LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Long Beach police said on Friday they will be beefing up their enforcement of motorcycle noise, particularly on Ocean Boulevard.
It is illegal in California to modify a motorcycle’s exhaust to make it louder; the citable limit for noise in the state is 95 decibels.
Cmdr. Jay Johnson of the Long Beach Police Department’s South Division said more complaints have been reaching police in the past few weeks and some residents are doing noise-detector readings that show illegal motorcycle riding.
“This is not a new problem, particularly on Ocean Boulevard,” Johnson said. “But as there’s more development and as more people move into that area, the more complaints of noise come. And it becomes a quality-of-life issue.”
Johnson will be deploying some officers during peak motorcycle riding times to listen for noise and write citations.
“My hope is that people will know the law and not come rip-roaring up Ocean Boulevard,” Johnson said. “If they do, they will be cited.”
So there you have it, Long Beach is the latest Southern California city to begin discriminating against bikers and motorcyclist.
I have no reason to believe that Commander Jay Johnson is playing around, and that they are going to go after what they consider to be loud motorcycles.
In my experience, the Police use the excuse of so-called loud pipes, and/or loud motorcycles to justify pulling any biker or motorcycle rider over that they want. Even motorcycles that have not been modified. It is not right. Many big rig trucks are much louder than motorcycles. Why are they not being singled out for enforcement?
Heck, Long Beach is the largest port in the nation. Everyday thousands upon thousands of big rig trucks pick up and deliver from the port of Long Beach. The noise that they make is deafening! Why not go after them?
I would like to hear about any real enforcement that the City of Long Beach is doing with regards to citing so-called loud motorcycles. If they in fact are citing regular motorcycles just for the sake of filling the cities coffers, then I will call for a total boycott of the City of Long Beach by all bikers and motorcyclist.
Any city that wants to single us out does not deserve our money.
By Long Beach Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., 2008
Welcome, my name is 
How do they measure the 95db? Is that at a specific distance away from the bike? Fron the side, front, back? Do the police in CA carry decibel meters that are calibrated yearly?
Boycott these cities. We can keep our cash and not fill their city coffers. At Daytona Bike Week I saw Florida Highway Patrol actually put a device on the pipes to measure the sound. I am sure that FHP calibrates their device. There is new technology everyday. Norm, it seems the list is growing of cities that discriminate against bikers. Yes, there are a lot of things out there louder.
They do go after truckers!! Four years ago I was driving a big-rig in CA with straight pipes. I got cited and had to have mufflers installed before I could leave the scale house. I always wondered the inverse about enforcing loud pipes on bikes. I have left the pipes on my Boulevard stock. Discrimination in this country of our is not dead!!
Check out CHP Bulletin NO.98-100, you are not necessarily at the mercy of the municipality money making thugs uniform.
I Carry a copy in my saddlebags at all times. In addition, there is a clearly defined process they must use.
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) test procedure J1169 (May 1998). If you use the contents of 98-100 by itself you are better off than submitting to the referee
Good job LB Police! I’m going to start a petition like their with Lakewood and Bellflower PD. The freaking motorcycle noise scare my kids all day long.
Give me a break.
There are many motorcyclists (you know who you are) who modify their bikes with aftermarket exhausts. They are LOUD. You know it. That’s why you buy them. You think you are “extra cool” with straight pipes on your Hog. Well, you’re not. You are a law breaker plain and simple. Doesn’t do the image of wholesome family bikers much good.
It’s not discrimination when LOUD MOTORCYCLES are pulled over. The riders are breaking the law. It is as simple as that. Riding is a privilege, not a right. Deal with it.
There needs to be much better enforcement and get the loud pipes off the
streets, especially in downtown Long Beach. I had not been to the Long Beach Aquarium in a long time but was over there on Saturday (12/6/08). I could not believe it…motorcycle noise everywhere. Does a family have to put on ear plugs just to walk to the Aquarium from where they parked???
Norm: BIg trucks seldom go to residential areas, but if they did, I give them pardon with understanding as they do this for living. Bikers do this for fun, unneccessary fun. Lawn mowers, my neighbors only mow their grass once in every other week. But those big pipe bikers are here all day long. My baby cries hard once he gets waken by them. I already have duel pan windows, still a big fucking harassment!
I have a motorcycle myself, not a full time biker but it’s alot of fun. But I build my fun on others’ pain.
Thanks for your comments and information Rooster, I will try to get the info.
By the way, I just heard that the LAPD are now pulling over “all” bikers in the Crenshaw area of Inglewood and Los Angeles.
Norm
What about big rig trucks Kei? How about Lawn Mowers? Sounds like you just don’t like bikers.
Norm
People can be very irresponsible and insensitive to think people went there to relax but instead the got loud pipes. This incident must be dealt accordingly with the law in order to know which party is liable.