That must make my boxed Euro 3 Akro worth more money, i keep putting off selling incase I return to the fold.
Well at least until 2020, and if person keeps it in the UK, worth a read below, and bike goes faster with the Euro 3 chart below....
EU Noise Ordinance - Much ado about nothing?
Since January 1, 2016, there have been changes in the specifications of new motorcycles with regard to noise, but these do not come from the German Ministry of Transport, but from the Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, UNECE for short. This commission, which has been in existence since 1947, prepares proposals on economic or environmental issues in various sectors and passes them on to the member countries of UNECE. Germany has been a member of the Commission since 1973, making it one of 56 countries worldwide that transposes UNECE's proposals into national law. The new UNECE-R 41.04, which has now entered into force, is based on the 1958 agreement of the member states on the adoption of technical regulations for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts that are installed and used in wheeled vehicles.
As a rule, UNECE guidelines are first converted into an EU regulation by the EU and then passed on to the member states for implementation. In this case, it was EU Regulation No. 168/2013 with CELEX number 32013R0168, which was announced on February 21, 2014 and entered into force on January 1, 2016. This EU regulation, in turn, is reflected in § 49 of the German StVZO.
This is by no means the first EU regulation by the UNECE with regard to the containment of engine noise from motorcycles, but already the 4th modification of the R 41, as can be seen in the addition 04.
What's new in the UNECE-R 41.04?
From 1 January 2016, new motorcycles must meet the following requirements for obtaining EU type-approval :
1. additional noise requirements in the range of 20 to 80 km / h (ASEP),
2. limit value fulfillment in all possible operating modes / flap positions,
3. Prohibition of test cycle detection by the engine control
4. Tampering measures including the prohibition of removable
Silencer inserts (so-called "dB-Eater" / "dB-Killer"),
5. Marking of noise levels on the motorcycle to check
Noise emissions in traffic
But that's not all. The UNECE-R 41.04 also includes the entry into force of the Euro 4 emission standard, which implies an additional limitation of the maximum noise level from 80 to 78 at first and from 2017 to 77 dB (A). For the future, too, emission level 5 has already been taken into account by the same EU regulation. From the year 2020 motorcyclists have to expect further measures to reduce noise.
The new test methods close previous loopholes that allowed manufacturers to avoid circumventing the noise regulations, but only to comply with the prescribed test range. Above, from 80 km / h, the power delivery of the bicycle can make noticeable. The new regulation contains the addition: Motorcycles with a power-to-weight ratio of 50 kW / t and above. must comply with this limit (78 dB). This simply means that in all driving situations the given maximum sound level has to be observed.
However, the regulation only applies to new type approvals. For existing motorcycle types the previous regulation remains valid. Therefore, anyone planning to purchase a new bike in 2016 should take a look at the year of type approval if the sound is an absolute buying criterion.
Another interesting detail can be found in Regulation UNECE 92.01, which deals with accessory exhaust systems. While the OEM standard exhaust systems naturally fall under the UNECE-R 41.04, the UNECE 92.01 for accessory exhaust systems will not come into force until 2020. Theoretically, a motorcyclist who has purchased a UNECE-R 41.04 corresponding motorcycle, could build on this one exhaust system with old E-type approval and thus upgrade the bike quite legally "sound technically" again. In particular, foreign EU approval authorities are quite relaxed about type approval for accessory exhaust systems with the limit values.
As long as the exhaust system is approved for the respective motorcycle, the German authorities can hardly do anything about it, but already in the year 2020, the maps with respect to the limits and the approval guidelines will be remixed again.
