In July 2000 the Environmental Protection Authority introduced a new regulation requiring all motorcycles fitted with an aftermarket exhaust to carry a specific label on it or face a $200 fine.

The EPA made no attempt to inform riders of this new law, and have not made information available about it, so most riders with aftermarket exhausts can't make them legal. Unlike car owners the only way they can have a known legal muffler/exhaust system is to buy a standard original one.

Fines and defect notices are being issued by the EPA inspectors, and by the Police.

This regulation is retrospective, unlike most laws which only affect things done after the law was passed. It's effectively anti-competitive - as no one knows how to make aftermarket exhausts legally, all riders can do is to fit the expensive original equipment instead of having a wide choice of imported or locally made parts, and local makers can't sell 'legal' exhausts.

The Police are using a Random Breath Test station as a means of collecting motorcycles from the road for the EPA and the Police to issue fines. Riders are effectively arrested so the EPA can noise test their machines, and check for stickers causing delays for up to two hours on the roadside.

This enforcement regime has soured relations between Police and riders at a time when it was hoped riders and Police could work together towards real improvements in road safety. Other agencies of Government have been working with riders to improve safety and these actions initiated by EPA have destroyed several years of good work.

The law appears to be used primarily to raise money, it is not being used to target excessively noisy motorcycles, but to collect a 'sticker tax'. Bikes that are at or below the legal noise limit have been hit with the fine.

The EPA has now ceased issuing fines for failing to carry a sticker on the fuel tank which says "unleaded fuel only", despite the law requiring this label having been repealed when leaded fuel was phased out. We applaud the commonsense of fixing the mistake, but there are bigger mistakes continuing with the label requirement.

The Motorcycle Council of NSW has asked the NSW government to have the unreasonable law for exhaust labels overturned and the fines returned for both 'offences'.

Been Fined?
What are these fines?

Labels and Exhausts
What are these labels?

Defective Vehicle Notices
Expensive to fix, if you can work out how to do so.

Mixed Messages
What is the NSW government really saying to riders?

History Lesson
So, where did this law come from?

What is Noise anyway?
Social and Technical aspects

Solution?
Take away their toy

If you have useful information for the Noise Committee, please e-mail them at mccofnsw.ar.com.au

The MCC of NSW has commenced a dialog with the NSW government. This webpage and it's content is part of that dialog.