NH Bill to effect 2013 and newer motorcycle exhausts noise

[timmyho414]

This is very similar to the law passed in California. In short, no exhaust modification on 2013 and newer.

Please read and if you have a strong opinion on it, write your Representative(s). You can find your Rep very easy on the States website.
http://www.nh.gov/government/state.html

You can also look up this bill for yourself if you like. Be sure to change the year to 2012.



HB 1442 – AS INTRODUCED

2012 SESSION

12-2254

03/09

HOUSE BILL 1442

AN ACT relative to motorcycle noise emission regulation.

SPONSORS: Rep. Peckham, Rock 13; Rep. W. Smith, Rock 18; Rep. Waddell, Rock 15; Rep. Abrami, Rock 13

COMMITTEE: Transportation

ANALYSIS

This bill modifies exhaust requirements for motorcycles manufactured on or after January 1, 2013.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

12-2254

03/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve

AN ACT relative to motorcycle noise emission regulation.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Paragraph; Motorcycle Noise Levels; Applicability. Amend RSA 266:59-a by inserting after paragraph III the following new paragraph:

IV. The provisions of this section shall apply only to motorcycles manufactured before January 1, 2013.

2 New Section; Motorcycle Sound Emissions Regulation. Amend RSA 266 by inserting after section 59-a the following new section:

266:59-aa Motorcycle Sound Emissions Regulation.

I. No person shall operate or use a highway motorcycle registered in the state of New Hampshire and manufactured on or after January 1, 2013 unless the motorcycle is equipped with a factory installed exhaust system, or equivalent, that bears the required applicable federal Environmental Protection Agency exhaust system labels pursuant to 40 C.F.R. part 205, subparts D and E. The exhaust system shall not produce a sound level in excess of 82 decibels on the A scale when measured in accordance with federal testing procedures.

II. No person shall tamper with, remove, or render inoperative any part or component of the exhaust system or its component parts which cause the motorcycle to exceed 80 decibels on the A scale.

III. No person shall pass for the purposes of the inspection required by RSA 266:1 any motorcycle manufactured on or after the January 1, 2013, which does not comply with paragraph I and which exceeds a measured noise level of 82 decibels on the A scale using the federal testing procedure.

IV. Any person who violates the provisions of paragraph I or II shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $350 for a first offense and $500 for any subsequent offence.

V. This section applies to a person operating a motorcycle that is newly manufactured on or after January 1, 2013, or a motorcycle with aftermarket exhaust system equipment that is newly manufactured on or after January 1, 2013. This section shall not apply to competition motorcycles.

4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2013.

[SVRACER01]

like i said in the other thread, this wont fly unless they apply it to all vehicles

[timmyho414]

It is currently illegal to modify the exhaust on your car. No one cares and a lot of people do it but it's still illegal. This would bring the law for motorcycle more inline with the law for cars.
The words "or equivalent" are important. You can go to a parts store and buy an "equivalent" muffler for your car. You do not need to go to the dealer. One argument against such legislation in the past has been that OEM's do not support older bikes. The word "equivalent" removes that argument.
The current law for motorcycles is 106db. Guys with strait pipes are illegal and annoying to many people. They are illegal. Some of the people who are annoyed do not know the difference. 'Loud bike are bad', black and white. They do not know or care that some/many people have aftermarket exhaust that a under 106db. The woman who wrote the last bill, and who was responsible for the ordinance change in North Hampton, which is discussed in the other thread, told me she didn't know the difference when I called her. All she knew was the 'the bikes are too loud' and she wanted to stop them.
They feel it's easier to write a new law then it is to enforce the current law.

If you don't think it will pass fine, I hope you're right. If you don't want it to pass, contact your Reps.

[RandyO]

The current law for motorcycles is 106db.

not exactly

106db @ 2800 rpm for thumpers & twins @3500rpm for 3+ cylinders bikes

my SV that barely passed @ 2800rpm with a worn out never repacked aftermarket can was easily 140db (as ear splitting as a straight piped Harley) @ redline

the current NH law is very lenient, expect to see a change, but I doubt HB1442 will pass in its current form

[jcrawford]

wait what if we live in MA where it is legal (currently) to have a loud exhaust, are we no longer allowed in the state of NH?

[SVRACER01]

wait what if we live in MA where it is legal (currently) to have a loud exhaust, are we no longer allowed in the state of NH?

ok...ive tried to stand up for you, but now youre just being dumb. a state cant implement its laws on motor vehicles on a vehicle thats not registered in that state. ever see a car with florida plates with dark tinted windows in NH? tinted windows arent legal in NH but you dont see them pulled over on the side of the road peeling it off at the NH border do you?

[jcrawford]

ok...ive tried to stand up for you, but now youre just being dumb. a state cant implement its laws on motor vehicles on a vehicle thats not registered in that state. ever see a car with florida plates with dark tinted windows in NH? tinted windows arent legal in NH but you dont see them pulled over on the side of the road peeling it off at the mass border do you?

Apologies if that is dumb, i don't follow most laws like that and generally am not concerned. I figured they wouldn't be able to hold that down and just wanted confirmation. I was just not sure if they *could* cite you for something like that.

Now comes the second question.... How will they regulate bike week, all of NH is hammered with bikes during that event and a lot are from out of state.... Forgive me if I am wrong but I doubt this law would *stop* anything due to the above. And the fact that NH has some great riding roads that people travel to ride.

Nothing really to compare with but before I ever lived in NY State and I went there on a trip to the mall at night. I got pulled over and I didn't stop rather I just moved over allowing the vehicle to pass thinking it was a personal emergency vehicle. in VT you see red lights on a lot of personal cars such as the volunteer Fire Fighters who like to have all the gadgetry. I was also used to blue lights on police cars. I got a citation for speeding because I didn't stop immediately. The officer even stated he was going to give me a warning until I didn't come to a stop right away and made him have reason to pull a search on my car. This is why I asked the above because honestly I didn't *know* if they could or not. Oh and in my defense that happened when I first started driving, now I know some police use red lights. However if I ever go to a state where they use Yellow I won't be stopping LOL.

[timmyho414]

106db @ 2800 rpm for thumpers & twins @3500rpm for 3+ cylinders bikes

...when measured 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45 degree angle while the engine is operating...

Thank you, I should have been more specific.

My Monster900 with Termi's tested at 105db last time. There are bikes that go by my house that are sooo much louder then my bike. They're trying to be loud. Strait pipes, no muffler, on the gas,off gas, on gas. Why? Then people get mad, call their Rep's, Reps write bills, bills become laws.

So both our bikes are legal. The guy with the strait pipes could be 110db(making up numbers) in the test. How much louder is that then ours at redline? The dbs scale goes up exponentially. I doubt your SV is as loud as a Harley, but you would know better then I would. I do know my Monster is no where close. My race bike is no where close!

So why bust on us? The guys that are legal still don't bother anyone and guys who are illegal will still be illegal because they don't care. Listen to a Buell. The guy who pits next to me has one and the bike sounds amazing. My brother has two Harleys, both with a Thunder Header, 2into1 with a small muffler. They're legal and sound great.

Maybe this bill won't make it but what if it did? What if enough people are sick of having to stop there conversation while having lunch on "Main St." because some guy whats to make sure everyone see him? What if they all call their Reps and we don't? If we encourage them to simply enforce the current law, problem solve.

I would be interested to hear what the LE guys think about enforcing the current law. I know Milford has a construction sign up in the summer stating that they enforce the current exhaust noise law. Having been pulled over years ago for being 'too low and too loud'(no ticket by the way) I know they target some groups. Why does it seem they ignore the strait pipe guys?

[timmyho414]

Now comes the second question.... How will they regulate bike week, all of NH is hammered with bikes during that event and a lot are from out of state.... .

Last time I went to Bike Week to hang out there was a line of bikes pulled over receiving tickets. It was a joke. "Welcome to Bike Week" please pull over so we can give you a ticket. I don't like the loud pipes but come on, Bike Week, really? That pretty much did it for me.

[SVRACER01]

...when measured 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45 degree angle while the engine is operating...

Thank you, I should have been more specific.

My Monster900 with Termi's tested at 105db last time. There are bikes that go by my house that are sooo much louder then my bike. They're trying to be loud. Strait pipes, no muffler, on the gas,off gas, on gas. Why? Then people get mad, call their Rep's, Reps write bills, bills become laws.

So both our bikes are legal. The guy with the strait pipes could be 110db(making up numbers) in the test. How much louder is that then ours at redline? The dbs scale goes up exponentially. I doubt your SV is as loud as a Harley, but you would know better then I would. I do know my Monster is no where close. My race bike is no where close!

So why bust on us? The guys that are legal still don't bother anyone and guys who are illegal will still be illegal because they don't care. Listen to a Buell. The guy who pits next to me has one and the bike sounds amazing. My brother has two Harleys, both with a Thunder Header, 2into1 with a small muffler. They're legal and sound great.

Maybe this bill won't make it but what if it did? What if enough people are sick of having to stop there conversation while having lunch on "Main St." because some guy whats to make sure everyone see him? What if they all call their Reps and we don't? If we encourage them to simply enforce the current law, problem solve.

I would be interested to hear what the LE guys think about enforcing the current law. I know Milford has a construction sign up in the summer stating that they enforce the current exhaust noise law. Having been pulled over years ago for being 'too low and too loud'(no ticket by the way) I know they target some groups. Why does it seem they ignore the strait pipe guys?

my racebike is stupid loud. i was tested at calabogie. 97Db.....at 30ft......at 4k rpms. i was supposed to rev it 6k. the limit a calabogie is 98Db

whats the phrase? one bad apple to spoil the whole dam bunch? i pass bikes here at work knowing dam well that they are gonna go home and pull the baffles. they are all too stupid to realize that they are actually losing power with straight pipes.nothing i can do about it though, because when they were here for a sticker it passed. you cant legislate just HDs even though they are the problem in 9.5 out of 10 cases. what about the guy up the street from me with the 69 camaro with (what seems to be) no mufflers? hes on the gas off the gas all the way up the street.
we had a guy move in up the street with bikes. his buddies rode bikes. unfortunately they rode bikes either on 1 wheel or smoking one wheel at 11pm on a tuesday. i went down one day and chatted him up a bit, then i threw in "you know this is a pretty tight knit neighborhood. everybody on this street knows who you are already. now, i dont care that youre out stunting where ever you want. i HIGHLY suggest when you and your friends get to this street that you ride like law abiding citizens. no wheelies, burnouts, high revs, or anything that draws attention. fly under the radar here. do wheelies and burnouts across the bridge, i dont care. but not here." he was cool with that and apparently told his friends because it abruptly stopped. i would be outside smoking and hear them come over the bridge. then there would be 6 of them riding down the street at 35mph in 3rd gear. i still get the occasional guy here and there, which is fine, it was better than 15 times a week.

[jcrawford]

Last time I went to Bike Week to hang out there was a line of bikes pulled over receiving tickets. It was a joke. "Welcome to Bike Week" please pull over so we can give you a ticket. I don't like the loud pipes but come on, Bike Week, really? That pretty much did it for me.

Wow I guess this is good and bad.

Good: The fact that the cops stand ground and will pull over groups or Harley riders who have a certain reputation when flying colors. I mean the decision to do so is their duty because tjeu took an oath but I wouldn't *want* to be a solo cop handing out citations to *some* of these guys at bike week LOL!

Bad: WTF Bike Week Really?

But now the question comes: Are you sure these citations were for loud pipes and if so were they out of state plates? If they were out of state I thought they couldn't cite you for it.

[Awesome]

ok...ive tried to stand up for you, but now youre just being dumb. a state cant implement its laws on motor vehicles on a vehicle thats not registered in that state. ever see a car with florida plates with dark tinted windows in NH? tinted windows arent legal in NH but you dont see them pulled over on the side of the road peeling it off at the NH border do you?

As much as I don't want to stick up for the idiot, you can be ticketed for not wearing a helmet in mass with NH plates, not wearing a seat belt, not having insurance, and so on. I don't know all the details, but I certainly believe it's a valid question and concern. And I fucking hated writing that post, JC blows goats. Jackass.

[SVRACER01]

As much as I don't want to stick up for the idiot, you can be ticketed for not wearing a helmet in mass with NH plates, not wearing a seat belt, not having insurance, and so on. I don't know all the details, but I certainly believe it's a valid question and concern. And I fucking hated writing that post, JC blows goats. Jackass.

those arent vehicle requirements though. which is what i was getting at. having an absurdly lifted truck is OK in AZ as long as the overall hight isnt over 13'6". you can drive it in NH with AZ tags even though the law here is the bumper cant be more than 33" (or something like that)

[jcrawford]

As much as I don't want to stick up for the idiot, you can be ticketed for not wearing a helmet in mass with NH plates, not wearing a seat belt, not having insurance, and so on. I don't know all the details, but I certainly believe it's a valid question and concern. And I fucking hated writing that post, JC blows goats. Jackass.

nice

[SVRACER01]

But now the question comes: Are you sure these citations were for loud pipes and if so were they out of state plates? If they were out of state I thought they couldn't cite you for it.

most likely, but realistically a lot of guys dont get their bikes inspected or have illegal blinkers or illegal plate mount, no eye protection etc etc

the problem is, there is no way to test a bike on the side of the road effectively or accurately to see if its over 106.

[timmyho414]

But now the question comes: Are you sure these citations were for loud pipes and if so were they out of state plates? If they were out of state I thought they couldn't cite you for it.

I have no idea why they were pulled over.

And to SV first, I take it back, your bike is loud.

I know you can't legislate out stupid. Which is why I don't like this bill. I think on of the things that drives me the most crazy is like you said, they're making their bikes run worse because they think it sounds cool. I think a nicely tuned engine sound cool.

One of my neighbor stores bikes and cars including mine at times. One of his friends went down my street at 11:30-12:00 on a week night. He had to be close to full throttle with open pipes. My girlfriend was very sick at the time and not sleeping well. It scared her out sleep. I was so pissed I walked over and ask who it was. There was my neighbor and a few others. We went back and forth for a bit. Turns out the guy that went by was drunk. He hasn't done it since and my neighbor and I are still cool.

[Cambridge K]

HOWTO: Install loud pipes on a BMW K1200LT - YouTube

[nhbubba]

As much as I don't want to stick up for the idiot, you can be ticketed for ... not having insurance, and so on.

Really? I've been pulled over in states that require insurance and never asked to provide proof.

[Stromper]

Aren't you happy you sold all those houses to Massholes

[RandyO]

Public Hearing on the proposal will be 10am on Feb 7th, haven't seen a room number in the LOB posted yet



HB1442
Session Year 2012
Bill Docket
Bill Status
Bill Text Title: relative to motorcycle noise emission regulation.
G-Status: HOUSE
House Status: IN COMMITTEE
Senate Status:
Next/Last Comm: HOUSE TRANSPORTATION
Next/Last Hearing: 02/07/2012 at 10:00 AM Representatives Hall

[timmyho414]

Public Hearing on the proposal will be 10am on Feb 7th, haven't seen a room number in the LOB posted yet

The hearing will be held in Representatives Hall in the Capital Building.

[RandyO]

The hearing will be held in Representatives Hall in the Capital Building.

ya, I figgered that out after I posted, they must be expecting a crowd

most of the hearings I've attended in the past are at LOB, the conference rooms are big enuf to fit the committee + maybe 25 people then its standing room only and by 35 people its standing in the hall outside the hearing room

[SVRACER01]

we just put notices of the hearing up around the shop

[Expat]

Live free or die??

[BSR6]

Live free or die??

Lets see how the vote turns out. There are lots of rediculous bills brought to the table, its how the vote goes that truly reflects the overall position of the state on the matter.