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Police admit errors in exhaust noise sign

Call to challenge exhaust noise fines sign

An information sign about motorcycle noise testing that has been posted at two Queensland police stations is incorrect.

Queensland police have admitted there are errors in the sign, but say specialist officers have been fully trained in roadside noise testing and have been doing the tests since 2002.

This follows recent blitzes in South East Queensland on riders and the advice of prominent Brisbane barrister and Aprilia Tuono rider Levente Jurth to challenge any noise fines and defect notices. Click here to read more.

Click here to read his paper about the legality of motorcycle exhausts

The sign was posted at Mt Tamborine Police Station, but later moved to Boondall Police Station, police tell us.

It has also been liberally displayed on social media by riders, but it should be ignored because the information contains some misleading and incorrect information.

For example, it states that Harley-Davidsons are to be tested at 2500rpm, however the testing standards require some Harleys to be tested at a higher revs.

Call to challenge exhaust noise fines
Police test exhaust noise at Mt Tamborine

Erroneous sign

A Queensland Police spokesman has confirmed that the sign has errors:

This is an information sign that the Queensland Police Service (QPS) had made to assist the public in understanding the requirements of noise testing. The QPS would not advocate publishing the sign in its current form as it was made in the mid-2000s and in 2010, the Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Vehicle Standards and Safety) Regulation 2010 was amended and the sections were renumbered. As such, the sections referred to in the sign were from the previous regulation. Whilst the content of the sections of legislation did not change, the section numbers were. The blue section should read “For offence provision, legal limits and testing procedures see the Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Vehicle Standards and Safety) Regulation 2010 sections 5(1)(a)(vi), 131 and 134 to 138. The information in the sign is available to anyone who wishes to read the sections of the legislation and the National Testing Procedures for In Service Motor vehicles 2006. The testing procedures are available on the National Transport Commission website and are used in Queensland and other States in Australia.”

Noise testing procedures

Roadside noise testing procedures require police to take three consecutive but separate readings where the throttle has been returned to idle.

Police say the noise level is deemed to be the maximum of the three consecutive readings.

If the motorcycle does not have a tachometer, Police have an external tacho that can be “attached to the plug lead of the vehicle or alternatively as an induction pick-up”.

Police have advised riders that all standard mufflers should be compliant but aftermarket exhausts may not.

They advise that concerned riders can have their bike tested at “exhaust shops that have the required equipment to test the noise level of vehicles”.

Long-time motorcycle campaigner Wayne Carruthers says rural riders are disadvantaged in not being able to access noise testing facilities. Click here for more details.

  1. * If the motorcycle does not have a tachometer, Police have an external tacho that can be “attached to the plug lead of the vehicle or alternatively as an induction pick-up”. *

    Will this work properly on an engine with twin spark (ie. two spark plugs per cylinder)?

    1. makes no difference, however unless they account for the ‘waist’ spark, I.e. if fires on the exhaust cycle, as well the compression cycle, it will be reading twice the actual RPM. But I doubt that has not been figured out as it would likely pass all the bikes.

  2. I you can download a sound meter app for your smart phone.
    All you will need to do a home test is your phone and someone to rev the shit out of your bike and the correct test procedure.

  3. You must have a really low crime rate in Australia for police to be spending their time testing motorcycle exhausts.

    1. No…we actually have heaps of crime that police resources could be better utilised solving.

      The difference is that solving ‘crime’ does not provide an income for the government. The road fine financial benefits are significant, and are sometimes actually included in the states budget as income – I.e. WA has a $100 million income from speed cameras in its budget forecast..

      Does that seem wrong to anyone else?

  4. The noise level is deemed to be the maximum of the three consecutive readings. This is incorrect, the noise level is deemed to be the mean average of the three readings and all three must be within 1db of each other, acording to the testing procedure.

  5. I know the general public in south west WA would love to see this kind of testing done. Majority of Harleys would fail like this guy’s did.
    Put the onus onto sellers/installers of pipes, stop the overly loud pipes being installed, and these cops could be utilised elsewhere. Win win.

  6. BTW, this officer has no idea what they are doing.The alignment of the stand and microphone were not compliant with the required specification. The alignment of the mic must be 45 degrees any side of the perimiter face of the muffler eg put a flat tile up against the muffler opening and come out 45 degrees from that surface, and no less than 200mm from the ground which it looks like it is, but the alignment is wrong, directly behind in this case and angled wrong causing serious deflections coming from the tyre, the bike must also not be on the side stand it must be upright in normal riding position. Also the office must run an acoustic calibrator immediately before and after each vehicle test. it must be verified with each test that it is within 1db of accuracy. If you don’t see this done then the officer is either not competent to conduct the test or they are deceiving you. Either way a fail on their part. Acoustic calibrators fit on the end of the mic and the meter is tested by the device, it emits a 94db tone directly into the mic, the meter must make a read and it must show 94db on the meter screen if it is out, it needs calibration, the meter then needs to be calibration checked FOR EACH TEST eg if they do 3 reads on your bike it must be calibration checked, if it is out by 1db ANY time it is used for a single vehicle test, that test is a fail and cannot be used. IF YOU DON’T SEE THIS HAPPEN YOU SHOULD BE ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND TAKING VIDEO OF THE WHOLE TESTING PROCEDURE. https://www.ntc.gov.au/sites/default/files/assets/files/National%20Stationary%20Noise%20Test%20Procedures%20For%20In-Service%20Motor%20Vehicles%20.pdf

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