Regarding the NH Noise article on Monday:
After having read your article i decided to look up on a noise level chart and see where motorcycles come in at. The chart i downloaded is from http://www.gcaudio.com/ and it shows that motorcycles are at a 100db and that the OSHA recommended exposure to it is 2 hours before damage to someone ears are affected. I dont know of anyone that would expose someone to that level of exposure bt just riding there bikes thought a subdivision a community of homes. But what was more suprising was that lawnmowers where higher, now how long does it take to cut grass? other items mentioned where Desel truck@ 85 db, Sportingmailto:Sportingevent@105db,An Air raid siren@135db and so on . To see more go to the website above . This is just a waste of time and money and hindering buisness and jobs .If they really want to do somthiong construtive they should concern themselves with creating jobs and focus on things of more concern ..........Vinnie Bolt
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2012/02/06/seacoast_lawmakers_look_to_muffle_motorcycles/NH lawmakers look to muffle motorcycles
CONCORD, N.H.—Seacoast area representatives in the New Hampshire House are trying to lower motorcycle noise emission levels with a bill that motorcyclists say takes the wrong approach.
The bill would require an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stamp on the exhaust system and lower the legal noise level to 82 decibels for motorcycles or motorcycle exhaust systems built starting next year. It would not change the 106-decibel noise emission limit for earlier models.
The bill also would place higher fines on offenders with $350 for the first fine and $500 for each subsequent offense. Current fines for noise violations are between $100 and $300.
New, factory-made motorcycles already meet the EPA emission standards specified in the bill, but many motorcyclists buy aftermarket exhaust systems, which can drastically increase the bikes' noise volume. Since many motorcyclists buy them precisely for that reason it could effectively kill aftermarket exhaust system sales in New Hampshire.
The Seacoast region of the state is particularly popular with motorcyclists. Bill co-sponsor Rep. Jim Waddell, a Republican from Hampton, said the motorcycle traffic on state Route 1A near his condominium gets unbearably loud during the summer.
"It gets to the point where you can't hear the TV, hear yourself think or carry on a conversation," said Waddell.
Waddell and his fellow co-sponsor Republican Will Smith from New Castle said they would support any amendment resulting in less noise, whether that means lowering permitted levels or better enforcement of the current 106-decibel level.
The New Hampshire Motorcyclists' Rights Organization (NHMRO) says the problem lies within the current testing protocol, which they say is inaccurate and impractical to apply in the field. Instead, NHMRO advocates a new test from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which it says would help police better field test for noise violations.
Vice-President Candy Alexander said NHMRO had worked with the New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association, the American Motorcyclist Association and state and local law enforcement to determine a workable solution to the noise problem. Alexander said the new test, which can be performed on an idling motorcycle by the side of the road, was more practical than the current system.
The testing system in the bill is even more unworkable, she said, as it requires a reading at 35 mph from 50 feet away. Transportation committee chair Rep. Sherman Packard agrees with that opinion.
"How is anyone in this state anyone going to duplicate that test? It's impossible. It can't be done by law enforcement and it can't be done by a testing station," said the Londonderry Republican, a member of NHMRO.
Packard said similar bills to lower noise emission levels appear frequently in the legislature, but this was the first year the new, alternative test was available.
Packard has authored a possible bill amendment to use the new SAE test to solve the noise problem rather than lower emission levels.
The Transportation Committee is holding a hearing on the bill Tuesday.
