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Industry Insider: Loud Exhausts Get No Love from the UK

~58% of British Locals Want Noise Camera Enforcement

A British motorcyclist. Media sourced from Panda Moto.
A British motorcyclist. Media sourced from Panda Moto.

When it comes to the motherland across the pond, pipe projection is a big peeve; it’s such a sore spot, in fact, that 58% of the country’s cheerful chums are keen on installing noise cameras and enforcing quieter motorcycle exhausts with hefty levies.

The news comes from a recent RAC study, where nearly 6 in 10 locals wanted their local ‘burbs to be fitted with the tattling contraptions – all thanks to 51% saying they “occasionally heard one or more offending pipes” when out and about. 

A pair of motorcyclists with REV'IT! gear. Media sourced from REV'IT!.
A pair of motorcyclists with REV’IT! gear. Media sourced from REV’IT!.

“Only a fifth (22%) were against the idea, with a similar proportion (20%) unsure,” states the RAC study itself. “A third (34%) of those who took part in the RAC study said they regularly hear loud revving engines or excessively loud exhausts. This rose to nearly half of drivers in London (47%) and to 40% in Wales and Scotland.”

Of the included regions, Londoners were the harshest in their penalty ideologies; a stunning 67% of The Big Smoke’s inhabitants thought a £50 fine (the current levy) wasn’t enough and that the amount should, in fact, be raised to £200. 

Why is the UK being so harsh towards the “braap” of a quality pipe?

A view of the world's loudest motorcycle exhaust. Media sourced from Youtube. Please do not try any of the above at home unless you've received consent from the local constabulary and are prepared to debrief your neighbors.
A view of the world’s loudest motorcycle exhaust. Media sourced from Youtube. Please do not try any of the above at home unless you’ve received consent from the local constabulary and are prepared to debrief your neighbors.

Apparently, the country’s grudges stem from the rough £10 quid sterling spent on “the annual social cost of urban road noise, including lost productivity from sleep disturbance and health problems,” including the following: 

  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes
  • Dementia
A Harley pipe system. Media sourced from Bike Future.
A Harley pipe system. Media sourced from Bike Future.

Currently, there is no requirement for MOT testers to use decibel meters to check exhaust noise levels.

*Media sourced from Youtube, as well as Bike Future, Panda Moto and REV’IT!*