Newly registered motorcycles to be subject to stricter noise rules in France
The changes are due to start in January 2025
The new regulations will seek to apply motorcycle noise limits even in rural areas
lassedesignen/Shutterstock
Noise standards for motorcycles are set to be tightened in France from January 1, 2025 as new regulations come into force.
UN-ECE Regulation R41.05 will apply to all newly registered motorcycles in the EU. The regulation imposes stricter noise standards including on rural roads. Motorcycles that do not meet the new noise test requirements will no longer be eligible for registration.
The overall aim is to significantly reduce noise on all models. According to German media Heise, the motorcycle noise limit values are not changing as a result of the new regulations, but ‘the conditions under which they must be met go much further than before’.
Motorcycles complying with the new regulations will therefore become “quieter in the areas where no measurements were taken beforehand”, said Dr. Frank Schwarz, head of the thermodynamics/function/emissions department at BMW Motorrad to Heise.
The change aims to balance motorcyclists’ rights with residents’ wellbeing.
For several years, the European Commission has been working to regulate noise emissions from two-wheelers. This is divisive, with the motorcycling community often stating that regulations are too restrictive, while campaigners against noise pollution say the rules do not go far enough.
Previous regulation has focused on reducing noise pollution and acceleration noise in residential areas in cities, towns, and villages.
These new rules will also seek to apply noise standards even on country roads and in a wider range of traffic conditions, including in less populated areas.
Motorcycles are currently subject to three levels of noise classifications, depending on their power and weight. The more powerful and heavier the vehicle, the more tolerant the noise standards will be.
Class 1 (low power, very high mass), the limit is 73 dB
Class 2, including motorcycles with high mass and/or low power, up to 74 dB
Class 3, up to 77 dB.
Most motorbikes fall into class 3, states specialist website TuningBlog.
Paris ban consideration
It comes eight months after Paris considered whether to ban combustion vehicles and scooters at night, in a bid to reduce noise outside cafe terraces, improve residents’ sleep, and reduce pollution.
Read also: Paris reviews banning motorbikes and scooters at night to limit noise
The only exception would be people who rely on using a motorbike or scooter to travel to and from work and have to travel within these hours.
Motorbike campaigner groups criticised this suggestion at the time.
Jean-Marc Belotti, coordinator of the Fédération française des motards en colère (FFMC) for Paris and the inner suburbs, said: “We make noise like other road users but I can tell you that most of the noise [on the roads] is generated by heavy vehicles passing over cobbles, and by horns and sirens.”
