The German government wants to make motorcycles quieter. To do so, it is looking into limiting their exhaust decibels, implementing riding bans on certain days, and installing acoustic cameras.
The new ruling, which will be voted on this month by the German parliament, hopes to ban standard motorcycles from certain areas on Sundays and bank holidays. On those days, only bikes powered by alternative drive systems (electric) will be allowed on the road.
To ensure compliance, some German states want to give police officers the right to impound motorcycles when caught gravely violating these restrictions or even confiscate them on the spot. This is in addition to the standard fines already given to violating riders.
To enforce this new rule, Germany plans to restrict noise levels from motorcycles to just 80dB (decibels). The current limit is already at 100dB for track days. The government also plans to install acoustic cameras in these restricted areas that will not only capture video of violating motorcycles but also record the sound and measure their noise levels.
If this new law is passed, German motorcycle manufacturers like BMW will likely be forced to comply, offering quieter motorcycles in stock form.
