Reading recent threads about the "rolling taco stands" being banned in one community, along with the 110 year old gun range being attacked by people who chose to build a new home next to it, and other such "police state" stories got me fired up to tell you about my recent neighborhood situation.

My son and I have recently gotten into motocross dirbikes and enjoy riding on tracks and trails when we are able.  Occaissionally we also ride through the neighborhood to a friends house or slowly ride around the loop for fun.  We strictly adhere to the speed limit and ride in a courteous manner, with particular emphasis during times when people are out walking.  Unfortunately, some people in the area haven't been so courteous in their riding.  Worse, some new neighbors have moved in who claim they wouldn't have moved there if they had known people rode ATV's or dirbikes.  Sure enough, they complained over and over again until the POA board sent out a vote and passed a new "covenant" for the subdivision banning all such powered vehicle activity with the exception of lawnmowers.

Personally, I think it sucks, because it's in the county, not in the city limits.  The city slickers that don't like it should move back where the came from.  Those of us who understand both the joy of riding and the need for safety were willing to compromise in various ways but the other side wouldn't budge at all.  Now, I can't even putt over to a friend's house or ride for a minute after an oil change to check for leaks and functionality.  My neighbor is a highly skilled motocross racer that always places his neighbors before himself, but now he can't do a simple check ride on his bike before he travels 3-4 hours to a race.  I think we let him down terribly as a neighborhood.  We should collectively support him in his chosen sport.  True to form, he says what really bothers him is that the neighborhood is like a ghost town now.  He enjoyed seeing the 10-12 year old boys having fun cruising around on their bikes or quads.  Now all you see are grouchy old coots who think the street is their personal walking track.  Not to mention that my son and one of the board members' sons had go karts in the neighborhood for at least two years before all the coots moved in.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that another board members' twin sons ride small dirt bikes and are largely responsible for people wanting the ban in the first place.

What really ticks me off is that there are plenty of other issues that need to be addressed that were already covered under existing rules.  But, instead of enforcing the existing rules, they felt like they needed to make a new one, just because they didn't have the cohoneys to tell the complainers to STFU and stop calling.  Also, it's not because of any incidents, but it's because of the fear of a lawsuit resulting from an accident that may or may not never happen.  People have also made claims about near head-on collisions or close shaves with ATV's.  People really know how to embellish once they've gained the ear of the POA board.  They'll say anything they have to in order to get there way.  Some of which I know is not true, but there's no proof either way.  So the board obviously sides with the complainers since they're proactive and we "offenders" are just minding our own business.  There is so much more BS to this story, but I need to be done.  Just had to get it off my chest.  It's just disappointing for many to lose a priveledge because of the poor conduct of a few.

I'm thinking about getting one of those racing lawnmowers so I can have a little fun with their exception they put in the new rule.  What do you guys think about all this BS?  

Be on the lookout for golf cart commandos.  I should expect the very same "rules" apply to them.

Move--It will only get worse.

First of all I ride - '99WR400 dual-sported, '90 KX500 dual-sported, '02 VFR800 sport touring, and wife's '92 XR250R dual sported.  As much as I enjoy bikes I don't like listening to dirtbikes or go-karts running around the streets of my neighborhood.  It's a neighborhood, not a racetrack and the OHVs aren't exactly quiet.  Noise does not respect property lines.

That said, I have no problem riding any of my bikes around the neighborhood after washing the bike or if I need to warm up the oil - BUT all my bikes are streetlegal so there really isn't anything anybody could do about it.

Brian

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My neighborhood has an HOA, but the rules require at least 50% of houses represented for any votes to be binding.  They have an average of 5% turnout for each meeting, so nothing can get done.  I'm glad.  

I had a neighbor who bitched about me doing it too. So I bought a street bike with really loud pipes. What can they say about that? Did they only ban them from being ridden in the road? If so build a small track in the backyard.


ETA: I lived on a dirt road.

Same thing happened to me when I lived in FL.  The neighborhood was located in a rural area but of course, the city slickers ruined all the fun.

One thing you can always count on though, if you are having fun, there will always be someone that will seek to put an end to it!

If they are "offroad" and not licensed on the street, keep them off the street.  

I have some assholes in my neighborhood who wake up everyone every weekend with their bullshit.

That's why I didn't buy in a subdivision.

Quoted: If they are "offroad" and not licensed on the street, keep them off the street.   I have some assholes in my neighborhood who wake up everyone every weekend with their bullshit.

Take the silencer off the pipe and warp her up a few times at 2am from you garage!! You do have 2 strokes right??

Quoted: Quoted: If they are "offroad" and not licensed on the street, keep them off the street.   I have some assholes in my neighborhood who wake up everyone every weekend with their bullshit. Take the silencer off the pipe and warp her up a few times at 2am from you garage!! You do have 2 strokes right??

Then I would be doing the same thing the assholes are doing and would also be doing it to those other than the assholes.

Quoted: If they are "offroad" and not licensed on the street, keep them off the street...

Amen.  If the bikes in question are street-legal, then more power to 'em and the neighborhood covenant mentioned above is BS (just one more reason I won't live in a "neighborhood" or under such a covenant).  If they aren't, then I personally have little sympathy for the situation -- YMMV.

So let me get this right.................................

You think that off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles should be allowed to be driven on public roads.

You think that minors with no drivers license should be able to drive off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles on public roads.

You think that off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles being driven on public roads is not hazardous.

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Quoted: So let me get this right................................. You think that off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles should be allowed to be driven on public roads. You think that minors with no drivers license should be able to drive off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles on public roads. You think that off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles being driven on public roads is not hazardous.

In some states you can license and tag an ATV for street use.

I suggest you buy one of those street-trail bikes that you can tag and then ride the pissout of it, or an old 1950's rusted out jeep and run straight pipes.

Quoted: If they are "offroad" and not licensed on the street, keep them off the street.   I have some assholes in my neighborhood who wake up everyone every weekend with their bullshit.

For the first time in my Arfcom life, I agree with LARRYG!

+1

Hmmm, a mixed bag of feelings just like in the neighborhood.  I guess it's just something people will ever agree on.

My bikes are 4-stroke Yamahas.  YZ250F for me and TTR-230 for my son.

LARRYG, I hear you man, but just as some have kind of eluded to herein, I can spend about $500 getting a dual sport kit (lights, horn, license plate bracket) and the bike will be perfectly street legal and allow me to make the change from on to off road in 15 minutes or less.  I told the dumbass board members that at the POA meeting and they either had a blank stare or some unintelligent comment.  I guess I should go forward with it so they can look really stupid.

I guess I could also go get the loudest Harley made, but then again it wasn't my goal to piss off the grumpy neighbors.  I just want 15 minutes of wind in my face occassionally after work sans all the bitching!    Funny, two of the POA board members have big ass loud Harleys that I can say are more annoying than my bike.  Also, three of them have big, noisy diesel pick up trucks that are also annoying to some, depending on your personal feelings.  The difference is that when I was on the board last year, I kept to myself and didn't bitch about anything like that or try to make rules to undermine their noisy activities like they are now doing to me!

GAcop, you are correct about the subdivision life.  We bought there because we have boys with a lot of activities such as baseball, football, or church.  We're "out" but still close to town.  We had the best of both worlds.  It was great until the new folks started moving in.  

Quoted: So let me get this right................................. You think that off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles should be allowed to be driven on public roads. You think that minors with no drivers license should be able to drive off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles on public roads. You think that off-road, uninsured, unlicensed, and uninspected vehicles being driven on public roads is not hazardous.

  Dude you are stomping on his freedom to be an asshole.  Laws don't ( nor should they ) apply to special people like this.  His loud toys are the only way he can improve his self esteem.  

 BBURN:  Keep your noise to yourself.  I have the right to the peaceful enjoyment of my property.  You do not have the right to make unlimited noise to prove that you are the biggest asshole on the block.  RESPECT YOUR NEIGHBORS RIGHTS.  
 Get over it and grow the fuck up -- your body might be 40 but your mind is 8.

 Can you tell I hate unnecessary noise?

Well, they voted. You don't have to like it, but them's the rulz.

Personal freedom - 0
"Public" Safety - 1

Quoted: If they are "offroad" and not licensed on the street, keep them off the street.   I have some assholes in my neighborhood who wake up everyone every weekend with their bullshit.

+1... I don't want to hear that shit at 8am on a Sunday morning. I'm sorta glad my neighbor's kid had his dirtbike stolen.

Dance, point well taken.  However, it is a closed subdivision with only one drive in/out and a 15 mph speed limit.  No thru traffic is possible.  I ride my bicycle faster than 15 all the time!

DzlBenz, I never said that they should support my son's motocross hobby.  My neighbor is a professional racer and I said I think we should support him!  The reason I brought that up is because at the POA meeting, someone brought up another neighbors' drag race car.  Trying to put on a show of being "nice guys" some of the board members said they enjoy seeing and hearing the roar of the "non-street-legal" race car come out of the garage for a check ride occassionally before a race.  Seems like a double standard to me.  My neighbor deserves no less.

As I said above, my bike can be made street legal very easily.  It is the same damn bike as long as I'm riding in the daylight so I think their being pricks by using the fact that it's non street legal against me.  Trust me, it's one large rectangular road where there isn't even a need for turn signals.  If I got them on my bike, I still wouldn't use them because the cars don't use them and have no need to inside the subdivision!

I don't even see why they needed a special neighborhood rule.  It's already illegal to operate uninspected, unregistered, uninsured vehicles on public roads.  All they had to do was call the cops.

ETA: What do you think will happen when you crash your uninsured motor vehicle into something on the public road?

Quoted: DzlBenz, I never said that they should support my son's motocross hobby.  My neighbor is a professional racer and I said I think we should support him!  The reason I brought that up is because at the POA meeting, someone brought up another neighbors' drag race car.  Trying to put on a show of being "nice guys" some of the board members said they enjoy seeing and hearing the roar of the "non-street-legal" race car come out of the garage for a check ride occassionally before a race.  Seems like a double standard to me.  My neighbor deserves no less.

I beg your pardon, Sir. I stand corrected.

Reason number 243,964 that I will never live in a neighborhood with a Homeowners' Association.

Sorry for your grief. I hope you get some moderation.

buy enderos then tell them to piss off

HOA= YOU ARE F__KED!!!!!

Get a moped, license/tag it and drive your buttwipe neighbors nutz. Buzz back and forth, back and forth ad nausium. If it is a street legal vehicle, what can be said as long as it is driven according to the vehicle laws?

AcidGambit and others.........

Maybe you missed it, but it's not me with the 8:00 am noisy crap.  It's the board members that ride Harleys and get out early on Saturday morning waking everyone up in my neighborhood.  I hate the neighborhood noise as much as anyone, my wife is worse!!!  I'm only complaining because I think they have set a double standard when it comes to the noise aspect.

I have only ridden between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm after work.  The same time that people are out there with Skil saws building decks and such.  I am NO WHERE NEAR the noisest neighbor in the hood.  

Quoted: Dance, point well taken.  However, it is a closed subdivision with only one drive in/out and a 15 mph speed limit.  No thru traffic is possible.  I ride my bicycle faster than 15 all the time!

None of what you are saying makes any difference.  

Would it be ok to let a 10 year old drive an unlicensed, uninsured, unregistered car around your neighborhood?

Would it bother you if that kid ran over your kid while he was walking in the subdivision?

Quoted: I don't even see why they needed a special neighborhood rule.  It's already illegal to operate uninspected, unregistered, uninsured vehicles on public roads.  All they had to do was call the cops...

Because the POA probably has more time to enforce such infractions than local LE (try calling the PD in most cites about such an infraction and let me know how much of a priority it is to them... ).


NOT a swipe at LEOs!  I sat on a State Board with our Director of Public Safety, the chair of the state Sheriff's Assoc., & the chair of the C-O-P's Assoc. and - good or bad - they were all of one accord and quite blunt re: our state laws prohibiting ATVs from public roads:  their officers won't even try to enforce the law because the kids will just take off onto private land and go where a cruiser can't follow.

Quoted: The same time that people are out there with Skil saws building decks and such.

Inquire as to the status of their building permits.

Quoted: Quoted: Dance, point well taken.  However, it is a closed subdivision with only one drive in/out and a 15 mph speed limit.  No thru traffic is possible.  I ride my bicycle faster than 15 all the time! None of what you are saying makes any difference.   Would it be ok to let a 10 year old drive an unlicensed, uninsured, unregistered car around your neighborhood? Would it bother you if that kid ran over your kid while he was walking in the subdivision?

Yeah!

That at all those noisy kids playing outside.And swimming in pools.And that stupid ice cream truck with the crappy music.

It should be mandatory that children play quietly inside at all times.There are plenty of motocross type video games,so there is no reason for any kids to ride those dangerous machines.Or they can get into drugs or other crime in their free time.


Shit man.Move out to the country away from all the people.I grew up riding mini bikes and horses.Back then you could even ride skateboards around just about anywhere (yep,no restrictions!).We even played........GASP...................Lawn Jarts!!!


Times have changed.