Cops ruined my ride....

rexmitchell · 07-02-2008, 10:54 PM

So this afternoon was cruising with a buddy down the freeway in the hillcountry. We were going a reasonable speed, having fun but nothing too crazy. So we are about to make a turn onto a road we love to ride and my buddy accidently gets into the far right hand lane when we needed to go straight. The lane he got into was a turn only lane, so quickly he sped up and jumped back into traffic one car ahead of me, next thing you know I see a sheriff's deputy fly by me cut into traffic behind him and pull him over. I immediately ducked into a gas station and tried to watch him and the cop. I couldn't see him so eventually I went around the corner where the cop had him pulled over, I drove past casually and then called my buddy when I made the next turn. He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags. When I talked to my buddy the cop had ticketed him for the above, and asked where his friend was(me). The cop said he had been following us for 6 miles and knew we were speeding, but finnally had a reason to pull him over when he cut back into traffic. The reason, passing on the right. Then as he was leaving he instructed my buddy that he couldn't ride his bike and he was coming to look for me...Now I was only really upset because we weren't going more than 10 over and the fact the cop said, I was waiting for a reason to pull you over. Do the police really have nothing better to do than screw with two people minding their own business not causing any problems. Anyway it really ruined our afternoon and our ride since we both had to sneak out of the area after that

Schneiderman · 07-02-2008, 10:59 PM

Quote:

He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags.

Sorry, but it's hard to have sympathy for this.

I speed all the time... most motorcyclists speed all the time. Most of us pass when we aren't supposed to, some of us find creative ways to get places that cars can't... the most important thing is doing it safely. The second most important thing, is making sure there's no cops around when doing it!

lougotzz · 07-02-2008, 11:00 PM

Yeah, the police are not your friend, contrary to what they tell you.

LethalThreat · 07-02-2008, 11:03 PM

It seems the cops in my area are the same way. They just wait for someone on a bike to do something so they can pull them over. They seem to concentrate on the sport bikes, so I am pretty safe from their harassment.

I also 2nd Schneiderman's comment. Only 2 of my friends actually have their MC endorsements, but we all carry our licenses and have fully registered and insured bikes.

primalmu · 07-02-2008, 11:10 PM

I'm sorry, but I, too, feel little sympathy. Yea, alright, most motorcyclists speed... most drivers speed, too. Don't go crying when you actually get caught. Around here, a cop wouldn't need any other reason other than going 10 MPH over the speed limit to pull you over.

Ride how you want to, but don't bitch and moan when you get caught breaking the law.

Schneiderman · 07-02-2008, 11:11 PM

For the record, I have nothing against cops. I've always been treated well by cops, with the notable exception of one individual who everyone in town knows is just a bad apple.

Cops watch for motorcycles to do something illegal because they know that it's going to happen. Also... it's part of their job. I'd prefer to have cops doing their job rather than not doing their job.

If you're going to do something illegal, first of all, be somewhat certain that nobody is watching. Second, be aware that there are consequences if you get caught and the only person at fault is yourself.

Wrangler212 · 07-02-2008, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags

He knew the risks if he got pulled over for anything and now has to man up and face the consequences. He brought that on himself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

and he was coming to look for me...

the cop said, I was waiting for a reason to pull you over.

But that's just someone being a jerk. I'm glad the cops in my area aren't like that. What was he doing? Following along saying, "C'mon! Make a mistake, make a mista... Alright!! It's show time!"

lougotzz · 07-02-2008, 11:14 PM

"He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags."

I have no sympothy on that either, what I have a problem with is the police followed them for 6 miles looking for a reason to get them in trouble.

Dan631 · 07-02-2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Now I was only really upset because we weren't going more than 10 over

Believe it or not a police officer can pull you over for doing 1 MPH over the speed limit. It has happened to me in my car. Most just choose not to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags.

Your friend is lucky he was able to keep the bike in his possesion. I would be gratefull it wasn't impounded.

lougotzz · 07-02-2008, 11:24 PM

"Believe it or not a police officer can pull you over for doing 1 MPH over the speed limit. It has happened to me in my car."
What did you say when he told you that?

Dan631 · 07-02-2008, 11:35 PM

It was a she and she was doing the exact speed limit which was 70 MPH on the freeway. I was in my car and I saw her a couple lanes over and I figured there was a "safe zone" for driving over the speed limit so I inched by her doing 71, 72-ish and as soon as my rear bumper cleared her car she was behind me with the lights on. She didn't give me a ticket but I did get a lecture. She was absolutely astonished that someone would "pass" a police officer that was driving the speed limit. So when they say "limit" that is exactly what they mean. There is no "safe zone" of 10 MPH over or so that alot of drivers think there is.

Schneiderman · 07-02-2008, 11:38 PM

^I think she was just surprised that you had the balls to pass a cop car at all...

Cops are usually like pace cars. If they get on the expressway and are traveling at or under the speed limit... so is everyone else, no matter how fast they were going before.

What I find funny is when a cop gets onto the highway, everyone slows down to the speed limit and the cop just rockets past at some unreasonable speed. Everyone else usually keeps going the speed limit, afraid to follow the cop. I go right for it... if the cops in a hurry, he's not going to care about me doing 20 over the limit right behind him.

lougotzz · 07-02-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan631

It was a she and she was doing the exact speed limit which was 70 MPH on the freeway. I was in my car and I saw her a couple lanes over and I figured there was a "safe zone" for driving over the speed limit so I inched by her doing 71, 72-ish and as soon as my rear bumper cleared her car she was behind me with the lights on. She didn't give me a ticket but I did get a lecture. She was absolutely astonished that someone would "pass" a police officer that was driving the speed limit. So when they say "limit" that is exactly what they mean. There is no "safe zone" of 10 MPH over or so that alot of drivers think there is.

Maybe she got a glimpse of you and thought you were cute and just wanted to meet you.

Schneiderman · 07-02-2008, 11:49 PM

Oh BTW, if you had gotten a ticket for doing 71 or 72, you could easily beat it since speedometers are off by a margin of more than a few miles per hour. Your actual speed was probably more like 65.

07-02-2008, 11:49 PM

Your friend is damn lucky his bike wasn't impounded on the spot. Ok, going into my motherly rant (because I'm protective of those I care about), but he had no business being on a bike without a license or insurance or current tags, for that matter. What if something had happened? What if someone had pulled out in front of him and he hit them? He would have been royally screwed.

Not trying to lecture, but we need to be responsible. There are already a number of inherent risks when riding an m/c. We just don't need to add that. Count your blessings that nothing serious happened that day. He got off lucky. Just sayin...

Take care and ride safe.

Rebel

rexmitchell · 07-02-2008, 11:51 PM

know my friend was riding dirty...but we were being safe and the cop said I was following u for 6 miles and was looking for some reason to pull you guys over....thats crap

07-02-2008, 11:58 PM

I understand that cops probably target young guys on bikes (esp on sport bikes), and I agree that isn't right, but your friend was in violation of a number of laws, which is not right as well. You need to tell your friend to get up to speed, as in, get the license, the insurance and the tags taken care of. Then cops will have far less ammunition.

07-03-2008, 12:00 AM

So, what I'm trying to tell you, yes it sucked, but things could've been a hell of lot worse for him. So, the cop apparently did give him a break. You are obviously responsible and have done everything you need to do to be legal. Don't let him drag you down, because obviously this cop was coming after you as a result of his negligence. Is that the sort of people you want to ride with? Don't let him drag you down.

Dan631 · 07-03-2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lougotzz

Maybe she got a glimpse of you and thought you were cute and just wanted to meet you.

I wish.

07-03-2008, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

know my friend was riding dirty...but we were being safe and the cop said I was following u for 6 miles and was looking for some reason to pull you guys over....thats crap

My husband is dead as a result of a "dirty rider." Had this guy been obeying the rules, my husband would still be alive today. So, you see why I have something to say. Yes, I am bitter over what was taken from me. I lost my life that day. All because someone refused to obey the rules. There are consequences for our actions. I don't care how "safe" you are.

rexmitchell · 07-03-2008, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebelWithACause

Your friend is damn lucky his bike wasn't impounded on the spot. Ok, going into my motherly rant (because I'm protective of those I care about), but he had no business being on a bike without a license or insurance or current tags, for that matter. What if something had happened? What if someone had pulled out in front of him and he hit them? He would have been royally screwed.

Not trying to lecture, but we need to be responsible. There are already a number of inherent risks when riding an m/c. We just don't need to add that. Count your blessings that nothing serious happened that day. He got off lucky. Just sayin...

Take care and ride safe.

Rebel

i feel you on that but he did have insurance, just didn't have it with him, the motorcycle endorsement and current tags was really all he was lacking(which will be dismissed as soon as the tags are updated and his MC license is registered with TX, Im just caught up with what the cop said, "Ive been following you guys for 6 miles, I know you were speeding and I was just waiting for a reason to pull you over." If we had been speeding that bad why didn't he pull us over in the first place? And what kind of ticket is a passing on the right ticket? Thats BS, me and my friends are pretty responsible on the road, the fact that a cop had to follow us for 6 miles should say something about the way we ride....That cop had to get my buddy on a BS lane change violation, nothing else, he obviously couldn't get us for speeding or he would have. Either way, there is better stuff for a cop to do than harass two bikers and actually follow them to find a reason to ticket them. I guarantee you that sometime around when he got pulled over, someone got robbed, or some other serious crime got committed but that cop couldn't catch it cause he was harrassing us. And the fact that he was like Im looking for you friend too, wheres he at....That cop was just a dick

07-03-2008, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

i feel you on that but he did have insurance, just didn't have it with him, the motorcycle endorsement and current tags was really all he was lacking(which will be dismissed as soon as the tags are updated and his MC license is registered with TX, Im just caught up with what the cop said, "Ive been following you guys for 6 miles, I know you were speeding and I was just waiting for a reason to pull you over." If we had been speeding that bad why didn't he pull us over in the first place? And what kind of ticket is a passing on the right ticket? Thats BS, me and my friends are pretty responsible on the road, the fact that a cop had to follow us for 6 miles should say something about the way we ride....That cop had to get my buddy on a BS lane change violation, nothing else, he obviously couldn't get us for speeding or he would have. Either way, there is better stuff for a cop to do than harass two bikers and actually follow them to find a reason to ticket them. I guarantee you that sometime around when he got pulled over, someone got robbed, or some other serious crime got committed but that cop couldn't catch it cause he was harrassing us. And the fact that he was like Im looking for you friend too, wheres he at....That cop was just a dick

I do agree with you on the point that you weren't doing anything wrong, so there was no sense in demanding to know where you were. And, while I don't hate cops, I don't understand the "I've been following you for 6 miles" thing... If someone is driving on expired tags, he could've pulled him over for that alone. The fact that he was waiting for you to do something worse, yes that is dickish. I'll give you that. He already had cause to pull him over, so the whole following you guys and looking for more, yes that was wrong.

rexmitchell · 07-03-2008, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan631

Believe it or not a police officer can pull you over for doing 1 MPH over the speed limit. It has happened to me in my car. Most just choose not to.

Your friend is lucky he was able to keep the bike in his possesion. I would be gratefull it wasn't impounded.

I was pulled over when I didn't have my MC endorsement, and I was ticketed $128.00 and let go, they even let my drive my bike home, I couldn't believe it...My insurance and registration were good, in TX as long as your DL is good, and your have everything else they will usually let you off with a ticket

rexmitchell · 07-03-2008, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebelWithACause

I do agree with you on the point that you weren't doing anything wrong, so there was no sense in demanding to know where you were. And, while I don't hate cops, I don't understand the "I've been following you for 6 miles" thing... If someone is driving on expired tags, he could've pulled him over for that alone. The fact that he was waiting for you to do something worse, yes that is dickish. I'll give you that. He already had cause to pull him over, so the whole following you guys and looking for more, yes that was wrong.

And thats my whole problem with the situation, if the cop had that much evidence to pull us over, then why didn't he? Could just be an ignorant cop, or maybe he is truly a dumba$$ idk, but either way just by his words made him in the wrong

aaronrkelly · 07-03-2008, 12:49 AM

You know cops ride motorcycles too....in fact in my dept over half the officers are riders.

That aside....lets go at this one thing at a time.

The cop HAD a reason to pull you over the whole time....the speed alone is enough. In fact I think he was choosing NOT to screw with you for the most part....letting you go on that issue and only intervening when your buddy made his second mistake, the cutting back into traffic. Now your buddy is speeding and cutting back and forth into traffic - did you honestly not expect to get pulled over?

Thats my take on it....yes, you were doing something wrong but he was giving you a pass until you violate more laws. This isnt uncommon.....we do this all the time. Someone going 5mph over.....pass.....someone going 5mph over and crossing the center line....fail. At 2AM if I see someone roll through a stop sign Im going to follow them for 5 or so miles to view the driving......if they are driving fine then "ehh, its 2AM there were no cars on the road...it happens no biggie"......if they cant keep there car on the road then its traffic stop time. Sometimes you follow someone to view their driving habits. See the difference.....there is nothing saying we HAVE to pull you over at the first violation....its called officer discretion.

No MC license, no insurance and expired tags.....but your whining about cops with nothing better to do, are you serious. Your buddy IS our job....and hes job security.

Lets get this straight. Enforcing traffic laws ARE part of our job....getting unsafe drivers (which I would classify your buddy as one) off the road IS a job. LEO work is rarely about solving murders, catching robbers etc.....not in my area anyways.

Your buddy is NOT a good representative of the motorcycling community. HE ruined your ride by "riding dirty"

WAR600 · 07-03-2008, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

know my friend was riding dirty...but we were being safe and the cop said I was following u for 6 miles and was looking for some reason to pull you guys over....thats crap

Yeah, it's called probable cause. You said yourself you guys were going 10 over. If the officer books you on this, it would just waste both of your times going to court to fight it because it would eventually get dropped. So he had to follow you to get another secondary infraction so it will hold up in a court of law. I know because I deal with Police Officers, tickets, the law and the court system on a daily basis.

I do see your point, it does ruin a great ride. But I disagree that you guys were just minding your own business and weren't doing anything wrong. Hopefully you both learned a lesson and this wont happen again. Next time be safe, have fun and make sure you're legal.

rexmitchell · 07-03-2008, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WACB650

Yeah, it's called probable cause. You said yourself you guys were going 10 over. If the officer books you on this, it would just waste both of your times going to court to fight it because it would eventually get dropped. So he had to follow you to get another secondary infraction so it will hold up in a court of law. I know because I deal with Police Officers, tickets, the law and the court system on a daily basis.

I do see your point, it does ruin a great ride. But I disagree that you guys were just minding your own business and weren't doing anything wrong. Hopefully you both learned a lesson and this wont happen again. Next time be safe, have fun and make sure you're legal.

I understand the probable cause part, but when I say we were going ten over, that was on my speedo, so in reality we were probly going 3 over, and I know traffic doesn't matter, but there were people flying by us, and they didn't get a second look...And everytime Ive gotten pulled over for speeding, that was all the cop needed, whether it was 2 miles per hour over, or 35 mph over, I just dont think we were either speeding enough to pull us over, or he couldn't radar us(which I doubt) but if he could have gotten us earlier I think he would of..

WAR600 · 07-03-2008, 01:21 AM

I totally understand what you are saying. There are bikers out there that have made it bad for the rest of us and some police officers have had a bad time with these bikers and take it out on any biker no matter what the situation is and that sucks. But there are still things, like riding with the appropriate license, that we as riders need to do to cover our butts. I bet if your buddy had the proper license he would have been let off with a warning, but in the long run he is lucky all he got was a ticket. I am sure you guys learned something from this and it wont happen again.

07-03-2008, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WACB650

I totally understand what you are saying. There are bikers out there that have made it bad for the rest of us and some police officers have had a bad time with these bikers and take it out on any biker no matter what the situation is and that sucks. But there are still things, like riding with the appropriate license, that we as riders need to do to cover our butts. I bet if your buddy had the proper license he would have been let off with a warning, but in the long run he is lucky all he got was a ticket. I am sure you guys learned something from this and it wont happen again.

I agree with you, WACB..... I think a lot of bikers are unfairly targeted, just because they are on a bike. So that makes it all the more important for us to follow the rules, because we don't want the extra reasons for them to bust us. The squids in reality are few and far between, but, unfortunately they seem to define this. This has got to change

We are better than this.

WAR600 · 07-03-2008, 01:36 AM

I think a great example of this is how a very select few Harley riders give all Harley riders a bad name. For years I thought only hells angels bought Harley's. Now I know that there are a lot of great people out there that ride Harley's.

07-03-2008, 01:40 AM

And, the unfortunate sad fact is that stereotyping is involved here. Just because you are young and on a bike doesn't mean you are reckless or irresonsible. I am truley impressed by the number of young members on this cite that are incredibly resposible and knowlegeable well beyond their years. It's wonderful to have the youth giving us a good name

WAR600 · 07-03-2008, 01:49 AM

I agree, when I tell people I own an R6, the first question they ask me is if I have done any wheelies yet. I didn't get my sportsbike to do wheelies I got it to ride and have fun. I see the stereotyping everywhere I go. I think it is here as well, but as a community we do pretty good to listen to everyone and give them a chance no matter what the bike or the person riding it.

07-03-2008, 01:55 AM

And its like the old saying goes, only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. All the people here seem so responsible, which is awesome. We gptta turn the tide. In his young days, my husband got pulled over a couple times for none other than "the routine check" For which he always beat because he was never doing anything wrong.Which is frustrating. But it is part of our job to set those squids straight.

kitty kat · 07-03-2008, 02:08 AM

There is a bike meet 6 miles away from my home on a Monday night. The cops sit on all the entry routes to it almost every Monday, then they tell you they are not out to target bikes. Funny though, they are not there the rest of the week.

Wouldn't mind if we cause any trouble at the meet. We park in a large car park the local council has given over to us (no cars allowed after 6pm) and we just go into the local cafe, buy a drink or something to eat then sit around outside talking. There is never anyone showing off on their bikes, they are all parked up with engines off.

aaronrkelly · 07-03-2008, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

I understand the probable cause part, but when I say we were going ten over, that was on my speedo, so in reality we were probly going 3 over, and I know traffic doesn't matter, but there were people flying by us, and they didn't get a second look...And everytime Ive gotten pulled over for speeding, that was all the cop needed, whether it was 2 miles per hour over, or 35 mph over, I just dont think we were either speeding enough to pull us over, or he couldn't radar us(which I doubt) but if he could have gotten us earlier I think he would of..

Your good at making excuses for your actions and blaming others.

kitty kat · 07-03-2008, 02:28 AM

If you get pulled for speeding, then best thing to do is hold your hand up and accept the charge.

We all speed at sometime, I have done and got the fines for it. There is no point blaming anyone or anything else, it is our hand on the throttle.

loudest143 · 07-03-2008, 07:56 AM

[rant]Cops follow after bikers BECAUSE of numbnuts like your friend who do stupid stuff IN FRONT of cops without their licenses. Tell him I said thanks for perpetuating the myth that ALL bikers are risktaking tools. Like we need the help.[/rant]

I personally witnessed 4 cruisers streak out of a substation on my evening ride. I thought it was odd, I figured there must be something going down, a big bust or something, as they were all running without emergency lights flashing. A 1/4 mile down the road, through a little twisty section, I see 2 of the same cruisers sitting in a lot on my right. Just down the road a couple more blocks are the other two cruisers in another lot. I'm lost... What's that all about?

I go across the river, into the next suburb, and lo and behold, a PACK of bikers at a traffic light! had to be 30 riders. All different kinds of bikes, helmets, jackets, safety vests, properly stopped, nobody revving their engine, or doing burnouts or anything. I stopped next to the leader after I passed through the intersection in my lane(hi, this is me stopping in a travel lane doing something dangerous and ILLEGAL) I told the lead rider that 5-0 was up over the hill, so take it easy.

I went home and found out on the web that it was Euro Bike Night, and a large group of riders get together to do a 'fun ride' out and about, teaching new riders good safe riding techniques. The police knew they were coming, as they were alerted to their departure by the cop sitting down the street from where they left his precinct. They were WAITING FOR THEM TO SCREW UP.

This is why you should ride smart. Cops ARE WAITING FOR YOU, because of things like riding wheelies down the freeway, or going 100mph in the slow lane.

Thanks.

loudest143

jmark · 07-03-2008, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

So this afternoon was cruising with a buddy down the freeway in the hillcountry. We were going a reasonable speed, having fun but nothing too crazy. So we are about to make a turn onto a road we love to ride and my buddy accidently gets into the far right hand lane when we needed to go straight. The lane he got into was a turn only lane, so quickly he sped up and jumped back into traffic one car ahead of me, next thing you know I see a sheriff's deputy fly by me cut into traffic behind him and pull him over. I immediately ducked into a gas station and tried to watch him and the cop. I couldn't see him so eventually I went around the corner where the cop had him pulled over, I drove past casually and then called my buddy when I made the next turn. He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags. When I talked to my buddy the cop had ticketed him for the above, and asked where his friend was(me). The cop said he had been following us for 6 miles and knew we were speeding, but finnally had a reason to pull him over when he cut back into traffic. The reason, passing on the right. Then as he was leaving he instructed my buddy that he couldn't ride his bike and he was coming to look for me...Now I was only really upset because we weren't going more than 10 over and the fact the cop said, I was waiting for a reason to pull you over. Do the police really have nothing better to do than screw with two people minding their own business not causing any problems. Anyway it really ruined our afternoon and our ride since we both had to sneak out of the area after that

I can't believe anyone would have the audacity to complain under such circumstances. Are there any laws you guys were *not* breaking?

Dodsfall · 07-03-2008, 08:23 AM

I speed. A lot. I'm a regular speed demon.

But I do it safely, not around traffic. Sure, I'll get a ticket every few years. (The police can come up with some pretty good hiding spots) I don't complain though, as many miles as I drive and ride, it's worth the price.

Ringo · 07-03-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexmitchell

He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags. When I talked to my buddy the cop had ticketed him for the above, and asked where his friend was(me). The cop said he had been following us for 6 miles and knew we were speeding, but finnally had a reason to pull him over when he cut back into traffic. The reason, passing on the right. Then as he was leaving he instructed my buddy that he couldn't ride his bike and he was coming to look for me...Now I was only really upset because we weren't going more than 10 over and the fact the cop said, I was waiting for a reason to pull you over. Do the police really have nothing better to do than screw with two people minding their own business not causing any problems. Anyway it really ruined our afternoon and our ride since we both had to sneak out of the area after that

I'm sorry Rex, but the only one that ruined you and your Buddy's day was you and your Buddy.

07-02-2008, 10:54 PM	#1
rexmitchell Administrator Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: THE ATX Posts: 14,680	Cops ruined my ride.... So this afternoon was cruising with a buddy down the freeway in the hillcountry. We were going a reasonable speed, having fun but nothing too crazy. So we are about to make a turn onto a road we love to ride and my buddy accidently gets into the far right hand lane when we needed to go straight. The lane he got into was a turn only lane, so quickly he sped up and jumped back into traffic one car ahead of me, next thing you know I see a sheriff's deputy fly by me cut into traffic behind him and pull him over. I immediately ducked into a gas station and tried to watch him and the cop. I couldn't see him so eventually I went around the corner where the cop had him pulled over, I drove past casually and then called my buddy when I made the next turn. He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags. When I talked to my buddy the cop had ticketed him for the above, and asked where his friend was(me). The cop said he had been following us for 6 miles and knew we were speeding, but finnally had a reason to pull him over when he cut back into traffic. The reason, passing on the right. Then as he was leaving he instructed my buddy that he couldn't ride his bike and he was coming to look for me...Now I was only really upset because we weren't going more than 10 over and the fact the cop said, I was waiting for a reason to pull you over. Do the police really have nothing better to do than screw with two people minding their own business not causing any problems. Anyway it really ruined our afternoon and our ride since we both had to sneak out of the area after that

07-03-2008, 12:00 AM	#18
RebelWithACause Guest Posts: n/a	So, what I'm trying to tell you, yes it sucked, but things could've been a hell of lot worse for him. So, the cop apparently did give him a break. You are obviously responsible and have done everything you need to do to be legal. Don't let him drag you down, because obviously this cop was coming after you as a result of his negligence. Is that the sort of people you want to ride with? Don't let him drag you down. Last edited by RebelWithACause; 07-03-2008 at 12:05 AM..

07-03-2008, 12:49 AM	#25
aaronrkelly Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: southern Iowa Posts: 2,450	You know cops ride motorcycles too....in fact in my dept over half the officers are riders. That aside....lets go at this one thing at a time. The cop HAD a reason to pull you over the whole time....the speed alone is enough. In fact I think he was choosing NOT to screw with you for the most part....letting you go on that issue and only intervening when your buddy made his second mistake, the cutting back into traffic. Now your buddy is speeding and cutting back and forth into traffic - did you honestly not expect to get pulled over? Thats my take on it....yes, you were doing something wrong but he was giving you a pass until you violate more laws. This isnt uncommon.....we do this all the time. Someone going 5mph over.....pass.....someone going 5mph over and crossing the center line....fail. At 2AM if I see someone roll through a stop sign Im going to follow them for 5 or so miles to view the driving......if they are driving fine then "ehh, its 2AM there were no cars on the road...it happens no biggie"......if they cant keep there car on the road then its traffic stop time. Sometimes you follow someone to view their driving habits. See the difference.....there is nothing saying we HAVE to pull you over at the first violation....its called officer discretion. No MC license, no insurance and expired tags.....but your whining about cops with nothing better to do, are you serious. Your buddy IS our job....and hes job security. Lets get this straight. Enforcing traffic laws ARE part of our job....getting unsafe drivers (which I would classify your buddy as one) off the road IS a job. LEO work is rarely about solving murders, catching robbers etc.....not in my area anyways. Your buddy is NOT a good representative of the motorcycling community. HE ruined your ride by "riding dirty" Last edited by aaronrkelly; 07-03-2008 at 01:00 AM..

07-03-2008, 02:08 AM	#34
kitty kat Biker for Life Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Blackpool, England Posts: 870	There is a bike meet 6 miles away from my home on a Monday night. The cops sit on all the entry routes to it almost every Monday, then they tell you they are not out to target bikes. Funny though, they are not there the rest of the week. Wouldn't mind if we cause any trouble at the meet. We park in a large car park the local council has given over to us (no cars allowed after 6pm) and we just go into the local cafe, buy a drink or something to eat then sit around outside talking. There is never anyone showing off on their bikes, they are all parked up with engines off. __________________ A bike is for life, not just sunny Sundays

07-03-2008, 02:28 AM	#36
kitty kat Biker for Life Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Blackpool, England Posts: 870	If you get pulled for speeding, then best thing to do is hold your hand up and accept the charge. We all speed at sometime, I have done and got the fines for it. There is no point blaming anyone or anything else, it is our hand on the throttle. __________________ A bike is for life, not just sunny Sundays

07-02-2008, 11:00 PM	#3
lougotzz Verified Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 98	Yeah, the police are not your friend, contrary to what they tell you.

07-02-2008, 11:03 PM	#4
LethalThreat Riding For Relaxation Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Litchfield Hills, Connecticut Posts: 273	It seems the cops in my area are the same way. They just wait for someone on a bike to do something so they can pull them over. They seem to concentrate on the sport bikes, so I am pretty safe from their harassment. I also 2nd Schneiderman's comment. Only 2 of my friends actually have their MC endorsements, but we all carry our licenses and have fully registered and insured bikes.

07-02-2008, 11:10 PM	#5
primalmu 2005 Bandit 1200S Join Date: May 2008 Location: Starkville, MS Posts: 4,303	I'm sorry, but I, too, feel little sympathy. Yea, alright, most motorcyclists speed... most drivers speed, too. Don't go crying when you actually get caught. Around here, a cop wouldn't need any other reason other than going 10 MPH over the speed limit to pull you over. Ride how you want to, but don't bitch and moan when you get caught breaking the law.

07-02-2008, 11:11 PM	#6
Schneiderman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 3,160	For the record, I have nothing against cops. I've always been treated well by cops, with the notable exception of one individual who everyone in town knows is just a bad apple. Cops watch for motorcycles to do something illegal because they know that it's going to happen. Also... it's part of their job. I'd prefer to have cops doing their job rather than not doing their job. If you're going to do something illegal, first of all, be somewhat certain that nobody is watching. Second, be aware that there are consequences if you get caught and the only person at fault is yourself.

07-02-2008, 11:14 PM	#8
lougotzz Verified Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 98	"He was driving without a MC license and didn't have his regular DL with him, along with no insurance, and expired tags." I have no sympothy on that either, what I have a problem with is the police followed them for 6 miles looking for a reason to get them in trouble.

07-02-2008, 11:24 PM	#10
lougotzz Verified Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 98	"Believe it or not a police officer can pull you over for doing 1 MPH over the speed limit. It has happened to me in my car." What did you say when he told you that?

07-02-2008, 11:35 PM	#11
Dan631 Paramedic Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Wynne, AR Posts: 870	It was a she and she was doing the exact speed limit which was 70 MPH on the freeway. I was in my car and I saw her a couple lanes over and I figured there was a "safe zone" for driving over the speed limit so I inched by her doing 71, 72-ish and as soon as my rear bumper cleared her car she was behind me with the lights on. She didn't give me a ticket but I did get a lecture. She was absolutely astonished that someone would "pass" a police officer that was driving the speed limit. So when they say "limit" that is exactly what they mean. There is no "safe zone" of 10 MPH over or so that alot of drivers think there is.

07-02-2008, 11:38 PM	#12
Schneiderman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 3,160	^I think she was just surprised that you had the balls to pass a cop car at all... Cops are usually like pace cars. If they get on the expressway and are traveling at or under the speed limit... so is everyone else, no matter how fast they were going before. What I find funny is when a cop gets onto the highway, everyone slows down to the speed limit and the cop just rockets past at some unreasonable speed. Everyone else usually keeps going the speed limit, afraid to follow the cop. I go right for it... if the cops in a hurry, he's not going to care about me doing 20 over the limit right behind him.

07-02-2008, 11:49 PM	#14
Schneiderman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 3,160	Oh BTW, if you had gotten a ticket for doing 71 or 72, you could easily beat it since speedometers are off by a margin of more than a few miles per hour. Your actual speed was probably more like 65.

07-02-2008, 11:51 PM	#16
rexmitchell Administrator Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: THE ATX Posts: 14,680	know my friend was riding dirty...but we were being safe and the cop said I was following u for 6 miles and was looking for some reason to pull you guys over....thats crap

07-02-2008, 11:58 PM	#17
RebelWithACause Guest Posts: n/a	I understand that cops probably target young guys on bikes (esp on sport bikes), and I agree that isn't right, but your friend was in violation of a number of laws, which is not right as well. You need to tell your friend to get up to speed, as in, get the license, the insurance and the tags taken care of. Then cops will have far less ammunition.

07-03-2008, 01:21 AM	#28
WAR600 Motorcyclist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Washington State Posts: 1,598	I totally understand what you are saying. There are bikers out there that have made it bad for the rest of us and some police officers have had a bad time with these bikers and take it out on any biker no matter what the situation is and that sucks. But there are still things, like riding with the appropriate license, that we as riders need to do to cover our butts. I bet if your buddy had the proper license he would have been let off with a warning, but in the long run he is lucky all he got was a ticket. I am sure you guys learned something from this and it wont happen again.

07-03-2008, 01:36 AM	#30
WAR600 Motorcyclist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Washington State Posts: 1,598	I think a great example of this is how a very select few Harley riders give all Harley riders a bad name. For years I thought only hells angels bought Harley's. Now I know that there are a lot of great people out there that ride Harley's.

07-03-2008, 01:40 AM	#31
RebelWithACause Guest Posts: n/a	And, the unfortunate sad fact is that stereotyping is involved here. Just because you are young and on a bike doesn't mean you are reckless or irresonsible. I am truley impressed by the number of young members on this cite that are incredibly resposible and knowlegeable well beyond their years. It's wonderful to have the youth giving us a good name

07-03-2008, 01:49 AM	#32
WAR600 Motorcyclist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Washington State Posts: 1,598	I agree, when I tell people I own an R6, the first question they ask me is if I have done any wheelies yet. I didn't get my sportsbike to do wheelies I got it to ride and have fun. I see the stereotyping everywhere I go. I think it is here as well, but as a community we do pretty good to listen to everyone and give them a chance no matter what the bike or the person riding it.

07-03-2008, 01:55 AM	#33
RebelWithACause Guest Posts: n/a	And its like the old saying goes, only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. All the people here seem so responsible, which is awesome. We gptta turn the tide. In his young days, my husband got pulled over a couple times for none other than "the routine check" For which he always beat because he was never doing anything wrong.Which is frustrating. But it is part of our job to set those squids straight.

07-03-2008, 07:56 AM	#37
loudest143 as in "he who laughs last...." Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 251	[rant]Cops follow after bikers BECAUSE of numbnuts like your friend who do stupid stuff IN FRONT of cops without their licenses. Tell him I said thanks for perpetuating the myth that ALL bikers are risktaking tools. Like we need the help.[/rant] I personally witnessed 4 cruisers streak out of a substation on my evening ride. I thought it was odd, I figured there must be something going down, a big bust or something, as they were all running without emergency lights flashing. A 1/4 mile down the road, through a little twisty section, I see 2 of the same cruisers sitting in a lot on my right. Just down the road a couple more blocks are the other two cruisers in another lot. I'm lost... What's that all about? I go across the river, into the next suburb, and lo and behold, a PACK of bikers at a traffic light! had to be 30 riders. All different kinds of bikes, helmets, jackets, safety vests, properly stopped, nobody revving their engine, or doing burnouts or anything. I stopped next to the leader after I passed through the intersection in my lane(hi, this is me stopping in a travel lane doing something dangerous and ILLEGAL) I told the lead rider that 5-0 was up over the hill, so take it easy. I went home and found out on the web that it was Euro Bike Night, and a large group of riders get together to do a 'fun ride' out and about, teaching new riders good safe riding techniques. The police knew they were coming, as they were alerted to their departure by the cop sitting down the street from where they left his precinct. They were WAITING FOR THEM TO SCREW UP. This is why you should ride smart. Cops ARE WAITING FOR YOU, because of things like riding wheelies down the freeway, or going 100mph in the slow lane. Thanks. loudest143 __________________ meh

07-03-2008, 08:23 AM	#39
Dodsfall Administrator Join Date: May 2008 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 15,859	I speed. A lot. I'm a regular speed demon. But I do it safely, not around traffic. Sure, I'll get a ticket every few years. (The police can come up with some pretty good hiding spots) I don't complain though, as many miles as I drive and ride, it's worth the price.

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