In Keene, Activists Fight Motorcycle Corporations

Motorcycle noise is a problem every summer in the Valley, said Cliff Crowley. He is working to pass laws to limit the noise. He is a member of a national group, Noise Free America www.NoiseFree.org New Hampshire is one of the worst states for motorcycle noise. Keene has more motorcycles per capita than most cities in New Hampshire, according to the group.

Harley Davidson Corporation is among the multi-billion dollar companies that fight volunteer-run groups like Crowley's. The CEO of Harley Davidson was paid $6.4 million last year. The driver of a car or truck that is as loud as a legal Harley motorcycle can be ticketed by police.

"We need all the help we can get," Crowley said.

More information is available at the above web site, or by calling Crowley at (603) 622-8686. His group also works on limiting leaf blowers -- which are banned in some Canadian states -- and other man-made sources of noise.

Comments

All Harley Davidson

All Harley Davidson motorcycles are made quiet by the manufacturer. It is a federal crime to modify this EPA regulated noise reduction system. But about 75 percent of motorcycles in the U.S. have illegally modified exhaust systems. The state of New Hampshire has set a noise level that is about twice as loud as what the federal government mandates.

Gerry Alden
Orono, Maine

Noise

No one should be forced to hear any kind of noise that they do not want to hear. It is a form of torture.

It does not matter if it is an illegal car or motorcycle modified muffler, a boom box, airplane noise, train noise, or church amplied sound systems, no one should be allowed to force noise on others.

People have the right to peace and quiet. It is a matter of RESPECT. Noisemakers need to learn some RESPECT.

Motorcycle Noise

Keene should follow the example of North Hampton and adopt the EPA regulations for motorcycle exhausts into their ordinance. The New Hampshire motorcycle noise law is useless and allows motorcycle to operate freely.

Motorcycle noise

The noise from modified motorcycles, mostly Harleys, is a toxic pollutant all over the United States. I believe that the police are scared of the bike riders, and so just leave them alone. It's pitiful the way law enforcement is so incompetent and so frightened that they are so frightened by the outlaw look of these bike riders.

A poor fit in society......

As time passes we seem to forget the basic principles of this amazing freedom we have here. When our founding father formed this union, there were no boom cars, rap misic or internal combustion engines, but alot of peace and quiet and respect for our fellow man.

As times change, a massive power has be handed to the people, and some of us just plain cant handle it. So disrespect for the rest of society is on the rise. I read the bumper stickers, DILLIGAF and FTW. You know, we didnt even have to read your bumper sticker, we heard it coming a mile away. It seems it now falls to society to enlighten those who didnt get taught respect when young.

Big Dumb Noise - as my young child calls the Harley's

Thank God someone is taking these polluters on! It comes down to making the cops take responsibility for enforcing the breach of peace laws. It is a machismo display that the loud motorcycle crowd and the peace keeping mechanism (the cops) perpetuate. These guys can't openly walk around yanking their weenies, so they need loud mufflers to do so. Its sad and annoying at the same time.

Keene should follow the

Keene should follow the example of North Hampton and adopt and enforce the EPA regulations for motorcycle exhaust systems. New Hampshire state law is useless and allows motorcyclists to get away with making as much noise as they want.

Post new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
  ___                   ___    ___    _____ 
|_ _| __ _ __ _ |_ _| / _ \ | ____|
| | / _` | / _` | | | | (_) | | _|
| | | (_| | | (_| | | | \__, | | |___
|___| \__, | \__, | |___| /_/ |_____|
|_| |___/
Enter the code depicted in ASCII art style.