Hulk,
These are racing dirtbikes, not trail bikes or pit bikes or trials bikes or even enduro bikes. The guys trick them out for every horsepower they can muster, even special custom exhausts to keep them under 98 dbl whcih is an EPA at-the-exhaust standard, I think.
And yes, your relatives will hear them. From something like 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Tree,
People were climbing Mt. Pilchuck and living near Green Mountain Rd. long before anyone heard of the MXGP proposal. This is changing the rules in the middle of the game...and motocross is optional; establishing and nurturing a lifestyle is not; it is guaranteed.."the pursuit of happiness." Sound familiar?
Tom
Street cruisers don't need loud pipes for power either, it's all about making sure people see that your bad, fat, old ass is on a motorcycle. I am 'da man, look at me.
It would be a nightmare to be within hearing distance of a track. It's not a constant din like a freeway, it's on the gas, off the gas repeated a trillion times. Like a truck hitting the jake brake over and over and over again.
If a track is there and you move in, your bad. If the track ain't there and it's going to effect people in their homes, no track.
Thanx Smokes.
Well said. I have lots of articles about the noise and you hit it dead on...it is not a thrumming drone like I-5 at Langus Riverfront Park which does sort of fade away in your head.
Dirtbikes, especially racing dirtbikes, have that rev up, rev down all the time all over the place...really really rattles the hearing.
Tom
I love motocross. Those are some of the most well conditioned athletes going and it's damned exciting. Every organized event will have sound tests also. If your bike doesn't pass, you don't ride. But, these are not bikes that will be whisper quiet even with that.
To live next to a track, oy! Sound can be soothing, like a river, or even a fan that creates white noise. You can even imagine a freeway might sound like the ocean.
But a motocross bike is nothing more than blaat . . . blaat . . . blaat . . . blaat, hundreds and hundreds of blaats. Multiplied by the number of bikes running. To live with it day in and day out shouldn't be asked of anybody.
These aren't the same bikes you'll see on a trail. And yes, most motorcycle trail riders are polite and considerate and do lots of work on their trails too. It's a family activity many times.
Here's an example of what a motocross bike will sound like. Try sitting on the porch of the house you paid for listening to that day after day.
TM. I must admit. After doing some research. I'm even more confused. When i was riding (street) I know for a fact my the EPA noise limit was set a 85db on my bike. That's on par with any car. In fact i could not hear the engine above 35mph, even with the engine reved to 12000 rpm. Those "loud pipes" on Harley's and other street bikes are in fact illegal. Even the AMA shuns them. It looks like non street legal bike noise not as tightly regulated @98db. This surprises me since I've shopped some dirt bikes and the ones I've been looking at are pretty dam quiet. But then again. We are talking about race bikes.
"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog
Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
0
"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog
Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
Hulk,
I was wrong; the new decibel level is 94 for motocross racing. Here's the new rule from AMA:
http://www.amaproracing.com/mx/news/index.cfm?cid=21167
The applicant for this project is on his 4th noise study. Noise is so touchy the county includes revving motorcycles in its public nuisance code...right along with loud music and barking dogs!
Some of the noise studies and rebuttals for this project can be found at
http://www.mtloopconservancy.org/
or http://www.nomotocrossonmtloop.com/
On still, cool days a single chain saw down in the valley near the river is plainly audible on the catwalk portion of Mt. Pilchuck trail just below the old ski lift terminus/slabby north face. Just think of 40 dirtbikes at 94 decibels each. Robe Valley RR Tunnel trailhead is less than a mile away too.
Tom
I enjoy watching highly skilled MX racers at a track and I ride a small dual-sport bike (95% off-road....no latte-sipping, cell phone addict is going to run over me; thank you very much!), but this track should not be built in an area that is already used for muscle and gravity-powered sports and has existing housing on it! no one will EVER get used to the braaat, braaat, braaat of racing motorcycles. And why should they have to? There are hundreds of miles of off-road trails and roads here in WA. And having to have a license-plated bike to be able to run on some of them is really not a problem either. There are several near-competition makes and models available for purchase.....KTM motorcycles as one example.
It is already far too difficult to get away from the constant drone of modern society and television sets and Muzak. Let those who have found a quiet place enjoy their quietude!
"Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale."
0
"Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale."
Comrades,
The motocross race track proposed for the Mountain Loop Highway had an early June hearing with the Snohomish County Hearing Examiner but that hearing has been cancelled.
I'll keep you posted on any new dates.
Tom
Mountain Loop Users,
The Snohomish County Hearing Examiner has announced the hearing for the MXGP motocross race track. The 450 acre site is a mile west of the Robe RR Tunnel trail and easily within site/sound of Mt. Pilchuck/Heather Lake Trail.
Sno. County PDS has issued a Determination of Mitigated Non-Significance.
Info. can be found by googling No Motocross on the Mountain Loop or the Mountain Loop Conservancy.
The hearing is scheduled for Monday, June7; Tuesday, June 8; and Friday, June 11 if needed in the Snohomish County Hearing Examiner Chambers. Start time is either 9:00 or 10:00 am. I gotta check that.
Tom
PS: This thread may need to migrate to Stewardship.
Sno. County PDS has issued a Determination of Mitigated Non-Significance.
What does that mean?
It means the county has granted them land use approval so they will be able to build it with a few mitigation measures. Probably off site roadway improvements to the site, frontage improvements, etc - I didn't actually look into the MDNS at all.
Edit: it still has to go in front of the hearing examiner where the project could be killed. By able to build it I only meant the use was approved by the county, not that construction documents were approved.
People should only go into the outdoors if they are WALKING on a designated!
Build away...
No. Not all sites are appropriate for motorcycles. My opposition to this is not a knee-jerk reaction to motorcycles in general. I was dismayed when DNR shut down Reiter to the ORV folks, and I told them so.
This is a different situation--the proposed track on the Mountain Loop will impact both residents and hikers. Negatively, to say the least. I will be at the hearing.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
0
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." – Groucho Marx
Finding of No Significant Impact, my patootey.
I can't imagine the Mtn Loop area and roads leading to it, specifically highway 9 - can safely sustain more traffic than they already do. I guess we can't assume the added traffic will be - uh, rowdy traffic. That aside, the roads in that area are already jam-packed with vehicles on a sunny weekend, especially a hot one when everyone's out for a swim in the river. Head-on collisions on Hiway 9 are fairly common, relatively speaking. This will heighten your chance of meeting your maker a bit sooner than you wanted to.
I would say a head-on collision or two, capable of wiping out humans could be considered a significant impact.
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
0
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate NWHikers.net earns from qualifying purchases when you use our link(s).