My neighbor drives a Harley (vent)

[BeeSweet]

At least I guess it’s a Harley, not totally sure it’s the actual brand, but it sure sounds like what you think a Harley should sound like. He and a buddy were just driving around the block a few times, and then sat in front of their house with the engines running for no good reason. Those things are so annoying. Last night @ 3 AM, they were really cranking them LOUD, going down the street. I can understand them needing to be loud on the freeway as a safety measure, but for goodness sake, why do they need to be making all that noise in the neighborhood? And at 3 AM? I’m positive it’s against a city noise ordinance. Since I began this mail, they’ve stopped and started their engines three times. I wish they’d leave already, sounds like they are this time…

Do they always have to be that loud? Like I said, I understand the noise on the freeway is a nice thing so that autos are aware of their presence, but really… they should be able to turn that noise on and off. Just turning over the engine and letting it idle is way too loud, and there’s no good reason for it.

The next biker party @ 3 AM will warrant a phone call from a very disgruntled crotchety old pregnant woman. I’ll march my big fat belly over there in person if I have to!

 

[DJgang]

I love my Harley! However…

there is absolutely no reason to do this sort of thing at 3am…

yep, call the cops next time!

 

[Prague]

Our next door neighbor has a Harley. (He is 65, wife 64) Old time bikers, and look just your average grandpa and grandma. I never ever hear them come and go on their bike…!

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

The next biker party @ 3 AM will warrant a phone call from a very disgruntled crotchety old pregnant woman. I’ll march my big fat belly over there in person if I have to!

**Are these generally “nice” neighbors or do they have an attitude problem? Do they have wives and/or kids?

If they are harmless (although thoughtless) guys, I think it would be hilarious for them to get chewed out by a cranky pregnant lady at 3am. Just do it loud enough so all of the neighbors can hear and come out and applaud**

Now, I can seriously share your frustration as there is a neighbor across the back of us that does the same thing with a car engine. I swear some day I am going to go over there and lose it. Maybe you can come with me?

 

[TOP]

Hear no EVO, see no EVO.

 

[BamaRider]

I ride a BMW and Honda, you don’t know they are even idling unless you stand right next to them. So pleaseeeeeeeeeee don’t lump all riders into the catergory of loud pipes.

To be honest, I don’t know how they ride such loud motorcycles. I’d just ask them to stop it, before calling the cops.

 

[whatevergirl]

At least I guess it’s a Harley, not totally sure it’s the actual brand, but it sure sounds like what you think a Harley should sound like. He and a buddy were just driving around the block a few times, and then sat in front of their house with the engines running for no good reason. Those things are so annoying. Last night @ 3 AM, they were really cranking them LOUD, going down the street. I can understand them needing to be loud on the freeway as a safety measure, but for goodness sake, why do they need to be making all that noise in the neighborhood? And at 3 AM? I’m positive it’s against a city noise ordinance. Since I began this mail, they’ve stopped and started their engines three times. I wish they’d leave already, sounds like they are this time…

Do they always have to be that loud? Like I said, I understand the noise on the freeway is a nice thing so that autos are aware of their presence, but really… they should be able to turn that noise on and off. Just turning over the engine and letting it idle is way too loud, and there’s no good reason for it.

The next biker party @ 3 AM will warrant a phone call from a very disgruntled crotchety old pregnant woman. I’ll march my big fat belly over there in person if I have to!

Hi Bee! This is so weird that you post this. Our neighbors, who are moving …have harleys. I have nothing against bikes, they are very cool looking, etc…but it’s like…must they rev the engine for the whole world to hear, for hours? It seems like hours. I can empathize. If this is happening at 3am, that is just plain rude. We have a HOA that has a ‘curfew’ for neighborhood noise…and 11pm is that the cutoff. I would be angry too if I heard revving of ANY engines at 3am. Hope it stops and you don’t have to make that call!!!

 

[whatevergirl]

I ride a BMW and Honda, you don’t know they are even idling unless you stand right next to them. So pleaseeeeeeeeeee don’t lump all riders into the catergory of loud pipes.

To be honest, I don’t know how they ride such loud motorcycles. I’d just ask them to stop it, before calling the cops.

Bee…forgive me, I just want to ask Bama something quickly. (without starting a new thread)

Bama…do you think that my son who will be eligible for his license next year (to drive on his own) would be okay with a honda? He loves these …and said he would rather have a bike, than a car. What say you?

 

[os_justi]

Bama…do you think that my son who will be eligible for his license next year (to drive on his own) would be okay with a honda? He loves these …and said he would rather have a bike, than a car. What say you?

I’m not Bama (obviously), but I do have a great big M on my driver’s license, and I have some (name removed by moderator)ut.

MAKE him take an MSF class. MSF = motorcycle safety foundation. It will teach him not only how to ride, but how to ride SAFELY, and how to be aware of what’s going on around him in traffic. Taking it helped me not only as a rider, but to be a better driver, as well.

MAKE him get a full set of protective gear. Not just a helmet, but helmet, armored jacket, leather pants, gloves, boots – the whole nine yards. Yes, it’s all expensive. So are skin grafts.

Whatever kind of bike he decides on, get it used (because he WILL drop it), and make sure it’s something he’s able to pick up by himself after he does drop it.

Make sure he gets full coverage insurance, including theft protection. For me, it was cheaper than just liability on my car, and was worth every penny. I speak from experience – my bike was stolen a year and a half ago. =\

 

[whatevergirl]

I’m not Bama (obviously), but I do have a great big M on my driver’s license, and I have some (name removed by moderator)ut.

MAKE him take an MSF class. MSF = motorcycle safety foundation. It will teach him not only how to ride, but how to ride SAFELY, and how to be aware of what’s going on around him in traffic. Taking it helped me not only as a rider, but to be a better driver, as well.

Ok–question–does he need to take this in addition to the car drivers test?

MAKE him get a full set of protective gear. Not just a helmet, but helmet, armored jacket, leather pants, gloves, boots – the whole nine yards. Yes, it’s all expensive. So are skin grafts.

skin grafts? :bigyikes: Ok, point taken. thank you for this info!

Whatever kind of bike he decides on, get it used (because he WILL drop it), and make sure it’s something he’s able to pick up by himself after he does drop it.

Okay, check.

Make sure he gets full coverage insurance, including theft protection. For me, it was cheaper than just liability on my car, and was worth every penny. I speak from experience – my bike was stolen a year and a half ago. =\

I’m in insurance, and when I sold personal lines…motorcycle insurance was waaaay cheaper than car insurance, so that would be a plus. THANK YOU FOR THIS INFO. I am going to call this week, to see what’s involved.

 

[os_justi]

Ok–question–does he need to take this [MSF class] in addition to the car drivers test?

In Texas, I don’t think they’re related; you take your car drivers ed class for your C license; you take your MSF class for your M license. Here, you aren’t required to take drivers ed or MSF for either – there’s a written test that is required, and if you haven’t taken drivers ed or MSF you have to take a driving or riding test at the DMV. Drivers ed and MSF include the driving/riding tests as part of the curriculum, so all you do is take your “I passed!” paperwork to the DMV, take a written test, and smile for your picture.

Personally, I would have him take drivers ed AND the MSF class, and get both his C and M licenses. “Okay, you want to ride a motorcycle. First you’re going to learn how to drive a car, and learn what it’s like to be driving on the road with motorcycles and how to be aware of everything going on in traffic around you. Then you’re going to put on the other shoe and get your M class, and learn what it’s like to be riding on the road with SUV drivers who are completely oblivious to vehicles smaller than theirs.”

 

[ohioszo]

The next biker party @ 3 AM will warrant a phone call from a very disgruntled crotchety old pregnant woman. I’ll march my big fat belly over there in person if I have to!

Be careful after the baby is born and is old enough, even as a child, to be given a ride. My grand-niece was burned on the leg. They attend the motorcycle get-to-gethers out West and, from the pictures they take, are rather wild.

These neighbors of yours, who evidently are being inconsiderate of you, should get a visit from the police department at the time it is happening. Or, follow advice further on to talk to neighbor … but then it would be hard to call. Thank God for some ordinances … there are none for cat poop, for instance.

My next-door neighbor has a motorcycle, and he belongs to a group of motorcyclists who have a meeting place at an old one-room schoolhouse. My other next-door neighbor also has one he is trying to sell. They do not rev engines, still, their wives are not enthusiastic about motorcycles. Perhaps you can talk to his wife. Often the spouse cannot do anything about it, though.

If it is more than 2 houses down, just call the police … and …

Pray for your neighbors, something easily neglected.

 

[BamaRider]

To add to what OS said, which is good advice.

Take a honest look at your son’s personality. Is he a risk taker? Is he accident prone? Does stuff just seem to happen to him? All my years of riding, well over a half million miles, all over North America, I’ve come to learn, there are some who just don’t need to ride.

I’ve advised friends to give it up, even though they did everything correctly, but for some reason they just kept falling down. It could be lack of attention, not able to focus, poor sense of balance, or just not able to process info quickly.

Then again if your son is the type who would jump off a bridge just because someone dared him, probably not a good candidate to ride.

 

[BeeSweet]

**Are these generally “nice” neighbors or do they have an attitude problem? Do they have wives and/or kids?
**

They’re a young couple just a few years younger than my husband and myself. They live in the top floor of her uncle’s house across the street from us, a man who is maybe pushing 80 years old, and does not get around very well. They have a one year old son. They’ve been our neighbors for a couple of years I think, I never met them till this past July 4 when we were have a backyard BBQ, and my girlfriend’s boyfriend invited them over thinking, “hey… they both have kids, they should get along…” That was fine, there was plenty of food, and it was nice to meet them, but I had a feeling about them that eventually did pan out to be good reason for me not having approached them in the past. The next time I met them a few months later, the gal showed up on my doorstep a bit tipsy with two of her best friend’s kids, a four year old and a three year old, both covered in chocolate. She basically invited themselves over to play in our yard with my son. My husband had just come home from work, I had a sprained ankle, and was about to put together something for dinner while he held on to the toddler. I don’t remember what happened to dinner that night, but we ended up on the back porch with the neighbor (minus Harley husband who was at work), her best girlfriend, girlfriend’s husband, and a total of four children who quickly consumed every juice box I had left in the house. My son had a really good time, and my husband enjoyed the company, but… well I’m a bit more of a recluse let’s say. I’d certainly prefer a phone call first at the very least.

The next time I met them, was another couple of months later, I had just laid down on the couch after my husband had come home from work on a Friday, and was going to get a little feet up time before I started on dinner. I answered the door to find the whole family, husband, wife and baby on the porch asking me to babysit that night. The mom had met me twice, the husband once, and they felt it was just fine to leave their son with me. They were asking because their usual babysitter had hurricane damage to their home, and her parents were on holiday in the Carribbean somewhere. They wanted to go to the birthday party of the head of their biker club.

Soooo… they’re kinda weird if you ask me. I’ll bet they’d be quite surprised if I did show up in the middle of the night telling them to be quiet. Only thing is, I don’t know them very well, and I’d bet there was booze involved.

I wouldn’t call the police unless I had already tried talking to them directly first. We have some very snooty cranky neighbors next to us who called our landlord (who are our neighbors on the other side) a year ago to complain about my husband and another neighbor making too much noise in the middle of the night. It was July 3 (which is really funny, cuz the city fireworks display is practically in our backyard, so they had a whole lot more noise the very next evening), and my husband and the neighbor had been drinking and were singing and playing guitar, acoustic guitar in the middle of the night. So, I would have thought the cranky neighbors woulda called the police. "Cept the Harley neighbors are certainly more “scary” than we are… They’re both covered in tatoos too…

I think they’re sweet natured people, just a little clueless and inconsiderate. They’re only interested in me cuz I’m the matronly type Sunday school teacher. My husband is more the party guy. So what I figure it is they envision hanging out with my husband while I watch the kids. Sorry, not interested. Oh, and by the way… keep your Harley’s down please while you’re in the neighborhood. As long as my bladder will let me sleep, I’d certainly appreciate you being quiet!!!

We have quite an eclectic neighborhood here to say the least.

 

[BeeSweet]

Another problem with calling the police is, we’re three miles from the center of downtown Houston. It’s actually unconscionable in my opinion for me to call the police on something like noise when there’s certainly much more violent activity going on within close radius of our home. It almost seems disrespectful of the police to call and say, “I have a noisy neighbor.”

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

**Honestly in your situation I would NOT talk to them first and I WOULD call the police. If you talk to them first then they may suspect it was you when the cops show up. Let them think it’s the cranky neighbor.

As for the cops, you don’t dial the emergency number, you just call the station…they deal with this kind of stuff all the time. They aren’t going to stop chasing a mugger or drunk driver to respond to your noise complaint… but if they have time they will respond and it may be just the warning these inconsiderate neighbors need.**

 

[Norseman82]

Bama…do you think that my son who will be eligible for his license next year (to drive on his own) would be okay with a honda? He loves these …and said he would rather have a bike, than a car. What say you?

Whatevergirl,

I would suggest that you post these questions about advice for your son in the Catholic Motorcycle Rider’s thread. A lot of people there can givce you good advice.

However, since you mentioned in another thread that he was interested in a “racing bike”, which is known as a “sportbike”, I would offer this advice:

1. Yes, get him enrolled in an MSF class if he is old enough. In fact, depending on your state’s law, passing the MSF may also serve as passing the road test for his motorcycle classification.
2. He should start out small - NO LITER BIKES! If he really wants a sportbike, I suggest he start out with a 250cc (or at most a 500cc) in order to get the hang of it. Too many young people get in over their heads thinking how cool the bikes are and try to impress people to make them think they are “Joe Cool” when in fact they are “Sammy Squid”. They end up not having the discipline to handle it and due to a combination of hormones and lack of brains and experience get into accidents. Here is a thread on the local sportbike board that I am on that discusses “first bikes”:

chicagolandsportbikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26786

Since I am a sportbike rider myself, as the time comes closer, feel free to PM me or post a message on the Catholic Motorcycle Riders thread or teh St. Michael Rider’s site.

 

[juno24]

Ok–question–does he need to take this in addition to the car drivers test?

Yes. As of July 1st this year , in Florida it is mandatory. The course my friend took cost a pretty penny (I want to say over 100 dollars for 2 full days, but I am not absolutely certain), and they required her to have full gear (helmet, gloves, armor jacket, raingear, boots, etc)… Wearing a helmet is not a requirement under Florida law, but just know that if he chooses not to, he MUST have at least 10,000 dollars in insurance in case he gets injured in an accident.

 

[whatevergirl]

Another problem with calling the police is, we’re three miles from the center of downtown Houston. It’s actually unconscionable in my opinion for me to call the police on something like noise when there’s certainly much more violent activity going on within close radius of our home. It almost seems disrespectful of the police to call and say, “I have a noisy neighbor.”

You could buy earplugs. I mean, if nothing else works. I wear them to bed, and they drown out sounds like this, but make other sounds noticeable, like an alarm clock…etc. Just a thought.

 

[ack]

I do understand why you feel that way. However, I live in the same kind of neighborhood as you, and the people here don’t hesitate to call the police for this kind of thing (at least, as long as they’re not afraid that the offenders will exact revenge.) Most police have a non-emergency number (not 911) for this kind of thing, and the police will get to it whenever they aren’t doing something more important.

Another problem with calling the police is, we’re three miles from the center of downtown Houston. It’s actually unconscionable in my opinion for me to call the police on something like noise when there’s certainly much more violent activity going on within close radius of our home. It almost seems disrespectful of the police to call and say, “I have a noisy neighbor.”