Bikers feel the noise
by Jim Crawford

CAVE CREEK – The sound of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and other two-wheeled street machines is at the heart of an ongoing noise controversy in Cave Creek and Carefree.

Cave Creek has long been the destination of motorcycle enthusiasts because of its relaxed atmosphere and ample watering holes.

But many of the bikers have to pass through Carefree to get there. Bikers like to ride in groups and 10-15 deep-throated Harley-Davidsons rumbling through town can create quite a bit of racket.

Numerous complaints prompted the Carefree Town Council to pass a noise ordinance last year limiting all vehicles, not just motorcycles, to a certain decibel level or face the possibility of a stiff fine.

Given the opportunity to quiet down without the aid of local law enforcement officials, bikers have started to tone it down, said Carefree council member Lloyd Meyer.

This year’s Arizona Bike Week has attracted hundreds of bikers to the area. In an effort to increase awareness to the noise bikes are capable of producing, the American Motorcyclists Association, in conjunction with the Carefree and Cave Creek town councils, set up a testing station at Harold’s Cave Creek Corral for bikers to see if their rides are too loud.

“The question is how loud is too loud?” asked Meyer.

 “What might be an acceptable noise level in Phoenix is different here. You’re surrounded by mountains here and things are amplified. All we’re asking people to do is pipe it down a little bit. It’s all about education. Besides, most people up here would rather govern themselves without having to get the law involved. This is just a fun way to do it.”

Barry Caraway, from cyclerides.com was on hand to emcee the event, offering his advice to some of the more radical bikes.

“Leave town,” he suggested to a man whose bike was nowhere near compliance. As of 3 p.m. March 30, only three bikes had passed the decibel test, calculated by Terry Lee Cook of the AMA.

“The test is 100 percent effective for the people who go through it,” Cook said. “There are a lot of hard-core skeptics on both sides of the fence. Those who don’t want any noise at all, and those who don’t want any

restrictions. We have to get rid of the extremes and go for the majority. We’re not going to reach the skeptics no matter what we do.”

Caraway said the awareness program is very effective.

“It’s non-invasive,” he said. “We’re trying to work together here. Being a rider myself, I can see that it’s working. Some of the riders will need to change their exhausts, but mostly they need to change their driving habits. They just need to ride responsibly.”

Phoenix resident Jeff Tanger said he rode to Cave Creek to have his bike tested, which was one of the few that passed.

“I called the Cave Creek cops to see where they were doing the testing,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing. It’s the straight pipes people that cause the problems.”

Mark Lamb came from Omaha, Neb. for Arizona Bike Week with his Harley-Davidson Road King Classic and passed the test.

“If I lived here, I might have a problem with it (noise ordinance),” he said. “But I can put up with it for a week”

Lamb’s buddy Jack Karls, also from Omaha, didn’t fare as well. His bike flunked.

“I love the noise,” Karls said. “That’s all part of being a biker is the noise. I can see where it would be a problem.”

Dave Barnes of Anthem also failed the test.

“I don’t think an ordinance is necessary,” he said. “I think bikers ought to police themselves. Even if you have loud pipes, you can drive slowly and not make a bunch of noise.”