There is a hearing before the House on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. regarding motorcycle noise. This bill did not come about because of Motorcycle Week. It came about from statewide noise complaints during the riding season.

The Laconia Motorcycle Week Association is strongly committed to educating people about excessive noise. We consider this to be noise pollution.

For two years, we have written articles in the Laconia Rally News promoting the slogans Ride With Respect and Keep It Quiet. These are not new phrases but ones seen in Daytona and Sturgis, where the other two national rallies take place.

We are sensitive to the effects of loud noise on residents, visitors and animals, and we strongly encourage those who ride to be responsible and reasonable.

Although we will continue our media efforts to encourage people to Keep It Quiet, we respectfully disagree with House Bill 326. One tenet would outlaw straight pipes and those with no baffles. Another would outlaw any motorcycle that reads over 110 decibels at a distance of 10 feet or more based on a nationally approved sound meter. These are straightforward.

However, the first section of this bill states that it will be a violation for anyone to modify a motorcycle's muffler so that it is louder than the original from the factory. This section is subjective and does not require a sound meter. It also doesn't state that the changed muffler system would have to be over 110 decibels in order to be a violation.

We plan to attend this hearing and speak against this bill.

JENNIFER ANDERSON

Laconia

(The writer is director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association.)