proposed motorcycle legislation in NH

[dontpanic]

I tend to be fierce in my opinions about personal liberty, so I react early to any nonsensical legislation. You can bet that this baloney would keep me out of bike week on principal.

I'm a Mass resident, so I sent it to the sponsors: <jed1226@earthlink.net>, <john.henson@leg.state.nh.us>, <susan.kepner@leg.state.nh.us>

Dear Representatives,

I strongly urge you to reconsider your proposed ACT relative to motorcycle equipment and noise levels. The unintended impact to the state economy is likely to be far more significant than you might have imagined.

1. The immediate impact is likely be to be a significant reduction in income to the state's economy. The requirement for tachometers in particular is in contravention of Federal standards, and will preclude the sales of many, many motorcycles in the state. Motorcycle dealers will be impacted. They are your constituents, and voters.

2. The greater impact is likely to derive from a major decline in attendance at motorcycle week events. You are aware, no doubt, of the economic benefit that this event has on your state, but I suggest that a 50% decline in attendance due to the proposed regulations would have another, major impact on the incomes of your constituents, your voters.

3. As an aside, I find it puzzling that motorcycles are singled out in the proposal. If noise is truly the issue, I suggest the following: amend the proposal to apply the same standards to passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and construction equipment.

Sincerely,

Donald H. Thomson

[Fitz]

I'd rather see laws like this that cite appropriate testing methods and realistic db levels verses the open ended "exhaust must not be louder than stock" law that NH has had on the books for years. I agree that there are some issues with this law including the mandatory tachometer however aside from that I see no issues.

95 db is quite a bit at the rpm, angle, distance and lack of load that they are going after.

There will always be factory exceptions to various state laws. A corvette couldn't pass the NH state height law right off the truck. They still sell plenty of them in this state.

Of course I'd prefer for their to be as few laws as possible but if a law is going to be written and put in place, I'd prefer it to be as clear and concise as possible, enforced across the board, regardless of car, bike, or heavy vehicle.

Fitz

[richw]

The real trouble is everyone getting suckered that all laws can be quantified by lawyers.

I am sure there are already on the books excessive noise laws that are not being enforced

Cheap db meters are like $80 so every leo could have one even though its bullshoit and every tuttle bike should come with the ticket


A nation by the lawyers for the lawyers shall not pershish form the earth

[brewmaster]

I tend to be fierce in my opinions about personal liberty, so I react early to any nonsensical legislation. You can bet that this baloney would keep me out of bike week on principal.

I'm a Mass resident, so I sent it to the sponsors: <jed1226@earthlink.net>, <john.henson@leg.state.nh.us>, <susan.kepner@leg.state.nh.us>

Dear Representatives,

I strongly urge you to reconsider your proposed ACT relative to motorcycle equipment and noise levels. The unintended impact to the state economy is likely to be far more significant than you might have imagined.

1. The immediate impact is likely be to be a significant reduction in income to the state's economy. The requirement for tachometers in particular is in contravention of Federal standards, and will preclude the sales of many, many motorcycles in the state. Motorcycle dealers will be impacted. They are your constituents, and voters.

2. The greater impact is likely to derive from a major decline in attendance at motorcycle week events. You are aware, no doubt, of the economic benefit that this event has on your state, but I suggest that a 50% decline in attendance due to the proposed regulations would have another, major impact on the incomes of your constituents, your voters.

3. As an aside, I find it puzzling that motorcycles are singled out in the proposal. If noise is truly the issue, I suggest the following: amend the proposal to apply the same standards to passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and construction equipment.

Sincerely,

Donald H. Thomson

Best response so far. This seems like a rational answer that most legistators and politicians can view as intelligent and applicable. The next step is to have a good representation at the hearing.

It probably would not hurt to have a list of people's signatures & addresses who are opposed to the purposed legislation available for prentation at the hearing. All of the motorcycle dealers in NH should start that list NOW and make sure it gets there for the hearing. I will sign one right now if a dealer close to me starts one.

[RandyO]

I'd rather see laws like this that cite appropriate testing methods and realistic db levels verses the open ended "exhaust must not be louder than stock" law that NH has had on the books for years. Fitz

uh, where you been? "exhaust must not be louder than stock" is not NH law and has not been for several years


current law is and has been for some time 106db tested on the 'A' scale at a 45° angle 20" from the exaust, 2800rpm for thumpers & twins, 3500rpm for triples & up

they are only proposing 2 substantial changes, the tach requirement and 95db instead of 106

there is no proposed change in method of testing

I plan on testifying, that they should just enforce the law we already have by imposing a fine on inspection stations that pass illegal exaust,

straight pipes are the problem, too many inspection stations look the other way

[SVRACER01]

uh, where you been? "exhaust must not be louder than stock" is not NH law and has not been for several years


current law is and has been for some time 106db tested on the 'A' scale at a 45° angle 20" from the exaust, 2800rpm for thumpers & twins, 3500rpm for triples & up

they are only proposing 2 substantial changes, the tach requirement and 95db instead of 106

there is no proposed change in method of testing

I plan on testifying, that they should just enforce the law we already have by imposing a fine on inspection stations that pass illegal exaust,

straight pipes are the problem, too many inspection stations look the other way

i agree. too many "i know a place that doesnt care" going on. i can get away with my turn signals at the shop i go to but exhaust should never be a concern. im not sure how loud or "acceptable" 95db is. the problem that i think LEOs are having with enforcing it is the lack of ability to do so. how do you accurately measure Db on a bike with no tach (like most HDs) in order to write said ticket? hence the "must have a tach" crap. which is just plain ridiculous.

[Rye]

"Rep. J. Day, Rock 13; Rep. Henson, Rock 13; Rep. Kepner, Rock 15"


I'll bet they were Massachusetts transplants...

[DucXl]

Doesn't Mass already have a crazy pipe law on the books? I heard $500 per pipe fine. When i drive into Fall River i pass signs stating "no straight pipes" by the roadside.Or the other signs stating to truckdrivers "No Jaking".

Does the sound of "Jaking" violate sound levels? So ANY truck equipped with an aftermarket Jake brake is also illegal?

I can do without Laconia bikeweek.They can cancel it altogether as far as i'm concerned.I only go up there now for the races anyway.

[richw]

I am not sure but northern hydraulic used to sell a
tach for $35

[Rye]

Doesn't Mass already have a crazy pipe law on the books? I heard $500 per pipe fine. When i drive into Fall River i pass signs stating "no straight pipes" by the roadside.Or the other signs stating to truckdrivers "No Jaking".

Does the sound of "Jaking" violate sound levels? So ANY truck equipped with an aftermarket Jake brake is also illegal?

I can do without Laconia bikeweek.They can cancel it altogether as far as i'm concerned.I only go up there now for the races anyway.

Mass has 'crazy' everything on the books...why I can't stomach this state any more. Picking up my Class A License to Carry next week and you can't imagine what I needed to go through to get it... NH is being ruined by Mass refugees moving north. The state is just not the same. Not that I am pro straight pipes...as things have certainly gotten out of hand IMHO, but this is scary legislation. When you swap out that stock exhaust...don't dump it on ebay...you'll be needing it. This is the future, even if this one piece of legislation doesn't go through...I'm afraid to say.

[Degsy]

straight pipes are the problem, too many inspection stations look the other way

Yup. hardleys with straight pipes make my blood boil.

[noudidnt]

Yup. hardleys with straight pipes make my blood boil.

Keep in mind that the kid on the 600 bouncing the throttle off the rev limiter at a red light, is just as bad, and I have seen plenty of sport bikes running straight pipes as well. Please dont make this a sportbike versus Harley thread. I own both. Both are comparable in noise level. I dont have a stock pipe on the Harley, but bought an extra set of baffles for the pipes.

People should take a look at the NH state trooper website. For the past year it has said in Green letters that aftermarket exhausts are illegal.

[Degsy]

Keep in mind that the kid on the 600 bouncing the throttle off the rev limiter at a red light, is just as bad, and I have seen plenty of sport bikes running straight pipes as well. Please dont make this a sportbike versus Harley thread. I own both. Both are comparable in noise level. I dont have a stock pipe on the Harley, but bought an extra set of baffles for the pipes.

People should take a look at the NH state trooper website. For the past year it has said in Green letters that aftermarket exhausts are illegal.

I'll say it again, Hardleys with straight pipes make my blood boil.

There is no comparison whatsoever between a sportbike with a race pipe and a harley with straights. I have very very rarely seen a sportbike with straight pipes. I see harleys with straight pipes all the time. It takes a harley with straight pipes 15 seconds to go by my house on average, changing gear every 3 seconds, with a big handful of throttle every time. Takes the average sportbike about 5 seconds in 1 gear. That and the fact that harley riders seem to have a need to constantly rev the motor at a standstill pisses me off too. yeah. some sportbike riders do it, and they are assholes too, but almost all harley riders do it.

[Degsy]

I own both.

Sorry.

[richw]

I am very guilty of passing .... lots

In the past with uncorked megaphone on a sport bike currently all have stock pipes.

2 times in my life I was tooling along in a car with a window open and got passed by a sportbike like mine on full boil. Frankly scared/startled the piss out of me so I can only imagine some non motorheads reaction.

Children children you know perfectly well the 99% reason for aftermarket pipes is to make noise. Maybe I am old but I don't think my Gixer needs the 7 HP benefit of a full system as it power wheelies at 120MPH now and I chickened out at a mere 175 indicated.

However you must FIGHT liberal incremental ism as this would be the first step where you give more control.

No loud bike turn into no one should have a motorcycle that can go over 100 MPH, all must have ABS, all must have traction control, cafe standards of 60 mpg. on and on etc. etc etc.

The only way to impress lefty legislators is an honest and meaningful pledge that you will donate and work for their opponent anytime they run for office.

[SVRACER01]

like i said..downtown portsmouth at 12am with 10 HDs leaving at the same time is not the same at 10 sportbikes leaving....hell even 25 sportbikes. i live near a highway and an on ramp. ALOT of bikes go by my house. all kinds. do i see 7- 10 sportbikes go by? yup can i hear them? yup are they loud? a little. when a HD or a slew of them go by..i can hear them all the way over the bridge which is about a mile or so. i have friends with HDs and their bikes arent loud...why? no straight pipes.

[noudidnt]

Sorry.

Nice touch.......

I am not sorry, 2 different riding styles, and I put a lot less miles on the HD... then again I take more roadtrips on the HD.

I hope this law does not pass, but either way it seems like bikes are going to be targeted this year.

[RandyO]

People should take a look at the NH state trooper website. For the past year it has said in Green letters that aftermarket exhausts are illegal.

please provide a link, is seems contrary to state law on the NH govt website and I know it's contrary to what is posted at inspection stations

[RandyO]

it's not only harleys with straight pipes, a lot of metric cruisers run straight pipes too

[SVRACER01]

straight pipes on jap cruisers are less frequent than on HDs. most if not all have a baffle system in them. just the "i wish i had enough $$ for a HD" guys get the straight pipes.

[Pittenger5]

When I was on my KTM (stock exhaust) I had a Harley guy, bout my age, pull next to me, and say in all seriousness, "Wow thats really quiet for a street bike." He honestly believed that a street bike needs to be loud. The fact he had no muffler has nothing to do with anything.

[Brit-Triple]

The sad thing is you guys better fight it, this type of legislation is put out there so that they have an excuse to screw with you at any moment. More than likely if they get it passed they will enforce the hell out of it in the beginning and then leave it alone. Then we will have a dozen posts on here on how someone ran from the cops or wheelied down the neighborhood and decent people get yanked because of the ease of being pulled over with the new law. In ma almost anything you can think of has a chapter and section for being illegal for mv. That way whenever it is necessary (real or imagined) a person can get pulled over by the police. In high crime areas, it makes it easier to conduct business and deal with the worst of the worst, but then it empowers the yahoos that don't know what they are doing or who power trip to run your life.

you know what I do for a living, I say fight it, if not just move here and you can get all the governing you want all at once and not wait for it to be pieced to you bit by bit.

[gregp]

Stock or walk, I say. I am increasingly growing tired of trying to convince the two Harley heads that I work with that their bikes are rediculously loud (both are relatively new). I had to give one of these guys a ride home after his fuel pump blew the line off, inside the tank. He rode on the back of my Triumph triple and he was amazed how quiet and smooth my bikes was, yet he still did not put his stock pipes back on his bike. It seems to be a part of the HD culture - If you're loud, your proud. I enjoy *listening* to him try to sneak out of work early! LOL!
A month later, a new rider, a young guy we work with, shows up with a pristine F4i, with a Two Brothers pipe on it. I could almost stick my fist into the end of it! I just walked away shaking my head. This guy was afraid to take the bike over 35 mph! I rode with him one time and the cars were stacked up behind him so far that I had to pull over with him and let them go by before he incited some sort of mass road rage incident. He still loved that pipe, though!
I just don't get it.

[Woodsy]

LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!! THIS LAW IS GOING TO KILL PEOPLE!!!!!!!

[RandyO]

the noise part of the proposal doesn't bother me as much as the tach requirement part