Some Aspects of Motorcycle Noise and Annoyance

This paper gives the results of studies carried out at the TRRL on motorcycle noise and annoyance. It is found that motorcycle noise is a disturbing element of traffic noise but, at present, their numbers are too low to affect measured overall traffic noise levels. The greatest awareness and disturbance caused by motorcycle noise occurs in situations where the general traffic noise levels are low and where people are otherwise content with the traffic noise to which they are subjected.

The noise emitted by motorcycles when operated at steady speed in top gear is similar to the noise emitted by passenger cars when operated freely in traffic. While there seems to be little possibility of developing a motorcycle noise test which represents the wide range of ways of operating motorcycles, the full throttle acceleration test and close proximity exhaust noise test as described in EEC Directive 1015/78 meets the basic requirements of a regulation test procedure.