by Mark Buckner, President, Motorcycle Riders Foundation IN RECENT YEARS, global harmonization of motorcycle manufacturing standards has become a hot topic in motorcyclist rights circles. Manufacturers will likely be required to comply with set global standards on allowable noise and exhaust (gas) emissions, horsepower limits and anti- tampering devices. Does harmonization mean we'll all be riding homogenized motorcycles in the future, wherein one manufacturer's prod- uct will look, sound and perform very much like the other? Or, does harmonization mean riders will have to pay substantially more for a new bike? Where do the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) stand? Tim Hoelter, a Harley-Davidson vice- president who has also served as the pres- ident of the International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association, made it clear in 1997 that Harley-Davidson feels harmo- nization of standards is coming whether motorcyclists want it or not, and that Harley- Davidson is preparing for it. Other major OEMs, including Honda, BMW, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki apparently share this sentiment. The OEMs feel that—given enough time—they can comply with global standards while substantially improving their bottom lines. Manufacturers of all sorts of products see harmonization of manufacturing standards as a wonderful thing. A press release from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) explains, "The driving force behind the harmonization of vehicle standards is to eliminate regulatory barriers to free trade." What does standardization mean for the motorcycle industry? Currently, all of the OEMs have multiple assembly lines. They build bikes for the American market, the European market, and so on. Through standardization, large-scale manufacturers would realize major savings by utilizing one assembly line setup versus two or more. Initially, the OEMs may have to go through some retooling of assembly lines and retraining of employees. Some may have to invest significant resources into the redesign of fuel, engine and exhaust com- ponents. However, those factors may be fairly easy for OEMs to deal with. "If the worldwide standard is an existing standard, such as the one currently endorsed by the European Union, then those changes will be easier to execute," says Erwin Renette, President of FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations). "One standard does not mean by default that all production needs to be altered and, obvi- ously, all motorcycle manufacturers will lobby hard to get a favorable standard." Often, the most stringent requirements being employed at the time a global stan- dard is being considered becomes the one eventually adopted as the standard. If the European Union has adopted the most strin- gent noise emission level in the world, it is likely that level would be imposed on motor- cycles sold in the U.S., Asia and Australia. Will all bikes look, sound and perform pretty much the same? Robert Rasor, Vice- President of Government Relations for the AMA, says, "I think it will place greater demands on OEM engineers and perhaps the technology will evolve along similar lines, but that doesn't necessarily translate into look alike' motorcycles that perform the same. A global standard will challenge both stylists and engine designers to estab- lish individual corporate identities. I believe there will be clear distinctions among OEMs as well as products. You only have to look at recent changes in the BMW product line to see this." Speaking strictly of noise emissions, if all manufacturers are required to adhere to a cer- tain decibel level, then all motorcycles rolling off the line will sound very much alike, which is to say they'll make almost no noise when idling and very little when running. Reducing noise—not only at the tailpipe, but also coming from the engine itself—could mean a reduction in engine power for some models. Technological advances may over- come those power losses, but at what cost? Simon Milward of FEMA commented, "I think it is actually the type of machine that will be limited. The death of air-cooled motorcycles remains possible, depending on how far manufacturers have to go to achieve certain noise levels. From an emis- sions standpoint, all future motorcycles could well be fuel-injected with catalytic converters and anti-tampering measures." In order to maintain engine power while manufacturing to tight noise and exhaust emissions regulations, OEMs will need to invest heavily in research and development. In some cases, redesign will result in a higher overall cost of the components required to manufacture the motorcycle. Such costs are passed along to the con- sumer, Motorcycles manufactured under a global standard will almost certainly carry a higher sticker price. Now, let's assume that you'vejustbought a brand-new 2008 model. Because of har- monization of standards, your bike is fitted with catalytic converters and emits no more than 80 dB of noise. To what extent can you customize it? Can you change the exhaust system? Can you make mechanical changes to the fuel system, or to the engine itself? At present, no one knows exactly what to expect. It is possible that the amount of customizing allowed would fall under the control of local authorities, meaning riders may be able to customize certain portions of their bikes. Under this scenario, Americans may be able to make some modifications that Europeans could not, and vice-versa. If riders are required to have a motorcy- cle shop perform maintenance because anti- tampering measures keep them from doing the job themselves, they would then be stuck paying shop rates, and may be forced to buy OEM parts. This, in turn, could have an adverse impact on aftermarket suppliers. That is not to say that the OEMs favor anti- tampering devices in general. In fact, man- ufacturers are hoping the U.S. government will not buy into some of the more restric- tive measures being considered in Europe. Can we make a difference? Through organizations such as the MRF, the AMA and FEMA, we can and do have a voice in all of this. Other groups are working to influence the process as well, including safety and environmental organizations not usually supportive ofmotorcyclists' issues. Global harmonization of manufacturing standards is coming. Our job is to make sure the interests ofmotorcyclists are taken into consideration, and to protect motorcycling from overly restrictive regulations, dfe ::: MiMlWWWM~S~SMWal Wwnbw~imW'•M; ' ' -·· :i- Wehsite:1in»w.iiM*.<irfl . •'"•'- E-mail: MRFWasl]@mrf.orfl