OFF THE WIRE
By PAUL FEELY
A motorcycle rider heads South on Elm Street in Manchester on
Friday. (DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER)
Motorcycle riders take a scenic route along Lake Massabesic in Auburn on Friday.
(DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER) Linked articles:
Bike Week to mark 90th anniversary
Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts are expected to roll
through the state for the upcoming Motorcyle Week festivities in Laconia. But a
new state law aimed at curtailing motorcycle noise may not have the desired
effect right away because, though enacted Jan. 1, not everyone knows about it
yet.
"They lowered the decibel level?" Laconia Police Chief Chris
Adams said last week. "I was unaware of that. We've had several discussions as a
department getting ready for Bike Week - we really start getting ready a year in
advance - and that hasn't been part of the plans."
Police in Milford and Portsmouth - two communities that
conducted checkpoints on loud motorcycles and have local noise ordinances - also
were unaware the law changed.
"We will have to turn our decibel meter to 92 now," Portsmouth
police Sgt. Aaron Goodwin said Saturday.
Concord Deputy Chief Keith Mitchell said he wasn't aware of
the change either, "but we don't monitor noise levels because our department
doesn't have decibel meters.'' Bike Week is "not going to affect local
enforcement here. We aren't planning anything special for that week either. We
never have a problem with Bike Week in Concord."
The 90th Annual Bike Week kicks off Saturday and runs through
Sunday, June 16. This year's motorcycle rally marks the first since substantial
changes to a 20-year-old state law governing motorcycle noise levels and
enforcement were signed into law.
House Bill 1442, which passed the Legislature in February
2012, reduced the legal noise level to 92 decibels - from 106 decibels
previously - while motorcycles are idling and allow for roadside testing by
police.
The final version of the bill, signed by former Gov. John
Lynch, represented a compromise. The original bill, filed by state Rep. Michele
Peckham, R-North Hampton, would have placed the allowable decibel level at 82,
in line with a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standard for motorcycle
manufacturers.
"We think this is a good compromise," said Dave Hickey of Rye
and a member of the New Hampshire Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles group
(NH-CALM). "It's the standard used in Maine, and all the information from that
state indicates it has helped."
"All parties involved were looking to solve the problem of
excessive motorcycle noise, and it was the best solution we had," said Candi
Alexander, president of the New Hampshire Motorcyclists' Rights Organization.
'Straight pipes'
Why are some motorcycles louder than others? According to
NoiseOff, a group that raises awareness of the issue of noise pollution, the
answer is simple: The quiet ones are equipped with their original equipment
exhaust systems, while the louder ones have had either their original systems
modified or replaced with an aftermarket exhaust system.
Modified exhaust systems - often known as "straight pipes" -
are those from which the baffles have been removed from the factory-supplied
system or replaced by a new system without baffles, Milford police Sgt. Shawn
Pelletier explained. Baffles acts like mufflers.
"When you take that (baffles) out, the exhaust gets a loud
louder. It's somewhat similar to a car when the exhaust falls off and you can
hear it driving down the road," Pelletier said.
Several years ago, Milford police and New Hampshire State
Police ran checkpoints on loud motorcycles in downtown Milford in response to
residents' complaints. Pelletier said he was surprised how much noise it took to
hit even 100 decibels.
"It was a lot louder (than I thought)," Pelletier said. While police stopped
many loud motorcycles, none ever measured at 106 decibels.
He compared 100 decibels to the loud, staccato bursts an
18-wheel, tractor-trailer rig equipped with Jacobs Engine Brakes - compression
brakes known as "jake brakes" - makes when braking on a steep downhill in a
quiet neighborhood.
"It will definitely wake you up at night," Pelletier
explained.
Some nature websites say spring peeper frogs can make their
peeping sound in excess of 100 decibels, most are between 85 and 90 decibels.
Safety issue
Alexander said the most common reason these vehicle owners
give for making modifications is to improve safety, but an EPA analysis on noise
emission regulations states: "Motorcyclists who are depending on the noise
generated from their machines to provide a necessary warning to other road users
are gambling with their own safety."
Police say proving a motorcycle exhaust system is too loud can
be a tough task.
"The motorcycle laws in this state are not the easiest to
enforce," said Lt. Jim Flanagan of the Manchester Police Department.
Flanagan said an officer must have a decibel meter with them,
and an 8-foot clearance radius must be present around the motorcycle being
tested. The device must be held at a 45 degree angle about 20 inches from the
exhaust pipes. The test needs to be performed outdoors, so sound doesn't
reverberate off walls or other objects.
"It's always been a difficult law to enforce," Sgt. Goodwin of
Portsmouth agreed.
In the past, Seacoast police departments formed a specialized
team to do motorcyle checkpoints, Goodwin said.
The new law "is good for anybody who doesn't like loud
motorcycles," Goodwin said. "There is certainly another side of the argument -
that it's a safety feature. The expression 'Loud Pipes Save Lives' - that's the
other side of the argument."
But Pelletier expects the 92 decible level should benefit both
sides.
"This will help the public by reducing the noise. But if the
motorcycle community claims it is also a safety issue, it is still loud enough
to hear them coming," he said.
Alexander said the checks are done at inspection stations
during the yearly inspection or during a vehicle safety inspection road stop by
police.
"They can't pull you over just because they think your bike
might be too loud," said Alexander.
State-to-state differences
There are 15 states with no statewide limit on motorcycle
exhaust decibels. Among New England states, Maine and Rhode Island require all
motorcycles to have working mufflers that prohibit excessive noise. In Vermont,
any exhaust system on a motorcycle is deemed defective if any modifications or
alterations have been made that cause it to generate a higher sound level than
the manufacturer's original equipment.
Massachusetts law prohibits a motorcycle from exceeding a
noise limit of 82 decibels when measured at a speed of 45 mph or less, and 86
decibels at a speed of over 45 mph. In Connecticut, the maximum noise level for
a motorcycle traveling 35 mph or slower in a 'soft site,' an area covered with
grass or other ground cover, is 72 decibels; over 35 mph is 79 decibels. The
maximum noise level for a motorcycle going 35 mph or less in 'hard site' - a
site covered with concrete or asphalt - is 74 decibels; over 35 mph is 81
decibels.
Flanagan said Manchester police issued 18 citations to
vehicles for muffler noise in 2012. He was not able to determine on Friday how
many of those vehicles were motorcycles.
"We aren't planning any special enforcement activities
associated with Bike Week this year," said Flanagan. "We will be involved in
some special enforcement activities planned for the 101 East corridor, which
could indirectly involve traffic headed north, but that's all."
Chief Adams said high noise levels are expected in Laconia
during Bike Week. His department focuses its attention on safety and keeping the
peace.
"It's night and day from what it used to be in terms of
arrests here," said Adams. "Last year, we had under 100 arrests over the course
of the whole nine-day event. There were years back when I first started here
that we would have 200 arrests on a Saturday night. It's a much different crowd,
a different atmosphere. I don't think noise levels are going to have an effect
on the week at all."
State police are also expected to focus more on safety issues
than sound.
"Over the last several years we've seen a dramatic increase in
motorcycle crashes," says Sgt. Steve Wheeler, head of the New Hampshire State
Police Tactical Reconstruction Unit.
Of the 26 motorcycle fatalities in New Hampshire last year, four occurred during
Bike Week. The rally in 2011 was one of the safest in years, with just one
fatality. There were 18 rider deaths in total that year. In 2010, three of the
29 fatal motorcycle accidents fell during Bike Week.
