New Hampshire has motorcycles and motorcyclists in their sights.
HB 95 – AS INTRODUCED
2009 SESSION
03/01
HOUSE BILL 95
AN ACT relative to motorcycle equipment and noise levels.
SPONSORS: Rep. J. Day, Rock 13; Rep. Henson, Rock 13; Rep. Kepner, Rock 15
This bill:
I. Prohibits motorcycle exhaust modifications.
II. Reduces permissible motorcycle noise levels.
III. Increases maximum fines for motorcycle noise violations.
IV. Requires motorcycles to have functioning tachometers.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
09-0234
03/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nine
AN ACT relative to motorcycle equipment and noise levels.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Motorcycle Muffler Modifications. Amend RSA 266:59 by inserting after paragraph IV the following new paragraph:
V.(a) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motorcycle in any manner.
(b) No person shall drive on a way a motorcycle that has after market equipment installed to replace the muffler.
(c) Any person who violates the provisions of this paragraph shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500.
2 Motorcycle Noise Levels. Amend RSA 266:59-a to read as follows:
266:59-a Motorcycle Noise Levels.
I. No person shall operate a motorcycle which has a measured noise level of more than [106] 95 decibels on the decibel meter when measured 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45 degree angle while the engine is operating at 2,800 revolutions per minute for one and 2 cylinder motorcycles and 3,500 revolutions per minute for any motorcycle with 3 or more cylinders.
II. No person shall pass for the purposes of the inspection required by RSA 266:1 any motorcycle which has a measured noise level of more than [106] 95 decibels on the decibel meter when measured 20 inches from the exhaust pipe at a 45 degree angle while the engine is operating at 2,800 revolutions per minute for one and 2 cylinder motorcycles and 3,500 revolutions per minute for any motorcycle with 3 or more cylinders.
II-a. No person shall operate in this state any motorcycle which produces a sound level in excess of [106] 95 decibels on the A scale, when measured in accordance with the provisions of the Society of Automotive Engineers Recommended Practice ANSI/SAE J-1287 annual report on “Measurement of Exhaust Sound Levels of Stationary Motorcycles.”
III. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than [$300] $500.
3 New Section; Equipment of Vehicles; Motorcycles; Tachometer. Amend RSA 266 by inserting after section 77 the following new section:
266:77-a Tachometer. No person shall drive on a way a motorcycle without a functioning tachometer. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation and shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500.
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2010.
Please Call the Transportation Committee Tell Them How You Feel
House of Representatives/Transportation Committee
Robert Williams, Chairman Concord 225-9283 robert.williams@leg.state.nh.us
Jennifer Borwn, Vise Chariman Dover 743-0988 jennifer.brown@leg.state.nh.us
Michael O’Brien, Clerk Nashua 888-8051 obnfd@comcast.net
C Pennington Brown Epping 679-1766 penningtonbrown@comcast.net
Paul Ingersoll Berlin 752-4754 ingyp@earthlink.net
Roger Hebert Manchester 621-3554
Roland LaPlante Nashua 888-9064
Brian Rhodes Nashua 886-1025 brian.rhodes@leg.state.nh.us
Theodoros Rokas Manchester 620-2228 ted.rokas@leg.state.nh.us
Timothy Soucy Nashua 889-3976 tsoucy8371@aol.com
Richard Stuart Laconia 524-4222 richard.stuart@leg.state.nh.us
Stephen Nedeau Meredith 279-4794
George Katsakiores Derry 434-9587
John Flanders Kingston 642-3640 jwflanders@comcast.net
John Veazey Laconia 271-3554
Jennifer Coffey Andover N/A jenn@jenncoffey.com
John Hikel Goffstown 860-7891 john.hikel@leg.state.nh.us
Richard Hinch Merrimack 424-9690 dick.hinch@leg.state.nh.us
Karen Umberger Kearsarge 356-6881 karenu@ncia.net
