smog

varmint · 05-05-2009, 08:23 PM

California considers requiring motorcycle smog checks
Proponents say every effort will help in the air pollution and climate change fight. Foes say it would be an infringement on bikers' rights.
By Susan Carpenter
May 5, 2009
Cars do it. Trucks do it. And now the state of California may require motorcycles to do it, too.

Biennial smog checks would be required for motorcycles manufactured in the 2000 model year and later under a bill making its way through the California Legislature.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-smog-motorcycles5-2009may05,0,6008850.story

looks like my 99 just got a lot more valuable.

RBMann · 05-05-2009, 09:50 PM

That should be fun if you have made mods to the engine.

In the old days, I would have to change the needles, jets and timing on my '72 Datsun 510 to pass the WA smog tests. The 510 would run horribly until I changed everything back again.

SeabeckS · 05-05-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBMann

That should be fun if you have made mods to the engine.

In the old days, I would have to change the needles, jets and timing on my '72 Datsun 510 to pass the WA smog tests. The 510 would run horribly until I changed everything back again.

Hmm....would that have been one of those odd dual point distributor equipped Datsun's? My wife's mom had one of those...not an easy one to tune. At least not as easy as a '65 VW...

BJ

RBMann · 05-05-2009, 10:03 PM

No it was a domestic market engine from Japan. L16 SSS with dual SU side drafts. The stock engine did have dual points. No love there.

SeabeckS · 05-05-2009, 10:10 PM

No love for sure. While visiting friends in Chicago my mom-in-law had her 510 wagon serviced and tuned at a dealership before beginning her trip back home to Nevada.

Not long after getting on the road the car started running poorly, and she took it another dealer in Iowa, and another in Nebraska, with no improvement. The car would only do about 50 or so. When she got it back to Reno she took it to the dealer, the mechanic looked at it, switched a couple of leads on that distributor and it ran like a champ. Funny later, but she was sort of irritated...!

Car met it's demise near Mono Lake one night when chancing upon a dead horse in the middle of the road on 395. No injuries (other than the horse, of course!) and she was rather glad that the car was totalled.

blutruck1 · 05-05-2009, 11:10 PM

AZ already has smog checks for bikes. It consists of riding in, paying your $20, getting a sniffer tube in the butt, idling the bike for a few minutes, picking up your cert and riding out. Basically, they want the money.
How often does any rider idle for any appreciable amount of time.
Harley guys change their carb settings, bikes run like crap, ride in, pass smog, pay money, go home and change carb settings back, and wait until next year.

turboflyer · turboflyer's Garage

Geeez, I sure hope not. Otherwise I will have to fab up some type of quick disconnect for the CAT.

Steve Carlton · 05-06-2009, 07:30 AM

Here's a Word document you can use in opposition:
http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=e42e7828e4&view=att&th=120a67416cef8721&attid=0.1&disp=attd&zw

SergioK · 05-06-2009, 07:50 AM

Linky no worky.

JonyRR · 05-06-2009, 09:33 AM

hahahahaaa
people on this board laughed at me when I pointed out this was coming (not that I'm legal, but my scoot IS a '99..hehe.). There are many things to laugh at me for but this ain't one of 'em.

It's already technically a federal felony to modify any part of any exhaust system on a street-legal EPA certified motorcycle.
Do 'they' enforce it? no...
IS the law there? yes.....

Guest24 · 05-06-2009, 09:54 AM

Sure it's comming. The global warming part is in full control-and control they shall.

Steve Carlton · 05-06-2009, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SergioK

Linky no worky.

I'll e-mail it to you and maybe you could host it?

SergioK · 05-06-2009, 02:24 PM

Sure, I could do that...

Linky now worky.

BumbleBeemer36 · 05-06-2009, 03:18 PM

So...my r11s (99) passed with flying colors when I bought it last November. Anyone know if I'm gonna have to put the stock exhaust back on and disconnect the techlusion next year? Since it's a sniff test will they even care ( or know) my feline is gone?

2wheelmike · 05-06-2009, 07:12 PM

Glad I still have my stock exhaust and FRK module is UNplug-N-play too.

signit98 · 05-06-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nail24

Sure it's comming. The global warming part is in full control-and control they shall.

...course they will, now that even the dumbest scientist can not ignore (or explain away) the rapid melting of the ice-caps and the fact that the US coastal areas are significantly threatened... all of a sudden it has become an issue over here as well... a pressing one!

Funny how that works... of course, I am sure that all the experts will chime in now with ... it's cyclical and it has happened many a times before... YES, it has... but over thousands of years, not less than 200!

I am actually not upset about the fact that they want to smog motorcycles... if it has to be, then so be it... what get's my is that they are so darn hypocritical and let thousands of school-busses blow carcinogens into the air while kids are in them... yet these things are EXEMPT!!!

The logic and research in that article is actually MARGINAL at best... the numbers are off... and, again, instead of looking critically over the edge of the plate... nah, let's just take the BS the politicians dish out and run with it... why work?

Trouble is that very few journalists actually do REAL journalistic work anymore... research, digging, finding the truth...

(Brad, you can now have the soap-box back that I borrowed!)

sgoodwin · sgoodwin's Garage

We're a much easier feel good target than the real polluters. Not as wealthy either.

turboflyer · turboflyer's Garage

So if one can get near three times the average fuel mileage of a car would it not be logical to allow motorcycles three times the average emissions. Oh thats right government and logic are a oxymoron. My bad. If the CAT were made the entire length of the exhaust in a more free flowing manner there would be no loss in power. But hell who wants a two 6 inch 75 pound pipes.

bacn5 · 05-07-2009, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BumbleBeemer36

So...my r11s (99) passed with flying colors when I bought it last November. Anyone know if I'm gonna have to put the stock exhaust back on and disconnect the techlusion next year? Since it's a sniff test will they even care ( or know) my feline is gone?

I don't know how it works in AZ or how it works for bikes, but most automotive emissions test start with a visual inspection. The emissions sticker on the side of your transmission states something like: Emissions systems: MFI, TWC, HO2S Translation: Multi-point Fuel injection, Three Way Converter, and Heated Oxygen Sensor.
The technician doing the visual will look for these three things before he even thinks about the sniff test. If you are missing anything, he should fail you. But talk to the shop, things may be different for bikes, than for cars.

bacn5 · 05-07-2009, 06:44 PM

As for you guys in California, if a company offered a CARB approved (E.O.) small bullet style / hi-flow/ low restriction stainless universal converter with a steel substrate as apposed to ceramic so it could handle rich mixtures without melting down, would you have it welded or torca clamped into your performance exhaust system once the law passes? Or just try to find a working O.E. system to put back on during the tests?