They're back!

Yes the annoying people on dirtbikes are back! Those souls who have nothing better to do but go up and down the block again and again. All while gunning their engines and setting off car alarms are back! Oh yay!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the people who are kind enough to cruise down my block sharing their excellent taste in music with the whole borough.

I saw a guy selling water in traffic!

this summer is looking similar to prior ones.

Cherry flavored Icee, please.

Were those gunshots or firecrackers?

they're back (sorry)

mr. met said:

they're back (sorry)

Don't be, stupid mistake on my part. Now fixed.

There is nothing that kills the joy of spring than the return of the idiots that can play their radios loud. So desperate are they for attention. poor schmucks.

If all goes according to plan, new people who live in historically loud neighborhoods will soon begin asking how to tactfully tell their neighbors to be quiet.

...a debate re: calling 311, moving to the suburbs, politeness, and/or wearing earplugs will ensure.

Ah, summer in Brooklyn.

There was one guy whose system would shake up the whole apartment building. I just don't understand

Cool The Kid said:

There was one guy whose system would shake up the whole apartment building. I just don't understand

It's a rather disconcerting feeling looking at your framed pictures and wondering if their going to stay up, as the building shakes around you.

Would calling 311 about the dirt bikes do any thing? I figure the cops have seen them around and elected not to do anything. So I kinda of doubt it.

The dirt bikes are able to outrun and embarrass the police, so the police are most interested in where they "live".

Once they find this out, they will occasionally send an unmarked unit to wait until they get "home".

Often:

No M/C Lic.

No insurance

no lic plates.

No registration

Stolen.

....the guy gets a few tickets, but the bike ends up at auction.

Smiles all around.

Ugh, if only I knew.

It's my understanding most dirt bikes aren't road legal and hence can't get insurance, registration and plates.

Most of the dirt bikes you see in the street are enduro models with lights that are legal to register for road use.

That said, you can't register a stolen bike.

Hmm, I know I've seen some without turn signals or headlights. It seems stupid to me to ride your stolen dirt bike in the same place over and over again since either the cops or the owner might come looking. I'd be more worried about the owner.

The biggest danger to these guys is often themselves.

My biggest peeve are the ones who honk their horn in gridlocked traffic - like people are stopped just for the sake of it. Then there are the ghetto DJs that turn public parks into their own private day/night clubs that operate from 10.30 a.m. until 3 a.m.

bohuma said:

My biggest peeve are the ones who honk their horn in gridlocked traffic - like people are stopped just for the sake of it.

This! It takes me a couple weeks to adjust to sleeping with the windows open do to honking and the Borough wide entertainment network aka cars pumping out music.

I've noticed that some people honk at me when on my bike. Over on the side of the road honk? "Honk! Honk!" In a bike lane? "Honnnk! Honk!"

I soooo hope that the comments from the people overseas who rent bike share in NYC are collected and published.

The reading will be awesome.

newguy88 said:

I've noticed that some people honk at me when on my bike. Over on the side of the road honk? "Honk! Honk!" In a bike lane? "Honnnk! Honk!"

I always tap my horn twice to let a bike know I am coming by especially if its a narrow street.

whynot_31 said:

I soooo hope that the comments from the people overseas who rent bike share in NYC are collected and published.

The reading will be awesome.

Wrong thread?

Nope. I think we will get lots of comments like yours, that express amazement at NY drivers who (until now) have owned the road.

stacey said:

I always tap my horn twice to let a bike know I am coming by especially if its a narrow street.

Please don't! All your honking does is A. scare the cyclist or B. contributes to noise pollution.

Nope. I think we will get lots of comments like yours, that express amazement at NY drivers who (until now) have owned the road.

I disagree with this notion. NYC drivers have always shared the road with cyclists. It's just we are now becoming more prevalent on the road. And are becoming more vocal about our rights to be on the road.

stacey said:

I always tap my horn twice to let a bike know I am coming by especially if its a narrow street.

As a cyclist, I generally interpret that as a threat. A loud noise fast approaching from the behind triggers primal fear.

stacey said:

I always tap my horn twice to let a bike know I am coming by especially if its a narrow street.

Stacey why you shouldn't honk at us. http://adamp.com/bike-2/why-drivers-shouldnt-honk-at-cyclists/

Thanks guys - now I feel bad, I thought I was just giving them a heads up that I am passing. Just and FYI I didn't honk loudly just two quick little taps of my horn. But now I know and will have to break myself of that habit.

newguy nice article but I don't beep for them to get out of the way - I beep so they know I am coming by. But I can see the frustration.

Thanks for being thoughtful and willing to change. Car engines are generally pretty loud, so a bicyclist can almost always hear a car coming.

Here's a fun article about other things drivers do that can be scary for bikers:

http://www.redeyechicago.com/news/redeye-top-10-mistakes-drivers-make-around-bikers-20130412,0,2481110.story

whynot_31 said:



------------------------

The dirt bikes are able to outrun and embarrass the police, so the police are most interested in where they "live".

Once they find this out, they will occasionally send an unmarked to wait until they get "home".

Often:

No M/C Lic.

No insurance

no lic plates.

No registration

Stolen.

....the guy gets a few tickets, but the bike ends up at auction.

Smiles all around.

Although not a dirt bike, I submit this case in point re: some of our local motorcyclists:

May 27, 2013. Rogers and St. Johns

----------------------------


ChInfo wrote: Two women traveling on Rogers Avenue were hurt after their car was rear ended by a reckless motorcyclist, who after crashing hopped onto another cyclists bike and fled. The motorcycle did not have valid registration or insurance.

The incident occurred Sunday night at around 10:00pm at the intersection of Rogers Avenue and S. Johns Place.

An off duty MTA bus driver who witnessed the crash told CrownHeights.info “I was on my way home when I saw two motorcyclists speeding up [Rogers Avenue], weaving between cars, when one of them slipped and fell of his bike which skidded away and slammed into the car.”

The force of the impact pushed the bike under the car and lifting it in the air. “The biker got back up and jumped on the second bike and together fled the scene, one of the women from the car was begging him to stay” said the witness.

Both the driver of the car and a passenger suffered neck and back injuries and were transported by EMS to local hospitals.

http://crownheights.info/accidents/387254/motorcyclist-crashes-flees-scene/#comments

yeah the guys on the dirt bikes also ride thru Brower park and go the wrong way down streets. The auxiliaries try to catch them.

They should shoot them if they fail to stop. In the name of public safety.

Yeah I saw that. I still prefer shooting to ramming.

maybe we can compromise and shoot them after we ram them.

Eastbloc and Tsarina-

Such decisions are rarely left up to the general populace.

Here's an account of a different incident that also happened on May 27th:

CHinfo wrote: The crash occurred at around 5:00pm near the intersection of Utica Avenue and Crown Street. The cyclists was traveling down Utica and according to eyewitnesses was weaving in between cars when he rear ended a red Nissan SUV.

The force of the impact sent the rider into the rear window, and partially into the car, then coming to rest on the ground.

The ChInfo readers were quick enough to get a photo of the guy being loaded into the ambulance, and the car window he hit:

http://crownheights.info/accidents/386935/motorcyclist-dies-after-crashing-into-suv/#comments