During a race in June the Arizona Trail Riders used a sound test kit provided by the AMA and its annual Sound Meter Program to check sound emissions of competing motorcycles, a move aimed to help riders, crews and fans better understand acceptable sound levels according to AMA guidelines.

Utilizing the kit to test bikes, ATR member David Overfield and his partner tested close to 250 bikes between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

The kit from the grant, administered through the AMA’s Government Relations Department, includes a Type 2 sound meter, a tachometer, training materials, a spark-arrestor probe, personal protective equipment and a storage case. The kit shows quantitative data to complainants about levels that fall within acceptable legal ranges.

Along with the kit sent to the Arizona Trail Riders, Overfield said the tech inspection station was also supported by FMF, which provided banner stickers and half a dozen muffler packing kits.

“I also displayed a disassembled muffler to show how to properly clean the core before repacking it,” Overfield told the AMA.

Striving to keep off- and on-road riding areas open to the public, the AMA Sound Meter Program started in 2005, and since its inception has awarded more than 130 sound meter kits to AMA Districts, club members, race organizers and others who apply for it.

Acknowledging the damage that excessively loud motorcycles have on the perception of motorcycling, the AMA holds that motorcyclists have a responsibility to be part of the solution by being sensitive to community standards and respectful of their fellow citizens.

In addition, the AMA’s Government Relations Department fights to ensure law enforcement agencies do not single out motorcyclists when addressing the problem of sound pollution. The AMA Sound Meter Program looks to prevent the implementation of laws and regulations that specifically target riders.