Anyone knowledgeable about motorcycle noise?

[Lilan]

There is a Harley that has started parking on the street outside my house and the noise and vibration when it starts up, at 7 a.m. each day, is causing splitting headaches for me each morning! 

I am debating whether to leave the guy a note (don't know him, big city so not sure how easily I could track him down in terms of where he lives exactly) just explaining my situation and asking him if there's a way to control the noise. But I don't know anything about motorcycles -- so is it even feasible to ask him to do something like quiet it down (I think some riders like it loud for safety?) or can the bike be rolled a block away quietly before the noisy startup, at least for a few weeks? I am not sure what it's reasonable to ask for.

[cin605]

Cringing at the thought.........i do not think there is such thing as a quiet Harley.....my ear is ringing just thinking about it...also i am getting the bobblehead.
i am sorry i can offer no advice except maybe to break out your ear plugs.You can try n talk w/ him but i do not know what kind of
response you are going to get...i would check him out n see what kind of "vibe" he OR she is giving off when they are off thier cycle before i approached them.
I wish you lots of luck.Keep us posted.

[Lilan]

Thanks! I spied him the other day from my window and he looks like a young professional. It's a yuppie neighborhood (is there a newer word for that? sounds so out-of-date!) and he dresses nicely for what I assume is his commute. He certainly keeps a regular, reliable schedule    that much I can tell.

(I don't feel safe having my ears (well, ear) plugged all night, living alone in a city apartment -- I feel like I need to be able to hear my burglar or fire alarms or dogs barking etc. in case of an emergency.)

[cin605]

I hear you...lol.....i do not like ear plugs at all.

[HeadCase2]

Hi Lilian,
  It sounds like this metrosexual dude is oblivious to the noise disturbance he's creating at 7 AM.  But anyone who parks a Harley outside at night may soon be destined to be an ex harley owner. 
  If the harley has stock mufflers there may not be much you can do.  But if he's running non-stock mufflers, particularly if they're straight through with no mufflers, then I'd ask the police to see if he's using legal mufflers, and let them handle it.
Regards,
  Rob

[Lilan]

may soon be destined to be an ex harley owner. 

So you're saying I should post on Craigslist, "Free motorcycle! Come pick up between midnight and 4 a.m., and it's yours!"

Good thought about just letting the police handle it. Because if he's not amenable to making a change, then I've revealed myself as the complainer and may make an enemy of him, the last thing I need right now.

[CHD63]

IMO if someone is inconsiderate enough to start up a very loud Harley in front of residences at 7:00 in the morning, said person may not be the kind of individual you would want to have a personal encounter with!  I'd vote for letting the police handle it.

I'm surprised someone else has not already filed a complaint ..... maybe they have.  If I had a small baby or a sick family member, I would be quite upset!!

Clarice

[Lilan]

You're so right. I am guessing he's just young and clueless. Like those who leave the bars at 3 a.m. and think it's amusing to shout to their friends, etc., as they do it! Where babies and old people and sickness and responsibilities "don't exist" for those few years in their 20s... Even when my dogs were puppies I'd be fit to kill over that kind of noise -- didn't want them to be awakened either! 

[Lilan]

The dime has been dropped. We'll see how high this ranks on the Chicago PD's list of priorities. 

[Jim Scott]

Lilan ~

This is a vexing situation that can drive you crazy if it's not addressed.  Thus, I suggest attempting to handle it yourself before calling the cops. 

Because the Harley owner doesn't appear to a member of Hell's Angels' it might be worth asking him, amiably, of course, to roll the motorcycle a block away before starting it.  If he's a 'yuppie' (young, urban, professional) the Harley is probably more of an affectation than anything else and he may be persuaded to make an accommodation to alleviate the noise pollution his bike is putting out.  Of course, he may just smile and tell you to take a hike, then rev the Harley more than ever, just to prove - like every immature person in America - that 'nobody tells HIM what to do'.

I've never owned a motorcycle and have no idea what kind of mufflers they come with these days.  Most of the Japanese 'pocket rocket' motorcycles I've seen (usually with young men riding them) are as quiet as my Honda Civic and probably faster than the somewhat-antiquated-but-much-beloved Harley-Davidson behemoths.  He may have low-restriction, 'after-market' mufflers, which are probably illegal if they emit intolerable noise levels, which is usually anything much above 80 - 100 decibels.  Unfortunately, the fact that the noise is fairly short-lived may make his co-operation a bit more difficult to secure and would also make any legal remedy elusive in light of the transitory nature of the unwanted sound.  You might just have to live with it- at least until winter.  Gentle persuasion is likely your best option, and I wish you success with it. 

Jim 

* I moved the thread to AN Community because it really isn't a question pertaining to ANs. 

[Lilan]

Jim, thanks, and thanks for moving this to the appropriate place!

I already made a complaint earlier today, after talking to the pres of my condo board who said he was in favor of doing that as the noise has also been driving him crazy for months.

However, I'm not sure how responsive the police will be, so I may yet get a chance to start fresh with gentle persuasion. The downside of it is that I would have to either leave a note, easily lost or ignored, or basically come out and accost him, as I have no idea where he lives or any other way to reach him, and being three weeks post-op I'm just not that inclined to take on a possible confrontation with a stranger.

You are right that if he's basically a decent human being, he may agree to "roll away" from under my bedroom window, at least for a month or so, out of sympathy for my head!

[ppearl214]

in the same boat here, with multiple Harley issues... we live on a somewhat-main road... and we have a lake here in town that "hog riders" enjoy spending time..... we also got recent word of local Hell's Angels in a turf war in a VERY suburban town against another group of local Hell's Angels... the Harley riders have been endless and overwhelming. The noise of speeding up rattles us here so bad, even the dog barks at them when they insist on revving the engines, regardless of time of day.  We have a few that live on our street that just ride back and forth and back and forth. The sounds of revving the engines kills my AN ear in an overwhelming way.. that I try to cover my ear when they do, but not very helpful. I was going to speak to the local PD about what is going on as they have been trying to enhance traffic control, esp for the bikes..... I don't know if speaking to the owner of the bike (as Lilan notes) or me going to the local PD to get their inputs will be helpful. Seems they honestly don't care about those around... regardless if 7am or 10pm, as we endure here.... this is the only time that I truly wish for winter and blizzards as they aren't out, causing such noise pollution. I don't honestly think they understand or care the damage they do to others.... just my 2 cents.

Phyl

[Lilan]

Ugh. There is something about the combination of vibration and noise that is just the worst. It also makes one of my dogs bark.

[Brendalu]

Ok, I will admit that I am a huge fan of motor cycles.  The noise bothers me too, but, in our town the noise ordinance is affect from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m., but motor cycles are not considered to be a problem here.  A lot of people are riding motor cycles because of the rising cost of fuel.  They are much more affordable to ride than driving a car to work for some people and especially if mass transit is not available, as it isn't here.  I complained because a couple of neighbors were mowing at 6 a.m. and was told that it was the only time they could mow because of work schedules, so I put my good ear on the pillow and it doesn't bother me.  (I'm normally up before then, but on rare occasions when I sleep in, this works great.)  Are you sure this person is trying to be disturbing or is it his only mode of transportation?  Just the other side of the coin, but do check your noise ordinances first.
Brenda

[Lilan]

I don't mean to suggest that he's "trying" to disturb, but rather that he's being thoughtless about "special needs" be they illness, babies, or whatever. The problem is that it's such a high-density population area, I'm not sure where he can go to be less disturbing! Hence my original post about what to even ask for. If he goes a block away, it's better for me, but bad for someone else. (But if it turns out he has a tricked-out muffler -- that can be modified for use on a quiet residential street.)

I looked the other way for months when I was healthy and merely annoyed by it -- but right now it's a real problem. I have a limited amount of time off work during which I need to get caught up on my sleep, so being rattled awake is a problem along with the noise itself. It's thunderously loud.

I'm hoping he has a holiday tomorrow and won't be up at 7 over the weekend, so maybe there'll be a few days of quiet ahead!

OMG he just started it up. I hate him.