How about some justice for my ears?

Here, in the interest of greater accuracy - and onomatopoeia - is my suggestion: ROARR, or Riders Outraged About Reasonable Restrictions.

Let’s face it. Motorcycles are prime offenders when it comes to noise pollution. One night a few weeks back, a friend and I were walking near the Public Garden when there arose such a clatter that all heads turned to see what was the matter. A dozen or so bikes came snarling and snorting around the corner, almost all with unmuffled pipes.

This particular group of riders, engaged as they seemingly were in an intramural revving competition to see who could split the most eardrums, might well have been labeled PINHEADS. That is, Pugnacious Inconsiderate Noisemakers on Harleys Emitting Aggravating, Disruptive Sounds.

A Boston police officer happened to be standing nearby, and I asked him why the police didn’t ticket riders so obviously in violation of the decibel law. They had more important things to do, he answered. Noise pollution is a big quality-of-life issue, I noted. He shrugged. I’d asked a question and he’d given me an honest answer, he replied. (One possible reason for his candor: I hadn’t identified myself as a member of the media.)

Until now, checking for noise violations has been difficult, because it required use of a decibel meter. But thanks to City Councilor Sal LaMattina, Boston recently enacted an easy-to-enforce ordinance. Motorcycle exhaust systems must have a stamp saying they comply with EPA noise standards. If pipes lack the stamp, which every new motorcycle must have when sold, the rider is subject to a $300 fine.

Riders of loud bikes, of course, have invented a self-serving rationale for their acoustic assault: Loud pipes save lives. But there’s no research to support that notion. Nor does the American Motorcyclist Association endorse the idea.

Will this ordinance inconvenience riders who have installed noncomplying after-market pipes? Sure. But their inconvenience is small potatoes compared with the annoyance the rest of us regularly put up with from bikers who think it’s their God-given right to spray noise everywhere they go.

So, as LaMattina puts it, “If you are going to come to Boston, make sure you are in compliance with the law.’’

For all the complaining, this is hardly a radical measure.

“EPA standards are considerably more lax than those in Europe,’’ notes Les Blomberg, director of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse and the anti-noise activist who has helped popularize the pipe-stamp approach. “The EPA standard for motorcycles is pretty much the same that it is for tractor trailers.’’

In Denver, which has had a similar ordinance for several years, training police on enforcement takes only an hour or so, and there’s been no problem with wrongly issued tickets, says Paul Riedesel, who oversees noise control efforts for the city and county.

With Boston joining Denver and several smaller places, this new approach is gaining momentum.

But for the ordinance to work, the police must show a commitment to enforcement. Will they?

Yes, says Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

“We have been notified by the community that they are concerned,’’ he told me. “We are going to take care of it.’’

Still, Davis, a rider himself, acknowledges there’s some resistance within the ranks. “We have been working really hard to re-educate the patrol force so they understand the importance of quality-of-life issues,’’ he says. “Unfortunately we are swimming upstream against the culture of police officers and the general public . . . that unless you chase a murderer you are not doing important work.’’

And that’s where you come in. If your neighborhood has motorcycle noise problems, call your district police station and complain, Davis says. And if the problem doesn’t get addressed? Then try his office at 617-635-4500.

“We will respond,’’ he says.

Davis appears determined that his department will do its part.

So if you’re bothered by noise pollution, pick up the phone and do yours.

Scot Lehigh can be reached at lehigh@globe.com.