The Sensory Sentinel looks at Noise from Daytona Bike Week (Feb 28th – Mar 9th 2025)
We live on Highway A1A, the scenic coast road between Saint Augustine and Daytona Beach. Our Sensory Sentinel noise measurement system (provided by Turner Scientific) is located 260 feet away from the highway. Sound levels are monitored at 1 second intervals, 24 hours per day (86,400 measurements per day). In previous years we had noticed it was not the normal peaceful place during Biker week. This year we have measured it.
This graph represents the “normal” sound levels measured during a 24 hour period. The “background noise” at 60-70 dB SPL comes mostly from the wind and the sea. The spikes are from traffic noise on the road, mostly at sound levels below 80 dB SPL but higher from occasional noisy vehicles. In the measurement period we summed up how many of the 1-second readings were above 80 dB SPL (i.e. above the red line). In this trace there were just 30, which represents just 0.5 min of the 24-hour period above 80 dB SPL. Noise measured above 80 dB outside is clearly audible from within your home, even with double glazing.
The trace below shows the noise levels measured on March 1st 2025, the first Saturday of Daytona Bike week. In this record there were 3733 measurements above the 80 dB SPL red line, corresponding to over 62 mins of loud, annoying noise during the 24 hour period.
The graph below summarizes the time with measurements above 80 dB SPL for each day. The red bar indicate the dates of Bike Week 2025. The highest noise levels were on Tuesday March 4th and Friday March 7th, each with 100 minutes - that's almost 2 hours with the noise level over 80 dB SPL. Pretty obnoxious really.
When I hear noisy motorcycles, I think of vacuum cleaners. Before the “Dyson” era, vacuum cleaners were dominated by brands such as Hoover, Ewbank and Kirby. In that time the manufacturers deliberately made their cleaners noisy. People equated the noisiest cleaners as being the most powerful, so it was hard to sell a quiet vacuum cleaner. You could sell people a cheap cleaner with a weak and puny motor provided you mounted the motor in a reverberant plastic case that made it sound noisy. It’s the same with motorcyles, truck and cars. The majority of people equate noisiness with power. It’s not true of course. If you get yourself in trouble and Police on motorcycles come after you, you quickly see that they have very powerful motorbikes that are not obnoxiously noisy.
But in years past, I have owned motorcycles, I also fitted a “straight-through” muffler to one of my cars. It was a small car, but sounded great. The noise is all part of the experience. Partly "how it makes you feel" and partly the "desire to be noticed". And yes, during biker week we definitely do notice you. It’s just a part of living where we do.
I hope you all enjoy your ride down the coastal road. It’s a beautiful drive. We live on one of the best parts, with the ocean on one side of you and the intercostal waterway on the other. A part where people tend to open up the throttle and fly past. But maybe come back next year in an open-top sports car. Enjoy the drive without disturbing the neighbors quite so much.