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Homeowner tormented by morning routine of motorcycle-owning neighbor: 'That is something you can video and take to the police'

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this."

Loud motorcycle driver with an obnoxiously-loud idling engine

Photo Credit: iStock

It's not hard to imagine the headaches from a nightmare neighbor who loves nothing more than firing up their hog and blasting the community with the roar of their revving engine.

If that person also careens recklessly around, however, it goes beyond headaches.

A Redditor shared this dilemma recently, noting the "extremely loud" bike takes over the neighborhood for 10 to 20 minutes per day, usually around 4-6 p.m. but can start as early as 8 a.m.

To make matters even more dangerous, the Redditor says the biker then "takes a few spins around the neighborhood driving like an absolute madman."

"It is aggravating but he has a right to work on his bike and start it to keep the battery charged," one commenter wrote. "Riding it around the neighborhood, going faster than the posted speed limit and riding the bike like a mad man is something else." 

"That is something you can video and take to the police if he is consistent about the timing of the rides," the commenter continued. "I understand wanting to ride the bike but putting other people and children in danger by riding it carelessly is not acceptable. If he hits someone or gets hit because he was being careless opens another set of issues."

Another user said, "Ugh I'm sorry you have to deal with this. Inconsiderate, awful people!"

Though motorcycles are twice as fuel-efficient as four-wheel vehicles, they produce 10 times more pollution, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2014.

"These gases are what damage the atmosphere," GearJunkie reported in 2022. "Catalytic systems can capture most [greenhouse gases], but the existing technology is too large and restrictive to implement on motorcycles."

GearJunkie noted the United States Environmental Protection Agency does not measure motorcycle pollutants.

"This is a real issue because if the problem isn't measured, you don't know what to fix," GearJunkie wrote.

GearJunkie reported that from 2008 to 2022, toxic gases produced by motorbikes fell by up to half in California, which has publicly available pollution data.

"While that sounds like great news, the volume of [greenhouse gases] from motorbikes in California has remained largely unchanged, which can only mean that more people are riding more miles on motorcycles," GearJunkie noted.

And then there's that annoyance factor of a revving engine. Idling is bad for vehicles and the environment, wasting gas and releasing toxic pollution into the air. It's also illegal in some states, so there may even be recourse for a neighbor who idles excessively.

Personal vehicles produce about 30 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution per year by idling, according to the Department of Energy, which stated "eliminating the unnecessary idling of personal vehicles would be the same as taking 5 million vehicles off the roads."

Since idling can also damage your engine, maybe that motorhead can be convinced to give it a rest.

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