rid of the laws that keep the suburbs suburban would have saved LA in the ’60’s.
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/artisanalcars/
forest says
How about regulating leaf blowers and lawn mowers first!
steve says
never been to LA and don’t want to go but I remember Chicago in the early 70’s. The air quality was so bad each time I went there my eyes would burn and my sinuses would be so bad i’d be sick for several days. That isn’t the case today . Maybe we are polluted but it is different?
jeff k says
Hello, regarding bill SB 435- I encourage you to sponsor more motorcycle purchases instead of making it more expensive and harder to purchase them. Have you actually done any studies on the amount of emmisions motorcycles and scooters put out as opposed to cars? What about the increased congestion because of all the cars on the road which causes bumper to bumper traffic where thousands of cars idle for hours going no where? This bill is another excuse to collect revenue for a non working system! I hope it never passes and you get stuck in traffic as we motorcyclists pass you in the middle and your late for work.
hoyt says
it is a start (in ref. to my rant above about trains)….
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-03-16-high-speed-rail-travel_N.htm
Mike T. says
This is all about money. No more, no less. Just another way to gouge the people of California. We all saw this coming though. No surprise. The state knows all the HD’s won’t pass, then with a little more money, the owners will have to find a way to make them pass. STOCK PIPES!!!… Believe me, all the HD Dealers in the state will have something to say about this.
Kevin says
I feek that loud pipes don’t do much to improve the image of motorcyclests and believe that is waht this legislation is aimed at. But for 99% of us how don’t have loud pipes this will just become another tax and expense to the motorcyclist. Also another area for the dealer to make money by smoging and replacing stock exhaust systems, I’m sure dealers will love it.
Michael Kendrick says
I think we should have a right to run loud pipes if we want. There have been many times that my loud pipes have saved my life because inconsiderate drivers don’t care about us bikers and don’t pay attention to us. I have also ran off many pets from running across the road in front of me. Someone mentioned helmet laws. I think it should be up to the individual rider if he/she wants to wear a helmet, after a certain age of course such as maybe 21. If they start outlawing aftermarket pipes in alabama, I will definitely sale my bike. I am not an outlaw by no means. I want to run what I want to on my bike without being told otherwise. California has some very crazy laws I.M.O
mooky says
i used to work for the epa and here is the real truth one airplane sitting there for 5min or so running waiting to take off put out more polution then that entire days traffic this a repoted fact i know because i was there testing it and this is one plane at sfo in the morning now add oakland and san jose and you get the picture air quality has improved because since 911 there is half the planes in the air then there was 8 years ago just having 20% flight switced to eveing flights after 8pm you could wipe out the need for smog checks. and similar tests have been done in so-cal
ROKRJOC says
THE GREEN CALIFORNIA CARES ABOUT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR HEALTH AND WELFARE. THROW ANOTHER FREEDOM OUT THE WINDOW.
WHATS NEXT LET THEM DECIDE WHAT WE DRIVE WHO GETS TO DRIVE HOW LONG WE ARE ALLOWED ON THE THE ROADS.SOUNDS RED.
bruce says
why only california? also the statistics of pollution of motor driven cycles have never been as smoged vechiles? why now? the rate of a smog certificate for motorcycles plus automobiles are extensive.. unfair to citzens. trains and busses public transportation increases the smog cituation to what limit? not much sense smoging private vechiles and untouchable public service vechiles go scott free which are actually the gross poluters.also diesiel trucks that run america? so tell me which is the true culprit if any?
bruce says
ok may i ask this please. within all fairness and respect., daires, airplanes private and commercial, poulleted lakes and streams, cigars ,pipes all tobaco products, steam from various factories, smog, burners of trash , boilers , and so on? is it a proper destiny to honesty, truth and the so called american way to incorporate laws that charge people money for no actual benifit? as far as i know only california smogs!!!!
Loyd says
Answer to B*A*M*F*. My CJ-7 Jeep Wrangler was brought out here from Texas and passed a Smog Check with flying colors but because it wouldn’t pass a visual look of the engine, it was failed. Go Figure.
Dave says
Here go Mary Nichols and Jerry Brown again. Another power play by these 2 zealots. make no doubt about it, they are trying to force their beliefs on all of us. I swear smog is their religion and they are religious zealots. If you do not agree with them they find a way to make you pay for it (literally).
CARB (CA Air Resources Board) already cleaned up the air in Southern Cal. and Nichols and Brown are still fighting to make CARB larger. Instead of spending $500,000 for office furniture last year (for the El Monte offices of CARB), maybe the Govenor should cut the size of CARB in half and use that money some place that it is needed.
I really liked the reference to NASCAR. Why not push NASCAR to run on Ethanol? That would make more sense.
But the thing that upsets me the most is all the school buses and other government trucks, that I see every day kicking out more pollution than 100 motorcycles. Somehow, CARB, needs to be forced to use their budget to clean up government vehicles pollution issues before they are allowed to make regulations that cause the average taxpayer more money.
fredcom says
thats the new CA for ya. Sqeeze the little guy tell he pops. easy for the big state to bully the little guy.what was the saying. Live free and ridy until you die. or now
Live today if you can ride to pay