May 27, 2010
When you think of noisy motorcycles an image of a cruiser with straight pipes probably comes to mind, but it was a friend riding a Ducati Hypermotard with an aftermarket exhaust that got a warning from state police for excessive noise while riding through Kent last Sunday. At the request of Kent's first selectman, troopers are cracking down on riders whose bikes are too loud. Sgt. John Covello of Troop L in Litchfield explained to me that a state statue allows for a ticket to be issued to anyone who isn't running stock pipes, regardless of the decibel level of the exhaust. What prompted the enhanced enforcement in Kent was a complaint from a church on Route 7, which had to routinely halt its services because of loud bikes passing by. You can't argue that parishoners don't deserve some peace and quiet on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association reports that Branford has launched an "aggressive campaign" to ticket violators, and adds that municipalities can levy whatever fine or penalty that they deems appropriate. The CMRA reports the maximum fine in Branford for loud pipes is $500. The best advice is to avoid Kent and Branford, and to keep your right hand off of the throttle when riding through any town.
No comments:
Post a Comment