Okaaay, time to maybe open a very large can of worms…

The local German discount store (not Aldi) was selling dB meters a few weeks back, and there were a few didn’t sell, so they dropped the price down to where curiosity got the better of me and I bought one, just for laughs or scientific investigation……

Note: Most of my bikes have aftermarket exhausts and they’re somewhat…anti-social, in that filtering in city traffic generally causes car windows to shut pretty quickly….

On to The “Sound Test”!

So, I fired up the KLR650,( DG “Race” series pipe, with “quiet” insert!), held it at 4000rpm, so a little more than half the redline, and got the son to operate the dB meter. from about 1.5 meters back, but level with the exhaust outlet.

(Now, the KLR is loud, not at idle but any bit of throttle and there’s a bark off it that wouldn’t put a classic race bike to shame. I added the “quiet” insert straight after fitting the pipe as without it, it was seriously loud. Even so ,my son tells me he can hear every gear change, up and down,when I’m still maybe 2km from home…)

Tried my sound test a few times and averaged….. 94 dB…..AFAIK we’re allowed 99 dB…? so I think I’m legal….!

I’ve yet to”test” the CB500 (unknown brand of exhaust but (was formerly) clearly marked Not Legal for Road Use) or the TRX 850 ( Scorpion pipes with baffles in, might take them out soon)or the little TZR (Micron with added Chinese tail-pipe), but I’m expecting them to be less than the KLR

Never been pulled for a noisy exhaust, other than once on the TZR 125, and that was a grumpy guard on a Deauville in Patrick Street, but can I now advise any guard who might pull me, that my KLR exhaust is, in fact, legal?

Or can some wise soul who can google better than me point me to the Irish offeeshul test method, and limits?