Modern Vespa

My 1980 P200E has its stock exhaust. You cannot buy a quieter exhaust for that scooter. Yet it doesn't have any modern EPA sticker on it or anything to indicate, when off, that the exhaust is legal in terms of noise. Will I not be able to ride my vintage Vespa in Boston?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/08/motorcyclists_revved_up_over_hub_noise_rule/

What about other scooters? My ET doesn't have any damn EPA noise sticker on it either.

I wouldn't worry about it. It states who the targets are, and you ain't it! There are tons of noise laws around, and they are so hard to enforce that they are basically at the discretion of the arresting officer.

Looks like your 1980 P200 is fine:

Good spot Masala!

There has been a similar movement in New York, with the same cutoff date (the date when EPA regulations first went into effect regarding exhaust noise emissions). Of course, while vintage scooters with stock exhausts will be safe, the large number of vintage bikes with aftermarket pipes could theoretically be subject to enforcement. On the other hand, my take on the issue is that police are unlikely to search underneath scooters to check for a sticker, and will instead use the law primarily in cases of motorcycles with absurdly loud straight pipes.

Brendan

It is quite possible for after market exhausts to comply with the law. The replacement pipe (not stock) that we bought for the wife's Yesterday had an EU (or EC) compliance label. And, is the EPA requirement targeting noise or pollution? That's still another question.

Al

[quote="Aviator47" And, is the EPA requirement targeting noise or pollution? That's still another question.
Al[/quote]

Hi Al,
Looks like they are targeting noise pollution. My concern was (and still is) what this means for older scooters in particular which don't have the required exhaust labels. I guess the date, 1982, is the year when the EPA began providing those labels to exhausts? Or is this an arbitrary year. I wouldn't think a PX125 from 1982 would have any different markings from a PX125 from 1981