Muffling the noise.

A muffler manufacturer has donated samples of its exhaust mufflers for Off-Road Recreation Vehicles (ORV) to Silver Lake State Park in Michigan, to be used to educate riders and park rangers about sound level restrictions within the park. Silver Lakes State Park is the only public sand dune riding area in the Midwest and consists of more than 450 acres. Because of its unique riding areas, Silver Lake State Park's popularity has grown rapidly over the past decade. "We are the only state park in Michigan where ORVs are legal," Ranger Jody Johnston said. "People come from all surrounding areas, and we usually get 300,000 riders from April 1 to Oct. 31. Over the last 10 years, we have seen our attendance double. Because of the increased traffic in recent years, we've become more vigilant in enforcing the noise regulations."

Cleveland, Ohio-based SuperTrapp Industries chose Silver Lake because of Michigan's Off-Road Recreation Vehicles Act, which states that the maximum noise level permitted under the established testing conditions is 94 dB. This test is administered at a 20-inch distance from the exhaust pipe at half the vehicle's rated maximum revolutions per minute. "The cut-a-way we sent Silver Lake illustrates our signature tunable disc technology, which provides features vital to park riding-the ability to tune for less sound and the built-in spark arrestor," SuperTrapp President Kevin Berger said.

Johnston hopes that by making riders aware of the noise standards in the park, they will be more conscious of the standards when riding on other trails outside of the park.

To request a sample muffler, contact Berger al [phone], Ext. 120, or e-mail [e-mail].