• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

That one lady ("SLOW DOWN")

jraice

jraice

New member
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Location
Los Gatos, CA
Moto(s)
2009 Buell XB12Ss
Name
Jordan
I am pretty sure every neighborhood street has one.

That crazy lady who is always outside yelling or signaling to slow down!

Just wondering what most of you people do in this situation, do you slow way down and wave in apologies, stare them down, just cruise by like you didnt even see them?

There are a few spots but one of them is down my street which is a steep hill. The other week I was in the car and came around the corner at the bottom (has a mirror and I was going slow enough to stop if I had to, but not crawling... probably about 15-20mph by the time I exited the turn) and up ahead I kid you not 75 yards is an older couple and some kids riding bicycles in the road and they start screaming and sticking there hands out signaling slow down as if I had JUST missed there kids. Then the women decides to come stand in the road and give me the slow down signal with her hand as I approach from light years away, and then makes me come to a complete stop before going around her shaking my head at her idiocracy.

Next this evening I come down the hill, which cars typically fly up and dont see you on the bike, there is gravel and its a steep downhill turn... I was in total control going very slowly. I round the corner, lightly roll on the throttle to about 20-25mph and this other lady is mouthing slow down and using excessive hand signals!

Normally I look at them funny and dont slow down but dont do anything more but due to the speed I was riding at (very slow) I decided something else was in order.

I passed her at the same (slow) speed, just looking at her, rounded the corner and showered her what a drummer exhaust sounds like when you roll it on hard ;).

What do you guys do!

Of course sometimes you are being stupid and probably should slow down, thats different, but it just seems like there are many occasions when you are safely riding or driving, and many times at the speed limit, and they freak out on you!

Best part is they seem to usually be the same people that like to pull out in front of me as I come up the road, I come to a complete stop and let them get out of their driveways before they even see that I am there :p.
 
jraice said:
I am pretty sure every neighborhood street has one.

That crazy lady who is always outside yelling or signaling to slow down!

Just wondering what most of you people do in this situation, do you slow way down and wave in apologies, stare them down, just cruise by like you didnt even see them?
.
Click to expand...

that crazy lady always tells me to wheelie... but i cant wheelie
 
Hahahahahahahahaha!

The best part is there is this other part of the 'hood, 25mph zone with a nice 90 degree turn that is probably a decent click to get around at 25-30mph.

If I come around it at 22mph in the car (you will feel the car cornering but tires wont squeal even in a larger car) this one lady yells every time.

Used to ride by on my (sold) Honda MB5, a 50cc two stroke, and come through that thing in 2nd gear then just rip it into the powerband (up to an AMAZING 35mph) before the stop sign. Never a word!

I feel like the buell (larger and louder) might get more looks but she is never around when I ride by on the buell, just the older Gentlemen in a power scooter with an older bike in the garage so I like to let him hear the pipes :).
 
Last edited:
To throw a little adult into the fray:
I'd say it depends on the street. In most cities the speed limit on residential streets is a paltry 20mph. In some it's even slower. Eugene is 15mph on 'non-posted residential streets and avenues'. Oh, sure that sounds slow but in reality it's fast enough to mush a kid chasing his or her soccer ball into the street.

Save the angst about riding slow for those knotheads who demand you stick to the 55mph posted limit on the wide-open freeway by blocking your safe passage. Or worse, the morons who slow to the cautionary speed posted in corners on a two-lane, then STAY at that speed for the next mile or ten.

As to the 'show her what a drummer exhaust sounds when you roll it on hard' moment...uh...that isn't how motorcyclists win friends and influence people.

There's an old saying - Don't shit where you eat. If you lived in my neighborhood and acted the tool, I'd have no problem waving, gesticulating or knocking on your front door to let you know in no uncertain terms that you're acting like a tool. Keep it cool, slow and mellow where you live. In fact, keep it cool slow and mellow ANYWHERE people live. It's common courtesy.
 
Last edited:
Haha oh boy I should've known I would get responses like this!

No serious answers? :p

I was hoping I would find her outside when I returned home! I gave her a throttle blip as I approached so she would know I was coming, I was planning to stare and give her the shush motion with my hands.
 
regardless if you ride or not, there's always a chance of having a "quirky" neighbor with some issues....

if neither are gonna move out anytime soon, being tactful and respectful can be a resolution to live in the area together in harmony....
 
islemann said:
I'd say it depends on the street. In most cities the speed limit on residential streets is a paltry 20mph. In some it's even slower. Eugene is 15mph on 'non-posted residential streets and avenues'. Oh, sure that sounds slow but in reality it's fast enough to mush a kid chasing his or her soccer ball into the street.

Save the angst about riding slow for those knotheads who demand you stick to the 55mph posted limit on the wide-open freeway by blocking your safe passage. Or worse, the morons who slow to the cautionary speed posted in corners on a two-lane, then STAY at that speed for the next mile or ten.

As to the 'show her what a drummer exhaust sounds when you roll it on hard' moment...uh...that isn't how motorcyclists win friends and influence people.

There's an old saying - Don't shit where you eat. If you lived in my neighborhood and acted the tool, I'd have no problem waving, gesticulating or knocking on your front door to let you know in no uncertain terms that you're acting like a tool. Keep it cool, slow and mellow where you live. In fact, keep it cool slow and mellow ANYWHERE people live. It's common courtesy.
Click to expand...

First off in Los Gatos the speed limit is 25mph in all residential roads that are not marked.

I knew I would have some responses like this, the thing is I was going very slow to begin with, as I said I have no problem getting the wave when I am riding to fast for the roads.

And as to the influencing people, I totally agree... its not the right move, most of the time I am very courteous, shifting up and letting off the gas to pass people (especially with small children or pets), slowing to let people go, waving ANY time I pass a car or split to the front of a lane.

But sometimes you just need to let somebody know how you feel. I wont say any names but the other day I was riding with some buddies and was told by one person for a while about the common courtesy we need to show to the people etc... This one lady was extremely insistent in not letting us pass for several miles and going under the 45mph speed limit for most of the way. He pulled up to her at the stop light, gave her some motions, apparently she stuck her tongue out and he flipped her the birdy. When I asked why he said sometimes people just need to know how you feel :p.

Now I am not a birdy flipper but there are times when its appropriate.

For example, yesterday on my group ride, there were around a dozen of us and three of us got stuck behind a car. As the bikes approached a stop sign the three of us very slowly, cautiously and with big obvious waves went around the car to stay with the group (most of the cars in the city part of the ride were EXTREMELY courteous to let us stick together).

The women starts honking and shaking her head, I stayed cool no throttle blips, no one finger solutes but I did shake my head and give her the stink eye through my tinted visor.
 
Last edited:
V4 said:
regardless if you ride or not, there's always a chance of having a "quirky" neighbor with some issues....

if neither are gonna move out anytime soon, being tactful and respectful can be a resolution to live in the area together in harmony....
Click to expand...

These are all people in the neighborhood... Nobody is near enough to my home that I am worried about that type of problems... Not saying I would roll down the street on one wheel or be reckless, but its not like they know my address.
 
:rant
Dang it, you had to bring up a ranting issue for me, when I am in a ranting mood. I will constrain myself and just say:

There is an inherent bias with motorcycles and sports cars. While the SUVs and Pre-us can scream around at breakneck speeds, people always point at and shout at and ticket the bikes and sporty cars.

The worst speeders in my neighborhood are the soccer moms, but the only neighbor complaints about speeding are always about the bikes and convertibles.

I have stopped and explained to the b!tching bystanders that I am not speeding. I have offered to take them as a passenger to prove my point. No one has ever accepted.
:dunno

I think it's a dong envy thing. Try the above and see if it works. Otherwise display your dong and see if that will shut them up.
:x
 
Thats how I feel...

I think part of the problem is people associate loud with fast. Just because I am keeping it in 1st gear (why? because I am going 15-20mph!) and its rev'd up a bit and I have a loudish pipe doesnt mean I am blaring down the road!
 
I've never seen anyone wave at me to slow down.

Either I'm going too slow to get waved at, or too fast to see them.
 
In my neighborhood nobody ever told me to slow down! But that one time I rode 1/2 block after lubing the chain, sure enough there was an old lady visiting someone who told me "where is your helmet!?!?!??"

Well, I guess she was out of town, Lost Gatos...?
 
I dunno... you could've stopped, and politely suggest that she exercise slightly better judgment as a parent, and have her kids play in the yard, instead of a street where they could get hit by a car or a motorcycle... I mean, if a car's brakes fail, are her wildly waving arms going to slow it down? I'm thinking probably not... :dunno
Does that help? :)
 
No helmet :p tisk tisk.

And I have always wanted to stop and confront them but I know it wouldnt get anywhere and I would just get to worked up.

I'd rather just ride on.
 
AbsolutEnduser said:
In my neighborhood nobody ever told me to slow down! But that one time I rode 1/2 block after lubing the chain, sure enough there was an old lady visiting someone who told me "where is your helmet!?!?!??"

Well, I guess she was out of town, Lost Gatos...?
Click to expand...

Yeah, you can't possibly fall down and hit your head in half a block.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top