The Tailpipe Chronicles
THE TAILPIPE CHRONICLES
ROUNDUP
THE FAT LADY HASN’T yet sung. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that she’s warming up backstage and is just about to perform.
We probably should have said fat ladies, since we are metaphorically referring to two separate but related entities: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In one way or another, those agencies have been regulating motorcycle emissions for more than a quarter-century, but their programs have ramped up in recent years and are now poised to take another step that could prove to be the most difficult yet for manufacturers to meet.
This next level, called Tier 2, will go into effect first in California in 2008 and in the
other 49 states in 20IO. Tier 2 requires all new motorcycles to emit no more than 0.8 grams per kilometer of hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 12 grams per kilometer of carbon monoxide (CO). Though Tier 2 allows the same output of CO that has been in effect since 1980, it mandates a more than 40-percent reduction in HC and NOx compared to the l .4 g/km limit of Tier 1, which has been in effect in California since 2004 and the rest of the country since 2006.
What this means for 2008 models in the Golden State is currently unclear, but the prospects aren’t exactly radiant. We’ve already seen numerous 2007 motorcycles that have emissions-related engine problems, ranging from throttle-response hiccups and hesitations to overheating and long warm-up periods. A few of those bikes already meet Tier 2 standards, offering hope that their makers will be able to iron out those glitches before the 2008 models go into production. But for the manufacturers
who have difficulty just meeting Tier 1, maintaining existing performance levels in California next year may be next to impossible. According to one high-ranking industry executive who asked not to be named, repli-racer sportbikes sold in the Governator’s state next year could suffer up to a 15 percent drop in peak power as a consequence of meeting Tier 2’s standards.
If you don’t live in California, you probably think these regulations won’t affect you until 2010. But you could be wrong. To simplify production and maintain competitive pricing, bike manufacturers these days have to minimize equipment variations between different markets. Simple differencessuch as the evaporative canister hung on California models in recent years-are no big deal; but if the divergences involve important, expensive items like cams, compression ratios and fuel-injection mapping-none of which are outside the realm of possibility here-don’t be surprised if 2008 brings us 50-state bikes that meet the Tier 2 regs. Motorcyclists have long argued that the contribution to this country’s overall pollution by motorcycles is insignificant, given the tiny percentage of bikes on the road compared to cars and the smallness of their engines. But the EPA doesn’t agree. The agency conducted tests a few years ago in which motorcycles were shown to pollute, on a permile basis, between three and 10 times more HC and NOx than the average car, depending upon the bike in question. The standards for bikes
have tightened somewhat since then, but motorcycles still pump more of those pollutants into the atmosphere than their four-wheel counterparts. So it’s not surprising that the EPA and CARB are focusing more intently on twowheel motor vehicles. Then there’s the matter of enforcement. The government can make all the laws and regulations it wants, but if it has no way to enforce them, those rulings have more bark than
bite. The manufacturers must comply, of course, but once an owner has a motorcycle in one
hand and an aftermarket catalog in the other, all bets are off. Yet that could change, as well. CARB is considering requiring all street-legal motorcycles in California to undergo regular emissions inspections just as cars must. If that measure passes, other states are sure to follow, with support and guidance from the EPA. Clearly, the cleanair police want all motorcycles to run just as greenly and quietly as your next-door neighbor’s Prius. We can only hope
that some degree of clear thinking pre vails and that these agencies realize you can't hang as much emissions equipment on a bike as you can tuck under the hood of a car.
Fortunately, the engineering staffs of the bike manufactur ers are filled with ingenious, resource ful people. No matter the challenge, they always seem to find a way to deliver what we enthusiasts expect while meeting what the government demands. We
can only hope they come through once again. -Paul Dean
