Motorcycles in California 'could undergo air quality checks'

A bill which is currently being considered by legislators in California could see all motorbikes registered in the state since 2000 undergo checks every two years to ensure they comply with air quality regulations.

If passed into law, the bill would be implemented by 2012 and target motorcycles with illegally modified exhausts, reports the LA Times.

The bill has received backing from environmental groups, but has not been a big hit with motorcycle dealers, manufacturers and groups, the news provider informs.

According to data from the California Air Resources Board (ARB), motorcycles make up 3.6 per cent of the state's registered vehicles, but emit ten per cent of the smog present in the air.

Tom Cackette, deputy director of the ARB, commented that it is "so difficult" to locate the source of new emissions threatening the state's air quality.

He continued: "Some people think motorcycles look small and percentage-wise they are tiny, but so is everything else that's available for emissions reductions."

A report compiled last year by the California State University-Fullerton concluded that more people die annually from air quality-related diseases in the state than from road accidents.