Calvert Lee hates what's become his alarm clock: Motorcycles, out on the street.
Loud ones.
"Why doesn't the CHP enforce the law against loud aftermarket exhaust systems on Harley-Davidson motorcycles?" the Olivehurst resident laments. "I live adjacent to a freeway onramp and am frequently awakened by these illegal motorcycle exhaust systems."
As more people buy motorcycles, we're hearing more complaints like Lee's.
California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kelly Baraga didn't sound sympathetic.
"Sometimes that noise is a good thing," she said. "Motorcycles are not as easily seen (as cars), so noise is a way they can notify people they are on the road."
A fatal crash in Rancho Cordova last week appears to back the lack-of-visibility argument. A Sacramento County deputy on motorcycle was killed when he ran into a car making a turn in front of him.
The issue of officer safety was behind last month's decision by Oakland police to equip their Harleys with louder tailpipes.
A spokesman said he wasn't sure if the Oakland agency's cycles were still noise legal.
Laws against excessive motorcycle noise are complex, making it hard to cite. Mainly, motorcycles built after 1985 are not supposed to emit more than 80 decibels.
What's that sound like? A food blender 3 feet away emits about 90 decibels. A power lawnmower is measured at about 105 decibels at 3 feet.
We've read of motorcycles hitting 117 decibels.
But Baraga of the CHP said her agency is not generally inclined to cite motorcyclists for excessive noise. Officers don't carry decibel readers, she said.
Sacramento police sound slightly more willing to cite. Officers do not need a decibel meter, officials say.
"It is up to the officer," detective Doug Tracy said. "(In) my experience, the noise has just got to be crazy loud."
Tracy said officers generally will ticket motorcyclists if an after-market gadget is the cause of excessive noise.
Last year in Sacramento County, that led to 197 tickets. Not much, but it suggests some officers are listening.
Ironically, Harleys from the factory are not as loud as they used to be.
Harley owners solve that problem fast. Slap on after-market "Screaming Eagle" pipes, and your bike can blow bark off a tree a block away.
That roar, called "rolling thunder," sets a Harley apart from other motorcycles, said store manager Michael Sheahan of Harley-Davidson of Sacramento.
Sheahan's dog recognizes the Harley sound two blocks away. Bully for them, but Calvert Lee and many others don't want to hear motorcycles two blocks away.
Lee might ask for a little consideration. But he knows better. He used to ride a motorcycle.
"They aren't going to stop," he said, "if CHP doesn't make them."
Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.
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