Sound testing at the Championships

by Ken Saillant, AMA Flat Track Director

Excessive noise has become a serious issue for motorcyclists. Both public riding areas and private tracks are facing pressure to close because of overly loud bikes. Excessive noise must be addressed.

For amateur dirt-track racers from around the country, this year's AMA Black Cat Gold Dirt Track Grand Championships in DuQuoin, Illinois, is the highlight of the 2007 season. As the crown jewel of the dirt-track amateur racing program, DuQuoin is the perfect event for competitors to start fielding motorcycles that meet the 99-decibel noise rule for AMA closed-course competition.

However, earlier tests showed that a significant percentage of racing motorcycles do not meet the sound rule. While many effective noise-reducing accessories such as exhaust pipe plugs, adjustable suppressors, etc., are now on the market, some only became available a couple months ago.

Because of the limited availability of these products, industry feedback and promoter testing, the AMA Black Cat Gold Dirt Track Grand Championships will test motorcycles to see if they meet the 99-decibel sound rule but will not disqualify motorcycles that fail. It is, however, the expectation of AMA Racing officials that each bike test at a lower sound level than it did last year.

Following the DuQuoin event, AMA Racing will work with industry specialists, pro team owners, bike manufacturers and others to formulate a plan for addressing the ongoing noise issue. If we work together, we can protect our riding areas and racing venues while maintaining outstanding performance levels for our racing motorcycles, on both the amateur and pro levels.

Thank you for your continued support on this important issue.

© 2007, American Motorcyclist Association