Speeding tickets on a motorcycle?

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brentster · Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:08 am

Hiya folks,

Just bought a v-star classic 650. I love the bike and it was a perfect choice for me as a new rider.

I have concerns, however, that the speedometer is not accurate... I live in the Wash, DC and people drive like idiots here, so it may be everybody else.. The speed limit on my road is 30 and the road goes for about 5 miles before I have to turn off into my neighborhood. Problem is, when the speedo says 35 (to compensate for mech differences), I get what looks like a funeral procession behind me after a couple miles on the road. It "feels" like I'm going fast enough, but that doesn't save me from the occasioinal idiot who likes to tailgate me as I head through the neighborhood.. Anybody else know of a similar issue on the v-star?

Here's another similar question.. I have never seen a motorcycle operator pulled over and/or ticketed as far as I can remember. One has to think there are knucklheads out there who speed excessively, but I just can't remember seeing a bike rider getting yanked around me. Are the physics (other than size) surrounding radar and bikes different than that of vehicles? A guy on a bike flew past me yesterday and I figure he was going about 85.. He also flew past the cop standing next to his car with the radar gun in his hand. I have to assume the cop was operating the gun, and he looked directly at the bike when it zipped past him.. but did not go after him.. Was that physics or dumb luck?

Thanks for reading this..

#2 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:24 am

I have a theory about the ticket thing, and it simply has to do with liability. When a cop pulls a bike over, the biker has no protection while sitting there at the side of the road. Since traffic tickets are 99.9% about revenue and nothing more, I doubt the cops want to share their profits with an attorney.

#3 Unread post by **Sev** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:30 am

I've seen a couple of bikes pulled over for tickets.

#4 Unread post by **sv-wolf** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 12:36 pm

As I understand it, the technology used in radar traps is far from perfect. The traffic cop with a gun has to fix his beam on a perfectly flat, unvarying surface for the duration of his shot. On a car you have the front registration plate which will bounce back a good signal. On a bike getting a fix is not so easy. So, if you get caught by one of these gizmos and can't brake fast enough, wobble the front end. I can't guarantee that it will work, but I reckon it is worth a go.

There is a legal challenge going on it the UK at present with regard to the accuracy of the readings the police equipment gives, particularly with reference to bikes.

That said, UK bikers do get those annoying little letters through their letterboxes fairly regularly. Like ZooTech said, most of this is about making money for the police partnerships, so where there's a vested interest, there is reason to be careful.

#5 Unread post by **Jamers!** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 12:46 pm

Sevulturus wrote:I've seen a couple of bikes pulled over for tickets.

what kind. Ive never seen any halfway decent sport bikes. They could blow away any crown vic out there, especially if they got to a hill

JWF

#6 Unread post by **Sev** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 1:42 pm

Week before last I saw a CBR pulled over along the side of the road on my way into town with a cop pulled up behind him. The rider had his helmet off and was having a smoke. Bike was fine, he was fine and the cop looked like he was writing him a ticket.

1/2 an hour later on my way back I saw the tow-truck pull up. I couldn't stop laughing, it's a popular place to speed, but he must have been BOOKING it because I was under them impression they don't normally take the bike. Then again, he might not even have had a license.

*note* it was one cop, no ambulance/emergency response workers etc and there appeared to be no damage to the bike itself. So I strongly doubt it was an accident.

Gadjet · #7 Unread post by **Gadjet** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 1:54 pm

I recieved my first ever speeding ticket on my way to Hyder in May of this year on my bike.

they do ticket bikes, I just think that most of the time it likely isn't worth the aggravation and danger of trying to catch the guys going warp speed on their sportbikes. The average supersport will blow the doors off anything but the most powerful police interceptor on the road.

macktruckturner · Fri Oct 28, 2005 12:29 am

I've seen many bikes pulled over, everything from Sportsters, to Hayabusas. The funny thing about speed - you can haul some serious behind - but you can't outrun a radio.

Awox · #9 Unread post by **Awox** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 1:00 am

Well, I haven't had a chance to push my bike yet. There's nowhere that's acutally isolated enough for me to do it without risking injury to others or a big whopping fine.

I'm currently limited to 80km/h MAXIMUM no matter where I am. Even highways. I haven't been able to go that far though because I haven't had a chance to leave town so I've been stuck in the 50km/h built-up residential areas and the 40km/h school zones.

I must say it's easy to find myself 4-5km/h over the limit and I would hate to be picked up by radar because of that, only other time I should find myself over the limit is accelerating to miss an object. I am pretty sure the technology the NSW police use allow for that because of how inaccurate they equipments are.

oldnslo · #10 Unread post by **oldnslo** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 1:10 am

The two tickets I've received in the last 20 years have been on sportbikes. The story used to be that radar picked out the largest object, but there's also the story that on any given day, cops will select motorcycles, or red cars, whatever. The fact is, radar does pick up motorcycles, and ignoring that is flirting with the hiway robbers in uniform. It's all about money, generally.
Oh, and running from the police is not a very intelligent idea--their radios are faster than anything on wheels, not to mention planes and helicopters on occasion. Don't even think about it. You may succeed, but if they get you, there will be big trouble in your life.