Is maintaining a motorcycle really that difficult?

[eyoungren]

Our neighbors moved in about a year and a half ago. One of them is a motorcycle rider and part of some club. From what I gather, he has been designated as the club's 'mechanic'. They rent the home.

At any given time the neighbor is 'working' on the motorcycle, it is in pieces or other club motorcycles are in the driveway (also in pieces). I know he's been cited by the HOA periodically because it gets cleaned up from time to time.

Now I don't object to my neighbor owning a loud motorcycle. Another neighbor complained and this guy actually apologized to me. He had a new engine on order he said. This was about a year ago.

What I do object to is the constant noise. His motorcycle is in pieces more than it is functional. And so when he tests, we get hours of engine revving. I do not know motorcycles, but if I ever owned one I would be sure to stay the hell away from this guy if I needed repairs.

Just how much of a broke down, piece of crap motorcycle does this guy own that requires several hours of work each day before he can actually use the damn thing to go to work in the evening? If my car needed work like that I'd either have it hauled off or bite the money bullet and find a mechanic.

It's obvious this guy can't fix motorcycles. It breaks each and every GD day. Seriously, I've seen his motorcycle return to his house on trailers or in the back of trucks several times.

So, am I wrong in thinking that this is not normal?

PS., no idea what kind of motorcycle it is, but it's not a Harley, a Yamaha or a Honda.

 

[slainbabyyc]

they don't require that much regular maintenance, just slightly more than a car. sounds like his has some systemic issues. he actually may have screwed it up from revving it, you are not supposed to rev a stationary motorcycle for over a minute because it will cause the engine components to overheat and warp.

 

[MBAir2010]

kawasaki wulcan rider from 2003 to 2016, and never irked my neighbors
just in 2012 our apt manager wanted me to park that in another town.

 

[JahBoolean]

It's all either lubing, sealing or unscrewing to access consumables.

Far from rocket science.

The lubing part may need some stationary revving, but as pointed out above, most motorcycles are designed to deal with their thermal load in movement, so he's either dealing with some exotic design or utterly clueless.

As far as dealing with the concern, if you have exhausted all amicable venues, my gut feeling is that you should document the noise and file a complaint to authorities.

 

[eyoungren]

they don't require that much regular maintenance, just slightly more than a car. sounds like his has some systemic issues. he actually may have screwed it up from revving it, you are not supposed to rev a stationary motorcycle for over a minute because it will cause the engine components to overheat and warp.

Yeah, there just has to be something serious. I mean, the engine in pieces, off the frame, etc.

There are times (often) where it takes him multiple tries just to get the engine started. And then it sounds extremely rough. I know they don't have a lot of money and this bike may be all he has - but they've also been able to get their 3am repoed car back so IDK.

 

[eyoungren]

kawasaki wulcan rider from 2003 to 2016, and never irked my neighbors
just in 2012 our apt manager wanted me to park that in another town.

I'm not against the loudness, just the constant testing which has him running the thing for 20 minutes every couple of hours.

You start the bike, warm it up, leave, I'm fine. Rev your bike for a while, go around the block to test your repairs, then rev your bike again for another while - I'm not happy.

 

[eyoungren]

It's all either lubing, sealing or unscrewing to access consumables.

Far from rocket science.

The lubing part may need some stationary revving, but as pointed out above, most motorcycles are designed to deal with their thermal load in movement, so he's either dealing with some exotic design or utterly clueless.

As far as dealing with the concern, if you have exhausted all amicable venues, my gut feeling is that you should document the noise and file a complaint to authorities.

Yeah, I think he's just clueless.

I have noticed he no longer seems to be repairing the other club member bikes. They've probably figured him out I think.

 

[44267547]

So report it then.

Educate yourself on your local ordinances in your community in terms of obnoxious noises/Amplification, and to what extent and at what hours.

And if laws/ordinances don’t apply in your scenario, then why don’t you appropriately/politely engage this individual, explain your dissatisfaction and the nuisance that it causes. You’d be surprised that a cordial conversation can totally change the element of your annoyances.

 

[MBAir2010]

I'm not against the loudness, just the constant testing which has him running the thing for 20 minutes every couple of hours.

You start the bike, warm it up, leave, I'm fine. Rev your bike for a while, go around the block to test your repairs, then rev your bike again for another while - I'm not happy.

Id say get the new iron maiden album, 2 speakers
but that would be a reward
maybe penderecki cello accompanied by mating yaks concerto in Fu major

neighbor can really suck,
and we cant do too much nowadays in our patty-cake passive world.

 

[MBAir2010]

So report it then.

Educate yourself on your local ordinances in your community in terms of obnoxious noises/Amplification, and to what extent and at what hours.

And if laws/ordinances don’t apply in your scenario, then why don’t you appropriately/politely engage this individual, explain your dissatisfaction and the nuisance that it causes. You’d be surprised that a cordial conversation can totally change the element of your annoyances.

except for Montclair, NJ were the Sopranos hail from.
or anywhere else there

 

[slainbabyyc]

Yeah, there just has to be something serious. I mean, the engine in pieces, off the frame, etc.

There are times (often) where it takes him multiple tries just to get the engine started. And then it sounds extremely rough. I know they don't have a lot of money and this bike may be all he has - but they've also been able to get their 3am repoed car back so IDK.

my advice to you, in the interim: invest in motorcycle ear plugs. I no longer ride, but I cherish my motorcycle earplugs when my neighbors get loud. I recommend https://www.earpeace.com/

 

[MBAir2010]

OR
get a copy (used) of the "idiots guide to (brand name) Motorcycle repair"
and place that under the forks.
they will thank you later

 

[Apple fanboy]

My guess is it isn’t maintenance he’s doing but modifications. When I was young a few friends bought small motorcycles or mopeds. In the U.K. you can drive a 50cc bike at 16 but can’t drive until you are 17 and passed a test.
They were always modifying them to get more speed. Trouble is it made them very unreliable. They were always out of use.
I nearly bought one. But my Dad was a biker in his youth and cautioned me against it. So I bought my first car just before I was 17 instead.

 

[bingeciren]

I own a 2004 Yamaha R1. It proved to be more reliable than my BMW X5. I do regular oil and filter changes myself and leave the tire changes to the bike shop. The bike is in pristine condition and fires up in the spring without a problem even after lying in the garage all winter long.

I think your neighbour likes to tinker with his bike rather than maintaining.

 

[slainbabyyc]

I own a 2004 Yamaha R1. It proved to be more reliable than my BMW X5. I do regular oil and filter changes myself and leave the tire changes to the bike shop. The bike is in pristine condition and fires up in the spring without a problem even after lying in the garage all winter long.

I think your neighbour likes to tinker with his bike rather than maintaining.

post pics

 

[bingeciren]

post pics

 

[slainbabyyc]

beautiful. are you aware of all the other maintenance milestones specified in the manual? i had a yamaha fz1 and there was a lot of other stuff recommended to be done each or every other oil change.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Nice looking bike. I never did get one. Always liked the idea. Usually when stuck in traffic!

 

[44267547]

except for Montclair, NJ were the Sopranos hail from.
or anywhere else there

I mean…. If it’s the Mongols or Hells Angels, I’d probably look the other way and let them rev their bike. I wouldn’t wanna have a hit on my life or anything.

 

[bingeciren]

beautiful. are you aware of all the other maintenance milestones specified in the manual? i had a yamaha fz1 and there was a lot of other stuff recommended to be done each or every other oil change.

Those milestones are on the conservative side. For example, they recommend valve clearances to be checked at certain intervals, which seems rather too frequent, but all bikes that I owned over the years never needed a valve clearance adjustment. My 1984 Yamaha FJ1100 had 100,000 miles on it when I sold it and never had its valve cover opened. My 1994 BMW K1100 RS had 50,000 miles on it when I sold it and never had to go to the dealer for scheduled engine maintenance. Most bike engines, especially the Japanese ones are rock solid and last a long time.

On the other hand, wear items like brake pads, chain, sprockets and tires need regular maintenance and replacement. Depends on how hard you ride and how clean you keep the bike of course. It also depends on whether the bike is kept outside or in a closed garage.

 

[bingeciren]

Nice looking bike. I never did get one. Always liked the idea. Usually when stuck in traffic!

Depends on where you ride. In Canada for example, lane splitting is not allowed and getting stuck in traffic is more painful if you are on a bike. In Europe, however, I can filter through the traffic and never get stuck.

 

[eyoungren]

I think your neighbour likes to tinker with his bike rather than maintaining.

That is not something I had considered. If he is though, I still would not trust him. Part of the time he is on the phone asking people questions. He's also used some sort of yellow tape to crudely put 'FTW' on the sides of his gas tank. Maybe that's his club, IDK, but I don't see his bike as anything close to 'For the Win'.

 

[eyoungren]

Depends on where you ride. In Canada for example, lane splitting is not allowed and getting stuck in traffic is more painful if you are on a bike. In Europe, however, I can filter through the traffic and never get stuck.

Lane splitting is allowed here in Arizona. The governor is also set to sign a new bill allowing lane filtering, maximum speed 15mph.

 

[bingeciren]

Lane splitting is allowed here in Arizona. The governor is also set to sign a new bill allowing lane filtering, maximum speed 15mph.

I hope more and more places allow lane splitting. Canada is behind in that respect.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I hope more and more places allow lane splitting. Canada is behind in that respect.

It’s fine until you lose your wing mirror. That’s why I have a dashcam.