So, How Many Neighbors Have to Complain Before....?

[JohnJL]

Originally Posted by Josh D

I mountain bike on trails shared with equestrian. They don't like us either.

This too. I always stop to let a horse and rider pass. On one occasion, while stopped and letting a rider pass she felt the need to berate me..."you jerks tear up the trail." my response: well, my bike doesn't **** on the trail and I didn't see you at the trail maintenance session on Sunday." no reply.

Off topic but reinforcing some of that holierthanthou experience with horse passengers.

Hope my wife doesn't read this....

[Reiver]

You are around 'city' horse people. I have horses, Porsche and a hot rod (louder at idle than most P cars at full chat).
Live on a dirt road with 3 full size arena's nearby.....mostly cowboys tho, ropers etc. Drive by them all of the time no issues.
If someone is riding in the road they have right of way and I slow down. If they are way off the road, as in your case, don't be 'in their face' but they should be able to handle the not so huge spook of traffic.
City people with horses.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by JohnJL

This too. I always stop to let a horse and rider pass. On one occasion, while stopped and letting a rider pass she felt the need to berate me..."you jerks tear up the trail." my response: well, my bike doesn't **** on the trail and I didn't see you at the trail maintenance session on Sunday." no reply.

Off topic but reinforcing some of that holierthanthou experience with horse passengers.

Hope my wife doesn't read this....

I get the same thing, even sitting on my arse letting them ride by. We tear up the trail???? Have you seen what a horse does to a nice singletrack after the rain.

I have found the horse enthusiasts in the neighborhood to be VERY intolerant, and not just of cars and Mtn bikers. They even complained about my dog being threatening to the horses while I walk him ON A LEASH!

They usually win the battles though, because horse people lobby and organize. They often have money and group together for power in trail decisions. Generally speaking, mountain bikers don't organize on a local level (unless they're outa weed). If the horseys are the only ones complaining at the city council meeting, or the only ones complaining to the park system, the trails get shut down to all but horses.

[Fishcop]

There's never a better truism that "Don't sh!# in your own nest" and obviously you've worked that out.

Some thoughts FWIW...

I'm a trained environmental noise investigator, former Ducati rider and current Porsche driver; and my wife is horsey (leave it!)... One of the things I've been surprised by is how much sound can be naturally amplified or muffled as a result of geography, topology and vegetation. The other "problem" you have in your area is low ambient environmental noise, and your neighbors are simply used to relative quiet.

It's easy to take shots at whining neighbors but from experience some have gounds to flag issue. You may have a neighbor that is in exactly the right (wrong) spot with respect to the road and may be receiving doppler sound waves off hillsides or road signs which make a listner thing they're hearing twice as much noise. This is especially true with deeper sounds such as twins and big cu inch engines. Helicopters are notorious with pitch changes for creating enormous ambient noise.

I run the 1/2/3 outlet rally muffler and it definitely makes a difference capped with very little effect on the engine performance. It might be worth getting out and about the neighborhood (be seen) with a Radio Shack (or better quality) noise monitor and check just what sorts of volume you're creating. If you can find away to modulate your right foot to keep noise below 80 dB in total along key parts of the road close to home you should be able to shut down the complaints (I know hills make this difficult). You could even find that just angling exhaust outlets down (rather than horizontally out) could effectively solve the issues.

Having said that, I don't respect anyone writing notes anonymously if they're a neighbor. I live in very close proximity to neighbors in the inner city - our old houses are mostly weather boards and "pre insulation", so not much goes unheard I've had to speak with various neighbors over barking dogs and late night renovations. It sucks, but I front up polite and courteous and flag the issue - I've always achieved a good result... And I don't give them any cause to complain about my car. I've completely restored my car at home. I picked the days I've needed to make noise and p!ssed in pockets by asking their prefered times/days that I work on my car but it's worked.

As for the horses, if they're being ridden I back right off and essentially give way. I'll even come to a stop and park it if kids are riding their ponies. Horses in paddocks... well they can suck it up

[Craig T]

I found the solution. Here is my new muffler...

[Fishcop]

Sad but true...

[Larry_Ratcliff]

LOL! I had a similar experience about 7 years ago when I had my 67... My next door neighbor literally started to read me the riot act talking about how we live in a sleeply cul de sac ... I actually only had headers and a reasonable muffler (it was a new monza muffler)... I never crossed the speed limit on our street but it was on a hill so I would come up it at about 3500 rpm... . I just smiled and said sorry you dont enjoy the music... and when he became more of an ass ... I just told him to kindly F off

[Flieger]

When Laguna Seca becomes an obsession...

[timmy2]

Sounds like your neighbors are the same Cali Brands that have been moving to Montana in droves and changing the way things are done there...
"OOOH don't shoot guns on your 20 acres it might scare the deer"...(A-holes)
There's a reason for the bumper stickers in Montana that say
"Thanks for visiting now f-!ng leave"...
Hmmm Cali Brand sounds a lot like Taliban....
No offense intended to my southern neighbors. Eventually all the idiots will leave.

[Peter Zimmermann]

Originally Posted by timmy2

Sounds like your neighbors are the same Cali Brands that have been moving to Montana in droves and changing the way things are done there...

Well, L.A. jerks made a mess out of Seattle; they gotta go somewhere!

"OOOH don't shoot guns on your 20 acres it might scare the deer"...(A-holes)

Scare it? I'm trying to kill it; my kids are hungry!

There's a reason for the bumper stickers in Montana that say
"Thanks for visiting now f-!ng leave"...

Yes, yes it does...

Hmmm Cali Brand sounds a lot like Taliban...

See above...

No offense intended to my southern neighbors. Eventually all the idiots will leave.

Many have, but many good folks have also gotten out. Unfortunately many idiots have also moved from the coast, to where I live in the Central Valley of CA. It's not as peaceful here as it once was either!

I'm dreaming of the day when we can move to Idaho!

[zippy_gg]

This was my other Baby, a very sweet thoroughbred that I rode all over the hills of Griffith Park in L.A.

When I hear riders b****ing about all the things that spook their horse while they ride I just smile inside. The rider is what keeps the horse calm. Sure the horse will react to things, but only to the level you will allow.
And Yes, some horse people are nuts! Ask me how I know!

[magnus walker]

WE SHOULD BE TALKING

HORSEPOWER....


regulary i get out of DTLA ..
when i do this is where i go !

santa monica montains



angeles crest hwy

[Kraftwerk]

Add a tow-hook to "The Green Thing". Pretty sure you could haul that speedo trailer to another canyon or better yet put it near a public school. Just don't get caught moving it.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

Add a tow-hook to the 'Green Thing"

Ah oh, "Green Thing" is beginning to stick. All our cars have names. My wife thinks she should be named "Gretchen", but it hasn't stuck. I believe some Native American and African tribes had it right by not naming a child until the child finds it's own name. Well, my anonymous whinny neighbor may have inadvertently named my car.

From here forward, she shall be affectionately known as The Green Thing!

[Larry_Ratcliff]

Originally Posted by Craig T

Ah oh, "Green Thing" is beginning to stick. All our cars have names. My wife thinks she should be named "Gretchen", but it hasn't stuck. I believe some Native American and African tribes had it right by not naming a child until the child finds it's own name. Well, my anonymous whinny neighbor may have inadvertently named my car.

From here forward, she shall be affectionately known as The Green Thing!

It does sound kind of cool if you change the emphasis on the wording ... hearing the song wild thing in my head and inserting green thing

Wild Thing-The Troggs (High Quality) - YouTube

[zippy_gg]

Originally Posted by magnus walker

I want that car!

[1990C4S]

Two things, a) a loud car often attracts more attention than it is due, as people tend to equate noise with velocity.

If your exhaust is legal then ignore your neighbor. If your exhaust is illegal then you do have an obligation to drive like a grandpa when you are near civilization.

I lived beside a guy with a Harley that ran open pipes. It is really ignorant to fire up a loud bike (or car) at all hours.

[ClickClickBoom]

Originally Posted by Kraftwerk

Add a tow-hook to "The Green Thing". Pretty sure you could haul that speedo trailer to another canyon or better yet put it near a public school. Just don't get caught moving it.

Simpler,
Go to the thrift store, buy bowling ball, get friend to take a full throttle/speed run at the trailer, release bowling ball at appropriate moment and continue driving. A cinder block will work in a pinch!
Horses.....nuff said!

Semi-reformed hoodlum

[bdisco]

Am I the only one who tries to get the 'high score' when I see one of those 'speed limit / your speed radar trailers'?

[RSBob]

There are two predominent thoughts in this thread:

1. screw the neighbors

2. make a few changes and try to live harmoniously.

Another way to look at it, is say you have lived in your house for 5 years and a new family moves next door and a) either screams and yells at each other until the wee hours every night or b) has a son who is a really bad drummer who plays at night in the garage at night, or c) they have two big barking dogs which won't shut up. To most us who liked things the way they were before these wack jobs moved in, these people are complete idiots and are ruining a good thing.

Well just because we like noisy exhausts, because motor heads do (duh) it doesn't mean that running one doesn't make the neighbors feel just like having new obnoxious neighbors above.

I appreciate when people are considerate (regardless if they have the stones to sign a note) and I try to be equally considerate of them so we can all coexist. I know this sounds terribly grown up and responsible, but worse things can happen.

I know this probably makes too much sense to the #2 crowd and will take several years of digesting for the #1 crowd, but I have confidence you will get there or die trying.