I am going to make the 700 mile trip from New York City to Silver Lake for the first time since they started the sound checks. Anybody have any firsthand info on how strict they are being? I found a lot of messages that talked about friends of friends, but nobody has said they themselves have had problems or not and what bike/pipe/silencer combo they were using. I know they are strict about the spark arrestors this year but that is not a problem. We are pretty much all running 250Rs with Paul Turner Pipes and silencers. If anybody with a similar set up has had any experiences (good or bad) with the new test please let me know. Also, is the voucher system still in effect or not? The MI DNR website is very uninformative on these things.

Thanks.

John

 

Johnr,

I was up at Silver Lake in mid April. I only saw a few people getitng checked for sound. I didn't see anyone getting hassled. Mostly, they just checked for sparky's. Also, they are going to be enforcing the voucher system starting May 10th this year, so be prepared for that. Fortunately, we were up there during the off-season, so they may have been a little more lax on the sound.

Have fun, hope this helps a little.

 

Thanks Obud. I am familiar with the voucher system and I hope all they look for is sparkys, that's an easy one to prepare for, the sound check won't be. But I hope we won't have to deal with it.


Thanks Again.

John

 

I'd prepare for being checked and being able to fix it quick (I believe there is a limited number allowed on and long lines at certain times.)

They are SERIOUS about getting a handle on this issue (this season) after many years of planning.

Have a great time!

John
'00 SP500

 

ok its 94 dbs at 20 inches at a 45 degree angle of the tip of the sparky .
all i can say is good luck and pack her good and hope . or you could go to radio shack and get a tester and test your self. good luck

 

If you are going to test your own machine with a sound meter here's the general idea.

MI DNR uses a 20 inch test at 94 dba.

Set the sound meter for "A" weighing and slow response.
Engine must be running at half it's rated RPM.
Hold meter 20 inches from the rear of the exhaust at a 45 degree angle.
Microphone should be pointing away from the exhaust not at it.

Most music store's will have a meter to help you get a pretty good idea what your at for DB.

Jeff

 

Stock silencers and FMF "Q" silencers are not being checked. Everyone else is 94 dB(A), although earlier this year they were using 98 dB(A) as the cutoff. Not sure if that is to break people in slowly or what. The DNR is also examining the possibility of contracting sound checks to the Oceana Co. Sheriff Dept. This proposal was presented to the Board of Commissioners at their April 25th meeting. Because the park will refuse admittance and might have to evict, "people with law enforcement power are needed".

 

..............Because the park will refuse admittance and might have to evict, 'people with law enforcement power are needed'.

Wasting DNR money to have armed officers giving sound checks as "you know how some of these atvers can get"...........are we ready for a reality check yet?

Anything less (size wise) than going back to the LARGE registration numbers (that we used to put on snowmobiles) won't be enough to keep track of these bozos when they ride the rest of the trail system.

My point is that these same people that require law enforcement to prevent them from going off on the obvious are screwing things up elsewhere and need to be identified easily when they have their dumb a$$ attacks.

If anybody thinks these numbers should be 'smaller' because they don't look good on their machine or they'd have to figure out how to mount a plate; then we all deserve whatever havoc these guys wreak when they get kicked out of the dunes.

Again, anything less than what law enforcement can easily read (this was decided decades ago) is a waste of time and money. The snowmobilers shot down this standard years ago because, basically, these numbers didn't look so 'cool' with the graphics that were starting to come out.

I understand that an organization is bringing up the issue of atv registration again. Anybody know how large the numbers are proposed to be? Or is this a 'secret' like the 'new standard' of (only) 60 inches for atv trails?

Understandably, we would have to consult with the snowmobilers as we do the cyclists; making sure that what makes sense for the general riding public did not conflict with their views and consequently NOT be worth fighting for.

Luckily, we are not in a forum where the moderator can bust in out of the blue, trash the participants and close the topic. Maybe we should create a new topic called "Everything you wanted to know about the politics of the Michigan Trail System but were afraid to ask" ?????

John
'00 SP500