Greetings Riders,
 
Well, as I sit here today, there are only 5 days till Christmas, and more amazingly, only 11 days left in 2006. Where did this year go? I don't know the answer to that, but wherever it went, it did it fast. If you don't have all of your last minute shopping done for that rider in your family, there are still a few good sales going on at the dealerships. Check the event calendar for the one nearest you. 
 
Last week I did a report on the launch of the Carefree voluntary noise reduction campaign. If you missed this newsletter, or didn't have time to read it all, I think this is an important subject for the future of motorcycle riding and would encourage everyone to read it and forward this link http://www.cyclerides.com/WeeklyUpdate12_13_06.htm to any of your riding friends that might not have seen it yet. I had some very interesting comments on the letter from all over the universe of opinion. 
 
Here are a few of the responses:

1. "How can you side with Carefree?  This is total bull "defecation".

2. I understand the issues & so on & so forth, but for me I have been riding Open Pipes since forever. My LIFE and HEALTH are more important than what the town of Carefree thinks we should do. My bike runs Open Pipes & will always run LOUD. There are plenty of other places to ride. I have not been to Carefree or Cave Creek since all of this started.

3. Great newsletter this week. I am of the same opinion , I don't like being restricted however I understand some of the complaints of the residents.

4. I am an avid rider of Harley's and love the sound. But I live near Cave Creek Rd. and the constant sound of guys going through the gears even gets old for me.

5. I have been meaning to email you regarding the terrific job you did with your story on Carefree. Not only was it well written and well presented, but I thought very balanced.

6. I don't get loud pipes.  I don't get why they have to blip their throttle at intersections. (thought this one was funny)

7. I can't help myself, I have to respond to the latest newsletter. While you are an excellent journalist and no doubt a good rider and citizen I must tell you that I have been riding motorcycles for 54 years. I have over 1,000,000 miles traveled on motorcycles of most makes and models of street bikes. I now ride a GoldWing 1500 that is QUIET and I love it.
 
As you can see, I had responses from "Loud and Proud" to "Quiet and Lovin' It" and everywhere in between. This is one of those subjects that most everyone has an opinion about. But the fact still remains that it has to be a group effort to make it work. And the good news is that it can easily be done.
 
Two weeks ago I met with a Sheriff Deputy and the noise metering equipment along with a couple of the Council Members of Carefree and their City Attorney to do some testing. We set up shop in the middle of the road to allow for the 25 foot requirement for the testing equipment to see if it was even possible for a V-Twin to get past this meter in under the 85 db allowed by the Carefree ordinance. The wind was below 20mph, the equipment was calibrated and we were ready to see if we could legally make it past the meter if we wanted to.
 
The first bike to run the test was me on my 2005 Road Glide equipped with Screamin' Eagle Slip-On mufflers. I wanted to use a "real world" test so I rode by the metering equipment in 4th gear at 35 mph showing about 2000 RPM on the tachometer. This pass registered at 79.5 db, well below the allowed 85 db and virtually the same as some cars that were going by. I did another pass in the same gear at 45 mph that came in at 81 db. The last pass was at 60 mph that registered 85 db. You can see that speed directly affects the number. My last pass was going through first and second gear up to 5000 rpm. The meter read 97 db. You can clearly see the difference that it makes when you twist the throttle.
 
I also wanted some aftermarket pipes to be represented, so I asked Larry and Kerry Weatherbee to help with the test. Larry has a 2005 Big Dog Mastiff with a 117" engine running Vance and Hines pipes. His passes ranged from 80-82 db using the speed and gear parameters above. These numbers were slightly higher than the Screamin' Eagle pipes but well within the limit. When we did the full speed 1st and 2nd gear test, Larry's pipes rang up 101 on the db meter. Kerry has a 2003 HD Fat Boy with aftermarket BUB exhaust. Her bike also came in at the 80-82 db levels. The higher the speeds, the higher the db levels. We did these tests in a variety of ways including uphill, downhill and 2 up. All came in about the same regardless of direction or load.
 
To further validate the tests, Rob Hephner from Southwestrides.com brought out and set up a professional SPL meter to see how stringent the Carefree equipment is. The meter that Rob used was actually reading higher than that of the Sheriff. I am not an expert on this by any means, but it was explained to me that the Sheriff's unit was registering lower because it was rounding off the higher levels to take out any spikes and be more accurate for the overall readings. If this were not the case, all of the readings would have been 4-5 db higher.
 
So what we found out here was that the 85 db is not an impossible number to stay under. All of us were able to easily do it riding in a higher gear and remaining at or under the speed limits. In fact, it was easy to do. We did it numerous times. If you are riding in groups, the noise will register higher. A random group of 4 motorcycles came by during our testing. They were riding normally and registered 91 on the db meter. So you might want to keep that in mind if you are trying to keep noise levels down. As for the ticketing part of that, I think it would be very hard to cite one person out of the group, and the notion of citing an entire group has already failed in court.
 
There has been a lot of talk about the motorcycles and the 80 db on the signs in Carefree. After my discussion with those running the educational noise campaign, they have agreed that out of respect for the motorcycling community, it would be a good idea to remove the motorcycle symbol from the sign. I think that is a decision that shows they want to work with us and I applaud them for that. Here is a part of the press release:
 
Motorcycle Symbol to be Removed from Signs Out of Respect for Motorcyclists
 
CAREFREE, Ariz. (December 14, 2006) – Out of a mutual respect for the motorcycling community, the Town of Carefree, has announced that it is removing the motorcycle symbol from street signs recently erected as part of a voluntary noise reduction campaign. The signs show an 80 decibel noise limit with the image of a motorcyclist, which some motorcyclists believe singles out motorcycles as the only source of noise. While motorcycles are cited as the number one noise complaint in the area, the town has agreed to remove the icon to keep the campaign focused on voluntary noise reduction, which is reported already effective.
 
“It is clear that the riders visiting our community have made an effort to reduce the noise and are showing respect for our quality of life,” says Mayor Ed Morgan. We have felt from the beginning that our noise reduction idea would succeed if we all worked together with the motorcycling community and it is heartening to see this beginning to happen. Click Here for the complete release.
 
The bottom line to all of this is that the db number is not unreasonable. It can easily be done. All we need to do is to be cognizant of where we are, have respect for those living in the area, stay in a higher gear, keep the speed and the RPM's low and we should all be able to live peacefully together with no other restrictions. Governing bodies in other States are watching this to see how it works. So we could have an impact on how motorcycle noise issues are handled throughout the country. If you have someone in your group that hasn't heard about this, forward them this letter. If others in your group have a lapse of memory when riding there, remind them at the next stop light. It is up to all of us to make this work.
 
Click Here for some brief video clips of the tests.

Click Here for the video reports that I did in 2003.

To read last week's newsletter, Click Here. http://www.cyclerides.com/WeeklyUpdate12_13_06.htm 

If you have questions or concerns, Tell me what you think, email me at info@cyclerides.com .

Highlights This Week
Christmas Savings are Still Available!
 

December 13th - 24th
Superstition Harley-Davidson 12 Days of Christmas Sale. Save up to 24%.

On December 22nd - 24th just mention Cyclerides.com to receive a free gift!
 
December 23rd and 24th
Arrowhead Harley-Davidson and Chandler Harley-Davidson Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Party!
Get your Christmas shopping done all at one time at savings of up to 30% off on selected items.

 This Week's Bike Night Events 

This Week

Next Week

Sunday, December 31st

New Years Eve at The Ranch. Looking for a ride and a celebration? Take a ride to Western Trails Ranch in Morristown for New Year's Eve. Enjoy an all you can eat BBQ Buffet for only $10 per person from 6pm - 8pm. Brisket - Chicken - Pork - Rib Tips - Triple Baked Beans - Coleslaw - Corn Bread - Corn on the Cob - Champagne Toast. All Served in the WARM ICE HOUSE! After dinner bring in the New Year with The Novella Bentley Band from 8pm - 1am. If you don't feel like going home, there will be Free Camping in the community Tee Pee or you can bring your own bed roll and tent. Western Trails Ranch is located at 37823 NW Grand Ave. at Mile Marker 124 1/2, just 12 minutes up Grand from Bell rd. 623-388-0450.

12th Annual Frosty Balls & Chilly Boobs Run. Sign-In 9-11am at KA Cycles, 595 South Sixth Street in Cottonwood, AZ or at the Rockin’ B Saloon, 625 East Highway 89A in Cottonwood, AZ. Kickstands up at 11am. $15 rider/$10 passenger. This ride will be a Domino Run ending up at the American Legion Post 25 in Cottonwood, AZ. Chili & Cornbread Cook-Off, Entertainment, & 50/50. T-Shirts will be available. Proceeds to benefit the Cottonwood Parks & Recreation Department for our future riders. Presented by the MMA’s Verde Valley District they invite everyone to attend on January 1st for this "Chilly" event. FMI: 928 301-1327 or 928 593-1278.

Extras

Want a new HARLEY and clean up your credit at the same time? Maybe some extra cash for the Holidays?  Let Dave at MORTGAGE PRO USA assist you. If you own a home with equity and have a steady income, I can help. Give me a call for a debt consolidation/cash-out refinance. MORTGAGE PRO USA specializes in sub prime business. I deal with over 300 lenders in all 50 states who will refinance manufactured homes, single family residences, condo's, commercial, & land loans. Mention you saw this ad in Cyclerides &  when your loan  funds, you  will receive a $500.00 gift certificate to your choice of any one of the Cyclerides advertisers. Email David Herr at dkh121@yahoo.com or call Ofc: 602-682-6355. Cell: 480-888-6961.

This is a REALLY cool video. Ever wonder what landing a jet on an aircraft carrier is like? Here is a home video view of a landing from the cockpit of the plane. Very Cool. Click Here.

Bikers Bay End Of Year Sale!! Now till the end of the year only. We will continue the 2 tires for $329.95. That's Right! 2 tires installed for only $329.95. Whitewalls, Avons, and the impossible to get "Dunlops" slightly higher. The Cyclerides.Com special this week is 20% off full service oil changes. We have gift certificates and a Chrome/Accessory registry for Christmas also. "The Ride In Ride Out specialist", Now with 2 locations at 2530 E. Bell Rd. in Phoenix and 1900 N. Mc Clintock in Tempe for the "RE-Tire while you wait special. For more information or to make an appointment, call Jim at 602-923-0114. Tuesday through Friday 9am - 6pm. Saturday 8am - 3pm.

I don't know if the moral of this story is to not live in a place where it snows or don't drive a common type of car. Whatever it is, it could make for the start of a bad day. Click Here.

Here is another one of those commercials that leads you to the wrong conclusion. Click Here.