Rant: Can't wait for the end of internal combustion vehicles - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 07:02:44 pm
content: Sitting at home all day I can hear the vehicles go by.The annoying noise of bad mufflers, or in the case of motorcycles the intentionally loud exhaust, makes me want electric cars to take over asap.But then, what will people that need noise do?

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 07:11:01 pm
content: The engine sound is only a part of the sound a vehicle emits. Rolling friction, brakes and air drag also cause noise.Besides, at least in Europe, electric vehicles have to create mandatory sounds so they can be noticed:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds

author: hendorog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 07:12:37 pm
content: I live beside a city road which alternates between very busy and very quiet. One thing I've noticed is that electric cars sound not very different to ordinary IC cars. The road noise dominates and they are still annoyingly loud.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 07:27:04 pm
content: QuoteLoud pipes saves lives.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 07:28:09 pm
content: Quote from: 0xdeadbeef on May 10, 2020, 07:11:01 pmTrue, but when you live in a quarter where teenagers are doing motocross every bloody day on minibikes, quads and cross bikes, with no plates (thus no registration and no insurance), no helmets, riding like idiots through the parkings, grass, across the sidewalks, through the groups of kids playing football, racket for hours like on a race track (the more noise the bike makes, the bigger is your street cred!), stench of the gasoline so that you can't even open a window ...And nobody can do anything with these "street rodeos" because the municipal police doesn't want to trigger riots (we are the so called 'sensitive quarter') and we don't have national police nor gendarmerie here, it gets old pretty fast. I am living here for 10 years and it has been like this from day one, only getting worse and more frequent with time.On the other hand I am not having any illusions that even when 30 years from now gasoline powered vehicles will be verbotten that this will be any better - when it comes to antisocial behaviour, people are extremely resourceful.

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:08:58 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on May 10, 2020, 07:27:04 pmThis is total BULLSHIT!Loud pipes are a sign of assholes that either haven't grown up or never will grow up.

author: chriva
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:12:35 pm
content: I'd love for them to go away if the replacement was better. The current solution is frankly nothing more than a joke.Travel distance -sucksVehicle longevity -sucks donkey farts. Second hand value is basically none since the battery has a limited life span and a replacement is way more expensive than the vehicle is worth.This is bad both for the environment and for people that can't afford a brand spanking new car every 8-10 years.Energy generation -yeah don't get me started on that joke. We have solar freaking roadways and wind turbines as an alternative to coal and waterfalls which is equally as useless.The governments panic the moment Nuclear is mentioned so we can't even generate enough energy if we go all electricalAnd loud pipes are nice!He's right about the noise btw. Had a bicycle up my ass a couple of years ago due to a drunk idiot. If he rode on something with an engine i'd hear him coming from behind.

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:16:51 pm
content: At highway speed cars make much more road noise than engine noise, but i can see how a noisy exhaust can be annoying.I say this as a guy who drives a noisy car but mine makes noise of the turbo variety

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:22:52 pm
content: Quote from: chriva on May 10, 2020, 08:12:35 pmHybrids (regular and plug in) fix both of those problems.

author: M0HZH
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:32:39 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on May 10, 2020, 07:27:04 pmThat's why most of them also have "46" stickers, because they want to be safe, not because they have wet dreams with Il Dottore. I think the loud pipes are really just a cry for attention from a child in an adult body, an annoyance to everyone caused by some guy's lack of acknowledgement through puberty.The thing is, staying under the speed limit and keeping your lane saves lives; probably, a guy on a loud motorbike is actually less likely to reach old age./my rant

author: chriva
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:36:19 pm
content: Quote from: M0HZH on May 10, 2020, 08:32:39 pmI wonder how sad your life is if you can't let people enjoy their hobbies without calling them stuff like that.

author: Ranayna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:41:02 pm
content: Normal cars are not the issue here. As many have stated, on higher speeds, the engine is not really an issue, noise-wise.It's all those overtuned, over motorised "sports cars". Maybe even going the speed limit, but apparently intenionally high revving their engines, just to be loud. And to not get me started on motorbikes. Where i live, the main road is about 500 meters from the house, give or take. There is even small forest between the house and the road. But that road is a place where motorbikes like to go fast, especially now that the weather is getting nicer. So damn annoying.You can even hear them sometimes wrooming along on the Autobahn, which is roughly 4 kilometers away.And don't get me started on that annoying kid in the area who apparently has a new moped. Whatever he did to that poor machine made it so damn loud, and he does not stay on the main road and sometimes drives by several times a day just below my window.A couple of years ago, i read an article about one of the first Harley Davidson all electric prototypes. Supposedly that thing was *intentionally* build to be just as loud as a normal Harley. Shit like that should not be street legal.And yes, i know that all electric machines, when going slow, need additional noise. I support that. But those noises can be made significantly less obnoxious than excessive engine noise.EDIT: @chivra: If your "hobby" is to cause annoyance to virtually everyone near you, you cannot be surprised if people do not like said "hobby".

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:41:53 pm
content: QuoteOr the sign of someone whos fed up of other road users not paying attention to whats going on around them,hi vis clothing , headlights on,still they claim not to have seen the bike they pulled out in front off.I no longer ride,but the first thing fitted to any of my bikes was a bloody loud air horn,it saved me from idiots in tin boxes on many occasions.

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 08:52:56 pm
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on May 10, 2020, 07:02:44 pmWell, there will be a requirement for electric cars to make artificial noise, so just substitute "loud pipes" with "loud speakers"

author: M0HZH
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 09:19:48 pm
content: Quote from: chriva on May 10, 2020, 08:36:19 pmMy life's quite happy, thanks for the interest.Just because it's someone's hobby doesn't mean it's OK to do it; plenty of people are passionate about doing illegal / imoral / inconsiderate stuff.There's also a distinction on what hobby we're talking about; "being an a-hole on the road" is more or less the opposite of "motorcycle racing".

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 09:29:08 pm
content: I like this rant and wholeheartedly agree.Large diesels, like buses and semis, and construction vehicles, produce a stress-inducing spectrum of noise, not to mention the horrible particulate emissions which smell bad and cause cancer. There is almost zero technical reason why these couldn't run 99% on electricity (in the city, not talking about highway). These are IMO even worse than the moped assholes, although those come close. In comparison to that, modern gasoline passenger vehicles are almost OK.But let's talk about the motorcycle/moped folks who purposedfully damage their mufflers. It's totally and utterly unbelievable that in our modernWestern societyEastern bureaucratic society which tries to pose as something else, where everything is regulated beyond imagination and you can doabsolutely nothingwithout certifications, permits and whatnot (which are impossible to get for anything interesting), there is no regulation and sanctioning of causing such real damage and distress, on purpose, without any benefit to anyone (except the satisfaction the psychopath gets out of harassing others).In contrast, if I tried, say, building a small log cottage and live in peace in forest not causing damage to anyone, the multitude of officials would immediately come to destroy my life and create a lifelong court drama costing likely tens of thousands.

author: hendorog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 09:30:58 pm
content: Quote from: nali on May 10, 2020, 08:52:56 pmNo need for speakers, you can hear the electric car drivers telling everyone how great they are from miles away!!

author: jogri
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 09:37:55 pm
content: Quote from: chriva on May 10, 2020, 08:36:19 pmI'd like to see how your opinion on harassing others with obnoxious levels of noise changes after you have lived next to a highway for a few years... It is absolutely fantastic not being able to vent your rooms at night and having to sleep in a 30+°C bedroom in the summer because some people just can't live with a muffler on their exhaust pipes.I have nothing against other peoples hobbies as long as they don't harrass others while doing it. And nothing quite says "F*ck you society" like smoking in public or "forgetting" to install a muffler. If you want people to notice you, use an airhorn.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 10:23:32 pm
content: I live pretty close to a freeway and the noise was pretty annoying so I installed double pane windows for every window in the house, noise gone. I don't think loud pipes save lives(ride a bmw r1150rs and s1000xr) but if it makes people feel better I don't care they can do what they want. Same with loud muffler vehicles though... If you really want to hear your own exhaust while driving all the time you should do what you like. It's not necessary but so many things in life people enjoy aren't necessary, like a noise free environment.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 11:04:02 pm
content: Quote from: jogri on May 10, 2020, 09:37:55 pmI agree. Bikes which make noise is for 10 year old kids. Adults should know better.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2020, 11:58:12 pm
content: Quote from: hendorog on May 10, 2020, 09:30:58 pmNo, they would be drowned out by the bicycle riders!

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 02:22:27 am
content: A guy across the street recently bought a new car, some kind of high performance Camaro. It's obnoxiously loud. I think he knows it. Within the apartment complex he barely goes above idle. I find it hard to believe a new car that loud is legal to sell but apparently it is.The grounds keeping company used by the apartment complex seems to specialize in annoyance with their ridiculously loud equipment. Worst thing is that instead of doing one section at a time to completion, which would get the annoyance over quickly, they make three passes a couple of hours apart. First they go around and cut the grass, then they come back and trim, and finally the worst part - blowing all the clippings off the paved areas.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 02:42:07 am
content: That's pretty normal. My gardeners do it in the same order. Other neighbors gardeners too. Your specific problem with the Camaro might be with your complex layout. I've seen, and lived in, many that really keep the sound in from ground level. Lets the noise echo and reverberate.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 02:45:04 am
content: For me, it's: riced-out import econoboxes, 2-stroke diesels and big American V8sFortunately I hear a lot more of the latter.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 02:47:09 am
content: Quote from: hendorog on May 10, 2020, 09:30:58 pmWe have our fair share of attention seeking no life noise junkies here too,and 'silence is golden' isn't going to happen no matter what 'quiet tech' cars prevail eventuallyWhat's the bet they'll have sampled sounds of racing cars, V8 classics and annoying hoon screeching,mixed in with the usualdoof boff boff doofdistorted racketpumping through their stereo and boot subswith electric windows wide open**(wide open** for a flying paper bagged dog and cat poo collection, or paint filled balloon cocktail to be tossed in as they hoon past at 3am..)

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 02:57:26 am
content: Quote from: 0xdeadbeef on May 10, 2020, 07:11:01 pmI'm not sure why they are demanding this. Several times a Renault Zoe or Nissan Leaf has passed me, and I didn't realise it was an electric car until I saw the name on the back. A gasoline car makes more noise while accelerating, but at a steady 30MPH tyre noise dominates with most modern cars.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 03:04:20 am
content: A car with a good new set of freshly worn in tyres, on certain road surfaces, can roll past and lucky to hear or discern anything,especially with the usual background noise going as wellTake extra care for silent traffic when crossing roads by foot, especially at corners

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 05:43:45 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on May 10, 2020, 07:02:44 pmsorry, the ICE will never die. And elecric vehichles will be MANDATED to make sound as they go because people and animals need to be aware that the vehichle is on and running.At least three times in my life i have almost been hit from a fucking prius in reverse, couldn't hear a damn thing and the driver wasn't watching because you know parking sensors.

author: Kerlin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 06:33:00 am
content: Changed my mind.I have a loud Lotus Elise sports car and love it, had sports cars most of my life.But, recently during the Chinese virus problem I have found it is quite obvious to me that ICEs must go.The air is so much cleaner all the noise is gone and nature is back.Not looking forward to the return to the road of ICEs, its not about petrol prices its about humans.

author: chriva
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 06:37:24 am
content: "It's about humans" Yeah, say that to the cobalt miners...I can buy the environmental nonsense you pull but that is just a desperate quote.

author: Kerlin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 07:06:30 am
content: Wrong !I am not a greenie and think they are wildly misdirected and that global warming being caused by cars is rubbish.Its unproven what is causing it and there have been many such changes before, they are being used as political tools and don't know it.I am a person who has recently suffered a fall in health and have had a sudden fall from a life of Karate classes to hospitals now.I have had pneumonia and asthma try it, that's why I felt the difference so much.Don't tell me the air here has not been substantially cleaner.Arguing with some one on forums is something I avoid, its proven to be the worst place to do it.Does your reading comprehension extend to picking up I am a sports car nut ? - bye

author: intmpe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 07:12:55 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on May 10, 2020, 07:02:44 pmYou should move next to a commuter rail. Your hatred of motorcycles will be cured.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 07:15:34 am
content: Quote from: themadhippy on May 10, 2020, 07:27:04 pmThere's loud and then there's an insanely loud dickhead driving through the middle of a city at 10 PM, that can be heard five seconds before driving around my house and five seconds after, managing to wake up my kid.Quite frankly that's a life that's not worth saving.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 08:27:52 am
content: Quote from: vodka on May 10, 2020, 07:56:49 pmHave you actually done something like that or are you only playing a smartass on TV? This would qualify as attempted murder in most places, never mind that you can't exactly string a wire across the public street!

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 09:30:58 am
content: Quote from: janoc on May 11, 2020, 08:27:52 amA lot easier and less mess getting a few masked good ol boys to follow the creeps and grab them when they stop at the lightsCopy their IDs and phone numbers, and tell them nicely what streets are no go from now on, and to spread the Word to others,and understood there's no second friendly meeting, or WordThe good ol POLICE used to do that once upon a time, and I still remember their Word to this day,and never pushed my luck to hear it againTo be fair to all noisy idiots, there's an appropriate time and place for it,otherwise give it a miss before sleep deprived Joe Public and his punchy mates go v!g!lant! on your case

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 10:21:16 am
content: Quote from: Electro Detective on May 11, 2020, 09:30:58 amYou do know Mad Max is fiction, do you

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 05:49:09 pm
content: Quote from: daqq on May 11, 2020, 07:15:34 amThis is the nightly occurrence near my house, which is in a moderate-sized southwest-US city. And the cops don't give a shit. They could park a couple of cops near the usual intersections and they could simply impound all of the riders and the problem would go away. But they don't do it.QuoteI agree.I hear the high/fast revving of engines, and I keep waiting for the inevitable crash. Still waiting.

author: IDEngineer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 06:56:09 pm
content: Quote from: JPortici on May 11, 2020, 05:43:45 amMaybe they can just take the V8 engine sound that some "sports" cars with lesser engines presently route through the internal speakers (I am not making that up,https://www.thedrive.com/tech/22834/from-acura-to-vw-bmw-to-porsche-car-companies-are-getting-sneakier-about-engine-sound-enhancement) and pump it through externally mounted speakers on electric cars. I offer this idea free for nothing as my contribution to the electric car industry.Seriously though, the near-silence of an electric car is its Number One attraction for me. If electric cars are required to generate artificial noise, my interest in purchasing one drops to less than zero. Yes, less than zero, they have other inherent disadvantages which the silence just barely overcomes... if that's lost, I'd actively seek to NOT own one.EDIT: As for silence, our Toyota minivan's engine is so quiet that I've actually parked and gotten out of it leaving the engine running. More than once. So has my wife. And our hearing is great. So are "they" going to impose a "minimum noise threshold" on ICE's too, or is that prejudice reserved only for electric cars?

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 09:03:22 pm
content: Quote from: intmpe on May 11, 2020, 07:12:55 amThere was a time a commuter rail was right behind my apartment building.If frequent enough, I think most will get used to the noise around them and sleep without problem. Prior to that, my front door opens literally to Main Street which also was a state highway, I got used to that and slept without problem. After I moved from that commuter rail to another place not near a highway or rail, I got used to the neighbors arguments and their over-exaggerated mating activities, and I have personal knowledge of their infidelities but of course I kept to my own business and I got used to that too.Then I moved rural - a rail track with a road crossing (horn blowing) a mile away with occasional night train(s). I had to re-acquire the "getting used to" and I did.Now, I want the gardeners to do the leaf-blowing everyday, then I could get used to that. They do blowing less than once a month. Enough to be annoying but not enough to "get used to it" while I sleep. We should have a law that shooting at leaf-blowers is a justifiable self-defense. Perhaps I am being hard on the gardeners. They keep on driving over stuff on my lawn. I don't know how many times I had to deal with the squashed rain-drainage pipes. One time, I manage to stop him and talk to him right before he drove over it - he smiled, said nothing, and then continued and squashed my drain pipes again.

author: jeffheath
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 09:33:05 pm
content: Why is hot-rodding such a big industry? Why was hardley ableson so big? It's probably not because (the people who drive them) don't like how the engines of those vehicles sound. I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that they like how those engines sound, and don't care if they're too loud. Another thing is that their ears have probably adjusted (become damaged) to the point where they're comfortable with the sound. Sometimes the exhaust reverberates, and it never sounds good.Apart from that, loud pipes don't save lives, motorcycles are inherently less noticeable to the average driver, so the probability of an accident is already so high that the exhaust system makes little difference statistically. Also, this isn't helped by the fact that many who preach this mentality are the same ones who don't wear a helmet. Another thing, please don't confuse the people with fart cans and speed holes in their mufflers with those that actually have good exhaust systems that sound good but aren't too loud.Having said all that, human drivers are inherently flawed, and excluding motorcycles, I certainly wouldn't mind it if there was nothing but driver less electric cars. If they could work out all the kinks, there would be less accidents, and I could make longer trips without having to stay at a motel.

author: IDEngineer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 10:23:45 pm
content: Quote from: Rick Law on May 11, 2020, 09:03:22 pmSounds like you need to decorate around your pipes with some of those tire-popping spikey things. A couple of expensive tires and that problem would likely disappear.I had a similar problem once. Construction trucks, really big ones that carried 12-14 cubic yards of material, were driving right along my concrete driveway. Only a matter of time until they cracked it with all that weight right at the edge. I put up one of those bright orange construction fences and they just drove over it. So somehow, a few of the fenceposts got raised up a little... so the spikey bits at the bottom were above ground... and a couple of rigs lost a few tires all on that same side as the spikes ripped through their sidewalls. Sidewalls cannot be repaired, so those were some very expensive big construction-rated replacement tires. And suddenly they gave my driveway a nice, wide berth. Problem solved.EDIT: They're called "caltrops". Here's ten for under 20 USD:https://www.etsy.com/listing/386721670I especially like the ones that are hollow, they guarantee immediate deflation:They might be a nice addition to your garden areas.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2020, 10:30:24 pm
content: Alternatively... Get new gardeners. Why is everyone so malicious.

author: IDEngineer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 12:05:55 am
content: Quote from: maginnovision on May 11, 2020, 10:30:24 pm"I manage to stop him and talk to himright before he drove over it - he smiled, said nothing, and then continued and squashed my drain pipes again."It's not malicious. His tires aren't supposed to be on the drain pipes in the first place. AND he's been asked specifically to avoid them. There's nothing wrong with decorating the drain pipe area a little "differently", and no harm occurs if the gardener simply does the normal, logical, and requested action of not driving over the drain pipe.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 12:41:24 am
content: What is the problem with getting new gardeners? No, you'd rather try and get revenge. That's malicious. Oh and life not worth saving because they make noises some of you don't like? Absolutely ridiculous.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 01:03:47 am
content: You can only ask arrogant idiots nicely so many times, till you realize they think you're either beneath them, or a soft foolso.. let the Tyre Shop dude make an extra buck or two out of the deal,till the problem eventually 'fixes itself'

author: intmpe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 01:15:44 am
content: Quote from: maginnovision on May 12, 2020, 12:41:24 amThere is a cultural difference here. American's are often so passive and so lemming like that they will gladly go over the cliff with the herd.Get out and live in the world and you will realize you need to deal with shit when it happens otherwise you end up living in the shit.Now what you have here is a prick. How do you deal with a prick? You could talk to him. If he is still a prick you could encourage him not to be a prick? How you encourage him not to be a prick is the key.

author: SpecialK
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 01:18:49 am
content: The interesting thing about loud car exhausts, is that they don't make a car peform any better in any practical sense.

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 01:28:04 am
content: Quote from: intmpe on May 12, 2020, 01:15:44 amNot all of them.https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=killdozer+footagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer

author: intmpe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 01:43:10 am
content: Quote from: Circlotron on May 12, 2020, 01:28:04 amHaha... yeah there are a few exceptions. I actually remember that case. In general though there was a kind of collective brainwashing going which is why they were all jumping under the tables in case of a nuclear strike. The fact of the matter was London was far more of a target than the US ever was and that same shit never happened. You live there for a while and you realize why their political systems is so fucked up and why they get the presidents they do. It's not like its perfect anywhere but its like that movie tropic thunder "never go full retard". Full retard is a permanent state for a bunch of them. I worked in a place where it again was so fucked up that the only people who ever said it was fucked up were foreigners. Meanwhile one of the Americans had essentially had a stroke in his cube - next to all the other Americans, sat there literally drooling for a month before anyone had the decency to get him some help. Blinkers on - go home - don't know the neighbours - don't give a shit about the co-workers, just kiss ass and hope to make it through the next layoff. Sorry but reality sucks.

author: SkyMaster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 02:21:21 am
content: Quote from: chriva on May 10, 2020, 08:36:19 pmAnnoying others is a hobby?

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 02:39:59 am
content: Quote from: intmpe on May 12, 2020, 01:15:44 amIn this case, it is less a cultural difference but a language issue. I think the guy had no idea what I was saying.Quote from: IDEngineer link=topic=241572.msg 3062574#msg3062574 date=1589235825I did decorated it different about two years ago - I lined both sides of my drain pipes with "Scallop Concrete Edger." Home depot no longer carry them in white and carry just the dull concrete color ones. So I painted mine white to make them extra-visible; not for the irony of it but for durability - the high durability paint I found was "traffic lane paint" so "traffic lane white paint" was indeed what I used. If they go over that with their grass-chopping "blade" running, it will tangle/destroy the spinning nylon cable doing the chopping. They will have to stop and tread-out new nylon cable. The cable is cheap, but would cause them extra work. This finally made them take the trouble to go around instead of just gunning the engine and power-over the pipe.They now drive around at the edge but they still push my drain-pipe out of position, and squash the exposed end part [unconnected open end for water-run-off]. The squash now is typically not bad enough to prevent water from coming out. Repositioning is far cheaper than constantly replacing the damn thing.By the way, as to hiring new gardeners... My house is in a development - kind of like a village and it does the gardener hiring and other common maintenance tasks. The development is ran by the Home Owners Association, and mine is the one with the worst abbreviation - "Home Owners Ass" (yeah, they actually print that on the bills for over a decade). To choose new gardeners, I could run (in the election) to be on the board of these asses, but do I really want to? Hell, I rather go shopping at Home Depot monthly than to sit on a board of asses.Edit: Adding this:As I re-read my reply, I recalled the laughs, so I have to add this... For over a decade, each quarter, I look at a bill that said: "Make Check payable to XYZ Home Owner Ass". You have no idea how funny that was... I am still laughing 3/4 years after they finally changed it to HOA.

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 03:01:32 am
content: Quote from: intmpe on May 12, 2020, 01:15:44 amYou're right. I'm just a pussy so I dont think you should harrass, harm, or damage someone's property/self because they annoyed you, or caused a minor inconvenience. Just remember how you decided to raise the stakes when you get shot in retaliation.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 03:10:22 am
content: QuoteBS.You cannot hear the sound when the motorcycle is coming towards you and your window is up. You can hear it after it passes.I ride motorcycles and am very sympathetic to the problem of car drivers causing accidents. It is because motorcycles are very small, BTW. When you look at a peugot or a cooper or a VW beetle, you assume that there's nothing on the other side, because that is ridiculous. Even if you heard the sound, you would assume it's from somewhere else.We drive with our eyes, not with our ears.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 07:00:31 am
content: Quote from: KL27x on May 12, 2020, 03:10:22 amWell that might hold truth in US(big streets) and you being responsible adult . Where I live motorcycle drivers are idiots that think driving rules don't apply to them. They are driving 220 kmh through city, overtaking cars in zigzag motion from left and right side, ignoring full line in the middle of the road etc.Mind you, take into account, these are Mediterranean little streets, think Italy...Once I was driving and in a right hand turn, idiot was overtaking me on the right hand side, between my car and the wall .. It was summer, I was going nice and slow, had windows slightly open, so I heard something coming. To make it worse, once I realized what was going on, I swerved and managed to save the idiot, and HE started on the horn and showing me finger, yelling to me to watch how to drive...Last year several died, one actually hit car standing on the red light with 200 kmh+, because, you know why wouldn't you go 200 ++ in 50 kmh zone and red lights are optional....I have several friends who drive motorcycles, one is complete idiot, few are not that stupid, and only one drives by the rules.. Funniest thing is, he's the only that's involved in car racing for 40 years, since childhood...

author: Miyuki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 08:03:49 am
content: I have few motorcycles and from my experience drivers make more room for loud ones, even when they dont go fastIt is like big buzzing wasp or hornet makes respect in youIt also changes bike driver ride styleSame with automatic vs manual transmissionI can see it in myself, loud with manual and silent with automatic have it on car and bikeOn automatic just go full throttle until reach desired speed and then cruiseOn manual there is something different and some people need it, it gives some animal feeling

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 03:04:00 pm
content: Quote from: hendorog on May 10, 2020, 09:30:58 pmDouble man-bun beta males.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2020, 06:10:59 pm
content: 2N3055, thanks. Totally right. That reality wasn't in my field of imagination at the time. Lanesplittling is illegal here, and if I can use the 5th amendment, I have never seen another motorcycle doing anything irresponsible, IRL, in probably my entire life aside from the couple days a large motorcycle gang passed through town.It seems like our laws and traffic cops and courts are strict enough that 99.9% of motorcycle riders, here, were responsible from the start or got beat into submission, already.