I am a student at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. I am doing a presentation on the EPA standards and what Harley Davidson has done to meet them. I am doing a past, present, and future type outline. Any information/help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Ben
2007-08-24 09:19:57 · 7 answers · asked by IBTHEGMAN 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
They pass all codes as delivered from the factory. If you put anything else on them, they will not pass the emissions or noise regulations.
2007-08-24 09:25:54 · answer #1 · answered by William F. D 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I'm caught up in the mess between HD and the EPA right now with my "07 Ultra Classic, As are most owners of new '07 Harleys. Because the EPA stuck their nose into the motorcycle market, instead of going after the cages that get 12-18 MPG, 50mpg bikes are suffering. To meet the strict new epa guidelines, harley is having to run a closed loop o2 sensor system and setting the idle air fuel mix at 14.7:1, this extremely lean mix is causing the bikes to run so hot at idle, that it is giving the riders second degree burns on both legs. In addition, the bikes ping and knock with pre ignition problems when running down the highway. We all know that heat is the number one enemy of air cooled motors, so it is shortening the life of the motors as well. To make it worse, HD until recently has denied the problems exist which leaves owners with no recourse thru HD. Of course the "fix" entails replacing the restrictive exhaust pipes, the restrictive air cleaner and adding an oil cooler and a means of enrichening the fuel air mix in the injector system. Either a Harley davidson race tuner, or an after market tuner like the V&H fuel pak, the power commander etc. to the tune of $1400-$1800 dollars out of the new owners pocket. In my case, this would be on top of the $20,000 I spent on a bike with a design flaw that has been sitting at the dealership more than it is ridden.This of course also means that the bike will get better gas mileage, run better, produce more HP and Torque BUT, it will not be EPA compliant. This means that the owner is in violation of the EPA and can be fined a great deal of money. I can tell you that HD is talking about several changes in the near future to help meet the EPA standards. These include ceramic exhausts around 2009-10 and water cooled motors to follow. The EPA also is cracking down on loud bikes rather than loud stereo's or cars. HD tried to reduce engine noise by changing the way the gears are cut in the transmission. 1st and 5th gears are cut different than the rest. This means that 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th are whisper quiet and 1st is louder while 5th is horribly loud. I'm told this occurred because the EPA test the noise level at speed corresponding to the quieter gears. It also means that all the new bikes are whisper quiet when running. Which sucks. People wanna hear that patented harley sound. Otherwise, why not buy a honda?
Hope this helps
2007-08-24 17:05:39 · answer #2 · answered by randy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever notice that little plug on the inside of the factory pipes? Looks an awful lot like an oxygen sensor port doesnt it? Maybe this speaks to future plans.
To my knowledge, Calaifornia is the only state that currently has emission regs. I'm sure this will change over time. Noise regs vary from state to state, and are generally loosely enforced.
A good reference is the American Motorcyclist Association
2007-08-24 16:48:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Living in Florida being a huge motorcycling state differs,The state has it's own regs but so do local townships ,mostly for noise and not the EPA. For instance in key West my buddy got a ticket in key West with his other than stock pipes on his Ultra Glide for disturbing the ocean wild life by a game and fish wild life officer,and I got one for excessive noise in Daytona(during Bike Week) for not having baffles in my drag pipes on my 79 sportster,but where I live in central Florida the cops dint even mess with me! But my Screaming Eagle2's on my 04 are not stock but are legal and sound great.... good luck on your presentation.
2007-08-25 07:30:51 · answer #4 · answered by grgvrnn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure, but I do know it is illegal to alter the exhaust on all Harley Davidson's 2007 and newer in California. Shops are not allowed to change the exhaust at all.
2007-08-24 16:26:42 · answer #5 · answered by mybuttstinks2001 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They found out that they could make the bike alot "cleaner" and quieter by changing the firing order from 1-2-1-2 to 2-1-2-1
2007-08-24 17:15:35 · answer #6 · answered by Baron_von_Party 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is a TLC or discovery channel show called "the birth of the v-rod" that pertains to exactly what you want to know...
try TLC or discovery channel . com
2007-08-24 16:40:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋