Aftermarket Exhausts and SB 435 Law.

[Mark R.]

Fred, It is true that the more sophisticated the bikes get, the more marginal any gains might be from one simple modification. Most pipes do weigh a lot less than stock, but even that might be stretching it a bit. And some here have reported that when they add a pipe, they have to tune the bike with a Power Commander, etc. I have my ST stock in the pipe department, but I did get it reflashed.

But let's face it, people want to do what they want to do. Owning a motorcycle in the first place makes little sense, given how efficient and trouble free cars are now, but we simply like them and we buy and ride them.

People make all kinks of crazy decisions all the time. The bottom line for me is that people should always have the freedom to do whatever they want to with their time and money. I don't care. As long as they don't take property that belongs to others, or hurt people, they can have at it.

 

[Mark R.]

"I think that it's actually a patriotic thing. Keeping in line with regulations for the better good of one's fellow citizens and have fun within
collectively within reason."

Fred, while you and I probably agree in principle about not hurting people, we probably come at the issue from different points of view. I do not advocate loud pipes, and I think it is a shame that your friend's mother has such difficulty with the loud pipes and her Alzheimers.

However, implicit in your assumptions about obeying regulations is that they are issued with the best of intentions, and designed to promote the common weal and make everyone's life better. Impartial analysis of regulations reveal that they are more often than not designed to:

1. Place barriers to entry into a particular industry.
2. Through regulatory capture, they secure profits for businesses that are regulated.
3. They secure a base of power for a particular bureaucracy.
4. They don't actually secure the stated goals of the regulations, so more regulations are always proposed.
5. They are always enforced through violence by the mechanisms of the state (An institution with a monopoly of violence and coercion.)

There is always a necessary give and take when living in close proximity to many other humans. Pollution and noise are some of the issues.

But the reason there is frequently a knee-jerk reaction to California regulation is because they simply go too far. Government is a very poor mechanism for the resolution of human conflict and the meting out of justice, and the more power and authority is given to (or taken by) government, the worse the outcome. Your state is running out of water due to massive government intervention into that part of the economy. Just look at what government touches and controls, and see if people are getting positive outcomes: water - no, justice - no, policing - no, pollution - no, electricity - no, and the list goes on and on.

Contrast that with other necessities of life that are provided by private individuals and companies, and see if there are shortages, or a lack of choices: food - plenty of that, gasoline - abundant, automobiles - lots of those, housing - many choices, clothing - no shortages there.

Government ruins everything it touches, yet private individuals and companies want to provide goods and services to others. And every time government fails, it blames "greedy businessmen", or lack of money or regulation, for its failures. Government steals to gets its money, companies and individuals have to provide value to others on a voluntary basis to get their money. Government gets its way through violence, companies and individuals have to convince and peacefully persuade others to make choices. What is the solution to the California water shortage? Open up the provision of water to private companies, with open competition and no barriers to entry, and the problem will be solved in no time. As it is, though, the state of California will never let go of the water, saying it is "too important to be left to the private sector." I say it is too important to be left to government to fix.

So back to motorcycle exhausts. If you are so concerned about pollution and harming your fellow man, you ought to sell your bike - better yet, scrap it so it can never pollute again - and drive a Prius.

Be Safe.

Mark R.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[arjayes]

"I think that it's actually a patriotic thing. Keeping in line with regulations for the better good of one's fellow citizens and have fun within
collectively within reason."

Fred, while you and I probably agree in principle about not hurting people, we probably come at the issue from different points of view. I do not advocate loud pipes, and I think it is a shame that your friend's mother has such difficulty with the loud pipes and her Alzheimers.

However, implicit in your assumptions about obeying regulations is that they are issued with the best of intentions, and designed to promote the common weal and make everyone's life better. Impartial analysis of regulations reveal that they are more often than not designed to:

1. Place barriers to entry into a particular industry.
2. Through regulatory capture, they secure profits for businesses that are regulated.
3. They secure a base of power for a particular bureaucracy.
4. They don't actually secure the stated goals of the regulations, so more regulations are always proposed.
5. They are always enforced through violence by the mechanisms of the state (An institution with a monopoly of violence and coercion.)

There is always a necessary give and take when living in close proximity to many other humans. Pollution and noise are some of the issues.

But the reason there is frequently a knee-jerk reaction to California regulation is because they simply go too far. Government is a very poor mechanism for the resolution of human conflict and the meting out of justice, and the more power and authority is given to (or taken by) government, the worse the outcome. Your state is running out of water due to massive government intervention into that part of the economy. Just look at what government touches and controls, and see if people are getting positive outcomes: water - no, justice - no, policing - no, pollution - no, electricity - no, and the list goes on and on.

Contrast that with other necessities of life that are provided by private individuals and companies, and see if there are shortages, or a lack of choices: food - plenty of that, gasoline - abundant, automobiles - lots of those, housing - many choices, clothing - no shortages there.

Government ruins everything it touches, yet private individuals and companies want to provide goods and services to others. And every time government fails, it blames "greedy businessmen", or lack of money or regulation, for its failures. Government steals to gets its money, companies and individuals have to provide value to others on a voluntary basis to get their money. Government gets its way through violence, companies and individuals have to convince and peacefully persuade others to make choices. What is the solution to the California water shortage? Open up the provision of water to private companies, with open competition and no barriers to entry, and the problem will be solved in no time. As it is, though, the state of California will never let go of the water, saying it is "too important to be left to the private sector." I say it is too important to be left to government to fix.

So back to motorcycle exhausts. If you are so concerned about pollution and harming your fellow man, you ought to sell your bike - better yet, scrap it so it can never pollute again - and drive a Prius.

Be Safe.

Mark R.
Albuquerque, NM

Incredibly well said, Mark! Government of, by and for the people is long gone in this great country of ours and most of us (including me) are too busy, comfortable and complacent to do anything other than bitch about it. And there are way too many people who still see government as the solution.