NEW HAMPSHIRE - Motorcycle noise bill might only simplify testing........

OFF THE WIRE
Motorcycle noise bill might only simplify testing

By Elizabeth Dinan
edinan@seacoastonline.com
 April 04, 2012 3:19 PM
 CONCORD — A bill calling for lower decibel limits for motorcycles goes to the state Senate Thursday and would make it easier for police to measure motorcycle noise, but according to a Harley-Davidson dealer, won't make motorcycles any quieter.
House Bill 1442 was approved by the Senate in February and if it becomes law, will reduce allowed decibels from motorcycle pipes from 106 to 92. But because the proposed law also changes the way police would measure motorcycle noise - from testing while bike engines are revved, to testing idling bikes - legal motorcycles will emit the exact same volume, said Al Contis, owner of Seacoast Harley-Davidson in North Hampton.
Related Stories Motorcyclist thrown 'pretty good distance' in Lafayette Road crashPolice identify York motorcyclist who struck deerContis explained that he worked on a team that tested about 20 motorcycles and said the ones that passed current 106-decibel requirements while revved to a specific RPM also passed the proposed 92-decibel limit while idle.
The Harley dealer said he supports the proposed law because it would allow a single police officer to test the volume of an idling bike, which means more motorcycles could be tested and more violators caught and fined. Current legal requirements for testing motorcycle noise requires three officers to perform a single test, by all accounts.
“I want the few violators who are causing the problem to be addressed,” Contis said. “This is a great first step.”
Portsmouth Police Chief Lou Ferland told the City Council Monday night that he's always fielding complaints from residents about motorcycle noise. While noting the noise is often associated with groups of bikes and/or urban echo, Ferland suggested city officials could consider barring motorcycles from certain areas of the city.
The police chief told the council it's a policy decision it could make, while reminding that truck traffic is barred from some areas.
“I would think motorcycle tourism trade is important to the community,” he added.
South End resident Jack Kelley also addressed the City Council Monday night, specifically with regard to loud motorcycles in his neighborhood. A real estate broker, Kelley warned the council that loud bike traffic could affect home values and therefore the city's revenue stream.
Most of the motorcycles aren't loud, he said Wednesday, but the few that are “are really a pain in the neck.”
Kelley noted that real estate deeds contain language stating owners are entitled to “quiet enjoyment” of their property. The perennial problem of loud motorcycles, he said, impairs that enjoyment.
“It's a bit of a pain in the neck,” Kelley said. “But they're having fun too.”
Portsmouth resident and state representative Laura Pantelakos said she's been “jarred” by loud motorcycles in her neighborhood while sitting in her living room with the television on.
“And I'm partly deaf,” she said.
Because of her own experience, and in response to “so many complaints,” Pantelakos said she voted in favor of the bill to modify motorcycle noise restrictions when it was in the House.
“I want to be able to hear the motorcycle coming, but not blast you out of your car,” she said. “It needs to be addressed.” 

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120404-NEWS-120409889 Motorcycle noise bill might only simplify testing